1805.] 
more modern and elegant. There is not 
a book in it which is not diftinguifhed 
either by its rarity or correétnefs, or by 
fome other typographical excellence. 
How little it wants cf being complete, ap- 
pears from the catalogue of the books 
which are ill wanting, and whofe num- 
ber amounts to about 800. He befides 
pofleffes a confiderabie collection of manu- 
{cripts, which, with the early editions, 
occupy another apartment ; among thefe, 
he fhewed, me as the moft precious article 
in the colleétion, a manufcript copy of 
Dante, on parchment, which he confiders 
as one of the moft ancient, and probably 
contemporary with the author. Poggiali 
has a defign of printing this work, which 
contains a great number of paflages that 
vary Confiderably from the ordinary ver- 
fens, and would clear up many obfcurities 
in Dante, together with the marginal com- 
mentary with which it is accompanied. 
Poggiali’s bibliographic knowledge, ac- 
quired in thirty years {pent in colle&tion 
and ttudy, 1s as uzigve as his library. He 
mentioned that he had fome idea cf pub- 
lithing, at one time or other, a bibliogra- 
phy of Italian literature. Pogsiali, in 
conjunction with four other members of 
the Academy of Florence, has, for feveral 
years, been collecting materials for anew 
edition of the great Dizionario dela Crufca, 
and he fhewed mea whole cheft full of pa- 
pers, which contained fpoils taken, for 
that purpofe, from a multitude of authors 
both ancient and modern. He himéelf 
was unable to fay when this new edition 
would appear. The prefent ftate of af- 
fairs in Italy is too unfavourable to large 
and expenfive publications, but he thinks 
that the want of fuch a work, which is 
univerfally experienced, would procure a 
confiderable demand for it. The Parzafoo 
Italians, which appeared at Leghorn, 
twelve years ago, in fifty pocket volumes ; 
the collection of the Novellieri Italiani, in 
twenty-five volumes ogtavo, and the works 
of Machiavelli, in fix volumes oétavo, 
befides many other works of ancient Ita- 
Jian authors, very elegantly printed at the 
fame place, were edited by Poggiali, and 
are regarded as the moft correét editions. 
With refpeét to Machiavelli, who is his 
favourite author, he told me, that he in- 
tended to publith another fplendid edition, 
inferior in no refpeét to Didot’s or Bodo- 
nis, and then he could die happy. 
The impreflion produced by the cathe- 
dral of Siena, together with the Batti/erio 
and the hanging tower, fituated in a remote 
and folitary {pot, where you fcarcely meet 
@human creature, is fingular and itriking. 
State of Literature and the Arts in Italy. 
483 
The {pectator imagines himfelf tranfport- 
ed into another age, or into a country of 
the Eaft. The deception was heightened. 
by the unexpected fight of a train of ten 
or twelve loaded camels, which paffed jut 
at the moment when we were leaving. the 
cathedral to go tothe Battifterio. About 
a league from Siena a colony of thefe ani- 
mals has been eftablifhed, where they pro- 
pagate, and are employed in carrying bur 
dens. In the cathedral of Siena, among 
the multitude of large pictures which de- 
corate the walls, I found only one good 
piece, by Perin dei Vaga; all the reft are 
fcarcely worth looking at. 
The printing-eftablithment of the Ty- 
pographical Society of Pifa is a recent, 
but apparently a fuccefsful inftititution. 
The works printed at it are diftinguithed 
by the beauty of the letters, the goodnefs 
of the paper, and the correétnefs of the 
impreflion. As a proof I need only men- 
tion the new edition of Cefarotti’s Works, 
of which nine volumes were printed when 
I was at Pifa. The tenth will contain the 
Academic Difcourfes of the author, which 
were never before publifhed. Rofini, a 
man of letters, who conduéts this efta. 
blifiment, gave me the firtt fheets of the 
volume. The difcourfes are written with 
great eloquence as well as elegance. 
Among the living authors of Italy, Cefa- 
rotti is, without difpute, one of thofe who 
poflefs the greateft talents and the mott 
polifhed tafte. The Society has announced 
{plendid folio editions of the four firkt claflic 
poets of Italy, Dante, Petrarca, Ariofto, 
and Taffo. The number of fub{cribers 
was complete, but they kad not yet com- 
menced printing. I, however, faw a 
proof-fheet of Dante, with whofe works 
they begin. The paper and impreffion 
were very beautiful, but the form ap- 
peared rather too long in proportion to 
the breadth. The colle&tion will form 
twelve volumes, each of which will coit 
three fequins (about 11. 103. Englifh), and. 
the works of each author will be accom- 
panied with his portrait, engraved by 
Morghen. It is now the fafhion to print 
the name of each fubf{criber on the title of 
his copy, and that method will be foilow- 
ed with this work. The Society like. 
wife prints a literary journal, which {el- 
dom pronounces any opinion where it can- 
not praife, and merely inferts a notice or 
extracts. The greateft part of the works 
of which it treats are foreign, and princi- 
pally’ French ; the literature of France 
being now exclufively cultivated in Italy, 
The native produ€tions are fo few, that 
a journal devoted unly to Italian ltera- 
gk 2  kure 
‘ 
SS O—E—Eee 
ee 
— 
