S. Maria della Ciambra, in the island of Sicily, he there, at the request of Ferrando Gonzaga, the viceroy, composed a poem in terza rima, divided into two books, and entitled, "La Palermita," and also three tragedies in verse on sacred subjects, but these pieces have never been printed. Many other works of Folengi are noticed by his editors and biographers. His life was prolonged until the year 1544, when he died at the Priorata of Campese near Bassano, and was buried in the adjacent church of Santa Croce.

Imitations of

classic writers.

84

Although the study of the ancient languages had long been revived in Italy, yet no idea seems to have the ancient been entertained before the time of Leo X. of improving the style of Italian composition, by a closer adherence to the regularity and purity of the Greek and Roman writers. Some efforts had, indeed, been made to transfuse the spirit, or at least the sense of these ductions into the Italian tongue. The "Metamorphoses" of Ovid, and the "Eneid" of the Mantuan bard,86 had thus been translated into prose; and the "Thebaid" of Statius,87 the "Pharsalia" of Lucan,88 the "Satires" of Juvenal,89 with some detached parts of the writings of Ovid," and of Virgil,"1

85

pro

84 La Cecilia, La Cristina, e La Caterina. Vide Zeno, Note al Fontanini, vol. i. p. 302. 85 Translated by Giovanni Buonsignore, supposed as early as the fourteenth century, printed at Venice per Gio. Rosso. Ven. 1497. Vide Morelli. Bib. Pinel. vol. iv. Art. 2069. Haym. Bib. Ital. 118. 13.

86 L'Eneida, ridotta in prosa, per Atanagio Greco. Vicenza, per Ermanno di Levilapide. 1476.

87 Tebaide di Stazio, in ottava rima da Erasmo di Valvasone, Ven. ap. Fr. Franceschi. 1470.

88 Lucano la Farsaglia, tradotta dal Cardinale Montichiello. Milano, per Cassano di Mantegazii. 1492. 4to.

89 Le Satire di Giuvenale, in terza rima, da Giorgio Sommaripa, in Trevigi, 1480. fo.

90 De arte Amandi, in terza rima, Milano, per Filippo di Montegazzi, 1494. There is also another edition, without date, which is probably the first. Vide Morelli. Bib. Pinel. vol. iv. p. 2071.

91 Bucoliche di Virgilio, per Bernardo Pulci, di Latino in vulgare traducte, printed with some of the Bucolics of Francesco Arsochi, Hieronymo Benivieni et Jacopo Fiorini de Buoninsegni, Flor. per Maestro Antonio Mischomini, 1494. I must observe, that Mr. Warton is not correct in asserting, that Virgil's Bucolics were translated into Italian by Bernardo Pulci, Fossa de Cremona, Benivieni, and Fiorini Buoninsegni. Hist. of Eng. Poetry, vol. ii. p. 256. The only translators of Virgil being Bernardo Pulci and Evangelista Fossa; and the Bucolics of Benivieni and Buoninsegni being original compositions. The translation of Fossa is entitled, "BUCHOLICA VULGARE DE VIRGILIO, composta per el Clarissimo Poeta Frati Evangelista Fossa de Cremona, del ordine di Servi. MCCCCLXXXXIV. in Venetia." The translation is in terza rima, but extremely rude and incorrect.

had been translated into Italian verse; but in so rude and unskilful a manner, as to produce, like a bad mirror, rather a caricature than a resemblance. As the Italian scholars became more intimately acquainted with the works of the ancients, they began to feel the influence of their taste, and to imbibe some portion of their spirit. No longer satisfied with the humble and laborious task of translating these authors, they with a laudable emulation endeavoured to rival the boasted remains of ancient genius by productions of a similar kind in their native tongue. In order to attain an equality with their great models, they ventured also to discard the shackles of rhyme, and to introduce a kind of measure which should depend for its effect on the elevation and harmony of its language, and on the variety of its pauses, rather than on the continual recurrence of similar sounds. The person who is entitled to the chief credit of having formed, and in some degree executed, this commendable design, is the learned Gian-Giorgio Trissino; and although his powers as a poet were inadequate to the task which he had imposed upon them, yet the chaste and classical style which was thus introduced, has given rise to some of the most correct and pleasing productions in the Italian tongue.

Trissino.

versi sciolti, or

Trissino was born of a noble family at Vicenza, in the year 1478, and for some time received instructions from the celebrated Greek, Demetrius Chalcondyles, at Milan.92 On the death of his wife, of whom he was early in life deprived, he repaired to Rome, where he obtained the particular favour of Leo X., who employed him on several important missions; and in particular, to the Introduces the emperor Maximilian. The versi sciolti, or blank Italian blank verse of the Italian language, was first employed by Trissino in his tragedy of "Sofonisba ;" and is certainly much better calculated than either the terza rima, or the ottava stanza, to works of length. The same mode of versification was, however, employed about the same time by several men of considerable talents, and an eminent Italian

verse.

92 With a laudable gratitude, Trissino erected in the church of S. Maria de la passione, at Milan, an elegant monument to the memory of his instructor, who died at that city in the year 1511. Tirab, ví. ii. 132. Ed. 1776.

critic has asserted, that " it was first used by Luigi Alimanni, in his translation from Catullus of the epithalamium of Peleus and Thetis, afterwards by Lodovico Martelli, in translating the fourth book of the "Eneid," and by the cardinal Ippolito de' Medici, in translating the second; in imitation of whom, Trissino afterwards composed in the same measure his epic poem of "Italia liberata da' Goti." But it must be observed that the "Italia liberata" was not the first work in which Trissino had employed the versi sciolti, his tragedy of "Sofonisba" having been written at least ten years before he began his epic poem, and completed in the year 1515.93 It is, however, certain, that in the same year Giovanni Rucellai wrote in blank verse his tragedy of "Rosmunda;" but as he has himself addressed Trissino as his literary preceptor, and as the pretensions of Trissino to the precedency in this respect are confirmed by the explicit acknowledgment of Palla Rucellai, the brother of Giovanni, we may with confidence attribute to Trissino the honour of the invention; unless the pretensions of the Florentine historian, Jacopo Nardi, who gave a specimen of blank verse in the prologue to his comedy entitled "L'Amicizia," supposed to be represented before the magistrates of Florence, about the year 1494, may be thought to invalidate his claim. The tragedy of "Sofonisba" is, however, entitled to notice, not only as having first introduced the versi sciolti into general use, but as being the first regular tragedy which made its appearance after the revival of letters. The appellation of tragedy had, indeed, been already adopted, and even the story of Sophonisba had been the subject of a dramatic performance, in ottava rima, by Galeotto, marquis of Carretto, presented by him to Isabella,

94

93 It appears from a letter of Giovanni Rucellai to Trissino, dated the 8th day of November, 1515, that Trissino had then completed his tragedy, which was intended to be represented before Leo X., probably on the occasion of his visit to Florence in that year. Vide Zeno, Note al Fontanini, Bib. Ital. vol. i. p. 464. It was not, however, printed until the year 1524, when it was published in Rome, per Lodovico degli Arrighi Vicentino; with a dedication which had been addressed by the author to Leo X. in the lifetime of that pontiff.

This question has given rise to great diversity of opinion between Fontanini and his severe commentator, Apostolo Zeno; which the reader will find in the Bibl. dell' Eloq. Italiana, vol. i. p. 384, et seq. It has also been discussed by Mr. Walker, in the Appendix to his "Historical Memoir on Italian Tragedy," No. ii. p. 20.

96

marchioness of Mantua; but this piece, like the "Virginia" of Accolti, and other productions of a similar nature, was so imperfect in its arrangement, and so ill adapted to theatrical representation, that it rather increases than diminishes the honour due to Trissino, who, disregarding the example of his contemporaries, introduced a more correct and classical style of dramatic composition. The affecting story of this tragedy, founded on the relation of Livy in the thirtieth book of his history, is already well known, having been frequently the subject of theatrical representation in this country. It may therefore be sufficient to observe, that Trissino, without greatly deviating from the records of history, has given a dramatic form to the incidents, which renders his production not uninteresting, and has interspersed it with some passages of expression and pathos. At the same time, it must be acknowledged, that the dignity of the tragic style is not always equally supported, and that the author frequently displays a prolixity, languor, and insipidity, both of sentiment and of language, which greatly detract from the interest of the piece.

It was not, however, until the year 1547, that Trissino published the first nine books of his epic poem of "Italia liberata da' Goti;" of which His Italia libethe additional eighteen books made their appearance in 1548.97 In this poem, to the completion

rata da' Goti.

95 Maffei, Teatro Italiano, vol. i. in prefaz. alla Sofonisba del Trissino. 96 On this account, Giraldi, in the prologue to his " Orbecche," denominates him "Il Trissino gentil, che col suo canto

Prima d'ognun, dal Tebro, e dall' Ilysso,

Già trasse la Tragedia a l'onde d'Arno."

97 This poem, like the second edition of the "Sofonisba," in 1529, was printed with the occasional introduction of Greek letters, for determining, with greater precision, the Italian pronunciation; the invention of which is due to Trissino, although his authority has failed of introducing it into general use. He dedicated it to the emperor Charles V., in an address which explains the motives of his attempt, and elucidates some circumstances in his own life. Several passages in this poem gave great offence, the author having severely censured the conduct of some of the Roman pontiffs, in consequence of which they were cancelled by him in the copies remaining unsold; a circumstance which has given rise to much discussion among the Italian bibliographers. Vide Fontanini, Bib. Ital. vol. i. p. 268, &c. As one of these excised passages has a particular reference to the subject of the preceding pages of the present work, I shall lay it before the reader, from the prima rarissima Edizione, as it is denominated by Tiraboschi. In this extract will also be found a specimen of the peculiar manner in which Trissino attempted to introduce the use of Greek types. Vide App. No. LXIX.

of which the author had dedicated upwards of twenty years, he proposed to exhibit to his countrymen a specimen of the true epic, as founded on the example of Homer and confirmed by the authority of Aristotle. The subject is the liberation of Italy from the Goths by Belisarius, as general of the emperor Justinian. In the execution of it, Trissino asserts that he had examined all the Greek and Roman writers, for the purpose of selecting the flowers of their eloquence to enrich his own labours. That Trissino was a man of talents and of learning, is evident from his other writings; and his various acquirements in mathematics, physics, and architecture, are highly celebrated by his contemporaries; yet of all the attempts at epic poetry which have hitherto appeared, the "Italia liberata" may be considered as the most insipid and uninteresting. In Berni, Mauro, Folengi, and other writers of burlesque poetry, their simplicity or vulgarity is evidently assumed, for the avowed purpose of giving a greater zest to their satire or their wit, but the low and pedestrian style of Trissino is genuine and unaffected, and is often rendered still more striking by the unconscious gravity of the author. Yet more reprehensible is the plan and conduct of the poem, in which the heathen mythology is confounded with the Christian religion, and an invocation to Apollo and the muses introduces the Supreme Being as interfering in the ⚫concerns of mortals, in such language and by such means as must, in the estimation of either true piety or correct taste, appear wholly unworthy of the divine character. Hence neither the industry of Trissino, nor the high literary character which he had before attained, could raise into credit his unfortunate poem, which, as one of his contemporaries informs us, was never read, but seemed to have been buried on the same day that it first saw the light. About the year 1700, a feeble attempt was made, by the associates of the academy of cardinal Ottoboni at Rome, to transpose the "Italia liberata" into ottava rima, each member selecting a separate book for the exercise of his

98 Bernardo Tasso, ap. Tirab. vii. iii. 113.

98