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A.1548.
Aet. 40.

CHAP. XVI. ployed, and strengthened, which, by tyrannizing over the other powers of the mind, is productive of delirium. Whatever, therefore, tends to render the affections of the mind more vivid; whatever ardently excites the imagination, while the judging faculty lies dormant or subdued; love that is ungovernable, or poetry that is warm; these should be avoided, as exciting causes of that mental alienation to which they are analogous.

The lunatic, the poet, and the lover,
Are of imagination all compact. *

* Midsummer Night's Dream. Tasso himself says, "Chi ha più bisogno de'fantasmi che'l poeta? o qual fu mai buon poeta, in cui la virtù immaginatrice non fosse gagliarda? e che altro è il furor poetico, che un ratto, che l'immaginazione fa di noi." X, p. 192.

CHAPTER XVII.

Controversy of the Academy Della Crusca with Tasso-Comparative Merit of that Poet and of Ariosto.

A. D. 1584-1585.

Aet. 40-41.

Ar the first publication of the Jerusalem Delivered, Envy, like a serpent upon which one has trod, lay for some time stunned and astonished; she now, however, recovered, unclosed her fangs, and collected her venom.

sung

The poem of Tasso, though composed under auspicious circumstances, appeared, in some measure, at an inauspicious period. In the same city, and at the same court, Ariosto had with an ease, a fancy, and exuberance, of which there had been scarcely an example in any former age. His Orlando had been published in its complete state, about fifty years before the poem of our bard; a period sufficient to give it a kind of classical dignity, and to diffuse it universally, but

CHAP. XVII.
A. D. 1584.

Aet. 40.

A. D. 1584.

Aet. 40.

CHAP. XVII. yet not so distant as to prevent the Jerusalem from being considered as a rival production. If, from an examination of the circumstances of the works, we turn to that of the authors, we shall find that, as far as fame was concerned, the state of the new Homer of Ferrara was much less favourable than that of the old. The ear of Ariosto had long been deaf to praise, while Tasso, unhappy as he was, might still have received pleasure, or at least consolation, from renown. "If a picture," says D'Alembert, " were to be given of Envy, she might be depicted as with the one hand assassinating living, while with the other she is offering incense to departed genius."* The same affection of Envy for the dead, which springs only from hatred to the living, has been well painted by a poet, whose life was imbittered by critics, the displeasure of whom arose not from his faults, (though these were many,) but from his literary excellence.

La gît la sombre Envie, a l'oeil timide, et louche,
Versant sur des Lauriers les poisons de sa bouche;
Le jour blesse ses yeux, dans l'ombre etincelans;
Triste Amante des morts, Elle hait les vivans. †

* On pourroit, ce me semble, representer l'Envie egorgeant d'une main du Genie vivant, et de l'autre offrant de l'encens à un Genie qui n'est plus.

+ Henriade, chant 7me. The well-known lines of Mr Lewis to Pope are, perhaps, the most beautiful that have been written on this subject; and have the rare merit of uniting sentiment with justness of reflection :

While malice, Pope! denies thy page

Its own celestial fire;

While critics, and while bards, in rage,
Admiring, won't admire.

A. D. 1584.

As the controversy in Italy relative to the Jerusalem Deliver- CHAP.XVIL ed, was one of the most violent ever agitated in that country, Aet 40, as its relation is so intimate with the subject of this work, and as it offers a subject of consolation to those who, without the same merits as our poet, may be used with the same barbarity, I shall devote this chapter to an account of its rise and progress. An opportunity will be thus afforded me of offering some remarks on the relative merit of Tasso; nor may it be without its use to show malignity, that its efforts are at least as useless as they are base; that a day will come, in which, of all that has been written against a man of genius, that only shall remain to which he seemed sensible, or which will serve to add lustre to his glory.

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* Cardan, in his life, has a long chapter, De Amicis atque Patronis; and then a short one, De Inimicis et aemulis. «Non eandem," says he," inibo rationem, in ennarandis nominibus. Inimicorum aut aemulorum, tam studiosè ut amicorum: quippe Galenum non parum errasse puto, qui Thessalum dum nomen ejus proterit, aliquem esse docuerit: et

VOL. II.

CHAP. XVII.

A. D. 1584.
Aet 40.

Dialogue of
Pellegrino.

Prejudices of the literati of Florence against Tasso.

Among the warmest admirers of Tasso, were two literary gentlemen of Capua, John Battista Attendolo, and Camillo Pellegrino; who, observing that the Jerusalem is at once regular and delightful, did not hesitate to pronounce it greatly superior to the Orlando Furioso. Whether excited by the opposition he met with, or tired of always beating the same ground, Pellegrino resolved to compose a dialogue on the subject. His interlocutors are his friend Attendolo, and D. Lewis Carrafa, Prince of Stigliano, in compliment to whom the dialogue was entitled, Carrafa, or of Epic Poetry.

A subject so interesting as the dethronement of Ariosto gave publicity to this work; it was frequently copied, and met every where opponents and defenders. Hearing at last that it was about to be sent to the press, (though deformed by the haste of transcribers,) Pellegrino himself determined to print it. For this purpose he sent a copy to Scipio Ammirato at Florence, and the dialogue was published in that city on the first of November, 1584.

The literati of Florence were in general prejudiced against Tasso, both on account of his patron, and from other considerations. I have already mentioned the rivalship with regard to precedence, which had existed between the courts of

cujus rationem haberet," cap. XVI. The attacks of Tasso's enemies, are now only to be found in the collection of that poet's works; and the memory of the greater part of them would have perished, had he not given them, by his notice of them, that notoriety which they sought.

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