the civilization of the renaissance in italy-第105章

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consecrating　priests　　or　Telestae；　who　were　present　at　the　solemn　foundation　of　cities；　and　　magically　guaranteed　their　prosperity　by　erecting　certain　monuments　or　　by　burying　certain　objects　（Telesmata）。　Traditions　of　this　sort　were　　more　likely　than　anything　else　to　live　on　in　the　form　of　popular；　　unwritten　legend；　but　in　the　course　of　centuries　the　priest　naturally　　became　transformed　into　the　magician；　since　the　religious　side　of　his　　function　was　no　longer　understood。　In　some　of　the　Virgilian　miracles　at　　Naples；　the　ancient　remembrance　of　one　of　these　Telestae　is　clearly　　preserved；　his　name　being　in　course　of　time　supplanted　by　that　of　　Virgil。　The　enclosing　of　the　mysterious　picture　of　the　city　in　a　vessel　　is　neither　more　nor　less　than　a　genuine　ancient　Telesma；　and　Virgil；　as　　founder　of　Naples；　is　but　the　officiating　priest　who　took　part　in　the　　ceremony；　presented　in　another　dress。　The　popular　imagination　went　on　　working　at　these　themes；　till　Virgil　became　also　responsible　for　the　　brazen　horse；　for　the　heads　at　the　Nolan　gate；　for　the　brazen　fly　over　　another　gate；　and　even　for　the　Grotto　of　Posilippoall　of　them　things　　which　in　one　respect　or　other　served　to　put　a　magical　constraint　upon　　fate；　and　the　first　two　of　which　seemed　to　determine　the　whole　fortune　　of　the　city。　Medieval　Rome　also　preserved　confused　recollections　of　the　　same　kind。　At　the　church　of　Sant'　Ambrogio　at　Milan；　there　was　an　　ancient　marble　Hercules；　so　long；　it　was　said；　as　this　stood　in　its　　place；　so　long　would　the　Empire　last。　That　of　the　Germans　is　probably　　meant；　as　the　coronation　of　their　emperors　at　Milan　took　place　in　this　　church。　The　Florentines　were　convinced　that　the　temple　of　Mars；　　afterwards　transformed　into　the　Baptistery；　would　stand　to　the　end　of　　time；　according　to　the　constellation　under　which　it　had　been　built；　　they　had；　as　Christians；　removed　from　it　the　marble　equestrian　statue；　　but　since　the　destruction　of　the　latter　would　have　brought　some　great　　calamity　on　the　cityalso　according　to　a　constellationthey　set　it　　upon　a　tower　by　the　Arno。　When　Totila　conquered　Florence；　the　statue　　fell　into　the　river；　and　was　not　fished　out　again　till　Charlemagne　　refounded　the　city。　It　was　then　placed　on　a　pillar　at　the　entrance　to　　the　Ponte　Vecchio；　and　on　this　spot　Buondelmonti　was　slain　in　1215。　The　　origin　of　the　great　feud　between　Guelph　and　Ghibelline　was　thus　　associated　with　the　dreaded　idol。　During　the　inundation　of　1333　the　　statue　vanished　for　ever。

But　the　same　Telesma　reappears　elsewhere。　Guido　Bonatto；　already　　mentioned；　was　not　satisfied；　at　the　refounding　of　the　walls　of　Forli；　　with　requiring　certain　symbolic　acts　of　reconciliation　from　the　two　　parties。　By　burying　a　bronze　or　stone　equestrian　statue；　which　he　had　　produced　by　astrological　or　magical　arts；　he　believed　that　he　had　　defended　the　city　from　ruin；　and　even　from　capture　and　plunder。　When　　Cardinal　Albornoz　was　governor　of　Romagna　some　sixty　years　later；　the　　statue　was　accidentally　dug　up　and　then　shown　to　the　people；　probably　　by　the　order　of　the　Cardinal；　that　it　might　be　known　by　what　means　the　　cruel　Montefeltro　had　defended　himself　against　the　Roman　Church。　And　　again；　half　a　century　later；　when　an　attempt　to　surprise　Forli　had　　failed；　men　began　to　talk　afresh　of　the　virtue　of　the　statue；　which　had　　perhaps　been　saved　and　reburied。　It　was　the　last　time　that　they　could　　do　so；　for　a　year　later　Forli　was　really　taken。　The　foundation　of　　buildings　all　through　the　fifteenth　century　was　associated　not　only　　with　astrology　but　also　with　magic。　The　large　number　of　gold　and　silver　　medals　which　Paul　II　buried　in　the　foundation　of　his　buildings　was　　noticed；　and　Platina　was　by　no　means　displeased　to　recognize　an　old　　pagan　Telesma　in　the　fact。　Neither　Paul　nor　his　biographer　were　in　any　　way　conscious　of　the　mediaeval　religious　significance　of　such　an　　offering。

But　this　official　magic；　which　in　many　cases　only　rests　on　hearsay；　was　　comparatively　unimportant　by　the　side　of　the　secret　arts　practiced　for　　personal　ends。

The　form　which　these　most　often　took　in　daily　life　is　shown　by　Ariosto　　in　his　comedy　of　the　necromancers。　His　hero　is　one　of　the　many　Jewish　　exiles　from　Spain；　although　he　also　gives　himself　out　for　a　Greek；　an　　Egyptian；　and　an　African；　and　is　constantly　changing　his　name　and　　costume。　He　pretends　that　his　incantations　can　darken　the　day　and　　lighten　the　darkness；　that　he　can　move　the　earth；　make　himself　　invisible；　and　change　men　into　beasts；　but　these　vaunts　are　only　an　　advertisement。　His　true　object　is　to　make　his　account　out　of　unhappy　　and　troubled　marriages；　and　the　traces　which　he　leaves　behind　him　in　　his　course　are　like　the　slime　of　a　snail；　or　often　like　the　ruin　　wrought　by　a　hailstorm。　To　attain　his　ends　he　can　persuade　people　that　　the　box　in　which　a　lover　is　hidden　is　full　of　ghosts；　or　that　he　can　　make　a　corpse　talk。　It　is　at　all　events　a　good　sign　that　poets　and　　novelists　could　reckon　on　popular　applause　in　holding　up　this　class　of　　men　to　ridicule。　Bandello　not　only　treats　this　sorcery　of　a　Lombard　　monk　as　a　miserable；　and　in　its　consequences　terrible；　piece　of　　knavery；　but　he　also　describes　with　unaffected　indignation　the　　disasters　which　never　cease　to　pursue　the　credulous　fool。　'A　man　hopes　　with　〃Solomon's　Key'　and　other　magical　books　to　find　the　treasures　　hidden　in　the　bosom　of　the　earth；　to　force　his　lady　to　do　his　will；　to　　find　out　the　secret　of　princes；　and　to　transport　himself　in　the　　twinkling　of　an　eye　from　Milan　to　Rome。　The　more　often　he　is　deceived；　　the　more　steadfastly　he　believes。。。。　Do　you　remember　the　time；　Signor　　Carlo；　when　a　friend　of　ours；　in　order　to　win　a　favour　of　his　beloved；　　filled　his　room　with　skulls　and　bones　like　a　churchyard？'　The　most　　loathsome　tasks　were　prescribedto　draw　three　teeth　from　a　corpse　or　a　　nail　from　its　finger；　and　the　like；　and　while　the　hocus…pocus　of　the　　incantation　was　going　on；　the　unhappy　participants　sometimes　died　of　　terror。

Benvenuto　Cellini　did　not　die　during　the　well…known　incantation　（1532）　　in　the　Colosseum　at　Rome；　although　both　he　and　his　companions　witnessed　　no　ordinary　horrors；　the　Sicilian　priest；　who　probably　expected　to　find　　him　a　useful　coadjutor　in　the　future；　paid　him　the　compliment　as　they　　went　home　of　saying　that　he　had　never　met　a　man　of　so　sturdy　a　courage。　　Every　reader　will　make　his　own　reflections　on　the　proceedings　　themselves。　The　narcotic　fumes　and　the　fact　that　the　imaginations　of　　the　spectators　were　predisposed　for　all　possible　terrors；　are　the　chief　　points　to　be　noticed；　and　explain　why　the　lad　who　formed　one　of　the　　party；　and　on　whom　they　made　most　impression；　saw　much　more　than　the　　others。　but　it　may　be　inferred　that　Benvenuto　himself　was　the　one　whom　　it　was　wished　to　impress；　since　the　dangerous　beginning　of　the　　incantation　can　have　had　no　other　aim　than　to　arouse　curiosity。　For　　Benvenuto　had　to　think　before　the　fair　Angelica　occurred　to　him；　and　　the　magician　told　him　afterwards　that　love…making　was　folly　compared　　with　the　finding　of　treasures。　Further；　it　must　not　be　forgotten　that　　it　flattered　his　vanity　to　be　able　to　say；　'The　demons　have　kept　their　　word；　and　Angelica　came　into　my　hands；　as　they　promised；　just　a　month　　later'　（I；　cap。　68）。　Even　on　the　supposition　that　Benvenuto　gradually　　lied　himself　into　believing　the　whole　story；　it　would　still　be　　permanently　valuable　as　evidence　of　the　mode　of　thought　then　prevalent。

As　a　rule；　however；　the　Italian　artists；　even　'the　odd；　capricious；　　and　eccentric'　among　them；　had　little　to　do　with　magic。　One　of　them；　in　　his　anatomical　studies；　may　have　cut　himself　a　jacket　out　of　the　skin　　of　a　corpse；　but　at　the　advice　of　his　confessor　he　put　it　again　into　　the　grave。　Indeed　the　frequent　study　of　anatomy　probably　did　more　than　　anything　else　to　destroy　the　belief　in　the　magical　influence　of　various　　parts　of　the　body；　while　at　the　same　time　the　incessant　observation　and　　representation　of　the　human　form　made　the　artist　familiar　with　a　magic　　of　a　wholly　different　sort。

In　general；　notwithstanding　the　instances　which　have　been　quoted；　magic　　seems　to　have　been　markedly　on　the　decline　at　the　beginning　of　the　　sixteenth　centurythat　is　to　say；　at　a　time　w