the civilization of the renaissance in italy-第30章

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_naivete；_with　which　silly　folks；　　court　jesters；　rogues；　and　profligate　women　make　their　retort。　The　　comedy　of　the　tale　lies　in　the　startling　contrast　of　this　real　or　　assumed　naivete　with　conventional　morality　and　the　ordinary　relations　　of　the　worldthings　are　made　to　stand　on　their　heads。　All　means　of　　picturesque　representation　are　made　use　of；　including　the　introduction　　of　certain　North　Italian　dialects。　Often　the　place　of　wit　is　taken　by　　mere　insolence；　clumsy　trickery；　blasphemy；　and　obscenity；　one　or　two　　jokes　told　of　Condottieri　are　among　the　most　brutal　and　malicious　which　　are　recorded。　Many　of　the　'burle'　are　thoroughly　comic；　but　many　are　　only　real　or　supposed　evidence　of　personal　superiority；　of　triumph　over　　another。　How　much　people　were　willing　to　put　up　with；　how　often　the　　victim　was　satisfied　with　getting　the　laugh　on　his　side　by　a　　retaliatory　trick；　cannot　be　said；　there　was　much　heartless　and　　pointless　malice　mixed　up　with　it　all；　and　life　in　Florence　was　no　　doubt　often　made　unpleasant　enough　from　this　cause。　The　inventors　and　　retailers　of　jokes　soon　became　inevitable　figures；　and　among　them　there　　must　have　been　some　who　were　classical　far　superior　to　all　the　mere　　court…jesters；　to　whom　competition；　a　changing　public；　and　the　quick　　apprehension　of　the　audience；　all　advantages　of　life　in　Florence；　were　　wanting。　Some　Florentine　wits　went　starring　among　the　despotic　courts　　of　Lombardy　and　Romagna；　and　found　themselves　much　better　rewarded　than　　at　home；　where　their　talent　was　cheap　and　plentiful。　The　better　type　of　　these　people　is　the　amusing　man　（l'uomo　piacevole）；　the　worse　is　the　　buffoon　and　the　vulgar　parasite　who　presents　himself　at　weddings　and　　banquets　with　the　argument；　'If　I　am　not　invited；　the　fault　is　not　　mine。'　Now　and　then　the　latter　combine　to　pluck　a　young　spendthrift；　　but　in　general　they　are　treated　and　despised　as　parasites；　while　wits　　of　higher　position　bear　themselves　like　princes；　and　consider　their　　talent　as　something　sovereign。　Dolcibene；　whom　Charles　IV　had　　pronounced　to　be　the　'king　of　Italian　jesters；'　said　to　him　at　Ferrara：　　'You　will　conquer　the　world；　since　you　are　my　friend　and　the　Pope's；　　you　fight　with　the　sword；　the　Pope　with　his　bulls；　and　I　with　my　　tongue。'　This　is　no　mere　jest；　but　the　foreshadowing　of　Pietro　Aretino。

The　two　most　famous　jesters　about　the　middle　of　the　fifteenth　century　　were　a　priest　near　Florence；　Arlotto　（1483）；　for　more　refined　wit　　（'facezie'）；　and　the　court…fool　of　Ferrara；　Gonnella；　for　buffoonery。　　We　can　hardly　compare　their　stories　with　those　of　the　Parson　of　　Kalenberg　and　Till　Eulenspiegel；　since　the　latter　arose　in　a　different　　and　half…mythical　manner；　as　fruits　of　the　imagination　of　a　whole　　people；　and　touch　rather　on　what　is　general　and　intelligible　to　all；　　while　Arlotto　and　Gonnella　were　historical　beings；　colored　and　shaped　　by　local　influences。　But　if　the　comparison　be　allowed；　and　extended　to　　the　jests　of　the　non…Italian　nations；　we　shall　find　in　general　that　the　　joke　in　the　French　_fabliaux；　_as　among　the　Germans；　is　chiefly　　directed　to　the　attainment　of　some　advantage　or　enjoyment；　while　the　　wit　of　Arlotto　and　the　practical　jokes　of　Gonnella　are　an　end　in　　themselves；　and　exist　simply　for　the　sake　of　the　triumph　of　production。　　（Till　Eulenspiegel　again　forms　a　class　by　himself；　as　the　personified　　quiz；　mostly　pointless　enough；　of　particular　classes　and　professions。）　　The　court…fool　of　the　Este　retaliated　more　than　once　by　his　keen　satire　　and　refined　modes　of　vengeance。

The　type　of　the　'uomo　piacevole'　and　the　'buffone'　long　survived　the　　freedom　of　Florence。　Under　Duke　Cosimo　flourished　Barlacchia；　and　at　　the　beginning　of　the　seventeenth　century　Francesco　Ruspoli　and　Curzio　　Marignolli。　In　Pope　Leo　X；　the　genuine　Florentine　love　of　jesters　　showed　itself　strikingly。　This　prince；　whose　taste　for　the　most　refined　　intellectual　pleasures　was　insatiable；　endured　and　desired　at　his　table　　a　number　of　witty　buffoons　and　jack…puddings；　among　them　two　monks　and　　a　cripple；　at　public　feasts　he　treated　them　with　deliberate　scorn　as　　parasites；　setting　before　them　monkeys　and　crows　in　the　place　of　savory　　meats。　Leo；　indeed；　showed　a　peculiar　fondness　for　the　'burla'；　it　　belonged　to　his　nature　sometimes　to　treat　his　own　favorite　pursuits…　…　music　and　poetryironically；　parodying　them　with　his　factotum；　　Cardinal　Bibbiena。　Neither　of　them　found　it　beneath　him　to　fool　an　　honest　old　secretary　till　he　thought　himself　a　master　of　the　art　of　　music。　The　Improvisatore；　Baraballo　of　Gaeta；　was　brought　so　far　by　　Leo's　flattery　that　he　applied　in　all　seriousness　for　the　poet's　　coronation　on　the　Capitol。　On　the　feast　of　St。　Cosmas　and　St。　Damian；　　the　patrons　of　the　House　of　Medici；　he　was　first　compelled；　adorned　　with　laurel　and　purple；　to　amuse　the　papal　guests　with　his　recitations；　　and　at　last；　when　all　were　ready　to　split　with　laughter；　to　mount　a　　gold…　harnessed　elephant　in　the　court　of　the　Vatican；　sent　as　a　present　　to　Rome　by　Emmanuel　the　Great　of　Portugal；　while　the　Pope　looked　down　　from　above　through　his　eye…glass。　The　brute；　however；　was　so　terrified　　by　the　noise　of　the　trumpets　and　kettledrums；　and　the　cheers　of　the　　crowd；　that　there　was　no　getting　him　over　the　bridge　of　Sant'　Angelo。

The　parody　of　what　is　solemn　or　sublime；　which　here　meets　us　in　the　　case　of　a　procession；　had　already　taken　an　important　place　in　poetry。　　It　was　naturally　compelled　to　choose　victims　of　another　kind　than　those　　of　Aristophanes；　who　introduced　the　great　tragedians　into　his　plays。　　But　the　same　maturity　of　culture　which　at　a　certain　period　produced　　parody　among　the　Greeks；　did　the　same　in　Italy。　By　the　close　of　the　　fourteenth　century；　the　love…lorn　wailings　of　Petrarch's　sonnets　and　　others　of　the　same　kind　were　taken　off　by　caricaturists；　and　the　solemn　　air　of　this　form　of　verse　was　parodied　in　lines　of　mystic　twaddle。　A　　constant　invitation　to　parody　was　offered　by　the　'Divine　Comedy；'　and　　Lorenzo　il　Magnifico　wrote　the　most　admirable　travesty　in　the　style　of　　the　'Inferno'　（Simposio　or　I　Beoni）。　Luigi　Pulci　obviously　imitates　the　　Improvisatori　in　his　'Morgante；'　and　both　his　poetry　and　Boiardo's　are　　in　part；　at　least；　a　half…conscious　parody　of　the　chivalrous　poetry　of　　the　Middle　Ages。　Such　a　caricature　was　deliberately　undertaken　by　the　　great　parodist　Teofilo　Folengo　（about　1520）。　Under　the　name　of　Limerno　　Pitocco；　he　composed　the　'Orlandino；'　in　which　chivalry　appears　only　as　　a　ludicrous　setting　for　a　crowd　of　modern　figures　and　ideas。　Under　the　　name　of　Merlinus　Coccaius　he　described　the　journeys　and　exploits　of　his　　fantastic　vagabonds　（also　in　the　same　spirit　of　parody）　in　half…Latin　　hexameters；　with　all　the　affected　pomp　of　the　learned　Epos　of　the　day　　（'Opus　Macaronicorum'）。　Since　then　caricature　has　been　constantly；　and　　often　brilliantly；　represented　on　the　Italian　Parnassus。

About　the　middle　period　of　the　Renaissance　a　theoretical　analysis　of　　wit　was　undertaken；　and　its　practical　application　in　good　society　was　　regulated　more　precisely。　The　theorist　was　Gioviano　Pontano。　In　his　　work　on　speaking；　especially　in　the　third　and　fourth　books；　he　tries　by　　means　of　the　comparison　of　numerous　jokes　or　'facetiae'　to　arrive　at　a　　general　principle。　How　wit　should　be　used　among　people　of　position　is　　taught　by　Baldassare　Castiglione　in　his　'Cortigiano。'　Its　chief　　function　is　naturally　to　enliven　those　present　by　the　repetition　of　　comic　or　graceful　stories　and　sayings；　personal　jokes；　on　the　contrary；　　are　discouraged　on　the　ground　that　they　wound　unhappy　people；　show　too　　much　honour　to　wrong…doers；　and　make　enemies　of　the　powerful　and　the　　spoiled　children　of　fortune；　and　even　in　repetition；　a　wide　reserve　in　　the　use　of　dramatic　gestures　is　recommended　to　the　gentleman。　Then　　follows；　not　only　for　purposes　of　quotation；　but　as　patterns　for　future　　jesters；　a　large　collection　of　puns　and　witty　sayings；　methodically　　arranged　according　to　their　species；　among　them　some　that　are　　admirable。　The　doctrine　of　Giovanni　della　Casa；　some　twenty　years　　later；　in　his　guide　to　good　manners；　is　much　stricter　and　more　　cautious；　with　a　view　to　the　consequences；　he　wishes　to　see　the　desire　　of　triumph　banished　alto