the civilization of the renaissance in italy-第50章

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istorians　of　literature　had　　been　sifted　and　compared。　Then　every　shade　of　difference　in　the　style　　of　the　ancients　was　studied　with　closer　and　doser　attention　till　the　　consoling　conclusion　was　at　last　reached　that　in　Cicero　alone　was　the　　perfect　model　to　be　found；　or；　if　all　forms　of　literature　were　to　be　　embraced；　in　'that　immortal　and　almost　heavenly　age　of　Cicero。'　Men　　like　Pietro　Bembo　and　Pierio　Valeriano　now　turned　all　their　energies　to　　this　one　object。　Even　those　who　had　long　resisted　the　tendency；　and　had　　formed　for　themselves　an　archaic　style　from　the　earlier　authors；　　yielded　at　last；　and　joined　in　the　worship　of　Cicero。　Longolius；　at　　Bembo's　advice；　determined　to　read　nothing　but　Cicero　for　five　years　　long；　and　finally　took　an　oath　to　use　no　word　which　did　not　occur　in　　this　author。　It　was　this　temper　which　broke　out　at　last　in　the　great　　war　among　the　scholars；　in　which　Erasmus　and　the　elder　Scaliger　led　the　　battle。

For　all　the　admirers　of　Cicero　were　by　no　means　so　one…sided　as　to　　consider　him　the　only　source　of　language。　In　the　fifteenth　century；　　Politian　and　Ermolao　Barbaro　made　a　conscious　and　deliberate　effort　to　　form　a　style　of　their　own；　naturally　on　the　basis　of　their　　'overflowing'　learning；　and　our　informant　of　this　fact；　Paolo　Giovio；　　pursued　the　same　end。　He　first　attempted；　not　always　successfully；　but　　often　with　remarkable　power　and　elegance；　and　at　no　small　cost　of　　effort；　to　reproduce　in　Latin　a　number　of　modern；　particularly　of　　aesthetic；　ideas。　His　Latin　characteristics　of　the　great　painters　and　　sculptors　of　his　time　contain　a　mixture　of　the　most　intelligent　and　of　　the　most　blundering　interpretation。　Even　Leo　X；　who　placed　his　glory　in　　the　fact；　'ut　lingua　latina　nostro　pontificatu　dicatur　facta　auctior；'　　was　inclined　to　a　liberal　and　not　too　exclusive　Latinity；　which；　　indeed；　was　in　harmony　with　his　pleasure…loving　nature。　He　was　　satisfied　if　the　Latin　which　he　had　to　read　and　to　hear　was　lively；　　elegant；　and　idiomatic。　Then；　too；　Cicero　offered　no　model　for　Latin　　conversation；　so　that　here　other　gods　had　to　be　worshipped　beside　him。　　The　want　was　supplied　by　representations　of　the　comedies　of　Plautus　and　　Terence；　frequent　both　in　and　out　of　Rome；　which　for　the　actors　were　an　　incomparable　exercise　in　Latin　as　the　language　of　daily　life。　A　few　　years　later；　in　the　pontificate　of　Paul　II；　the　learned　Cardinal　of　　Teano　（probably　Niccolo　Forteguerra　of　Pistoia）　became　famous　for　his　　critical　labors　in　this　branch　of　scholarship。　He　set　to　work　upon　the　　most　defective　plays　of　Plautus；　which　were　destitute　even　of　a　list　of　　the　characters；　and　went　carefully　through　the　whole　remains　of　this　　author；　chiefly　with　an　eye　to　the　language。　Possibly　it　was　he　who　　gave　the　first　impulse　for　the　public　representations　of　these　plays。　　Afterwards　Pomponius　Laetus　took　up　the　same　subject；　and　acted　as　　producer　when　Plautus　was　put　on　the　stage　in　the　houses　of　great　　churchmen。　That　these　representations　became　less　in　common　after　1520；　　is　mentioned　by　Giovio；　as　we　have　seen；　among　the　causes　of　the　　decline　of　eloquence。

We　may　mention；　in　conclusion；　the　analogy　between　Ciceronianism　in　　literature　and　the　revival　of　Vitruvius　by　the　architects　in　the　sphere　　of　art。　And　here；　too；　the　law　holds　good　which　prevails　elsewhere　in　　the　history　of　the　Renaissance；　that　each　artistic　movement　is　preceded　　by　a　corresponding　movement　in　the　general　culture　of　the　age。　In　this　　case；　the　interval　is　not　more　than　about　twenty　years；　if　we　reckon　　from　Cardinal　Adrian　of　Corneto　（1505）　to　the　first　avowed　Vitruvians。

Neo…Latin　Poetry

The　chief　pride　of　the　humanists　is；　however；　their　modern　Latin　　poetry。　It　lies　within　the　limits　of　our　task　to　treat　of　it；　at　least　　in　so　far　as　it　serves　to　characterize　the　humanistic　movement。

How　favourable　public　opinion　was　to　that　form　of　poetry；　and　how　　nearly　it　supplanted　all　others；　has　been　already　shown。　We　may　be　very　　sure　that　the　most　gifted　and　highly　developed　nation　then　existing　in　　the　world　did　not　renounce　the　language　such　as　the　Italian　out　of　mere　　folly　and　without　knowing　what　they　were　doing。　It　must　have　been　a　　weighty　reason　which　led　them　to　do　so。

This　cause　was　the　devotion　to　antiquity。　Like　all　ardent　and　genuine　　devotion　it　necessarily　prompted　men　to　imitation。　At　other　times　and　　among　other　nations　we　find　many　isolated　attempts　of　the　same　kind。　　But　only　in　Italy　were　the　two　chief　conditions　present　which　were　　needful　for　the　continuance　and　development　of　neo…Latin　poetry：　a　　general　interest　in　the　subject　among　the　instructed　classes；　and　a　　partial　re…awakening　of　the　old　Italian　genius　among　the　poets　　themselvesthe　wondrous　echo　of　a　far…off　strain。　The　best　of　what　is　　produced　under　these　conditions　is　not　imitation；　but　free　production。　　If　we　decline　to　tolerate　any　borrowed　forms　in　art；　if　we　either　set　　no　value　on　antiquity　at　all；　or　attribute　to　it　some　magical　and　　unapproachable　virtue；　or　if　we　will　pardon　no　slips　in　poets　who　were　　forced；　for　instance；　to　guess　or　to　discover　a　multitude　of　syllabic　　quantities；　then　we　had　better　let　this　class　of　literature　alone。　Its　　best　works　were　not　created　in　order　to　defy　criticism；　but　to　give　　pleasure　to　the　poet　and　to　thousands　of　his　contemporaries。

The　least　success　of　all　was　attained　by　the　epic　narratives　drawn　from　　the　history　or　legends　of　antiquity。　The　essential　conditions　of　a　　living　epic　poetry　were　denied；　not　only　to　the　Romans　who　now　served　　as　models；　but　even　to　the　Greeks　after　Homer。　They　could　not　be　looked　　for　among　the　Latins　of　the　Renaissance。　And　yet　the　'Africa'　of　　Petrarch　probably　found　as　many　and　as　enthusiastic　readers　and　hearers　　as　any　epos　of　modern　times。　Purpose　and　origin　of　the　poem　are　not　　without　interest。　The　fourteenth　century　recognized　with　sound　　historical　sense　that　the　time　of　the　second　Punic　war　had　been　the　　noonday　of　Roman　greatness；　and　Petrarch　could　not　resist　writing　of　　this　time。　Had　Silius　Italicus　been　then　discovered；　Petrarch　would　　probably　have　chosen　another　subject；　but　as　it　was；　the　glorification　　of　Scipio　Africanus　the　Elder　was　so　much　in　accordance　with　the　spirit　　of　the　fourteenth　century；　that　another　poet；　Zanobi　di　Strada；　also　　proposed　to　himself　the　same　task；　and　only　from　respect　for　Petrarch　　withdrew　the　poem　with　which　he　had　already　made　great　progress。　If　any　　justification　were　sought　for　the　'Africa；'　it　lies　in　the　fact　that　in　　Petrarch's　time　and　afterwards　Scipio　was　as　much　an　object　of　public　　interest　as　if　he　were　then　alive；　and　that　he　was　regarded　as　greater　　than　Alexander；　Pompey；　and　Caesar。　How　many　modern　epics　treat　of　a　　subject　at　once　so　popular；　so　historical　in　its　basis；　and　so　striking　　to　the　imagination？　For　us；　it　is　true；　the　poem　is　unreadable。　For　　other　themes　of　the　same　kind　the　reader　may　be　referred　to　the　　histories　of　literature。

A　richer　and　more　fruitful　vein　was　discovered　in　expanding　and　　completing　the　Greco…Roman　mythology。　In　this　too；　Italian　poetry　began　　early　to　take　a　part；　beginning　with　the　'Teseid'　of　Boccaccio；　which　　passes　for　his　best　poetical　work。　Under　Martin　V；　Maffeo　Vegio　wrote　　in　Latin　a　thirteenth　book　to　the；　Aeneid；　besides　which　we　meet　with　　many　less　considerable　attempts；　especially　in　the　style　of　Claudiana　　'Meleagris；'　a　'Hesperis；'　and　so　forth。　Still　more　curious　were　the　　newly…invented　myths；　which　peopled　the　fairest　regions　of　Italy　with　a　　primeval　race　of　gods；　nymphs；　genii；　and　even　shepherds；　the　epic　and　　bucolic　styles　here　passing　into　one　another。　In　the　narrative　or　　conversational　eclogue　after　the　time　of　Petrarch；　pastoral　life　was　　treated　in　a　purely　conventional　manner；　as　a　vehicle　of　all　possible　　feelings　and　fancies；　and　this　point　will　be　touched　on　again　in　the　　sequel。58　For　the　moment；　we　have　only　to　do　with　the　new　myths。　In　　them；　more　clearly　than　anywhere　else；　we　see　the　double　significance　　of　the　old　gods　to　the　men　of　the　Renaissance。　On　the　one　hand；　they　　replace　abstract　terms　in　poetry；　and　render　allegorical　figures　　superfluous；　and；　on　the　other；　they　serve　as　free　and　independent　　elements　in　art；