the authenticity of the information it communicates, than for its poetical excellence, yet Verini has left other testimonies that entitle him to rank with the first Latin poets of his age(a). These pieces are principally devoted to the praises of the Medici, and frequently advert to the characters of Lorenzo and Giuliano, and to the circumstances of the times.(b) law of Bernardo Pulci, (v. ante vol. I. p. 245) in which the poet laments the death of Albiera Albizzi, the wife of Sigismundo Stufa, on whose death Politiano has also left a beautiful Latin elegy. It is probable there were two successive authors of this name, whose works are inserted in the Carmina Illust. as it can scarcely be supposed that the same person who addressed himself to Piero on the death of his father in 1464, and had before written a poem to Cosmo on the death of his son John, should be the author of the pieces in this collection which are inscribed to Leo X. who did not enter on his pontificate till 1513. Politiano has left the following commendatory epigram on the writings of Naldio. Dum celebrat Medicem Naldus, dum laudat amicam, Et pariter gemino raptus amore canit, Tam lepidum unanimes illi ornavere libellum, (a) The example of Landino in affixing to his poetical labours the name of 66 (b) In the Laurentian library (Plut. xxvi. cod. 21.) is preserved a poem by Ugolino, to which he has given the name of Paradisus. On his imaginary excursion to the celestial regions, the poet meets with Cosmo de' Medici, who converses with him at great length on the affairs of Florence, and particularly on the situation of his own family. 1 In Michael Verini the son of Ugolino, we have a surprising instance of early attainments in learning. He was born in 1465, and although he died at the age of seventeen years, yet he had in that short space of time obtained the admiration, and conciliated the esteem of his learned contemporaries. His principal work is a collection of Latin disticha, which exhibit great facility both of invention and expression, and an acquaintance with human life and manners far beyond his years. His Latin letters, of which a large collection is preserved in the Laurentian library(a), and which are chiefly addressed to his father, are as honourable to the paternal kindness of the one, as to the filial affection of the other. His death is said to have been occasioned by his repugnance to obey the prescription of his physicians, who recommended an experiment which it seems his modesty did not approve, and he fell a sacrifice to his pertinacious chastity (b). From his letters it ap pears (a) Plut. LXXXX. cod. 28. From these letters Bandini has in his valuable catalogue, given copious extracts. v. iii. p. 462 et seq. (b) This event has been commemorated both in verse and prose, in Latin and Italian, by many contemporary authors (v. App. No. LVII.) Verini is not the only instance of the kind on record. If we may believe Ammirato, the death of the cardinal of Lisbon in 1459, was occasioned by a similar circumstance. Amm. Ist. Flor. v. iii. p. 89. That such a remedy had been prescribed to Verini, is apparent from the following affecting passage in one of his letters. "In"superabilis me valitudo confecit, membra ut sint pallore macieque deformia; "nocte crucior, die non quiesco, & quod me acrius torquet, in tanto dolore 66 spes nulla salutis. Quamquam medici, et tota domus, & amici, nihil pericli asserant, deprehendo tamen tacitos in vultu timores, suspiria, murmur, taci"turnitatem, mæroris cuncta signa prospicio; sed cui notior morbus quam "mihi? Quidquid acciderit, utinam forti animo feramus; scio mihi nullum de "vita factum restare pænitendum, nisi quod potueram valitudini consulere "sapientius; Verum mihi pudor, vel potius rusticitas obfuit—vale” pears that both he and his father lived on terms of intimacy and friendship with Landino, Bartolomeo Fontio, and Politiano, and that Lorenzo de' Medici occasionally passed a leisure hour in convivial intercourse with this learned family. (a) The reputation acquired by the Florentines in the cultivation of Latin poetry, stimulated the exertions of other Italian scholars. On the memorable occasion of the conspiracy of the Pazzi, Platinus Platus, a Milanese, addressed to Lorenzo de' Medici a copy of verses, which obtained his warm approbation (b). The exertions of Lorenzo in establishing the academy at Pisa, gave rise to a poem of greater merit and importance, by Carolus de Maximis (c). To the authors before mentioned we may add the names 66 of (a)" Fingit Homerus Jovem ipsum, aliosque Deos, Olympo relicto, apud "Ethiopas divertisse, cœnasse, lusisse: Augustum etiam orbis terrarum principem, apud privatos sine ullo apparatu cœnitasse: sed cur vetera? Laurentius "Medices urbis nostræ facile primus, apud patrem meum pransus est nonnumquam, &c." Mic. Ver. Ep. 15. ad Sim. Canisianum. ap. Band. Cat. v. iii. p. 483. 66 (b) Laurentius Medices, quanta voluptate adficeretur in perlegendis poeticis ejusdem (Plati) lucubrationibus, quantoque illum in pretio haberet, testatus est in epistola ad ipsum scripta, ob acceptum ex ejus carminibus non mediocre doloris levamen in nefarie patrata fratris sui cæde: ait enim, "vetus est "verbum, mi Platine, insuavem esse in luctu musicam: ego vero tuis perlectis ver"siculis, re ipsa reperi, nihil tam maxime ad solatium facere quam musicam." Saxius in Hist. Litterario Typogr. Mediol. ap. Band. in Cat. Bib. Laur. v. ii. p. 193. These verses are published in the Select. Poem. Ital. v. vii. p. 256. (c) DE STUDIO PISANAE URBIS ET EJUS SITUS MAXIMA FELICITATE AD LAURENTIUM MEDICEM. This piece is preserved in the Laurentian library. (Plut. LXXXXI. cod. 46.) and contains so full, and at the same time so elegant an eulogy on the character of Lorenzo, and particularly on his attention to the promotion of letters, that I have given it a place in the Appendix No. LVIII. of Cantalicio, Nicodemo Folengi, Alessandro Braccio, and Aurelio Augurelli, all of whom have cultivated Latin poetry, with different degrees of success, and have addressed some portion of their works to Lorenzo de' Medici, to which the reader may not be displeased to refer. (a) Of (a) The poems of Cantalicio are published in the Carmina illust. Poet. Ital. vol. iii. p. 123, and are inscribed to Lorenzo de' Medici. Those of Folengi are inserted in the same work. vol. iv. p. 419. Alessandro Braccio was equally eminent in politics and letters. He was for some time secretary of the Florentine republic, and died on an embassy to pope Alexander VI. His translation of Appian into Italian is yet highly esteemed, and forms part of the Collana or series of Italian historical works. The Latin poems of Braccio, though very numerous, have not yet been published, but are preserved in the Laurentian library. Plut. lxxxxi. cod. 40. 41. Many of them are inscribed to Lorenzo de' Medici and other men of eminence, as Landino, Ficino, Bartolomeo Scala, Ugolini Verini, &c. I have before adduced some lines of this author to Lorenzo de' Medici, and shall hereafter avail myself of an opportunity of producing a more extensive specimen of his works. The following epigram addressed to Politiano is not inapplicable to our present subject. v. Band. Cat. v. iii. p. 781. AD ANGELUM BASSUM POLITIANENSEM. Tanta tibi tenero quum surgat pectore virtus, Teque suis ditet Græcia litterulis, Te precor ad longos ut servet Juppiter annos, Nam tua Mæonio multum certantia vati Carmina quis dubitet, Virgilioque fore? Quis neget ætatis te, memorande puer? Aurelio Augurelli is more generally known. His poems have frequently been published. The first edition is that of Verona, 1491, in 4to. the most Of all these authors, though some possess a considerable share of merit, not one of them can contend in point of poetical excellence with Politiano, who in his composition approaches nearer to the standard of the ancients than any man of his time; yet whilst he emulates the dignity of Virgil, or reminds us of the elegance of Horace, he suggests not to our minds the idea of servile imitation. Of the character of his writings various opinions have indeed been entertained, which have been detailed at large by Baillet, and still more copiously by Menckenius (a). It may therefore be sufficient on this occasion to caution the reader against an implicit acquiescence in the opinions of two eminent living authors who have either obliquely censured, or too cautiously approved his poetical works (b). In the attempt made by Politiano to correct and elegant, that of Aldus, 1505. These poems rank in the first class of modern Latin poetry. (a) Baillet Jugemens des Sçavans vol. iv. p. 18. Menck. in vita Pol. passim. (b) Tiraboschi, adopting the sentiments of Giraldi, acknowledges that Politiano was possessed of a vivid genius, of extensive powers, and of uncommon and diversified erudition, but censures his Latin poetry as deficient in elegance and choice of expression. Tirab. Storia della Lett. Ital. vol. vi. par. 2. p. 234. Fabroni, adverting to the Italian poetry of Politiano, insinuates that the Latin muses were reserved and coy, to one who had obtained the favour of their sister at so early an age, by his verses on the Giostra of Giuliano de' Medici. Fabr. in vita Laur. p. 157. To oppose to these opinions the authority of many other eminent men who have mentioned the Latin writings of Politiano with almost unlimited praise, would only be to detail the compilations of Baillet or Menckenius. But the works of Politiano are yet open to the inspection of the inquisitive scholar, and though certainly unequal in point of merit, perhaps according to the time of life at which they were produced, will be found upon the whole, to possess a vigour of sentiment, a copiousness of imagination, and a classical ele |