LA S E C CH I A RA PI T A ; T HE RA PE O F T HE B UCKET O - I P M A N HER I COM CA L OE , W LV O I N T E E CANT S . TRA N SLA TED FROM THE I TA LI A N OF LE A SSANDRO TASSONI . WI TH N OTES . B Y J A M S A T KI N O E S N , ES Q . W V T O O LUMES . O . V L. I LONDON J . M. RI CH RD ON CO N A S , R HI LL. 1 82 5 . LON DON I B OT S‘ O N A N D PA LME R PR I N R A V Y RE RA N D , T E S , S O ST ET, ST . P R A E E F C . A L DR N I a u th r La Secchia ESSAN O TASSO , the o of R a ita n a n d n l p , was the descen dan t of a n an cie t ob e n fa m il a n d n on 28 th S m Mode ese y, bor the of epte ber, a n d n 1 565 . For the acquirem en t of the Greek Lati n n n la guages, he was placed u der the tuitio of Lazzaro La b a din i a n d n w m , his educatio was after ards co pleted un der em in en t scholars at Bologn a a n d Ferrara . He appears to have been at a n early age of a lively im a in a tion t n tu n ri a n d . g , with a s ro g r for dicule satire ' n A cca d m ia de li Um or zs ti He belo ged to the e g , of R m a n d en s ier i Diver s i in 1 6 1 2 o e, published his P , a work extrem ely severe on the literati of that tim e . He also com posed a critic a l di ssertation on the m erits m a n d l t n of Ho er, col ec ed about five hu dred passages to show their repugn an ce to com m bn sen se a n d propriety . n n a n d in Aristotle also fell u der his ce sure , all his in n a n d n n writ gs he m an ifested great scie ce lear i g , a 2 A iv PREFACE . ' al ways ta c e tiou s a n d powerful in argum en t . His i attack o n Petrarch w a s an swered wi th great spir t by a youn g m a n n am ed Giuseppe A r om a ta rj in his ’ n r e Ripos te a lle Con s ider a z ion i d el Ta s s om . Tasso i ' i in A vver tim en ti n n m Cr es cen z zo pl ed his , u der the a e of e e A r om a ta r n in Dia lo /t i P p . j took the field agai his g , n n m Fa lcidio Mela m odio a n d n u der the a e of p , Tasso i, n Gir la m o N om i en ti in n i u der that of o s , wrote, vi d ca n his n n Ten da R s s a ul tio of opi o s , his o , f l of asperity a n d n n i m in bitter ess agai st his adversary, wh ch ter ated Th m r e . e the dispute fa e of Petrarch , however, has c i d n o h m e ve s ock fro this con troversy . I n n n n 1 597 n R m a n d the begi i g of he we t to o e , w a s m C n n C n n w e ployed by the ardi al Asca io olo a, ith m in 1 6 00 S n in m who he proceeded to pai , a diplo atic capacity . About this tim e he wrote his celebrated s s ider a z ion i 30 m le Rim e (lel Petr a r ca in h p , w ich he is s ai d to hav e om itted n othin g that ha d a n y ten de n c a n d n n the y to depreciate , tur i to ridicule Flo r en tin e bard . C n C n n in 1 608 w ardi al olo a died , hich deprived a n T sso i of e m ploym en t . I n 1 6 1 3 he was i n troduced to the service of the S v C Em n l s t a n d m his Duke of a oy, arlo a uele , fro se n ti m e n ts a n d pri n ciples w a s supposed to be the author ' ! e Fili zc/w n S n a n d o n of pp agai st pai , of a bo k e titled E s e u ie (le lla V I n he r e q I I o n a r c/zia di Sp a g n u . PREFACE . m a n d h a n tired fro active life , passed t ree years tr u in n a n d in r q illy the cultivatio of letters, pu suits m n n a l m n I n i m n ost co ge i to his i d . th s retire e t it is con jectured that he com posed a n d fin ished his c om ’ n a m B a r on iu s s E l r n pe di of cclesiastica Histo y, exte d in g from the birth of Christ to the fifteen th cen t ury . I n 1 626 n n m n him a n d fortu e agai s iled upo , he was n n C n Lodovis io n take i to the service of ardi al , ephew i n 400 n a n d of Gregory XV . with a st pe d of crow s, apartm en ts in the Palace . After the death of that C n a l h in 1 632 w a s ardi , w ich took place , he received n I . hi s n S n o n by Duke Fra cesco atural overeig , n u m t n a n a o ho o rable ter s, with the itle of cou sellor, d m a ti n n n c om od o s at court . But he o ly e joyed this n ew dign ity about three years . He died at Moden a on th 1 635 a n d a s r in ’ 25 w S t. the of April, , bu ied Peter s . n i n a n 70th Tasso had thus early att i ed his year . S ecchia R a ita i n S n The p , accord g to Gaspare alvia i, n n I wa s r n n 1 6 1 1 . w itte by Alessa dro Tasso i, It w a s m m n u n in l a n d n in co e ced po Apri , fi ished the October l n n m n a n d m fol owi g, but subseque tly aug e ted i proved . n l m n n in m n It was lo g circu ated a o g frie ds a uscript, in 1 622 un n a n d first published at Paris, , der the feig ed n am e of A n dr ovin c i Melis on e . It was origin ally n S a n d a d e titled La ecchia, afterwards received the m m n j un ot of Rapita . This poe is perhaps ost ge erally vi PREFACE . kn own by n am e as the m odel upon which the Rape a n d r n of the Lock of Pope, the Lut i of Boileau are n a n d n n n co ceived writte , although that co clusio has been eviden tly form ed without s u flicen t con sideration . h a r e n m - ri n T ey all certai ly of the ock heroic desc ptio , i n m but with that except o , there is little of si ilarity ff n am on g them . The S ecchia Rapita in deed di ers esse tia ll m R in a n d y fro the ape of the Lock , both spirit, n n in a n exec ution . There is othi g the latter that c m wi m m be co pared th the hu our of the for er, or with the adm irably grotesque pictures with which it aboun ds . r n n All th ee are professedly i te ded to show, Wh m h o n o m v l h n at ig ty c tests rise fr tri ia t i gs, bu t this see m s to be the chief poin t of coin ciden ce .