Pastoral Poetry & Pastoral Drama Part 50

[402] This strong feeling concerning the incestuous nature of connexion between cousins, however strange to us, appears to have been very real in Italy in the sixteenth century. _Sorella germana_, a common term for a female cousin, is in itself sufficient evidence of the feeling. Readers of the _novelle_ will remember the discussion on the subject by Pietro Fortini in his _Novelle de' Novizi_, x.x.xi. The explanation of the phenomenon is no doubt to be sought in the peculiar conventions of Italian society.

[403] Speaking of the _Favola_, Carducci says: 'lo stile e quel n.o.bile del Giraldi.' This is a point on which the opinion of a foreigner can never carry very much weight; but with all deference to Signer Carducci's judgement, I cannot help expressing my opinion that the verse is characterized by awkward verbal repet.i.tions and a certain stiffness of expression, which impart to it a quality of heaviness similar to that found in the prose of the _Ecatommiti_. It seems to be the result of a conscious endeavour on the part of the Ferrarese to write pure Tuscan, and the reader is constantly reminded of the memorable words in the preface to the _Cortegiano_, in which Castiglione announces his intention 'di farmi piu tosto conoscere per Lombardo, parlando Lombardo, che per non Toscano, parlando troppo Toscano.'

[404] Ferrara, De Rossi, 1555. Rossi, 176^{1}; Carducci, 57. The piece must not, of course, be confused either with the _Sacrifizio pastorale_, paraphrased by Firenzuola from the _Arcadia_, or with the masque called _El Sacrifizio_, performed by the Intronati at Siena in 1531, and printed in 1537.

[405] The remark is Rossi's, and, though strongly controverted by Carducci, appears to me absolutely true.

[406] 'Comedia pastorale di nuovo composta per mess. Barth. Brayda di Summariva,' Torino, Coloni da Saluzzo, 1556. Carducci, 64^{2}. The date is given as 1550 in the note, and correctly, I take it, as 1556 in the text.

[407] Vinezia, Zopini, 1583, B. M. The preface is dated Sept, 1, 1580.

Carducci (71^{1}) speaks of the edition of 1586 as the first.

[408] Ferrara, Panizza, 1564. Carducci, 69^{1}.

[409] Edited by A. Solerti in the _Propugnatore_, 1891, new series, iv. p.

199. Carducci, 70^{1}.

[410] Venezia, Giolito, 1568. Carducci, 71^{2}; Klein, v. p. 61.