Page:A translation of the Latin works of Dante Alighieri.djvu/55

36 deservedly) precedence [10], declaring that we will have nothing to do with them in any scheme of a vernacular language. We say, then, that the vulgar tongue of the Romans, or rather their hideous jargon, is the ugliest of all the Italian dialects; nor is this surprising, since in the depravity of their manners and customs also they appear to stink worse than all the rest. For they say ‘Mezzure, quinto dici?’ After them, let us got rid of the inhabitants of the March of Ancona, who say, ‘Chignamente scate sciate?’ [20] with whom we reject the Spoletans also. Nor must we forget that a great many canzoni have been written in contempt of these three peoples, among which we have have noticed one correctly and perfectly constructed, which a certain Florentine named Castra had composed. It began: –

[30] And after these let us weed out the people of Milan and Bergamo with the neighbours, in reproach of whom we recollect that some one has sung : —

After them let us sift out the Aquileians and