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cilians. But from the outset the Tuscans did not restrict themselves to erotic poetry, but sang of re- ligious, satirical, and political themes as well. Guit- tone del Viva (12;50-9-l), known as Fra Guittone d'Arezzo, shows himself an imitator of the Proven- cals in his love lyrios, but writes with vigour and sin- cerity in his religious and political poems, especially in his canzone on the defeat of the Florentines at Montaperti (1260). He is also the author of a col-

cosmography, "Delia Composizione del Mondo". Most of the prose of this epoch is simply translated from the Latin or French. To Bono Giamboni (d. after 1296), a Florentine who italicized Brunetto Latini's "Trfeor", are attributed tliree ethical trea- tises (possibly of a later date), based upon medieval Latin models, but not mere translations; the most important of these, the " Introduzione alleVirtCi", derived in part from Boethius and Prudentius, is a

lection of letters, one of the earliest achievements of striking religious allegory in which the Soul is led by

Italian prose. By the middle of the century, in ad- Philosophy to the palace of Faith to witness the tri-

dition to the canzone, or ode (which was taken over umph of the Church, and herself attain to spiritual

from the Proven(als), we find in Central Italy two freedom.

forms of lyrical poetry purely Italian in their origin: The Fourteenth Century {II Trecento). — Through the

the ballata and the sonnet. The ox-erthrow of the triumph of the Guelphs, the chief place in Italian

Suabian monarchy in the South, by the victory of culture is now held by Florence instead of Sicily.

Charles of Anjou (1266), shifted the centre of culture Italian literature has become mainly republican in

to Bologna and Florence. A number of disciples of temper (even when _professedly imperialist) and

Guittone now appear, of whom Chiaro Davanzati Tuscan in language (date uncertain), of Florence,

and Bonaggiunta Urbicciani, of Lucca (d. after 1296), are the most noticeable. Of a far higher order is the poet who in- augurated the dulcc stil niiovo, the "sweet new style", of which Dante speaks — Guido Guinizelli of Bologna (d . 1 276). Guido wrote of the noblest love in a spirit that antici- pates the "Vita Nuova", and thereby founded a school to which the poets of the last decade of the century be- longed, even as their prede- cessors had adhered to that of Guittone. The chief of these is Guido Cavalcanti (d. 1300), the chosen friend of Dante. He composed an elaborate canzone on the philosophy of love, in which poetry is smothered by met- aphysics; but in his minor lyrics, original in motive and personal in sentiment, he brought the ballata and the sonnet to a degree of per- fection previously unattained. With him and Dante is associ- ated another Florentine poet, Lapo Gianni (d. 1323), whose

'mw.

Title Page of the "Dialogue" of t*r. Catherine

Printed at Venice, 1483, and now in the K. Kupferstichkabinett at Berlin work belongs to this epoch although he outlived it. with philosophical authority. With his " Convivio "

The philosophical glory of St. Thomas causes even belles lettres to be deeply tinged with scholasticism; while the growing antagonism to the political actions of the popes, part icularly tluring the Babylonian Captivity of Avi- gnon, gives an anti-clerical tone to much of the poetry and prose of the centurj-. At the close of the epoch the revival of classical studies begins to make itself felt. In the hands of three great Tuscan writers — Dante AHghieri (1265-1321), Francesco Petrarca (1304- 1374), and Giovanni Boccac- cio (1313-1375) — the national literature and the national language appear in full maturity and artistic perfec- tion.

In his "Vita Nuova" (c. 1295), Dante still belongs to the preceding century, while uplifting the ideals of love set forth by Guido Guinizelli to the heights of Catholic mys- ticism. His "Rime'', more particularly his canzoni, de- velop the IjTical forms of his predecessors, while investing them with fresh passion and

In another vein, we have the humorous and satirical pieces of Rustico di Filippo (d. circa 1270) and the "Tesoretto" of Brunetto Latini (d. 1294). an allegor- ical didactic poem which influenced the external form of the "Divina Commedia ". The religious poetry of Umbria, developing under Franciscan influence, culmi- nates in the mvstical laudi of Jacopone da Todi (d.

(circa 1306 — unfinished, l)uf the earliest monumental work of Italian prose) he intended to bring down the scholastic learning of his age to the understanding of the general reader. The " Divina Commedia " (1314- 21), the noblest expression of the Italian spirit in poetry and a landmark in the history of man, sums up the intellectual gain and the spiritual progress of the

1306), one of the most truly inspired sacred poets that nine centuries since the fall of the Roman Empire, the world has seen. while faithfully depicting the highest aspirations and

In comparison with the poetry, the Italian prose whole moral atmosphere of the poet's own epoch.

literature of this century is insignificant. The chief chronicler of the epoch, Fra Salimbene of Parma (d. 12S8), wrote in Latin; Brunetto Latini composed his encyclopedic work, the "Tresor", in French. Many of the literary productions formerly assigned to this

In spiritual insight, dramatic intensity, sureness of touch, and terseness of expression, it has never been surpassed. In it modern Europe first produced a masterpiece to rival those of the classical world. Petrarca brings the canzone and the sonnet to their

are now known to belong to a later epoch, and it is ultimate technical perfection in his lyrical poems, impossible to say with certainty whether those that the "Canzoniere" or "Rime", a series of miniature are authentic should be placed at the end of the paintings of all the varying moods of the soul passing

thirteenth or at the beginning of the fourteenth cen tury. .\mong these are the " Cento Novelle Antiche", a collection of short stories drawn from various sources, and the "Tavola Ritonda", an Italian ver- sion of the romance of Tristram. Fra Ristoro of

through earthly love and patriotic enthusiasm to find its rest in religion. His "Trionfi", a poem in terza rima, in ten cantos, deal with the same matter in allegorical fashion, giving a s>Tnbolical representation of his own life. In his voluminous Latin writings —

Arezzo, in 12S2, completed an elaborate treatise on letters, treatises, and poems — he appears as the first of