Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 7.djvu/613

 1 2 s. vii. DEC. 25, i92o.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

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which even, now presents many points of jnterest to the critic and. educationalist. LIU? -^nditions ruling in the seventeenth and eighteenth c^.+ 11T >i es k ear no resemblance to modern ^conditions but theoretically Mura- tori's ideas may have consideiejoie value in directing attention to what amounts to an Italian version of the French Academy, and what we desire to establish at the present time with our various literary fellowships a school, that is, of authors absolutely free to devote their lives to literature. Such a school formed the centre of discussion in eighteenth-century Italy : a few years after the publication of Mura- tori's work, a ' Sistema d'una novella Societa letteraria ' as proposed by Brenc- manno and Massone appeared. From those beginnings to the creation of a left wing in the original Arcadia by Gravina to a second Arcadia with Metastasio as its leading light to the various groups which constituted the Gaffe, Conciliatore and other Romantic cenades, the literary history of the Settecento is largely a history of societies projected, realized, abandoned.

Muratori's republic is described in a series of letters now contained in the com- plete edition of his correspondence edited by Matteo Campori (1901- ). I shall give a translation of the most notable points in each letter since this is a matter which requires little elucidation beyond that con- tained in the letters themselves.

The decree which created the " Republic " was drawn up on Apr. 2, 1703, and the first members enrolled were Alessandro Guidi, Antonio Magliabecchi, Anton Maria Salvini, Apostolo Zeno, Benedetto Bacchini, Bene- detto Menzini, Francesco Lemene, Giusto Fontanini, Vincenzo Filicaia the most notable poets and critics of the period. The "Leggi e Governo della Repubblica Letteraria Italiana " came into existence shortly after. Thus, even if the " Republic " lasted a very short time, it was actually realized and as such must be included in any true literary history of the eighteenth century. The "Republic" was to be divided into five regions or provinces Reale (Naples and Sicily), Pontifizia (Papal States), Etrusca (Tuscany), Veneta (Venice), Lombarda (Lombardy and the North).

To A. N. N., Aug. 12, 1703.

" You must know that I have discussed our league several times with .... and, as a generous prince, he has never let me go away without promises, more than hopes, of helping* our Car- accescan ideas (He said) 'Well, how is vour

Platonic Republic ?' ' Sir,' I replied, ' the poor creature is waiting to emerge from the depths of the Moon to live here below where food and

drink is plentiful The literary world desires

yourself and other princes to keep literary men in their service, protect them or help them in the honest pursuit of letters so that they may be distinguished from inferiors or from those lacking in magnificence and opulence .... I shall only say that the most faiucms heroes, the most celebrated kings would now lie buried in oblivion if our letters had not kept them in life, their name and great actions, I shall say that being alone the Mecaenas of literary men is enough to immor- talise a Prince and that all the greater heroes- have taken care chiefly to favour and reward letters, knowing well that this was the only way to be kept in vivid remembrance by posterity .... [The republic should be supported' by a generous prince with a rich library kept up at his own expense.] According to the ideal of this generous prince those " letterati " would only be obliged to study in rivalry, incite others to study for the glory and advancement of letters and to publish within every three years some book or study. [The members should be several ' letterati ' with a minimum of ten.J I would wish two of them excellent in poetry and in eloquence to make them capable of writing poems and essays according to need and one at least of them should write histories ; two for natural philosophy and medi- cine, two for astronomy, geography or mathe- matics ; two others should be distinguished theologians learned in ecclesiastical history and erudition, two in Oriental languages and secular

knowledge The library would be always open

to them and should be increased by new and most useful and necessary books .... If we could find four or five other Princes, behold then our Republic which begins to take the place in Parnassus of that of ancient Rome."

Ad Antonio Magliabecchi in Firenze,. xii Kal. Quinctilil MDCCIII.

" Sed ut ad Scientias ac Artes instaurandas et augendas, homines compellamus, praeter ipsam rei honestatem, et delectationem, alia, medius fiduis, sunt incitamenta adhibenda. Certe quum sit in plurimorum manu Scientiis ac erudition! operam dare, paucos tamen properantes juvenias, quamquam certa sit omnibus in earum possessione delectatio. Contra vera da mihi fautores ingenues, da opum et honorum proposita praemia : et complures intuebere veluti oestro percitos ad Scientias convolare, atque in iis- mirum in modum progredi."

Agli Arconti della repubblica letteraria d'ltalia, Mar. 16, 1704.

(Muratori thanks the Arconti or princely patrons for their kindness but counsels prudence and concealment.) " It would be better to keep hidden and unpublished this great design until our Republic is assured of the goodwill of the studious, well arranged, well furnished with regulations and prepared to show in the first year of publication its fecundity in many a weighty and important volume. We imagine and ; desire above all things that the matter of Patrons- should be settled, since it appears to us that in