the civilization of the renaissance in italy-第33章

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；　Tasso；　is　in　the　hands　of　　even　the　poorest。

The　civilization　of　Greece　and　Rome；　which；　ever　since　the　fourteenth　　century；　obtained　so　powerful　a　hold　on　Italian　life；　as　the　source　and　　basis　of　culture；　as　the　object　and　ideal　of　existence；　partly　also　as　　an　avowed　reaction　against　preceding　tendenciesthis　civilization　had　　long　been　exerting　a　partial　influence　on　mediaeval　Europe；　even　beyond　　the　boundaries　of　Italy。　The　culture　of　which　Charlemagne　was　a　　representative　was；　in　face　of　the　barbarism　of　the　seventh　and　eighth　　centuries；　essentially　a　Renaissance；　and　could　appear　under　no　other　　form。　Just　as　in　the　Romanesque　architecture　of　the　North；　beside　the　　general　outlines　inherited　from　antiquity；　remarkable　direct　imitations　　of　the　antique　also　occur；　so　too　monastic　scholarship　had　not　only　　gradually　absorbed　an　immense　mass　of　materials　from　Roman　writers；　but　　the　style　of　it；　from　the　days　of　Einhard　onwards；　shows　traces　of　　conscious　imitation。

But　the　resuscitation　of　antiquity　took　a　different　form　in　Italy　from　　that　which　it　assumed　in　the　North。　The　wave　of　barbarism　had　scarcely　　gone　by　before　the　people；　in　whom　the　former　life　was　but　half　　effaced；　showed　a　consciousness　of　its　past　and　a　wish　to　reproduce　it。　　Elsewhere　in　Europe　men　deliberately　and　with　reflection　borrowed　this　　or　the　other　element　of　classical　civilization；　in　Italy　the　sympathies　　both　of　the　learned　and　of　the　people　were　naturally　engaged　on　the　　side　of　antiquity　as　a　whole；　which　stood　to　them　as　a　symbol　of　past　　greatness。　The　Latin　language；　too；　was　easy　to　an　Italian；　and　the　　numerous　monuments　and　documents　in　which　the　country　abounded　　facilitated　a　return　to　the　past。　With　this　tendency　other　elements　the　popular　character　which　time　had　now　greatly　modified；　the　　political　institutions　imported　by　the　Lombards　from　Germany；　chivalry　　and　other　northern　forms　of　civilization；　and　the　influence　of　religion　　and　the　Churchcombined　to　produce　the　modern　Italian　spirit；　which　　was　destined　to　serve　as　the　model　and　ideal　for　the　whole　western　　world。

How　antiquity　influenced　the　visual　arts；　as　soon　as　the　flood　of　　barbarism　had　subsided；　is　clearly　shown　in　the　Tuscan　buildings　of　the　　twelfth　and　in　the　sculptures　of　the　thirteenth　centuries。　In　poetry；　　too；　there　will　appear　no　want　of　similar　analogies　to　those　who　hold　　that　the　greatest　Latin　poet　of　the　twelfth　century；　the　writer　who　　struck　the　keynote　of　a　whole　class　of　Latin　poems；　was　an　Italian。　We　　mean　the　author　of　the　best　pieces　in　the　so…called　'Carmina　Burana。'　A　　frank　enjoyment　of　life　and　its　pleasures；　as　whose　patrons　the　gods　of　　heathendom　are　invoked；　while　Catos　and　Scipios　hold　the　place　of　the　　saints　and　heroes　of　Christianity；　flows　in　full　current　through　the　　rhymed　verses。　Reading　them　through　at　a　stretch；　we　can　scarcely　help　　coming　to　the　conclusion　that　an　Italian；　probably　a　Lombard；　is　　speaking；　in　fact；　there　are　positive　grounds　for　thinking　so。　To　a　　certain　degree　these　Latin　poems　of　the　'Clerici　vagantes'　of　the　　twelfth　century；　with　all　their　remarkable　frivolity；　are；　doubtless；　a　　product　in　which　the　whole　of　Europe　had　a　share；　but　the　writer　of　the　　song　'De　Phyllide　et　Flora'　and　the　'Aestuans　Interius'　can　have　been　a　　northerner　as　little　as　the　polished　Epicurean　observer　to　whom　we　owe　　'Dum　Diana　vitrea　sero　lampas　oritur。'　Here；　in　truth；　is　a　　reproduction　of　the　whole　ancient　view　of　life；　which　is　all　the　more　　striking　from　the　medieval　form　of　the　verse　in　which　it　is　set　forth。　　There　are　many　works　of　this　and　the　following　centuries；　in　which　a　　careful　imitation　of　the　antique　appears　both　in　the　hexameter　and　　pentameter　of　the　meter　and　in　the　classical；　often　myth…　ological；　　character　of　the　subject；　and　which　yet　have　not　anything　like　the　same　　spirit　of　antiquity　about　them。　In　the　hexametric　chronicles　and　other　　works　of　Guglielmus　Apuliensis　and　his　successors　（from　about　1100）；　we　　find　frequent　trace　of　a　diligent　study　of　Virgil；　Ovid；　Lucan；　　Statius；　and　Claudian；　but　this　classical　form　is；　after　all；　a　mere　　matter　of　archaeology；　as　is　the　classical　subject　in　compilers　like　　Vincent　of　Beauvais；　or　in　the　mythological　and　allegorical　writer；　　Alanus　ab　Insulis。　The　Renaissance；　however；　is　not　a　fragmentary　　imitation　or　compilation；　but　a　new　birth；　and　the　signs　of　this　are　　visible　in　the　poems　of　the　unknown　'Clericus'　of　the　twelfth　century。

But　the　great　and　general　enthusiasm　of　the　Italians　for　Classical　　antiquity　did　not　display　itself　before　the　fourteenth　century。　For　　this　a　development　of　civic　life　was　required；　which　took　place　only　in　　Italy；　and　there　not　till　then。　It　was　needful　that　noble　and　burgher　　should　first　learn　to　dwell　together　on　equal　terms；　and　that　a　social　　world　should　arise　which　felt　the　want　of　culture；　and　had　the　leisure　　and　the　means　to　obtain　it。　But　culture；　as　soon　as　it　freed　itself　　from　the　fantastic　bonds　of　the　Middle　Ages；　could　not　at　once　and　　without　help　find　its　way　to　the　understanding　of　the　physical　and　　intellectual　world。　It　needed　a　guide；　and　found　one　in　the　ancient　　civilization；　with　its　wealth　of　truth　and　knowledge　in　every　spiritual　　interest。　Both　the　form　and　the　substance　of　this　civilization　were　　adopted　with　admiring　gratitude；　it　became　the　chief　part　of　the　　culture　of　the　age。　The　general　condition　of　the　country　was　favourable　　to　this　transformation。　The　medieval　empire；　since　the　fall　of　the　　Hohenstaufen；　had　either　renounced；　or　was　unable　to　make　good；　its　　claims　on　Italy。　The　Popes　had　migrated　to　Avignon。　Most　of　the　　political　powers　actually　existing　owed　their　origin　to　violent　and　　illegitimate　means。　The　spirit　of　the　people；　now　awakened　to　self…　consciousness；　sought　for　some　new　and　stable　ideal　on　which　to　rest。　　And　thus　the　vision　of　the　world…wide　empire　of　Italy　and　Rome　so　　possessed　the　popular　mind　that　Cola　di　Rienzi　could　actually　attempt　　to　put　it　in　practice。　The　conception　he　formed　of　his　task；　　particularly　when　tribune　for　the　first　time；　could　only　end　in　some　　extravagant　comedy；　nevertheless；　the　memory　of　ancient　Rome　was　no　　slight　support　to　the　national　sentiment。　Armed　afresh　with　its　　culture；　the　Italian　soon　felt　himself　in　truth　citizen　of　the　most　　advanced　nation　in　the　world。

It　is　now　our　task　to　sketch　this　spiritual　movement；　not　indeed　in　all　　its　fullness；　but　in　its　most　salient　features；　and　especially　in　its　　first　beginnings。

The　Ruins　of　Rome

Rome　itself；　the　city　of　ruins；　now　became　the　object　of　a　holly　　different　sort　of　piety　from　that　of　the　time　when　the　'Mirabilia　Roma'　　and　the　collection　of　William　of　Malmesbury　ere　composed。　The　　imaginations　of　the　devout　pilgrim；　or　of　the　seeker　after　marvels　and　　treasures；　are　supplanted　in　contemporary　records　by　the　interests　of　　the　patriot　and　the　historian。　In　this　sense　we　must　understand　Dante's　　words；　that　the　stones　of　the　walls　of　Rome　deserve　reverence；　and　that　　the　ground　on　which　the　city　is　built　is　more　worthy　than　men　say。　The　　jubilees；　incessant　as　they　were；　have　scarcely　left　a　single　devout　　record　in　literature　properly　so　called。　The　best　thing　that　Giovanni　　Villani　brought　back　from　the　jubilee　of　the　year　1300　was　the　　resolution　to　write　his　history　which　bad　been　awakened　in　him　by　the　　sight　of　the　ruins　of　Rome。　Petrarch　gives　evidence　of　a　taste　divided　　between　classical　and　Christian　antiquity。　He　tells　us　how　often　with　　Giovanni　Colonna　he　ascended　the　mighty　vaults　of　the　Baths　of　　Diocletian；　and　there　in　the　transparent　air；　amid　the　wide　silence　　with　the　broad　panorama　stretching　far　around　them；　they　spoke；　not　of　　business　or　political　affairs；　but　of　the　history　which　the　ruins　　beneath　their　feet　suggested；　Petrarch　appearing　in　these　dialogues　as　　the　partisan　of　classical；　Giovanni　of　Christian　antiquity；　then　they　　would　discourse　of　philosophy　and　of　the　inventors　of　the　arts。　How　　often　since　that　time；　down　to　the　days　of　Gibbon　and　Niebuhr；　have　the　　same　ruins　stirred　men's　minds　to　the　same　reflections！

This　double　current　of　feeling　is　also　recognizable　in　the　'Dittamondo'　　of　Fazio　degli　Uberti；　composed