letters to his son, 1750-第6章

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　　　　　　　　　　〃Cosi　all'egro　fanciul　porgiamo　aspersi　　　　　　　　　　　Di　soavi　licor　gli　orli　del　vaso：　　　　　　　　　　　Succhi　amari　ingannato　intanto　ei　beve；　　　　　　　　　　　E　dall'　inganno　suo　vita　riceve。〃

However；　the　poem；　with　all　its　faults　about　it；　may　justly　be　called　a　fine　one。

If　fancy；　imagination；　invention；　description；　etc。；　constitute　a　poet；　Ariosto　is；　unquestionably；　a　great　one。　　His　〃Orlando；〃　it　is　true；　is　a　medley　of　lies　and　truthssacred　and　profanewars；　loves；　enchantments；　giants；　madheroes；　and　adventurous　damsels；　but　then；　he　gives　it　you　very　fairly　for　what　it　is；　and　does　not　pretend　to　put　it　upon　you　for　the　true　'epopee'；　or　epic　poem。　　He　says：

　　　　　　　　　　〃Le　Donne；　i　Cavalier；　l'arme；　gli　amori　　　　　　　　　　　Le　cortesie；　l'audaci　imprese；　io　canto。〃

The　connections　of　his　stories　are　admirable；　his　reflections　just；　his　sneers　and　ironies　incomparable；　and　his　painting　excellent。　　When　Angelica；　after　having　wandered　over　half　the　world　alone　with　Orlando；　pretends；　notwithstanding；

　　　　　　　　　　〃…　ch'el　fior　virginal　cosi　avea　salvo；　　　　　　　　　　　Come　selo　porto　dal　matern'　alvo。〃

The　author　adds；　very　gravely；　

　　　　　　　　　　〃Forse　era　ver；　ma　non　pero　credibile　　　　　　　　　　　A　chi　del　senso　suo　fosse　Signore。〃

Astolpho's　being　carried　to　the　moon　by　St。　John；　in　order　to　look　for　Orlando's　lost　wits；　at　the　end　of　the　34th　book；　and　the　many　lost　things　that　he　finds　there；　is　a　most　happy　extravagancy；　and　contains；　at　the　same　time；　a　great　deal　of　sense。　　I　would　advise　you　to　read　this　poem　with　attention。　　It　is；　also；　the　source　of　half　the　tales；　novels；　and　plays；　that　have　been　written　since。

The　'Pastor　Fido'　of　Guarini　is　so　celebrated；　that　you　should　read　it；　but　in　reading　it；　you　will　judge　of　the　great　propriety　of　the　characters。　　A　parcel　of　shepherds　and　shepherdesses；　with　the　TRUE　PASTORAL'　SIMPLICITY；　talk　metaphysics；　epigrams；　'concetti'；　and　quibbles；　by　the　hour　to　each　other。

The　Aminto　del　Tasso；　is　much　more　what　it　is　intended　to　be；　a　pastoral：　the　shepherds；　indeed；　have　their　'concetti'　and　their　antitheses；　but　are　not　quite　so　sublime　and　abstracted　as　those　in　Pastor　Fido。　　I　think　that　you　will　like　it　much　the　best　of　the　two。

Petrarca　is；　in　my　mind；　a　sing…song；　love…sick　poet；　much　admired；　however；　by　the　Italians：　but　an　Italian　who　should　think　no　better　of　him　than　I　do；　would　certainly　say　that　he　deserved　his　'Laura'　better　than　his　'Lauro'；　and　that　wretched　quibble　would　be　reckoned　an　excellent　piece　of　Italian　wit。

The　Italian　prose…writers　（of　invention　I　mean）　which　I　would　recommend　to　your　acquaintance；　are　Machiavello　and　Boccacio；　the　former；　for　the　established　reputation　which　he　has　acquired；　of　a　consummate　politician　（whatever　my　own　private　sentiments　may　be　of　either　his　politics　or　his　morality）：　the　latter；　for　his　great　invention；　and　for　his　natural　and　agreeable　manner　of　telling　his　stories。

Guicciardini；　Bentivoglio；　Davila；　etc。；　are　excellent　historians；　and　deserved　being　read　with　attention。　　The　nature　of　history　checks；　a　little；　the　flights　of　Italian　imaginations；　which；　in　works　of　invention；　are　very　high　indeed。　　Translations　curb　them　still　more：　and　their　translations　of　the　classics　are　incomparable；　particularly　the　first　ten；　translated　in　the　time　of　Leo　the　Tenth；　and　inscribed　to　him；　under　the　title　of　Collana。　　That　original　Collana　has　been　lengthened　since；　and　if　I　mistake　not；　consist　now　of　one　hundred　and　ten　volumes。

From　what　I　have　said；　you　will　easily　guess　that　I　meant　to　put　you　upon　your　guard；　and　not　let　your　fancy　be　dazzled　and　your　taste　corrupted　by　the　concetti；　the　quaintnesses；　and　false　thoughts；　which　are　too　much　the　characteristics　of　the　Italian　and　Spanish　authors。　　I　think　you　are　in　no　great　danger；　as　your　taste　has　been　formed　upon　the　best　ancient　models；　the　Greek　and　Latin　authors　of　the　best　ages；　who　indulge　themselves　in　none　of　the　puerilities　I　have　hinted　at。　　I　think　I　may　say；　with　truth；　that　true　wit；　sound　taste；　and　good　sense；　are　now；　as　it　were；　engrossed　by　France　and　England。　　Your　old　acquaintances；　the　Germans；　I　fear；　are　a　little　below　them；　and　your　new　acquaintances；　the　Italians；　are　a　great　deal　too　much　above　them。　　The　former；　I　doubt；　crawl　a　little；　the　latter；　I　am　sure；　very　often　fly　out　of　sight。

I　recommended　to　you　a　good　many　years　ago；　and　I　believe　you　then　read；　La　maniere　de　bien　penser　dans　les　ouvrages　d'esprit　par　le　Pere　Bouhours；　and　I　think　it　is　very　well　worth　your　reading　again；　now　that　you　can　judge　of　it　better。　　I　do　not　know　any　book　that　contributes　more　to　form　a　true　taste；　and　you　find　there；　into　the　bargain；　the　most　celebrated　passages；　both　of　the　ancients　and　the　moderns；　which　refresh　your　memory　with　what　you　have　formerly　read　in　them　separately。　　It　is　followed　by　a　book　much　of　the　same　size；　by　the　same　author；　entitled；　'Suite　des　Pensees　ingenieuses'。

To　do　justice　to　the　best　English　and　French　authors；　they　have　not　given　into　that　false　taste；　they　allow　no　thoughts　to　be　good；　that　are　not　just　and　founded　upon　truth。　　The　age　of　Lewis　XIV。　was　very　like　the　Augustan；　Boileau；　Moliere；　La　Fontaine；　Racine；；　etc。；　established　the　true；　and　exposed　the　false　taste。　　The　reign　of　King　Charles　II。　（meritorious　in　no　other　respect）　banished　false　taste　out　of　England；　and　proscribed　puns；　quibbles；　acrostics；　etc。　　Since　that；　false　wit　has　renewed　its　attacks；　and　endeavored　to　recover　its　lost　empire；　both　in　England　and　France；　but　without　success；　though；　I　must　say；　with　more　success　in　France　than　in　England。　　Addison；　Pope；　and　Swift；　have　vigorously　defended　the　rights　of　good　sense；　which　is　more　than　can　be　said　of　their　contemporary　French　authors；　who　have　of　late　had　a　great　tendency　to　'le　faux　brillant'；　'le　raffinement；　et　l'entortillement'。　And　Lord　Roscommon　would　be　more　in　the　right　now；　than　he　was　then；　in　saying；　that；

　　　　　　　　　　〃The　English　bullion　of　one　sterling　line；　　　　　　　　　　　Drawn　to　French　wire；　would　through　whole　pages　shine。〃

Lose　no　time；　my　dear　child；　I　conjure　you；　in　forming　your　taste；　your　manners；　your　mind；　your　everything；　you　have　but　two　years'　time　to　do　it　in；　for　whatever　you　are；　to　a　certain　degree；　at　twenty；　you　will　be；　more　or　less；　all　the　rest　of　your　life。　　May　it　be　a　long　and　happy　one。　Adieu。




LETTER　CVI

LONDON；　February　22；　O。　S。　　1750

MY　DEAR　FRIEND：　If　the　Italian　of　your　letter　to　Lady　Chesterfield　was　all　your　own；　I　am　very　well　satisfied　with　the　progress　which　you　have　made　in　that　language　in　so　short　a　time；　according　to　that　gradation；　you　will；　in　a　very　little　time　more；　be　master　of　it。　　Except　at　the　French　Ambassador's；　I　believe　you　hear　only　Italian　spoke；　for　the　Italians　speak　very　little　French；　and　that　little　generally　very　ill。　The　French　are　even　with　them；　and　generally　speak　Italian　as　ill；　for　I　never　knew　a　Frenchman　in　my　life　who　could　pronounce　the　Italian　ce；　ci；　or　ge；　gi。　　Your　desire　of　pleasing　the　Roman　ladies　will　of　course　give　you　not　only　the　desire；　but　the　means　of　speaking　to　them　elegantly　in　their　own　language。　　The　Princess　Borghese；　I　am　told；　speaks　French　both　ill　and　unwillingly；　and　therefore　you　should　make　a　merit　to　her　of　your　application　to　her　language。　　She　is；　by　a　kind　of　prescription　（longer　than　she　would　probably　wish）；　at　the　head　of　the　'beau　monde'　at　Rome；　and　can；　consequently；　establish　or　destroy　a　young　fellow's　fashionable　character。　　If　she　declares　him　'amabile　e　leggiadro'；　others　will　think　him　so；　or　at　least　those　who　do　not　will　not　dare　to　say　so。　　There　are　in　every　great　town　some　such　women；　whose　rank；　beauty；　and　fortune　have　conspired　to　place　them　at　the　head　of　the　fashion。　　They　have　generally　been　gallant；　but　within　certain　decent　bounds。　　Their　gallantries　have　taught；　both　them　and　their　admirers；　good…breeding；　without　which　they　could　keep　up　no　dignity；　but　would　be　vilified　by　those　very　gallantries　which　put　them　in　vogue。　　It　is　with　these　women；　as　with　ministers　and　favorites　at　court；　they　decide　upon　fashion　and　characters；　as　these　do　of　fortunes　and　preferments。　　Pay　particular　court；　therefore；　wherever