THE PURISTS.
The Italians lose their Language--Prejudice against the Mother
Tongue--Problem of the Dialects--Want of a Metropolis--The Tuscan
Classics--Petrarch and Boccaccio--Dante Rejected--False Attitude of the
Petrarchisti--Renaissance Sense of Beauty unexpressed in Lyric--False
Attitude of Boccaccio's Followers--Ornamental Prose--Speron Sperone--The
Dictator Bembo--His Conception of the Problem--The _Asolani_--Grammatical
Essay--Treatise on the Language--Poems--Letters--Bembo's Place in the
_Cortegiano_--Castiglione on Italian Style--His Good Sense--Controversies
on the Language--Academical Spirit--Innumerable Poetasters--La
Casa--His Life--_Il Forno_--Peculiar Melancholy--His Sonnets--Guidiccioni's
Poems on Italy--Court Life--Caro and Castelvetro--Their
Controversies--Castelvetro accused of Heresy--Literary Ladies--Veronica
Gambara--Vittoria Colonna--Her Life--Her Friendship for Michelangelo--Life
of Bernardo Tasso--His _Amadigi_ and other Works--Life of Giangiorgio
Trissino--His Quarrel with his Son Giulio--His Critical Works--The
_Italia Liberata_ 246