the civilization of the renaissance in italy-第31节

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led　not　only　through　Italy；　but　through　other　countries　of　the　　old　Orbis　terrarum；　and　brought　back　countless　inscriptions　and　　sketches。　When　asked　why　he　took　all　this　trouble；　he　replied；　'To　wake　　the　dead。'　The　histories　of　the　various　cities　of　Italy　had　from　the　　earliest　times　laid　claim　to　some　true　or　imagined　connection　with　　Rome；　had　alleged　some　settlement　or　colonization　which　started　from　　the　capital；　and　the　obliging　manufacturers　of　pedigrees　seem　　constantly　to　have　derived　various　families　from　the　oldest　and　most　　famous　blood　of　Rome。　So　highly　was　the　distinction　valued；　that　men　　clung　to　it　even　in　the　light　of　the　dawning　criticism　of　the　fifteenth　　century。　When　Pius　II　was　at　Viterbo　he　said　frankly　to　the　Roman　　deputies　who　begged　him　to　return；　'Rome　is　as　much　my　home　as　Siena；　　for　my　House；　the　Piccolomini；　came　in　early　times　from　the　capital　to　　Siena；　as　is　proved　by　the　constant　use　of　the　names　'neas　and　Sylvius　　in　my　family。'　He　would　probably　have　had　no　objection　to　be　held　a　　descendant　of　the　Julii。　Paul　II；　a　Barbo　of　Venice；　found　his　vanity　　flattered　by　deducing　his　House；　notwithstanding　an　adverse　pedigree；　　according　to　which　it　came　from　Germany；　from　the　Roman　Ahenobarbus；　　who　had　led　a　colony　to　Parma；　and　whose　successors　had　been　driven　by　　party　conflicts　to　migrate　to　Venice。　That　the　Massimi　claimed　descent　　from　Q。　Fabius　Maximus；　and　the　Cornaro　from　the　Cornelii；　cannot　　surprise　us。　On　the　other　hand；　it　is　a　strikingly　exceptional　fact　for　　the　sixteenth　century　that　the　novelist　Bandello　tried　to　connect　his　　blood　with　a　noble　family　of　Ostrogoths。

To　return　to　Rome。　The　inhabitants；　'who　then　called　themselves　　Romans；'　accepted　greedily　the　homage　which　was　offered　them　by　the　　rest　of　Italy。　Under　Paul　II；　Sixtus　IV　and　Alexander　VI；　magnificent　　processions　formed　part　of　the　Carnival；　representing　the　scene　most　　attractive　to　the　imagination　of　the　time…　…the　triumph　of　the　Roman　　Imperator。　The　sentiment　of　the　people　expressed　itself　naturally　in　　this　shape　and　others　like　it。　In　this　mood　of　public　feeling；　a　report　　arose　on　April　18；　1485；　that　the　corpse　of　a　young　Roman　lady　of　the　　classical　periodwonderfully　beautiful　and　in　perfect　preservation　had　been　discovered。　Some　Lombard　masons　digging　out　an　ancient　tomb　on　　an　estate　of　the　convent　of　Santa　Maria　Nuova；　on　the　Appian　Way；　　beyond　the　tomb　of　Caecilia　Metella；　were　said　to　have　found　a　marble　　sarcophagus　with　the　inscription：　'Julia；　daughter　of　Claudius。'　On　　this　basis　the　following　story　was　built。　The　Lombards　disappeared　with　　the　jewels　and　treasure　which　were　found　with　the　corpse　in　the　　sarcophagus。　The　body　had　been　coated　with　an　antiseptic　essence；　and　　was　as　fresh　and　flexible　as　that　of　a　girl　of　fifteen　the　hour　after　　death。　It　was　said　that　she　still　kept　the　colors　of　life；　with　eyes　　and　mouth　half　open。　She　was　taken　to　the　palace　of　the　'Conservatori'　　on　the　Capitol；　and　then　a　pilgrimage　to　see　her　began。　Among　the　crowd　　were　many　who　came　to　paint　her；　'for　she　was　more　beautiful　than　can　　be　said　or　written；　and；　were　it　said　or　written；　it　would　not　be　　believed　by　those　who　had　not　seen　her。'　By　order　of　Innocent　VIII　she　　was　secretly　buried　one　night　outside　the　Pincian　Gate；　the　empty　　sarcophagus　remained　in　the　court　of　the　'Conservatori。'　Probably　a　　colored　mask　of　wax　or　some　other　material　was　modelled　in　the　　classical　style　on　the　face　of　the　corpse；　with　which　the　gilded　hair　　of　which　we　read　would　harmonize　admirably。　The　touching　point　in　the　　story　is　not　the　fact　itself；　but　the　firm　belief　that　an　ancient　body；　　which　was　now　thought　to　be　at　last　really　before　men's　eyes；　must　of　　necessity　be　far　more　beautiful　than　anything　of　modern　date。

Meanwhile　the　material　knowledge　of　old　Rome　was　increased　by　　excavations。　Under　Alexander　VI　the　so…called　'Grotesques；'　that　is；　　the　mural　decorations　of　the　ancients；　were　discovered；　and　the　Apollo　　of　the　Belvedere　was　found　at　Porto　d'Anzio。　Under　Julius　II　followed　　the　memorable　discoveries　of　the　Laocoon；　of　the　Venus　of　the　Vatican；　　of　the　Torso　of　the　Cleopatra。　The　palaces　of　the　nobles　and　the　　cardinals　began　to　be　filled　with　ancient　statues　and　fragments。　　Raphael　undertook　for　Leo　X　that　ideal　restoration　of　the　whole　ancient　　city　which　his　（or　Castiglione's）　celebrated　letter　（1518　or　1519）　　speaks　of。　After　a　bitter　complaint　over　the　devastations　which　had　not　　even　then　ceased；　and　which　had　been　particularly　frequent　under　Julius　　II；　he　beseeches　the　Pope　to　protect　the　few　relics　which　were　left　to　　testify　to　the　power　and　greatness　of　that　divine　soul　of　antiquity　　whose　memory　was　inspiration　to　all　who　were　capable　of　higher　things。　　He　then　goes　on　with　penetrating　judgement　to　lay　the　foundations　of　a　　comparative　history　of　art；　and　concludes　by　giving　the　definition　of　　an　architectural　survey　which　has　been　accepted　since　his　time；　he　　requires　the　ground　plan；　section　and　elevation　separately　of　every　　building　that　remained。　How　archaeology　devoted　itself　after　his　day　to　　the　study　of　the　venerated　city　and　grew　into　a　special　science；　and　　how　the　Vitruvian　Academy　at　all　events　proposed　to　itself　great　him；　　cannot　here　be　related。　Let　us　rather　pause　at　the　days　of　Leo　X；　under　　whom　the　enjoyment　of　antiquity　combined　with　all　other　pleasures　to　　give　to　Roman　life　a　unique　stamp　and　consecration。　The　Vatican　　resounded　with　song　and　music；　and　their　echoes　were　heard　through　the　　city　as　a　call　to　joy　and　gladness；　though　Leo　did　not　succeed　thereby　　in　banishing　care　and　pain　from　his　own　life；　and　his　deliberate　　calculation　to　prolong　his　days　by　cheerfulness　was　frustrated　by　an　　early　death。　The　Rome　of　Leo；　as　described　by　Paolo　Giovio；　forms　a　　picture　too　splendid　to　turn　away　from；　unmistakable　as　are　also　its　　darker　aspectsthe　slavery　of　those　who　were　struggling　to　rise；　the　　secret　misery　of　the　prelates；　who；　notwithstanding　heavy　debts；　were　　forced　to　live　in　a　style　befitting　their　rank；　the　system　of　literary　　patronage；　which　drove　men　to　be　parasites　or　adventurers；　and；　lastly；　　the　scandalous　maladministration　of　the　finances　of　the　State。　Yet　the　　same　Ariosto　who　knew　and　ridiculed　all　this　so　well；　gives　in　the　　sixth　satire　a　longing　picture　of　his　expected　intercourse　with　the　　accomplished　poets　who　would　conduct　him　through　the　city　of　ruins；　of　　the　learned　counsel　which　he　would　there　find　for　his　own　literary　　efforts；　and　of　the　treasures　of　the　Vatican　library。　These；　he　says；　　and　not　the　long…abandoned　hope　of　Medicean　protection；　were　the　baits　　which　really　attracted　him；　if　he　were　again　asked　to　go　as　Ferrarese　　ambassador　to　Rome。

But　the　ruins　within　and　outside　Rome　awakened　not　only　archaeological　　zeal　and　patriotic　enthusiasm；　but　an　elegiac　of　sentimental　　melancholy。　In　Petrarch　and　Boccaccio　we　find　touches　of　this　feeling。　　Poggio　Bracciolini　often　visited　the　temple　of　Venus　and　Roma；　in　the　　belief　that　it　was　that　of　Castor　and　Pollux；　where　the　senate　used　so　　often　to　meet；　and　would　lose　himself　in　memories　of　the　great　orators　　Crassus；　Hortensius；　Cicero。　The　language　of　Pius　II；　especially　in　　describing　Tivoli；　has　a　thoroughly　sentimental　ring；　and　soon　　afterwards　（1467）　appeared　the　first　pictures　of　ruins；　with　a　　commentary　by　Polifilo。　Ruins　of　mighty　arches　and　colonnades；　half　hid　　in　plane…trees；　laurels；　cypresses　and　brushwood；　figure　in　his　pages。　　In　the　sacred　legends　it　became　the　custom；　we　can　hardly　say　how；　to　　lay　the　scene　of　the　birth　of　Christ　in　the　ruins　of　a　magnificent　　palace。　That　artificial　ruins　became　afterwards　a　necessity　of　　landscape　gardening　is　only　a　practical　consequence　of　this　feeling。

The　Classics

But　the　literary　bequests　of　antiquity；　Greek　as　well　as　Latin；　were　of　　far　more　importance　than　the　architectural；　and　indeed　than　all　the　　artistic　remains　which　it　had　left。　They　were　held　in　the　most　absolute　　sense　to　be　the　springs　of　all　knowledge。　The　literary　conditions　of　　that　age　of　great　discoveries　have　often　been　set　forth；　no　more　can　　here　be　attempted　than　to　point　out　a　few　less…known　features　of　the　　picture。

Great　as　was　the　influence　of　the　old　writers　on　the　Italian　mind　in　　the　fourteenth　century　and　before；　yet　that　influence　was　due　rather　to　　the　wide　diffusion　of　what　bad　long　been　known　than　to　the　discovery　of　　much　that　was　new。　The　most　popular　latin　poets；　historians；　orators　　and　letter…writers；　to…　gether　with　a　number　of　Latin　translations　of　　single　works　of　Aristotle；　Plutarch；　and　a　few　other　Greek　authors；　　constituted　the　treasure　from　which　a　few　favored　individuals　in　the　　time　of　Petrarch　and　Boccaccio　drew　their　inspiration。　The　former；　as　　is　well　known；　owned　and　kept　with　religious　care　a　Greek　Homer；　which　　he　was　unable　to　read。　A　complete　Latin　translation　of　the　Iliad　and　　Odyssey；　though　a　very　bad　one；　vas　made　at　Petrarch's　suggestion；　and　　with　Boccaccio's　help；　by　a　Calabrian　Greek；　Leonzio　Pilato。　But　with　　the　fifteenth　century　began　the　long　list　of　new　discoveries；　the　　systematic　creation　of　libraries　by　means　of　copies；　and　the　rapid　　multiplication　of　translations　from　the　Greek。

Had　it