For the Monthly Magazine. the monks, and is, in other respects, so SELECT NOTICES of ITALIAN LITERATURE, licentious, underwent the castigations of comprising, ORIGINAL CORRESPON the holy inquisition, during the pontifiDENCE, ANECDOTES, BIOGRAPHICAL cate of Pius V. His countrymen were, SKETCHES, POETRY, &c. &c. THIS LUIGI ALEMANNI. however, not satisfied with these emendations and castrations; and accordingly the Cavalier Salviati, at the request of the grand duke, undertook to prune the work in a more moderate way. At length, it was printed at Naples, under the date of Amsterdam, in 1718, as it had been originally composed. This is the edition, now very scarce, which the Italian scholar ought to consult. LIONARDO SALVIATI, spirited writer, who flourished at the commencement of the sixteenth century, was a most decided patriot, and consequently a declared enemy of the Medicean party. His oration, addressed to the Florentine militia, in 1529, is only known by name to the collectors, the copies having been bought up and destroyed by the government. The first and second parts of his lyric works, Cited in the preceding notice, was the entitled, "Opere Tuscane," were printed author of three orations on the death of at Lyons, and dedicated to his most Don Garzia of Medici. At his own Christian Majesty, Francis I. under whose death, his oration was pronounced by P. protection he lived securely, after having F. Cambi, who mentioned, as a singular been much persecuted in his own country. The first part having been re-printed at Florence, in the same year (1532,) two booksellers of that city were fined, the one two hundred, the other eighty scudi (crowns,) for selling a few copies. DANTE. At the conclusion of the fifth volume of the Lives of the Holy Fathers, is a long vision of Tantalus, a rich and dissolute young man, whose soul having, by divine judgment, been, for a limited time, separated from his body, was accompanied by his angel to hell, to purgatory, and to paradise. This vision is divided into seventeen chapters, and is different from, and more ancient than that of the monk Alberico, from whom this celebrated poet has been heretofore supposed to have taken the first idea of his "Divine Comedy." It is probable that he could not have had access to the latter, the only manuscript copy of which was locked up in the library of a convent. Between the vision of Tantalus here spoken of, and the poem of Dante, there is this remarkable difference, that in the former the sins of the guilty are expurgated in hell by suitable punishments, whereas in the latter the purification is with greater propriety accomplished in purgatory. BOCCACIO. The octave rhyme, so much admired by the Italians, was invented by this writer. His matchless production, the Decameron, which makes so free with fact, that, in praising a youth of fourteen years of age, Salviati had contrived to introduce so much matter, that it was necessary for him to divide his oration into three days, or rather into three orations, which were composed by him at the early age of twenty-three. When he published his oration on the coronation of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Cosmo of Medici, the latter was so much surprised at the burst of talent it displayed, as to declare that, among other considerations, which made the dignity he had received so dear to him, was that of its having given occasion to Salviati to compose so fine a work. He read five lectures, in the presence of the Florentine Academy, two on hope, one on felicity, and the others on different subjects, the whole founded on the sonnet of Petrarcha, beginning with:-" Poi che voi, et io piu volte abbiam provato." On this head, Cambi relates, as a thing truly worthy of commendation, that Salviati, having five times discoursed on the same matter, should have treated it with so much judgment, as to have constantly increased the number of his auditory, who were delighted to hear so many diversified comments on a simple sonnet. GRASSO LEGNAIULO Was one of the authors of the hundred ancient tales which supplied Boccacio with the model and principal materials of his Decameron. The celebrated Cardinal Bembo is cited as having also contributed his part to these tales. The SONETTO. Medici. di Nicolo Machiavelli al Magnifico Guiliano de following short tale, hitherto unpublish- longs to great and distinguished charac NICOLO MACHIAVELLI. Besides his other productions, which are so well known, it is now ascertained Non perchè questo don sia buono e bello, Ma voi direte: forse non faranno L'effetto che tu di', ch' ei non son buoni, Ch' io son maghero anch' io, come lor sanne, Vostra Magnificenzia, e palpe, e tocchi, To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. SIR, N a work so famous for correct infor N mation and great precision as your admired miscellany, no one can observe an inconsistency without regret, or notice an error without a wish to remove it ; impressed with these feelings, I would. call your attention to the calculations respecting gas lights, published by Mr. Brande. that he was the author of a comedy, en- Poi riuscendo topo alla giornata, Di voi si ride, e dice la brigata: Infine il Varchi non ha inventione, Ein questa parte ha somigliato il Gello, Che fece anch' egli una Commedia nuova, Again, he states, that, at the City Gas Che avea prima composta il Machiavello." Works in Dorset-srreet, BlackfriarsThe poetic works of the Florentine bridge, the daily consumption of coals Secretary were edited by Signor Poggiali, for distillation amounts at present to in 1793. After their publication the three chaldrons, which afford gas to sup following sonnet was found by him in a ply 1,500 lamps. Here then be errs on manuscript to which he had not before the contrary side, for in the proportion had access. In introducing it into his that twenty-five chaldrons yield 300,000 catalogue, he observes, that whatever be feet, three chaldrons will yield 36,000 feet, which is sufficient to supply 2,250 luding to the 26th Geo. II. chap. 31,) lamps; thus the number of lamps sup- it is provided, " That no licence shall enplied by both companies should be title any person to keep an ale-house in 21,000, instead of 76,500. any other place than that in which it was Calculating the lamps to be burning first kept by virtue of such license; and 313 days per annum, (that is, excepting such license, with regard to all other sundays,) he will find each lamp con- places, shall be void." sumes 5008 cubical feet of gas, the regu- That this equivocal restriction has lar charge for which being 41. gives 1252 been the means of inducing common feet for every pound sterling; and, at this brewers, wine and spirit dealers, to moratio, the two companies produce annu- nopolize public-houses, for the purpose ally 105,168,000 feet of gas, value of securing the exclusive sale of their liquors, which the petitioners conceive to be contrary to the beneficial intentions of the legislature. from 8,764 chaldrons of coals which produce coke, tar, and ammoniacal liquor, value £ 84,000 £ 109,306 from which deduct the cost of 8,764 chaldrons of coals at 31. and there remains a gross profit of That victuallers labouring under this £25,306 legal disability to sell their liquors at any other house than that specified in their respective licenses, are, in consequence thereof, and of such monopoly as aforesaid, precluded from a free and 26,292 open market, for the purchase of their goods; a privilege which all other British traders enjoy, in respect of their trade or occupation. £83,014 the proportion of the produce of which, That the petitioners are inhabitants of for a single chaldron, is nearly 121. 9s. 6d.; a town containing upwards of sixty libut, should they be able by improve- censed victualling-houses, which are the ments hereafter to produce 20,000, property, or under the immediate conwhere they now only produce 12,000 troul of common brewers and spirit feet, the result will be a little more than dealers. Mr. B. has stated, viz. the produce of one chaldron of coals will be, 1. s. d. in coke, 1 chaldron, at 31s. 1 18 9 - tar, 12 gallons, 10d. 0 10 0 ammoniacal liquor 18 gallons, at 6d. 0 9 0 gas 20,000 feet, at 1252 feet 17. 16 2 3 £19 0 0 These observations and calculations are excited only by a wish to see the errors corrected. C. B. May, 13, 1816. To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. SIR, THE following case of the victuallers and others, inhabitants of the borough of Reading,-petitioners to Parliament, against the monopoly of publichouses, is of such general interest, that it merits a place in your columns, for the information of other aggrieved parts of the kingdom. The petition states, that by the laws now in force, respecting victuallers, (al That the petitioners are of opinion, that if licences to sell beer and other liquors were granted and restricted to the person of the ale-house-keeper, to sell by retail, in any house within a particular district, town, parish, or place, so as not to be used for more than one house at a time, instead of being limited to the person, in respect of a particular house, it would counteract the monopoly of public houses, and would excite a beneficial competition in the sale of wholesome and cheap beer and other liquors; whereby adulteration would be checked, the revenue augmented, and the benefit of the petitioners, and the public consumers, would be materially promoted. In the town of Reading there are more than a thousand families, who, in regard to their station in life, find it inconvenient to brew their own beer, and are therefore obliged to buy it at an alehouse. There are five brewers in the town, and about seventy ale-houses, and all of these, except two or three, are in the hands of common brewers, or spirit mer chants, and one of such brewers has about forty ale-houses in the town and neighbourhood attached to his concern. spirit merchant, or magistrate, in respect To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. SIR, As soon as a spirit dealer can get possession of an ale-house, it is customary for him to bind his tenant, the ale-housekeeper, by an agreement, to the following effect: That the tenant shall, at all times, keep open, and use the ale-house, REQUEST your insertion of this as an inn and victualling-house; and in reply to your correspondent of shall not, at any time, either directly or last month, who has a son affected with indirectly, carry on, or use, within the glandular swellings of the neck. For premises, any trade or business whatso- two years, means for the cure of the disever, save that of an inn-keeper or vic- ease have been used under the direction tualler; and shall not, either directly or of eminent professional men, and also indirectly shut up the said inn or victual- by the use of sea-bathing, unsuccessfully. ling-house, or transfer the custom thereof The ordinary methods of cure thus failto any other inn or victualling-house, or ing, I would advise a persevering topicotherwise wilfully prejudice or hinder al abstraction of blood, by the applithe custom or business of the said inn or cation of a leach alternately to each envictualling-house; and that the Tenant larged gland, every day. A fortnight, shall, from time to time, purchase and or three weeks' continuance, will shew take of the spirit dealer, or of such per- the beneficial effects. If, however, the son or persons as he shall appoint, all glands be not very large, and are movesuch beer, porter, wines, and spirituous able in the cellular membrane, they may liquors, as the tenant shall vend or con- be safely extirpated with the knife; in sume in the said victualling-house; and general, the wound will heal in eight or that he shall not, at any time, brew, or ten days, leaving the most trivial scar cause to be brewed, any beer, ale, or from the operation. From experience, porter, to be vended or consumed in or I am authorized in asserting, that obupon the said premises; and that the stinate glandular tumefactions of the fortenant shall, at his own costs and charges, mer description may be dissipated. The renew the beer, wine, and spirit licenses, latter may be removed without danger for the premises. After which, he is by a skilful surgeon. liable to be ejected upon receiving three months' notice. When the spirit dealer has obtained the proprietorship of an ale-house, he immediately agrees with a brewer, (if he is not a brewer himself,) to supply his tenant with beer, for which he receives a sum of money, known in Reading to be about 7s. 6d. per butt. When a brewer is the proprietor, the provisions of the agreement with the tenant are somewhat similar to the above restrictions. Medicines are useful to correct any derangement of the constitution, but we are acquainted with no specific for the cure of such glandular diseases. Long Buckby. J. P. To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. SIR, IN your last November Magazine I was much pleased on reading the provincial words and expressions used in Derbyshire. Below is a list of all the terms I have been able to recollect Ale-house-keepers being thus pre- having heard in Staffordshire to express cluded from brewing their own beer, the state of intoxication, and the diffeand from buying the best they can in the rent degrees of it. I would not have market, are under the necessity of selling you suppose from this that we are a whatever liquor their landlords think drunken people, but rather that we hold proper to supply them with, as they are the vice in the utmost contempt and abunder the entire controul of the brewer, horrence; and I would most seriously advise all those who can enjoy the intel- Muddled s Hold you by th'wall Spring Vale, near Stone. For the Monthly Magazine. A. INDICATIONS OF SPRING, by the late ROBERT MARSHAM, ESQ. F.R.S. of STRATTON |