The first efforts of the Italian, as of most other lan guages, were poetical ; and, in this department, its litera ture drew more directly from the Provencal, than the Ro man sources. In the fourteenth century, both the poetry and the prose of Italian composition were carried to a height of excellence which they never have passed ; the former try Dante and Petrarch, the latter by Boccace. During the fifteenth century the national literature of Italy remained stationary, and its language even retrograded, while the study of ancient learning made great progress in that country. Under the patronage of Lorenzo de Medici, a new impulse was given to the Itaiian muse, which pro duced the neroic tomances of A:iosto and Francesco Berni, and the more serious epic of Tasso ; and fro.n that period, its poets have not been inferior in number and celebrity to those of any other country in Europe. Its dramatic writers have not been numerous, but sufficient to prove the power of the language in that department or literature : its dignity and vigour in the tragedies of A ifiei i : its graces and ease in the comedies of GhLrardo di Rossi : its tenderness, de licacy, and simplicity in the pastorals of Metastasio.
Italy is peculiarly rich in history. Every republic and almost every town has its historian, most of whom display information and talent sufficient to render their limited sub jects both instructive and amusing. Among the most emi nent in this department may be ranked Paolo Sarpi, whose history of the Council of Trent is distinguished for its depth and energy ; Cardinal Pallavicini, who writes on the same subject with great ease and dignity ; Guicciardini, who unites in his history of Florence the penetration of Tacitus with the fulness of Livy ; Giannone, esteemed for the partiality of his statements, and the elegance of his style ; Machiavelli, an imitator of Tacitus, in the concise ness of his narrative, and strength of his expression. To these may be added Angelo de Costanzo, the historian of Naples : Bembo, Morosini and Parma of V nice ; Adriani and Arnmirato of Florence ; Bernardino Curio of In general history, Tarcagnota, Campagna, Davila, and Bentivoglio ; and especially, in the I 8th century, may be specified the judicious Muratori, whose works are distin guished for erudition, selection, and sound criticism, com prising all the documents of Italian history and antiquity, with the best reflections which they are capable of sug gesting. Italy has produced more antiquarians than all Europe together, of whom may be chiefly mentioned Mu ratori, Maffei, Mazzochi, Carli, and Pacaudi. It has many excellent writers on political economy, extracts of whose productions have been published in 50 volumes 8vo; and in essays, journals, reviews, as it led the way, so it is still not far behind any other country in the world. It has been
considered as deficient in science; hut those who arc well versed in its literature enumerate a multitude of astrono mers, mathematicians, geographers, and natural philoso phers, from Galileo to the present day. " Les sciences," says Barthelemy, in his travels, ‘‘ sont plus Rome (peon le croit en France. Je vous drat sun Bela, quelque jour, des details que cons etonneront." There are in fact, in the different states in Italy, a greater num ber of scientific institutions, distinguished by their ardour of research, and regularity of publications, than in any other equal portion of territory in Europe ; and the Italian philosophers discover no ignorance of the most recent in ventions and improvements of their transalpine fellow-la bourers. They possess all the most valuable qualities of an inquirer after knowledge ; and, if not renowned for ori ginal discoveries, are found to display an uncommon de gree of elegance, acuteness, and ingenuity, in their physical disquisitions. The Memoirs of the Academies of Man tua, Milan, Padua, Turin, and especially of Verona, are all eminent productions. Those of Bologna and Florence are particularly distinguished for scientific researches ; and the Royal Institute at Naples is noted for its productions on mathematics. The Italians are doubtless deficient in theological learning, a circumstance for which some would account by the absence of all occasion for controversy. The following native writers may be mentioned in addition to those already named, both as examples of individual ex cellence, and as sources of the best information in regard to Italian literature in general ; namely, Tiraboschi's Stories della literature Italiana, which comprises the whole his tory of the ancient and modern learning of the country, and is considered as one of the most interesting works of mo dern times; Abate D. G. Andres dell' Origine, di Pro gressi, et dells stato di ogni Literature, a•masterly and com prehensive production ; Denina Revoluzioni d'Italia, cha racterised, by those best acquainted with the subject, for its manly perspicuity and political sagacity ; and the work of the same author, S'opra lcvicende della Literature, which is at once a compendious history and masterly review of gene ral literature. In Great Britain, Italian literature has been much and most unjustly depreciated, partly from its not being known, and probably, in no small degree, also from the authority of the French critics, who have generally contrived to make it be considered as undeserving of atten tion ; but by the publications of Mr. Roscoe, and the au thor of the Pursuits of Literature, its attractions have been better known and understood.