The copy of
Horace's works which he acquired on November 28, 1347, remained by him
until on the 18th of July in 1374 the venerable poet and scholar was
found dead at the age of seventy among his books. Fond as he was of
Virgil, Cicero, and Seneca, he had an intimate and affectionate
knowledge of Horace, to whom there are references in all his works, and
from whom he enriched his philosophy of life. Even his greatest and most
original creation, the _Canzoniere_, is not without marks of Horace, and
their fewness here, as well as their character, are a sign that
Petrarch's familiarity was not of the artificial sort, but based on real
assimilation of the poet. His letter to Horace begins:
Salve o dei lirici modi sovrano,
Salve o degl' Itali gloria ed onor,--
H_ail! Sovereign of the lyric measure_,
H_ail! Italy's great pride and treasure_;
and, after recounting the qualities of the poet, and acknowledging him
as guide, teacher, and lord, concludes:
Tanto e l' amor che a te m'avvince; tanto
E degli affetti miei donno il tuo canto--
S_o great the love that bindeth me to thee_;
S_o ruleth in my heart thy minstrelsy_.
Pages:
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119