In this the philologists
notoriously led the way--Filelfo, Poggio, Lorenzo Valla, and others--
while the artists of the fifteenth century lived in peaceful and
friendly competition with one another. The history of art may take note
of the fact.
Florence, the great market of fame, was in this point, as we have said,
in advance of other cities. 'Sharp eyes and bad tongues' is the
description given of the inhabitants. An easygoing contempt of
everything and everybody was probably the prevailing tone of society.
Machiavelli, in the remarkable prologue to his 'Mandragola,' refers
rightly or wrongly the visible decline of moral force to the general
habit of evil-speaking, and threatens his detractors with the news that
he can say sharp things as well as they. Next to Florence comes the
Papal court, which had long been a rendezvous of the bitterest and
wittiest tongues. Poggio's 'Facetiae' are dated from the Chamber of
Lies _(bugiale) _of the apostolic notaries; and when we remember the
number of disappointed place-hunters, of hopeless competitors and
enemies of the favorites, of idle, profligate prelates there assembled,
it is intelligible how Rome became the home of the savage pasquinade as
well as of more philosophical satire. If we add to this the widespread
hatred borne to the priests, and the well-known instinct of the mob to
lay any horror to the charge of the great, there results an untold mass
of infamy.
Pages:
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190