and afterwards, along with the first evening, which also comprehends ten stories, at Paris, though with the date of London, in 1756. Of the third part, only one tale has hitherto been published.

In order to introduce his stories, Grazzini feigns that one day towards the end of January, some time between the years 1540 and 1550, a party of four young men met after dinner at the house of a noble and rich widow of Florence, for the purpose of visiting her brother, who resided there at the time. This widow had four young female relatives who lived in the house with her. A snow storm coming on, the company amuse themselves in a court with throwing snow-balls. They afterwards assemble round the fire, and, as the storm increased, the young men are prevailed on to stay to supper, and it is resolved to relate stories till the repast be ready. As the party had little time for preparation, the tales of that evening are short; but at separating it is agreed that they should meet at the distance of a week and fortnight to relate stories more detailed in their circumstances. Although those tales are lost, or at least not edited, which may be presumed to have been the longest, those that are published are of greater length than most of the Italian tales. Of these many consist of tricks or deceptions practised on fools or coxcombs, which are invariably

exaggerated and improbable. The best story in the work, though not free from these defects, is the first of the second evening, which turns on the extreme resemblance of a peasant to a rich fool who resided in his neighbourhood, and who is accidentally drowned while they are fishing together. The peasant equips himself in the clothes, which his companion had left on the bank of the river when he went in to dive for fish, and runs to the nearest house, calling help for the poor countryman. When the body is found, it passes for the corpse of the rustic, who assumes the manners of the deceased, takes possession of his house, and enjoys his singular heirship till his death, without discovering the imposture to any one except his wife, with whom he again performs the marriage ceremony. The relatives of the deceased are not surprised that their kinsman should espouse the widow of a peasant, but are astonished at those gleams of intelligence which occasionally burst forth in spite of counterfeited stupidity. Stories of this nature are not uncommon in fiction, and have all probably had their origin in the Menechmi of Plautus. Idiots seem to have been the favourite heroes of Grazzini: he has a story taken from one of the fabliaux, of a fool, who is persuaded by his wife that he is dead. He suffers himself to be carried out for interment, but springs up

on hearing himself disrespectfully mentioned by some one who witnessed the funeral. The ninth of the second night coincides with the seventh of Firenzuola, and the tenth of the same evening with a tale of Fortini. The last story contains an account of a cruel, and by no means ingenious, trick practised by Lorenzo de Medicis on a physician of Florence.

ORTENSIO LANDO,

a Milanese gentleman, was author of fourteen tales, inserted in his Varii Componimenti, printed at Venice, 1552, 8vo. The Italian writers inform us that he early adopted the opinions of Luther, abandoned his country, and sought refuge in Germany. Little more is known concerning the incidents of the life of this heretical novelist. With regard to his tales, the author himself acquaints us that he imitated Boccaccio, which is the great boast of the novelists who wrote in the middle and towards the close of the sixteenth century; and of this resemblance they are as anxious to persuade their readers, as their predecessors had been to testify the truth and originality of their stories.

The chief excellence of the tales of Lando is said to consist in the grace and facility of the dic

tion in which they are clothed. The thirteenth, however, though it wants the merit of originality, being taken from the fabliau of La Houce partie, published by Barbazan, possesses, I think, intrinsic excellence. A Florentine merchant, who had been extremely rich, becoming sickly and feeble, and being no longer of any service to his family, in spite of his intercessions, was sent by his son to the hospital. The cruelty of this conduct made a great noise in the city, and the son, more from shame than affection, despatched one of his own children, who was about six years of age, with a couple of shirts to his grandfather. On his return he was asked by his parent if he had executed the commission. I have only taken one shirt,' replied he. "Why so?' asked the father. I have kept the other,' said the child, for the time when I shall send you to the hospital.' This answer had the effect of despatching the unnatural son to beg his father's pardon, and to conduct him home from his wretched habitation.

GIOVAN FRANCESCO STRAPAROLA

is one of the least esteemed of the Italian novelists. He was born at Carravaggio, but resided chiefly at

Venice. The first part of his work, which he has been pleased to entitle Tredici piacevoli notti, was printed at Venice in 1550, 8vo, and the second part at the same place, 1554. These were followed by four editions, comprehending the whole work. The stories amount in all to seventy-two, and are introduced by the fiction of a princess and her father being reduced to a private station, and attaching to themselves a select party of friends, who, for the sake of recreation, and to enjoy the cool air, as it was summer, entertain each other during night with relating stories.

Straparola has borrowed copiously from preceding authors. Thus the second of the third night, and third of the fourth, are from Apuleius: the fourth of the eighth is from the Cento Novelle Antiche, and fourth of second, entitled Le Nozze del Diavolo, is the Belfagor of Machiavel or Brevio. The story of the Portugueze prince, who has an intrigue with a physician's wife at Bologna, and not knowing him to be the husband, entertains him daily with an account of the favours he had received, is from the second of the first of the Pecorone, which, as already mentioned, suggested to Moliere the plot of L'Ecole des Femmes. The second of the ninth is from eighth of fourth day of the Decameron. Straparola, however, has levied his heaviest