3 They must be bound in the chains of prejudice, G+ and fo led thro the road of life; and not trusted to themselves after proper information. BESIDES, my friend, the confolations of " human life are by no means too numerous. Religion is one of the chief of these confolations to thousands of people; and among thefe to many pofleft of qualities fuperior to genius, knowlege, or philofophy; qualities that constitute the GOOD, the first order of fociety. Shall I, with rath and facrilegious hand, burst open the temple of their happiness, and fteal away the palladium of their peace? Forbid it Humanity! Forbid it even Philofophy! The philofophy that is not benevolent is falfe and deftructive. It is impoffible for man to know the truth: but it is of no importance whether his felicity be founded on truth, or on delufion. ܐ܂ 1 LETTER XLIII. I KNOW not how an opinion hath been propagated among feveral relaters of the life of Torquato Taffo, which hath no foundation in fact; it is that Taflo's madness originated from his prefumptuous and disappointed love for Leonora da Efte, fifter of Duke Alfonfo of Ferrara. The fact is, his madness arofe from the various troubles of a dependant and perplexed life, operating with unceasing violence upon a melancholy temperament, and a morbid tendernefs of feeling. But, before we trace it, let us difcufs this fame tale of Leonora. The materials for this difcuffion fhall be drawn from the only authentic life of Taffo, that written by his friend Giovanni Battista Manfo, lord of Bifaccio and Pianca. This long and curious narrative is fo extremely rare, that it is no wonder latter biographers only fpeak of it from report. The edition ufed is that of Venice 1621, 12mo. 372 pages. A MANSO MANSO tells that there were three ladies of the name of Leonora at Ferrara; all of whom are celebrated by his friend in different fonnets, &c. and that it is impoffible to say which of them stood highest in his affections, or even if any of them was miftrefs of his heart. These were the princefs Leonora above-mentioned; Leonora Countess of San Vitale; and Leonora one of the maids of honour to the princefs. Manfo feems to incline to think the latter was Manfo fee the lady, really beloved by Taffo; which indeed is fo probable, that one may fafely pronounce ,it the truth. THE beginning of Taffo's madnefs is dated by Manfo about the thirty-fecond year of his age, two years after publishing the immortal Gerusalemme; when he was tyrannically confined by order of Duke Alfonfo, ou pretence that he wifhed no whim of Taffo fhould deprive his court of fo great a character. The violent oppofition to his great contempt which the invidious tried to throw A poem, upon it, are put by his biographer cause of his alienation of mind. bnow on as one great mon The increate "of it he marks as owing to thefe caufes: 1. The falfehood of a friend, who published, what was confided to him as an inviolable secret, the amori of Taffo. 2. The base fufpicions raised against him by his enemies, 3. His feveral confinements. 4. The lofs of the Duke his patron's favour. 5. Let me add, as the strongest caufe of all, his being fo heated at the bad reception of the Gerufalemme, a reception in all ages given to works furpaffing common expec tation, as to re-write that Poem under the title of La Gerufalemme Conquistata; nay to compofe many books of a third alteration to be like a medium between the two former, Such long compofitions, written with heat and rancour, muft certainly have impaired the most exuberant brain; and carried off the whole fpirits of the mind till lees alone were left, s dontw Ir may not be incurious to examine the nature of a shock that could lay fo vaft a soul in ruins, The enquiry will refemble that of the philofopher who vifits a delicious country defolated by an earthquake, Calabria, the native realm of Taffo, now prefents too lively an image of his fituation in image of his fituation in his latter days; All that is grand, all that is beautiful, mingled in horrible confufion! THE to bogdabl *** THE qualities of Taffo's disease are described erby. Manfo to have been thefe: 1. MELANCHOLY. This feems to have been inherited from his father, There is a pleafing melancholy; which is always the concomitant of genius, and which whoever hath not felt, 97 He need not wooe the Mufe: he is her fcorn. But Taffo's melancholy was a torment to him. I must always be an object of your compaffion, fays he in a letter to Mauritio Cataneo, because the melancholy which torments me is infinite; and the worst I could fay of it would exceed all belief, and yet would not be fo bad as the truth." 2. DELIRIUM owing to hypocondriac caufes; which increased to 3. MADNESS; accompanied with a belief of his being ai 4. UNDER the influence of witchcraft; and 5 ATTENDED by an apparition. Beslotst vis m691 97i1 Such are Manfo's divifions, which cannot be called very proper. On the two laft he us fome Curious details, which may be taking |