is, however, the first general collection of these pieces, towards which a great number of the natives of Florence contributed. Of this edition the greater part of the copies are mutilated, having been deprived of 100 pages about the middle of the book; viz. from page 298 to page 398, in which space were contained the pieces of Battista dell' Ottenaio, whose brother Paolo having remonstrated against their publication in a surreptitious manner, and in an inaccurate state, had sufficient influence with the government of Florence to obtain an order, that the printer, Torrentino, should deliver up all the copies in his hands, which appeared to be 495. After a year's litigation, the poems of Ottenaio were ordered to be cut out from the book, and Paolo was left at liberty to publish another edition of them, which he accordingly did. This dispute has given rise to another contest during the present century, between the Canonico Biscioni, late Librarian of the grand duke's library, at Florence, and Sig. Rinaldo Maria Bracci, who published at Pisa, under the date of Cosmopoli 1750, a new edition of the Canti Carnaschiadeschi in two volumes quarto, including those of Ottenaio, from the impression of his brother Paolo; in the introduction to which, he justifies the decree that suppressed these pieces in the edition of 1559, contrary to the opinion of Biscioni, who considered it as severe and unjust.

6

The

The dispute seems of little importance, but the result of it was unfavourable to the modern editor, whose elegant, and apparently correct edition of these poems, has never obtained that credit amongst the literati of Italy, to which, on many accounts, it appears to be intitled.”

I subjoin a specimen of one of these excluded poems by Ottenaio:

CANTO DELLE LANTERNE.

Silenzio noi siam quei che hoggi in terra
Vivono al buio, e danno ad altri lume
Fanno ogni male, e riprendon chi erra.
Perche fu sempre un pessimo costume,
Badare à i casi d'altri, e non à i nostri;
Noi siam rimasti al buio, e facciam lume,
Col viso volto udiamo i fatti vostri ;
Che'l ciel vuol che se mostri

L'opere, e poi s'insegni àgli altri fare,
Perche dalle parole

Saper dar suole, ogniun poco operare.
Se pure alcun vuol dar riprensione,
E ogni cosa insegnare, e vedere ;
Guardisi prima à i piè come il Pagone,

E non gli fia fatica poi tacere :

Che gli ha poco sapere,

E quel, che l'huom piu erra, altri insegnare:
Che'l buon Medico stima

Curar se prima, e poi gli altri sanare.

Hor che siam vecchi, e conosciam l'errore
Pensar vorremo à noi, e non possiamo;
Perche 'l tempo si fugge, e poi si muore,
Onde, per questo, à maggior buio andiamo:

Però

Però vi consigliamo,

A farvi lume innanzi ch'al morire ;
Perche pochi fien poi

Ch'à Voi pensin, sé non per arricchire.

The curious in Italian Literature will not be displeased to know, that a perfect copy of this very scarce book, with the whole of Ottenaio's compositions, is preserved in the Cracherode Collection.

CRONICA DE ESPANA.

Los cinco Libros primeros de la Cronica general de Espana que recopila et maestro Florian do Campo, Cronista del Rey nuestro Senōr por mandado de su magestad en Carrona.

Impresso en Medina del Campo por Guillermo de Millis. Anno 1553. Con Previlegio Real.

CONCERNING the author of this rare and curious book, I find the following memorandum by Mr. Cracherode.

"Florianus de Campo seu de Ocampo, seu Docampo Canonicus fuit Zamoræ et Caroli V. Historiographus. Chronicon generale totius Hispaniæ

E

paniæ ab origine mundi 1111 Tomis scribere constituerat, morte abreptus nihil ipse edidit præter I libros priores Zamora 1544. In Editione recentiori vero Medinensi 1553, quintus Liber Conspicitur additus."

It is no where said, whether this fifth book is by the same author, but it appears to treat of the first entrance of the Romans into Spain under the command of Cneius Scipio.

The Marquis del Campo who resided for so many years as ambassador from Spain to this country, was probably of the same family with the Historian.

CAXTON.

The Boke of Eneydos, compyled by Vyrgyle. 1490.

THIS is a sort of prose abridgment of the Eneid, and the preface, as indeed Ames observes, exhibits observable proofs of the fleeting fashions of our English tongue. It commences thus:

After dyverse werkes made, translated and achieved havyng noo werke in hand, I sittyng in

in my studye where as lay many dyverse paunfettis and bookys, happened that to my hande cam a lytyl booke in Frenche which late was translated oute of Latyn by some noble Clerke of Frauce, &c. &c. and whon I had advised me in this sayde booke, I delybred and concluded to translate it into Englyshe, &c.

This circumstance and anecdote are here introduced to prepare the way for the following observation from Gawin Douglas.

Gawin Douglas, in his translation of the thirteen books of Virgil's Eneados, in the preface has these words on Caxton's faults, as he calls them:

"Thoch Wylliame Caxtoun had no com"passioun of Virgill in that buk he prent in "prois, clepand il Virgill in Eneados quhilk "that he sayis of Frensche he did translait, it "has nathing ado therwith God wote, nor na

mare like than the devil and Sainct Austin.” See Ames, Herbert's edition. Vol. 1. p. 70.

The History of Caxton's Portrait seems to be. involved in some perplexity. On referring to Granger, vol. 1. p. 47, mention is made of one only with his cypher in old black capitals cut in wood for Ames's History of Printing. This is a most miserable performance.

In the British Museum is a book, which appears to have been purchased of the celebrated Mr. Bagford by Sir Hans Sloane, containing,