XVII. CHAP. tend for superiority. Notwithstanding many learned competitors appeared, the prize was adjudged to Marone; but the circumstance that conferred on him the highest honour, was, that on this occasion Brandolini was one of his unsuccessful rivals.(a) of the Latin poetry of Marone very few specimens have been preserved ; (b) but the commendations bestowed upon his extemporary effusions by Jovius, Valerianus, and others, may be admitted as a sufficient proof of his extraordinary endowments, A. D. 1518. A. Et. 43. (a) "Celebrabatur magnificentissimo apparatu Mediceorum Cosmiana solemnitas, quam in magni Cosmi proavi "memoriam Leo X. quotannis celebrandam statuerat. Itaad illius celebritatis diem honestandum plurimi fama "celebriores Poetæ convivio intererant, qui proposita de 66 more argumenta referebant ex tempore; verum cum An"dreas quidam Maro, magni promptique vir ingenii, omnes "quasi elingues fecisset, cum Lippo nostro congredi a pon"tifice est jussus; et cum valide utrimque certatum esset, "Lippum tandem victum cessisse ferunt." Fogliazzi, in vita Raph. Brandolini, p. 48. (b) Two Latin epigrams of Marone, which do no discredit to his talents, are prefixed to the singular book of Francesco Colonna, entitled LA HYPNEROTOMACHIA DI POLIPHILO, printed by Aldus in 1499, and again in 1545, of which a full account may be found in the Menagiana, tom. iv. p. 70. endowments, and of the wonderful effects which they were accustomed to produce upon the learned audience by which he was gene- A. t. 43. rally surrounded.(a) A. D. 1518. A. Pont. VI. CHAP. Camillo The arch-poet Camillo Querno, was also an extempore reciter of Latin verse, and his Querno. talents in this department have met with high commendation from some of his contemporaries;(b) whilst others have attributed the applauses which he received rather to his unblushing assurance than to his extraordinary merits.(c) On the first arrival of Querno at Rome, (a)" Quid si illum audieris, velut sodales Pier. Valerian. ad Dantem iii. Aligerum. Hexam. &c. p. 127. (b) Particularly by Fr. Arsilli, in his poem de Poetis Urbanis, to which we shall hereafter have occasion to refer. (c) Gyraldi de Poet. suorum temp. XVII. CHAP. Rome, he brought with him from Monopoli in the kingdom of Naples, of which place he was a native, an epic poem entitled Alexias, conA. Pont. VI. sisting of twenty thousand verses. With this A. D. 1518. and his lyre he presented himself at the literary meetings of the Roman scholars, who soon perceived that he was well qualified to afford them a rich fund of entertainment. A day was appointed on which Querno should recite his poem, for which purpose his auditors repaired to a small island in the Tiber. Here he alternately drank and sang, and after he had proved himself equally qualified for either of these tasks, a crown of a new kind was prepared for him, interwoven with the leaves of vine, of cabbage, and of laurel, which was immediately placed on his head, and he was saluted by his companions with the title of Archipoeta.(a) This incident soon reached the ears of the pontiff, who was highly delighted with it and desired that the archpoet might be introduced to him without delay. From this time he became a frequent attendant (a)" Salve brassica virens corona "Et lauro, Archipoeta, pampinoque, on Jov. in Elog. lxxxii. on the convivial entertainments of the pope, who usually sent him a portion from his table, which he consumed with a voracity equal to that of the heroes of Homer; but the wine was brought to him only on the condition of his reciting a certain number of stanzas, and if he made an error, either in sense or in measure it was mixed with a due proportion of water.(a) On some occasions Leo is said to have amused himself with replying to Querno. Of this instances have been preserved, which if authentic, sufficiently shew that in the extempore recitation of Latin verse, the pontiff possessed a facility not inferior to that, with the display of which in others he was himself so highly delighted.(b) In (a) On one of these mortifying occasions, Querno is said to have turned towards the pontiff, with the cup in his hand, and to have addressed him in these Leonine verses. "In cratere meo Thetis est conjuncta Lyæo Foresti, Mappamondo Istorico, tom. iii. (b) Of this the following specimen has frequently been quoted. Querno complaining of his laborious office, exclaimed, "Archipoeta facit versus pro mille poctis." Te CHAP. XVII. A. D. 1518, A. Et. 43. A, Pont. VI. CHAP. XVII. Gazoldo nio. In the same class with Querno may be placed Giovanni Gazoldo and Girolamo Britonio, both of whom aspired to the character of extemporary Latin poets, and if they failed in obtaining the applause, frequently and Brito provoked the laughter of the pope and his attendants. These exhibitions were, however, carried sometimes beyond the bounds of jocularity. Gazoldo is said to have received a reward for his bad verses in a serious bastinado, bestowed upon him by the orders of the supreme pontiff, and the arch-poet was so disfigured A. D. 1518. A. Pont. VI. A. Et. 43. To which Leo instantly replied, "Et pro mille aliis Archipoeta bibit." Querno, who found some reinforcement necessary, shortly afterwards subjoined, "Porrige quod faciant mihi carmina docta Falernum." But Leo refused; and added, as a reason, "Hoc vinum enervat debilitatque pedes." In which it has been supposed that he alluded to the gout, with which Querno is said to have been afflicted; but he certainly meant also to apply the word pedes to the feet of the verse, which were not likely to be improved by an additional quantity of wine. |
