TO-DAY'S ANNIVERSARIES.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 14232, 21 December 1911, Page 7

TO-DAY'S ANNIVERSARIES.

DECEMBER 21. ThomM k Beckot, Archbishop of Canterbury, born .. .. 1117 Bocca-ccio, celebrated Italian writer, died .. 1375 Catherine of Braganzn, Queen of Charloa 11. of England, died .. .. 1705 Lord BCftconsllcld bom .. .. 1804 Giovanni Boccaccio.—lt is not known with certainty whether Paris or Florence was tho birthplace of this great genius. At the a.yo of ton he was apprenticed k> a mordant of Paris, and was afterwards, sent to Naples, but he disliked commerce, and soon gave himself to story-writing, mixed in geed society, and became enamoured of tho lady whom ho was to make as famous as Dante his Beatrice. Bho is the Fiaminotta of his romanco of the same name, and appears to havo boon of high birth. Sho also appears in a number of Boccaccio's other works, ar.d is one of tho story-tellers of his famed "Decameron." Other works of his are the "Teseide" — from which Chaucer Shakespeare, Fletcher, and other English writers borrowed —"Amoto," anel "Filicopo." Tho romnncist's life is divided into two parts; tho first in which ho is tho gay adventurer in search of lovo and wino of li%; the second in which ho is tho respected citizen, diplomatist, and scholar, devoted to tho new learning. Ho ended his day 3at Certoldo in his ' ftixty-KOcond year. His talcs havo '. proved nn inexhaustible mine for other men. of tho pen in every country and time, from Chaucer to Tennyson.