DANTE'S EXTRAORDINARY INFLUENCE.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 645, 23 October 1909, Page 9

DANTE'S EXTRAORDINARY INFLUENCE.

Paget\,Tpynße'e i has • 'recently-.- published: A 'aCvplnine,-"^ " : -'.' CUaiioer'-':;to'7CaryV.'- which) shows; :i ■: in; a.- riYbst - striking -way;" tho; amazing. and;, ■i:/.'. /.Mr/iToyntee'sibook, ''as,'he'says in-the :pre- :',-'■ .face, vcovers.'aV-period 0.6,;50me ASCO.:years.' .•The; vi number of-'authors, rcp'rcsbnt'e'd jsjbetweon five, ;■■''-' some' fifty, -for 'the-four-, Vi 6ii^ifor-tip; se-rent^nth^/abbut ; iso>.;for; tho •: - :>- '.bejfof Separate V'^'dianes;' articles,; I ;besides :.; ; -bodls;proper, 'amounts' to ovef;:a v- -' thousand.";:-. '/■:'•?)'■;:■;,:>.'■')■'■; :-':"';■;':-,/ : . : ''v.~in'?iho fourteenth century;"- says the ''Cori- '•' '■- and ; : :>'GdWer, andut is- ; yeiry--doubthilUf'.Gower,'.went .' directUri -Dante,-for,.there, ia-onlyione.reference :'■-. traced, iand'-Gower gives; : .Sene;ca"'os his auth.br- ' ity 1 .: Tho'. fiftecnth .century;,'only;shows,,us Lyd-■v-i.VgafeV-butliri/ithe^wneiperio'd■ .'-. of '(.Gloucester;,'"- preseritcd-vcopies'Jofvßoccaccio •■""'.'' and- panto'- (mth~Com'ineri'aries. : dn" Dante) -to -Oriel College '"This/is contemporary'-evidenco ..•ihat-Ly'dgate\wasfamiliar,,with','The Comedy, ';--'but '. his writings /show-; -few;'definite.-traces -of '•v-'.-'tofe'-'-; 1 --'V r ' , ''-»'- : '' : "''- •'!-':~'i' : '' ' ■ .; '.-I'iThe siiteo'nth'centiii'y gives .us:about;forty-' -.;.;eigM;, ; -i'Dante,'':including Barclay,; Dunbar, -Lyridsay, / .'Wyfttt;. Mari'd,': Slimy; "t>Bo~soenis J to. '■ have ■"',, borrowed ttof/Eerza*Htn'd , /'ff'6tff , .TCf2nte;'-' / thdugh. ' Mr!■; Toynb'OTJtftftybtsYHii)! IMeS'rtSnJkville,-: ■ J .; : .Fa»,>;;Gabnel.,'Harvey,:. Sir..Philip.. -Sydney, v /Greene, .'.SpeSrsfeif,':' Harington,; ;.-;Florio,- vileres, a .'.'■■Dqime;''^airfax.*j-The;'BeYeriteonth: l contiify. has. '. : '.-'.' fiftj-ond; Dante ? ;Bt.udents',i iiricludih'gi.■'•>j'orisony' ; -.Drummdnd of i HawthorndenT Bnrton.'J.-.Ford,. ■-.'■•- Milton;.'.iAto^tdfa;',, I .'-Heywood,- AVither,';; Evelyn,; ;.; DaTehanVfPute.''Br6w , nSi i .^bfr6il,-.:itathbny';:»'., ':;;V'WbMf.''Dryden;:;;i;-;;;-;:; i ;;:;:;-. ; o:V : ;~i-vv ".-•'.■' ,v : --J : - V"The/ eighteenth. century, includes rJereray '•-.;; Collier, Bishop ■.Tanner,* Thotria's'Hearne; : Pope, .': .Voltaire, ..Gray;;:: AieKsftle,.. : Lord.; C CKesterfiold ;. ',{whb-:writ69 .to'Vhis. son. 'though,'.l:i'fqrtucrl.v.j ;■; Kne'iyr.ltalian'viestremeljvrwpli£ •I'''cbii)d.->nover;i ''/..unfferstahd reason'; I.Ohad ]%: ;dono.>.wjth;him,.:;fulljvcohyinced .thati.heVwas .■:''Vnot :j wbrth;'-'the''.'j)ain^;'n'ec^ssar'^;to'..u6dep>tand.; ':;. '.' himV- 1 It'i's,'.-indeed, ;ha'rdly. ; '.pbsslbieVfb ::imag- ; : ina ;Glsestcrfirid'^tirJdSKn^^aitter^TK3;;'Bea;.': ':;tfiee'* l "■'■.'■',I v : ■' ■■'-! ■"' "Thomas considered ;';, that Dantd;■ 'owes, most. of; his reputation 'to' /;.■-.', th(f obscurity. of the times -in : which lie lived'). ';.-;' ..Walpole,';.Tohnsoh,-';Beynplds;•;'william Beck-i ■y' ioid: Eus«!i,..Gibbon,|;&dtK<V - who)c!onvei'sed;'' as 1 ',' rwd. know,;with '>\nha':'Scvard on the" subject), ;. Hinnah; More, ! Blake. ■' The; list 'of .the; nine-, ;. v f. includes -every'.'; thinker'' : .and ; .-writer who cared anything,-for literature. ■'..',-' "Gladstone's knowledge of Dontc was. pro-. •..; .found,:, and 'he, realised to 'the ..full the 1 snb- ;. lime 'ma'gnificcn'ce" ( 6f.-'the. : 'Paradiso.' To; hiin, . : .'/.;M!ito;iair true.'Dante'lovers.i'thd Tai'iidi'so' is .',-■; 'my;;.test,.'i. Gladstone's'-.own;. uso of ;'-,-: rima.is, masterly.,vand;-his-'ji-powers.o£""tr'ansln- :. .;tipn ; are: mofd'-'striking,,'™ 'Italian -than in :-. I/atin.;: His traMatiosi of,-.the' famous;.6i>ecch ',-: of I'Prcarda is very /fine, 'arid 'lio ;;'realis*ed- the full, value of ,the line, 'Jn-'la sua' volontade e ';■ nostra pace;'' ;He .'.to. his, wife .on Janu- ':••' ary -21,-1341":. 'Thp.V.-ivdrds pre .'..four; and; simple, ,' ; .and yet' they ; a'ppear'. : to .mo to have an' inex::;;tressible'majesty df.itnith .about' thein, to be --".■'.olrhost as if ,; .the.v-were,spoken from the very ■;'.';'inonth'.:;of....God.. , .-". i i' : .''-'''/'•■!':•.■■ ;.,.;-'-;:.