News from Parnassus: Second Century

—ment Completing the word "refinement" [raffinatezza] from the previous page. beyond measure, it has been altered, and has broken out into an unquenchable greed for always wanting new things.

In such a way that in these present times, those who wish to immortalize themselves in the memory of men through their writings must navigate as far as the Indies if they wish to bring any fruit to the table of these so-disaffected modern Scholars Letterati; men of letters and intellectuals that might be received by them with applause and tasted with pleasure. Many fine Italian wits have written seriously—and well—about political original: "Politiche" and moral original: "Morali" matters; but with jests scherzi; playful or humorous writings and pleasantries piaceuolezze; charming or witty diversions, no one has, as far as I know. I have forced myself to occupy this empty square, as it were, and to treat this new subject matter with whatever success the world shall judge.

It is quite true that the undertaking has proven as difficult for me as the wisest Scholars original: "Letterati" have always found such a business—if not impossible, at least very arduous—to delight the reader with witty jests facetie; clever humor or "bon mots" and not nauseate him with buffoonery original: "buffonerie," implying crude or low-class clowning; to treat high matters while using low concepts original: "concetti," the intellectual metaphors or "conceits" popular in 17th-century writing; to speak of one person and mean another; to reveal oneself and yet not wish to be seen; to offer witty "salts" original: "sali," a classical reference to "Attic salt," or sharp, sparkling wit and not stumble into insipidity; to sting with satire original: "satira" and not bite with slander original: "maladicenza"; to joke and yet speak in earnest; to treat political matters and not offend those who rule; and, in the persons of dead men, to rebuke the vices of the liv— The text cuts off here, continuing on the next page with the word "living."