LITTERARIA: OR, AN EXACT AND EARLY ACCOUNT OF THE MOST VALUABLE BOOKS STO 20 Publifhed in the feveral Parts of EUROPE. Floriferis ut apes in faltibus omnia libant, Lucret. NUMBER XVII. bidi Being the Fifth of Vo L. III. For No. XVII. 1732. Aft. XXIII. A fince the Decay of the Latin Hiftory of the Italian Stage, Comedy; with a Catalogue of the Italian Tragedies and Comedies that have been printed from the Year 1500, to the Year 1600, 419 &c. Art. XXIV. The Ancient Hiftory of the Egyptians, Carthaginians, Affyrians, Babylonians, Medes, Perfians, Macedonians, Greeks, &c. 436 Art. XXV. A Critical Hiftory of the fuperftitious Practices, which bave feduc'd the Vulgar, and puzzled the Learned. Together with the Method and Principles how to diftinguish between natural Effects, and fuch as are otherwife, &c. 464 Art. XXVI. Britannia Romana, or the Roman Antiquities of Britain. In three Books. 485 Art. XXVII. The prefent State of LEARNING. 516 LITTERARIA. ARTICLE XXIII. Hiftoire du Theatre Italien, depuis la Decadence de la Comedie Latine; avec une Catalogue des Tragedies & Comedies Italiennes, imprimée depuis l'an 1500, jufqu'a l'an 1660: & une Differtation fur la Tragedie moderne. Avec des Figures qui reprefentent leurs differens Habillemens. Par Louis Riccoboni. t That is, 419 A History of the Italian Stage, fince the Decay of the Latin Comedy; with a "Catalogue of the Italian Tragedies and Comedies that have been printed from the Tear 1500, to the Tear 1660" and a Differtation on Modern Tragedy. With Figures representing the different Dreffes. By Lewis Riccoboni, 2 vol. 8vo. Vol. I. containing p. 379. Vol. II. p.368. HE Hiftory of the Italian Stage being a Subject fo curious, and fo little known, and which our Author has made not only agreeable but useful, by interNo XVII. 1732. Ff fperfing VOL. III. fperfing Remarks and Obfervations proper for forming the Tafte, and making an exact Judgment of Dramatick Performances; we prefume fome account of it will not be unacceptable to our Readers. The Sieur Riccoboni tells us, that from his Youth he has applied himself to the Stage; and at the Age of two, and twenty was Head of a Company of Comedians, and followed his Profeffion for twenty Years in Italy, with Success and Reputation: but finding that he could not accomplish what he chiefly aim'd at, viz. the Reformation of the Italian Stage, he embraced an Offer of forming and carrying into France a Company of Comedians, which a Prince of his own Country had been commiffioned to fend to the French King. Accordingly he came into France, where, in his Converfation with the great Men, and by reading fome of their moft approved Authors, particularly Monfieur D'Aubignac's Pratique du Theatre, he found the French fo entirely unacquainted with the Italian Dramatick Writers, as to imagine there had never been any good Authors, of that kind, among them; upon which he thought of publihing this Hiftory, wherein he fhews, that good modern Tragedies and Comedies were both written and acted in Italy fooner than any other Country in Europe. In his firft Chapter he obferves, that the Theatrical Entertainments of the Romans were of three kinds, Tragedies, regular Comedies, and Farces, or mimick Shows; and that the Theatre making a part of the Religion of the Pagans, the Fathers of the Chriftian Church ufed their utmoft Efforts, by repeated Exhortations and Remonftrances, to abolish it fo that that as Chriftianity prevailed, the Stage continually decay'd, 'till by the Invafion of the Barbarians, the Roman Empire, and with it the polite Arts were buried. From thence, till Charlemagne, we have no Monuments of the State of the Theatre in Italy; but probably (as our Author conjectures) thofe Diverfions which leaft requir'd the affiftance of polite Literature, lafted longeft in thofe barbarous Ages that fucceeded the Empire, fuch as the Mimick-Shows, Rope-dancing, &c. and by that means the Humours and Habits of thofe ancient Mimicks might be tranfmitted to later Times: and from a Paffage of Apuleius*, and other Circumstances, he concludes, that the Drefs of the ancient Mimicks was the fame with that of Harlequin, that the fuligine faciem obducti of the ancient Mimicks is Harlequin's Mask; that both had their Heads raz'd t, and the fame kind of Sock, or covering for their Feet. Having thus compar'd their Dreffes, he proceeds, in the next Chapter, to examine how far their Characters agree. He obferves, that Harlequin and Scapin, by the best Italian Authors, are call'd Zanni, which may be read Sanm, it being ufual in the Italian Orthography to put a Z for an S; and then he thinks it will be plainly the Latin Sannio, a Buffoon or Droll, whofe Cha Quid enim fi choragium thimelicum poffiderem? num ex eo argumentarere etiam uti me confueffe Tragedi Syr mate, Hiftrionis crocota, Mimi centunculo? Apul. in Apol. + Sanniones mimum agebant rafis capitibus. Voff. Inftit. Poet. Planipes græcè dicitur Mimus, ideo autem latinè planipes quod Actores planis pedibus, id eft nudi, profcenium introirent. Diomed, L. 3. 1 Ff2 |