Character, as Cicero * defcribes it, is exactly the modern Harlequin. The Sieur Riccoboni bestows a great deal of Criticifm and Erudition to confute Monfieur Carlodati and Monfieur Menage, who are of opinion that Zanni is not derived from the Latin Sannio, but is a Lombard Corruption of the Word Gioanni or Gianni, which Name they obferve (to support their Conjecture) is applied ftill to exprefs Ridicule and Contempt. But however that be, it is of no great importance to our Author's main Defign in this place, viz. to prove the Similitude of Harlequin's Character to that of the ancient Sannio, nor can it in the leaft hinder him to conclude as he does. "It therefore plainly appears, by what we have faid in this and the preceding Chapter, that one Species of the Latin Comedy has been continued, and ftill fubfifts in Italy, under the Name of the Italian Comedy; whereas "other Nations have been a long time without 66 any kind of Comedy at all; and those which

they act at present, are but Imitations of the "regular Comedy of the Latins, which we have "mentioned before: but thefe Comedies cannot "pretend, like the Italian Comedy, to be im

mediately deriv'd from the Latin Comedy."

Our Author obferved before, that two Caufes concurr'd to deftroy the ancient Stage: The Preaching of the Chriftians, and the Decay of Literature, by the Invafion of the Barbarians. But as the laft of thefe Caufes could only affect fuch Entertainments of the Stage, as ftood in need of polite Literature to fupport them; fo the Mimicks, Sanniones or Planipedes might, and

probably

* Quid enim poteft tam ridiculum quam Sannio effe? qui ore, vultu, imitandis motibus, voce, corpore denique ride

tur tota.

probably did continue to amufe and divert the People with their ridiculous Grimaces and coarfe Ribaldry, in the times of the greatest Barba. rifm. We know from Caffiodorus, that they were in being at leaft about the middle of the fixth Century; and St. Thomas Aquinas, who lived in the beginning of the thirteenth Century, fpeaks of an Hiftrionatus Ars exercifed in his Time, and for many Ages before, which het, and after him St. Antonin + allow, under proper Regulations, to be both lawful and neceffary.. And therefore fince the Opinion of these Divines concerning the Hiftriones. was fo different from that of St. Auguftin and § Lactantius, it is to be imagined, that by that time the Ars Hitri onatus had been in fome measure accommodated to the Rules of Chriftianity, and practifed fo as not to be offenfive to Religion: and, in fhort, that the fame Farces which the Pagan Hiftri ones acted agreeably to their Religion and Cuf toms, were now exhibited by Chriftians confiftently with theirs. Our Author remarks, Ff 3

that

* Constituatur à vobis prafini Pantomimus; quatenus fumptum quem pro Spectaculo Civitatis impendimus, electis contuliffe videamur. Caffiod. L. I. Epift. 20,

+ Ludus eft neceffarius ad conservationem vitæ humanæ & ideo etiam officium Hiftrionum quod ordinatur ad folatium hominibus exhibendum,non eft fecundum fe illicitum. Dummodo moderate ludo utantur, illi qui eis moderate fubveniunt, non peccant, fed jufte faciunr mercedem minifterii els tribuendo. S. Thom. 2. 2. quæft. 168. Art. 3.

Hiftrionatus Ars, quia defervit humanæ recreationi, de fe non eft illicita, unde & de illa arte vivere non eft prohibitum. S. Anton. part. 3. tit. 8. cap. 4.

Donare res fuas Hiftrionibus Vitium eft immane. St. Auguft. fup. Joan.

§ Hiftrionum impudiciffimi motus quid aliud nifi libidines docent & inftigant, Hiftrionum impudiciffimi geftus in quibus infames feminas imitantur, libidinefque quas faltando exponunt, docent. Lactan. L.6. Div.Inftit. Cap. 20.

that the Profeffion of the Stage being call'd Hiftrionatus Ars, and the Actors Hiftriones, in the time of Aquinas, is a ftrong Confirmation of his Opinion, that they were the Defcendants of the ancient Mimi, who were call'd Hiftriones ; because, together with their ridiculous Gestures, they acted the Ludi Attellani, which the Romans borrow'd from the People of Attella, who called their Actors Hiftriones,

"Till the fifteenth Century there were no other Stage-Entertainments in Italy but these extempore Farces; and then (our Author thinks) they begun to write regular Comedies, after the manner of Plautus and Terence, because the Language began in that Age to be polifh'd and refined by Dante, Petrarch, Boccace and others; and that fome of the printed Plays, fuppofed to be composed about the Beginning of the fixteenth Century, were taken from Manufcripts composed long before. However, about the Year 1500, a great number of excellent Tragedies were composed both in Profe and Verse by the Wits that adorn'd that Age, as the Cardinal Bibiena, Ariofto, Triffino, Rucellai, D'Ambra, and many

About this time the Arts and Sciences being reviv'd in Italy, and the Goût for them continually prevailing, many Societies and Academies of learned Men were inftituted. In thefe Academies they acted the regular Pieces that were compofed for the Theatre, for their own Amusement, and to try to reform the Taste of the Age. But thofe that made the Stage their Profeffion, continued in their old way, knowing it would turn to better account for gain, Flaminio Scala, a famous Comedian, and Head of a Company, ftill contined to act the common Harlequin

Harlequin Farces, which he indeed put into a better fhape, and gave printed Sketches or Plans of them which were nothing elfe but a fort of larger Bills, giving a fimple account of what was to be reprefented on the Stage: which was a thing entirely new, and which none of the profeffed Players, before himself, had ever done. By this means he acquir'd the Reputation of the beftComedian of the Age, which we are to under ftand only of profeffed Players; for none could imagine, that his extempore incoherent Farces were comparable to the regular and beautiful Pieces that were compofed by Lafcha, Secchi, and other excellent Writers in his time: tho', com par'd with the Harlequin Farces of former Play ers, they might be efteem'd a confiderable ime: provement of the Stage. It is worth remarking,t that in his time Women were firft introduced. upon the Stage before, (as Cechini informs us Boys acted in Women's Clothes.

Thus we fee it was long before the Stage players would hazard the acting a regular Piece, knowing the Tafte of the Publick to run moft upon that low Humour and Buffoonery, which good Comedies don't admit of: however, we find, that afterwards the Tragedies and Comes dies which had been acted formerly in the Aca demies, were acted over again by the publick Players, befides many new ones that were com pofed on purpose for them; tho' no doubt, at the fame time they frequently exhibited their Harlequin Shows. This was the State of the Stage till the Beginning of the feventeenth Cen tury, when the Belles Lettres and the Stage fell confiderably into decay in Italy; which our Author attributes to the Spaniards who were left by the Emperor Charles V. in Sicily, Naples and Ff 4 Milan;

ductions of Tragick Opera's, Tragi-comical Opera's, &c. Which, together with the Tranflations of the Spanish Tragi-comedies, entirely corrupted, and defaced the Beauty of the Italian Stage.

The fpeaking different Dialects on the Stage, was first introduced (our Author thinks) by Ruzante, who died in the Year 1542; there being no account of it before, and its being in ufe fo much foon after, as appears by The Theatre of Flaminio Scala, which he published in the Year 1611. It was, no doubt, well imagin'd to catch the Populace, who applauded with a fort of Emulation, whatever was spoke on the Stage, in the Dialect of the Country they belong'd to, infomuch, that there was hardly a Province of Italy but furnished its respective Mafque or Character for the Stage. Hence the Pantaloon of Venice, the Beltrame of Milan, the Doctor of Boulogne, the Scaramouch and Pollichinello of Naples, the Giangurgolo of Calabria, the Harle quin and Scapin of Bergama, &c. befides others introduc'd by the Spaniards, who also spoke their Language on the Stage. Our Author at the End of his Book has given Copper-plates representing the Drefs of these feveral Masques, together with Explications of their feveral Characters and the Parts they acted. It is remarkable,that during most of the feventeenth Century, when the Theatrical Pieces were fo miferably bad, there were hardly ever better Actors on the Italian Stage; infomuch, that they made themfelves be taken notice of, and encouraged by the greatest Men of the Age, as Lewis XIII, of France, and others.

Hitherto