62


presenil/, tbat R.apbael was deep!/ penetrated witb tbese fertile tbeories,
and tlris fact explains wb/, witbout baving en^'o/ed a learned education,
Ire /et sbows in Iri3 words 8uclr deep tbougbt, and tire exalted nrind
vvlriclr lra8 ^ustl/ cau8ed lrinr to de named tire pbilosopbic painter.
Io sbow 8tiII more clearly tire taste, tire spirit and tire manners of tire
circle tlrat surrounded R.apirasi during tlris period of iris /outb, we slraii
relate tire conversation of one evening, as it Iras deen described b/ Lount
Lastiglione in Iris " Lourtier's Rood."
lire Dude Ouidubaldo, retiring earl/ in tire evening on account of iris
Ireaitir, tire company assemdied in tire duclress's apartments. One evening,
tire princess requested Lembo to communicate to lrer iris^ ideas on love
and beaut/7
Lembo commenced iris discourse b/ rebections on corporeal beauty
and sensual love, peculiar to /outb; Ire explained afterwards bow tire
beauty of tire mind is tire fundamental cause of pb/sical beauty;
bow at tire age of manlrood, mystical spiritual love procures nodle en-
^o/ment; bow love increases and becomes nobler, wben it creates an
image of general beaut/; wbicb, bowever, is never entire!/ realised, but
on!/ partial!/, witb some individuals; now, bowever sublime love ma/
be, it can /et not be called perfect, since it is ord/ produced b/ tire
interposition of tire senses bowing from imagination.
^.fter tlris exordium, Lastiglione allows Iris friend to continue tbus
" 'Wben our courtier, tlren, sball bave attained tlris degree of love,—
altlrouglr Ire ma/ esteem Irinrself a lrapp/ lover in comparison of tlrose
wlro are plunged in tire miser/ of sensual love— /et I would not lrave
Irim remain tlrere, but, on tire contrar/, be slrould advance still furtber in
tlris sublime patb, following tbe guide, wlro is conducting Irim to true
Irappiness ; and tbus, instead of going out of bimseif in tbougbt, as be
wlro considers corporeal beaut/, tire courtier must beep bis mind free to

1 brom tbe brst bait ok tbs iikteentb century, iir Ital/, tbe stud)? ok tbs blatonic
writings brou^bt in b)? tbs fugitive 6reebs, protected especially b/ tbs lVlsdici at
Florence, were rnucb in kasbion. lire at tbs court ok Urbino, did not
kail to tabs it up ea§srl/. In 1505, bistro Lembo, as an admirer ok blato, bad already
acquired rnucb kame krom bis Dialogues on tbs nature ok lovs (" §li ^solani," krom tbe
name ok tbs Lastls ok ^.rolo, wbsrs be wrote tbsm.) Hire kallowinA rejections are
merely an imitation ok blato's " Banquet."
r^.t tbs end ok tbe kourtb boob ok tbs worb, wbicb appeared kor tbs 6rst time in
tbe montb ok rVpril, 1Z28, " Venetia," nells case d'^ldo bomano, in kolio, reprinted tbs
same )?ear at blorencs b)? tbs Oiuntis, 8vo.—