[Footnote 36: The inkstand which Shelley saw at Ferrara (_Essays and Letters_, p. 149) could not have been this; probably his eye was caught by a wrong one. Doubts also, after what we know of the tricks practised upon visitors of Stratford-upon-Avon, may unfortunately be entertained of the "plain old wooden piece of furniture," the arm-chair. Shelley describes the handwriting of Ariosto as "a small, firm, and pointed character, expressing, as he should say, a strong and keen, but circumscribed energy of mind." Every one of Shelley s words is always worth consideration; but handwritings are surely equivocal testimonies of character; they depend so much on education, on times and seasons and moods, conscious and unconscious wills, &c. What would be said by an autographist to the strange old, ungraceful, slovenly handwriting of Shakspeare?]
[Footnote 37: See vol. i. of the present work, pp. 30, 202, and 216.]
"In casa mia mi sa meglio una rapa Ch'io cuoca, e cotta s' un stecco m' inforco, E mondo, e spargo poi di aceto e sapa,
Che all'altrui mensa tordo, starno, o porco Selvaggio."]
[Footnote 40: "Chi vuole andare," &c. _Satira_ iv.]
"Se Nicoletto o Fra Martin fan segno D' infedele o d' cretico, ne accuso Il saper troppo, e men con lor mi sdegno:
Perchè salendo lo intelletto in suso Per veder Dio, non de' parerci strano Se talor cade giù cieco e confuso."
This satire was addressed to Bembo. The cardinal is said to have asked a visitor from Germany whether Brother Martin really believed what he preached; and to have expressed the greatest astonishment when told that he did. Cardinals were then what augurs were in the time of Cicero--wondering that they did not burst out a-laughing in one another's faces. This was bad; but inquisitors are a million times worse. By the Nicoletto here mentioned by Ariosto in company with Luther, we are to understand (according to the conjecture of Molini) a Paduan professor of the name of Niccolò Vernia, who was accused of holding the Pantheistic opinions of Averroes.]
[Footnote 42: Take a specimen of this leap-frog versification from the prologue to the _Cassaria_:--
"Questa commedia, ch'oggi _recitàtavi_ Sarà, se nol sapete, è la _Cassària_, Ch'un altra volta, già vent'anni _pàssano_, Veder si fece sopra questi _pùlpiti_, Ed allora assai piacque a tutto il _pòpolo_, Ma non ne ripostò già degno _prèmio_, Che data in preda a gl'importuni ed _àvidi_ Stampator fu," &c.