INTRODUCTION xxix

Literary Success of 'Syphilis'

Immediate recognition and extravagant applause greeted
the poem. Bembo,' from his villa at Padua, said that his
friend had equalled Lucretius and Virgil.  He should have been
a good judge, since he wrote the purest Latin of his day. Fra—
castorius must have heard with secret joy that the famous poet
of Naples, Sannazaro,? a cruel critic of any who seemed to chal—
lenge his own supremacy, had exclaimed that, though he had
spent twenty years in perfecting his poem, De Partw Virginis,
the author of Syphihs had surpassed him. 'This was generous
repayment for a handsome compliment paid to him in Syphi/is;

: Among the numerous Italian Letters of Bembo, the following,
intimate and charmingly written, are of interest for his estimate
of the poem: 1) To Fracastoro (Fisico) from Padua, Nov. 26. 1525,
on receiving the first version, presumably in MS.: *Vou write with
much more charm than Lucretius often does . . . I could ask no
more from Virgil himself . . . your lament for Marco Antonio
(della Torre) and what follows, makes me think that the soul of
Virgil has passed into you . . . I shall write you a few criticisms
which I have discussed with Francesco della Torre"*. 2) Jan. 5. 1526,
on hearing from Fracastorius that he meant to expand the poem and
to retain the myth of Ilceus on the cure by quicksilver, he begs him
not to alter the work, but if he must, to omit Ileeus: the tale about

^guaiae is new, but everyone knows about the cure by quicksilver;

it is cosa trita.  Moreover Ileeus is too obvious an imitation of the
myth of Aristaeus in Virgil. Be content with what you have
achieved, but do omit Ilceus.^ Fracastorius persisted in expand—
ing the poem and retaining Ilceus. However, Bembo, writing
Oet. 8. 1530, welcomes the new version with generous enthusiaem,
as "the most precious gift I have ever received in my life!. On
April 13. 1539, Bembo writes from Venice to thank Fracastoro for
his long and exquisite piece of Italian prose in congratulation on
his new dignity. He had been made Cardinal, and by order of the
Senate had left Padua for Venice to take up the History of Venice
(in Latin), left unfinished by Navagero. In that History, Bembo
speaks of the terrible visitation of the mel Francese, says it broke
out in Italy at Taranto, first, briefly describes its symptoms, asserts
that it is now of a milder type, and refers the reader to the "*dignified
andd charming heroic poem of Fracastoro, now in the hands of all
readers^?.

:The poem SyphiJWs was published in August 1530, and Sanna—
zaro died in April of that year. He must therefore have seen it in
MS., or possibly only the first version of 1525. The latter seems
more probable. 'This difficulty as to dates is, so far as I know,
ignored by the commentators of Fracastorius.