the civilization of the renaissance in italy-第76部分

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as　impending；　used　to　make　a　　noise　and　lift　up　the　arms。　When　he　sets　to　work　to　describe　the　chapel　　of　St。　Anthony　in　the　Santo；　the　writer　loses　himself　in　ejaculations　　and　fantastic　dreams。　In　Milan　the　people　at　least　showed　a　fanatical　　devotion　to　relics；　and　when　once；　in　the　year　1517；　the　monks　of　San　　Simpliciano　were　careless　enough　to　expose　six　holy　corpses　during　　certain　alterations　of　the　high　altar；　which　event　was　followed　by　　heavy　floods　of　rain；　the　people　attributed　the　visitation　to　this　　sacrilege；　and　gave　the　monks　a　sound　beating　whenever　they　met　them　in　　the　street。　In　other　parts　of　Italy；　and　even　in　the　case　of　the　Popes　　themselves；　the　sincerity　of　this　feeling　is　much　more　dubious；　though　　here；　too；　a　positive　conclusion　is　hardly　attainable。　It　is　well　known　　amid　what　general　enthusiasm　Pius　II　solemnly　deposited　the　head　of　the　　Apostle　Andrew；　which　had　been　brought　from　Greece；　and　then　from　San

Maura；　in　the　Church　of　St。　Peter　（1462）；　but　we　gather　from　his　own　　narrative　that　he　only　did　it　from　a　kind　of　shame；　as　so　many　princes　　were　competing　for　the　relic。　It　was　not　till　afterwards　that　the　idea　　struck　him　of　making　Rome　the　common　refuge　for　all　the　remains　of　the　　saints　which　had　been　driven　from　their　own　churches。　Under　Sixtus　IV；　　the　population　of　the　city　was　still　more　zealous　in　this　cause　than　　the　Pope　himself；　and　the　magistracy　（1483）　complained　bitterly　that　　Sixtus　had　sent　to　Louis　XI；　the　dying　King　of　France；　some　specimens　　of　the　Lateran　relics。　A　courageous　voice　was　raised　about　thin　time　at　　Bologna；　advising　the　sale　of　the　skull　of　St。　Dominic　to　the　King　of　　Spain；　and　the　application　of　the　money　to　some　useful　public　object。　　But　those　who　had　the　least　reverence　of　all　for　the　relics　were　the　　Florentines。　Between　the　decision　to　honour　their　saint；　St。　Zanobi；　　with　a　new　sarcophagus　and　the　final　execution　of　the　project　by　　Ghiberti；　ten　years　elapsed　（1432…42）　and　then　it　only　happened　by　　chance；　because　the　master　had　executed　a　smaller　order　of　the　same　　kind　with　great　skill　（1428）。

Perhaps　through　being　tricked　by　a　cunning　Neapolitan　abbess　（1352）；　　who　sent　them　a　spurious　arm　of　the　patroness　of　the　Cathedral；　Santa　　Reparata；　made　of　wood　and　plaster；　they　began　to　get　tired　of　relics。　　Or　perhaps　it　would　be　truer　to　say　that　their　aesthetic　sense　turned　　them　away　in　disgust　from　dismembered　corpses　and　mouldy　clothes。　Or　　perhaps　their　feeling　was　rather　due　to　that　sense　of　glory　which　　thought　Dante　and　Petrarch　worthier　of　a　splendid　grave　than　all　the　　twelve　apostles　put　together。　It　is　probable　that　throughout　Italy；　　apart　from　Venice　and　from　Rome；　the　condition　of　which　latter　city　was　　exceptional；　the　worship　of　relics　had　long　been　giving　way　to　the　　adoration　of　the　Madonna；　at　all　events　to　a　greater　extent　than　　elsewhere　in　Europe；　and　in　this　fact　lies　indirect　evidence　of　an　　early　development　of　the　aesthetic　sense。

It　may　be　questioned　whether　in　the　North；　where　the　vastest　cathedrals　　are　clearly　all　dedicated　to　Our　Lady；　and　where　an　extensive　branch　of　　Latin　and　indigenous　poetry　sang　the　praises　of　the　Mother　of　God；　a　　greater　devotion　to　her　was　impossible。　In　Italy；　however；　the　number　　of　miraculous　pictures　of　the　Virgin　was　far　greater；　and　the　part　they　　played　in　the　daily　life　of　the　people　much　more　important。　Every　town　　of　any　size　contained　a　quantity　of　them；　from　the　ancient；　or　　ostensibly　ancient；　paintings　by　St。　Luke；　down　to　the　works　of　　contemporaries；　who　not　seldom　lived　to　see　the　miracles　wrought　by　　their　own　handiwork。　The　work　of　art　was　in　these　cases　by　no　means　as　　harmless　as　Battista　Mantovano　thinks；　sometimes　it　suddenly　acquired　a　　magical　virtue。　The　popular　craving　for　the　miraculous；　especially　　strong　in　women；　may　have　been　fully　satisfied　by　these　pictures；　and　　for　this　reason　the　relics　been　less　regarded。　It　cannot　be　said　with　　certainty　how　far　the　respect　for　genuine　relics　suffered　from　the　　ridicule　which　the　novelist　aimed　at　the　spurious。　The　attitude　of　the　　educated　classes　in　Italy　towards　Mariolatry；　or　the　worship　of　the　　Virgin；　is　more　clearly　recognizable　than　towards　the　worship　of　　images。　One　cannot　but　be　struck　with　the　fact　that　in　Italian　　literature　Dante's　'Paradise'　is　the　last　poem　in　honour　of　the　Virgin；　　while　among　the　people　hymns　in　her　praise　have　been　constantly　　produced　down　to　our　own　day。　The　names　of　Sannazaro　and　Sabellico　and　　other　writers　of　Latin　poems　prove　little　on　the　other　side；　since　the　　object　with　which　they　wrote　was　chiefly　literary。　The　poems　written　in　　Italian　in　the　fifteenth　and　at　the　beginning　of　the　sixteenth　　centuries；　in　which　we　meet　with　genuine　religious　feeling；　such　as　the　　hymns　of　Lorenzo　the　Magnificent；　and　the　sonnets　of　Vittoria　Colonna　　and　of　Michelangelo　might　have　been　just　as　well　composed　by　　Protestants。　Besides　the　lyrical　expression　of　faith　in　God；　we　chiefly　　notice　in　them　the　sense　of　sin；　the　consciousness　of　deliverance　　through　the　death　of　Christ；　the　longing　for　a　better　world。　The　　intercessiOn　of　the　Mother　of　God　is　only　mentioned　by　the　way。　The　　same　phenomenon　is　repeated　in　the　classical　literature　of　the　French　　at　the　time　of　Louis　XIV。　Not　till　the　time　of　the　Counter…Reformation　　did　Mariolatry　reappear　in　the　higher　Italian　poetry。　Meanwhile　the　　visual　arts　had　certainly　done　their　utmost　to　glorify　the　Madonna。　It　　may　be　added　that　the　worship　of　the　saints　among　the　educated　classes　　often　took　an　essentially　pagan　form。

We　might　thus　critically　examine　the　various　sides　of　Italian　　Catholicism　at　this　period；　and　so　establish　with　a　certain　degree　of　　probability　the　attitude　of　the　instructed　classes　towards　popular　　faith。　Yet　an　absolute　and　positive　result　cannot　be　reached。　We　meet　　with　contrasts　hard　to　explain。　While　architects；　painters；　and　　sculptors　were　working　with　restless　activity　in　and　for　the　churches；　　we　hear　at　the　beginning　of　the　sixteenth　century　the　bitterest　　complaints　of　the　neglect　of　public　worship　and　of　these　churches　　themselves。

It　is　well　known　how　Luther　was　scandalized　by　the　irreverence　with　　which　the　priests　in　Rome　said　Mass。　And　at　the　same　time　the　feasts　of　　the　Church　were　celebrated　with　a　taste　and　magnificence　of　which　　Northern　countries　had　no　conception。　It　looks　as　if　this　most　　imaginative　of　nations　was　easily　tempted　to　neglect　everyday　things；　　and　as　easily　captivated　by　anything　extraordinary。

It　is　to　this　excess　of　imagination　that　we　must　attribute　the　epidemic　　of　religious　revivals　upon　which　we　shall　again　say　a　few　words。　They　　must　be　clearly　distinguished　from　the　excitement　called　forth　by　the　　great　preachers。　They　were　rather　due　to　general　public　calamities；　or　　to　the　dread　of　such。

In　the　Middle　Ages　all　Europe　was　from　time　to　time　flooded　by　these　　great　tides；　which　carried　away　whole　peoples　in　their　waves。　The　　Crusades　and　the　Flagellant　revival　are　instances。　Italy　took　part　in　　both　of　these　movements。　The　first　great　companies　of　flagellants　　appeared；　immediately　after　the　fall　of　Ezzelino　and　his　house；　in　the　　neighbourhood　of　the　same　Perugia　which　has　been　already　spoken　of　as　　the　headquarters　of　the　revivalist　preachers。　Then　followed　the　　flagellants　of　1310　and　1334；　and　then　the　great　pilgrimage　without　　encouraging　in　the　year　1349；　which　Corio　has　recorded。　It　is　not　　impossible　that　the　Jubilees　were　founded　partly　in　order　to　regulate　　and　render　harmless　this　sinister　passion　for　vagabondage　which　seized　　on　the　whole　populations　at　times　of　religious　excitement。　The　great　　sanctuaries　of　Italy；　such　as　Loreto　and　others；　had　meantime　become　　famous；　and　no　doubt　diverted　a　certain　part　of　this　enthusiasm。

But　terrible　crises　had　still　at　a　much　later　time　the　power　to　　reawaken　the　glow　of　mediaeval　penitence；　and　the　conscience　…　stricken　　people；　often　still　further　appalled　by　signs　and　wonders；　sought　to　　move　the　pity　of　Heaven　by　wailings　and　scourgings。　So　it　was　at　　Bologna　when　the　plague　came　in　1457；　and　so　in　1496　at　a　time　of　　internal　discord　at　Siena）　to　mention　two　only　out　of　countless　　instances。　No　more　moving　scene　can　be　imagined　than　that　which　we　read　　of　at　Milan　in　1529）　when　famine；　plague；　and　war　conspired　with　　Spanish　extortion　to　reduce　the　city　to　the　lowest　depths　of　despair。　　It　chanced　that　the　monk　who　had　the　ear　of　the　people；　Fra　Tomasso　　Nieto；　was　himself　a　Spaniard。　The　Host　was　borne　along　in　a　novel　　fashion；　amid　barefooted　crowds　of　old　and　young。　It　was　placed　on　a　　decorated　bier；　which　rested　on　the　shoulders　of　four　priests　in　linen　　garmentsan　imitation　of　the　Ark　of　the　Covenant　which　the　children　of　　Israel　once　carried　round　the　walls　of　Jericho。　Thus　did　the　afflicted　　people　of　Milan　remind　their　ancient　God　of　His　old　covenant　with　man；　　and　when　the　procession　again　entered　the　cathedral；　and　it　seemed　as　　if　the　vast　building　must　fall　in　with　the　agonized　cry　of　　'Misericordia！'；　many　who　stood　there　may　have　believed　that　the　　Almighty　would　indeed　subvert　the　laws　of　nature　and　of　history；　and　　send　a　miraculous　deliverance。

There　was　one　government　in　Italy；　that　of　Duke　Ercole　I　of　Ferrara；　　which　assumed　the　direction　of　public　feeling；　and　compelled　the　　popular　revivals　to　move　in　regular　channels。　At　the　time　when　　Savonarola　was　powerful　in　Florence；　and　the　movement　which　he　began　　spread　far　and　wide　among　the　population　of　Central　Italy；　the　people　　of　Ferrara　voluntarily　entered　on　a　general　fast　（at　the　beginning　of　　1496）。　A　Lazarist　announced　from　the　pulpit　the　approach　of　a　season　of　　war　and　famine　such　as　the　world　had　never　seen；　but　the　Madonna　had　　assured　some　pious　people　that　these　evils　might　be　avoided　by　fasting。　　Upon　this；　the　court　itself　had　no　choice　but　to　fast；　but　it　took　the　　conduct　of　the　public　devotions　into　its　own　hands。　On　Easter　Day；　the　　3rd　of　April；　a　proclamation　on　morals　and　religion　was　published；　　forbidding　blasphemy；　prohibiting　games；　sodomy；　concubinage；　the　　letting　of　houses　to　prostitutes　or　panders；　and　the　opening　of　all　　shops　on　feast　days；　excepting　those　of　the　bakers　and　greengrocers。　　The　Jews　and　Moors；　who　had