Volume III Part 76 (1/2)
”I know hi spent two o, and what particularly attracted my attention was the admiration he professed for M de Voltaire”
”That is flattering for arotti had not begun by ad others, he would never have made a name for himself As an admirer of Newton he endeavoured to teach the ladies to discuss the theory of light”
”Has he succeeded?”
”Not as well as M de Fontenelle in his 'Plurality of Worlds;' however, one may say he has succeeded”
”True If you see hi to hear from him about Russia He can address my letters to my banker, Bianchi, at Milan, and they will be sent on to me”
”I will not fail to do so if I see him”
”I have heard that the Italians do not care for his style”
”No; all that he writes is full of French idioms His style is wretched”
”But do not these French turns increase the beauty of your language?”
”They make it insufferable, as French would be h it ritten by M de Voltaire”
”You are right; every language should preserve its purity Livy has been criticised on this account; his Latin is said to be tainted with patavinity”
”When I began to learn Latin, the Abbe Lazzarini told me he preferred Livy to Sallust”
”The Abbe Lazzarini, author of the tragedy, 'Ulisse il giovine'? You ; I wish I had known him But I knew the Abbe Conti well; the saedies contain the whole of Ro, but I congratulated reat h it is o; and now in your presence er son of all humanity”
”Better so than to be the chief and eldest May I ask you to what branch of literature you have devoted yourself?”
”To none; but that, perhaps, will come afterwards In the meantime I read as much as I can, and try to study character on my travels”
”That is the way to beco a history is the easier way”
”Yes, if history did not lie One is not sure of the truth of the facts
It is tiring, while the study of the world is auide-book”
”Algarotti, too, is very fond of Horace Of course you are fond of poetry?”
”It is my passion”
”Have you made many sonnets?”
”Ten or twelve I like, and two or three thousand which in all probability I have not read twice”
”The Italians are mad after sonnets”