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LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC MEN.

rator. Ariosto excelled in the practice of reading aloud,whether the subjects were his own, or those of his illus-trious predecessors or contemporaries; to which hismelodious voice, distinct utterance, and versatile spiritgave peculiar emphasis and animation. This accom-plishment was of great value after the revival of letters,when books were scarce, and authors depended, for pecu-niary recompence, more upon the gratuities of patrons,than upon honourable profits from extensive sales of theirwritings. But though he was thus master of the rarestart of speech, — good reading, especially of verse, beingseldomer attained (perhaps because it is less duly ap-preciated) than eloquent declamation, — he was neverforward either to begin, by obtruding it upon his friendsfor his own gratification, nor slow to leave off when hehad wearied himself for others. As his ear was nice,and his taste pure in this respect, he was proportionatelyoffended by indifferent, vulgar, or boisterous recitation.The story is told of him, that one day, passing a potter’sshop, he heard the unlettered artisan singing, in harshand ill-accented numbers, a stave of the “ Orlando .”According to sir John Harrington , it was the thirty-second in the first canto *, — and this will do as wellas any other in a questionable tale, — in which Rinaldotries to catch his horse, with as little success as many agroom and gentleman has done before and since. Thepoet, as little able to keep his temper as his hero on the

♦ “ Non molto va Rinaldo, che si vedeSaltar innanzi il suo destrier feroce :

* Ferma, Bajardo mio, deh! ferine il piede;Che 1’ esser senza te troppo mi noce.’

Per questo il destrier sordo a lui non riede,Anzi pifi se ne va sempre veloce;

Segue Rinaldo, e d’ ira si distrugge:

— Ma sequitiamo Angelica, che fugge.”

“ Not far hath gone Rinaldo, ere he spiesHis fiery steed before him, bounding free:‘Stay, my Bayardo! prythee stay,’ he cries;

‘ For much am I annoy’d for lack of thee.’Yet the deaf horse returns not, nor replies,Save with his heels that swift and swifter flee.Rinaldo follows, fuming in the race,

— But we must give the flying lady chase.”