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LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC MEN.

the one hand, is a second part; by an imitator, that leavesthe original in obscurity, yet covers it with glory —like Butler’s description of the moon’s veil —

* ( Mysterious veil! of brightness made,

At once her lustre and her shade; ”

while, on the other hand, we have the example of a newgloss of that original, by a meddler becoming the sub-stitute for it, like the new skin of a serpent when theold slough is cast aside.

The mischances of Boiardo ’s poem ended not here.It was not published during the author’s life, exceptby oral communication among his friends ; what he hadcomposed, had not received the corrections due to itsworth and his own talents ; and the work itself beingleft imperfect at the ninth canto, one Nicolo degUAgostini took up the strain there, and added so muchmatter as brought the various subjects involved in it toa consistent termination. A fourth experiment wasmade upon this polypus production, which multipliedits vitality the more, the more it was mangled. Ludo-vico Dominici recomposed the whole, and printed themetamorphosis at Venice in 1545: of this, severaleditions appeared ; hut it neither supplanted Berni’s, noreven rivalled the original in popularity. Thus the loveand madness of Orlando was conceived, and partlyexecuted, by one mind ; continued to a certain point byanother ; new-modelled and incorporated with his owninventions by a third ; re-written by a fourth; but, aboveall, imitated, completed, and excelled by a fifth.

The felicity of fortune which distinguished Ariosto ’spoem, was not less rare than the eccentric transmigra-tions to which Boiardo ’s was condemned. The “ Or-lando Furioso” was both an imitation and a sequel ofthe “ Orlando Innamorato ; ” yet, contrary to all prece-dent, and without example in subsequent literature, theimitation surpassed the original, and the sequel thefirst draught. It was the offspring of one mind; itwas produced entire by the inventor, and never altered