The able writer has noticed that the very mutilated and incorrect manner in which Muratori has printed all that he has given of Sanuto, and especially Le Vite de’ Dogi, of which the original copy still remains inedited in the Estensian Library at Modena.  There can be no doubt that some ignorant or indolent transcriber made the mistake of iudeo for richo, so satisfactorily and happily elucidated by SIR FREDERICK MADDEN.  How much it is to be regretted that the Diary of Sanuto, so remarkable for it simplicity and ingenuous truthful air, should still remain inedited.  It relates to an epoch among the most interesting of Modern History, and the extracts given in the Ragguagli only make us wish for more.

From this Diary it appears that the Valori were among the most distinguished citizens of a state which could boast that its merchants were princes.  The palace they inhabited is no known by the name of the Altoviti, its more recent owners, and many of the tombs of the Valori are to be found in the church of St. Proculus.  Macchiavelli mentions Bartolomeo Valori among the Cittadini d’ autorita, and, according to Nardi, he was Gonfaloniere in the first two months of the years 1402, 1408, and 1420.  He was also one of the Platonic Academy that Ficino assembled around him.  In this Diary of Sanuto will be found many minute and interesting details respecting Savonarola, and the relation of the tragical death of Francisco Valor, who had also been several times Gontaloniere, and whom Savonarola, in his confession, said it was his intention to have made perpetual Dictator.

I would have given a specimen of this very interesting diary, but that I scrupled to occupy space which your correspondents enable you to fill so effectively, for I fully subscribe to the dictum of the Ragguagliatore, “Il Sanuto si presenta come la Scott degli Storiei, compincendosi come Sir Walter delle giostre, delle feste, e delle narrazioni piacevole e di dolce pieta.

S.W.S.

Mickleham, Nov. 23, 1849.

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MSS.  OF ROGER TWYSDEN.

Sir,—­An answer to the following “Query” would be most interesting to myself, and, perhaps, not altogether without its value to the literary world.

Among Sir Roger Twysden’s MSS.  I have a letter from him to his son at Oxford, requesting his intercession with the University for the loan of the MS. of Walter Mapes “de nugis curialium,” in order that he might prepare it for publication.  He instances the liberality of the Archbishop of Canterbury in having lent him from Lambeth the Epistles of Amselm and Becket; and adds, that, by being permitted to retain these MSS. in his hands for some years, he had now prepared them for the press.

I cannot learn that they were ever printed, and among the voluminous MS. remains of Sir Roger now in my hands, I cannot find the smallest trace of them.  Can any one your readers inform me what became of this collection, which, by Sir Roger’s statement, was finished and completely ready for the press?