It is impossible not to come to the conclusion that we are listening in the one case to a genuine poet of no common order, in the other to a poetaster of considerable learning and great ingenuity, who elected to don the outward habit of a somewhat hypocritical morality.  The effect of the contrast is further heightened when we remember that Guarini never for a moment doubted that he had far surpassed the work of his predecessor.

Guarini’s comment on the Aminta in his letter to Speroni has been already quoted:  it does little credit to the writer.  Manso, the companion and biographer of Tasso, records that, the poet being asked by some friends what he thought of the Pastor fido, a copy of which had lately found its way to him at Naples: 

Et egli, ’Mi piace sopramodo, ma confesso di non saper la cagione perche mi piaccia.’  Onde io rispondendogli, ‘Vi piacera per avventura,’ soggiunsi, ‘quel che vi riconoscete del vostro.’  Et egli replico, ’Ne puo piacere il vedere il suo in man d’ altri.’[192]

Guarini would hardly have acknowledged his indebtedness to Tasso in the way of art, but he drew on all sources for the incidents of his plot, and, since he appears to have valued a reputation for scholarship above one for originality, he recorded a fair proportion of his borrowings in his notes.

* * * * *

The Pastor fido was the talk of the Italian Courts even before it was completed.  Early in 1584 the heir to the duchy of Mantua, Vincenzo Gonzaga, to whose intercession Tasso later owed his liberty, entreated Guarini to let him have his already famous pastoral for the occasion of his marriage with Eleonora de’ Medici.  The poet, however, found it impossible to complete the work in time, and sent the Idropica instead.  In the autumn a projected representation of the now completed play came to naught.  The following year Guarini presented his play to the Duke of Savoy, and received a gold chain as an acknowledgement.  The occasion was the entry into Turin of Carlo Emanuele and his bride, Catharine of Austria, the marriage having taken place at Saragossa some time previously.  The dedication is recorded on the title-page of the first edition in words that have not unnaturally been held to imply that the play was performed on that occasion.[193] It is clear, however, from contemporary documents that this is an error, and, though preparations were made in view of a performance at the following carnival, these too were abandoned.  After this we find mention of preparations made at a variety of places, but they never came to anything, and there is reason to believe that some at least were abandoned owing to the opposition of Alfonso d’ Este, who never forgave a courtier who transferred his allegiance to another prince.  In 1591 Vincenzo Gonzaga, now duke, summoned Guarini to Mantua, and matters advanced as far as a prova generale or dress rehearsal.