[403] Speaking of the Favola, Carducci says:  ’lo stile e quel nobile del Giraldi.’  This is a point on which the opinion of a foreigner can never carry very much weight; but with all deference to Signer Carducci’s judgement, I cannot help expressing my opinion that the verse is characterized by awkward verbal repetitions and a certain stiffness of expression, which impart to it a quality of heaviness similar to that found in the prose of the Ecatommiti.  It seems to be the result of a conscious endeavour on the part of the Ferrarese to write pure Tuscan, and the reader is constantly reminded of the memorable words in the preface to the Cortegiano, in which Castiglione announces his intention ’di farmi piu tosto conoscere per Lombardo, parlando Lombardo, che per non Toscano, parlando troppo Toscano.’

[404] Ferrara, De Rossi, 1555.  Rossi, 176^{1}; Carducci, 57.  The piece must not, of course, be confused either with the Sacrifizio pastorale, paraphrased by Firenzuola from the Arcadia, or with the masque called El Sacrifizio, performed by the Intronati at Siena in 1531, and printed in 1537.

[405] The remark is Rossi’s, and, though strongly controverted by Carducci, appears to me absolutely true.

[406] ’Comedia pastorale di nuovo composta per mess.  Barth.  Brayda di Summariva,’ Torino, Coloni da Saluzzo, 1556.  Carducci, 64^{2}.  The date is given as 1550 in the note, and correctly, I take it, as 1556 in the text.

[407] Vinezia, Zopini, 1583, B. M. The preface is dated Sept, 1, 1580.  Carducci (71^{1}) speaks of the edition of 1586 as the first.

[408] Ferrara, Panizza, 1564.  Carducci, 69^{1}.

[409] Edited by A. Solerti in the Propugnatore, 1891, new series, iv. p. 199.  Carducci, 70^{1}.

[410] Venezia, Giolito, 1568.  Carducci, 71^{2}; Klein, v. p. 61.