manuscript works, with not inferior ingenuity, published his love-letters; and with the felicity of an Italian diminutive, he fondly entitled them “Pistolette Amorose del Doni,” 1552, 8vo.  These Pistole were designed to be little epistles, or billets-doux, but Doni was one of those fertile authors who have too little time of their own to compose short works.  Doni was too facetious to be sentimental, and his quill was not plucked from the wing of Love.  He was followed by a graver pedant, who threw a heavy offering on the altar of the Graces; PARABOSCO, who in six books of “Lettere Amorose,” 1565, 8vo. was too phlegmatic to sigh over his inkstand.

Denina mentions LEWIS PASQUALIGO of Venice as an improver of these amatory epistles, by introducing a deeper interest and a more complicate narrative.  Partial to the Italian literature, Denina considers this author as having given birth to those novels in the form of letters, with which modern Europe has been inundated; and he refers the curious in literary researches, for the precursors of these epistolary novels, to the works of those Italian wits who flourished in the sixteenth century.

“The Worlds” of DONI, and the numerous whimsical works of ORTENSIO LANDI, and the “Circe” of GELLI, of which we have more than one English translation, which, under their fantastic inventions, cover the most profound philosophical views, have been considered the precursors of the finer genius of “The Persian Letters,” that fertile mother of a numerous progeny, of D’Argens and others.

The Italians are justly proud of some valuable collections of letters, which seem peculiar to themselves, and which may be considered as the works of artists.  They have a collection of “Lettere di Tredici Uomini Illustri,” which appeared in 1571; another more curious, relating to princes—­“Lettere de’ Principi le quali o si scrivono da Principi a Principi, o ragionano di Principi;” Tenezia, 1581, in 3 vols. quarto.

But a treasure of this kind, peculiarly interesting to the artist, has appeared in mere recent times, in seven quarto volumes, consisting of the original letters of the great painters, from the golden age of Leo X., gradually collected by BOTTARI, who published them in separate volumes.  They abound in the most interesting facts relative to the arts, and display the characteristic traits of their lively writers.  Every artist will turn over with delight and curiosity these genuine effusions; chronicles of the days and the nights of their vivacious brothers.

It is a little remarkable that he who claims to be the first satirist in the English language, claims also, more justly perhaps, the honour of being the first author who published familiar letters.  In the dedication of his Epistles to Prince Henry, the son of James the First, Bishop HALL claims the honour of introducing “this new fashion of discourse by epistles, new to our language, usual to others; and as novelty is never without plea of use, more free, more familiar.”  Of these epistles, in six decades, many were written during his travels.  We have a collection of Donne’s letters abounding with his peculiar points, at least witty, if not natural.