The Miscellanea of POLITIAN are not only the result of his studies in the rich library of Lorenzo de’ Medici, but of conversations which had passed in those rides which Lorenzo, accompanied by Politian, preferred to the pomp of cavalcades.  When the Cardinal de Cabassolle strayed with PETRARCH about his valley in many a wandering discourse, they sometimes extended their walks to such a distance, that the servant sought them in vain to announce the dinner-hour, and found them returning in the evening.  When HELVETIUS enjoyed the social conversation of a literary friend, he described it as “a chase of ideas.”  Such are the literary conversations which HORNE TOOKE alluded to, when he said “I assure you, we find more difficulty to finish than to begin our conversations.”

The natural and congenial conversations of men of letters and of artists must then be those which are associated with their pursuits, and these are of a different complexion with the talk of men of the world, the objects of which are drawn from the temporary passions of party-men, or the variable on dits of triflers—­topics studiously rejected from these more tranquillising conversations.  Diamonds can only be polished by their own dust, and are only shaped by the friction of other diamonds; and so it happens with literary men and artists.

A meeting of this nature has been recorded by CICERO, which himself and ATTICUS had with VARRO in the country.  Varro arriving from Rome in their neighbourhood somewhat fatigued, had sent a messenger to his friends.  “As soon as we had heard these tidings,” says Cicero, “we could not delay hastening to see one who was attached to us by the same pursuits and by former friendship.”  They set off, but found Varro half way, urged by the same eager desire to join them.  They conducted him to Cicero’s villa.  Here, while Cicero was inquiring after the news of Rome, Atticus interrupted the political rival of Caesar, observing, “Let us leave off inquiring after things which cannot be heard without pain.  Rather ask about what we know, for Varro’s muses are longer silent than they used to be, yet surely he has not forsaken them, but rather conceals what he writes.”—­“By no means!” replied Varro, “for I deem him to be a whimsical man to write what he wishes to suppress.  I have indeed a great work in hand (on the Latin language), long designed for Cicero.”  The conversation then took its natural turn by Atticus having got rid of the political anxiety of Cicero.  Such, too, were the conversations which passed at the literary residence of the Medici family, which was described, with as much truth as fancy, as “the Lyceum of philosophy, the Arcadia of poets, and the Academy of painters.”  We have a pleasing instance of such a meeting of literary friends in those conversations which passed in POPE’S garden, where there was often a remarkable union of nobility and literary men.  There Thomson, Mallet, Gay, Hooke, and Glover