nothing but an acrostic on a gigantic scale. The poem is written, like
the _Divina Commedia_, in _terza rima_, and the initial letters of all
the triplets throughout the work compose three poems of considerable
length, in the first of which the whole is dedicated to Boccaccio's
lady-love, this time under her real name of Maria. In addition to this,
the initial letters of the first, third, fifth, seventh and ninth lines
of the dedicatory poem form the name of Maria; so that here we have the
acrostic in the second degree. No wonder that thus entrammelled the
poet's thought begins to flag and his language to halt. The third
important work written by Boccaccio during his stay at Florence, or soon
after his return to Naples, is called _L'amorosa Fiammetta_; and
although written in prose, it contains more real poetry than the
elaborate production just referred to. It purports to be Fiammetta's
complaint after her lover, following the call of filial duty, had
deserted her. Bitterly she deplores her fate, and upbraids her lover
with coldness and want of devotion. Jealous fears add to her torture,
not altogether unfounded, if we believe the commentators' assertion that
the heroine of _Ameto_ is in reality the beautiful Lucia, a Florentine
lady loved by Boccaccio. Sadly Fiammetta recalls the moments of former
bliss, the first meeting, the stolen embrace. Her narrative is indeed
our chief source of information for the incidents of this strange
love-story. It has been thought unlikely, and indeed impossible, that
Boccaccio should thus have become the mouthpiece of a real lady's real
passion for himself; but there seems nothing incongruous in the
supposition that after a happy reunion the poet should have heard with
satisfaction, and surrounded with the halo of ideal art, the story of
his lady's sufferings. Moreover, the language is too full of individual
intensity to make the conjecture of an entirely fictitious love affair
intrinsically probable. _L'amorosa Fiammetta_ is a monody of passion
sustained even to the verge of dulness, but strikingly real, and
therefore artistically valuable.

By the intercession of an influential friend, Boccaccio at last obtained
(in 1344) his father's permission to return to Naples, where in the
meantime Giovanna, grand-daughter of King Robert, had succeeded to the
crown. Being young and beautiful, fond of poetry and of the praise of
poets, she received Boccaccio with all the distinction due to his