for the moral element in art will find little indeed thereof in
Goldoni's merry comedies. Incredible as it seems to us Puritans, he
really made it his mission to amuse. Thoroughly in love with the rather
ignoble, trivial life of his day, he holds the dramatic mirror up to it
with lifelong optimism and enjoyment. His wit is not keen, his poetic
imagination is slight indeed. Aside from the true dramatist's skill in
construction, in plot, his power lies chiefly in the rapid, clear, firm
outlines of his character-drawing. These characters are for the most
part just about such men and women, such creatures of impulse and whim,
such genial mingling of naughtiness and good intentions, as we see about
us. He never delineates a saint or a hero; hardly a monster of
wickedness. He had never known either, and would not have been
interested if he had. The charm of Goldoni is felt chiefly in Venice, or
at least in Italy, while listening to his comedy and watching the
enjoyment mirrored in the faces of his own audience. It evaporates in
translation, and his plays are meant only to be heard, not read. To Mr.
Howells's own affectionate testimony we may add his happy citation from
Goethe, who is writing from Venice in 1786:

"Yesterday, at the theatre of St. Luke, was performed 'Le
Baruffe-Chiozotte,' which I should interpret 'The Frays and
Feuds of Chiozza.' The _dramatis personae_ are principally
seafaring people, inhabitants of Chiozza, with their wives,
sisters, and daughters. The usual noisy demonstrations of
such sort of people in their good or ill luck,--their
dealings one with another, their vehemence but goodness of
heart, commonplace remarks and unaffected manners, their
naive wit and humor,--all this was excellently imitated. The
piece moreover is Goldoni's, and as I had been only the day
before in the place itself, and as the tones and manners of
the sailors and people of the seaport still echoed in my ears
and floated before my eyes, it delighted me very much; and
although I did not understand a single allusion, I was
nevertheless, on the whole, able to follow it pretty well....
I never witnessed anything like the noisy delight the people
evinced at seeing themselves and their mates represented with
such truth of nature. It was one continued laugh and
tumultuous shout of exultation from beginning to end....
Great praise is