the high
quality of the work achieved by the Villani it is only necessary to turn
the pages of some early chronicles of sister cities which still breathe
the spirit of unintelligent mediaeval industry, before the method of
history had been critically apprehended. The naivete of these records
may be appreciated by the following extracts. A Roman writes[2]: 'I
Lodovico Bonconte Monaldeschi was born in Orvieto, and was brought up in
the city of Rome, where I have resided. I was born in the year 1327, in
the month of June, at the time when the Emperor Lodovico came. Now I
wish to relate the whole history of my age, seeing that I lived one
hundred and fifteen years without illness, except that when I was born I
fainted, and I died of old age, and remained in bed twelve months on
end.' Burigozzo's Chronicle of Milan, again, concludes with these
words:[3] 'As you will see in the Annals of my son, inasmuch as the
death which has overtaken me prevents my writing more.' Chronicles
conceived and written in this spirit are diaries of events, repertories
of strange stories, and old wives' tales, without a deep sense of
personal responsibility, devoid alike of criticism and artistic unity.
Very different is the character of the historical literature which
starts into being in Florence at the opening of the fourteenth century.

[1] See Paul Scheffer-Boichorst, _Florentiner Studien_,
Leipzig, 1874, Carl Hegel, in his defense of Compagni, _Die
Chronik des Dino Compagni, Versuch einer Rettung_, Leipzig,
1875, admits the proof of spuriousness. See the preface, p. v.
The point, however, is still disputed by Florentine scholars of
high authority. Gino Capponi, in his _Storia della Repubblica
di Firenze_ (vol. i. Appendix, final note), observes that while
the Villani are popular in tone the Malespini Chronicle is
feudal. Adolfo Bartoli (_Storia della Lett. It._ vol. iii. p.
155) treats the question as still open. The custom of
preserving brief _fasti_ in the archives of great houses
rendered such compilations as the Malespini Chronicle is now
supposed to have been both easy and attractive. The Christian
name _Ricordano_ given to the first Malespini annalist does not
exist. It has been suggested that it is due to a misreading of
an initial sentence, _Ricordano i Malespini_.

[2] Muratori, vol. xii. p. 529.

[3] _Arch. Stor._ vol. iii. p. 552. Both Monaldeschi and Burig