the
wrong side--ingenious, but false, as he himself says--to which 'the
learned world said nothing, nothing at all, sir.' The 'learned world,'
however, _has_ said something to the brothers S * *.

"It is high time to think of something else. What they say of the
antiquities of the North is best.

"January 29. 1821.

"Yesterday, the woman of ninety-five years of age was with me. She said
her eldest son (if now alive) would have been seventy. She is
thin--short, but active--hears, and sees, and talks incessantly. Several
teeth left--all in the lower jaw, and single front teeth. She is very
deeply wrinkled, and has a sort of scattered grey beard over her chin,
at least as long as my mustachios. Her head, in fact, resembles the
drawing in crayons of Pope the poet's mother, which is in some editions
of his works.

"I forgot to ask her if she remembered Alberoni (legate here), but will
ask her next time. Gave her a louis--ordered her a new suit of clothes,
and put her upon a weekly pension. Till now, she had worked at gathering
wood and pine-nuts in the forest,--pretty work at ninety-five years old!
She had a dozen children, of whom some are alive. Her name is Maria
Montanari.

"Met a company of the sect (a kind of Liberal Club) called the
'Americani' in the forest, all armed, and singing, with all their might,
in Romagnuole--'_Sem_ tutti soldat' per la liberta' ('we are all
soldiers for liberty'). They cheered me as I passed--I returned their
salute, and rode on. This may show the spirit of Italy at present.

"My to-day's journal consists of what I omitted yesterday. To-day was
much as usual. Have rather a better opinion of the writings of the
Schlegels than I had four-and-twenty hours ago; and will amend it still
further, if possible.

"They say that the Piedmontese have at length risen--_ca ira!_

"Read S * *. Of Dante he says, 'that at no time has the greatest and
most national of all Italian poets ever been much the favourite of his
countrymen.' 'Tis false! There have been more editors and commentators
(and imitators, ultimately) of Dante than of all their poets put
together. _Not_ a favourite! Why, they talk Dante--write Dante--and
think and dream Dante at this moment (1821) to an excess, which would be
ridiculous, but that he deserves it.

"In the same style this German talks of gondolas on the Arno--a precious
fellow to dare to speak of Italy!

"He says also that Dante's chief defect is a want, in a wor