The Italian satirist Trajan Boccalini, born at Loretto in 1556, was also
one upon whom Court favour shone. He was surrounded by a host of friends
and admirers, and was appointed Governor of the States of the Church. He
was one of the wittiest and most versatile of authors, and would have
risen to positions of greater dignity, if only his pen had been a little
less active and his satire less severe. He wrote a book entitled
_Ragguagli di Parnasso_ (1612), which was most successful. In this work he
represents Apollo as judge of Parnassus, who cites before him kings,
authors, warriors, statesmen, and other mighty personages, minutely
examines their faults and crimes, and passes judgment upon them. Inasmuch
as these people whom Apollo condemned were his contemporaries, it may be
imagined that the book created no small stir, and aroused the wrath of the
victims of his satire. Boccalini was compelled to leave Rome and seek
safety in Venice. He also wrote a bitter satire upon the Spanish misrule
in Italy, entitled _Pietra del paragone politico_ (1615). In this book he
showed that the power of the King of Spain in Italy was not so great as
men imagined, and that it would be easy to remove the Spanish yoke from
their necks. In Venice he imagined himself safe; but his powerful foes
hired assassins to "remove" the obnoxious author. He was seized one day by
four strong men, cast upon a couch, and beaten to death with bags filled
with sand.
Pages:
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141