A Decade of Italian Women, vol. 2 (of 2)Trollope, Thomas Adolphus
History
A Decade of Italian Women, vol. 2 (of 2)
Trollope, Thomas Adolphus
Italy -- Biography; Women -- Biography
"Deo Inmortali Sacrum et virtuti ac memoriæ Olympiæ Moratæ, Fulvii
Morati Mantuani viri doctissimi, filiæ, Andreæ Grünthleri medici
conjugis; lectissimæ feminæ, cujus ingenium ac singularis utriusque
linguæ cognitio, in moribus autem probitas, summumque pietatis studium,
supra communem modum semper existimata sunt. Quod de ejus vita hominum
judicium, beata mors sanctissime ac pacatissime ab ea obita, divino
quoque confirmavit testimonio. Obiit, mutato solo, a salute DLV supra
mille, suæ ætatis XXIX. Hic cum marito et Emilio fratre sepulta."
The citizens of Schweinfurth resolved that the house Olympia had
inhabited among them should be rebuilt at the public cost, and
marked out to the respect of future generations by an inscription
commemorative of her having dwelt on that spot. The inscription
is indicative of the high esteem of the worthy burghers for their
celebrated fellow–citizen, rather than of any æsthetic appreciation
of her productions. For the hexameters and pentameters into which
Schweinfurth has painfully packed its sentiments, are of a kind to make
the classical ghost of Olympia shudder, if that erudite and gentle
spirit may be supposed to have cognisance of them.
[Sidenote: HER HIGH REPUTE.]
Olympia Morata had in the course of this short life acquired a high
European reputation. The loving care of Celio Curione, the editor
of her works, has collected and appended to them, after the fashion
of that day, an abundant selection of the "favourable notices" of
her learned contemporaries. And M. Bonnet has gathered some further
testimonies to the same effect. Many pages might be filled with the
laudatory sayings of these high authorities. But it will probably
be thought sufficient to state that the "eruditorum testimonia"
do certainly prove that Olympia was very highly esteemed by the
contemporary literary world of Europe. The most compendious and
undeniable evidence of this may be found moreover in the fact, that
four editions of her works were printed within twenty–five years after
her death.[134]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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