Take the whole, and it seems to me that the English is in imitation of the Italian. But great poets, when they imitate, they do so making the images their own; they don’t _copy_, but they abridge, add, and alter so as to appear original, and so does Milton. I find that he once translated one line Dante, at the beginning of the Paradiso, c. 1, v. 12, says: ‘_Sarà ora materia del mio canto_,’ And Milton, P. L., 3. 413:— ‘_Shall_ be the copious _matter of my song_.’ And compare also what he says of the sun in that book (v. 586), with the very first lines of the Canto of Dante. In his sonnet to Henry Lawes, Milton says:— ‘Dante shall give Fame leave to set thee higher Than his Casella, whom he woo’d to sing, Met in the milder shades of Purgatory.’ Now this alludes to Purg. c.2, v.106, and ‘the _milder_ shades of Purgatory’ when compared to those of Hell, seem to show that Milton had read both. Add to this that Milton knew Italian thoroughly, that he had passed some time at Florence, where Dante was never forgotten, and that Galileo, and still more Dati, were intimate friends of his. Now, Galileo and Dati were great admirers of Dante, and placed him in the highest rank of poets. I cannot, therefore, doubt that Milton was thoroughly conversant with Dante’s poetry, and admired him. How far he was influenced by his poetry in his compositions, would require a long critical essay; the more difficult to draw up satisfactorily, the more is the originality of a great poet like Milton in appropriating other poet’s ideas. Believe me, &c., A. PANIZZI.” Whatever may have been the ultimate settlement of this friendly discussion, Panizzi’s estimate of Sir George’s talents and abilities may be accurately gathered from the next letter we quote, which asks him to become a candidate for a vacant Trusteeship of the British Museum. “British Museum, August 16, 1856. “My dear Sir George, The Dean of Westminster is dead: he was one of our Trustees. We want as his successor an M.P. who will help us when not in office, who is pretty safe of his seat, and whose pursuits render him fit for the place. Now, without any ceremony, you are the man we want, and I mean to do what little I can to bring your name before the electors. There can be no difficulty, as the Government necessarily get elected whom they please. I want no answer from you, except if you decidedly object: in which case I want you only to write the word _no_. I hope, however, you will accept ‘_la candidature_,’ as the French say. I think Cureton ought to be elected Dean. He is one of the most eminent Oriental scholars in the world, as you know—and certainly the most eminent in England.