Many years afterwards, when Cino had reached the height of his fame, and had been crowned with wealth and honours by his native city, he had occasion to cross the Appenines on an embassy, and causing his suite to travel by another road, he made a pilgrimage alone to the tomb of his lost Selvaggia. This incident gave rise to the most striking of all his compositions, which with great pathos and sweetness describes his feelings, when he flung himself down on her humble grave, to weep over the recollection of their past happiness: Io fu' in sull'alto e in sul beato monte, Ove adorai baciando il santo sasso, E caddi in su quella pietra, oimè lasso! Ove l' onestà pose la sua fronte; E ch' ella chiuse d' ogni virtù il fonte Quel giorno che di morte acerbo passo Fece la donna dello mio cor,--lasso!-- Già piena tutta d' adornezze conte. Quivi chiamai a questa guisa Amore: "Dolce mio Dio, fa che quinci mi traggia La morte a se, che qui giace il mio cor!" Ma poi che non m'intese il mio signore, Mi disparti, pur chiamando, Selvaggia! L'alpe passai, con voce di dolore. The circumstance in the last stanza, "I rose up and went on my way, and passed the mountain summits, crying aloud 'Selvaggia!' in accents of despair," has a strong reality about it, and no doubt _was_ real. Her death took place about 1316. In the history of Italian poetry, Selvaggia is distinguished as the "_bel numer' una_,"--"the fair number one"--of the four celebrated women of that century--The others were Dante's Beatrice, Petrarch's Laura, and Boccaccio's Fiammetta. Every one who reads and admires Petrarch, will remember his beautiful Sonnet on the Death of Cino, beginning "Piangete Donne" Perchè 'l nostro amoroso messer Cino Novellamente s'è da noi partito. In the venerable Cathedral at Pistoia, there is an ancient half-effaced bas-relief, representing Cino, surrounded by his disciples, to whom he is explaining the code of civil law: a little behind stands the figure of a female veiled, and in a pensive attitude, which is supposed to represent Ricciarda de' Selvaggi. All these are alluded to by Petrarch in the Trionfo d'Amore. Ecco Selvaggia, Ecco Cin da Pistoja; Guitton d'Arezzo; Ecco i due Guidi che già furo in prezzo. The two Guidi are, Guido Guizzinello, and Guido Cavalcanti. Guitone was a famous monk, who is said to have invented the present form of the sonnet: to him also is attributed the discovery of counterpoint, and the present system of musical notation. Of Conti's mistress nothing is known, but that she had the most beautiful hand in the world, whence the volume of poems written by her lover in her praise, is entitled, _La Bella Mano_, the fair hand. Conti lived some years later than Petrarch. I mention him merely to fill up the list of those ancient minor poets of Italy, whose names and loves are still celebrated. FOOTNOTES: