Another peculiarity of Bracciolini’s is (for
alliterative purposes) the playing upon a single letter
that is repeated again and again at the beginning,
in the middle, and, if the letter will allow it, at
the end of words. “P” will not permit
of being used in Latin at the end of words; but we
find Bracciolini thus playing with it in the very
first of his letters:—“projicit
eam personam sibi acce_p_tiorem, cum illam
multi petant porrectis manibus, atque
i_p_se,” &c. (Ep. I. 1). But “m”
does admit of being used at the end of words, and
thus we find him, with a friskiness that the staid
Tacitus would have in vain essayed to imitate, frolicking
with it as a juggler with balls; for the rapidity of
the repetition can be compared only to the rapidity
of conveyance displayed by a conjuror when he receives
into and passes out of his hands a number of balls
with which he is playing: “mox, ut
o_m_itteret maritum, e_m_ercatur, suu_m m_atri_m_oniu_m_
pro_m_ittens” (An. XIII. 44).
CHAPTER IV.
THE TERMINATION OF THE FORGERY.
I.—The literary merit and avaricious humour
of Bracciolini. —II. He is aided
in his scheme by a monk of the Abbey of Fulda.
—III. Expressions indicating forgery.—IV.
Efforts to obtain a very old copy of Tacitus.—V.
The forgery transcribed in the Abbey of Fulda.—VI.
First saw the light in the spring of 1429.
I. We have pointed out in the preceding chapter some
of the more glaring errors committed by Bracciolini
in style and syntax, customs and history, not with
the view of showing that Niccoli made any mistake
when he recommended him to take the task in hand of
forging the Annals; for in no way did Niccoli overrate
the merit of his friend. The Latin of Bracciolini,
though not equal in its elegance to that of his splendid
successor, Poliziano, was, nevertheless, superior
to the Latin of any of his great contemporaries, none
of whom, besides, had his versatility and varied attainments
nor his wisdom and philosophy. The world now
knows, as his Florentine friend then knew, that he
had the requisite splendour of genius to undertake
the daring task of writing history as eminently as
Tacitus, that is, with as powerful a conception, and
as superior an expression: he had already written
nobly, sensibly, purely and simply; he had acquired
in the Court of Rome, and, what we may call, the Court
of the Royal Prelate, Beaufort, the necessary experience
of public affairs and leading individuals, which fitted
him to pass sovereign judgment on great men and public
events, and he was gifted with the acuteness, the
understanding and the prudence to lay down lessons
of instruction for mankind.
