Lettere [...] Da Agostino Michele raccolte et al Sereniss. Signore il Sig. Duca d'Urbino dedicate

Autore: GUARINI, Giovanni Battista (1538-1612)

Tipografo: Giovanni Battista Ciotti

Dati tipografici: Venezia, 1593


4to. (8), 218 pp., (1 blank leaf). a4, A-Z4, Aa-Dd4, Ee2 (Ee2 is a blank). With the engraved printer's device on the title page. 18th century vellum over boards, red edges.

Adams, G-1424; Basso, pp. 333-334; Braida, p. 251; Edit 16, CNCE 21965; Quondam, p. 300; D.H. Thomas, An Annotated Checklist of Editions of the Works of Battista Guarini, (Oxford, 2004), p. 26, no. 1.

 

FIRST EDITION. It is dedicated by the editor Agostino Michele to Francesco Maria II della Rovere, Duke of Urbino (Venice, September 20, 1593) and contains 158 letters dating from June 1565 to August 1593 (nine of which are by other authors: seven are addressed to Guarini and two to other recipients).

Two variant states of the title-page are known: one with Ciotti's ‘Aurora' woodcut device and the present one with his engraved ‘Minerva' device. In our copy (maybe representing an earlier issue), the two leaves of signature b, containing Tavola de' Nomi di coloro à quali sono state scritte le Lettere di questo volume are not present (cf. L. Avellini, Lettere sotto capi divise: il caso tipografico di Battista Guarini, in: “Schede Umanistiche”, n.s., I, 1995, pp. 45-102; and L. Avellini & P. Pullega, Note per un'edizione critica dell'epistolario di Battista Guarini, in: “Lettere italiane”,XXVII, 1975, pp. 170-184).

“La prima edizione delle Lettere del Guarini, curata da quel letterato di Venezia Agostino  Michele di cui Ciotti aveva già pubblicato nel 1592 un Discorso in cui, contra l'opinione di tutti i più illustri scrittori dell'arte poetica, chiaramente si dimostra, come si possono scrivere con molta lode le comedie e le tragedie in prosa..., fu pubblicata dal Ciotti nel 1593, con altre edizioni nel 1594, 1595, 1596, 1598, 1600, 1603, 1606 e 1615. Ciotti aveva il monopolio delle Lettere come anche delle Rime” (D.E. Rhodes, Guarini e l'editore Giovanni Battista Ciotti, in: “Rime e lettere di Battista Guarini. Atti del Convegno di Studi Padova, 5-6 Dicembre 2003”, B.M. Da Rif, ed., Alessandria, 2008, p. 339).

“Abbiamo poi la sequenza delle stampe, indubbiamente sorrette da una forma di volontà autoriale, i cui punti chiave sono la princeps 1593, le complesse operazioni del 1596 di assemblaggio fra ristampa 1594 e edizione nuova di un secondo volume di lettere (assemblaggio che doveva riguardare anche il trattato del Segretario); infine il riordino tematico del 1598. Intorno alla prima stampa occorre disegnare il contesto articolato che la determina: la prima di tali determinazioni sta nella coincidenza cronologica con il congedo del Guarini dalla corte mantovana, di fatto imposto dal rancore di Alfonso II. Altre fortissime ragioni contestuali vanno colte nei progetti di collocazione romana che già nel 1591 animavano l'ex Segretario estense: se è vero, come si afferma nel Segretario, che l' ‘ordine della scrittura' è il più solido ritratto dell'uomo, ecco che il libro di lettere diviene anche, in qualche modo, il prologo, il coro, l'epilogo del suo agire sociale, e dell'approvazione che ne dà la fama [...] Il genere epistolare nel quale l'autore documenta con la princeps del 1593 la propria pratica eccellenza, accingendosi a sancire con il dialogo del Segretario stampato l'anno successivo lo statuto professionale poggiante su una filosofia, o forse una sociologia della retorica, è il tessuto connettivo tipograficamente palpabile fra la ‘libera' professione di uomo di lettere, poeta, filosofo, scrittore di teatro e principe di accademie, e l'applicazione cortigiana e funzionariale della specifica abilità retorica: un frutto ambiguo, un documento dialettico e bifronte, fra bilancio di una vita e promozione verso ulteriori traguardi” (L. Avellini, Proposte per un'articolazione editoriale delle Lettere del Guarini, in: “Op. cit.”, B.M. Da Rif, ed., Alessandria, 2008, p. 350).

 

Passeri, Livio. Padova, June 27, 1565 (p. 1)

Al Signor... Venezia, April 13, 1567 (p. 7, Di molto maggior campo)

[Santorio, Giulio Antonio], Cardinal of Santa Severina. Ferrara, March 1, 1571 (p. 10)

Morone, [Giovanni]. Ferrara, March 1, 1571 (p. 10)

[Gallo, Tolomeo], Cardinal of Como. Ferrara, March 1, 1571 (p. 11)

[Della Rovere, Francesco Maria II], Prince of Urbino. Ferrara, March 1, 1571 (p. 12)

[Laureo, Vincenzo], Bishop of Mondovì. Cracow, September 1, 1574 (p. 13)

Manzuoli, [Benedetto]. Cracow, September 25, 1574 (p. 15)

Farnese, Alessandro. Padova, April 23, 1584 (p. 17)

Strozzi, Palla. Ferrara, February 15, 1585 (p. 30, i.e 22)

Del Monte, [Francesco Maria]. Ferrara, March 7, 1588 (p. 31, i.e. 23)

Sperone, Speroni. [Villa] Guarina, July 10, 1585 (p. 31, i.e. 23)

Al Signor Cardinale... Padova, May 17, 1585 (p. 26)

Dall'Armi, Francesco (p. 28)

Este, Lucrezia d' (p. 29)

Alla Signora... (p. 30)

Al Signor... [Villa] Guarina, October 20, 1589 (p. 30)

Farnese, Ottavio. [Villa] Guarina, June 13, 1583 (p. 31)

[Laureo, Vincenzo], Cardinal of Mondovì. Padova, n.d. (p. 32)

Manzuoli, Benedetto (p.33)

from Salviati, [Lionardo]. Firenze, April 26, 1586 (p. 34)

Salviati, [Lionardo]. Ferrara, February 6, 1586 (p. 36)

Al Signor... (p. 37, La libertà usata da me)

Percivali, cavalier. Ferrara, June 4, 1581 (p. 39)

Salviati, [Lionardo]. Ferrara, April 1, 1586 (p. 40)

[Gonzaga, Vincenzo], Prince of Mantua (p. 41)

A Signori Accademici Innominati di Parma. Ferrara, September 5, 1581 (p. 41)

from Signori Accademici Innominati. Parma, November 1, 1581 (p. 43)

Vinta, [Francesco]. Padova, January 1, 1590 (p. 45)

[Valori, Baccio], Consul of the Accademia Fiorentina. Ferrara, November 12, 1587 (p. 46)

[Pico, Galeotto III], Count of Mirandola (p. 47)

Marguerite [de Valois], Duchess of Savoy. Ferrara, October 6, 1571 (p. 48)

[Sfondrati, Niccolò], Cardinal of Cremona. Ferrara, July 15, 1587 (p. 50)

Boccarini, Dario (p. 36, i.e. 52)

Sfondrati, [Ercole]. Ferrara, September 4, 1586 (p. 36, i.e. 52)

Savoia, [Carlo Emmanuele I], Duke of. Padova, November 15, 1585 (p. 53)

[Laureo, Vincenzo], Cardinal of Mondovì (p. 54)

Goselini, Giuliano. Ferrara, January 8, 1582 (p. 55)

from Goselini, Giuliano. Milano, December 2, 1581 (p. 56)

Al Signor Cardinale... Ferrara, December 15, 1576 (p. 58)

[Gonzaga] Vincenzo (p. 58)

Gonzaga, Scipione. Padova, September 3, 1590 (p. 60)

from Gonzaga, Scipione. Roma, January 27, 1590 (p. 62)

Al Signor... In Ferrara. (p. 63)

Sanseverino, Barbara (p. 65)

[Rossi, Bastiano de'?] Al Signor Arciconsolo della Crusca (p. 66)

Panigarola, [Francesco]. [Villa] Guarina, July 2, 1588 (p. 66).

Rangone, [Fulvio?]. Ferrara, January 2, 1586 (p. 67)

Badoer, Pietro. Ferrara, January 15, 1586 (p. 68)

Marzini, dottor. Mantova (p. 69)

Da Costa, Nuño. Mantova (p. 70)

Melchiori, Francesco. Padova (p. 71)

Ramusio, Girolamo. Brescinone, December 5, 1592 (p. 72)

Al Signor... Ferrara (p. 73, Se la liberazione di Ballotta)

Bardi, Giovanni. Padova, August 19, 1589 (p. 74)

Al Signor... Venezia, June 30, 1588 (p. 77, V.S. Illustrissima mi domanda)

Badoer, Pietro (p. 78)

[Argotti del Carretto, Agnese], Marquise of Grana. Ferrara, April 24, 1592 (p. 79)

Bardi, Giovanni. Ferrara, March 3, 1586 (p. 80)

Zenobi, Luigi. [Villa] Guarina, July 14, 1590 (p. 81)

[Gonzaga, Vincenzo], Duke of Mantua (p. 83)

Badoer, Pietro (p. 86)

Al Signor... [Villa] Guarina, June 23, 1589 (p. 87, Io non mi meraviglio)

Visdomini, Eugenio. Ferrara, January 7, 1586 (p. 90)

Vinta, [Francesco]. Padova, March 20, 1590 (p. 92)

Al Signor Cardinale... (p. 94)

Della Rovere, [Giulio Feltre] (p. 95)

Bovio, [Girolamo]. Venezia, January 28, 1590 (p. 96)

Rossi, Bastiano de'. [Villa] Guarina, April 1, 1589 (p. 97)

Del Monte, [Francesco Maria] (p. 98)

Melchiori, [Francesco]. Padova (p. 98)

Bentivoglio, Cornelio. Venezia, January 25, 1582 (p. 99)

Pio, [Benedetta], Countess of Sala. Innsbruck, November 29, 1592 (p. 104)

Bulgarini, Belisario. Innsbruck, November 2, 1592 (p. 106)

[Argotti del Carretto, Agnese], Marquise of Grana. Innsbruck, November 15, 1592 (p. 107)

Macchiavelli, Giovanni Paolo (p. 108)

Canossa, Claudio (p. 110)

Savoia, Carlo Emmanuele I di. Ferrara, March 6, 1588 (p. 110)

Contarini, Jacopo. Ferrara, March 4, 1588 (p. 111)

Ferrante, Gonzaga. Mantova, March, 1593 (p. 112)

Arlotti, Ridolfo. Padova, 1589 (p. 113)

Sfondrati, [Ercole]. Ferrara, February 15, 1586 (p. 115)

from Sfondrati, [Ercole]. Torino, March 2, 1586 (p. 116)

Gonzaga, Scipione. [Villa] Guarina, June 13, 1588 (p. 118)

id. Ferrara, March 15, 1588 (p. 119)

Bentivoglio, Annibale. Padova (p. 119)

Alla Signora... Padova, 1590 (p. 120)

Alessandrino, priore. Padova, 1589 (p. 121)

Este, Bradamante d'. Padova, February 7, 1590 (p. 123)

Gonzaga, Scipione. Ferrara, March 8, 1588 (p. 123)

Al... Padova (p. 124)

Mercuriale, [Girolamo]. Ferrara, November 15, 1585 (p. 125)

Rusticucci, [Girolamo], Cardinal. Mantova, July 2, 1593(p. 126)

Este, Lucrezia d'. [Villa] Guarina, July 3, 1589 (p. 127)

Deti, Giovanni Battista. Padova (p. 127)

Strozzi, Giovanni Battista. Padova (p. 128)

id. [Villa] Guarina, Novemver 1, 1588 (p. 129)

Bentivoglio, Ippolito. [Villa] Guarina, November 12, 1588 (p. 132)

Gonzaga, Scipione. Mantova, September 2, 1592 (p. 133)

from [Gonzaga, Vincenzo], Prince of Mantua (p. 135)

[Gonzaga, Vincenzo], Prince of Mantua. Ferrara. February 3, 1588 (p. 135)

Pio, Marco. Innsbruck, November 15, 1592 (p. 136)

Gonzaga, Scipione. Ferrara (p. 137)

from [Della Rovere, Francesco Maria II], Duke of Urbino. Casteldurante, October 27, 1589 (p. 139)

[Della Rovere, Francesco Maria II], Duke of Urbino. Venezia, November 2, 1589 (p. 139)

[Este, Lucrezia d'], Duchess of Urbino. Venezia, November 4, 1592 (p. 141)

Gregory XIV. Padova, December 10, 1590 (p. 142)

[Medici, Ferdinando de'], Grand Duke of Tuscany (p. 143)

Rangoni, Giulio. Ferrara (p. 144)

Este, Cesare d'. Venezia (p. 145)

Savoia, [Carlo Emmanuele I], Duke of (p. 146)

[Della Rovere, Francesco Maria II], Duke of Urbino. Ferrara, December 12, 1585 (p. 147)

Conte... [Villa] Guarina, July 24, 1589 (p. 149)

Giacomini, Lorenzo. [Castello di] Mesola, April 4, 1586 (p. 150)

[Pico] della Mirandola, Countess. Ferrara, 1587 (p. 152)

Ballantini, Attilio. Ferrara (p. 153)

Salviati, [Lionardo]. Ferrara (p. 153)

Masetti, [Giulio]. Ferrara (p. 154)

Duodo, Pietro (p. 155)

Della Rovere, [Giulio Feltre] (p. 156)

from Gonzaga, Scipione. Roma, September 30, 1587 (p. 157)

from Salviati, [Lionardo]. Firenze, June 14, 1586 (p. 158)

Este, [Filippo] d'. Padova (p. 159)

[Michiel, Lodovico?], Podestà of Rovigo. Mantova, July 24, 1592 (p. 160)

Alla Signora... (p. 161, Scrivo per ubbidire)

Strozzi, Giovanni Battista. Padova (p. 165)

Medici, Giovanni de'. Mantova, 1592 (p. 166)

Gonzaga, Scipione. Mantova, May 15, 1592 (p. 167)

Riccoboni, [Antonio]. Mantova, May 19, 1593 (p. 168)

Torelli Benedetti, Barbara. Mantova, January 2, 1593 (p. 169)

Estense Tassoni, Ferrante (p. 170)

Collalto, Antonio. [Villa] Guarina (p. 171)

[Pio, Marco], Lord of Sassuolo. [Villa] Guarina, March 15, 1589 (p. 172)

Badoer, Pietro. Padova (p. 173)

Brancaccio, Giulio Cesare. Ferrara (p. 175)

Finetti, Giovanni (p. 176)

Pio, Marco. [Villa] Guarina (p. 176)

Strozzi, Giovanni Battista. Padova (p. 177)

Gonzaga, Ferrante. Ferrara (p. 179)

Farnese Pio, Clelia. Innsbruck, November 15, 1592 (p. 181)

Gonzaga, Scipione. Ferrara (p. 183)

id. Padova, November 20, 1591 (p. 185)

Pappacoda, Benedetto. Ferrara (p. 187)

Guicciardini, Lorenzo. Ferrara, May 3, 1573 (p. 189)

Al Signor Cardinale... (p. 190)

Sborovski, Andreas. Ferrara, June 18, 1576 (p. 192)

Vialardi, Francesco Maria. [Villa] Guarina, July 22, 1583 (p. 193)

Bendidio, Taddea. Ferrara, September 5, 1575 (p. 199)

Fusignano, Lucrezia di. Ferrara, September 5, 1575 (p. 200)

Bendidio, Taddea. Warsaw, November 25, 1575 (p. 201)

Rossetti, [Alfonso], Bishop of Ferrara. Warsaw, December 19, 1575 (p. 205)

Manzoli, [Benedetto], Bishop of Reggio [Emilia]. [Villa] Guarina, June 13, 1582 (p. 207)

Panizzari, Gian Niccolò. Ferrara, February 15, 1593 (p. 208)

Al Signor... Ferrara, October 20, 1586 (p. 211)

Al Dottore... [Bonifacio, Giovanni?] a Rovigo (p. 212)

Collalto, Antonio (p. 214)

Al Signor... Ferrara, January 15, 1586 (p. 215)

[Este, Lucrezia d'], Duchess of Urbino. Mantova, August 18, 1593 (p. 217)

 

Giovanni Battista Guarini was born at Ferrara into a noble family with a history of literary and political achievements dating back over two hundred years. His father, Francesco Guarini was the great-grandson of the early humanist Guarino da Verona (1374-1460), the originator of the family's fortune. He received a humanist education, which he completed at the University of Padua with studies in law and possibly also philosophy.

In 1557 he returned to Ferrara, where he replaced his great-uncle, Alessandro, as a professor of rhetoric and poetics at the Arch-gymnasium. His relationship with the Este family was further consolidated through his marriage to Taddea Bendidio, who was related to the Rossetti and Bentivoglio families, both of which had strong ties with the ducal house of Ferrara.

His first break-through on the literary scene came in 1564, when he was invited by the highly influential Cardinal Scipione Gonzaga to join the Accademia degli Eterei, in Padua, with the name of Costante. An important publication of his poetry ensued a few years later, in 1567, in a collection of rhymes written by the members of the academy that is considered a first-rate sample of Venetian Petrarchism. In the same year Guarini officially took up service at the Estense court, where his duties for Alfonso II entailed a number of burdensome political assignments and diplomatic missions throughout the country (Turin, Venice, Rome, etc.), as well as a three-year stint in Poland (1574-76). A profound reflection on his experience as a chancellor and on the role of the thinker in the service of the State will come only much later, with Il segretario (1594), a moralistic dialogue on the responsibilities of a secretary and the art of letter writing.

In 1575, Guarini was called on to fill the void in high-profile courtly entertainment left by the death of Giovan Battista Nicolucci (better known as il Pigna), a void that became even more noticeable after Tasso's imprisonment at S. Anna four years later. He played a key role in the pursuit of new musico-poetic experimentations in the Ferrarese madrigal tradition.

The early eighties saw a new gain in notoriety for Guarini. He was invited to join the Accademia degli Innominati, in Parma, with the name of Pellegrino, and received an invitation from the Accademia degli Olimpici of Vicenza to be part of the committee designated to choose the featured work at the famous reopening of the Palladian theater in that city. These years also mark the beginning of what will become a leitmotiv in Guarini's biography: namely, his ongoing strife with Alfons d'Este due to unsatisfactory compensation, which eventually led to his dismissal at the end of 1583.

This unexpected turn of events, which brought Guarini back to his beloved Veneto region, proved to be beneficial for his personal enrichment, as well as for his creative vein. His periodic visits to Padua allowed him to meet and befriend some of the most notable members of the intelligentsia of that vibrant city, such as Antonio Querenghi, Lorenzo Pignoria, Jacopo Zabarella, and Antonio Riccoboni. Moreover, he was finally able to attend to the composition of his masterpiece, the Pastor Fido, which he had begun in 1580, but had been unable to finish due to the multiple responsibilities that his employment with the Este entailed. He completed the famous pastoral drama in 1584, while also engaging in an extensive job-hunt that led to a brief stay in Turin in 1585, where he was planning to take up service at the court of Charles Emmanuel I of Savoy.

That, however, did not happen. In fact, Alfonso, who would not tolerate that a subject and former secretary of his work for another prince, finally offered Guarini a job with adequate compensation and prestige. Guarini accepted and went back to serve the Este at the end of 1585. During the following two years, besides attending to his secretarial duties, he also composed the choruses of the Pastor Fido. But the peace with Alfonso was bound to be only temporary. Soon enough, new complaints about his work and, most importantly, the Duke's unsatisfactory management of a dispute Guarini was having with his son, Alessandro, over the administration of his daughter-in-law's dowry, stirred up the old grudges the secretary had with his prince, leading him to abruptly quit his job in 1588. Yet he never really broke his ties with Ferrara.

The following years were characterized by Guarini's efforts to secure a new job with other Italian courts (Mantua, Florence). Such efforts were not particularly successful, and resulted in a short period at the Medicean court from 1599 to 1602, followed by a brief service for Francesco Maria II della Rovere in Urbino. Making up for what must have hardly been a rewarding moment in his professional career, there were finally a few successful attempts at staging the Pastor Fido: the play was performed for the first time in Siena in 1593, then during the carnival of Crema in 1596, and finally, with great pomp, during the visit of the Governor of Milan, Juan Fernàndez de Velasco, in Mantua, on November 22, 1598. These performances transformed what had been a well-known literary work into a real cultural event, thus definitively sealing the fame of the play, as well as that of its author.

Later on Guarini tirelessly worked on three philosophical tracts: Trattato dell'onore, Ragion di Stato, Favorito cortigiano, all of which are unfortunately lost. Also important was the work he conducted in close consultation with the Bolognese Accademia dei Gelati (Guarini was elected prince of this academy in 1611) and the Roman Accademia degli Umoristi, in order to compile a collection of poems that would show the new trends in Italian lyric poetry. Guarini spent his last years embroiled in disputes with contemporary critics and litigation with his children over his estate. He died in Venice in 1612 (cf. Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, Roma, 2002, LX, pp. 345-352).


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