RIMINI.

Vedi Ginevra, Isotta e l'altre amanti,

E la coppia d' Arimino.

PETRARCA.

Heu, miser, exagitans immiti corde furores,
Sancte puer, curis hominum qui gaudia misces,
Quæque regis Golgos, quæque Idalium frondosum,
Qualibus incensam jactastis mente puellam
Fluctibus, in flavo sæpe hospite suspirantem!
Quantos illa tulit languenti corde timores!
Quantum sæpe magis fulgore expalluit auri!

CATULLUS.

RIMINI, or Arimino, the Ariminum of the Romans, is a place of great antiquity. Tradition has even assigned its origin to the times of Hercules. Here terminated the Via Flaminia, being joined to the Via Emilia. The labours of Augustus, the great road-maker of Italy, are still visible in the magnificent bridge over which the traveller enters the town. This bridge, which consists of three arches, built entirely of solid blocks of white marble, is one of the most perfect monuments extant of the Augustan age. The proportions of the arches are said to be the same as those recommended by Palladio. From the inscriptions still legible upon the marble, it appears that the work was not completed until the time of Tiberius. Rimini also exhibits other remains of antiquity, inviting the attention of the traveller: a triumphal gate with one arch, raised in honour of Augustus; and the ruins of an amphitheatre, in the garden of the Capuchins.

In the square, or market-place, stands an antique pedestal of marble, which, according to a modern inscription upon it, was the suggestum from which Cæsar harangued his army after passing the Rubicon. It is to be regretted that so classical an association is not supported by better evidence than that of mere tradition.

At the distance of about twelve miles from Rimini is situated the little republic of San Marino, whose singular fortune it has been, in the midst of despotic governments, to maintain its independence for upwards of twelve hundred years. The traveller who passes through Rimini, from which place alone the territories of the republic can be entered, ought not to omit to visit this little state, celebrated, as it has been, in the prose of Addison and in the verse of Collins.

But Rimini is more interesting to the lovers of Italian literature, on account of its being connected with the tragical deaths of Francesca da Polenta and Paolo Malatesta, which form the subject of one of the finest episodes in Dante's poem.—(Inferno, c. v.) Here it will be only necessary to remind the reader that Gianciotto Malatesta, married to Francesca da Polenta, killed her and his own brother Paolo, under suspicion that an unlawful attachment existed between them. A few words in illustration of that passage of Dante will not, perhaps, prove unacceptable to our readers.

The house of Malatesta were lords of Verucchio, a small castle near Rimini, which was bestowed upon them by that city, as a reward for services performed by that family on behalf of the people of Rimini. This added great consideration to the Malatestas, whose head, Mala

testa il Vecchio, displayed great talents, and was acknowledged as chief of the Guelphs in that part of Italy. He commanded the Guelphic League when they were defeated by Guido da Montefeltro, the leader of the Ghibellines; and eventually succeeded, after several vain attempts, in making himself lord of Rimini, by treacherously seizing and murdering Montagna de' Parcità, the head of the Ghibellines of that city.

Malatesta the old was thrice married. By his first wife he had Malatesta dall' Occhio, so named because he had only one eye; by the second were born Giovanni and Paolo; by the third he had one Ramberto, of whom we have no need farther to speak. Giovanni was lame; hence he was surnamed Ciotto, a word which being united with his christian name, pronounced in dialect Zan or Gian, the name Zanciotto or Gianciotto was formed, sometimes changed into Lanciotto. Paolo, on the contrary, must have been a fine-looking man, he being surnamed Paul the Beautiful, or Paolo Bello. Giovanni was the father of three sons, probably by his wife Francesca; and it is to be concluded that Paolo was married, since from him descended the counts of Ghiazzolo.

Guido da Polenta, the father of Francesca, was Lord of Ravenna, and a Guelph. He contrived to render himself master of that city, by driving from it the two powerful Ghibelline families, Traversari and Atanagi. He succeeded, chiefly by the assistance of the Malatestas, with whom he was strictly allied. After the murder of Francesca, the two houses continued to support each other, but the persons more nearly connected with the two victims seem never to have been afterwards on friendly