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Tommaseo, in the preface to his 'Canti Popolari, mentions in particular a Beatrice di Pian degli Ontani, whose poetry was famous through the mountains of Pistoja; and Tigri records by name a little girl called Cherubina, who made rispetti by the dozen as she watched her sheep upon the hills. Salutatemi, bella, lo scrivano; Non lo conosco e non so chi si sia.
And the deep blue eyes had an intense dreamy light within them as they wandered from the wheel to the wide-open window, and rested on the majestic darkness of the overshadowing, solemn pines. "In mezzo del mio core c' e una spina; Non c' e barbier che la possa levare, Solo il mio amore colla sua manina" Rime Popolari.
Any one who is sceptical of the Courtly derivation of the Italian popular song may, besides consulting the admirable book of Prof. d'Ancona, compare with the contents of Tigri's famous "Canti popolari Toscani," the following scraps of Sicilian and early Italian lyrics:
Vol. ii. of his works, p. 37. On p. 29 he describes the population of Venice as divided into 'Popolari, or plebeians, exercising small industries, and so forth: 'Cittadini, or the middle class, born in the state, and of more importance than the plebeians; 'Gentiluomini, or masters of Venice by sea and land, about 3,000 in number, corresponding to the burghers of Florence.
When the parties of the 'Nove' and the 'Popolari' met and kissed one another by twos in the cathedral at Siena on New Year's Eve, 1494, an oath was read by which all salvation in time and eternity was denied to the future violator of the treaty 'an oath more astonishing and dreadful than had ever yet been heard. The last consolations of religion in the hour of death were to turn to the damnation of the man who should break it.
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