We have left from Father Vernaccia the following record*: - Pier Antonio Viti son of Bartolommeo was a poet: and we have seen with Gio. Maria Antonio Viti* his descendant a chapter in quarta rima, in which figures of playing cards represent four passions of the soul; that is, love, hope, jealousy, fear.
He only saw un capitola, a/one chapter, and also his memory was not quite right, it is in terza rima, not quarta rima, and also appears to think that Viti himself wrote it, rather than a commentary/description of it.
*Renier reports on this record of Vernaccio and mentions that Vernaccio's biographical notes are in Pesaro, Biblioteca Oliveriana, ms.1145. I have searched the online Oliveriana database with manuscript number and "Vernaccio" and cannot find any current record of it. I am presuming it is Padre Pier Girolamo Vernaccia, 1676-1742, of the Pious School, pastor of the arcade o the Colina Metaurica,author of the manuscripts
Trees of the families of the illustrious men of Urbino and its justifications formed by Pier Girolamo Vernaccia (1706);
Collection historical and other writings with which you justify genealogical trees of illustrious families of Urbino, which were formed by Pier Girolamo Vernaccia (1706), and
Lives of some illustrious men of Urbino and memories of families of the same city by the Pier Girolamo Vernaccia, 1720.
*Giovanni Maria Antonio Viti was the name of Pier Antonio Viti's son.
SteveM wrote:
Benivieni was an adherent of Savanarola, and also “...revived Jacopone’s doctrine that madness for Christ’s sake is true wisdom, and wrote the Bonfire songs that Savanarola’s adherents sang in their procession.” One of those Bonfire songs (which Alain made reference to in the Le Tarot arithmologique thread) :
Non fu mai el piu bel solazzo,
Never was there more beautiful solace,
Piu giocondo ne maggiore,
more joyful or greater,
Che per zelo, e per amore
than through zeal, and through love
Di Jesu, diventar pazzo.
of Jesus, to become crazy.
...
Ognum gridi com’ io grido,
everyone shout as I shout,
Sempre pazzo, pazzo, pazzo.”
always crazy, crazy, crazy.
As an adherent of Savonarola, he was also an active participant in the bonfires of the vanities, so strange that of Boiado's poems he chose to include one about a card game!? One to while away the time, in this vain world...
Another Bonfire song by Benivieni for Savanarola on the theme of ‘santo pazzo’ (holy craziness) is
Della pazzia del christiano et de suoi effecti (on the craziness of the Christian and its effects).
Io co darti anima mia
Now I will give you, O my soul,
un rimedio sol che vale
a single remedy that applies
quanto ogni altro a ciascun male
more than all others against any ill,
che si chiama la pazzia.
named madness.
To tre oncs al meno di
speme,
Take three ounces at least of hope
tre di fede e sei di
amore,
three of faith and six of love,
due di pianto e poni insieme
two of tears and place together
tutto al fuoco del
timore.
all on the fire of fear.
Fa da poi bollir tre hore
then boil it for three hours
premi enfine vi agiugni tanto
stir at the end and add as much
di humilita e
dolor, quanto
of humility and sorrow as
basta a far questa pazzia.
is enough to make this madness.
This is just the refrain and first stanza. The
bold words I have highlighted, are the four passions of the soul.
(Other Bonfire songs include the opposite of the crazy Christian, the crazy non-believer 'a un pazzo che non crede'.)
SteveM
Ref:
Bonfire Songs: Savonarola's Musical Legacy, Volume 1 by Patrick Paul Macey