Page:A translation of the Latin works of Dante Alighieri.djvu/55

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36
DE VULGARI ELOQUENTIA
Cn.

deservedly) precedence [10], declaring that we will have nothing to do with them in any scheme of a vernacular language. We say, then, that the vulgar tongue of the Romans, or rather their hideous jargon, is the ugliest of all the Italian dialects; nor is this surprising, since in the depravity of their manners and customs also they appear to stink worse than all the rest. For they say ‘Mezzure, quinto dici?[1] After them, let us got rid of the inhabitants of the March of Ancona, who say, ‘Chignamente scate sciate?[2] [20] with whom we reject the Spoletans also. Nor must we forget that a great many canzoni have been written in contempt of these three peoples, among which we have have noticed one correctly and perfectly constructed, which a certain Florentine named Castra had composed. It began: –

Una fermana scopai da Casciòli
Cita cita sen gia'n grande nina.[3]

[30] And after these let us weed out the people of Milan and Bergamo with the neighbours, in reproach of whom we recollect that some one has sung : —

Enti l'ora del vesper,
Ciò fu del mes d'ochiover.[4]

After them let us sift out the Aquileians and

  1. Sir, what sayest thou?
  2. Meaning uncertain.
  3. I met peasant-girl (?) from Cascioli : she was slinking off in a great hurry.
  4. At the hour of the evening, in the month of October.