The Browning Cyclopædia: A Guide to the Study of the Works of Robert Browning

Book IV. – The description of the unhappy position of Ferrara, “the lady city,” for which both Guelf and Ghibelline contended, opens the fourth book. Sordello is here with Palma. He has seen the dreadful condition of the people, and has espoused their cause. Here, in the midst of carnage and ruin, Sordello learns his altruism. He appeals to Taurello Salinguerra, but nothing comes of it. The more he sees of the misery of the people, the more he vows himself to an effort to raise them. The soldiers ask him to sing at their camp-fire. He sings, and Palma hears and takes him back to Taurello Salinguerra. The poet here describes the chief and tells his story. He is the doer, as contrasted with Sordello the visionary; but he has led a life of misfortune and adventure. At the burning of Vicenza he lost wife and child; he embraced the cause of Eccelin and the Ghibellines. As Eccelin had gone into a monastery, all Taurello’s plans were disarranged. He ponders as to whom shall be given the Emperor’s badge of the prefectship; and what shall he do with his prisoner Richard; Sordello asks Palma what are the laws at work which explain Ghibellinism. He feels he has been a recreant to his race: Taurello has the people’s interest at heart; all that Sordello should have done he does. Are Guelfs as bad as Ghibellines, or better? Both these do worse than nothing, is a reflection which comforts the do-nothing poet. What if there were a Cause higher and nobler than either, and he (Sordello) were to be its true discoverer? A soldier, at this point, suggests to Sordello a subject for a ballad: a tale of a dead worthy long ago consul of Rome, Crescentius Nomentanus, who —

“From his brain,Gave Rome out on its ancient place again.”

Sordello resolves to build up Rome again – a Rome which should mean the rights of mankind, the realisation of the People’s cause.

Book V. – The splendid dream of a New Rome has vanished from Sordello’s mind ere night; his enthusiasm is chilled, and arch by arch the vision has dissolved. Mankind cannot be exalted of a sudden; the work of ages cannot be done in a day. The New Rome is one more thing which Sordello could imagine, but could not make. His heart tells him that the minute’s work is the first step to the whole work of a man: he has purposed to take the last step first: he may be a man at least, if he cannot be a god. The world is not prepared for such a violent change; society has never been advanced by leaps and bounds. Charlemagne had to subject Europe by main force, then Hildebrand was enabled to rule by brain power. Strength wrought order, and made the rule of moral influence possible; in its turn, moral power allied itself with material power. The Crusaders learned the trick of breeding strength by other aid than strength; and so the Lombard League turned righteous strength against pernicious strength. Then comes, in its turn, God’s truce to supersede the use of strength by the Divine influence of Religion. All that precedes is as scaffolding, indispensable while the building is in progress, but a thing to spurn when the structure is completed: that, however, is not yet. As talking is Sordello’s trade, he endeavours to persuade Salinguerra to join the Guelfs, as this, to Sordello, seems the more popular cause. Taurello hears him with patience, mixed with a contemptuous indifference. His scornful demeanour rouses Sordello to make the highest claims for the poet’s authority: “A poet must be earth’s essential king.” To bend Taurello to the Guelf cause, Sordello would give up life itself. He knows that “this strife is right for once.” Taurello is impressed at last: the argument hits him, not the man; himself must be won to the Ghibellines. Palma, being a woman, is impossible as leader of the party; her love for Sordello may, however, be cast in the balance, and in an inspired moment Taurello invests Sordello with the Emperor’s badge, which he casts upon his neck. Palma now tells Taurello that Adelaide, on her death-bed, confessed that Sordello was Taurello’s own son, who did not perish, as he believed, at Vicenza. Adelaide, for her own purposes, had concealed his rescue. “Embrace him, madman!” Palma cried; thoughts rushed, fancies rushed. “Nay, the best’s behind,” Taurello laughed. Palma hurries Taurello away, that Sordello may collect his thoughts awhile. Sordello is crowned. They hear a foot-stamp as they discuss the future, in the room where they left Sordello, and “out they two reeled dizzily.”

Book VI. – Now has arisen the great temptation of Sordello. Is it to be the Great Renunciation or the Fall? With the magnificent prospect before him of Chief of the Ghibellines, the Emperor cause; with the Emperor’s badge on his neck; with Palma, his Ghibelline bride, he, Taurello Salinguerra’s son, might at last do something! After all, what was the difference between Guelf and Ghibelline? Why should he give up all the joy of life that the multitude might have some joy? “Speed their Then.” “But how this badge would suffer! – you improve your Now!” So Sordello lovingly eyes the tempter’s apple. After all, evil is just as natural as good; and without evil no good can accrue to men. Sordello may then as well be happy while he may. Soul and body have each alike need of the other: soul must content itself without the Infinite till the earth-stage is over. He has tried to satisfy the soul’s longing, and has failed: why not seek now the common joys of men? Salinguerra and Palma reach the chamber door and dash aside the veil, only to find Sordello dead, “under his foot the badge.” Has he lost or won? He learned how to live as he came to die: he made the Great Renunciation, and in seeming defeat he achieved his soul’s success.

Notes to Book I. – Line 6, Pentapolin, “o’ the naked arm,” king of the Garamanteans, who always went to battle with his right arm bare. (See Don Quixote, I. iii. 4; “The friendless-people’s friend,” etc.) Don Quixote is here spoken of, and “Pentapolin named o’ the Naked Arm” is mentioned by Don Quixote when he sees the two flocks of sheep: “Know, friend Sancho, that yonder army before us is commanded by the Emperor Alifanfaron, sovereign of the Island of Trapoban; and the other is commanded by his enemy the king of the Garamanteans, known by the name of Pentapolin with the naked arm, because he always engages in battle with the right arm bare.” l. 12, Verona: a city of North Italy, on the Adige, under the Lombard Alps. l. 66, “The thunder phrase of the Athenian,” etc.: Æschylus, who fought at Marathon. l. 70, “The starry paladin”: Sir Philip Sidney’s love poems to Stella were written under the nom de plume of Astrophel (the lover of the star). [S.] l. 80, The Second Friedrich == Holy Roman Emperor (1194-1250), surnamed the Hohenstauffen, the most remarkable historic figure of the middle ages. He was the grandson of Barbarossa, and was crowned in 1220. l. 81, Third Honorius == Pope Honorius III. (1216-1227): he was a Guelf. l. 104, Richard of St. Boniface, Count of Verona, was of the Guelfs; Lombard League: the famous alliance of the great Lombard cities began in 1164. l. 117, “Prone is the purple pavis”: a pavise is a large shield covering the whole body: when the shield was prone—i. e. fallen flat on its face – its owner was defenceless. l. 124, “Duke o’ the Rood”: of the Order of the Holy Cross. l. 126, Hell-cat == Eccelin. l. 131, Ferrara: an ancient city of North Italy, twenty-nine miles from Bologna and seventy from Venice. l. 131, Osprey: a long-winged eagle. “An osprey appears to have been the coat of arms of Salinguerra, as the ‘ostrich with a horseshoe in his beak’ was that of Eccelin.” [S.] l. 142, Oliero: the monastery which Eccelin the monk entered. It is situated near Bassano, in the Eastern Alps. ll. 148 and 149, Cino Bocchimpane and Buccio Virtù: citizens. l. 149, God’s Wafer: an oath (Ostia di Dio). l. 150, “Tutti Santi” == “All Saints!” an exclamation. l. 153, Padua: a famous city of Lombardy, said to be the oldest in North Italy; Podesta == governor of a city. l. 197, Hohenstauffen: this dynasty of Germany began with Conrad III. (1137-52). Frederick II. was the most illustrious man of this illustrious family. l. 198, John of Brienne: crusader and titular king of Jerusalem (1204). He was afterwards Emperor of the East. His daughter Yolande or Iolanthe married Frederick II. l. 201, Otho IV., Holy Roman Emperor (c. 1174-1218). l. 202, Barbaross == Frederick Barbarossa: one of the greatest sovereigns of Germany (1152-90). There is a German tradition that he is not dead, but only sleeping, and that when he starts from his slumbers a golden age will begin for Germany. l. 205, Triple-bearded Teuton Barbarossa: the legend runs that his beard has already grown through the table slab, but must wind itself thrice round the table before his second advent. l. 253, Trevisan: of the province of Treviso; its chief town, Treviso, is distant seventeen miles from Venice. l. 257, Godego: a town in Venetia, amongst the Asolan hills. Marostica: a town of North Italy, fifteen miles north-east of Vicenza, at the foot of Mount Rovero. l. 258, Castiglione: a town at the Italian end of the Lago di Garda (Cartiglion in the text, but evidently a misprint); Bassano: a city of Italy, in the province of Vicenza, on the Brenta. In the centre of the town is the Tower of Ezzelino. Loria, or Lauria: a city of Italy in the province of Potenza. The castle was the birthplace of Ruggiero di Loria. l. 259, Suabian: the struggle for the Imperial throne between Philip of Swabia and Otto of Brunswick (1198-1208) enlisted the sympathies of Italy, and some of the Guelfic towns took the part of the Guelf Otto. l. 262, Vale of Trent: Trent or Tridentum was once the wealthiest town in Tyrol; it lies between Botzen and Verona. l. 263, Roncaglia, near Piacenza, where Frederick I. held the Diet in 1154, and received the submission of the Lombards. l. 265, Asolan and Euganean hills: in the Trevisan, a district of North Italy, between Trent and Venice. l. 266, Rhetian, of the country of the Tyrol and the Grisons; Julian mountains: between Venetia and Noricum. l. 288, Romano: Eccelino da Romano. l. 304, Rovigo: a city of Italy, about twenty-seven miles S.S.W. of Padua. From the eleventh to the fourteenth century the Este family was usually in authority. l. 305, Ancona’s March: the frontier or boundary of Ancona, a city of Central Italy on the Adriatic. l. 315, Hildebrand: Pope Gregory VII. (1073-85). l. 317, Twenty-four: the magistrates of Verona who managed the affairs of the city. l. 324, Carroch, or caroccio: a Lombard war carriage, which was drawn by oxen, and bore a great bell, the standard of the army, and the Sacred Host, forming a rallying point. l. 373, “John’s transcendent vision” – Book of Revelation. ll. 382 and 385, Mantua and Mincio: about seven hundred years ago the river Mincio formed a great marsh round the city of Mantua; this separated the city from the mountains, on the slope of which stood the castle of Goïto. l. 420, Caryatides: figures of women serving to support entablatures. l. 587, “That Pisan Pair”: Niccolo Pisano, and Giovanni Pisano, his son were great sculptors and architects of Pisa (circ. 1207-78). “Nicolo was born about 1200, and was one of the first to seek after the truer forms of art in the general quickening of the century. He was a great sculptor, as his works and those of his son Giovanni (architect of the Campo Santo at Pisa) and his school bear witness at Pisa, Orvieto, Pistoia, and many other towns. After he had met with an example of the genuine antique – a sarcophagus now at Pisa – he brought his future work into accordance with its rules.” [S.] l. 589, “while at Sienna is Guidone set”: “The name Guido da Sienna and the date 1221, mark a picture now at Sienna; and this, with other works attributed to the same painter, show him to have been one of the earliest artists who express a feeling independent of Byzantine influence.” [S.] l. 591, “Saint Euphemia”: a fine brick church at Verona, dating from the thirteenth century. The interior has now been entirely remodelled. [S.]. Saint Eufemia: of Chalcedon: her body was said to have been miraculously conveyed to Rovigno, in the sixth century. l. 606, “so they found at Babylon”: “It is said that after the city (of Seleucia) was burnt, the soldiers searching the temple (of Apollo) found a narrow hole, and when this was opened in the hope of finding something of value in it, there issued from some deep gulf, which the secret magic of the Chaldeans had closed up, a pestilence laden with the strength of incurable disease, which polluted the whole world with contagion, in the time of Verus and Marcus Antoninus, and from the borders of Persia to Gaul and the Rhine.” – Ammianus Marcellinus. [S.] l. 607, “Colleagues, mad Lucius and sage Antonine”: during the joint reign of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (the philosopher) and the scapegrace Lucius Verus; the latter was in command of the Roman forces in the east, and engaged in a war with Parthia. His generals sacked Seleucia, and he was himself present in the neighbourhood of Babylon during the winters of A.D. 163-5 (v. Clinton, Fasti Romani). [S.] l. 608, “Apollo’s shrine”: “Seleuceus, one of Alexander’s generals, and himself a Macedonian, founded the Syrian empire, and built the town of Seleucia. A good deal is told of the Hellenization of the East under Seleucus. He, no doubt, founded the temple of Apollo, who was claimed as an ancestor of the family.” [S.] l. 617, Loxian: surname of Apollo. l. 671, Orpine: a yellow plant, commonly called Livelong (Sedum Telephium). l. 679, “adventurous spider”: the geometric spiders (Orbitelariæ), are almost the only ones whose method of forming a snare have been at all minutely recorded. The garden spider (Epeira) spins a large quantity of thread, which, floating in the air in various directions, happens, from its glutinous quality, at last to adhere to some object near it – a lofty plant, or the branch of a tree. When the spider has one end of the line fixed, he walks along part of it, and fastens another, then drops and affixes the thread to some object below; climbs again, and begins a third, fastening that in a similar way. Mr. Browning is in error when he makes the spider shoot her threads from depth to height, from barbican to battlement. l. 707, “eat fern seed”: this was anciently supposed to make the eater invisible; Naddo: appears as Sordello’s friend and adviser: Mr. Browning makes him a representative of the “Philistine” party, and puts into his mouth the words of mere conventional, superficial wisdom. l. 720, “Poppy – a coarse brown rattling crane”: the cranium or skull-like poppy head, when it contains the seed and is dry. l. 784, Valvassor, or vavasour: in feudal law a principal vassal, not holding immediately of the sovereign, but of a great lord; suzerain: a feudal lord, a lord paramount. l. 835, “The Guelfs paid stabbers, etc.”: “In 1209 Otho IV. entered Italy, and held his court near Verona. All the chief lords of Venetia, but especially Eccelino II., da Romana, and Azzo VI., Marquis d’Este, were summoned to attend. Those two gentlemen had profited by the long interregnum which preceded Otho’s reign. They had used the various discords between the towns to increase each his own faction; and the hatred between the two was more bitter than ever. A dramatic scene took place at the meeting before the Emperor. When Eccelino saw Azzo, he said, in the presence of the whole court, ‘We were intimate in our youth, and I believed him to be my friend. One day we were in Venice together, walking on the Place of St. Mark, when his assassins flung themselves upon me to stab me; and at the same moment the Marquis seized my arms, to prevent me from defending myself; and if I had not by a violent effort escaped, I should have been killed, as was one of my soldiers by my side. I denounce him, therefore, before this assembly as a traitor; and of you, Sire, I demand permission to prove by a single combat his treachery to me as well as to Salinguerra, and to the podesta of Vicenza.’ Shortly afterwards, Salinguerra arrived, followed by a hundred men at arms, and throwing himself at the feet of the Emperor, he made a similar accusation against the Marquis, and also demanded the ordeal of battle. Azzo replied to him, that he had on his hands plenty of gentlemen more noble than Salinguerra ready to fight for him if he was so anxious for battle. Then Otho commanded all three to be silent, and declared that he should not accord to any of them the privilege of fighting for any of their past quarrels. From these two chiefs the Emperor expected greater service than from all other Italians; and he secured their allegiance by confirming the lordship of the Marches of Ancona upon the Marquis, and by declaring Eccelino to be imperial deputy and permanent podesta of Vicenza.” [S.] Line 857, Malek, a Moor. l. 885, Miramoline: a Saracen prince, whose territory was situated in North Africa: in the year 1214, St. Francis of Assisi set out for Morocco to preach the gospel to this famous Mahometan, but was taken seriously ill on the way. l. 888, “dates plucked from the bough John Brienne sent”: he sent a bunch of dates to remind Frederick of his promise to join the crusade. l. 924, crenelled: embattled, crenellated. l. 935, Damsel-fly: the dragon-fly, so called from its elegant appearance. l. 946, Python: a monstrous serpent which haunted the caves of Parnassus, and was slain by Apollo. l. 950, “Girls – his Delians”: at the island of Delos the festival of Apollo was celebrated. The girls were priestesses of Apollo. l. 956, “Daphne and Apollo”: Daphne was a nymph who, being pursued by Apollo, was at her own entreaty changed into a bay tree – the tree consecrated to Apollo. l. 1008, Trouvères == troubadours.

Book II. – Line 68, Jongleurs: minstrels who accompanied the troubadours, and who sometimes did a little jugglery. l. 71, Elys: “Elys, then, is merely the ideal subject, with such a name, of Eglamour’s poem, and referred to in other places as his (Sordello’s) type of perfection, realised according to his faculty (Ellys– the lily)” – Robert Browning. [S.] l. 156: “The rhymes ‘Her head that’s sharp … sunblanched the livelong summer’ are referred to Book V., l. 246, ‘the vehicle that marred Elys so much,’ etc., and ‘his worst performance, the Goïto as his first.’ l. 980 of the same book.” [S.] l. 94, “spied a scarab”: one of the marks of Apis, the sacred bull of ancient Egypt. The marks were “a black coloured hide with a white triangular spot on the forehead, the hair arranged in the shape of an eagle on the back, and a knot under the tongue in the shape of a scarabæus, the sacred insect and emblem of Ptah, and a white spot resembling a lunar crescent at his right side” (Dr. S. Birch). l. 183, “A Roman bride”: “on the wedding day, which in early times was never fixed upon without consulting the auspices, the bride was dressed in a long white robe with purple fringe and a girdle at the waist; her veil was of a bright yellow, and shoes likewise; her hair was divided with the point of a spear, which the antiquarians explained as emblematic of the husband’s authority, or as typical of the guardianship of Juno Curitico (Juno with the lance).” “But while these rites are being performed, remain unwedded, ye damsels; let the torch of pinewood await auspicious days, and let not the curved spear part thy virgin ringlets” (Ovid, Fasti, ii. 160). [S.] l. 218, “Perseus” – rescuing Andromeda when chained to the rock in the sea. l. 222, “gnome”: the Rosicrucians imagined gnomes to be sprites presiding over mines, etc. l. 224, “Agate cup, his topaz rod, his seed pearl”: amongst the various superstitions connected with precious stones the agate was held to be an emblem of health and long life, and to possess certain medicinal uses. The topaz, said the old doctor, “is favourable to hæmorrhages, to impart strength, and promote digestion”; it was an emblem of fidelity. l. 307, “Massic jars dug up at Baiæ”: Massic wine was famous in old Roman days. Baiæ, an ancient town near Naples; in old Roman days a health and pleasure resort of the wealthy; innumerable relics of these times have been unearthed. “Mons Massicus was a vine-clad hill in the Campagna, where the Falernian wine was grown.” [S.] l. 297, “A plant they have”; The day-lily – St. Bruno’s lily – the Hemerocallis liliastrum, in French, belle de jour. l. 329, Vicenza: a city of Northern Italy of great antiquity; the first encounter between the Guelfs and Ghibellines took place here, about 1194. l. 330, Vivaresi: a Lombard family. l. 331, Maltraversi: a noble family of Padua. l. 435, Machine: see l. 1014. l. 460, “some huge throbbing stone”: “In one of Ossian’s poems a description is given of bards walking around a rocking stone, and by their singing making it move as an oracle of battle.” [S.] l. 483, truchman == an interpreter. l. 527, rondel, tenzon, virlai, or sirvent: forms of Provençal poetry. “Rondel, a thirteen-verse poem, in which the beginning is repeated in the third and fourth verses – from rotundus; tenzon, a contest in verse before a tribunal of love – from tendo, in the sense of to strive; virlai, or vireley, a short poem, always in short lines, and wholly in two rhymes, with a refrain – from virer; sirvent, a poem of praise or service, sometimes satirical; from servire.” (Imp. Dict.) [S.] l. 529, angelot: an instrument of music somewhat resembling a lute. l. 625, “sparkles off”: intransitive verb, – “his mail sparkles off and it rings, whirled from each delicatest limb it warps.” [S.] l. 627, “Apollo from the sudden corpse of Hyacinth”: Apollo was one day teaching Hyacinthus to play at quoits, and accidentally killed him. l. 630, Montfort: the father of Simon de Montfort, who fought against the Albigenses. l. 729, Vidal: Pierre Vidal, of Toulouse, a poet of varied inspiration, was loaded with gifts by the greatest nobles of his time (see Sismondi, Lit. Eur., vol. i., p. 135). Professor Sonnenschein says he was a Provençal troubadour, who died about 1210. He was a sort of caricature of the usual troubadour excellence and foolishness. Some of his poems are the best remaining of the Provençal poetry. He went twice to Palestine, once with a crusade. He was hated by Sordello, and referred to in some of his poems which are extant. l. 730, filamot: yellow-brown colour; from feuille-morte; murrey-coloured: of a dark-red or mulberry colour (morus, mulberry). l. 755, plectre, or plectrum: a staff of ivory, horn, etc., for playing with on a lyre. l. 784, “Bocafoli’s stark-naked psalms”: not merely plain song, but naked song. l. 785, Plara’s sonnets. Both personages are imaginary. l. 786, almug: “probably the red sandalwood of China and India” (Dr. W. Smith). l. 788, river-horse: the hippopotamus. l. 792, pompion-twine: pumpkin. l. 843, Pappacoda: a nickname. Tagliafer, or Taillefer: the favourite minstrel-knight of William of Normandy, who rode in front of the invading army at the battle of Senlac, and sang the song of Roland. l. 846, o’ertoise: overstretch? l. 877, Count Lori, or Loria of Naples. l. 883, “The Grey Paulician”: “Eccelino II. found the Paterini or Paulicians, a Manichæan sect, who were driven from the East by the Empress Theodora (who had a hundred thousand of them killed) and her successors. They were slowly forced westward, and at last settled in Italy, and in Languedoc, in the neighbourhood of Albi. They are credited with planting the first seeds of the Reformation in the Latin Church. Innocent III., alarmed at their doctrines and increasing numbers, opposed them, and instructed St. Dominic and St. Francis to preach against them. The result was the cruel crusade of 1206, which continued in the form of more or less spasmodic persecution for many years, – at least thirty.” [S.] l. 899, Romano: the birthplace of Ezzelino, near Bassano. Eccelino Romano was chief of the Ghibellines. l. 901, Azzo’s sister Beatrix: married Otho IV. l. 902, Richard’s Giglia: a Guelf lady. l. 929, Retrude: wife of Salinguerra. l. 948, Strojavacca: a troubadour? l. 986, “Cat’s head and Ibis’ tail”: “Egyptian symbols in mosaic on the porphyry floor.” [S.] l. 989, Soldan: Sultan. l. 1009, “Iris root the Tuscan grated over them”: orris-root. l. 1013, Carian group: the Caryatides – women dressed as at the feasts of Diana Caryatis. Carya was a town in Arcadia.