- 1. Cento Novelle Antike. The earliest collection of Italian novels.
- 2. Boccacio il Decamerone. Venet. Valdarfer. 1471. This, which is the first edition, was purchased at the Roxburghe sale, by the Marquis of Blandford, for 2260l.!
- 3. Novelle di Sacchetti. Sacchetti died in 1408.
- 4. Masuccio, Il Novellino, nel quale si contengono cinquanta Novelle.—Best edition that of 1484, folio.
- 5. Sabadino, Porretane, dove si narra Novelle settanta una.
- 6. Sansovino, Cento Novelle scelte da più nobili Scrittori.
- 7. Giovanni Fiorentino, il Pecorone, nel quale si contengono cinquanta Novelle antiche. First and best edition, 1559.
- 8. Novelle del Bandello, 3 vols. 4to. 1554.
- 9. Straparola, le piacevoli Notte. 2 vols. 1557.
- 10. Giraldi Cinthio, gli Hecatomithi, (Cento Novelle.) 4 vols.
- 11. Erizzo, le Sei Giornate, (trenta cinque Novelle) Edizione prim. 4to. Ven. 1567.
- 12. Parabosco, i Diporti, o varo Novelle, Venet. 1558.
- 13. Granucci, la piacivol Notte, et lieto Giorno (undici Novelle), Venet. 1574.
- 14. Novelle di Ascanio de Mori. 4to. 1585.
- 15. Malespini, Ducento Novelle, 4to.
[544:C] Vide Gascoigne's Tale of Ferdinando Jeronimi, from the Italian riding tales of Bartello, in his "Weedes," and Turberville's "Tragical Tales, translated out of sundrie Italians," 1587.
[545:A] Reed's Shakspeare, vol. vii. p. 221.
[545:B] Vide Aikin's General Biography, vol. vi. article Lobeira.
[545:C] "Amadis of Gaul," remarks Mr. Southey, "is among prose, what Orlando Furioso is among metrical Romances, not the oldest of its kind, but the best."—Preliminary Essay to his Translation, 4 vols. 1803.
"This" (Amadis de Gaul), says Mr. Burnet, "is perhaps one of the most beautiful books that ever was written."—Specimens of English Prose Writers, vol. i. p. 289. note.
[546:A] Jervis's Translation of Don Quixote, vol. i. chap. 6.
[546:B] Sir Philip Sidney's Works, fol. edit. of 1629. p. 551.
[546:C] This version, which was reprinted in 1618, is by Anthony Munday.
[547:A] Jervis's Don Quixote, vol. i. chap.