was not less remarkable for the same genius and the same richness of imagination and if at this period the mind took a false direction it must be acknowledged that the error was accompanied with those great efforts of the intellect of which a nation very far advanced in civilization is alone capable it would be wrong nevertheless to believe that there yet existed only such writers as the and the it was towards the middle of the age that founded his school the academy of was established and a prodigious number of writers such as the c united the with philosophy in the charms of the former to explain the the � of the latter on italian literature at the same time in the crowd of those who followed the brilliant of the of the empire of already were seen judicious their countrymen for their love of before it was attributed to them by strangers and it was in the century that the celebrated i v not only taught the principles of th social contract before j j had yet exaggerated its consequences but also the school of and restored the of good taste by his and his example and above all by at rome that academy of the from which arose au those literary associations that multiplied through the whole of italy we owe to the pupils of and to the academy of the such writers as c and it was owing to them also that italy was speedily cured of that of false taste which had not attacked her only but had invaded almost all europe notwithstanding these brilliant proofs of the genius of they have been considered inferior to other nations in respect to extent and depth of knowledge because of the nature of their which it was supposed could only produce minds as and limited as themselves such causes are certainly not without influence but we should not their effects if italy in its political division does not present to view a capital like london or paris where are united in one all the intellectual lights of the nation to again and like blood through all the veins of the body she is in some degree for this disadvantage by the great number of smaller and which each one of the provinces takes care to supply every state however small has to make a figure in all kinds of knowledge and often has claimed the glory of from thence the prodigious number of literary of from la schools and by consequence of men of letters to be found no where else in the same proportion it is not only in the such as rome c that this spectacle is presented but also in the towns of the second and third order as c it is however that this division of italy into petty states of which each one has its particular school has caused a great of opinions and tastes which has not only excited but at times has produced bitter and each country has desired that its schools its philosophers its poets its artists shall often they seemed to have nothing in which there was felt a common interest thus in the fine arts were distinguished the school the roman the the c the celebrated fourteen distinct schools in painting and there b the same of schools in literature and philosophy but what is most remarkable the same school sometimes produced hostile in observing the warfare which and the against and the that which and the de la carried on against and his admirers and that of and the against and the one is tempted to believe that the of and were not extinct the same and the same often took place in the bosom of particular whose professors and students divided into two parties almost ready to fight these were doubtless but they the ardent imagination and enthusiasm of the who are not so much disposed as it seems to be thought they are to submit to the judgment and authority of strangers it may be said on the contrary that as soon as they began to awake from their long they sought to themselves for their po on hj independence in learning always possessed philosophers more or less daring but never of the dominant party each one has endeavoured to retain his peculiar style of thought however celebrated and followed for a time these philosophers were soon overcome or neglected and of all those masters and leaders no one has been able to preserve his power or his and founded a school in england and left des worthy to maintain it the french boast and remain so faithful to his laws that they were the last in europe to receive the theory of t ie became and still remain all or while among the used all his to and establish the philosophy of and this was the first we hear of a school of philosophy in that country but it disappeared with the success of the sane may be said of and so many others who perhaps would have enjoyed less influence elsewhere after ao many examples is there not reason to believe that des and would not perhaps have obtained brilliant success among the but we must not confound the school of man with that of nature which is common to all men all nations and all ages in this respect the system of like that of does not present a character either particular be cause it was founded on experience reason and truth and is therefore beyond the power of the imagination the school or rather the method of and the of to is still preserved in italy c are but their but as to other opinions and hy there is no distinct and permanent school in short i repeat it was the who while they lost their political independence gave the earliest example to europe of an independent philosophy 