The New York herald., 1874-08-07
The POET PETRARCH.
Celebration Of the Five Hundredth Ami
Versary Of His Death.
THE CITY OF THE POPEs.
Memorable and Festive
Scenes at Avignon.
THE BEAUTIFUL LAURA OF MOVES.

THE BEAUTIFUL LAURA OF MOVES.
AvIGNoN, July "a, 1874.
For three days the ancient city of AvgnOn has
been In full holiday trim, celebrating the five hun
dreth anniversary of the poet Petrarchs death. It
seems queer thing that people should take an
occasion for so;emnly rejoicing on the day when
Q much admired man died, but then, pernaps
half the merry makers are ignorant that Petrarch is
dead, while the other half have but confused idea
as to whether he existed and when. The fact is the
five hundredth anniversary of Petrarch's birth
tel in 1904, and great festival was held in that
year, but the delicate state OF political relations
between France and Italy lately suggested to the
prudent mind Of Duke Decazes that feast bring
ing Italians and Frenchmen together might do
good at this juncture, and hence the present COM
memoratlon which, have come to
AvIGNON
to witness. The old city Of the Popes is one
worth visiting by Americans, for 1t affords them q
sight not to be found In their own country, viz,
town which centuries ago possessed 80 900 In
habitants, but now Is reduced to 36 600. There are
plenty OF cities IN America which have risen in
less than half q century from inhabitants to
1000 and more; but one must come to old Europe
TO see towns which sink from first class rank to
second and from second to third, like business men
in difficulties or old ladies who have lost their ad-
mrers. Avignon has fallen from the same grand
estate as Venice, Pisa, Genoa, Client and York,
cities which our foreiathers reverenced and whose
names glowed generation after generation in the
pages of history. 1t is still q handsome town,
seated on an eminence on the left bank Of the
RhOne and surrounded by lofty walls bristnng with
machicolated battlements and watch towers.
These walls were built by Pope Clement vi, for,
as above said Avignon was for sixty- i've years
THE RESIDENCE OF THE POPBs.
1t was Clement ", Frenchman, who, in 1906,
transported the Papal See from Rome to Avignon,
being impelled SO to do by the troubled condition
Of the Pontifca States, the Inhabitants whereof
lmpolltely and firmly refused to pay taxes. Glenn
ent had no absolute right to appropriate Avignon,
but he based his claim on q deed of sale made by
Joanna Of Naples, who stipulated In exchange for
$4,000 crowns Of gold. Considering that Princess
Joanna was but eleven years old when she was
moved to sign this instrument, any modern tribu-
nal of justice would have looked on the same with
the eye Of mstrust and the more so as the Papal
Court after giving the matter much pious thought,
resolved to keep the city without paying the 1000
crowns Of gold. This sum is owing to this
day with compound interest, and l have
my fears that 1t will never be reim-
bursed. However, the Popes lived fatty and
serenely In the city which they had cleverly
acquired aud we may all write down in our note
books tnat to Clement v. succeeded John XXII.,
13le-34; Benedict Kill. 1334-4o; Clement W.,
1342-52; Innocent w. lS52-62; Urban ", 13e2-7O;
and Gregory XII, curing whose reign the See was
restored to Rome and the "Babylonisn captlvityn
OF the Papacy brought happily to end. After this,
however, three selfcaled Popes, Clement VII,
onA WIZ ho,.1
Avignon from 1873 to 1924, the faithful regard
these as spurious Pcntifs, after the manner of
SIMON Magus and Dositheus the Samaritan. At
the death Of the pseudo Clement VIII, the scnism
terminated and Avignon became the second city
Of the Papacy. 1t was seized during few months
by Louis xiv. in revenge for an insult offered to
his ambassador at Rome, and Louis XIV. occupied
1t ten years 1or similar reason; but
it was not finally annexed to France
till 1901. All these items are good
to lay down as o preface; and now one can add
that to poets, writer's and all enthusiasts of that
grain Avignon derives less lustre from having
been the home Of the Popes than from the fact that
Petrarch resided during most of his lie in its
neighborhood. But VINO was Petrarch, and what
magic Is there in the mans name to draw
fifty thousand strangers, five hundred years
after his death, to the haunts which he
is packed from moor to basement. In the
streets husky men, crop-haired boys and dark.
eyed, wide-mouthed little girls from vaucluse are
selling portraits OF Petrarch, medals stamped with
his features, cheap reprints OF his sonnets and
relics in the shape OF pebbles and bits of rock
which It is tenderly and unreas0nably hoped his
sandalled feet may have touched. Once again,
who Is the man about whom such fuss Is madei
Well. here is an epitome OF his life and adventures
FRANCISCO PETRARcH
was born at AreZZo in 1905 OF rich but honest
father, who soon after begetting son was exiled
from Italy along with Dante, on account of hts
political opinions. He came and settled at Avig.
non, and when his son Francis had reached the
age OF twelve sent him to study law at the Univer-
sity of Montpelier. But law had no attractions
for young Francis, and no sooner had he become
an orphan-whtch lamentabe event occurred
when he was elghteen-than he gave himself up
wholly to poetry. One may be allowed to specu-
late on the sort of life which Petrarch would have
lived had mis- affectonate father survived to
thwart him In his tastes on the pretext OF looking
after his interests One can fancy some very hot
scenes between Petrarch senior and Petrarch
junior, the latter with some sonnets peeping out
OF mis- hose, the former brandishing law book
written In very choice Italian. As paternal author
ity was strong in those days-in fact, as 1t was
then held that man who had brought son into
the world had the indisputable right to heap
misery on him forever alter, Petrarch senior
might have locked up young Francis In
the local JAIL and, have come to wag the law book
at him every now and then through the bars until
at length grown spiritless by confinement,
Petrarch junior would have been brought TO
terms. But Providence interiered with the
scheme, and Petrarch senior must have closed
his eyes with the conviction that his son would
turn out q thorough good for -naught, now that
he would have no father's hand to guide him.
Young Francis, on the contrary, soon became a
very iIlustrious man. He wore scarlet stockings
reaching up to his thighs; shirt pufflng out ut
the waist; jacket with wide sleeves, sashcd
with velvet at the elbows, and nat cap with a