New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-10-27

have been easy Tor an imaginative peop'e W 10 70
worked up legend soon as their curiosity was
excited by a visitor. and that they never would
have thought Of the matter II the stranger had
not attracted their attention. the theory nus
in with comparatively recent fancies ABOUT VII
gls tomb-for example. that OF the iaufei '"a'
always sprang I'D there no matter how often 1t
was plucked by guides for creduious "aVeiers III
the eighteenth century. OF course,f the tourists
had not been credulous the guides never wouio
have thought Of the trick. So Roth argued
that the crazy search OF Ludovicus. as mentioned
by John OF Salisbury set Neapolitan magma
tons to working on tales about Virgil. But Ger
vase did not pretend to know anything about the
NeapolItan people. He always had some cardinal
or archdeacon TO stand sponsor for a story that
could not be made to stand alone. In the pres
ent case he refers the reader to Cardinal Giovanni
da Napo
Roth's theory served fairly well for a single in
cident but Comparett who followed In 1872 with
the first edition Of his book made a determined
effort TO account for the whole body OF legend
and tradition concerning Virgil The tradition
was all literary the legend all popular; and what
related to Naples WIS due to the fact that the
people there had always retained some memory Of
Virgrs residence among them Though he has
no new evidence to offer on this point. II appears
from the present translation Of his work that he
will insist upon 1t in his forthcoming second edi-
ton. and that he will add this remarkable definl-
ton OF folklore distinguished from literary ira
dition: "To avoid all possible MISUNDERSTANDING.
such as we have observed with surprise In the
works Of several students Of this subject. II may
be we'll to observe that the popular is distin-
gushed from the literary by It's nature and its
character. whatever may be the actual condition
Of the person who cites 1t or believes 1t. or even
invents IT, Thus such legend that Of Ira
jan and the widow though idealized by no less a
poet than Dante. is yet purely popular in charac-
ter. II II can DC proved to have originated
with a monk who wrote in Latin. just those
legends based on Roman monuments which one
finds In the Mirabilia' and elsewhere purely
popular. although they. too. are cited and be-
lieved by the educated classes. and may very pos
sibly have originated among them" II the folk
lorsts, who have so strenuously insisted on pure
oral tradition, with no admxture of learning
consent to this definition then everybody who
knows anything about them will have reason TO
be surprised.
The simple fact CT the matter is that Comparet-
It's position was untenable. In order to maintain
it he must show an unbroken tradition concern
ing Virgil at Naples. from the beginning of the
ROman Empire GOWN 10 the NOTH1dH COiIutSt Va
Sicily and Apulia 1t certainly did seem twenty
years ago. when he brought out the story of Monte
Vergine. that he had raised strong presumption
in favor of his theory Only man with the
whole range Of Latin learning in memory could
have thought OF all the details which he brought
together. First Of all. there was the anecdote
that the Neapolitans called Virgil Parthenias-
that Is. Virginius Then there was the remark
Of Gelus that Virgil quarrelled with the people
Of Nola because they refused him supply Of
water for his farm. Next there was the remark
OF Seneca abou; earthquake that damaged
Naples in the consulate of Regulus and Virgnius.
Later there was the error OF the medieval chrOn-
icer of the monastery on Monte Nergne, who
supposed that II Virgil who was consul and
that he lived in Naples because Augustus had
given him the whole city fef for the lines
he wrote In praise Of the youth Marcellus Then
there was the evidence of documents that In the
twelfth century Monte Vergine was also known
as Mons Virganus: and. finally. there was the
story of Gervase about Virgi's magical garden
in which ali sorts of healing herbs grew. and this
garden at leas. In later developments of the ira
ditlon was said to be Avella. town not
far from Nola.