Notes

EXPLANATORY EPISTLE



1. Note the similarity between this passage and the following in Plato's
Symposium: "I shall praise Socrates in a figure which shall appear to him to
be a caricature, and yet I do not mean to laugh at him, but only to speak the
truth. I say then, that he is exacdy like the masks of Silenus, which may be
seen sitting in the statuaries' shops, having pipes and flutes in their mouths;
and they are made to open in the middle, and there are images of gods
inside them." The Best Known Words of Plato (trans. B. Jowett, M.A.),
Garden City, Halcyon House, pp. 288-9.

2. Gentile quotes some passages from Aretino that indicate an influence
upon these words of Bruno's. Vide Giordano Bruno, Opere italiane (ed.
Giovanni Gentile and Vincenzo Spampanato), Bari, Gius. Laterza & Figli,
1925-1927, 3 vols., II, 5, n. 1.

3. There is a copy of the 1584 edition of Lo spaccio in the Biblioteca
Nazionale of Naples that contains some interesting marginal comments by
an anonymous annotator, to whom Gentile refers as the "postillatore na-
poletano." Gentile has included these comments in his edition, and I have
taken the opportunity of reproducing those that may be of particular interest
to the reader. On pages 157-8, note 2, of the Neapolitan copy of Lo spaccio
there appears the following observation by the anonymous annotator: "Non
asserit. Cur igitur tarn acerbe stomachatur in contradicentes?" Opere itaL,
II, 6, n. 3. ("He does not commit himself. Why, then, does he so bitterly
revile his critics?")

4. For Bruno, man in his search for Truth must possess the quality of
Notes to pages 80 to 93 [ 295 ]

Prudence, with which he may discern Truth, even when time and attendant
circumstances obscure his vision of her.

5. This Sophia is not to be confused with the Sophia who narrates to
Saulino the results of the council's deliberations.

6. It would seem that by "mothers" Bruno signifies the Muses, their
"daughters" being all the arts and sciences derived from them.

7. Bruno fails to mention, or is obscure concerning, the name of Divine
Magic's second daughter. It is possible he had Augury in mind.

8. Petrarch, sonnet 193.




FIRST DIALOGUE: FIRST PART




9. The following passage from Horace, first cited by Kuhlenbeck ( vide
Gesammelte Wer\e [trans. Ludwig Kuhlenbeck], I--II--Leipzig, Eugen
Diederichs, Berlin, H. Zossen, 1904. DI-VI--Jena, Eugen Diederichs, Leip
zig, O. Brandstetter, 1904-1909, 6 vols., II, 227, n. 24), is a development of
the same theme:

Agricolam laudat iuris legumque peritus
Sub galli cantum consultor ubi ostia pulsat.
Ille datis vadibus qui rure extractus in urbem est,
Solos felices viventes clamat in urbe.

Satires, I. I. 9-12.

(The jurisconsult praises the farmer

When his client knocks at the door before cock's crow.

He, who is removed from the country into the city, after
his bail has been paid,

Declares happy only those living in the city.)

10. That is to say, the contraries that are inherent in mutation.

11. Again showing his enthusiasm for Cusanus and his theory, Bruno
asserts in De la causa: "Profonda magia e saper trar il contrario, dopo aver
trovato il punto de l'unione." Giordano Bruno, Opere italiane (ed. Giovanni
Gentile and Vincenzo Spampanato), Bari, Gius. Laterza & Figli, 1925-
1927, 3 vols., I, 264. ("It is profound magic to know how to derive the con
trary, after having found the point of union.")

12. Lodovico Ariosto, Orlando jurioso XLV. 2.

13. "Evidendy," says Gentile, "the author has in mind the Dialogues of
the Dead by Lucian." Opere ital., II, 26, n. 2.

14. Allusion to Ganymede.

15. Gentile calls to our attention the slyly erotic nature of this passage. Cf.
Opere ital., II, 27, n. 3.

16. Vide Ecclesiastes I. 2.

17. The Bohemian astrologer, Cyprian Loewicz, predicted that the world
would come to an end either toward the end of March or the beginning of
April of the year 1584, in his book De coniunctionibus magnis insignioribus
superiorum planetarum, published in 1564. Cf. Opere itaL, II, 28, n. 2.

18. Bruno's allusion to a lame Saturn, the counterpart of Cronus, may be
inspired by the existence in antiquity of a cult statue of the Italian god,
bound at his feet with woolen bands and untied once a year at the celebra
tion of the Saturnalia. See also note 3, First Dialogue, Third Part.

19. Virgil, Ecologues IV. 36.

20. Seneca, Oedipus, chorus, vv. 1001-8, 1015-6.

21. Gentile declares: "In De rerum principiis Bruno says Styx or abyss
designates one of the two principles of matter: the humid, agglutinating,
and formative principle." Opere ital., II, 31, n. 4.

22. Votaries of Bacchus, so called because they were wont to intersperse
their rites to Bacchus with the cry "euoi."

23. As is well known from Petrarch's sonnet, "Voglia mi sprona," the
poet fell in love with Laura on April 6, 1327.

Dante met Beatrice in the Spring of 1274 when she had just entered her
ninth year, he being but a few months older.

24 Priapus, god of fertility.

25. Horace, Odes I. 10. v. 12.

26. Gentile notes the influence of Erasmus upon this passage. Cf. Opere
ital, II, 35, n. 2.

27 This is a free translation of a passage in Lucretius' De rerum natura
I. 1-9.

28. John XX. 17.

29. Bruno, here, seems to be in error. According to the myth, Pelion was
hurled on Ossa, and Ossa on Olympus.

30. This passage is a free translation of Ovid, Metamorphoses V. 346-54.
Cf. Opere ital, II, 37, n. 1.

31. A small mountain chain of Campania between the Volturno and the
Calore, now known as Monte Taburno.

32. Here "sister" is used in the sense of "friend" or "companion."

33. An allegorical representation of the efficient and formative principle
to which Bruno alludes in the "Explanatory Epistle."




FIRST DIALOGUE: SECOND PART




34. Virgil, Aeneid VI. 37.

35. Bruno is here identifying Lucina, the goddess of childbirth, with
Diana, the moon goddess. Cf. Horace, Carmen saeculare, v. 15.

36. "Euschemia," employed by Bruno, seems to have been a variant of
"Euschemo," the only form I have been able to verify. The name of the
nursemaid of the Muses and mother of Sagittarius (Crotus), however, is
more commonly known to us as Eupheme.

37. This is an allusion to a Semitic myth describing the birth of Venus.
The myth narrates that a great egg fell from heaven into the Euphrates. It
was pushed ashore by the Fishes, where it was hatched by doves. Out of it
came Venus, or Astarte, as she was known in the Near East. In gratitude
for their kindness Venus asked Jove to place the Fishes, "her godparents,"
in heaven. Cf. Gaius Julius Hyginus, "Fabula 197--Venus," Fabulae, ed.
H. J. Rose, Leyden, 1934.

38. The feminine form has an obscene meaning.

39. The two stars found at the head of the constellation of Cancer are
called the Asses by Hyginus. Cf. Giordano Bruno, Opere italiane (ed.
Giovanni Gentile and Vincenzo Spampanato), Bari, Gius. Laterza & Figli,
1925-1927, 3 vols., II, 48, n. 3.

40. Bruno here seems to be referring to his Cabala del cavallo Pegaseo.

41. Jove's words of self-criticism are not only an attack upon the religion
of the Greeks but also a veiled indictment of the Judaeo-Christian religions.

42. Unless the facts of the story of Perseus and the Gorgons became garbled
in a misreading of the original text or a subsequent one, Bruno erred in
two details: (1) It was Perseus' cap which rendered him invisible, and not
his shield, (2) Only Medusa was slain and not her sisters, who were im
mortal.

43. Cepheus is rather, as is well known, Perseus' father-in-law.

44. Eratosthenes and Hyginus attribute only seventeen stars to the con
stellation of Aries. Cf. Opere itcd ., II, 51, n. 2.

45. Megara was Hercules' wife; Bruno meant to refer to Alcmene, Her
cules' mother.

46. A possible allusion to the many incursions carried out against the
coastal towns of southern Italy by the Turks during the sixteenth century.

47. Europa.

48. The constellation Ursa reminds Jove of his infidelity to Juno. Callisto,
the daughter of Lycaon, king of Arcadia, was hunting with Diana on Mount
Nonacris when she was seduced by Jove. Juno, in a jealous wrath, changed
her into a she-bear. Jove later turned both her and her son Areas, the leg
endary founder of the Arcadians, into constellations; the mother into the
constellation of Ursa Major, and Areas into Arctophylax, also known as
Bootes, the Wagoner. According to another version of the myth, Areas was
turned into Arcturus, which is only one of the stars in the constellation
Arctophylax.

49. Diana.




FIRST DIALOGUE: THIRD PART




50. Virgil, Georgics I. 242-3.

51. Here Bruno alludes to families, cities, and states whose coats of arms
contain the bear. Cf. Giordano Bruno, Opere italiane (ed. Giovanni Gentile
and Vincenzo Spampanato), Bari, Gius. Laterza & Figli, 1925-1927, 3 vols.,
II, 61, n. 1.

52. Bruno's use of Saturn as a participant in the heavenly deliberations
is anachronistic, since Saturn (Cronus) had been banished by Zeus.

53. This is an imitation of a passage from Tasso: Aminta, I. 1; and V.
chorus. Cf. Opere ital., II, 62, n. 2.

54. Human law or the law of nations.

55. Gentile here reminds us that this passage has been erroneously com
pared with Dante's apostrophe to Henry VII in Canto XXV of the Paradiso.
Cf. Opere ital., II, 64, n. 3.

56. - An allusion to the Calvinist and other evangelical theologians, who fre
quently quarreled among themselves. Bruno, who placed the greatest empha
sis on works, was in violent disagreement with their reliance on faith alone.

57. A reference to the confiscation of Catholic properties by the Protestants.

58. Bruno satirizes the Calvinist dogma of predestination.

59. Bruno is saying in effect that the best laws are those predicated upon
the best experiences of peoples.

60. The anonymous Neapolitan annotator inserts the following comment:
"That is to say, those who deny that sanctity and justice are found in works."
Vide Opere ital., II, 66, n. 4.

61. Actually, it was Juno who entrusted the golden apples to the cus-
todianship of the Hesperides, who guarded them with the assistance of the
dragon Ladon.

62. Gentile notes that this passage not only is imitative of Lucian, but
also alludes to contemporary events which were the cause of great blood
shed. In Spain the Inquisition against the Jews and Moors was becoming
ever more fierce; Flanders was in rebellion against the tyranny of Philip II;
religious wars divided Germany; civil war raged between the Catholics and
Protestants in France; and in England there was persecution of Catholics
and Presbyterians. Cf. Opere ital., II, 71, n. 2.

63. * strange passage Bruno is personifying the message.

64. - Although this passage, with its bizarre references to providence, may
seem enigmatic to us, one fact is clear: that after an absence of so many years
from Nola and its environs, the exile in London found pleasure in recalling
to his readers the persons and places of his happy childhood. Cf. Opere ital.,
n > 75 - 7 > a. 5 -

65. Gentile agrees with Spampanato that Franzino is not Franzinus Alla-
manna from the town of Casamarciano, but, rather, is Don Francinus, a
parish priest, known to the Savolino family. Cf. ibid.

66. Bruno's father. Cf. ibid.

67. Vasta, also known as Basta, was the wife of Albenzio Savolino,
Bruno's maternal uncle. Cf. ibid.

68. A poor, childless, and widowed servant woman. Cf. ibid.

69. A relative of Bruno's. Cf. ibid.

70. Polydorus was the son of Giacomo and Medea Santorello, born in
1540. Cf. ibid.

71. Gentile has corrected the old texts which read "stanza" to "Starza,"
thus preserving for us a valuable autobiographical reference. "Starza," which
in the Neapolitan and Apulian dialects has the meaning of "estate," here
refers to the community of Starza, situated on the slopes of Mount Cicala.
Cf. ibid., p. 74, n. i.

72. A casde mentioned by the sixteenth century Nolan historian, A. Leone,
which dates back to the twelfth century. Cf. ibid., n. 2.

73. Scarvaita, a mountain named after a section of S. Paolo Belsito, a
community near Nola. Cf. ibid., n. 3.

74. Bruno is referring to a certain Adanesio Biancolella. Cf. ibid.,
PP-75-7> n -5- f f , , T.,

75. A reference to a Costantino Buonaiuto, husband of Impena and father
of five children. Cf. ibid.

76. There is no record of the old woman of Fiurulo. Cf. ibid.

77. No record exists of Ambruoggio. Cf. ibid.

78. Martinello's son is said to be Paolo, son of a Martinello Alemanno.
Cf. ibid.

79. A reference to a Paolino da Casoria, owner of a tavern. Cf. ibid.

80. Note Bruno's daring reference to an infinite universe, composed of
many worlds; this, at a time when even the teachings of Copernicus, whose
views on cosmology did not go as far as Bruno's, were considered heretical.

81. These words echo the following passage from Virgil: "Mihi si linguae
centum sint oraque centum, Ferrea vox... Aeneid VI. 625-6. ("Had I
a hundred tongues and a hundred mouths / A voice of iron... .")




SECOND DIALOGUE: FIRST PART




82. Note repetition of "truth," evidently an error.

83. Perhaps what Bruno means to say is "two groups of enemies."

84. Another reference to transmigration.

85. These words seem to indicate a socialistic tendency, which others also
have observed in Bruno.

86. The anonymous Protestant Neapolitan annotator here reproves Bruno
for attacking the reformers "calumniously and mendaciously, as he is wont
to do." Vide Giordano Bruno, Opere italiane (cd. Giovanni Gentile and
Vincenzo Spampanato), Bari, Gius. Laterza & Figli, 1925--1927, 3 vols., II,
89, n. 3.

87. Although this passage is specifically an attack upon the teachings of
the Calvinists, the reference to a "cabalistic tragedy" is, indeed, a satirica l
allusion to the life and passion of Christ.

88. Bruno's words bring to mind the following from Virgil: "Parcere
subiectis et debellare superbos." Aeneid VI. 853. ("To spare the conquered
and to conquer the proud.")

89. Here, the anonymous annotator points out that by "g rammarian* "
Bruno means to refer to the Evangelical reformers "concerning whom it
seems he cannot be silent." Cf. Opere ital., II, 94, n. 3.

90. "That is to say," declares Gentile, "the properties of the Catholics,
usurped by the Protestants, especially in England." Ibid., p. 96, n. 6.

91. Our anonymous Neopolitan annotator refers to Bruno's words as "an
open blasphemy against Christ." Cf. ibid., p. 97, n. 3.




SECOND DIALOGUE: SECOND PART




92. A philosopher of the Old Academy in Athens.

93. On this passage Gentile comments: "Opposing contrary propositions
cannot, indeed, according to Aristotelian logic, both be true; but both can
be false." Giordano Bruno, Opere italiane (ed. Giovanni Gentile and Vin
cenzo Spampanato), Bari, Gius. Laterza & Figli, 1925-1927, 3 vols., II,
102, n. 4.

94 .1 am not sure what game Bruno is referring to. He may, however, be al
luding to "scarpaccia," a game played with old shoes. Vide ibid., p. 103, n. 3.

95 " reference is to the Prior Analytics and the Posterior Analytics.

96. Pippa, Nanna, and Antonia are three interlocutors in Aretino's Ragio -
namenti, published in 1535 or 1536. The barber, Domenico di Giovanni,
known as Burchiello, was the celebrated Florentine satirical poet (1404-
1449). Cf. Opere ital., II, 104, n. 3. The work by an uncertain author is the
Prtapea. Three of the poems of this collection are now attributed to Virgil.
Cf. ibid., p. 184. The Ancroia is an anonymous Italian poem of chivalry
whose complete title is Libro de la Regina Ancroia, Ancroia being a queen
of the Saracens. This work was published in Venice in 1479. Vide Dizi-
onario letterario Bompiani, Milan, 1947-1950; Johann Georg Theodor
Graesse, TrSsor de livres rares et precieux, Dresden, Kuntze, 1859-1869.

97. I have corrected what seems to be an omission of quotation marks in
the text on p. 106 beginning with the words "ma allor che ella" and have
interpolated "said Jove," "Poverty," and "Wealth," in order to cliiainatc
the ambiguities of the passage.

98. Bruno's words remind Spampanato of Pliny's: "Toto mundo, locis
omnibus omnibusque horis, omnium vocibus, Fortuna sola invocatur, una
nominatur, una cogitatur, sola laudatur, sola arguitur et cum conviciis
colitur." Epistles II. 2. ("In the whole world, in all places and in all times, by
the voices of all, Fortune alone is invoked, alone is named, alone is con
templated, alone is praised, alone is censured, and is worshiped with loud
cries.") Cf. Vincenzo Spampanato, Spaccio de la bestia trionfante con alcuni
antecedenti, Portici, Premiato stab. tip. Vesuviano, 1902, p. 88.

99. Bruno's Fortune is not the fickle lady conceived by the Renaissance
poets, but, rather, an instrument of Fate.

100. Juvenal, Satires X. 366; XIV. 316.

101. Cf. Metaphysics I. 1.

102. Bruno is referring to Luigi Groto (1541-1585), known as the "Cieco
d' Adria," an orator and poet, who is one of the few men of the sixteenth
century named by him. Cf. Opere itaL, III, 10, n. 2.

103. A game of chance.




SECOND DIALOGUE: THIRD PART




104. The site of a crowded market place, later called Via di Porto. Cf.
Giordano Bruno, Opere italiane (ed. Giovanni Gentile and Vincenzo
Spampanato), Bari, Gius. Laterza & Figli, 1925-1927, 3 vols., II, 125, n. 2.

105. In Discourse CV of Garzoni's Piazza Universale, we are told that
the Piazza San Marco in sixteenth century Venice was alive with a various
and sundry multitude of people. In the evening it was a gathering place for
charlatans, prestidigitators, puppeteers, and young gallants who related
stories and anecdotes, enacted dialogues, sang, laughed, and quarreled.
There were also noblemen, plebeians, beggars, peasants, and showmen who
exhibited lascivious dancing girls. Cf. ibid., p. 126, n. 1.

106. These lines are evidently inspired by the following passage from Ovid:

Haud procul Hennaeis lacus est a moenibus altae.

Nomine Pergus, aquae. Non ilia plura Caystros
Carmina cycnorum labentibus audit in undis.

Metamorphoses V. 385-7.

(At a short distance from the Hennaean walls there is found a deep lake,
Pergus, by name. No more songs

Of swans does Caystros hear than those heard in Pergus' gliding waves.)
Lake Pergus, now known as Lago Pergusa, is located in Sicily near Enna,
ancient Henna. The Caystros, now called the Kara-Su, is a river in Lydia,
celebrated for its swans.

107. This, according to Gentile, is an allusion to the punishment that dur
ing the time of Elizabeth was threatened against anyone who stole one of
the swans in the Thames. Vide Opere itaL, II, 129, n. 1. The swans of the
Thames are still protected by law.

108. The proud boastfulness of the Spaniard has become proverbial among
Italians and has often been alluded to in Italian literature. Cf. ibid., p.
130, n. 1.

109. Lodovico Ariosto.

110. Ariosto, Orlando jurioso XXIV. i.

111. Bruno draws upon Ovid for the details of the Perseus myth. Vide
Metamorphoses IV. 618-9.

112. Cf. ibid., V. 248-9.

113. According to the Perseus legend, it was Acrisius, Perseus' grand
father, who was the king of Argos and not Acrisius' brother, Proetus. Per
seus, as it had been decreed, accidentally killed his grandfather. Bruno seems
to have confused this story with that regarding Perseus' deposition of Poly-
dectes, king of Seriphus, on whose throne he placed Dictys, Polydectes'
brother.

114. A people of Scythia.

115. Virgil, Aeneid VI. 95.

116. Luigi Tansillo, II vendemmiatore, stanza 5 (ed. Flamini), p. 53.
Bruno sometimes quotes verbatim from Tansillo, although frequently, as
in this passage, he paraphrases the words of his fellow Nolan. Cf. Opere
ital., II, 140, n. 1, n. 3.

117. "For the color with which the working of Discord is here described,"
asserts Gentile, "one must recall Folengo's Baldus (mac. XXIV) rather than
the Aeneid VI. 273, and the Furioso XIV. 83." Ibid., p. 141, n. 1.

118. The Kingdom of Naples.

119. Bruno refers to the attempt of the Spaniards under Don Pedro de
Toledo to introduce the Inquisition into the Kingdom of Naples in 1547,
causing the uprising of May 17th of that year, which continued for two
months. For this act of defiance the Neapolitans were fined 100,000 ducats
by the Spaniards. Coming to the defense of the orthodoxy of Naples, the
sixteenth century historian, Giovanni A. Summonte, writes: "She [Naples]
has always been most religious," and free from "any blemish of heresy."
Summonte asserts that the Spaniards instituted trials against alleged heretics
in Naples, "not so much for the honor of God, as for deriving from them
heavy confiscations of properties." Historia della citta e del Regno di Napoli,
Naples, Raimondi e Vivenzio, 1749, t. V, 280-1.

120. In 1558 the Duke of Alba, Fernando Alvarez de Toledo, working
together with the astute Pope Pius IV was successful in preventing the out
break of war between Spain and Henry II of France, who was threatening
to invade the Kingdom of Naples, a war which might have jeopardized
Spain's position in Southern Italy. Cf. Opere ital., II, 144, nn. 1, 2.

121. According to Bruno, the Neapolitans, in rebellion against Spain,
expected aid to come to them from the French and the Turks. Cf. ibid., n. 3.




THIRD DIALOGUE: FIRST PART




122. Cf. Ovid, Metamorphoses I. 103-6.

123. Tasso, Aminta I. chorus.

124. The second ottava is from Tansillo, II vendemmiatore, st. 20, p. 60; the
first is formed by Bruno with verses taken from three different stanzas of
II vendemmiatore itself (st. 17-19). Cf. Giordano Bruno, Opere italiane
(ed. Giovanni Gentile and Vincenzo Spampanato), Bari, Gius. Laterza &
Figli, 1925-1927, 3 vols., II, 150, n. 2.

125. Allusion to Genesis III. 16-19.

126. "Aristotle, in fact," says Gentile, "had not spoken of syllogisms in
the fourth figure." Opere ital., II, 151, n. 4.

127 .1 have inserted quotation marks before "Se dunque, Ocio, consideri"
(omitted on p. 155, Vol. II, in the Gentile text of Opere italiane ), and have
interpolated "said Momus" to indicate the resumption of direct discourse
by that god.

128. God of Sleep, son of Erebus and Nyx, and father of Morpheus.

129. Ovid, Metamorphoses XI. 623-5.

130. Cf. ibid., pp. 592-3.

131. Morpheus is the god of visions. Icelus and Phantasus are gods of
dreams.

132. The "branle" is an old French dance. The "tresca" is an Italian
dance, also known as the "trescone."

133. Note the philosopher's ironic employment of the concept of the seven
capital sins.

134. The divinity of Lampsacus is Priapus, god of fertility. The symbol
to which Bruno alludes is obviously obscene. Cf. Opere ital., II, 159, n. 3.

135. Of the eighty or more erotic poems of the Priapea, inspired by the
cult of Priapus, three are attributed to Virgil, and many more show the
influence of Ovid. Four Priapea were included by Martial in his Epigrams.

136. Porphyry dedicated his Isagoge to Chrysaoreus. Cf. ibid., p. 160, n. 2.

137. Greek title for Aristotle's logical work, De interpretation.

138. Species and genus are two of the five predicates discussed by Porphyry
in the Isagoge to the Categories of Aristotle. Cf. Opere ital., II, 160, n. 4.

139. "An allusion," says Gentile, "to the literature of the century of which,
it cannot be denied, Bruno shows himself to be a severe but just critic."
Ibid., p. 161, n. 4. Bruno was particularly vehement against the slavish imi
tators of Petrarch, the grammarians, theologians, pseudo-scholars, and
pedants in every field of learning.

140. The "contemplators of life and death," etc., another reference to the
Calvinist theologians.

141. Mount Somma is a few kilometers from Mount Cicala.

142. This passage is an adaptation of a passage in 11 vendemmiatore, st. 7,
p. 54. Cf. ital., II, 163, n. 2.




THIRD DIALOGUE: SECOND PART




143. Not until the Congress of Vienna, in 1815, did the Kingdom of
Naples and Sicily, "the one and the other Sicily," officially become known
as tie Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Cf. Giordano Bruno, Opere italiane (ed.
Giovanni Gentile and Vincenzo Spampanato), Bari, Gius. Laterza & Figli,
1925-1927, 3 vols., II, 164, n. 3.

144. The ancient Greek name for Sicily.

145. Serpentarius is another name for Ophiuchus. The Marsians were
known for their skill in magic. Cf. Opere ital., II, 165, n. 2.

146 .1 have endeavored to convey the flavor of Bruno's pun on the Italian
words for "dolphin" ("delfino") and "dolphinate" ("delfinato").

147. Horace, Epistle to the Pisos. v. 30.

148. Another allusion to pedants and pedantry.

149. Stilpo (or Stilpon) was a Greek philosopher of Megara (circa 380-
300 b.c.). The form "Stilbone," found in the Gentile edition, seems to be an
erroneous spelling of "Stilpone."

150. Both Cusanus and Bruno asserted that they had discovered a method
of squaring the circle. It was definitely established, however, by the German
mathematician, Ferdinand Von Lindemann, that the squaring of a circle is
an impossibility, when, in 1882, he proved that ir is a transcendental num
ber. It must be pointed out, nevertheless, that for Cusanus the circle was
more than a mathematical symbol: This most perfect of all figures was sym
bolic of God himself. It would seem, therefore, that here Bruno also uses
the circle allegorically, the circle being for him the God of Nature, in whom
all opposites coincide.

151. According to legend, Pythagoras offered a hecatomb upon discover
ing that the square on the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle is equal
to the sum of the squares on the other two sides.

152. Note that the in-between figures referred to by Bruno relating to
figures 3 and 4 are not shown in the drawings.

153. The constellation Aries.

154. The Nigero is a river in Campania also known as the Tanagro. The
Silere is known today as the Sele, and the Ofito, as the Ofanto. The Sele
flows near the town of Campagna, at whose convent of San Bartolomeo
Bruno sojourned during his youth. The Sebeto and the Sarno are rivers in
Campania. Vide Opere ital., II, n. 2 and n. 3.

155. The anonymous Neapolitan annotator underlines Bruno's reference
to the Holy Manger, indicating his indignation. Vide ibid., p. 177, n. 1.

156. Bruno's use of the old Italian spelling for Torino is a pun on Taurus.
The islands to which Bruno refers are off the Bay of Naples, the most famous
being Capri, probably so named because of the goats that inhabited it.
Gentile explains that there is no geographical place by the name of Corveto,
and that Bruno might have confused Corveto with Montecorvino. "Aprutio"
is a variant of Abruzzo. Bruno avoids going into the obvious etymology of
Oxford, a town of which he did not have pleasant recollections. Cf. ibid.,
n. 6 and n. 7.

157. The anonymous Neapolitan annotator inserts the following com
ment: "Irridet parabolam decern virginum: Matthew XXIV [1-13]." ("He
derides the parable of the ten virgins.") Vide ibid., p. 178, n. 1.

158. Saturn is, of course, known both as a parricide and a filicide, having
murdered his father after castrating him, and also having swallowed his
children.

159. In speaking of Cupid or Eros as a twin, Bruno may be alluding to
that god's close association with his brother, Anteros, the avenger of un
requited love, the fosterer of reciprocal affection, and, sometimes, the
opponent of love.

160. A reference to the declining power of the Venetian Republic after
her defeat at the hands of the Turks in 1537 and 1573. Cf. Opere ital., II,
180, n. 3.

161. Here Bruno is referring to the plagues that visited Italy in the years
]C 575" I 577 an d France in 1580-1583, which caused the closing of many
convents. Vide Vincenzo Spampanato, Vita di Giordano Bruno, con docu
ment editi e inediti, Messina, Casa Editrice G. Principato, 1921, pp. 267-8.

162. Note Bruno's modern views on the rearing and the education of
children.

163. An oblique reference to the religious in monasteries and convents, and
an indictment of their celibacy.

164. Bruno is here referring to a feast possibly celebrated by the archery
society, "the ancient order societie and Unitie laudable of Prince Arthure
and his knightly armory of the round table." C. J. Longman and Col. H.
Walrond, Archery, London, Longmans, Green & Co., 1894, p. 167.

Henry VIII is said to have promised the title of Duke of Shoreditch
to a certain Barlow, one of his guards, if he should be the victor in an
archery match. Cf. Opere ital., II (noti aggiunte).

165. Bruno, as does Hyginus, identifies Capricorn with Pan, the god of
nature. Cf. Gaius Julius Hyginus, "Fabula 196--Pan," Fabulae, ed. H. J.
Rose, Leyden, 1934. In gratitude to goat-horned Pan for having taught the
gods to become beasts, which saved them from the wrath of Typhoeus
(Typhon) in Egypt, Jove changed him into the constellation Capricorn.

166. The following comments of the anonymous Neapolitan annotator
show his strong disapproval of Bruno's words: "Videtur excusare, imo
laudare vetus commercium daemoniorum cum hominibus in oraculis
daemoniacis. Discorso detestabile." Vide Opere ital. II, 187? n. 1. ("He
appears to be making excuses for, indeed, to be praising the ancient com-
merce of demons with men, in demoniacal oracles. A detestable speech.")

167. Bruno had in mind the following passage in the Vulgate version of
the New Testament: "And they called Barnabas, Jupiter, and Paul, Mer
cury, because he was the chief speaker." Acts of the Aposdes XIV. n.

168. The seven wandering lights refer to the sun, moon, Venus, Jupiter,
Mars, Mercury, and Saturn, which the ancients distinguished from the
fixed stars.

169. Since Bruno was attracted not only by the Pythagorean belief in
metempsychosis but also, to a lesser extent, by its employment of numbers
as symbols, we can readily understand the philosopher's interest in the
numerical symbolism of the Cabala.

170. Juvenal, Satires II. 23.

171. "Calumnia," says the anonymous Neapolitan annotator, "in populum
Israeliticum." Vide Opere itaL, II, 194, n. 3. ("A calumny of the Jewish
people.")

172. Egyptian god of wisdom and magic, also known as Tehuti.

173. Exodus XXXII. 184; and Numbers XXI. 9.

174. Vide Genesis XLIX. 14.

175. The anonymous annotator inserts the following comment: "Christum
notat." Cf. Opere itaL, II, 195, n. 2.

176. Vide Apocalypse IV. 7; V. 6.

177. The anonymous annotator interprets this passage as a reference to
Christ's entry into Jerusalem mounted on an ass. Cf. Opere itaL, II, 195, n. 5.

178. A reference to Ishmael, the son of Abraham and Hagar, Sarah's serv
ant. Although, striedy speaking, Ishmael's descendants are the Arabs, here
the allusion seems to refer to the Gentiles in general. Vide Genesis XVI.
12; XL. n.

179. In the Italian text there is a witty play on the verbs "incoronare"
(to crown) and "incornare" ("to give horns to"), as well as on the nouns
corona ' ("crown") and "corna" ("horns"), which cannot be easily ren-
dered into English.

180. Bruno interprets his reference to the horns of Moses according to the
Vulgate, which translates the Hebrew "keren" as "cornu" ("horn"). Thus,
medieval and Renaissance statues of Moses, the most notable of which is
Michelangelo's great work, depict Moses with horns protruding from his
forehead. However, "keren" in Hebrew means not only "a horn" but also
a ray of light. The Soncino edition of the Bible (London, 1950) renders
Exodus XXXIV. 29, as follows: "Moses knew not that the skin of his face
sent forth beams while he talked with him." The King James version of
the same passage reads: "Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone
while he talked with him."

181. After having escaped from the Roman Inquisition in 1576, Bruno
sojourned at the Monastery of Santa Maria di Castello in Genoa, which
housed the holy relic to which he alludes. Cf. Opere itaL, II, 198, n. 3.

182. Matthew XIX. 29.

183. "Ridet propheticas comminationes" ("He scoffs at the prophetic warn
ings"), comments the Neapolitan annotator, as he detects a scornful note in
this reference to the Scriptures. Cf. Opere ital., II, 199, n. 2.

184. Vide Jeremiah XLVIII. 25.

185. Vide Psalms LXXV. n.

186. Vide Amos III. 14.

187. Vide Luke I. 69.

188. Vide I Kings II. 10.

189. A cuckold, in Italian, "cornuto."

190. That the precursor of Spinoza should utilize Pan, that is, Capricorn,
as the allegorical representation of pantheism clearly indicates his own strong
commitments to pantheistic beliefs.

From Bruno's discussion of Capricorn and of the natural religion of the
Egyptians we may infer the teaching that man is endowed with rational
intelligence derived from his limited will; that he often relies too heavily
on his intellect, neglecting the instinctive nature that he shares with irra
tional animals; and that when he refuses to be a "beast," that is to say, when
he submerges his natural instinct (that instinct that makes animals incorrupt
ible), he becomes corrupt. Therefore, only by integrating his rational nature
with his intuitive nature can he arrive at the highest understanding of him
self and his universe.

191. These words, a strong indictment of the religion of the Greeks, also
seem to be a veiled attack upon the Catholic practice of canonization. The
Neapolitan annotator observes: "Puto ista omnia dici in idolatriam papis-
ticam et cultum divorum; nam noster iste Lucianus omnes religiones, praeter
Aegyptiam et forte gentilicam omnem, inf [eriores] digfnitate] habet." Vide
Opere ital., II, 201, n. 2. ("I think all these things are being said against
papal idolatry and its cult of saints; for this Lucian of ours considers all re
ligions, indeed all gentile religion, inferior in dignity to the Egyptian.")

192. A satirical reference to monks and their eating habits.

193. Mount Aetna.

194. Perhaps in order to establish his premise of the universality of the
Flood and other biblical stories, and in order to refute Judaeo-Christian
chronology and exegesis based on the story of creation, Bruno alludes to the
mythical "tablets of Mercury that reckon more than twenty thousand years,"
and to the ancient civilizations and prehistoric life of Mexico.

Bruno's references to the New World were inspired by accounts of the
circular Aztec Calendar Stone. Upon their conquest of Tenochtitldn, now
Mexico City, in 1521, the Spaniards found and hid the Stone along with
other Indian art and religious objects. The Stone came to light in 1551, but
upon orders from the Spanish ecclesiastical authorities, it was reinterred in
1558. It was finally rediscovered on December 17, 1790. The Aztec Calendar
consisted of eighteen months of twenty days each, which are symbolized by
the eighteen smaller squares surrounding the four large squares.

195. The anonymous Neapolitan annotator observes that Bruno is ridi
culing the story of Jonah and the whale. Vide Opere itaL, II, 203, n. 2.

196. Vide Genesis IX. 21.

197. Vide Ovid, Metamorphoses I. 399-402.

198. In deference to the Fishes, who brought the egg from which Venus
was born to the shore of the Euphrates, and to the doves, who hatched it,
the Syrians abstained from eating fish and doves.

199. The god who in Greek and Egyptian mythology is pictured with a
finger on his lips is Harpocrates. Since that god is sometimes pictured seated
on a box (the Greek word for "pyxis"), Bruno may have derived from it
the name "Pixide." However, the name of Apollo, sometimes known as
Pyxios, is often equated with that of Harpocrates, and it is possible that
Bruno's "Pixide" may be an incorrect form derived from Pyxios.



THIRD DIALOGUE: THIRD PART



200. Vide Jonah II. 1; I. 37.

201. I have not been able to locate any references to Ianni del'Orco and
Cola Catanzano.

202. Bruno is referring to the Spanish Jews who fled to Salonica in Greece.
Cf. Giordano Bruno, Opere italiane (ed. Giovanni Gentile and Vincenzo
Spampanato), Bari, Gius. Laterza & Figli, 1925-1927, 3 vols., II, 206, n. 5.

203. The anonymous Neapolitan annotator suspects that Bruno uses Orion
to allegorize Christ, and that the ensuing passage is an attack upon Christ's
divinity. Cf. ibid., p. 207, n. 2; 208, n. 1. Bruno, however, denied a similar
accusation at his Venetian trial. Vide Vincenzo Spampanato, Vita di Gior
dano Bruno, con documenti editi e inediti, Messina, Casa Editrice G. Prin
cipal, 19^X9 pp. 488--94. Bruno's use of Orion to symbolize Christ was un
doubtedly suggested by the fact that Orion had been given by Neptune, his
father, the power of walking on the surface of the sea.

204. Jove's paradoxical references to the Greeks reveal his deep concern
with the corruption of Greek ideals as a result of the Hellenization process
that helped bring about the synthesis of Greek philosophy with biblical
teaching and, ultimately, the triumph of Judaeo-Christianity.

205. A reference to the Jews and to Christ.

206. Possibly an allusion to the Eucharist.

207. An implied argument against the personal God of the Judaeo-Chris-
tians.

208. Bartholmess points out that this allusion to hunting could not help
but please Queen Elizabeth. Cf. Christian Bartholmess, Jordano Bruno,
Paris, Librairie philosophique De Ladrange, 1846, 1847, 2 vols., II, 104.

209. Shem Ha-Meforash is the Hebrew for "the special name" (of God),
contained in the breastplate worn by the Jewish High Priest.

210. Here Bruno deliberately replaces the Latin "furem" ("thief') with
"feram" ("beast"), which Spampanato indicates has the more specific mean-
ing of "doe," allegorical of Christ, distorting "Si videbas furem, currebas
cum eo.. (Psalms [Vulgate] XLIX. 18), "When thou sawest a thief,
then thou consentedst with him.. Psalms [King James] L. 18. The
second part of the passage "Me, quae...Galilea" is inspired by the
words of the angel to Mary Magdalene and to the Virgin Mary, after Christ's
resurrection: "Ecce praecedit vos in Galilaeam: ibi eum videbitis" ("be-
hold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him"). Matthew
XXVIII. 7; Cf. V. Spampanato, "Postille storico-letterarie alle opere italiane
di Giordano Bruno," La critica, Naples, 1911, p. 312.

211. Another allusion to the story of Jonah. Cf. Opere ital., II, 216, n. 3.

212. The Hydra myth referred to by Bruno seems to be a variant of ver
sions found in the following sources: (1) Nicander (Nicander Colophonius),
Theriaca, ed. J. G. Schneider, 1816, vv. 343-58, (2) Aelian (Claudius
Aelianus), De natura animalium, ed. R. Hercher, 1864-1866, vi. 51. Aelian
informs us that Ibycus, Sophocles, and other early writers dealt with the
same myth.

213. Montecorvino (Montecorvino Rovella) is a town less than twenty
kilometers from Salerno. Cf. Opere ital., II, 219, n. 1. A pun on the word
"corvo," the Italian for "crow" or "raven."

214. A reference to the punishments carried out by Pope Sixtus V against
the many thieves who roved the highways between Naples and Rome. Cf.
Spampanato, Vita di G. B., pp. 653-4.

215. Violently disagreeing with Bruno's philosophy of history, the anony
mous Neapolitan annotator refers to Bruno's passage as "A lie and a myth."
Vide Opere ital., II, 220, n. 1.

216. In Genesis XL. 16, the passage refers not to Potiphar's baker but to
Pharaoh's. Bruno's reference to the "basket of figs, of which birds were
coming to eat" is also somewhat inaccurate. The biblical passage (Genesis
XL. 16-17 [King James]) reads as follows: "and, behold, I had three white
baskets on my head: And in the uppermost basket there was of all manner
of bakemeats for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon
my head." Gentile believes with Spampanato that Bruno may have been
confused with Aretino's treatment, in his Ficheide, of the fable of the crow
and the figs. Vide Opere ital., II, 220, n. 2.

217. These two lines are a rewording of a popular adage of Bruno's day.
Cf. ibid., p. 221, n. 1.

218. Forms of the German verb "trinken," to drink.

219. Gentile calls our attention to Bruno's play on the Latin "ius," whose
meaning is not only "law," but also "broth." Vide Opere ital., II, 221, n. 3.

220. Egg of smoked tuna. Vide ibid., n. 4.

221. Here Bruno is referring to Dante's Ciacco, known for his gluttony.
Cf. Inferno VI. 52, 58. Gentile notes that the gluttony of the Germans is
also alluded to by Teofilo Folengo in his Macaronea XXVI; cf. Opere ital.,
II, 222, n. 2.

222. For Noah see Genesis IX. 20. For Lot, who was made drunk by
his two daughters so that they could lie with him, see Genesis XIX. 32;
"Chiaccone," derived from a common noun in the Neapolitan dialect,
means a "vine leaf." Vitanzano and Zucavigna are nicknames for drunk
ards. Silenus was a friend of Bacchus. Vide Opere ital., II, 222, n. 6.

223. Spampanato has endeavored to trace the derivation of these bizarre
names. According to him, "Grungarganfestrofiel" means "one who grubs
with pride." "Sorbillgramfton" means "one who sips." "Glutius" is derived
from the Latin verb "glutire," meaning "to gorge"; Bruno's "Glutius" then
would seem to mean "a gorger." "Strafocazio" is derived from the Nea
politan form "strafocarsi," meaning "to swallow avidly so as to choke." Vide
Vincenzo Spampanato, Spaccio de la bestia trionfante con alcuni antecedenti,
Portici, Premiato stab.tip. Vesuviano, 1902, p. 89.

224. As he did in the case of Orion, Bruno makes an analogy between
Christian symbols and a classical myth, this time to satirize Christ and the
Trinity. When Prometheus was punished by Jove for having brought fire
to mankind, he was told by Mercury that he would not be released from his
agony until a god would sacrifice himself for him. It was Chiron who was
willing to do so.

225. "O lying assenter!" angrily exclaims the anonymous Neapolitan an
notator. Vide Opere ital., II, 225, n. 2. That Bruno should heap such extrav
agant praise upon Henry III, who, besides having helped his mother,
Catherine de Medicis, organize the St. Bartholomew Massacre, was known
to have led an indolent, vicious, and corrupt life, may be surprising to the
reader. This attitude, however, can only be explained in terms of Bruno's
appreciation of the role played by the monarch as a patron of the arts, and
of his personal interest in him.

Regarding Henry's motto, Tertia coelo manet (The third crown remains
in heaven), Bartholmess comments: "the Leaguers promised him this crown
in the cathedral close, from the hand of a shearer, of an executioner, perhaps,
when they predicted to him that it would escape him, as did the crown of
Naples that Paul IV had intended to transfer to him with the arms of
Henry II." Op. cit., I, 99. Henry III was murdered in 1589 by the monk,
Jacques Clement.

226. Matthew V. 3-8. Psalms (Vulgate) XXXVI. ii; (King James)
XXXVII. 11.