Antiquariat Büchel-Baur

Title page verso:

The first verse, reads:

In Strociorum poetarum patris, ac filii decus

                                                                    Daniel Finus

                     Hic patris, et nati gemino liber unicus horto

                         Delicium floris versicoloris habet.

                     Sic genitor calybem cudit: sic follibus ignem

                         Nutrit, et alterna fert vice natus opem.

                     Qua Titus, Alcides praecinxit tempora lauro :

                         Quas pater, Aonias filius hausit aguas.

This incomparable book of the father and the diligent son has the elegance of a multicoloured garland plucked from the garden of twins. While the father strikes the iron: so the son nourishes the bellows ; alternately the work is created. As Titus, the father, entwines himself by the laurel, the son scoops from the spring of the Muses.

Daniele Fini, born in Ferrara 1470, son of an Fini „Hadrianus“ Fino who was an expert in Middle Eastern studies and adviser to the princes, published the main work of his father in 1538: „In Juaeos flagellum ex sacris Scripturis excerptum“ (Brunet II, 1262).

Like his father before him, he took on political functions in his home city (Chamberlain and University Chancellor) but his main interest was literature. His principle writing activities were chiefly in composing poems in Latin and Italian (see Michaud XIV, 138 and Barotti / Barotti / Baruffaldi: Memorie istoriche de letterati Ferraresi. Vol. I. p. 133 ff). He was a member of Ferrara's humanistic circle and was one of Strozzi's closer friends: the sermon by Strozzi senior which begins on page 134 verso is dedicated to him. Aldus sent the galley-proofs of the Strozzi edition (see della Guardia, p. LVIII) to D. Fini together with a letter containing the request to check the order of the poems and to mark other imperfections; the second of the two manuscript verses in our present copy represent his thanks („A questa lettera rispose il Fini con un grazioso ed elegante carme“ [Antonelli 1884, p. 211]; see also W. Ludwig, Die Borsias des Tito Strozzi. München 1977. p. 59, note. 2).

An autograph by Fini, currently in the Biblioteca Ariostea in Ferrara, contains – with slight alterations – another copy of this verse. (See Antonelli No. 437: we would like to express our thanks to Signora Mirna Bonazza of the Biblioteca Ariostea in Ferrara for providing illustrations and information concerning this verse.) 

The friendship between D. Fini and both Strozzi, particularly Tito, is shown in the publication by S. Pasquazi, Poeti estensi del rinascimento. Florence 1966: on pp. 111/112 there are published poems by Fini dedicated to Tito Strozzi in which each of the nine Olympic Muses praises Tito, and Aldo Manutio. 

Literatur:

J.-Ch. Brunet, Manuel du librairie et de l'amateur des livre...9 Bde. Reprint Kopenhagen 1966.

S. Pasquazi, Poeti estensi nel rinascimento. Florence ²1966.

G. A. Barotti / L. Barotti / G. Baruffaldi, Memorie istoriche de letterati Ferraresi. 3 vols. Reprint Bologna n.d.

J. Fr. Michaud, Biographie universelle ancienne et moderne. 45 vols. Reprint Graz 1966 – 70. 

G. Antonelli, Indice dei manoscritti della civica biblioteca di Ferrara. Parte Prima (= all). Ferrara 1884.

Della Guardia, A.:Tito Verspasiano Strozzi. Poesie latine tratte dall'Aldina e confrontate coi Codici. Modena 1916.