Housed in the State Archives of Ascoli is a
varied and precious body of compositions transcribed from the
registers of the Riformanze (Council Deliberations) with which
the horses and pages that ran the competition were presented.
Some are mottoes (for example, "who stretches much embraces
little"; "Others think and God provides", 1560).
Others are pompous (for example, "I seem bizarre and capricious
/ my horse attentive and fortunate / who sees me well already
is not blind / who will go to the end victorious").
Still others present famous citations, for example from Dante
("Sol per venir al parangon di tanti / destrier il mar
solcai con picciol legno / e se l’ardir fu d’alta
gloria degno / spero darammi il corso preggio e vanti",
1569), Petrarch (for example, "Son vecchio di vent’anni
magro e lento / et hoggi voglio currer più che mai /
che l’antico valor non è ancor spento", 1569),
Ariosto (for example, "Baiardo - (the horse belonging to
Rinaldo)- è il nome e messer Adriano / l’ha qui
condotto non per avarizia / ma per honorar Santo Migno Ascolano",
1570).
Yet others cite institutions or Academies, such as that of the
Spensierati ("Così di pensier vostri alti e sublimi
/ o Spensierati miei l’ali havess’io, / come ho
speme e desio, / vincer gli emoli mei secondi et primi",
1604) (Historical Archives of the City of Ascoli, Riformanze,
1538-1611). |
