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The XXXVII. ADVERTISEMENT.
The Ambassadors of the Province of Marca being sent to this Court, in a publike Audience complaine unto his Majesty of an unfortunate affair which hath befaln his inhabitants of that Province, for which Apollo provides sufficient remedy, with singular demonstration of true love and affection.
THe Marchian Orator who came the last week to this Court, made his solemn entrance yesterday, being attended by the greatest part of the Nobility, and being clad in a long mourning weed, he appear∣ed in the Colledge of the Litterati, where after having made his low reverence to Apollo, he spoke thus. Monarch and Father of Learn∣ing, and you other Princes of the Cujus who hear me speak, whilst learning flourisht in the world, la Marca was so famous therein, as she had the fame to have Poets, Philosophers, Orators, and other great per∣sonages no whit inferior to those of Mantua, Athens, or Rome; in so much as she hath been by some great wits compared to Greece her self, that fruitful mother of all Sciences. But since her Litterati have been hewen in pieces and starved by Barbarians, Learning hath been also so trampled upon by them, as after the burning of so many famous Li∣braries, wherein the labors of the most learned writers perisht, having lost the Noble Latin tongue, the very rase of Doctors were quite lost, whose ruine hath occasioned the very last displanting of the noble Pro∣vince of Marca; for the noble Marchians being first called by the fa∣mous City of Iesi Piceini Aesini after the lamentable loss which they had of Dipthongs, as I have said they are remained Piceni Asini: so as truely I do not know any other greater calamity that ever befel any Na∣tion, which can be compared to this of ours, which by the loss of one onely Dipthong, hath so far lost her ancient reputation, as the unfortu∣nate Marchians cannot traffick, nor appear in the company of any gal∣lant men, but they must be twitted in the teeth with Asino. Here the Orator with abundance of tears ended his discourse, nor was there any one Litterato in that Audience who were not very sensible of the Mar∣chians misfortune, insomuch as Apollo himself being much moved at the misery of so noble a Province, called for some Paper and Ink, and with his own hand did again set the Dipthong to Iesi; and command∣ed Virgil, who was the Regent of scanning Verses, that the first sylla∣ble of Iesi should be pronounced long; and ordained upon pain of grievous punishment, that no man for the future should dare to call the Marchians Asini, since it was very true that mother Nature had sowed L'Asinita in so just a measure amongst all the Nations of the world, as every one had a share thereof equal to her companion.