..., he was devoted to his books till five or six in the afternoon, when he sallied out for dinner or a walk. With such devotion, his progress even exceeded his expectations. He read not only Dante, Petrarch , Tasso, Boccaccio, Macchiavelli, Guicciardini, Alfieri, and Niccolini, but several minor authors, whose neglected works are explored only by the most assiduous students of Italian literature. Most ...