Spring 2010 - Interpretation

Questioning Northrop Frye’s Adaptation of Vico
3 0 5
years would come forth the writers [scriptores]. This is the same as what
Thomas Hobbes led himself to do, where among his own literary friends and
contemporaries [aequales] he glorified himself, in no other way than this,
as having stood out as the first [principem] in this doctrine, and for having
greatly augmented philosophy: but rather falsely, however, since he did not
meditate [upon] divine providence, which alone had the power to shine forth
the torch of him who illuminates for himself the tenebrous origins of human
things; and thus Hobbes would err-about [pererrat] in the most obscure
night of deplored antiquity with the blind chance of Epicurus, against whose
doctrines and principles I quarrel in primis” (Giambattista Vico, Vico Vindiciae
[Vico’s Vindications], §6: “Petition asked of the Fair-Willed Reader” [Ab
Aequanimo Lectore Petitio]).
3. Cf. SN44, “Of the Elements,” V: “Philosophy, so as to bring
rejuvenation to [giovare, usually, “aid/strengthen,” but here almost a pun on
Jove, “the strongest god”—where strength is the true faculty of God to save
men out of sensory indeterminacy] the Human Generation [Genere Umano—
with a link between giovare and Genere, the latter term entailing “generation”]
has to [dee, contraction of deve, possibly suggesting a pun on “goddesses”—
given the “providential” function of filosofia] raise [sollevare, from sub-levare,
but appearing throughout the SN in connection with freedom from slavery,
arguably as a pun for levare al sole, or raise-to-the-sun], and rule [reggere,
from re akin to regere, in the sense of “to govern/direct/sustain”—as in SN44,
Bk. II.5.i; but cf. also Bk. I.43 and 83; Bk. II.2.3, §9; Bk. V.3, par. 2; “Conclusion
of the Work,” par. 2] the fallen man [huom, as in humus or “earth/land”],
not rend him his nature, nor abandon him in his own corruption.”