The legacy of the past.--The Theseid and the octave stanza.--The preludes of the ballad epic.--Charlemagne's tournament.--The Hercules saga in mediaeval song.--Circe the island goddess.--Fountain magic.--Lyrics of Boiardo.--Verse letters of Ariosto.--Italian folk songs.--The Tuscan Béranger.--Manzoni and modern romanticism.--Epilogue.