or MACARONIAN, a kind of burlesque poetry, consisting of a jumble of words of different languages, with words of the vulgar tongue Latinized, and Latin words modernized. Macaroni, among the Italians, as has been observed by Caius Rhodiginus, signifies a coarse clownish man; and because this kind of poetry is patched out of several languages, and full of extravagant words, &c. the Italians, among whom it had its rise, gave it the name of MACCARONIAN, or maccaronic poetry. Others choose to derive it a macaronibus, from macarones, a kind of confection made of meal not bolted, sweet-almonds, sugar, and the white of eggs, accounted a great dainty among the country-people in Italy; which, from their being composed of various ingredients, occasioned this kind of poetry, which consists of Latin, Italian, Spanish, French, English, &c. to be called by their name.

Example.—A bold fellow, in the macaronic style, says,

Enflavi omnes scadrones & regimanders, &c.

Another example:

Archelos pistiliferos furiamque manantum, Et grandem omentum qua insipium salta ruellae est: Toximaque alto troulambant corda clochero, &c.

Theoph. Folengius, a Benedictine monk of Mantua, was the first who invented, or at least cultivated, this kind of verse. See FOLENGIO.

The best pieces of this kind are, the Baldus of Folengio, and Macarons Forza by Stefano a Jesuit, among the Italians; and the Recat veritabilis super terrilibi efcentia pafanarum de Ruellis, among the French. The famous Rabelaes first transferred the macaronic style out of the Italian verse into French prose; and on the model thereof formed some of the best things in his Pantagruel. We have little in English in the macaronian way; nothing scarce, but some little loose pieces collected in Camden's remains. But the Germans and Netherlanders have had their macaronic poets; witness the Certamen Catholicum cum Calvinijtis, of one Martinus Hamconius Friths, which contains about 1200 verses, all the words whereof begin with the letter G.