Duke University may be the only library in the US to hold a copy of this work, which is a defense of "modern" comedy. Apart from the beauty of the printer's device on the title page, the unusual long-stitched bindings, and the red wax seal of a former owner, Count Ugolino, this volume also can be studied for its eloquent literary content. Beltrame's essay was a response to the Counter-Reformation Church and its condemnation of all theater, but especially of the Commedia dell'Arte, which was regarded as the most dangerous of all genres. In particular, Church authorities regarded with extreme disfavor the use of the mask - which in their view hid one's face from God - and the participation of women, considered sources of dishonesty and lasciviousness.