Don Tarquinio; A Kataleptic Phantasmatic Romance

DON TARQUINIO

\The author reserves U. S.,

serial,

dramatic,

and

translation rights.]

DON TARQUINIO A KATALEPTIC PHANTASMATIC

ROMANCE

BY

FR.

ROLFE

AUTHOR OF " HADRIAN THE SEVENTH,"

ETC.

LONDON

CHATTO

&

WINDUS

1905

TO

H.

R.

FROM HIS

AFFECTIONATE BROTHER

To

some, Love comes so splendid and so soon,

With such wide That

wings, and steps so royally,

they, like sleepers

wakened suddenly

Expecting dawn, are blinded by His noon.

To

some, Love comes so silently and late, all unheard He is ; and passes by,

That

Leaving no

gift

but a remembered sigh,

While they stand watching But some know Love

at

at the

another gate.

enchanted hour

Him singing like a bird afar Him coming like a falling star

hear

They They see They meet His

:

:

eyes

and

all

:

their world's in flower.

ETHEL CLIFFORD.

PROLOGUE DEAR HERBERT:

When

the

last

a certain idiot asked

of one day in the in

was a-dying,

century

me

to write the history

man of

of a

life

the era of the Borgia.

It

fashion

was to include

every single act and

deed of his during a because it was given four-and-twenty hours wanted for a magazine, which proposed to :

of such histories illustrating the manners and customs of the Smart Set publish

a

series

in all ages.

Of

course

graphs which

I

instantly thought of the holo-

Don

toletes Poplicola edification

Tarquinio Giorgio Drakondi Santacroce wrote for the

of his son

port to have

Prospero.

been written about

as the leisurely effort of a ix

man

They

pur-

1523-1527,

of unbounded

PROLOGUE

x

energy very anxious to express himself; and there was one of them which certainly seemed

my

pat to

Don

all

doings

Tarquinio's

m

fr

1495,

(

actually did describe

It

purpose.

on

one day in

a little before) 6 p.m. to 6 p.m.

round the clock.

was very exciting and

It

very comical.

So as

did

I

But

it.

readily

you'll

that the frightful

age

man wrote an

No

Latin.

was

:

which was

of his own, wasn't

was by no means easy understand when I hint it

Greek

macaronics

his English tralator's difficulties

And boil

down

You

see,

that

I

was

he

to

But

explained

with a wealth of

my

down

set

did.

a

into

terms of

the

gentleman

And

book

a

it

he all

detail

:

but

it

his

consider

!

what

again, think

then

jargon

where

doubt the fashion of

write

to

all

Italian

it

means to

magazine article. commission were everything did so

such

a

the lot.

voluminously,

which simply could

not be omitted.

And

of

course

my

version

was

rejected.

PROLOGUE was

It

mere category

a

xi

not

a

story.

I

myself could see that. I

the

put

curses,

on

the

a

in

thing

who

idiot

cupboard with had invited me

on myself enough to waste four months

do a

to ass

make

to

useless

in

trying

of a silken purse

out

sow's ear

a

for being

thing,

mean, in attempting to compress a piece of real and serious and elaborate history, and an amazingly amusing character study, I

and a breathlessly ture,

a

into

intricate

story

adven-

of

merely ephemeral ten pages or

so of journalism.

There the papers lay until a week ago, when I had just finished my new book,

and was rummaging

among my belongings with the idea of tidying-up before beginning something fresh. They looked

as

though

they

might

be

interesting. I

took

them

out

;

and

conned

them

over. Little

by

little

I

saw what

an

accented

PROLOGUE

xii

fool

had been not to

I

own

Don

let

own

Tarquinio

quaint

acute

humorous sensuous conscientious way.

For

tell

it's

his

tale,

nonsense

all

his

in

to

say

that

Fifteenth

the

Century can't possibly speak to the Twentieth, because it is the Fifteenth and not the

and because those two centuries

Twentieth, haven't got have.

It's

And,

me

to

Common Denominator. Human Nature. a

since

so,

write

a

which

Catholic clergymen, or

silly

bothering

always

you're

book

not

is

my

Waterman's Ideal be

let

and

tralate to

You'll

you Don

find

him

about

incomprehensible

abnormal modernities antiquities, or I'll

They

his

for once

Barnum,

Tarquinio's holograph.

and

his

fellows just

as

and comically silly, and just as haphazardly and unexpectedly wise, and just deliciously

and just as bad, as the people whom you meet every day of your life, who always go such a frightfully long way round in as good,

their

not

endeavours to attain their objects, and bit like the disagreeably unnatural

a

PROLOGUE in

people

In

books who

ordinary

do the right thing right moment. short,

if

beings, these are

in

you're

the

tells

plight

the

right

risked

Great Ban,

should, and to

at

the

human

in

his

says of himself, and

Mark how

longings.

his

life

anxious

live,

and to

to

to

win act

love.

From CRABS HERBOROUGH,

On

way

your ones.

story of his fortunate

the

how he

and

persistently

interested

Read what Tarquinio his

xiii

the Feast of Saint Mildred.

day. release

as

he

Learn

a

from prince

DON TARQUINIO i

DURING

the

of

paparchy

Guicciardini

from

the

present year,

Clement,

1

of the

first

Messer

Francesco

and Messer Paolo Giovio came

Fiorenza,

bringing

written manuscripts

:

me

to

to the

their

end that

I

well-

might

read the same, and praise them or vituperate

them, as well for the purity of the good of the race of men.

But the

said manuscripts

letters as for

ought to be burned

;

and no copy of them ought to be preserved. These scribes are, as I have said, of Fiorenza

;

and they have written of events which took 2 place in the City when they were little boys. 1

Pope

Clement

Seventh

began

" to a the only " City

Roman.

the

A.D. 1523. 2

Rome

is

to

reign

DON TARQUINIO

2

They have no means of knowing these events, They have dared to except from hearsay. that which

write

they have

man Roman

impossible for any to

fully

of

intreat

Fiorentini

And

always

of Fiorenza truth-

by cause Carthaginian, which

of the hatred, indelible, all

for they

:

But we know well that

certainly never saw. it is

heard

bear

events,

Romans.

us

to

myself do know these their histories for I indeed was to be false and shameful I

:

concerned in the the City, at

making of history here in the same time of which these men

have dared to write mendaciously. Messer Francesco is a rather vain vacuous

man, incapable of dealing with grave matters. I

believe that

his shallow

he wisheth to be honest

mind causeth him to

:

but

collect gossip,

without testing its truth, as may be seen in the manuscript wnich he will not burn, where

They

say,

and

It

is

and

said,

and other suchlike forms are

Messer

Paolo,

on

the

written gossip as though

it

I

am

told that,

reiterated.

other

hand,

hath

were history: nor

DON TARQUINIO hath he deemed tions

Moreover, when

Francesco.

of his

The

in these three

I

showed

plainly

words, saying

:

people wish to be deceived.

them

deceive

will

Messer

that, to

responded

And,

aforesaid

mine own knowledge, certain allegations were false, he audaciously

him how

"

qualify his asser-

to

right

manner of the

the

in

it

3

an

after

return

in

hundred

I

will 1

for

gold

sequins.

years,

my

mendacity

have become verity."

The

said

Messer Paolo thus hath confessed

himself to be a

liar,

flagrant, impenitent.

So

long as he was content to write of those things of which he had cognition, for example the

Book About

Fishes 2 which

printed, so long he as a rather

used his 1

but

The it

lately

hath

been

was worthy of observance

pagan man who diligently But, seeing that he ability.

rustic

little

gold zecchino was worth about half-a-guinea,

had about four times the

latter's

purchasing

value. 2

I

suppose isy

Don

Tarquinio to mean

De

published A.D. 1524. I

2

Piscibus

DON TARQUINIO

4

falsehoods

but

also openly hath boasted of the same, let

him

not

and

hath written

only

his

It

dead be anathema. that

simple matter.

a

is

me

to

appeareth

history

many

the

writing

of

Let each man,

from the age of puberty, write of the things So few men can which happen to himself. that

write

written.

more

not

Also,

than

enough

will

be

some men, having been born

under benignant stars, will rise while others, having been born under malignant stars, will :

fall.

The

their

successors

writings of the will

will live

;

and

by reading what

profit

The

they have written.

first

writings of the second

die and disappear with the corruptible carcase

of their writers.

Wherefore

myself will write the history

I

of one day of mine thou,

my

son,

mayst

own

life,

learn

in

the

order that

true

method

of writing history that is to say, with knowledge, with a share in the fact, with truth as :

before

the

of persons

priest,

and

with things,

accurate

descriptions

but chiefly

without

DON TARQUINIO desire

any

of

persuading.

5

But

the

four

stumbling-blocks to truth, which the Anglican

mage are

1

must be avoided, and they

invented,

:

The

influence of fragile or

thority

Custom

The

unworthy au-

:

:

imperfection of undisciplined senses

:

Concealment of ignorance by ostentation of seeming wisdom. Furthermore, as to what truth

is, I

will say

faith

from the truths of our most holy which are of divine revelation and there-

fore

not to be questioned, the truth

that, apart

is

that

which every man may acquire from the apprehensive nature of perfectly cultivated senses :

or, is

as

the

Zeno

the Stoic saith, the test of truth

Kataleptic

o Prospero,

I will

the evidence of 1

Phantasm.

For

this cause,

write history for thee from

my

proper senses alone, and

This would be Br. Roger Bacon, O.F.M.

DON TARQUINIO

6

not from the

of ungoverned and

idle reports

ungovernable tongues. to write the I will choose day on which

history of the

was delivered from

I

disability,

of the day on which Alexander, magnificent, I will invincible, made me what I now am. write

history of

the

that day,

had no

Of

share.

know

But, to

write.

things were done in which

many

little

these

of

Cardinal

of

Borgia

The

Prince

Ferrara,

and

Prince

Squillace,

should

persons,

and

write

seeing that 1

of

I

I

will

I

knoweth and

as

as

I

am

I

will write.

the

Gioffredo other

am moved, capable,

and

Nevertheless,

none of these have written, thou

Regnator Olympl

The 2

as

2

1

innumerable

moved

be

and should be capable should

Olympos

that

must

needs

things

I

the history of that day

absolutely as the Ruler of it,

On

fortunate day.

my

is

Don

Tarquinio's designation

Deity.

am

led

to

Machiavelli called

believe

The

that

Prince

Cardinal of Valencia, and later

this viz.,

Duke

is

he

whom

Cesare (Borgia), of Valentinois.

DON TARQUINIO be content to take

shalt

a

good enough

at

that

that

wish

I

be

It will

father.

history, seeing

making and

its

history of that

the

day from me, thy loving

7

assisted

I

to

tell

the

truth.

Thou

1 know, o virginal Prospero, that, in the year MCCCCLXXXXV after the Admirable Parturition of the Mother-Maid, our house was

shalt

For xij years before, on the ninth day of the kalends of March, mine uncle and our baron Madonno Francesco, the same who suffering for

its sins.

was the model for Messer Simone Fiorentini's 2 image of our primate Saint George of Seriphos, had been stabbed in a brawl by one of the

We instantly had

infamous Dellavalle.

leagued

with Orsini against this our hereditary

enemy

This Prospero was born xiii Sept. 1513 /.*., under the Sign Virgo and the Planet Mercury. He seems to have been of a singularly pure mind, very He left a studious, and an excellent man of affairs. 1

great

name behind him

nuncio 1

;

and

as cardinal, plenipotentiary,

as the introducer of tobacco into Italy.

This sculptor was commonly known

tello.

The

and

image of

St.

George

is

as

at Florence.

Dona-

DON TARQUINIO

8

and Colonna

and had comported ourselves in such wise that, during iij months, the blood of ;

those monsters

But,

City.

of ridding

befouled

when we were this

the

in the very article

land of those

George our

Saint

in

every gutter

even as

reptiles,

progenitor ridded his

said

of Seriphos of the pterodactyl, for very few

Isle

of them

remained

1

Paparch

His

Own

alive,

reinforced

then

our Lord the

them with the bands of

house of Dellarovere and with those

of Riarj to which He was allied by the marriage of His sister. Then indeed we tolerated many

His

evils.

the

said

man,

City,

Sanctity expelled us

woman,

priest,

from

all

and

child,

encumbering us with the Great Ban so that we never should return ; and, further, He ordained

the

Catinari.

2

cause

my

where we 1

2

of

demolition It

was done

cousin

now

;

our

and

for

buildeth that

palace this

new

on

same palace

shall live.

Xystus the Fourth (Francesco Dellarovere). Piazza Catinari, where the earthenware dishes

came from.

DON TARQUINIO my

Marcantonio,

said

g

being mine

cousin,

Being of a singular habit of mind, anxious to evade the society of most men, and not having a taste equal in age, retired to Fiorenza.

he became a disciple of Messer Lionardo da Vinci that miracle of

either for

war or

for letters,

genius,

who loved him

Phaidon

for his beautiful hair

studied

the

painting,

like bats or

castle

men might

swim with webbed

loved

whom

he

architecture,

fortifications,

arts,

of fly

ingenious with wings

feet like tritons.

of the junior branch made way to our of Deira by Squillace in the Kingdom, 1

which thou never

That

with

:

and the construction

machines whereby

We

Sokrates

as

demesne

Greater Greece,

seen

hast

was

formerly

but shalt

see.

denominated

2

by cause that while yet the City was no more than a cluster of Alban 3 shepherds' huts on Campidoglio and Latium a 1

"

Lo Regno "

/.*.,

Southern

of Naples. 8

The

line Hill.

space between the

2 rj

Italy, the

Kingdom

pe>ya\r} 'EXAa?.

two peaks of the Capito-

DON TARQUINIO

io

took kingdom, numbers of our progenitors ship from Athens, violet-crowned, immortal,

and founded

But

at

fighting

states

and

cities

Deira we

fortified

men and

youths

among

the

arteries

of these were

natives

;

and, filled

on these

shores.

ourselves, drawing

apt

war from

to

by cause

that the

with the blood of

Athenian heroes mixed with the blood of those fierce

Northmen,

vicinity

who

also

about the time when

a-building, that

is

settled

our

in

castle

say about the year

to

our

was

ML

Redemption, our potency became superior to that of all other barons of

since our Fructiferous

the said Kingdom.

But, though

we

lived in

shewing ourselves rather dangerous to any who would have been our enemies, yet we maintained ourselves with all the incessant

peace,

stringency of siege, at

first

in

preparation for

an assault by the Riarj, with our ancient foes, (which never was delivered, I suppose by cause that the whole orb of earth knew that we were very gravely to be feared being driven to bay

;)

and even afterward, when Xystus had migrated

H

DON TARQUINIO to

The Lord and

had

lost their

the Riarj and the Dellarovere

predominance,

we

our precautions, seeing that concerning

the

manner

paparch Innocent

1

abated none of

we were which

in

ignorant

new

the

would use Himself toward

us.

In those xij

o Prospero, thy

years,

father

passed from the care of nurses to boyhood and I am not to even to the gate of adolescence. intreat of those years now, nor of the manner

in

which

I

spent them.

But

I

will say that,

something of the solitary habit of Marcantonio, and being not entirely engrossed

having

by martial exercises or by human

my

fellows

made

thinking

deemed

were,

it

Maker of

I

me

learned chafe,

to

think

;

and

by cause that

I

to be a terrible sacrilege against the

the

pelled to waste

Deira,

I

letters as all

being

World

my fit

in

that

I

should be com-

among the rustics of mind and body to equal

life

any patrician in the City. My syllogism was the syllogism of the Alexandrian mages :

1

Innocent the Eighth (Giambattista Cibo).

DON TARQUINIO

12

Intelligence

God

is

must be Active :

Intelligent

Therefore, of His Nature for a force

God

not a force.

is

the Creator

Own I

Therefore,

But

at

Deira

He

create

:

:

Image He created also must Create. I

must

which engendereth nothing

is

In His

:

was

Me

:

as a bird in a cage, as a

prisoner in a dungeon, as a scorpion in a circle

of

fire

1

nor was there any release

i

Wherefore

the

new

for

of

adolescence

me. me,

exquisite, ebullient, very grievously did chafe.

But by chance, on the Valentine

occurred

in

to

the

me

year

the

of

Saint

MCCCCLXXXXV, there

Most

Cardinal- A. of Santa Lucia 1

festival

Illustrious in

Silice

Lord

alias in

Don

Tarquinio seems to have been born under the Sign Scorpio and the Planet Mars : which accounts for his queer character. I think this expression to be an allusion to the scorpion's well-known practice of

committing suicide by stinging by

fire.

itself

when surrounded

DON TARQUINIO

13

Orfea, the Prince Ippolito d'Este of Ferrara.

He

came with an admirable company out of Syracuse where he had been buying wrestlers :

was very curious in every kind of human monster, and his collection of athletes was

for he

without

He

rival.

being abnormal

:

vermilion

hat.

way of

was of the age of xvij years he had worn the

for he

and during

years,

himself also was by

ij

He

was

tall

of

frame

and

supple of sinew and mighty of limb, having fortified

his adolescence

exercises.

face

Grace and charm

of him.

with healthful

gleamed

with archery and other

with

bloomed on the

His olive-coloured skin glowed His bright black eyes pallor. grave

tranquillity,

meriting

His whole aspect was most basilical. praises. He was an expert swimmer and, with whatso;

ever weapons he adroitly strove, he did inure

himself

to

heat

and

cold

and

night-long

1

vigils.

Thou 1

shalt

know, o

my

rosy Prospero, that

Ciacconius, in his Lives of the Pontiffs, seems to

have availed himself of this description of the Cardinal of Ferrara.

DON TARQUINIO

i4

two kinds of beauty, videlicet the beauty of the body and the beauty of the soul.

there

are

The

latter

manent

;

is

be preferred: for

to

and

he

who

possesseth

is

it

per-

psychical

immortal gods, divine ones beauty Yet this kind inhabiting heavenly mansions. of beauty is not easily perceived. Wherefore is

like the

the possession of the other kind

is

much

to be

by cause that physical beauty maketh the world to turn round and to stand at gaze, desired

:

whereby perception of psychical beauty, there be, is

the

is

facilitated.

more important

when

its

first

any

Hence, physical beauty :

although, unless to

be added psychical beauty, invalid

if

it is

effect

liable to

it

become

should have faded.

But the Cardinal of Ferrara had both kinds of beauty, even as

I

the present scribe have both

kinds of beauty.

When we

first

looked upon each other, our

attention was arrested by sight

:

but,

nized each

means of the sense of

when words had other

as

passed,

we recog-

being of equal texture,

even as one star doth recognize another cross-

DON TARQUINIO

15

as travellers ing the firmament of heaven, or

returning to their dear homes recognize their

kindred standing on the threshold greeting. After many words had been spoken for, as :

soon

the glances of our eyes

as

together,

striking

the

first

clashed

of

sympathy, burned in our minds, spark

whereby a certain fire and as Harmodios and Aristogeiton loved each other so did

we

then the mighty Ippolito thus

:

addressed me " It is not meet that such an one should be :

chained

to

this

rock of

Deira,

vultures of impotent desire and

where the of annulled

energy consume thine heart and liver." Thus he spoke: but there was a his

in

saying "

mind,

perceiving which

plan

responded,

:

Only the successor of Him,

Us

and

able

to

Our house with deliver

Alexander." 1

I

;

and

Who

the Great

that

is

the

chained

Ban,

is

Paparch

1

Alexander the Sixth (Rodrigo de Borja y Borja,

commonly

called Borgia).

DON TARQUINIO

16

Ippolito answered

"

We

me

again, saying

:

Ourself are in the grace of the said

Moreover

Alexander, magnificent, invincible. the Great

Ban

not run in thy despite so

will

long as that thou shalt be in Our company and Rome hath for, where Este is, Ferrara is :

;

no

jurisdiction in Ferrara."

His saying

was a true one.

having collected heart

Cardinal of Ferrara,

anon, with the

As we

Rome.

rode,

rode to

we conversed concerning

might be manifested

exhibit

the

had not such

contended. firmed

my

me no

that,

though

limberness and quickness cause to blush while

discovery

we gave names

manner was.

appeared

when our

But,

by the

qualities,

It

irresistible strength as Ippolito

had, nevertheless

of eye gave

:

of our

nor did we omit to

beauty of our bodies in feats of

strength and agility. I

I

things, in order that the beauty

many souls

my my

turned

I

Wherefore,

familiars, with a joyful back upon Deira ; and

To

alliance

of

our

we

was conadmirable

to each other, as the

Ippolito,

I

gave the name

DON TARQUINIO 1 Hebe, on account of

17

To

his xvij years.

me,

he gave the name Sideynes, 2 on account of my xv years. And so conversing and contending,

we reached

the City.

was agreed that

It

should

I

the Estense Palace,

in

live as a

guest

such time when

until

Ippolito should find occasion for speaking of

me

to

was. City,

And so it our Lord the Paparch. But, as soon as we had invaded the

I

became conscious that

had exchanged on account of the I

one prison for another for, Great Ban, it was not convenient that :

from the Estense

out

go

decurion

3

Palace,

I

should

unless

a

of the cardinalitial familiars attended

and surrounded me. Thus,

was precluded from seeking such my youth and my spirit required.

I

adventures as

Now

and then,

order that 1 97/87;

I

I

accepted

the

restraint

:

in

might see the world's metropolis,

= youthful

prime

(in

Sparta,

the eighteenth

year). 2

aiSevvrj^

=a

youth of

fifteen

to

sixteen

(Laconian). 3

Ten

soldiers

and a lieutenant. 2

years

DON TARQUINIO

18

of which

myself was no mean

I

the estate of

my

But

citizen.

procession terribly irked

me

;

would not have gone out any more, save for a maid whom I espied on the third

and

day

I

and she was thy proper mother, o ProsFor, when I saw the tender girlishness

;

pero.

of her, and her blue-black black eyes, and her rosy

hair, flesh,

and her bluewhich was so

and pure that I knew it to be soft and firm and cool to touch, then the fire of bright

love was kindled

in

my

dear breast

;

and

I

But her very name was yearned after her. hidden from me: nor might I ask it of any, for I was environed by my guards, and she was

in

the

train

Her

of a princess.

gait

of equal age with me.

She appeared to be For which causes, I

pervaded the City

hours in hope of an

proclaimed her nobility.

at all

auspicious encounter.

Once

I

scattered primroses

of her beauty.

ward

:

but

I

low

at

the

feet

She gazed modestly downlooked where I loved.

II

THAT

was the third day. The eighth was my fortunate day. set down the history of the said day, Kal.

Mar.,

day of Mars

the

being

I

will

a.d. vij

in

the

year MCCCCLXXXXV.

Divine Phoibos was finishing his course, and his radiant horses were about to plunge

when

into the ocean-stream, trious Silice

Most

the

Lord Cardinal-A. of Santa alias in

Ferrara, with

Orfea,

Illus-

Lucia

in

Prince Ippolito d'Este of

me, Prince Tarquinio Georgio

Drakontoletes Poplicola di Hagiostayros, 1 came 1

The

gentleman's actual surname, of course, was

Santacroce

mania of the

:

his

but,

being

epoch

Greek form of

for

rabidly

infected

with

the

Greek, he must needs give

it

c

Ayioaravpos.

Regarding

his

frequent allusions to Saint George of Seriphos as his progenitor, the

curious

may remember 19

2

that

2

it

was

DON TARQUINIO

2o

meadow beyond the Milvian where we had been playing at great-

from a Bridge

certain

1

ball.

2

on

his

A

of patrician pages had played

pair

which was red

side,

pair played

on

my

side,

names of the that

portance

Many

persons

I

said pages I

should

have

and

another

which was blue

the red were victorious. the

;

but

:

cannot remember it

of im-

remember

them.

nor

:

thrown

is

the

great-ball

Deykalion threw stones and the names of the throwers have gone down into oblivion.

since

;

These throwers were among those. Having come to the bank of Tiber, we Perseys of Seriphos that Perseys'

who

slew a dragon (pterodactyl

mother Danae founded Ardea

r),

in

Latium, that Publius Valerius Poplicola came to Rome from Ardea, that the house of Santacroce descends from him,

and that the armorials of Santacroce are the armorials of Saint George, argent a cross potent gules.

which considerations a somewhat

From

startling theory

may

be formed. 1

2

Now

called

Ponte Molle.

Pallone, a deliriously scientifically ferocious

common

in Italy.

game

DON TARQUINIO

21

Indian oars-

ascended the cardinalitial barge.

men

propelled

flesh

resembled the

wheat when

as

it

and the colour of

;

some

colour of a

their

of ripe

field

zephyr sways the

delicate

stems in the sunlight not more than half rebut their eyes were like vealing poppies :

of

pools

ink,

upon

fathomless,

glittering

pearl, very beautiful, and quite unintellectual. Servitors crowded amidships.

mother

o'

Turkish

and

arbalisters

manned

Ferrara

bulwarks.

the

from

halberdiers

Pages,

in

liveries

resembling vermilion skins from toe to

throat

and

tabards, cross,

in

bearing

displayed

to

the

at

life

and

whenever

barbarians

of Gaul

on the one

Paparch the

of

Tarquinio,

would

they

cardinals

play

at

days when the Keltic

were occupying half the side

Alexander Castle

For, like

princes

great ball, in those old

in

their

prow the double-

teach discretion.

Ippolito,

risked

City

armorials on

golden, and the high Estense gonfalon,

order

like

wrist,

of

was

Tiber,

being

Santangelo

while

the

beleaguered

on the

other.

DON TARQUINIO

22

For

this cause Ippolito displayed his state,

any man of

that

who

evil

mind,

so

presumptuous,

should be tempted of the devil to molest

might know that he would incur the ban of Holy Mother Church for molesting a car-

us,

dinal

not

less

than

the

ban of Ferrara

for

molesting an Este.

The

We

above the river was growing chilly. were heated with the game needed to

air

who

continue in action, that

we might evade

perils

of ague or of fever or of the Pest, most per-

Wherefore

nicious.

as possible

I

wrestled as vigorously

with Ippolito inside

curtains of the canopied poop.

strength reduced

and he threw times, I

till

me

:

But

his great

suppleness to no price

once and twice

and

he was weary of easy victories

was weary of the carpet. Abaft Ripetta, 1 came one

rumours It

my

the vermilion

with

whom we

in a little boat

:

;

six

but

with

instantly collogued.

was said that some sort of a peace had been 1

The

port

Umbria was

where the

landed.

agricultural

produce

from

DON TARQUINIO It

patched-up.

was about

mind became inflamed with

King

we descended from

desire

having crossed the

Wherefore,

inquiry.

river,

said that the Keltic

to relinquish the City.

Ippolito's

of

was

23

the barge

and made

;

we might

haste toward Vatican, in order that

get the news from that side.

As we

hurried

through

the

streets,

heart was sad and disconsolate in

cause of

mine

my

ill-used

by of cause and by longing and I was oblivious of all

secret

body

my

mine

;

breast,

other things. Ippolito perceived to console

me,

knew not

ail

my

grief,

and

set

we walked along

as

the causes of

my

:

himself

but he

He

distress.

spoke only of the Great Ban, which indeed weighed heavily, and moreover it was the root

and source of

mine

all

For, had

ill.

been for that grave impediment,

been a

free prince

could have

won

;

I

it

not

should have

and, with

the desire of

my freedom, I my soul, and also

body to advantage. Thus passed, from grieving over

could have used

my

he spoke: but

I

DON TARQUINIO

24

mine unknown maid and

my

bruised

flesh, into

most profound trouble by cause of my disAnd that trouble was so sore that very ability. I would soon it changed into furious despair.

do

:

but

I

could not do, by cause that

To

not do.

myself

merely a bandit.

seemed

I

Yet

I

I

useless.

might I was

got no joy of

banditry as other bandits did,

my

by cause that

I

was too foolish or too wise to comport myself as a bandit.

was

Blood thoughts

;

to Vatican

and I

blinding

my

lips

mine

quivered

eyes

at

fiercely.

came, in a passion of rage.

these

Thus

Ill

I

SAW

those great stone stairs leading to the

long fortified gallery which extends from the Apostolic Palace to the Castle of Santangelo.

saw the porphyry-coloured lines of paparchal I also saw men-at-arms which guarded them. I

knots of chamberlains

the porphyry-coloured

and pages and prelates which clustered upon them. All around me were voices and the noise

of movement.

and barons, each with

Cardinals

and bishops

his

company, continually were arriving and ascending the stairs and disappearing along the gallery above, or emerging

therefrom and descending and departing. All this time, Ippolito was pouring sympathetic I

words into

my deaf ears.

contrived to hear

him say

As he

left

me,

:

" Be of good heart, O Sideynes, for thy chance may be near even now. Fortune never 25

DON TARQUINIO

26

ceaseth to turn her wheel

may Then he

to-day

pages

and

;

Our

ij

and what

is

down

be up to-morrow."

climbed the I

was

stood by a

1

;

stair,

attended by his

left alone.

window

decurions

in the hall,

remained,

very sad.

waiting

in

my

vicinity, but not so near as to intrude upon

my my

secret.

Mine

breast, silently,

which came

in

heart began to

very bitterly

weep within

but the crowds

:

and the crowds which went out

were ignorant of

my

grief.

To

the genuinely

nothing more distracting (and consoling) than the knowledge that he is aggrieved,

there

is

keeping his grievance to himself.

Anon,

a certain princess entered, attended

by

a galaxy of maids-of- honour, all chattering like

She was most virginal and young, with a long sheet of shining yellow hair flowing loosely from a garland of jacinths. Her

jays, very flippant.

robe of mulberry-coloured silk was embroidered

The paparchal pages with gold herring-bones. swept us against the wall to make a passage for her.

I

took one by the

ear,

demanding the

DON TARQUINIO lady's

name

for a very valid reason.

Madonna

that she was

said

27

Having

Lucrezia Borgia-

Sforza, the daughter of the Paparch's Sanctity,

the wife of the Tyrant of Pesaro, a pearl of

women, to

all,

with I

and good, gentle and courteous

anon he threatened

my

for

lovely

iij

abuse of his silver

tore out of

whose

But

ear.

with penalties 1

consoled him

ouches shaped like herons which

my

cloak

through the throng, to the princess

me

:

I

;

made

and, having pushed a very

low obeisance

for I wished to be seen of her

myself had noted my maid. When Madonna Lucrezia had given me a frank and simple look of admiration, for I was in

train 1

not unnotable in a knitted habit like a skin of nacre-coloured silk embroidered with a flight

of silver herons, 1 she also climbed the disappeared

:

stairs

and

but her maids-of-honour waited in

the gallery.

was standing below, strenuously looking Courtiers came forward up there, upward. I

1

The word Ardea

of Ardea

is

signifies

" a heron."

The

the cradle of the race of Santacroce.

city

DON TARQUINIO

28

to pairing with the girls, strutting

and

fro like

muster of peacocks. One of the maids had no companion. She of apes and

a troop

a

was walking by herself. An enormous baron, one of the loyal Cesarini, came from the gallery. His company gathered

round him

The

began the descent of the stair. maid also stepped down in his

as he

solitary

when

was sinking again into my melancholy; and then I saw no more of anyone,

train, just

I

but only her.

Her

sea-blue robe was girdled by great cat's-

Her mane

eyes set in gold. floated beryls.

around her from a coronal of sea-blue

There was

her eyes,

blushes

of blue-black hair

modest look of seeking in Tender half-veiled by lovely lashes. a

her

flesh.

I

watched her very cautelously, maintaining

my

brightened

dejected attitude

powers of

my

by the window, using

will to

times she passed

diaphanous

me

draw her

as she

to me.

paced the

hall.

all

the

Several

Anon

she stayed by me, lifting her lashes, fulfilling

me

with the light of her regard ; and she said

:

DON TARQUINIO "

O

art

Madonnino, why

29

thou so unutterably

sad?" and wrenched myself from my distress comported myself as one to whom a divine I

;

vouchsafed, letting a look of recog-

vision

is

nition

gradually

went to her

come

into

mine

So

eyes.

and drew her into the embrasure

;

of the window, where the mailed backs of decurion

walled

us

off

not

angry

modest, not unwilling.

but

:

dawn

in spring.

sweetly

Her mood

mine; and mine heart became sea at

I

City.

tender,

brightened

She was not mine

continued to speak.

I

:

for

said

;

I

but

which that

I

means of approaching her even now was ignorant of her name and

hitherto had had no that

I

as blithe as the

she was to be had for the asking

cause

that

my

She was

my

from the passers-by.

two firm knees, I told her had loved her since first I saw her in the

And, on

I

:

;

used the sacred language of lovers. She begged me to rise, lest some passer-by and her eyes darted should misunderstand me I

;

up the

stairs

to the other maids with

their

DON TARQUINIO

3o

She was very young, and perhaps a

partners.

by the violence of love, though I she by no means was for flying from it. stood up and, by cause that I most fervently

little

terrified

;

regarded her, she

her eyelids droop a

let

while she responded to me, telling

Anon

and condition.

in the sweet affray,

she used a

demanding

speak about myself. into

the citadel of

my

her

name

new stratagem that

I

should

was driven back

I

So,

me

little

sadness,

mine

assault

She pushed me closer, persisting, gently urging me. Anon I told her how that our house had been being prevented.

notwithstanding that we were

xij years in exile,

Book

the most noble patricians in the Golden

of

Rome

and

spoke of Saint George the Dragon-slayer of Seriphos, of the Great Ban, of our razed palace, of our baron fooling at ;

Fiorenza.

I

I

said

that

I

was a scion of the

younger branch, and innocent of the murders which had caused us to be banned and I ;

told her of

my

necessary to notice of

breeding, with

be

mine

known by arts

and

all

her.

parts.

other matters I

gave her

There

I

was

DON TARQUINIO

31

to serve her, as she could see, young, strong,

well-instructed, not uncomely, and burning for I also an opportunity of doing deeds. spoke of Ippolito, my friend, who had brought me to the City in search of that opportunity which

was not

at Deira.

She, with divine tenderness, feared for safety.

the

observed

precautions

and

the

privileges

the Estense familiars.

enjoyed among side of these things, I

as yet

our

said

I

Further,

We

mine house.

He

to reign.

So

had been

laid

if

bade her to know that

Paparch

had not manifested

and,

I

He

Wherefore

how

whom

I

so

well

might execute that Alexander so far

special

virulence

were bandits when found

us.

willed,

He

had taken the

toward

He

began

The Great Ban

on us by His

of meeting an opportunity. her

But, by

was not a notable person upon

Lord the

justice.

my

gave her confidence again, reciting

I

predecessors

could

annul

the sake

risk, for

And

;

it.

1

showed

that Ippolito, being in the Paparch's

was watching daily for a fortunate moment in which to plead my case. Not

favour,

DON TARQUINIO

32 that

wished to sue for favours

I

:

but

was

I

seeking an opportunity for doing some signal service,

which should merit and compel pa-

parchal approbation.

But, until

my

preferred to help myself.

I

should have been re-

disability

was (so I said) like a prisoner chains, unable to use myself.

moved,

She moved a

little

nearer to me, lifting the

sweet deep wells of her eyes for in

;

"

and she

O

said

I

I

O

Madonnina,

pity,

responded,

instantly

proper eyes to hers, saying
me

to bathe

:

Madonnino, how

But

pity

is

how

I

pity

bending

at

the word,

!"

my

:

akin to love."

saw mine image shrined within those mirrors of her soul.

And,

in

I

I

inIt

was an omen, very fortunate, very invigorating. If Hersilia loved me, that nerved me and I ;

would

persevere.

So

I said.

She wished to speak for me to Madonna Lucrezia saying that that one was beneficent :

to everybody and all-powerful with her

Holy

Father.

But

I

denied her.

A

Most

man

DON TARQUINIO ought to fortunes I

raise

owe

himself and not to

women.

to

33

That was

also said that Hersilia

was

his

sentence.

my

like the angel

who

formerly delivered the Paparch Saint Peter from

She

chains.

myself. a

little

had made

me

free

Nothing more was necessary except patience and a fortunate event.

She gave her hand to mine hot was as dainty as a baby's.

At

to

strong

that

moment, Ippolito and

kisses.

It

Madonna

Lucrezia appeared together in the gallery ; and began the descent of the stairs. There was a

sudden collecting of companies. Long-legged pages darted hither and thither with much confusion striding

He

;

and anon

I

was by Ippolito's side

down Borgo.

had no news for me.

Our Lord

the Pa-

parch was playing with chess against His favourite 1

and only had whispered ij words to the cardinal. What those ij words

page out of Spain

1

j

This perhaps would be the Pierotto Calderon Cesare is said to have murdered so very

whom

romantically indeed.

3

DON TARQUINIO

34

were, was Ippolito's secret. for him.

was

my

What secret.

I

Nor had

had heard from

down

any news

my

Together we went

pondering our proper affairs. So we ascended the waiting barge ceeded

I

;

and pro-

Tiber, rapt in meditation.

the sun set in gold.

maid,

in silence,

And

mi WHEN

the barge had

swung

of the shoal

free

of smaller boats by the quay, and had attained mid-stream, Ippolito anon emerged from his I

thoughts.

was a gleam of I

returned

setting

emerged from mine.

also

hilarity in his

trouble

black-eyed glance.

was understood that we were

It

it.

aside

for

the

engaging each other in some as our manner was.

Having blessed

plunged

There

moment, and feat

of daring,

cast off his vermilion robes, Ippolito

his

into

body the

;

and

forthwith

river,

strongly

smoothly

swimming

with a huge leap sideways and a circular sweep

of alternate arms

and a double

downward

thrust of his

mighty haunches. I for a few moments watched him, while I strengthened my proper arms by swinging the heavy armshields,

wooden,

cylindrical, 35

studded

32

with

DON TARQUINIO

36

we had used in our game Anon, having made ready, I

square knops, which

of

great-ball.

climbed on the high shoulders of the steersman, standing there till Ippolito saw my whiteness

;

and so

dived into

I

the

barge's

wake, and swam.

The oarsmen ours

;

diminished

their

to

speed

and we swam between the right bank,

where our Lord the Paparch kept His court in the Castle of Santangelo, and the left bank,

where the army of the Keltic king inravished half the City.

gether

We

continued swimming to-

under the new

Xystine

Bridge,

and

under the Cestian Bridge, and by the Island, 1 until the barge was moored by the Estense

quay

in Trastevere. 2

which Ippolito got out of Morocco, attended us when we climbed Their chestnut-coloured bodies were inboard. Gigantic jatraleiptai,

with azure-green. Using pure oil of olives in which violets were macerated, they girdled

1

The

2

This

Island of Saint is

Don

Bartholomew

Tarquinio's word

for

in the Tiber.

shampooers.

DON TARQUINIO

37

imparted friction with their hands to our chilled

When my

flesh.

skin had the rosy glow

nut-brown

of

vair

muffled himself in

me

robed

pomegranates, they

squirrels

:

of

cloak

a

in

of

but

Ippolito

the ermine and vermilion

of his great-cloak, covering his head with a coif of the same. Chamberlains with vj torches went before him,

when we

Our

went before me,

the barge and entered the palace.

left

teeth

iij

chattered

articulate speech

:

with

cold,

preventing

but our bodies were warm.

There was an immense crowd of

familiars

along the quay and by the water-gate, free-

from

lances

Ferrara,

Gothic

halberdiers,

Dacian slingers, red-haired Skythian wrestlers very gigantic, roe-footed runners from Utter

North

Britain,

athletes, Indian

singular

crowd,

African

have

Ethiopic

acrobats, all selected for

physical

as I

Moors,

beauty said,

or capability.

some

The

seemed to be immense

:

but considering that Ippolito was a prince as well

as

persons

a

cardinal,

was

by

no

a family

means

of over

merely -

cccc

abundant.

DON TARQUINIO

38

barons

Many

are well

persons families

many sacredly purpled known to keep much larger

but Ippolito cared more for quality

:

and he cared nothing at This trait of for ostentation or display.

than all

and

for

quantity,

was very pleasing to me: for I all times would rather have those

his character

myself

at

exquisite things which no other

prince hath,

than a superfluity of those things which are

common to all. The water-gate,

iron-barred,

clanged behind

us.

Armed footmen

stair.

vermilion

Slight

lined the

patrician

on

on

that,

made

obeisance in

xv antechambers.

A

bevy

of delicate

this side, plebeian

the

pages,

iron-shielded,

youngsters, whose hair glittered like cocoons in candlelight, joined our progress.

1 for pay cccmd golden sequins of these specimens of The Creator's

was wont one

handiwork than

Ippolito

to

he had collected no more

and

;

viiij.

He

I

admired

greatly

1

told

About

me

them

;

this,

seeing

how

and he described

7,000, or $30,000.

DON TARQUINIO the

which

difficulty

sole to crown.

we passed

the

to

chambers.

From

thou

know how that

on

go

our

to

bathing-

a cardinal kept state in

father's

no

But

youth.

I

thing which

single

will

did

I

day may be hidden from thee. Well-grown pages, girt with white napkins, that

spread the floor-sheets and sponged

with

warm

water, rubbing

emollient.

alkaline,

jasmine-water fine flax,

over

me

me,

they indued

and

me

cloths.

Wrapped

in

a

my

flesh

with lupin-meal,

Having

poured dried

me

cold

with

with knitted under-

garb of soft wool, swathing

I

;

this description, o Prospero,

the days of thy continue,

conversing,

grooms and our gentlemen

we parted

shalt

Thus

wardrobe, where the master

waited with his so

in

was no blemish on

them from

and

had

had

agents

there

for

them,

finding

his

39

my

wet hair with

woollen

night-gown,

encountered Ippolito similarly arrayed in the

wardrobe.

The

grooms

produced

various

and our pages deftly did them on sheathed in Ippolito's grand legs were

habits

us.

;

silk

DON TARQUINIO

40

hosen, tyrianthine-coloured.

of the same covered

A

loose doublet

was open on the breast and the long wide sleeves, shewing the laces and embroidery of his smock.

His

poignard

his

dangled

body.

from a

It

belt

golden

formed of linked dryades and naiades. his shoes were vermilion. cap and pectoral his

cross was hidden in his

chain

was

set

His

His

smock

;

and

with those periapts which

procure fearlessness and avert drowning, passion, incubi and succubi, videlicet carnelian,

And

topaz, coral.

I

must not omit

jasper,

to record

that the sapphire of his ring, worth dc sequins, 1

was engraved with a figure of the Heroic Herakles strangling the Nemean Lion, which inchanteth against

But

I,

on

my

colic

part,

and

gaineth

favour.

chose to wear no smock

that night, preferring a certain habit of white

which clung to my contours. shaped like an inverted chevron on silk

It

was

breast

and back, with broidered bands of pearls on silver and I chose it by cause that I could ;

1

About

1,200, or $6,000.

DON TARQUINIO more

breathe

freely

when

my

41

was

throat

mine heart was very full of the joy which cometh to him who hath done well bare, for

Indeed

with his body. still

I

hardly could stand

while the pages very carefully rubbed the

on me, smoothing the wrinkles but, when this was done, I knew that I had chosen rightly, for this habit was no restraint delicate fabric

A

to me.

:

pointed belt of linked silver medals

engraved with the

loves

of

and

Leykippe

Kleitophonta bound a brief close flounce silver-banded silk round

my

loins

;

and

of

my

were of white buckskin, clasped with below my knees. at an handsbreadth

boots silver

brought me a white silk cap proud with plumes, and a thick cloak of white velvet

They

also

reversed with ermine.

So that

I I

stood, while Ippolito praised

resembled

thalerose image of

me, saying

Messer Verrocchio's

lithe

David carven of shimmer-

Concerning which same image, and concerning also the other image of David by Messer Donatello, I took occasion ing mother

o'

pearl.

DON TARQUINIO

42

to narrate the tragicomedy of the said images,

and

of

the

of

adolescents

ij

Deira named

Baldonero Fioravanti and Rufo Drudodimare,

and

of

their

And

cardinal. 1

an appendix, 2 the mention of it

But

same history I shall put seeing that no more than was so pleasing had made an end of

discourse

when

I

me

speaking, he sent to rings for

pertinent to this present

is

my

to Ippolito that,

a page with a tray of

mine acceptance. adornment of

vj for the

first-fingers

and

white-faced

the

the

in

history.

with

doings

my

Wherefrom

my

I

chose

thumbs and

third-fingers

my

videlicet a

:

cockatrice, intagliate in green jasper, for avert-

the

ing

combed, joy:

an

evil

the 1

a

fair

boy's

head well-

in

smaragd, for preserving Apollino with a necklace of herbs,

intagliate

in

intagliate visibility

eye:

heliotrope,

which conferreth

when anointed with

Kythereia Rafaele

and

Ares,

Sansoni-Riarj,

marigold-juice

intagliate

struck

in-

pallid

in

at

:

chalsixteen

when he was expecting to be murdered by the Medici. Which his present tralator takes leave to omit.

DON TARQUINIO for

cedonyx,

victories

gaining

mene, intagliate

43 the

:

Anadyo-

in sea-blue beryl, fine, brilliant,

very large, also for gaining victories ring set through on

and ass-hoof, for

The

venom

against

thanked Ippolito, patrician

sides with

I

sent

him the

pages,

who

shadows, quietly quarrelled while

filled

they

a silver

toad stone

augmenting manlihood and

for

protection

all

:

and,

;

having

rest in the tray.

stood

in

among themselves

our burses with

perfumes,

comfit-boxes, kerchieves, combs, mirrors, lets,

tablets,

rosaries,

our

and other

gear.

amu-

We

struck them in the rear with spatulas from time

Nor would we permit them

to time.

the said burses to our

would have been

belts

:

to affix

our forms

for

falsified thereby.

Wherefore, to were compelled carry them, they perforce attending served.

us

closely,

But we

sat

buffeted resting

as

in

occasion

arm-chairs,

while the grooms covered us with sheets with fringes, drying

and combing and scenting our

raven-hued and yellow-silver hair. For our solace, a chamberlain admitted a

DON TARQUINIO

44

pair of chaplains in black cymars with an arch-

book of hours.

luth and a

intoned vespers with

kneeled, and

They

At the

completorium.

Sign and Et fidelium animae, the bells of the

new manner, strange

City began to sound in a

then

me, but

to

familiar

o Prospero, videlicet

v

strokes,

iij

to

iiij

thee,

strokes,

stroke, xiii strokes in all.

/

strokes,

enough

looked with inquiry toward Ippolito. He smiled for he had been at the heart of things I

:

that

day

and he

;

that

said

it

was the new

ordinance of our Lord the Paparch.

Our coverings

were removed.

instantly

vermilion cushions were placed before us.

The

sank on the knees. intoned, in tion

;

Two All

Cardinal of Ferrara

honour of the Fructiferous Incarna-

and we responded to him, saying

F. Angelus

Domini

R. Et cocepit de

Mariae

Spiritu S^cto.

Aue V. Ecce acilla

nutiavit

Maria,

Domini

etc.

:

R. Fiat michi secudu' Verbu* Tuu'

Aue

Maria,

etc.

:

:

DON TARQUINIO V. Et Verbu' Caro factu' est

R. Et

habitauit

45

:

nobis.

i'

Aue

Maria,

etc.

Ora pro nobis, Sacta Dei Genitrix R. Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus V.

:

Christi.

Gratia' Tua', quaesumus, Domine, V. Oremus. metibus nostris ifude, ut Qui, Sgelo nutiate, Christ

Tui

Filj

Icarnatione' cognovimus, per Passione' Ejus

ad

Cruce'

et

Resurrectionis

Gloria'

Per Eiide' Christu' Dominu' nostru'

perducamur.

:

R. Amen. V.

*J<

requiescat

Et i'

fideliu'

pace

animae

per

Misericordia'

Dei

:

R. Amen.

hour of night. 1 Now, the day which for me It

was the

marked with

first

a white stone,

the great day of 1

About 6 p.m.

my

life

for

is

fortune-bringing,

was begun.

Each day was counted

sunset of the previous night.

ever

to begin at

WILL

I

Palace

:

tell

thee,

for

it

o Prospero, of the Estense impossible for thee to see

is

with thy proper

it

sea-blue eyes, by cause that

was pulled down in the year before thy birth, after the miraculous picture appeared on it

and hath given place to the of Theotokos with the new

the garden-wall

new

church

;

streets. 1 It

1

was a gigantic oblong, extending from the

This would seem

to indicate the locality of this

a miraculous Madonna was mysterious palace found on a garden-wall in Trastevere A.D. 1497, an(l :

for

the church of Santa Maria dell' Orto (Saint

the

Garden) was

before

The

the

birth

built

of

palace, therefore,

over

it

Cardinal

A.D.

Mary

of

1512, the year

Prospero

Santacroce.

must have stood upon a

slice

of

site now occupied by St. Michael's Hospice and the barracks of the Bersaglieri, with a water-gate on

the

Ripa Grande. 46

DON TARQUINIO

47

river-bank to the said garden-wall, having the

grove of the Divine Furina on the one side, and Saint Cecilia and Saint Mary of the Chapel on the other.

It

new

as that

was neither so

palace which

baron Marcantonio nari

a

:

but

was

it

my

nor so large

cousin and our

about to build on Cati-

is

and large enough for One end of the oblong

fine

cardinal.

foreign

fine

abutted on Tiber, where was the great barbacan

and the water-gate iiij

;

and

courts

equal-sided

by the

audience-chamber and the

where

thickness, galleries

know nized

were

walls

terior

and

but,

:

it

as the

pean, absolute.

on

the

cellars,

first

12

The braccie

ex1

in

builded

it,

I

do not

was pulled down we recog-

work of

a master-builder, cyclo-

All the chief apartments were floor.

Below

were

kitchens,

prisons, store-houses, military quarters.

Above were 1

it

v

and the

window-slits lighted only

Who

stairs.

hall

chapel.

fortifications

little

when

was divided into

it

feet

7 inches long.

iij

ii

floors for the familiars inches.

The

braccia

and the

was 2

feet

DON TARQUINIO

48

The

athletes.

the

to

allotted

court

first

soldiers

from the gate was the and servitors :

second, to the gentlemen and pages the

to

men

nobilities,

of

and to the

letters

supernities,

celsitudes,

magnificences, sublimities

court

:

the third illustrious,

tranquillities,

the fourth was the

:

of the women, where the

wives

and

daughters of the familiars cooked the food and

made

mended

or

and adolescents savage or seclusion

beyond the ruota.

machicolated chiefly

d

battlement,

fortified,

braccie

2

pent

clothes,

from

boys

military, in suitable

A

1

flat

crowned

roof, with

the

pile,

but also providing a terrace,

in total length,

/

braccie 3 in width,

for Ippolito's recreations.

These things being understood,

I

will

con-

tinue the history.

When we

stood up ready to proceed from

the wardrobe,

the people came and

all

A huge revolving cupboard, communication was made. 1

2

473 y ar(k

3

43 yards 2 inches.

x

f ot

I0 inches.

by which

made means

DON TARQUINIO their

The

genuflections.

cardinalitial double-cross

falon

went

with

pages

the

and the Estense gon-

The gentlemen

before.

with

49

followed

their

budding upper-lips. These were quite useless persons, not even showy, and only included in the family in after,

playing

order that they might learn manners.

have had gentlemen I

prefer pages

and

who

speak and

in

proper family

whom

servitors to

respond to

will

me

would rather be surrounded by

I

simpering youths

who

as for myself, rather

in

will for

The

And,

my

stairs

iij.

silent

And

than be a gentleman in

I

dear son.

the

turn.

barbarians,

I

would

will

for

Note

As we

myself, so also

it,

o Prospero.

passed

which led into the

be

prefer to

chamberlains preceded us with

torches and iiij

as

for

can

are merely noble.

another baron's family, a farmer.

:

I

Ippolito generally was, than by these

as

I

my

never

I

first

the vj

down

the

gallery, a

chamberlain slipped on a patch of tallow, which

had dropped from a rush-light badly placed in the sconce on the wall. He was a very fat 4

DON TARQUINIO

50

man

and

;

his

hosen

split

on the ham-bone

:

whose discomfiture we laughed, but Ippolito was promising a thrashing for someone.

at

In the private to give

dining-room,

I

was moved

an inkling of mine hopes to Ippolito,

continuing

to

whisper until we

had

through the state withdrawing-room

He

hall.

sighed

when

I

spoke of

passed into the

my

maid

;

and suddenly smiled, as one who locketh the box of his trouble when his friend unlocketh appeared to me that Ippowas not ignorant of an experience similar

box of joy.

his lito

to mine: affairs

the

prevented

concerning

My at

but

It

the

importance of my proper me from placing inquiries

his.

discourse was interrupted by the pages

door of the

hall

presenting

the

em-

bossed gold basin with the ewer of tepid rose-

water and diapered

towels, while

we washed

our fingers reciting the Psalm / will wash mine hands in innocency. Our seats on the dais were

by the vermilion baldaquin, IppoBelow on being on a step above mine.

canopied lito's

DON TARQUINIO our

was the table of the chaplains and of letters who knew the iiij human

right,

men

the

videlicet

languages,

the

general

secretaries,

Roman,

Greek,

Below on our

Hebrew. of

51

left,

was the table of

comptroller

Tuscan,

estates,

the

the chief steward, the auditor, the

notary, the datary, the captain and lieutenants

of the guard, the

herald,

the barber-chirurgeon.

were table,

tables,

physician,

Lower down

and long.

large

where the

the

salt-cellar

At

and

the hall

the middle

divided

patrician

from plebeian, the gentlemen sat and the bevy The rest of the family was at the of pages. end of the

The

hall.

their daily portions

plebeians each brought

from the canteen,

videlicet

xvj ounces of beef, xx ounces of fine or coarse bread according to condition, a pint and a half

of wine, pieces of their monthly pounds of All through the meal, they looked cheese. lickerishly

toward the

dais,

thinking of their

chances of our gentle leavings.

Wax dish

torches,

v

in

number, escorted each

from the ruota to the

carving-table

42

;

v

DON TARQUINIO

52

others illumined the tables

of the patricians

:

dim, twinkling wicks floating on oil in brazen lamps, and the blaze of the logs on

cool,

the hearth, gave light to the rest. tions of these

in

The

reflec-

the panels of the walls and

roof, oaken, wax-shining, resembled golden stars in a

brown

As

sea.

and Ippolito spread the napkins on our breasts for tying, there was some commotion at

I

the

pages'

table.

content with their

own

It

was seen

that,

not

napkin, they had stolen

one pertaining to the gentlemen, which napkin one of the last retrieved with a little violence. only saw the short struggle, also the

We

and we only heard the indignant advice to the robbers that they should use their caps and sleeves like the plebeians.

Ippolito

demanded of me whether,

judgment, such advice was suitable for

in

my

young

responded saying that it was indecorous, and that the adviser ought to be

boys.

I

dismissed.

done.

I

forget

whether

this

last

was

DON TARQUINIO While

who

black,

wan

the

the

flesh

my swim of

ministrations

But

a muse.

in

hand, was

left

glowed with the stinging Tiber and the subsequent

my

pages.

looked

I

in

on the viands and on

office

my

wine,

cold of

venom-taster

nervous

stood at Ippolito's

performing his

53

at

Ippolito was face

my

in

in

my

there.

and saw happiness trying to shine I stretched I smoothed mine hair.

my

and arms.

mirror

;

legs

I felt

My

strong.

But what

yearned to do some violent deed.

deed

And

Ah,

?

I

the

to

I

instantly slid

depth

know what deed

did not

bowels

to do.

from the height of

of misery.

bliss

I

indeed was

the chaplains had

finished in-

Oh,

properly unhappy.

As soon toning

the

as

prayers,

I

drank

broth from a silver bowl.

me.

I ate

beef-and-barley did not comfort

the beef from which the broth had

been made.

It

brigands of the

was fibrous and dry.

Campagna who,

days, used to steal half City,

It

all

in

The

those old

imports sent to the

must have been employed elsewhere that

DON TARQUINIO

54

day

and venison appeared on the ate of both, being ravenously-

for roast pig

:

carving table.

I

hungry and unwilling

to waste time in

at the table

that

of the men of

man who had

a

an

talking

who was

Ippolito about a stranger

to

letters.

sitting

But

I

said

olive-coloured skin

ought not to wear a pink and green gown and I have forgotten all else about the said ;

The

stranger.

and

fat

full

venison suited

of blood

Nor

platterful.

did

and

;

I

goose-breasts in batter,

with

figs.

I

in

paste balls,

cockscombs on

The

cockscombs were the

being

signed for a third

livers

leeks parboiled and fried in farced

taste,

neglect the fried things,

minced chicken

videlicet

I

my

oil,

lettuce,

a dish of quails

goose-breasts and the

best.

Every time when

paused to wash mine hands,

I

seemed to be

sinking deeper in the mire of my melancholy. I

salad

was :

plunging,

for I

sighing,

remembered

efficacious for

into

a

gigantic

that green-meat

is

as

whitening the skin as are blood-

meats for rendering supple the sinews. But we heard the sudden ringing of horse-hooves

DON TARQUINIO in the

the

human

bitts,

and

Then indeed

the

and the champing of

court,

of an

noise

55

tide

at

arrival.

end of the

the

hall

swept

Tiber surges when cloven by a sideways, A pursuivant and two vergalley's prow. as

chamberlains, each with

milion

lighted torches snatched

from anywhere, pre-

cipitated themselves at the dais,

"

The

of

a handful

announcing

:

Exalted Potency of Prince Gioffredo

Borgia of Squillace." This prince, o Prospero, was then of mine

own

age

:

but

he already

dccxl free-lances in

the

had commanded

and he already

war,

was xj months a benedick while I, who could do nothing but fight and swim and run :

and speak Greek and write it and look much more like the David of Messer Verrocchio Baldonero

than

Drudodimare,

I,

doing anything.

But

Fioravanti I

say,

And

or

than

Rufo

had no opportunity of I was most miserable.

for he welcoming the guest and I admired seemed to be a merry lad I

smiled,

:

;

the

hardy

contours

ot

his

form, precocious.

DON TARQUINIO

56

voluptuous.

Sulphur -coloured

silk

The

bands

each line of him.

and

and wrists

throat

silver

hips

were

defined at

with

set

emeralds no greener than his

great cabochon

His

eyes which flashed between long lashes. curly hair was as black

as night.

had

of

the

clearness

rosy

His

with

veritable son

dignity

lively

flesh

His

carnation.

He

laughing mouth was as red as beef. himself

his

used

became

as

of our Lord the Paparch

the

and

;

he came to greet us with a certain gesture.

He

said

:

" Salute the father of a lovely

month ago

at

Naples,

girl,

born a

whom Our Most Holy

Father yesterday hath

baptized by the

name

Antonia."

The Nemi,

cellarers

that

security 1

a

rich

full-bodied, well-sunned.

manded them order

served

to

the

against

Paparch's

Moss-agate breaks

wine of

Ippolito

com-

moss-agate cups:

bring

venom.

red

1

son

might

in

have

While we drank,

when touched by

poison.

DON TARQUINIO those

ij

57

began to chatter of matters unknown

to me.

threw a cupful of wine in the face of

I

the

page with

him

as

my as

unhappy

furious that

I

might make looked so meekly

basin, that

He

I.

as I

laughed

I

washed

my

fingers

But anon,

before tasting the sweetmeats.

re-

membering that the said page was noble and that I had hurt his honour, I sent him to

my

fetch

slipped

two

into

best

the

swords.

state

And,

having

withdrawing-room,

I

made him proud and happy by disarming him back of

twice, scratching the

He

was a bold boy,

fearful

the grape, not of his own. to the cheese,

right hand.

his

of the blood of

But

more unhappy than

I

returned

before.

Chaplains intoned the long action of graces, >|

Memoria'

lingered

fecit

mirabiliu'

suoru'

over a conserve of quinces,

etc.

I

which,

fumes and preventeth and I chatted vapours from striking upwards in Greek with Messer Pierettore Arrivabene

said Ippolito, disperseth

;

below the

dais, while

Ippolito and the Borgia

DON TARQUINIO

58

prince eagerly whispered.

When

the familiars

gone out by the lower door, we iij and went to take our washed our hands were

;

ease

in

the

secret

chamber.

Singing

boys

our progress, mingling voices with archluths, quiet, clear, and low, music delightful followed

to hear.

VI

THAT

was

secret chamber, o Prospero,

circular

and very large. The walls and the vaulted roof were covered with a veneer of ivory iij barleycorns in thickness, smoothly gleaming.

Ivory

images of fauns and nymphs as large as xj of the one, x of the other, stood

life,

on

ivory pedestals round the walls supporting the cornice.

The

said cornice

also

was of ivory

carved with a dance of satyrs in basso

Wax

torches burned on

tall

rilievo.

gold candlesticks

placed on the floor between the images, except

by the ivory door and The last was furnished with a

in the spaces occupied

the window.

balcony over Tiber the

was

City

in

;

and shewed

from Byzantion. Having washed

very thick

our 59

fingers

view of

The

darkening twilight.

covered by a

a

black

at

the

floor

carpet

gold

DON TARQUINIO

60

by the door, we composed ourselves on massive black velvet cushions, which were

lavabo

and

here

heaped up

table

a

sweetmeats

offered

upon the

low ivory to us from

drew up

Ippolito

there

a

for the

night

and

;

gold box,

cursing meanwhile by cause that the

napkins

floor.

was lacking.

of

pile

In

the

midst of his objurgations, a servitor hurried

an

with

in

the

armful,

lavabo.

same by his normal

the

depositing

Ippolito

resumed

grave smile.

The men of improving our histories

letters

swaggered

The

minds.

in,

first

bent on read

the

of Solon and Publius Valerius Popli-

cola with Parallel,

from the

|3ioi

7ra/oaXX?/Xoi

of

Messer Ploytarchos the second read a page of Messer Cicero's Oration for Caecina the :

:

third declaimed the eighteenth canto of Messer Alighieri's

lection

Paradiso

:

the

fourth

intoned

a

from the Evangel of Saint John the

Divine (whose Greek, o Prospero, is purer than that of the other Apostles, especially Saint Paul), and he used the second

volume of

that

DON TARQUINIO which

Bible

fine

mccclxxv sequins.

61

Duke Borso

cost

d'Este

1

Prince Gioffredo became uneasy in his body

:

had not expected this kind of entertainWherefore Ippolito conversed with him ment. for he

apart, while I

became obedient

to the

mages who

my masters for the nonce it being times my will, as it should be thine, were

:

mercurial son, to give acquisition

of

mental

acquisition of physical.

Tuscan

a folio of the

much

as

superiority I

at all

o

my

care

to

the

as

to

the

translated aloud into

Phaidon of Plato, that

absolute work, and a breve of Messer Plinius

from the new edition which Messer Pomponius Laetus had given to Ippolito. 2 Anon I meekly tolerated an adverse

judgment of

my

weekly

thesis, the absurd subject of which was

Irreducible

Surd

:

nor did

I

Messer Pierettore denounced Childish, for 1

About

2

No

now

I

even wince when it

by the epithet

was beyond concern for

7,500, or $37,500.

doubt

this

The

was the

edition issued in 1491.

DON TARQUINIO

62

these lesser matters, pondering the unmitigable

calamity in which

Anon

I

stood.

was Ippolito's turn to do his lessons ; and mine to amuse the guest. That one, by no means satisfied with the grave conversation it

of the cardinal, looked upon

more

suitable

companion

me

and

;

as

being a

he instantly

proposed that we should ride through the City to see the sights of the night. I was by no

means loath

to oblige

him

indeed the peril of

:

such an adventure recommended a

means of escape from

While

my

I

chose

as

melancholy.

decurion and the

being collected,

my

prince's were

mail-shirt

from a

Ippolito had obtained a few minutes'

trayful.

interval in

he

my

me

itself to

which to speed our departure

my

praised

caution

Prince

to

;

and

Gioffredo,

saying that foolhardiness was not courage, and that

vanity (however just) should

The

rashness. glittering

in

buckling-on I

was

as

the

my

comely

son

Paparch's pliant

steel,

sword-belt

;

not breed

watched while

and he

I

me was

said that

in the mail falling in escallops

DON TARQUINIO round mine haunches

Thus he

spoke

as I

and,

;

was in

63 silk or velvet.

on

finding

the

tray

another mail-shirt so fine that his two hands

plump, juicy with heat, completely covered it, he let my pages do it on him. Certainly he

made

a gallant

show

;

and a mirror taught him

that veiling the splendour of the

body

such

(in

a gleaming web) enhances the splendour of the

limbs

:

We the

which gave him great content.

mounted

word

to our

yawned

before

With

pomp

a

in the

decurions.

ij

us

court

first

;

;

The

and gave great gate

and clanged behind

of xx torches,

we

us.

clattered over

Tiber by the double-bridge and the Island. The night was young. The City was still for :

the Keltic

army

Gate and

in the

rode quietly,

chiefly lay outside the

Flaminian

Region of Campo Marzo. We bidding our guards to follow us

for so the light

:

of their torches made clear the

way, and our eyes were not dazzled with the glare.

The

Prince

of Squillace said that he was

going to amuse himself.

I,

desperate with the

DON TARQUINIO

64

oppression of

my

misery, declared that

I

also

would amuse myself, Great Ban or no Great Ban, safely or unsafely.

men

x

my

I

had

my

with their lieutenant

;

something for the sake of a

risk

sword and

and

I

little

would amuse-

ment. Gioffredo said that to be

compared

Rome

was a dull

city,

not

for gaiety with little cities like

Naples or Ferrara, seeing that Colonna and Orsini had eaten all the baronage save Cesarini, which last house alone remained leal to our

Lord arts,

and

the

One might

Paparch.

quoth he

:

or plague the rebellious barons

their Keltic friends

Palace nents.

cultivate the

:

or

sit

in the Apostolic

making and unmaking kings and contiBut these were dismal sports, quoth

he.

might go and throw stones on Campo Vaccino, 1 in defiance of the CardinalLittle vulgar boys

Vicar's edict, quoth

I.

Degenerates, quoth he, might go and gamble 1

The

waste land which occupied the side of the then unexcavated Forum.

DON TARQUINIO who

with the white-faced cardinal, the pink of fashion, but infernally

We

good

agreed

for

65 certainly

was

whose luck was too sons.

younger

that princes

were much to be

commiserated.

Formerly, quoth Gioffredo, much diversion had been gained by hunting Jews or Bargelli, 1 slicing off their noses, or other

them

:

but

now

the Paparch

exercitations,

using

the

race

accursed

ways

afflicting

prohibited these

Himself very kindly which so

feloniously

to

had

Redeemer, and being

slaughtered our Divine

determined to keep order in the City by means of the said Bargelli. Wherefore, quoth he, these

things

being

so,

and

Sanctity being not only so

the

Paparch's

good but

also so

loving and so dear that no one but a devil wil-

would offend Him, it behoved respectable princes to be at some pains in obeying Him.

fully

I

loved the boy for those words, o Prospero

for they his

showed

that a

:

good heart accompanied

handsome person and

his

Alexander the Sixth's

lightly

police.

merry

DON TARQUINIO

66

found no word to say ; and mine unhappiness overwhelmed me. We both

But

temper.

were

silent.

I

Anon we

halted on the Square of

Santangelo.

Gioffredo leaned across to me, slyly saying that I

we ought

took

fire

seek legitimate adventures. his words ; and we rode on,

to

at

through and through the Street of the Bear, peeping in the inns where foreigners lay but :

we savoured no resorts.

At

spice of adventure in the public

Saint John's of the Florentines,

agreed to prowl separately decurion,

we

and, taking each our

;

chose different roads.

went by Banchi Vecchi.

we

Gioffredo

tried Giulia Street.

I

All the shops of the archers and armourers

were shut on

Campo

de' Fiore

the houses twinkled with

the Square of Catinari

:

see the razed palace of

no

for

I

;

and the eyes of

light.

I

avoided

could not bear to

our house there

;

and

I

halted under the Capitol at the foot of Toasted

Beans Lane.

was drowning in the cold waters of unhappiness. I also was molested by I

the pangs of hunger

:

for study

doth augment

DON TARQUINIO

67

the carnal appetite most wonderfully, and, at

was necessary also that I continually should heap fuel on the furnace of the prime of mine adolescence. I diverged at a right angle, that time,

it

proceeding through a series of narrow

and by the black bulk of Rotondo of Pigna,

Region Eustace

where

:

being

chambers and see for myself,

for

it

me

to

Square dismounted at

I

famous

already

which had

the

in

the

of

Saint

the

new

Ippolito had spoken of this place,

Falcon Inn. as

to

streets,

1

its

for

antic viands

and to

gratified

taste

mine

;

its

and

grotesque I

wished to

food similar to that

illustrious forefathers

:

seemed that such a diversion would enable

overcome the malignance of my stars. The chamber, which I chose, was shaped like

an isoskelene triangle couped at the apex by a circular alcove about iij braccie 2 in diameter. The

door was walls

in

the

base

and roof and

colour.

The

last

of the triangle.

The

were porphyrystrewn with lemon

tiled floor

was

verbena, a most delicious odour, invigorating, 1

The

Pantheon.

2

7 feet 8 inches.

52

DON TARQUINIO

68

The

passion-inspiring.

cushions. their

The

shuttered

coloured curtains.

A

porphyry-

rush-seated settle waited

table in the

vij wicks smiled

windows concealed

white and

behind

blindness

by a bronze

alcove was a couch of

middle

and

lamp of While I de-

;

from overhead.

manded supper of the innkeeper,

I

a

dismissed

cap and cloak into the alcove, giving

my

my

sword

by the bench, washing mine hands and combing mine hair as though there was no such thing as wretchedness on this orb of earth. leave to rest

He

named

foetida, a

a

boiled owl farced with assa-

roasted wild-boar with sweet

sauce

and pine-kernels, a bear's hams, and a baked I chose the boar and the porpenporpentine. tine for my proper repast, with a measure of the black wine of Marino

hams and

xj

black 1

sturdy

I

sent the bear's

measures of wine to

paying two double giulj

A

and

;

Roman

1

my

decurion,

for the entertainment.

hob, in snowy linen with

hosen and leathern bellyband, brought

The

double giulio was worth (say) a florin, but had about four times the latter's purchasing value.

DON TARQUINIO

69

He

napery and the apparatus of the table.

came again with

rush

loose

wine-flask's

on each hand, and the

a dish

cover

This time,

strong white teeth.

his

gripped in

a clean-limbed

youngster accompanied him, precociously and grandly formed, having a wonderful freshness

of complexion, short curly brown

hair,

and an

expression of disgust in his frank eyes.

The

Prospero, and

mirror

the

is

eye

it

is

of

of

kinds,

ij

the

soul,

o

videlicet the

The open eye open eye and the shut eye. denoteth a soul which is ready, willing, able, to enter

peer

:

into

unreserved

not

abnegating

communion its

with

its

but

proper rights,

sharing the same, according to the precepts of nobility. veil

is

true

those

The

shut eye

is

drawn continually, or

image of the

soul.

unfortunate

persons

poorness of

spirit or

from

that eye wherein a at will, before the It

appertaineth

ceal their souls in selfish solitude.

o Prospero. of all White

My

from

who, either

vileness,

to

wish to con-

Note

this,

proper preference (like that

Men)

is

for the

open eye

;

and,

DON TARQUINIO

70

having seen this youngster, I knew that some benignant star had deigned to send me one with

whom

was

I

in

sympathy

;

and

addressed

I

myself to wait for further manifestations. The boy appeared to be clothed on his arms

and he

and the outsides of

his sides

really

his legs

:

but

was covered from throat to wrist and

foot with a single garment

of knitted wool,

resembling a skin, myrtle-green

with a wide

He

central stripe of flesh-colour, very ingenious.

did table-service inaccurately and disdainfully.

was plain that he never had served, and that he was accustomed to be served. Not a word It

was

When I

I

had

performed

the

last lavation,

on the bench, stretching out my length and I formed a totally erroneous

lay back

legs at

idea I

mine hunger.

said while I satiated

;

of

the

avocation

did not speak

:

furiously blushed

The set

of

mine

attendant.

He

but only looked at him. ;

and

his eyes flamed.

.

.

.

events of the next quarter-hour will be

forth in

another history,

Prospero, wilt read to the age of

xv

when thou

years.

.

.

.

which thou, o shalt

have come

DON TARQUINIO Anon, having summoned declared //

my

will to

him.

I

my

71 I

lieutenant,

would rescue these

children, taking the lad behind

but he would take the girl behind

decurion was to close our rear

;

saddle

my

The

his.

and

all

:

was to

be swiftly done.

So

it

There were

was done.

and

protests

outcries at the door, a fine affray, hard blows

stung more than one with

and

I

But,

when we were

sword.

my

free of the crowd,

I

;

changed

pursuers into scramblers, by scattering the contents of I

my

burse on the cobble-stones

escaped with

my

We galloped

;

and so

spoils.

through the Square of Navona

1 Region of Parione j and, by the tortuous lanes of the Region of Ponte to Saint John's of

in the

the Florentines. Straightly behind

me

balanced, hands

haunches, the lad rode. spell 1

on

his

Strange was that fierce

of riding through the darkness of night.

The

fourteen

Regions."

districts

of

Rome were

called

VII

THE

of Tiber City was quiet on the other side

and where we halted the

:

but,

on our right hand,

camp, now blazing with torches, like a swarm of wasps. My guards

Keltic

hummed

lighted their

own

torches

from the lanthorn

which hung before the image of Saint John

at

the street corner.

We

went onward slowly, through Banchi Vecchi and by the Cenci Palace, in search of Gioffredo Pierleone,

:

1

whom we much

found near the

fort

of

disordered in his habits, his

hosen being full of dried peas of which his Their laughter decurion was relieving him. prevented

words

my

giving favour to 1

I

suppose

Marcellus

this

which

eleventh century.

for a

my to

the It is

time.

tongue, be

the

Pierleone

now 72

I

Wherefore,

consigned the

ruined

Theatre of

fortified

in

the Palazzo Savelli.

the

DON TARQUINIO Keltic lad to one of

my

73

proper guards

when anon Gioffredo had remounted, we on side by side. He was very adventures in

a

loquacious Jew's

and,

;

ij

concerning

rode

his

house, which used to

stand by St. George's of the Golden Sail and the arch of Janus, where certain Jewesses had

been

him.

entertaining

But,

their

father

having returned unexpectedly from some nocturnal orgy, they had hidden Gioffredo in the pea-bin

from which uncomfortable abode he

:

at length

emerged, deeming the moment con-

venient for

But the

said

Jew, having found a strange sword, was on the watch and Gioffredo had only furiously withstood him. flight.

;

a poignard and a mail-shirt, the latter in his

hand instead of on

his

body

:

but, nevertheless,

he had bidden old Abraham to bethink himself, seeing that the said poignard had been used for

carving pork. self the

more

;

But the Jew had enraged himand Gioffredo, having all his

points untrussed and his hosen about his feet,

was unable to run.

Wherefore, taking the

DON TARQUINIO

74

by the sleeves, he swinged at his opponent such a blow that he fell prone, over mail-shirt

whom

incontinently rolling, the Paparch's son

He

contrived to get into the street. his

sword and

his

garments: but his

and

had

lost

and he had spoiled speech was so comical,

his boots

;

(when the movement

his occasional jerks

of his horse caused him to

sit

upon

a forgotten

by degrees dismissed the severity with which I at first was inclined to treat him. And pea)

also

so

was no

I

we came

saint myself.

So

I

And

said.

in silence to the Fabrician Bridge.

Gioffredo affectionately inquired the cause of

my grow

silence,

saying

that

thinking

made one

old.

To whom

I

responded, saying that

I

was

unhappy, and that all these games appeared to be only vain and rather silly, seeing that there

were

many

other

worthier

princes of our quality.

occupations

for

But, remembering that

Gioffredo was a guest, anon

changed my mood, whether he wend to Vatican. would lightly asking

He

would not

;

I

but he demanded half of

bed for the night, commanding

my

his decurion to

DON TARQUINIO

75

from Traspontina, 1 for him to don on the morrow. And so we bring a valise of

new

habits

entered the palace.

Some malignant star caused a misfortune at our entrance. The soldier, who had my Keltic on

lad

his horse's

crupper, dismounted; and

Near by, ij began to unbuckle the girth. pages had been fighting ; and one was bewailing and

letting drip a bleeding nose.

of the blood enraged the

The odour

stallion,

on whose

bare back the Keltic lad was sitting sideways,

waiting for orders. his leg over bridle.

;

That one promptly flung

and, leaning forward, seized the

Insued sudden dispersal of the crowd,

wild galloping through the courtyards, sidelong

sweepings and rushings, heavenward tossings, frantic plungings ; but the rider sat erect, tense as

young Bellerophon before Chimaira, gripped

to his steed

was 1

a very

The

by thighs and knees.

grand

Indeed,

it

spectacle.

palace of the Cardinal of Saint Mary's across

the Bridge, by the Vatican.

Borgia princes.

It

was rented

for the

DON TARQUINIO

76

While we Ippolito

:

all

were gazing, the noise disturbed

who came bounding down

arch beneath the hall.

stair,

through the low

beast dashed

as the furious

the

That

cardinal instantly

cast his cardinalature to the iiij winds, leaping

and

at

tearing

the

muffling

strength,

bitt

the

with

the

gigantic

head in

his

grooms ran

up

stallion's

vermilion mantle, while

his

and hobbled the dire hooves.

Anon before

the Keltic lad dismounted; and stood us,

blushing,

trembling,

bright-eyed,

brave, a slender supple figure, with articulations

His glance strayed She stood still where she had

of most delicate distinction.

toward the

girl.

been placed at

first.

that I myself

was miserable.

Gioffredo's eyes

began to goggle. Ippolito looked from the

stranger to me.

In admiring him,

Having whispered what was necessary I

announced to the other

Most

Illustrious

of Ferrara.

The

I

forgot

to the one,

Ippolito's condition of

Lord Cardinal-A. and Prince Keltic lad kneeled; and did

obeisance to the sapphire.

DON TARQUINIO Ippolito

resumed

asking the lad to

his

name

77

cardinalature,

stiffly

himself.

That one responded, saying that he was the Vicomte Rene XVIIII Raoul Alain Gabriel Marie de

Sainctrose,

Vidame de

Sainctrose,

and now, o Prospero, thou knowest how thy father, and thy god1 first became father, and Renato's, acquainted Sieur de Chastelmondesir

;

each with other.

We

all

much

were

demanded more news.

astonished.

To whom

Ippolito

the Vicomte

de Sainctrose was pleased to say that his father

had

had

Estienne

two

brothers,

who was

father

the

videlicet

to

Sieur

Damoiselle

the

Estelle there present and cousin of the speaker,

and the Sieur Guichart who was father

Damoiseau Armand then absent but

1

the

and mother long had lived

This would be

that

in

journal.

so

olympian

magnanimous Renato, son of

Marcantonio here mentioned, of

Gheraldo Pinarj

also cousin

Further he said that his own

of the speaker. father

to the

deliciously

has

whom Dom

written

in

his

DON TARQUINIO

78

mansions

l :

that his uncle Estienne had

the same road at Michaelmas

by

:

Guichart, being then his warden and the

and wishing to have

own

his

son, kept

his

gone

that his uncle girl's,

demesne and hers

them both

for

hardly, fearing by

cause that they loved one another.

Wherefore,

on the day of the dead, 2 those to

their

parents

with

the

ij had prayed gods, and anon

escaped into the forest belonging to the said

Vicomte de Sainctrose, intending to love and to But a company of Egyptians had die there. captured

them; and had brought them, with

other stolen children, by long roads to the City, selling

them

as slaves.

Ippolito interrupted, saying something about

an

evil trade.

The Vicomte

indignantly gainsaid

him

:

as-

severating that he himself and his cousin had

been but a night and a day in the City; and that, as he was not alone, it behoved him to use 1

A

pretty

way

of saying that they were gone to

heaven. 2

All Souls' Day, the second of November.

DON TARQUINIO

79

He

subtilty for the sake of his said cousin.

denied

that

he had followed

having a knife, to

evil

trade,

which either would cause force

would open Paradise

or

flee,

an

him then speaking. Ippolito still demurred

and

for the girl

for

saying

:

but Rene persisted,

:

" The Giorgio

Most

Prince

Illustrious

Drakontoletes

Tarquinio di

Poplicola

Hagio-

words and kindlike, the

stayros used princely

from strangers during many months for which cause We wished to let him know that a first

:

Keltic noble could be as generous as a

Roman

patrician."

And

he added, in the Greek tongue, that he venerated me as his Deliverer. 1

As thou

well knowst, o Prospero, the road to

my love lieth through that last

Hellas

;

and,

word of the Vicomte de

bowels yearned because of him.

2

Don

2

Tarquinio was a great one

the evidence of his senses.

The

when

I

heard

Sainctrose, I

said

my

:

for judging by brave and pitiful little

DON TARQUINIO

8o

" Tell us thine age, o Damoiseau."

He

responded to me, saying that the nones of April would mark the opening of his fifteenth year.

When

I

understood that he had been born

Ram

under the

and Mars, the cause of

extraordinary courage

manner

his

and of the astounding

which he had governed his affairs, at once became clear to me. Desiring to be assoin

vicomte had told an amazing

tale

;

and there was not

If this had happened

a shred of corroborative detail.

in the nineteenth century, they of course

interned the couple in

more or

until they had obtained a

which any

the fifteenth century, believed

Own

in

delicacy

;

and,

But

it

when men

Who

God,

Image

criminal seclusion,

pack of identificatory papers

can forge.

fool

less

would have

had

luckily

men

(being

made

them

they

consequently,

happened

felt

in

of sense) in His

no

false

about assuming for themselves some of the

truth

when

example, the power of recognizPrince they saw and heard it.

Tarquinio

heard

the

divine attributes

ing

for

Vicomte

de

Sainctrose

:

he

looked into his open eyes ; and decided that the thing was true saving himself (and everyone else) an infinity of trouble

by

rris

sensibility.

DON TARQUINIO elated

with

an

such

deliberations with these
We

He

I

one,

words

me

my

completed :

offer to take thee into

responded to

81

Our

service."

again, saying that

he

desired nothing better than to learn the duties

of

his estate, in order that

he might oust the

But

usurper of his feoffs at an opportune time. his eyes I

wandered to the

girl.

said that the comptroller should

him, and that the mistress of the

regarding

women

have

should

damoiselle

for,

:

And

order

regarding

so

I

I

was

in a

quandary

at the

turned away, with Ippolito

and the Borgia boy. As we went, I was Ippolito more of what had happened Falcon Inn.

the

being no more than a guest in

the Estense palace,

moment.

have order

telling

at

the

Gioffredo continually ejaculated

concerning the good fortune of certain people but Ippolito's brow became as black as night. :

Anon

he interrupted me; and took command of the whole matter, saying that he would not

know of any

of anything needing amendment in his palace. And he began to act. sin or

6

DON TARQUINIO

82

The page Giovempedocle

(he was very finely

made, o Prospero, but his right eye was brown while his left eye was blue) evanesced with an order for the mistress of the women to conduct the

Damoiselle

Estelle

de Sainctrose

to

the

cedar cabinet with a vicecomitial escort.

The page

Giacinto

was

quite young, but his hair was as white as hoar-frost and

(he

very luxuriant indeed) evanesced with an order for an

name

abbate (whose

I

have forgotten)

to attend in the chapel.

But we returned de

and joined the Vicomte to our company. Rene was

Sainctrose

be described. followed

emotions

with

palpitating

I

took

Ippolito

choice was

went along,

;

made of a

full

necessary

hand

his

the

to

not

;

treasury,

certain matters. state

to

and we where a

As we

of gentlemen

and

chamberlains with the double-cross collected

;

and attended us to the cedar cabinet. There,

we withdrew

the window, where

we

the

ij

Keltic nobles to

could speak in secret

and Ippolito examined them

as

;

to their real

DON TARQUINIO each

sentiments

for

frank eyes became saying

that

to them,

amg

grave

they were

Their wonderful

as

they responded,

one.

He

scrolls inscribed 3(C 0tif ICl

and jfil5

Oti

jFille.

hands, he led them to the chapel. blessed the rings. planted.

gave rings

each ring a flight of golden cupids

bound with D'

other.

83

CU ifU

Taking

The

their

presbyter

They were exchanged and

Benediction hallowed nuptials, legiti-

mate, indissoluble.

Thus was one of the many grand deeds done by thy father, o my son done on that fortunate day.

Prospero, well

62

VIII

WE

conducted the bridegroom and his bride

to an apartment

door

was

lessons

:

on the second

shut.

but

Ippolito

stair

and the

returned

took Gioffredo to

I

;

my

to

his

proper

lodging.

Having seen those children happy, mine own unhappiness surging again breast.

By

Thus

I

felt

in

my

the grace of the gods, the Borgia like a pie all the time,

boy chattered with his

I

own

garrulity,

was able to

We

range freely.

enraptured

needing no

let

my

attention.

proper thoughts

rested in arm-chairs, while

the pages doffed our garments, wrapping us in

white woollen frocks. It

was not to be denied that

noble deed a

in

rescuing those

den of infamy.

filled

looked

I

I

had done a

children at

the

from sheets,

with fragrant herbs, which hung by their 84

DON TARQUINIO

85

corners from the ceiling of the bathing-chamber,

though I expected a message of approval from the Divine Ones who live in that as

We

direction.

were

placed

on rush-seated

sheet

and pages

;

on large sponges

sitting

upon the

stools

floor-

sponges under our

laid other

feet.

remember noting

I

were

my

his longest toes toes,

longest 1

;

:

but

second toes are

my

to the

according

canon of

Otherwise his form was without

Lysippos.

blemish

that Gioffredo's big toes

and

if,

as Ippolito alleged, I in

mine

adolescence resembled the marble copy of the lithe

thalerose

image

David by Messer

of

Verrocchio, certainly the Borgia boy at that time 1

This would be the Athlete with the

Strigil,

the

supreme model of human form, which is so unaccountably and yet so assiduously " " and physiculturists of neglected by all strong men

Apoxyomenos, the

the present day.

be

It

is

strange that this statue should

named by Don Tarquinio

covered

discovered

which

A.D.

till

Don

in

1849,

Trastevere,

Tarquinio was

for

:

though the

was not

it

it

certainly

district

in A.D.

1495.

of

Rome

dis-

was in

DON TARQUINIO

86

resembled the sleek plump image of David by

Messer Donatello, which images copied

in tinted

marble the white-faced cardinal then possessed.

So

I

judged

and

;

ticular to Ippolito

I

resolved to mention this par-

not that

:

I

actually believed

myself to resemble the beautiful Rufo Drudodimare,

admirable,

resemble

the

admirable,

or Gioffredo

pathetic,

to

Baldonero Fioravanti,

splendid

treacherous,

more

in

particulars

but

than a

few and those very superficial

those

adolescents had been mistaken for the

ij

very images themselves above-named

we

;

ever, the thing in

and so

also possessed a certain similitude to the

ij

same, but only to the casual spectator.

it

:

my

Anon

was strange

;

and

I

How-

pondered

mind.

began to wonder what colour of body his stars had deigned to Rene. That his form was as exquisite and as vigorous as his mind,

my that

I

I

already

knew from

sense of sight a fine

are marred

:

form and

but fine

I

the

often

evidence of

have

noted

features sometimes

by some imperfect tincture of the

DON TARQUINIO skin in parts

and

;

to the morrow,

tunity

of

I

when

assuring

87

eagerly looked forward I

might take an oppor-

myself as

to

of one whose individuality seemed

the

person be so

to

sympathetic.

After these rather absurd meditations,

on

to consider the likely effects of

my

I

went

deed of

the night.

The

had placed beneath our stools bowls containing the steaming stew

pages

great silver

of hollyhock, mallow, pellitory, sweet fennel, wall-wort, Johns wort, centaury, rib-grass,

camo-

mile, heyhove, heyriff, herbbenet, daisy, wild-

water-parsley,

water-speedwell,

bane, withy-leaves, green oats,

pulp in

distilled water.

scabious, all

hen-

boiled to a

Note the composition

of this bath, o Prospero. It was invented by one of his mages for the cardinal and as ;

to physical health,

it

hath no equal.

conducing I heard the senior page reciting the names of the herbs, as I had heard him on the vij previous nights, while the others wrapped us

and our stools closely

in thick

woollen cloths

88

DON TARQUINIO

of enormous

size.

While thus we

sat

sweating

in the odoriferous steam, Gioffredo incessantly

gabbled

but

:

I

things in

many

cogitated

my

mind. appeared to

It

from

noble

Keltic

me

that

had delivered a

I

had enabled him

slavery,

to provide himself with legitimate heirs of his

body in contempt of his wicked uncle, and that I was going to enable him sooner or later to achieve

natural

his

plain words,

seemed had

laid I

Secondly,

gratitude.

immense

had

I

affection for

to

and

rights

him under had

In

a debt of

conceived

an

him, which he in turn In

reciprocate.

acquired another

dignities.

plain

words,

I

who might be

friend

valuable.

At

this

point of the argument, the cloths

were removed

;

and our

flesh

was seen to be

as scarlet as the flesh of tunny-fish.

sponged us with tepid rose-water

;

The

bucketfuls of cold, poured over our heads

we

stood up, caused

ruddiness.

pallor

pages

and several

when

anon to conquer

So we stood on dry sheets by the

DON TARQUINIO

89

glow of the fire, spitting into gold basins while cleaning our teeth with linen, moistened in a

made of

liquid leaves

all

mastic, rosemary, sage, bramble-

macerate in Greek wine, and dipped

powder of barley-bread burned with

in a

salt.

This was the recipe which our mage of Deira gave to me ; and I gave it to Ippolito.

The

pages dried our bodies, chafing our limbs

with their hands

;

was persuading myself the Vicomte de Sainctrose

but

that such a friend as

I

me

might be very useful to that Ippolito should

fail

anon, supposing

to induce our

Paparch to treat me fairly for, the Great Ban were to continue :

me

here,

I

Lord the

deliberated, if

in force against

should be compelled to seek an

I

opportunity for expending mine energies else-

And

where.

I

tremendous natural

upon

my

anger

at the

down

stretched myself, looking capabilities

thought that they were

with

totally use-

most earnestly desired to sting someone. I believe that Gioffredo went on chattering.

less.

I

he had not found

me

a

good

listener

:

for

he

was addressing himself to the pages who were

go

DON TARQUINIO

rubbing his

ribs.

chamber

the drying and

hair.

for

Long

slept

We

went into the

bed-

combing of our

before this was finished, Gioffredo

where he

sat in his chair.

The

service

was a poor one for the son of our Lord the Paparch, accustomed to luxuries as he was but :

he himself had chosen his

lot,

and

his

breeding

prohibited complaint.

But

I,

on

knitting in

complained of evil the hosen which I had doffed, re-

my

part, bitterly

ducing my comptroller to terror, very comical, he should be degraded from his situation ;

lest

for

mine anger

at the

made me angry with was the

xv years

malignance of

and

all

use, I reflected,

on

me

stars

What

singular.

of a Keltic friend, not

old, dispossessed

actually dependent

my

of his demesnes, and

for a livelihood

?

And

thought bitterly of Rene blissfully mounted and riding to fortune, and of myself writhing under the oppression of the Great Ban. I

Our caps,

our nightnothing now remained but that we should hair having been tucked into

betake ourselves to bed.

But, while the pages

DON TARQUINIO

91

were spreading the footcloths, and covering the rush-lights with shades, and opening the windows, Gioffredo suddenly awakened and would have been merry. I myself was in no mood for sleep

nor could

:

suggested that

A

we of

couple

I //

But

join in his mirth.

I

should go to find Ippolito.

my

1

best

were

nightgowns

brought ; and the Borgia boy chose the one of vair of nut-brown squirrels, with slippers

of the same

but

:

I

indued the other of ermine

reversed with ermines, with slippers of minever.

remember

by cause that both these nightgowns were of great value, and after this night 2 I never saw either of them again. I

1

this,

He means

"

dressing-gowns,"

I

surmise

gentlemen of the fifteenth century slept as them. 2

cast

It's

extremely

off in

a

They

likely.

great

hurry a

:

for

God made

appear to have been

little

later,

in

a place

many miscellaneous persons. Patricians, who fling away fur nightgowns among people not respon-

accessible to

ought not to be surprized Valuable fur nightgowns are

sible for their preservation,

when

they lose them.

saleable

;

and

strange, but absolutely true, to say

DON TARQUINIO

92

Thus we proceeded cardinal writing, in

engaged with his

Rome was full

;

the

and secret

we found

the

chamber,

still

tasks.

of Jews

who had

and the Spanish Inquisition

fled

from Torquemada

to the generous protection

of Pope Alexander the Sixth.

vim WHILE we washed

our fingers on entering,

Ippolito threw aside his writing,

making room

on the big black heap of cushions. was too grand a prince to be a bad host.

for us

As soon noise little

were gone, Gioffredo

as the servitors

began again to

recite his

and gesture. apart,

in

I

much

adventures with

him

let

silence,

talk

thinking

thoughts, wishing for the time

A

consult Ippolito thereon.

not always very amusing

He

:

;

and

my

when

sat a

proper I

might

twice-told tale

is

but the Borgia boy

gabbled so insistently and so incessantly that I I will not set at last was compelled to listen.

down

were of no importance whatever, but merely as bright and as his

words

:

for they

sharp and as pleasant and also as ephemeral as the

foam of the

sea.

He

particular of his exploits. 93

omitted no singular

Had

the matter been

DON TARQUINIO

94

an Easter

shrift,

He

explicit.

it

could not have been more

was exquisitely

droll,

frankly

shameless. Ippolito species

into

lapsed

gradually

of distaste affected

him.

gloom But I,

a

:

for

want of something better, began to be amused. The thing was infectious. And anon, when I the same strain, the

began to speak in

also

cardinal revolted against us both, crying

u

woman

Is

war

:

there naught else in

Is

Christendom to serve you

Total

time?

all ?

:

in

passing

Thou, o Prince of Squillace, hast tried men name thee fearless. It can be seen

that thou hast sinews.

lively wits

as

well

Canst thou not use these for

Sancia thy wife, or for thy

as

robust

Madonna

Most Holy Father

in

His need, leaving vulgar adventures to pages or apprentices

?

And

hyperexcellent parts. adolescent

thou, o

We

more godlike

Sideynes, hast

never have seen an

in white

splendour of

body and mind, though thou knowest that

We

keep xl merchants travelling over the orb of the earth solely to seek and to purchase for Us

DON TARQUINIO There

such monstrosities. not

is

Th'

a

sovereign,

:

to

With

art healthy, strong.

hast not a peer

not a man, there

is

equal

also,

95

thee

in

birth.

the sword thou

Messeri Claudio and

Pierettore Arrivabene both say that thy written

Greek might be the Greek of an archangel.

And

they should know, having been the friends

of the Divine Poliziano, on is

true that

We

Domeniddio

so

could

:

consideration,

might have put into Our head.

calamities

It

putting into these

limbs that which, after mature

He

be peace.

thee with one hand.

kill

made Us

whom

Different

oppress different persons.

vantages also each hath his

own

:

Of

1

to Us,

ad-

Our

and Our strength of body to the Prince of Squillace, lusty sinews and a daring mind and an opportunity to thee, o Sideynes, purple

:

:

splendid wits, adolescence aspect

full

of grace, and the

of one nourished on the marrow and

1

crv/jL(f)opa

erepovs erepa iriefet (Eyripides).

These

conversations are interesting, as showing the taste of

the times for displaying acquaintance with the Greek writers, if

on no other account.

DON TARQUINIO

96

of

nerves

And

lions.

ye

are content

ij

to

squander these gifts on women." Thus he spoke ; and the speech was a very

memorable one.

The sudden

pungent force of

it

with

my

fists

set

me

outburst and the

striding to

clenched and

my

and

fro,

brows drawn

furrow above dilated straight to the upright

And now my mind

eyes, sea-blue, glittering.

was

in a whirl

for I

:

knew

that this

chance for speaking un winged should

lie

where

I

boons.

words,

my

which

and germinate and bear fruit there I could not ask for flung them.

I

could not propose plans.

certain furious selected speeches, I close the intimate root

my

was

But, with dis-

might

of mine unhappiness, of

despair.

But GiofFredo saying

instantly

:

"Where

is

Purpled Person

Our

Give

?

Us

But,

;

and

when

We

there

will lead is

o

prudent Our Sancia ; and

opportunity,

she shall swoon with joy. lances

had taken him up,

Give

Us Our

them

against devils.

neither wife nor

war

free-

for

Us,

DON TARQUINIO when

Sancia

army

is

about

Holy Father Castle,

I

can

else

adventures as

But

to take

We

We

and solemn

in the

do but accept such

find ?"

stopped in

inveighed, saying " Hear Us

and our Most

flight,

sitteth silent

what

and the Keltic

yet in the straw,

is

97

my

fierce

striding;

and

:

o Hebe, Us, thy Sideynes, descended from Zeys not only on the spade also,

but

on the

also

knowst how

We

distaff

side.

1

Thou

well

Our house being under the Great Ban, Our palace razed, Our princes bandits, Madonno Marcantonio a meek student in exile,

price

Madonno

upon

:

Francesco in exile with a

his head,

hunted for

Why

are

should

his

life

We

Madonno Giorgio since

he

slew

in exile

Colonna.

not amuse Ourself with the

Prince of Squillace, seeing that no better lieth

open

to

such pleasures, 1

CLTTO

Us

?

when

OV fAOVOV 7T/509 Ato9 76701/0769

Why thine

TTaT/909

dost

own

O\\a

thou

way

decry

hero Herakles

K(tl

7T/909

(Isokrates).

7

DON TARQUINIO

98

women Know that Our

married the most

that ever one

did? 1

adolescence

like a furnace vij times heated.

It

we vent

it?

Where

vent.

tolerated in

protection

What

can

this

and of is

advantage

of a career have Ippolito

place only

o

Make

dear

must have

We

are

insignificance.

What

chance

We ?"

threw up his

grand

Where

Sideynes. 3

head

and

;

:

a career with that

be a way.

will

burneth

by cause of thy

Our Own 2 life to Us?

sturdily injuncted, saying

"

man

thine

the

intellect,

will

is,

there

In spite of thy words, thou

knowst that the pleasures of sense are inferior to the pleasures of the intellect. Let thy mind be

ruler

thy

Lionardo wouldst 1

4

saith,

and

governour.

Make

make any

7r\etcrTa9 dwrjp

thine

other

ei$

own

work of

As

Messer

life

art

:

as

thou

the

life

'H/sa/eX?;? eyrj/jie Sij (Sopho-

kles). 2

TI

fjioi %rjt,v

KV&IOV (Eyripides).

3

Qapo-ei Trapea-Tcu firj^avr/ Spao-rrjpios (Aischylos). 4

This

is

Lionardo da Vinci.

DON TARQUINIO of

intellect

should be of

must

intellect

in

trust

thy

1

not

splendid

swerve.

stars

martyrologium.

:

nalis

divine

no

take

not in any

is

She hath, indeed, no Divine

where prudence

heaven. 3 ?

Why

By

mark me

well

invincible,

it

is

dost thou pause to

cause thine

known

for

is,

we, we,

thee a goddess and place thee in

work out

it

Further,

and

;

for

who make fool

that

own and

thou

not free

art

salvation

play the

Now

So.

?

to

Be

o Sideynes.

closely,

to thee that Alexander, magnificent,

loveth

1

Habere non

2

The Roman

loveth

beauty,

wit

and

;

haberi.

Martyrology

the

is

official

roll

of

sanctity. 8

:

any man may make her at his of whom Messer Decimus Junius Juvehath written, Thou, o Fortune, art not

Creator, will

design

the rule from

is

count of Fortune, whose name 2

own

intellect's

o have but not to be had,

which

gg

Nullum numen

habes,

si sit

prudentia

nos facimus, Fortuna, deam

;

:

nos

te,

cceloque locamus.

(Satura X.)

72

DON TARQUINIO

ioo

those twain in one person need not lack

favour

for

Great

Ban.

a

such

disability,

paltry

Him

Wilt thou serve

as

His the

with thy

With the last, thou body, with thy mind? 1 wilt have a chance of shewing thy goodness.

Know

also

Vatican,

account. to

that

where

We

shall

This done,

demand

We

on the morrow

a boon.

render

will be

it

Thou

ride to certain

a

Our

privilege

wilt go with Us,

o Sideynes ?" Gioffredo

wagged

a long leg,

brown

tion-coloured, out of his

and yelped, saying "

No, no, go But

We

not,

He

will

o Tarquinio

starveth

and thou

Our

for

Our

will ride to Vatican

;

we

ij

will

cross

palace of Traspontina, where food

7TiSeij;ai

phon).

:

Himself and His

render his said account: but to

;

and there part peaceproceed by Lo Andare to

with the lord cardinal fully.

fur nightgown

:

Most Holy Father guests.

plump, carna-

xprjcrTO?

ewat

is,

(Xeno-

DON TARQUINIO

101

and wine, and many maids-of-honour to be tickled."

Ippolito angrily ejaculated

Women To whom
" But

!"

again

the pert prince responded, saying for

only

which

pleasantly,

:

the

passing

the point of

is

:

afternoon

Our

argu-

ment."

The

noble strong young cardinal gravely said:

"Thy Venus

We

disregard.

point of the whole argument

Our

of

The

1

totally

well-beloved

is

friend,

the salvation

Tar-

Prince

quinio."

Thus he spoke kneeled saying <

to

him,

and

;

was enough.

it

his

kissing

sapphire,

I

and

:

We

Ferrara

accede 2 :

for thou, o

Lord

the

to

Hebe,

Cardinal

art not only

of

grand

Se (Eyripides). 2

This

a witty misuse of the formula employed in the Conclave, when cardinals elect the Paparch by the

way

is

of accession after the

way

of scrutiny has

failed.

DON TARQUINIO

102

We

Nevertheless but also good. dine with our Lord the Paparch

and food

in

bulk,

Our

wits wither and

We

will

We

for

:

must have

food,

Our

lest

Neither

sinews shrivel.

consent to ask a favour, nor to accept

thy mediation

:

but

We

that

will

Alexander,

Us

should see magnificent, invincible, shall

shew Ourself

hear

Us

as

it

Him, and

to

If not, let

of serving

so that

Him,

to deal fairly

We

He

that

should

Us

have a chance

may compel Him

If neither of these things

by Us.

Now

can be done now, bear them in mind. that thou to wait

We

as

If that can be

were by accident.

contrived, well.

of

not

will

knowst Our

desire,

We

are content

some benignant affection and We no more will meddle

patiently for

Our

stars

;

with base matters."

Thus

I

spoke:

for

the

genuine I

at

that

that

save

moment, anything in happier my mind and, being ;

desirous of turning the conversation myself,

I

continued, saying

loving-

knew

kindness of Ippolito cheered me.

at

I

not,

was

length

away from

DON TARQUINIO "But

Us, o Hebe,

tell

amused thyself ourselves

we

as

ij

Sometimes

?

Ippolito instantly

"What

103

thou never

hast

been amusing

have

We have

demanded

thought."

:

hast thou thought?"

responded to him, saying " That thou at some time hast been like the

I

:

rest

of

lost

her,

us,

woman

a

loving

:

that thou

hast

and cherish but the wreck of thy

love."

He

smiled

and

;

his

whole being seemed to

open, blossoming like a rose. breath, said

"

We

lover

We

Oh,

oh,

Lucrezia love

?

Our

oh

Yes

Nay.

We

have had no

:

And whom

!

so

it

lady

is

:

must be

?

:

Madonna for

all

men

:

Our

both stammered

-Of

We

sister."

Ippolito said

"

but

:

very greatly love."

Gioffredo gabbled

"

full

:

have loved

and

;

He, with

Gaul?"

of Gaul, not of Spain. :

'

DON TARQUINIO

io 4

We

our teeth

gritted

saying was

for the

:

a terrible one, akin to treachery.

with tremendous Ippolito proclaimed, nificent unfolding

" She

is

mag-

:

the unique illumination which hath

and through all ages still shall that land from the throne where she

lighted Gaul, light sitteth

We

beyond the waited

stars."

moment was one of

for the

:

revelation.

His great black eyes became

He

grave.

" to

deliberate and

continued, saying:

Our Lord Alexander Himself made Us

know

Him

saw

her

Us

ij

The

years ago.

to

Holiness of

be lusty and froward, un-

worthy of the purple which Our father Duke Ercole sent Us to have of Him. Wherefore

He

questioned

finding strife

that

had

gently, as

Us

concerning

insatiate

desire

failed to cheer,

we walked

Borgia Tower, o my Prospero,

He

Our

and

;

and,

strenuous

told Us,

in the court

oh but

under the

was speaking, court where the

(the cardinal

of the

loves

DON TARQUINIO

105

Paparch Julius placed the image of that mediocre anisopod which He called the Apollo He told Us of a maid of the Belvedere 1 ) so

Our

put

grown,

heart

in

She

chains.

was

He

Her

said.

by more than

a

century

well-

age of

strong-limbed, young, of the

xvij years,

Her

mere name of her

the

that

sympathetic

land was distracted

of

Came

sovereign was a slave.

of war.

years

to her for

came god Michael Archangel to her for wisdom and for maiden charm, the goddesses Katharine and Margaret, all in strength, the

:

of

an orchard

apple-bloom.

These

divine

ones brought word that she must go to save her fatherland and to crown her king. times they came.

news 1

"

" The

that

she

And

she went.

"

name

for

that

;

and

in the original holograph.

Unequal-legged one," or

exquisite

She gave

was of divine sending

Anisopode mediocre

Many

silly,

"The

Limper,"

stupid,

utterly

is

an

vulgar

caricature of Phoibos Apoll5n, the Bright, the Pure,

which the nineteenth century regarded of

art.

as a

work

DON TARQUINIO

io6

That

shewed tokens. armies,

strove

with

In

years,

little

sword,

commanded

girl

took blows

and

brought to her country that deliverance which men had failed to compass in an hundred. Her crowned gave.

ij

she

had given him the But anon she was captured treacher-

king ennobled her means.

she

:

ously by the flying foe

they traded her to

:

own country who of envy sought The chief of these last, and he was

foes of her

her

life.

a bishop, bought

her

Heretic,

urged

by

cause

that

her

fraudulently adjudged

:

Heretic by cause that she

heavenly she

voices,

an

stated

on

Vicegerent here

earth,

was by

fraudulently

appeal

thus

to

God's

soaring

far

above merely episcopal jurisdiction. But that foul prelate had might. The girl had only And he was promised an archright. bishopric for her appeal.

He

death.

laid the

most miserably died

He

suppressed her

Great Ban on her.

for a

She

most glorious deed

l :

*

air

phokles).

epywv

ev/cXeeararcov

(jtdtvei

(So-

DON TARQUINIO he

for

107

her with natural death by

afflicted

fire.

Her king who owed her a crown, countrymen who owed her their liberty,

Wait. her

were craven cowards having the bowels and

from Barbary. They minced and gibbered and grimaced ; and they let her burn. They were Keltic dogs. What could

brains of apes

King

1

But, after xx years, that Christian

?

ye expect

found that he held

whom Holy Church

girl

satanic

heretic

and for

;

Rome

let

Our Lord conized

by that bandit and

as

crown he trembled most after those

Wherefore,

exceedingly.

he

his

xx years,

have that holy maid's appeal.

the Paparch

new

all

incontinently pre-

judges, who, having examined

the whole case, pronounced her to be

would

they

'videlicet

sador

mansions. 1

"

The

desire

holy,

of

a

(ill-served

had burned

bishop)

crown from

his

own

their

favourite

maiden,

Divine Ones

sisters

and

all

to

that be,

ambas-

inhabiting

olympian

This their decree was

confirmed

Christian

Kings of France.

"

King

is

the

official

style of the

DON TARQUINIO

io8

That

form.

in

adorable

sweet

palatine,

Madame

child,

foully killed

that

miracle,

most

that

courageous Lys by her

de

Jehane

king's creation, called

dom, so

that

marvel,

The Maid by Christenand slain, was named by

God's Vicegerent as one of the blessed carrying lilies in paradise, wearing an immortal diadem.

She

worship.

As

is

the

ivy

We

cling to her

have

said.

lady of

clingeth

Our

to

love

and

so

will

oak,

memory. It was the Lord Alexander who made us to know her, as We

He Himself had her history when, Own youth, He entered the Sacred

His

in

College with stance,

the

Lord

Susanna,

it

of Con-

Bishop

Archpresbyter of the Vatican

de

Richart

Cardinal-presbyter

the

self-same

that

of

Longvevil

the

Maid.

was the

Moreover, ye said

Olivier,

of

Title

who had been one of

basilica,

Santa

the judges of

shall

Lord Alexander's

know

that

Own

uncle

and creator, the Paparch Calixtus the Third, Who decreed her rehabilitation."

Thus

Ippolito

spoke

:

but

we

bestowed

DON TARQUINIO

109

favour on our tongues, revolving the whole matter in our minds.

on

erect

Sitting

murmured

Arcques,

pour toulz

black

priez

he

cushions,

these words in an undertone

" Saincte Vierge d'

the

:

Martyre, dicte Jehane

et

toulzjours

moy

pour

et

tes serviteurs."

Gioffredo eyed him, decorously waiting for

bare arms in

was hugging mine own and the sleeves of my nightgown

my

was directed to the toes of

licence

to speak.

glance

slippers

I

;

which

were

stretched

out

my

straight

together in front of me.

But

my mind was

live love,

wandering

yearning for her

over there in the dark.

far

away

who was

to a

sleeping

BUT

our meditations were interrupted by an instant scratching on the outside of the ivory

door

;

and a wave of secret chamberlains flowed

in with torches,

"

The Most

announcing

:

Worship

Respectable

1

of the

Lord Cardinal of Valencia." Ippolito arose, grave, self-dominant.

I

and

Gioffredo also arose, wrapping our furs more closely

round

us, surprized,

very greatly won-

dering. I

will tell

thee,

Cesare appeared to

o Prospero,

me on

how

that night

Cardinal :

so that

Cesare (whom the nineteenth century was apt to " hence call Borgia ") ranked as a pontifical nephew " Osservantissimo " and his were proper epithets 1

:

" Colendissimo." trissimo."

The

The other cardinals were "Illusstyle "Most Eminent" and "Emi-

nency" was not invented

in

no

1495.

DON TARQUINIO

in

thou mayst have ever before thine eyes a vivid image of the prodigious personality who, as

Messer Niccolo Machiavelli

saith,

might have

done Anything. He was of the age of xx years, tall and splendid of form. Tawny hair and

The

beardlet shaded his swarthy features.

was rolled venient

in

for

a golden

travelling.

hair

bag of network conHis eyes were like

Under

glowing iron in the furnace of his face.

the cardinalitial great-cloak, he wore a secular habit of vermilion velvet. glittered

A

on the

first

thick gold chain

The huge

1

sapphire

finger of his right hand.

surrounded

his neck,

dis-

appearing in the lace of the smock which peeped

out of the breast of his doublet.

hem of

lower

the

last,

the escalloped edge of a

All this

mail-shirt appeared.

Beneath the

he was washing his fingers

at

I

noted, while

the door.

His pages caught the great-cloak flung to them left the double-cross leaning against one :

1

The

ring, as

bishop's.

sapphire

is

the proper stone for a cardinal's

the amethyst

is

for

a bishop's or an arch-

DON TARQUINIO

H2

of the ivory images

was

He

shut.

of Ferrara

and

;

but he was winking at Giofrredo

:

me no more

whereat

I

and the door

;

advanced towards the Cardinal

with haggard brilliant

noted

retired

As

eyes.

me, he

for

than the said ivory images

fumed with

myself from using

my

:

rage,

only restraining

sting

by cause that

more of this splendid creature. accorded to him the kiss of peace

I

desired to see Ippolito to

whom he spoke, saying " In virtue of his obedience to our

:

:

Paparch,

We

demand

are to

Lord the

secret conference

with the Cardinal of Ferrara/* It

was evident from the form of

that very great matters

were

afoot.

this I

instantly

shot such a glance at Ippolito as taught

vehement

desire to be

Such was the force of

was understood

as

him

mixed up with the

my

speech

my

affair.

will that the thing

readily

as

though

I

had

spoken. Ippolito

went to the door

;

and issued com-

mandments to the chamberlains chamber.

in

the

ante-

DON TARQUINIO

113

Cardinal Cesare was pinching the

plump

legs

of Gioffredo in a merry manner, running round the room.

Anon

a guard of viiij gigantic Numidians,

with jaguar-skins, white and tawny, armed with terrible clubs, produced ebony-coloured, girt

and were ranged outside, in a wedge whose base was the ivory portal. But Numidians in the outer antexviij other themselves

;

chamber kept the way against And so the door again was shut. Ippolito beckoned

me

with

charge.

of

my

me

back against kept silence but

my I

him

to

:

comers.

all

;

and placed

making

it,

my

it

gratitude.

Gioffredo escaped from his tormentor

taking

my

looks told him

the

ruffled hair,

comb from

his

and resumed

Ippolito and

;

and

pouch, tidied his

his nightcap.

the Cardinal

of Valencia dis-

posed themselves on the black cushions.

The

former drew up the low ivory tables of wine and sweetmeats, beginning to chew fresh sageleaves

from a vase

:

but

the

latter

degusted 8

DON TARQUINIO

ii 4

Anon

spoonfuls of a confection of prickly pear.

Gioffredo joined

munched

special

I

But

them.

to

I

coriander-seeds steeped in marjoram-

and crusted

vinegar

chance

himself

had

my

in

with

sugar,

comfit-box.

which

by

bring a

They

commodity to the memory, o Prospero.

how much he

Cesare abruptly asked Ippolito

knew of affairs. Ippolito

responded,

he very

that

saying

assiduously had been playing at great-ball since his

return

much that

to

the

City,

attention to affairs.

Alexander,

and

had

He knew,

magnificent,

not

invincible,

interned Himself in the castle

;

paid

of course,

had

and that the

was occupying part of the City on the other side of Tiber. Also he knew, from

Keltic king

rumour, that the said king's nose resembled a raw ham, that a pink birth -flare surrounded his left eye, that his twelve-toed

more form than women's

shanks had no

spindles, that

he had

brought into the City a new disease which he who was speaking called Morbus Gallicus, but Prince Tarquinio here present called

it

Morbus

DON TARQUINIO Kelticus,

115

and the Cardinal of Valencia might

decide between us.

resuming his gravity, Ippolito named the rumour which said that the Finally,

our Lord the Paparch to be quite impregnable, was forced to conclude some sort of peace.

said Keltic king, finding

Cesare silently produced

which was attached to

the pectoral cross

his neck-chain.

It

was

with great table-rubies. Unfastening its clasp, he disengaged a ring, huge, massive, which hung by its side. 1 never had seen set

enormous

so

a

gilded bronze, viiij Its

oblong bezel was

crystal,

then.

ring

It

was made of in

barleycorns set

diameter.

with a cabochon rock-

One

highly projecting.

shoulder was

carved with the Borgia armorials, videlicet Sol a Bull

passant

Mars on

proper within a bordure

mels

Sol. 1

were carved 1

The

The on

Triple the

Sol

Venus

flory

Mars semee of flam-

Crown and

other

tinctures are given

the arms of princes.

a closet

by

the

shoulder.

Don

Tarquinio

Keys

The as in

= or, Mars = gules, Venus =

vert.

82

DON TARQUINIO

n6 legend

This

ftlflC

pftpft

was carved on the hoop.

tit

thou knowst, o Prospero,

ring, as

most precious thing

in

my

the time of writing

for

which cause

to describe I

write

I

it,

:

is

the

proper treasury at I

am

able

although at the time of which

was not able to see more than

its

tremendous magnitude and its reddish colour. While he was disentangling this ponderous jewel,

Cesare was

manner of

simple saying "

That be

a

Roman

real

wave

at

of

Worship

to

compelled

ingot, a sordid

my

of Rome,

carry

Respectability so

lump only intended

vulgar

an

for couriers

post-houses in passing by, a blasted

gyve which even fail

a

:

should

to

cursing in the urbane and

a blind postmaster could not

to see 1"

With which words he

presented the said ring

to the Cardinal of Ferrara.

Ippolito kneeled, applying his ear to

it

with

1

surprise 1

and reverence, ejaculating

This would appear

answering an

to be the

official citation

:

Roman method

as old as

of

Horace, anyhow.

DON TARQUINIO

117

"Credentials?" Cesare assented

:

" Credentials on the part of our Most Holy Father." Ippolito maliciously inquired

:

"Father?"

jumped up and put himself to about the room. At first he shouted Cesare

;

stride :

anon his voice sank into the tone of

communion

and

but self-

resuming his seat, he returned to an ordinary mode of speech.

He

said

;

:

"Father?

Thine

finally,

well

as

as

Pater

father.

Yes,

Oh

Ours.

We

patrum. catch

the

sneer of thy meaning, o Cardinal of Ferrara.

But

We

mean Father

after the flesh

for one.

He

also,

after the spirit.

who knoweth

generous to fatherlike to Us. Nor do no,

We

is

do not

His.

But she was the

And

We

believe.

Yet

mysteries, incongruities. her.

Us

:

?

but

Whether

Not We,

He

is

Ourself believe

There be

We

secret

dare not ask

other's before she

the time of

Our

not

was

birth coincideth.

DON TARQUINIO

n8 Did

We

of the

ever

thee, o Cardinal of Ferrara,

tell

woman who

screamed

Us

at

out of the

We

took Gioffredo to Naples when See the Dellarovere, she cried, his marriage?

crowd

at

wagging

Thou

a stark

at

finger

But enough.

Us.

Our

takest cognizance of this

creden-

tials?"

Remember, o Prospero,

that thy father heard

those pregnant words, while his eyes saw that splendid creature

laying

bare

mind.

his

So

thou shalt know truly who was the actual father of Cesare whom men called Borgia.

He

put the great ring on his right middle

finger.

Ippolito again offered his ear to be touched

and responded, saying recognize ; and We are

by the ring " We

;

:

ready

to

obey." Cesare

began to deliver

his

message, say-

ing:

" Then

listen

:

for

knowest nothing of treat thee honestly.

time affairs.

Always

is

short.

Well,

We

Thou

We

will

save Ourself

DON TARQUINIO pains

so.

First,

Christian

King,

thou

on

shalt

119

know

pretence

of

that

a

the

crusade

Grand Turk, obtained leave from our Lord the Paparch to march his troops through

against the

On

Italy.

the way, he conceived a claim to the

crowns of Aragon, Naples, Both Sicilies, and At Fiorenza, he intrigued with Hierusalem. the maniac Fra Girolamo, 1 whose proper place

should be Santo

his

anon the

said

City, finding him-

army at his back, he dared to our said Lord the Paparch to confirm an

with

require

When

King reached the

Christian self

2

Spirito.

claim,

nition) he can wear

and the

no crown.

invincible,

magnificent,

grievance

that (without such recog-

knowing

having

But Alexander, no

against King Don Alonzo rest, who already is in

particular

of Naples possession,

refused to depose that sovereign in favour of

the

Christian

monkey,

King.

Wherefore that Keltic

in revenge, conspired with the traitor

Cardinal-bishop Giuliano Dellarovere, and with 1

This would be Savonarola.

2

The Roman

Bedlam."

DON TARQUINIO

120

friends the traitor barons Colonna, Orsini,

his

Sanseverini,

Savelli,

won

hath

the

with

Visconti

the

those

nipped

Lunati.

Alexander?

iij

them

in

the

appealed

What

cared the

laid

hands on

Having

treacherous

Sforza-

Sanseverini

Then he

of war.

even

he

Cardinal-vicechancellor

arbitrement

invincible

and

;

Cardinal-presbyter

and Cardinal-A. to

Cajetani

purpled

He

persons,

dungeons of the

castle.

Taking the Sultan Jam along with Him, He Himself also retired into the castle, snapping a 1

thumb and Ippolito

finger at the Christian King."

interrupted,

for the sequestration

demanding the reason

of the

said Sultan

Jam.

To whom Cesare responded, saying: "The Sultan Jam is of inestimable

value

Lord the Paparch, by cause that he is the brother and rival of the Grand Turk. The to our

by name the Sultan Bajazet, preferreth not to be dethroned by the Sultan said

1

potentate,

This Oriental personage appears a Man-in-the-Iron-Mask

somewhat of Era.

to

have been

in the

Borgian

DON TARQUINIO

Wherefore he agreed to pay xlm ducats

Jam.

yearly to the

He

121

Supreme

Pontiff, so long as that

keep the said brother and rival from Byzantion. Lately no ducats have been paid ; shall

Turk now

and the Grand

demandeth

person of the Sultan Jam.

of the Paparch knoweth the

Sultan

But the Sanctity First, that

things.

ij

Bajazet hath a

the

mind

and

to kill

and the magnificent Alexander not become a proximate occasion of fratri-

slay his brother; will

Secondly, that so long as that Christian

cide.

hands the

retain

Muslim

Christendom,

postponing set

lest

Vienna,

private

quarrels,

up the Sultan Jam

in

having obtained warranties of good

behaviour. Sultan

and

Hungary

should combine to his despite,

Jam, so long will refrain from advancing

Infidel

on

nefariously

Sultan

the

Jam

Wherefore, actually

is

although

our

the

pensioner,

said

our

Lord the Paparch generously permitteth him to keep his

own

court here with

Him

security of the Castle of Santangelo."

Ippolito ejaculated

:

in the

DON TARQUINIO

122

"Good, good

1

Either the Paparch's Blessed-

I

Worship's Respectability, We know not which, is as expert and as artificial with ness or

Thy

the wits of the head as

We

are with the sinews

Our body."

of

Cesare continued, saying: " These been things having

art

know

to

show of

understood, thou

that the Christian

down

siege, sitting

King made

a

before the Castle

of Santangelo with a gaggle of the common queans of the City and the stinking strumpets of the stews. But, after this diversion, he seeth that the paparchal fortress

As the

nut to crack.

deposition

beyond saith,

his

2

eVye,

And

evye"

Paparch

hath found out that he so the said Christian

wholly glad to

"

Commines

go away,

if

yu,u
is

King

he can save

in the original holograph.

1

'apTt,

is

As Messer Demosthenes

power.

eating pitch.

1

de

our Lord the

of

The mouse

will be

too hard a

Us, he hath become aware that

confessed to

the

Sieur

is


DON TARQUINIO Our Lord

his face.

123

the Paparch, on the other

hand, doth not enjoy sitting in the castle like a cat

cherry-bay-tree, even though that

in a

dog of

a Kelt can

him.

But

the

ignorant of

this.

do no more than yelp Christian

He

King is totally knoweth no more than

that he hath failed to capture Santangelo, that the invincible Alexander

doth

at

and

most mercifully

deign to give him these

terms.

First,

the Christian

parting in

King may raise the siege, depeace from the inviolable City and

from Peter's Patrimony: the Paparch saith not

His Sanctity Christian

of

the

our Lord

Gaul, Crusade, Naples,

specifieth not

King must

timidation

whither,

whither

:

but

His attempted

go.

Roman

blamable: but he will be

the in-

Paparch was very permitted to retire

Secondly, our Lord the Paparch

unmolested.

maketh no engagement concerning the crowns but the Christian of Naples and the rest :

King must go. deigneth the

said

to

Thirdly, our Lord the Paparch

give hostages

Christian

for

vj

months

to

King, sop to uncurbable

DON TARQUINIO

124 conceit,

Whom

as hostages

hath

given

Ourself."

in

will

He

give, dost thou ask,

such a grave case?

Sultan

Jam

;

and

First,

the

He

second's

XI

WE

o Prosper o, fetched our breath faster and our eyes dilated, but, speaking no word,

we

///,

;

listened.

Cesare continued, saying " Now these terms are not what the Keltic :

monkey wanted

:

but they are the best which

he can get.

Being a fool, never constant to a single idea, he hath determined to hasten southward, and to conquer Naples on his

own if

initiative:

having persuaded himself

that,

he could return some day with the crowns

of Naples and the rest in his hand, the Father of princes and kings would not refuse to put them on his head. So the treaty hath been signed.

And, touching the matter of Sultan

Jam,

Our

that,

since

pay,

he

is

fellow-hostage, thou the

shalt suppose

Grand Turk hath ceased

to

but a burthen on our Lord the 125

DON TARQUINIO

126

thou

Also

Paparch.

mattereth

suppose that it not a jot in whose ward he is, so shalt

Wherefore

long as that warden be Christian.

the magnificent Alexander most sagaciously will

him on

shift

to the shoulders of the Christian

King, whence he can be reclaimed

by

a threat of the Dirae.

at

So much

1

any time

for Sultan

Jam."

The

speaker thrust out the protruded middle

finger of his ringed right

saying
hand

and continued,

;

:

But

We

an hostage

also are

We

mass of dawn,

;

and, after the

the train of the

ride

in

to

beat

Christian King."

My

bowels began

hammers. bare.

I

whistling

My lips

retired,

:

but

yet

I

cause of mine emotions.

had heard were were afoot: 1

yet

terrible. it

Excommunication,

forth.

and

left

drew breath through the as

did

armourers'

like

my

last,

knew not

teeth softly

the

true

The words which

affairs

Very great not

seem

that

Interdict, Deposition,

I

they

and so

DON TARQUINIO concerned me.

I

127

was only an unnoted prince,

profoundly but inexplicably agitated, with back against an ivory door. Gioffredo with

snort

a

disgust

my

left

the cardinals on the cushions,

of

or

or

despair,

his

arm around

incredulity,

and came and threw

;

my

neck, nestling against me.

But saying u

:

They

give

Valencia continued,

1 speeches are better than short ones.

Long

action

of

Cardinal

the

understanding, without which

no

of great import can be accomplished.

Dost thou admit the o Cardinal of Ferrara

validity of

my

credentials,

?"

Ippolito again offered his ear to be touched

the

by

gigantic

asseverated

" the

We

ring

;

and,

standing,

he

:

are the son

The Most Respectable speaking to Us in His name.

Paparch, and

Worship of thee

and servant of our Lord

of

In the words of Plato, immortal, beaming on 1

ra

/jia/cpa TCOV o-jMtcpcov \oyci)V

(Eyripides).

em

irpoaBev

DON TARQUINIO

128 all

vice."

Our money

All

things,

at

is

thy

ser-

1

But now Cesare seemed

to

fall

into a muse,

yawning, playing with our impatience as the tawny tiger at our castle of Deira used to play with goats and deer. Gioffredo

me

left

on the black

;

carpet,

and went nearer, lying supporting his chin on

his hands, widely stretching his legs.

Ippolito

sat

intent,

erect,

on the

black

that

queer

cushions. I

stood

transfixed,

staring

fateful Cardinal of Valencia,

to

play

hostage

when

iiij

it

is

who

could afford

hours would see him an

and a prisoner

Very strange

at

in

an enemy's camp.

to say, but I will

tell

thee,

o Prospero, that, though there were iiij ablebodied lusty adolescents at that moment in that secret chamber, nevertheless the

minds of

of them were in complete abeyance ; and only the mind of the fourth predominated. iij

1

aoi 8e virapxei

/j,ev

TO e^a ^ptjfjLara (Platon).

DON TARQUINIO Wherefore we listen

129

had naught to do but to to the mind of the Cardinal of Valencia iij

who

at length resumed his discourse, saying " This is one of a score, which have ring :

been journeying round

Christendom,

on the

of paparchal ablegates, to the ElectEmperor Maximilian Always August, to the Catholic King 1 and Queen Don Hernando and

hands

Dona

Isabella,

to

the

Sacred King 2

Henry

of the Anglicans, to the Majesties and Tranquillities and Valvasours and Supernities and Celsitudes and Magnificencies and Sublimities

and Highnesses and Mightinesses and Splendours and Potencies of the Empire and Portugal and Poland and Hungary and Naples and Milan and Ferrara and Sabaudia and

Genoa and Venice and Fiorenza and Mantua and Parma and Padua and Piacenza."

am

I

1

2

The

unable to

tell

thee,

o Prospero,

why

of the Kings of Spain. This would appear to be the official style of the official style

Kings of England. It would be it became disused.

interesting to

when

9

know

DON TARQUINIO

130 I

that

this

tale

in

most

feline

him

satisfied,

Our Lord

tell

his

none other.

It

us,

But

watching anon,

the

being

:

the

1

Once

by no means and let no man

is

Paparch

end of His resources

think the contrary.

;

let

Him

Himself from the Christian King,

Him

perceived

he struck with the swift talons of

his stratagem, saying

at the

with

to dally

of our emotions.

surging

"

in

I

would

cardinal

own way and

his

pleased

But

from roaring.

refrained

rid Peter's

deliver

once

let

Patrimony of that pestiferous

monkey, and the Holy Roman Empire,

Spain,

kingdoms and duchies and republics, Christendom, will league with Alexander against the Italian

Gaul.

In which galley

To

the rudder.

We

Ourself are to hold

get the Christian

King away from the City, the Sultan Jam was conducted to his camp an hour ago. When We leave this palace,

We

exposing Our

also will join the Keltic

life to

the chances of fate."

army, 2

T(oi So^rjt 7ra\t,v (Aischylos). 2

yjrvxyv 7rpoj3a\\c0v ev icvftoicri 8at/xoi>os(Eyripides).

DON TARQUINIO Gioffredo

burst

an

with

in

131

and

oath

an

offer.

him

Cesare silenced ing "

and continued, say-

;

:

No, GiofFredo

We

:

will

Us

now, o Cardinal of Ferrara, lend After the dawn-mass,

ears.

We

But

alone.

go

both thine

ride from the

southward by the Appian Way toward the kingdom of Naples. So Our spies have City,

Three hours

brought news.

the

later,

frontier

Velletri,

beyond

Christian

King intendeth himself

We

reach

where

the

to dine

and

:

sleep."

Ippolito

rose,

storming, saying

"Hear Us

mightily

The Most

now.

Worship of thee

is

the

hand.

torvidly

chopping Wherefore,

Respectable

the most valuable of

The

the Paparch's lieges. like

towering,

:

off if

it

loss

of thee

will

here

ccc

barbarians

thou

We

have

to serve thee,

and

thy going be but a

armed

be

of Alexander's right be really and truly

necessary for thee to leave the City as sayst, let

all

feint.

92

DON TARQUINIO

i32

the trained

of Ferrara at

forces

Ourself are as strong as any a mace, a mace of tempered

Arabian even

steel,

be at Velletri for

will

;

and, with

and Our

between these thighs.

stallion

We,

man

We

call.

We,

Thy Worship's

rescue."

Gioffredo ing: " Let

We

jumped up

Us go

a

troop

Is

?

Are

thy stead, o Valencia.

in

not Alexander's son

mand

and chattered, say-

;

Do We

?

not

Our

not com-

wife a princess

If there be question of Aragon of Naples ? not worth as much as of ransom, are

We

thou?"

But alert,

I still

maintained phrenetic silence, keen,

strenuously desiring to do something, not

knowing what to Cesare waved saying

do. his

hand

in

have

valorously

a furry manner,

:

"We rescues.

conniving

will

not

None

in the City

at

Our

escape

:

the Christian King's return.

violent

may be known that

as

would insure

This

is

an

affair

PON TARQUINIO the

for

head,

not

for

massive

133

A

limbs.

cunning sage is here more precious than a And as for palatine, o heraklean Ippolito.

know that there is no time in The action change Our plans. The obligation is made begun.

thee, Gioffredo,

which

to

already

is

;

and cannot be evaded. If

to be

is

it

But

it

annulled, that

may

be annulled.

must be done

in

such a way that the Christian King will not be able to prove complicity on the part of any

Our Lord

Roman.

the

Paparch must not

be found out participating in conspiracy. We, His servants, must combine the columbine

manner of doves with the serpentine actions of snakes. Wherefore, what is to be done must be done by others, beyond

and It

(to all

was

listen,

Roman

territory,

seeming) quite spontaneously."

clear that

not to advise.

we were

We

expected only to

were not a council

:

but merely pupils, in the presence of a master,

who was dried.

schemes already cut and composed our bodies ; and our

unfolding

We

minds attended.

Cesare continued, saying

:

DON TARQUINIO

I 34

" That

ape

blear-eyed

must be

of Gaul

pinned in the kingdom of Naples as vermin

His teeth and

pinned in a trap. must be drawn there.

is

His army never again It must be annihilated

must return to Gaul. in Italy.

Wherefore, to lead the said Christian

King

into this trap,

bait.

We

frontier.

will

At

We

will

Velletri,

escape

;

promptly assuming against Gaul."

Ourself will be the

go with him beyond the Roman

We

during the heat of the day.

We

talons

and

will halt

with him,

And, from

return

direction

to

Velletri,

the

of the

City,

league

XII IPPOLITO said " We admire the plan, but know not how an escape can be effected under such conditions." :

To whom Cesare responded, " Know that the Borgia of little

as

saying: Velletri,

insignificant people, are of the

the

Roman

established

longer.

in

Borgia

hath a son, by

also that the

name

they have been

but

many

Italy

Know

:

though same origin

gliding

lustrums

Regent of

Velletri

Pietro Gregorio Borgia,

an adolescent of parts, very anxious for a career, very friendly to Ourself, and of equal age with

A messenger and similar appearance to Us. instantly must be sent to the said Pietrogorio :

who knoweth by caring

that he can

for Ours.

make

his

own

fortune

Wherefore, o Cardinal of

Ferrara, seeing that the fame of thy collection

of barbaric athletes hath come to the ears of our

DON TARQUINIO

I36

Lord the Paparch, thou

art

commanded, by

thine obedience to the bearer of this ring thou art

commanded,

to produce a swift runner here

and now." I

think that

moment, by so

Ippolito was dazzled, distinct

a

recognition

exquisite connoisseurship of physique sat there smiling

and blinking

:

at

the

of his for he

his eyes while

one

might say a paternoster. Cesare closely regarded him, until his counte-

nance resumed the intellect

normal gravity, shewing that within was operating and then he its

;

turned away, drawing Gioffredo on to his knees, feeding him with comfits from the table.

But Ippolito approached me where I stood and would have consulted rigid by the door ;

me, naming

his

runners one by one, Liparo,

Hygropyrrho, Bueselvatico, Fantedifiume, Teres,

Lo

Skytho,

Lo

Skoto,

the

sleek

one,

the

supple redhead, the wild bull, the servant of the sea, the smooth-fleshed one, the Skythian, the Skot,

But

I

demanding

my judgment

of each.

could not think of anything saving the

DON TARQUINIO great

good fortune of Pietrogorio, as possible

place.

tasm of

;

my

and

I

wished to occupy his

There came before mine eyes

a phan-

maid, as she stood before

my

stars

envied and hated him as

I

being malignant.

much

137

me

at

Vatican, with her dear brows so finely lifted

and her sweet pitying

me

stone-still,

lips

so

rapturously trembling,

Yet, here

and urging me.

unable to move, for

I

knew

I

was,

neither

whither nor how.

me

with

vacantly returned his gaze.

And

Ippolito

looked

at

inquiry.

I

anon, having

me aside, he opened the door. The wedge of Numidians, basaltine,

led

gigantic,

A

turned to face him, making a path for him. vermilion page advanced, impertinently bending to the ground.

That one had the form of

young Hyakinthos, and the face of a beautiful white fiend framed in a web of buttercupa

coloured hair.

Ippolito

commanded him

summon the chief chamberlain. The page's parthenean voice the outer antechambers.

shrilled

to

through

DON TARQUINIO

138

The

chief chamberlain

To whom

bustling and genuflecting. delivered a mandate, saying

" Lo Skoto,

The

toward

trotted

us,

Ippolito

:

in secret/'

chief chamberlain

In flying, he

fled.

swept before him all the pages and gentlemen until the door of the private stairs was passed, driving them out of sight and hearing, leaving those

only guard.

mute eunuchs of

the

Numidian

Anon, he returned accompanied by

a

half-savage runner, a lanky, stone-deaf youth

of the age of xviiij years bought out of the horrible and ultimate Britains. This animal

was pushed into the secret chamber door again was shut. shall

I

Prospero,

describe

this

who was

of

singular

;

and the

barbarian,

astonishing

o

leanness,

and very archaic He was clad in an oblong brown and green and yellow.

stepping like a prancing horse, as to his aspect.

chequered in lower quarter of the said cloth was belted

cloth,

The in

folds

round

his

waist.

The upper

three-

quarters were folded together lengthways, and

DON TARQUINIO passed upward, behind his back,

139

over his

left

shoulder and breast; and the end was tucked into the front of the right side of his belt. 1

goat-skin pouch

of the said

2

belt.

A

depended from the fore-part All the rest of him was un-

His arms were very long and very His breast was enormous. His long

covered. thin.

were very

legs also

His

feet

lean,

but round and sinewy.

His heavy head was the cheeks and the brow, white

were horny.

pear-shaped

:

:

nose and pointed jaw, thickly freckled a nasty light mud-coloured

:

the hair,

brown knot on the

crown; and the steel-coloured eyes awkwardly

wavered behind small

slits,

unlashed,

sly.

His

stench was abominable.

The

Cardinal

perfumed amber his left wrist

;

points in the

ball

2

at

which was chained

way which one satisfied.

Lo

the to

Skoto's

useth for horses,

So he came to us

" seems This " oblong cloth " in one garment. kilt and plaid 1

sniffed

and, having examined

he appeared to be

"

of Valencia

to

be the original

" sporran." Obviously a fifteenth century

DON TARQUINIO

140 sitting

on

cushions

the

Ippolito that a

and demanded of

;

mage should be summoned, who

could cause the runner to sleep instantly and heavily during a half-hour without impeding his

speed thereafter.

went into the antechamber, commanding the service of Messer Nerone DiotiIppolito

mage who

salvi, the

tolerated natural death

strangling after the conclave

Piccolhuomini. 1

by which elected the

But, to occupy the time which

preceded the arrival of this one, Cesare took writing materials

"

'To

Our

;

and wrote

well-beloved

Don

this letter

:

Pietro Gregorio

Borgia of Velletri. " These with speed, speed, speed? " as

Our Lord hostage

1

the

with

Paparch suddenly sendeth Us the

Christian

King, leaving

Alexander the Sixth's successor, Pius the Third

(Francesco de' Piccolhuomini). trips Diotisalvi

only know.

engaged

Anyhow, he

long before he got 2 " Cito Cito :

What

particular can-

in at that conclave, the

richly deserved a

gods

hanging

it.

:

Cito

:" in the original

holograph.

DON TARQUINIO Us

no opportunity

afairs.

of attending

Wherefore thou art to

bearer of these

letters

is

remained here) should than one hour of Our private as

arms and

to

affection

for

trusty

Us, thy

thee

to

aforesaid, piety,

our

treat

with

that

he

Our

distended

divers

to

apt

which thou dost nourish

said other

We

slave

Our

lay

it

upon as

conveniently

known

order

have

may

naughty ways before

pillory,

well-beloved Pietro-

o

kinsman,

all

not more

on the flesh of his bare

cause,

gorio, by the

the

tolerate

with

enough,

actions

For which

back.

proper

know that

not stringently enough

legs,

harm, but stringently

and commodious

Our

to

an unruly slave, who

We

(if

141

amended

his

And

return.

to

thy

said

so earn

gratitude.

" C. CAR. AL DE VALENCIA."

When we

were permitted screed, Gioffredo denounced

to it

Ippolito uttered the opinion that it

did not say.

But

angry, gave favour to

I,

my

peruse as

it

nonsense.

meant what

being perplexed tongue.

the

and

DON TARQUINIO

142

Cesare, having guffawed at our stolidity, said

'Be use

is

known unto

it

to

keep,

adolescent on

in

city,

whom We may

Such an one in Velletri for

Our

these princes that

every

is

at

:

least

one

in need.

depend

Pietrogorio, prepared

any emergency, prompt to serve and he know what ought to be done. Further;

will

more,

if the

Kelts, or Colonna, or Orsini, or

Savelli, or Dellarovere, or Cajetani, or

any other catch the runner of such a mes-

bandits, shall

sage as this, having read

it,

they not rather

will

most hilariously hasten him on to

We

iij

his

whipping ?"

laughed, conceding the point.

Messer Nerone presently entered, indulging himself in

a

phrenetic

spasm of

chirruping like a slow tomtit.

He

humpty-backed. tone,

using

a

high

obeisances,

He was

antique,

monospoke always shrill scream with most in

exasperating deliberation.

At whom

Ippolito rushed, explaining

was to be done.

We

what

others stuffed our ker-

chieves in our nostrils, standing laughing near

Lo

Skoto, anxious to see the doing.

DON TARQUINIO

143

But the physician forthwith crossed the room to the table where the wine was and the water, of the

prattling

virtues

of

belladonna

and

There, standing with his back to

stramonium.

Lo

Skoto and having taken ij little silver pots from his burse, he put a pinch from each into a

This cup he put on a salver with another similar cup which he filled with pure water and so he brought them both to the

cup of wine.

;

runner.

As

was being done, the ij cardinals and but Gioffredo held a parley on the cushions this

:

I

moved

watched

toward

all,

the

whence

window,

unseen, breathing cleaner

Messer Nerone offered the water

Lo

runner.

longingly

Skoto

leering

at

wine.

air.

to

sipped

reluctantly

the

I

the it,

The mage,

having pretended to assure himself that no one was observing, simulated a sudden access of liberality

;

and offered the wine

instead.

It

was done most admirably, .with absolute art. Lo Skoto gulched down the infected potion, stroking himself, vacuously grinning.

DON TARQUINIO

144

The mage

replaced the salver with the cups

on the ivory took the ij

The

Cardinal of Valencia

silver

pots from him, and

table. little

pouched them giving him the jewel with its slight chains from the back of his own hand, :

and putting him outside the ivory door in the antechamber among the Numidians with a

word of

dismissal.

As he went, for

it

touched his

I

seemed that

fortune

had in

malignant. voice dying

We

needed

I

heard the

away

as

all

my

store,

for luck

hump

stars

shrill

;

the aids which

being

most

whining of

his

he was escorted beyond

the antechambers.

The door having been

we continued

shut,

to

entertain ourselves, paying no attention to the

drugged runner, except with the corners of our eyes.

But of

the

I

was

staring at the innumerable lights

waxen

torches,

reflected

vistas in the polished ivory

and the dome of the dazzled by the sheen.

in

endless

of the circular walls

roof, until

And

I

mine eyes were

chafed

:

being in

DON TARQUINIO

145

agony of bewilderment when the whole world seems to whirl round, near, very near, but just out of reach. For nothing is more

that

exasperating

when

alone,

than

to

oneself

find

else

everything

still

in

is

and

myriads

violently moving, eluding one's grasp.

Anon, the runner suddenly started as though a phantom had touched him unawares. He round him

cast suspicious glances

:

but

we

iiij

were in the middle of the chamber, while he

was alone by the door.

We

stood up, openly

looking at him as though we were astounded at his audacity: for, in starting, he had knocked

down

the double-cross, golden,

which leaned

of the ivory faun near him, against the pedestal

nor did he attempt to replace

it.

Indeed, his

eyes began to glare like those of one who unadvisedly had looked upon a cluster of hob-

His knees

began to bend like those of one pressed downward by an incubus, Anon he became prone on gently, irresistibly.

goblins.

also

the black carpet.

Having approached him, Cesare opened one 10

DON TARQUINIO

146

thumb

with

and

of his

eyes

Naught

but white was seen.

together flesh

the

index-finger.

Having pinched

barleycorns* length of the freckled

iij

of the neck, the said cardinal transfixed

same with

hand-case.

a

needle-point from

But the sleeper soundly

Ippolito's slept.

Cesare returned to the black cushions seated himself by side of Ippolito, saying

" Let

Us

have the skin of

;

and

:

this barbarian's

back."

Gioffredo assisted me.

We

left

the runner

He

in possession of nothing but himself.

very heavy and inert

was

and we pulled him about

;

Anon, having dragged him to of the cardinals, we laid him out on

rather roughly.

the feet

black

the

carpet,

limp

as

a

freshly- made

cadaver, a lean long form, huge of loin, the breast

deeply

shoulder and

arched,

arm.

legs faded at the

to

the

ribs

The

narrow

tan of the

middle of the thighs

on the right

shoulder on the whiteness.

puny and

left

Having

side,

side

sinuous :

thence,

and to the

there was

inspected

of

dazzling

him, we turned

DON TARQUINIO him downward

and

;

left

147

him, eagerly fixing

our gaze on the Cardinal of Valencia.

That burse

purpled

a

tiny

crystal

from

produced

person vial

a

containing

his

flesh-

coloured liquid, viscous and opaque as cream,

with a

little

brush of very

Having unstopped the Ippolito's ready

We

became

hand

;

conscious

fine hogs'

vial,

bristles.

he gave

it

into

and dipped the brush. of a

certain

foetor,

mysterious, mephitic.

Cesare said

"

Know

:

that ye are savouring a solution in

We

of the juice of an Indian fig, 1 which took from Messer Leone Abrabanel of Naples.

spirit

We habitually bereave mages of drugs when We have seen the method of

Know also their

that

using and the effect of the same

for a prince

:

very often hath need of such matters."

Mark

well,

o

Prospero,

those

words of

wisdom.

Thus he spoke 1

I

am

:

but we signified assent with

inclined to think that this

is

what we

indiarubber.

10

2

call

DON TARQUINIO

148

our eyebrows very intently watching his actions. He began to write with the brush upon the runner's back.

But

a terrific catastrophe instantly happened.

For, at the

the top of the

nance of his fit

to

move

touch of the said brush on

first

shoulder-blade, the malig-

left

stars

caused the sleeper to think

his head,

Immense confusion

and to attempt to

rise.

instantly invaded the secret

chamber. Cesare sprang up, vociferating maledictions.

and pouched it, preparing himself to rebut accusations of treachery. Giofrredo danced up and down like a cat who Ippolito stopped the vial

;

inopportunely hath stepped on an oven.

Lo Skoto phrenetic with babbling in an

whom

I

with a bound was on his

feet,

fear, capering hither and thither,

unknown

Upon savage jargon. launched myself like a flash of white

thunder. But, before

I

could touch and crush his flesh

with mine, Cesare whipped a raging poignard a clever Roman thrust into him, and out :

DON TARQUINIO

149

upward through the heart from the stomach.

The runner wriggled and blood

and

;

He

fell.

times very quickly straight.

The

;

choked, spouting red

kicked the carpet

and writhed

iiij

and died

;

never have seen so short an agony.

I

Cardinal of Valencia at once recovered

equanimity ; and dried his poignard in the knot of dead hair, saying to Ippolito

his

:

"

Pardon, o Cardinal of Ferrara, on account

puddle on thy carpet. It is not caused by malice but by necessity. But now, before we consider new plans, let us be rid of this of

this

carrion, secretly."

Ippolito continued to gaze at the carcase.

But, by favour of some benignant

star,

my

coming back to me. I began to know, one by one in order, the things which wits seemed to be

I

ought to do. Wherefore,

the ankles pits;

and

I

but

:

beckoned to Gioffredo to take I

terribly

we flung the dead slave from but, after we had heard the splash

In this manner the balcony

:

myself took the hollow armthe head waggled between.

DON TARQUINIO

150

of

his

new

in

fall

Tiber,

we

returned,

expecting

events.

was the gaze of Ippolito fixed on the mess on the carpet. Cesare walked like a tiger Still

to and clear

;

fro

my

in a fume. stars

perplexity blind

Now my

vision was

being very benignant

me any more

to

my

:

nor did

chance.

XIII

HAVING

collected the vesture of the runner,

placed myself in the

whom

Valencia,

I

I

the Cardinal of

way of

addressed, saying

:

a Tiber beareth that dead barbarian to the sea

and

;

I,

o Lord Cardinal, will be

Respectable Worship's angel."

With which words

I

flung

Thy Most

l

down my

night-

gown of ermine. Cesare instantly stopped, inquiring whether I

could run.

response

:

for

To whom my mouth gave no my form and membrature testi-

His glances impinged upon me, and bringing the hot blood from mine heart

fied the thing.

;

I

looking down,

saw

my

though stricken with the

breast reddening as

flat

of the hand.

Ippolito suddenly interrupted, saying

"Can he run "

"

0776X05

indeed?

:

But he can run, an

(messenger) in the original holograph.

DON TARQUINIO

152

he

superhuman swiftness and of Wing-footed Hermes, or of

with

will,

endurance

who

Asahel

the

ran like a wild roe in the Sacred

Scriptures."

Thus was Cesare " Be then

run for

Our

Us and

He

satisfied.

said

:

angel, o white prince

;

and

for thyself."

In this manner

I

became the

first

of the

iiij

adolescents there present.

At my commandment, pages brought certain matters from the wardrobe, depositing them at

my

feet

and, retiring,

:

us alone to

left

make

preparations for the running. belted

I

the

runner's

cloth

my

folded feet

;

ij

back was bare.

my

loins,

hang down behind, so

letting the larger portion

that

on

Ippolito very carefully

squares of tanned buckskin round

my

and firmly bandaged them with thongs of

the same.

Thus garbed,

I

turned

the ivory door, exposing the flesh

my of my

face to

back as

the Cardinal of Valencia willed.

Thereon he began brush.

The

viscous

to write cyphers with the liquid,

which he used,

DON TARQUINIO

153

seemed somewhat to sting and bite me but I clenched my teeth and fists, and remained im:

movable; and anon the

He

covered

my

pangs evanesced. back with writing from shoulder little

to shoulder and below to in

all.

While he was

thing, saying

my

writing, he explained the

:

" These characters, which glossy,

become

will

dried, being of the

on which

middle, vij lines

We

now

invisible

same colour Such

write.

is

are wet

and

when they

are

as the substance

the nature of this

magic, that neither sweat nor water will affect it.

Ye have

in ink blind.

the

seen the letters, which

upon the paper,

The

pouch

message

for

:

We

himself seen

it

back.

mere

real

read

may

message on his

and no Roman ever hath seen

;

evanisheth as

own

and anyone

;

But he beareth the

proper body that

to be naught but a

wrote

prince will carry those letters in

goatskin

them.

We

:

ye

write for

it.

see

that

each

Nor hath

this

letter

angel

no adolescent can see

But Pietrogorio alone

will see

his it

:

for he will rub this fine white flesh with soot

D O N TARQUINIO

154

adhering to

which,

them

visible

when

the

render

cyphers, will

the back which beareth

them

have been cleansed with washing." Thus he spoke but I was thinking of

shall

:

a reward

reward, though I

knew

was not named

that great rewards

for

would be due

for

and furthermore the cardinal

such a service

;

had

was about to run

said that

I

my

:

well as for him.

Moreover

I

for

myself as

knew from

his

way of handling me, very gentle, very urbane, what all the world knoweth now, videlicet^ that,

from the moment when he

first

saw how

had made me, the splendid Cardinal of Valencia loved and honoured me.

my

stars

And, when the matter was completed, I demanded a poignard for mine equipment, lest the

said

Pietrogorio,

or

any

other

person

instigated by the devil, being strange to me,

should try to

which

I

fulfil

the mandate of the letters

carried in the goatskin

pouch

:

for

it

was not meet that a prince of my quality, nameless, nearly naked, and without credentials as

I

was, should submit to pillory and stripes.

DON TARQUINIO And

so,

having folded the upper part of the

cloth together lengthways,

right

155

arm and

across

my

I

passed

breast

it

under

and over

my my

shoulder, fixing the end in the belt, so that

left

the wind of

my

movement should not

swift

impede me.

cause

it

mine

hair as tightly as possible in

to

And, having composed

my

nightcap,

length was ready to run.

I at

Sumpter-mules, valises,

were

which

my

cardinal's

court.

first

riding-habits of

was being prepared Covered with a cloak, I was placed

white doeskin, while a

me.

Two

therein.

for

the

the

in

waiting

Gioffredo donned one of

for

bore

secrecy

litter

decurions attended

and

fidelity.

We

us,

chosen

crossed

Tiber

by the

Island, riding

Nereys

and Achilleys to the Gate of Saint

very quietly

by Saints

Sebastian.

During the journey able

to

recollect

ever plain to this

at

me

adventure.

taking

the

in the silent litter,

myself.

It

I

was

was more than

was the chief prince in Wherefore I did not hesitate that I

government

into

mine

own

DON TARQUINIO

156

even

hands,

to

the

command-

of

issuing

ments to the cardinals and to the Prince of Squillace.

On

mine

hearted,

was

as

with

emergence, bare-limbed, lightCesare that his errand

assured

I

as

good

Ippolito

swore

but

:

done

and dismissed

;

the

to

Keltic

smiled

they

him

camp. They and ; they

me

at

went.

But

I

bade Gioffredo to return to the Estense

Palace, there to rest in

my

he might be able to which I would need

render

my

running.

to

upper road,

fore

my 1

I

1

that

I

bade

litter

was

to

him the

the

assistance

morning

intending

if

possible,

after

myself

by

the

might not encounter the

swarming along I

the

in

a-horseback

return,

Kelts

For

bed, in order that

to

the

lower.

bring

his

Lateran

Gate

The New Appian Way which

Old Appian Way, avoiding

the

Wheretroop

and

the

first

at

diverged from the fortified

tomb of

Cecilia Metella, generally a nest of brigands in the pay

of bandit barons.

DON TARQUINIO 1

hour of the

there

day,

to

league outside the gate until

He

agreed

good luck

me

;

in

longer, and

my

about

my

going.

6 a.m.

me

Nothing delayed

took to the road. 1

a

coming.

embracing me, gave

and,

I

attend

157

XIIII

THE

dark

very

horned moon gave

little

me

let

was

night

before

on

tombs

ruined

no

and

me,

more.

both

blacknesses

shapeless

blackness.

much The

light

nothing

lines

were

sides

silhouetted

cared

I

A

cold.

as

riband of road stretched out

the

see

as

and

on

then

of only

blacker for

the

pleasures of sight.

The

my

cool fresh breath of

and caressed

nostrils,

The hum of behind.

I

Lady Night greeted

my

flesh as I ran.

the City very soon was left

heard naught save the sighs of the

sleeping earth and the quick delicate patter of

my

well-shod footsteps.

The the

aromatic flavour of herbs growing by

roadside

to time

my

was on

my

lips

protruded tongue

sweetness. 158

:

from

time

tasted the cool

DON TARQUINIO All

tingled with the pleasure of

my body movement.

swift I

159

thought of nothing

forces

collect

at

all

:

onward with long

my

letting

and develop only

in I

light striding.

pressing

knew

that

Lord the Paparch depended was alone and unprotected

the triumph of our

on me, that but

I

that

I

I

myself to be so terribly strong could have shouted for very gladness.

my

than

breath this

running, o mine I

myself I

:

felt

saved

More

I

I

;

and continued running.

cannot

own

thee

tell

mercurial Prospero

l :

my :

for

know nothing more.

went with extreme caution by

Tower

of

Cajetani's

but the darkness of midnight and the

malignance of that baron's stars favoured me, so that the watch did not perceive my passing.

That was the only

real piece

Having escaped

enterprize.

myself to the fulness of

Anon 1

the

The tomb

as a fortress

of danger in mine

my

it,

I

stretched

speed.

straight white

way

lost

itself

of Cecilia Metella, apparently then used

by the bandit baron Cajetani.

DON TARQUINIO

160

beneath a carpet of grass. 1

I

my

guided

course

between the gaunt ruins of the tombs on each I could not pass Solfatara 2 without hand. myself; and,

refreshing

having denuded

my

plunged into the pool again and again until all my flesh was benumbed. I will tell thee, o Prospero, that

body reeking with

violent

water

thousand times by the cold heart I

in

knew

breast

my

that

Wherefore

I

was

mood

in a

for

strength was multiplied a

My

feats.

I

moment was

at that

thy father

sweat,

way

but

greatly,

rejoiced

in a

:

to break

my

the

because fetters.

out again at augmented speed, also desiring to accomplish mine errand, but to leave behind me the disgusting stench of the I

set

pool.

Hereafter, in

maid

in

my

the City,

thought of my knew not what great

running,

who

I

deeds her loving lover was doing in order that

The Old Appian Way was disused between Near the latter place the Palombaro and Bovillae. 1

juncture with the 2

An

New

Appian

antique sulphur spring.

Way

occurs.

DON TARQUINIO But

he might win her. near to impede I

my

postponed them

161

went

these thoughts

progress

which cause

more opportune

a

until

for

:

occasion.

The a

for

night became

very long

more obscure

time

my

ran

I

in

physical force

on

running.

Anon

moon

the

set

but dim starlight.

It

cautelously

at

for,

:

fortified, rebellious.

to

my

and

my mind

keeping all

abeyance, concentrating

;

my

and there was no

;

Albano

that

my

was

maid,

they would bring I

would

Savelli,

way by the lake

me

who

beseeching to

the her-

be, I ascended the hill,

passing that city on the right

The

go very

proper divinities as well as to those

borough where

I

to

Wherefore, having prayed

were the protectors of

them

me

behoved

light

;

and made

my

into Aricia.

was running by faith and not by sight. road was much more difficult by cause of

many ups and downs. But I did not slacken speed for I knew that my stars were

the

:

as benignant as possible. 1 1

DON TARQUINIO

162

Cinthyanum its

through

was

street,

indeed

journey

human

1

my

anywhere

not

for

I

fled

In

all

my

no

encountered

I

;

I

the

in

feared

I

of

one

of

continued

how

knowing

my my mind

very

in

run

to

would

I

should

limbs

my

fulfilling

But

dark.

lest

and there was

sole desire

fore

vacant.

silent,

as

shewing that the gods I course. might have rested

safely

stiffen

asleep

origin, clearly

approved

:

still

only the

Where-

mission. faster is

grateful

and

faster,

rest

after

activity very strenuous, very prolonged.

Anon to

a

the darkness of the night gave

timid

certain

enabled to

follow

greyness,

whereby

I

the windings of the

way was road

But by cause that dawn I was was near, I put forth all my vigour. conscious only that my legs were swinging with

less

caution.

to and fro with no effort, lightly-flying, space-

devouring.

by cause that

by cause that

was happy, by cause of them,

I

glowed in the cold was alive and doing.

my I 1

flesh

Genzano

di

Roma.

air,

DON TARQUINIO Naught at

the

Velletri,

else

end of

gave

my

through

me

here,

happiness,

journey. the

163

So

I

entered

with

gate,

dawn.

ii

the

XV

MY

shouts for the palace of the Regent, and

the fierceness of

my

mien, brought

me

instantly

to Pietrogorio.

Had

I

not

known

that

the

Cardinal

of

Valencia had remained in the City, and that

none had passed

me on

the road,

I

should

have suspected magic of the particular kind called bilocation, by means of which the golden-thighed Pythagoras was seen and heard to lecture, at the same day and hour, in the

two widely

Metapontion and the aspect of this adolescent

distant cities of

Tayromenion was precisely

:

for

similar to that of the other

had sent me.

But

my

stars

told

me

who that

for which they must be two and not one cause I did not hesitate to present the written :

letters

from the goatskin pouch.

Pietrogorio permitted himself to laugh while 164

DON TARQUINIO

165

he was reading in which diversion I did not omit to join, although, fearing lest he might :

stray

unduly into

Anon

handy.

I

error,

took the

him with

acquainting

I

my

kept first

the

poignard

opportunity of

quality

mine

of

and he instantly withdrew me from the court, where he had been about to exercise estate

;

some

horses, conducting

ment

allotted

to

him

me

to a secret apart-

by the

Regent,

his

father.

He

said

" If, it

as

will be

:

We

believe, the truth

known unto

is

being told,

this prince

what other

matters must be done before the whole message can

come

to

To whom "Let

a

Our knowledge." I

instantly responded, saying

shovelful of soot be brought, and

several bucketfuls of water for washing

anon

this

:

noble will not be prevented

;

and from

completing the said message for himself.'*

The empty

things

having

been

part of the stables,

brought into an near by the boxes

where the horses were, but separate therefrom

DON TARQUINIO

166

wooden

a

by

cloth

long

wall,

and

;

my

poignard in

divested myself of the

I

stood

hands, alert

Pietrogorio understood that

by

So

understood.

I

step in turn

keeping to unsheathe it. still,

;

far

and he

also

my

knew

we had gone

step

and now he was to advance

;

to the last stage.

Taking the soot of

flesh

very

back therewith.

my

calves of

I

my

felt

I

it

drop-

loins

my

and

was standing over

looking

my

Campagna

Moor

as dully black as a

having so degraded

across

rubbed the

saw that the shining whiteness of

me was becoming but,

legs: for

Sometimes,

stiffly.

shoulders,

I

odious softness, on

ping, with

on the

in handfuls, he

myself

in a barbaric

to

as

slave's

:

run

garb,

I

placed no demurrer against this last abomination.

But

ablutions, after

my

I

promised myself many very long

moment

elaborate, exquisite, in the

return to the City.

Indeed,

I

was

not in a condition to place remonstrances of

any kind

at

that

message pleased

time

:

for,

whether

him or irked him,

I

my

was

at

DON TARQUINIO mercy

Pietrogorio's

and

refreshment

So

return.

I

making me last

well

submitted in

blacked

Having

accommodation

for present

as

as

me

greatly

when

refreshed

back, carried

first

iiij

but

:

me

I

grieved

over

away the superfluous

soot,

every

part

me

of I

save

But the

flesh

dirtiness

;

my

held upward.

bucketful ran off in inky streams

and the

;

and

;

bucketfuls

were greyer and fourth was almost

second and third

greyer

and

in flowing

and mine arms which

breast

The

me

saw that vthe water,

I

trickling over

the

first

time, he fetched a horse-block near

It

of

thoroughly,

a piebald prince for the

and, standing thereon, he poured of water over me.

my

means

for

silence.

of

half

167

of

me

I

stood

:

still

clear.

remained of a terrible still,

sodden, unclean,

beginning to shiver, very strenuously expecting

an end.

dismounted

from

and inspected the

visible

Pietrogorio

block

my

;

back.

the

horse-

cyphers on

Incontinent he uttered the greatest

DON TARQUINIO

168

shout which

ever have heard from the throat

I

of one adolescent.

It

was so

of delight, of urgency, that

I

of surprize,

full

turned upon him,

eagerly inquiring.

But emotion

The

intense

me

transfixed

expression

him of

for the his

moment.

countenance

was collecting his energies some tremendous effort, that he was in

taught for

that he

some huge idea. and the tension plan was born Not forgetful of good manners,

the throes of labour with

Anon, his was relaxed. even

;

such

at

a

moment, he thus addressed

me: " Order shall be given for the comfort and the entertainment due to

But

Thy Most

Illustrious

We

Ourself beg to be excused have in hand from attendance, seeing that Potency.

We

the

vital

account to

Us

welfare of

We

Our

patron,

are willing to die

that another

Cinthyanum on the

To whom I " Give Us

:

for

on whose it

messenger must

seemeth

go to

instant."

promptly responded, saying the means of riding, and

:

We

DON TARQUINIO

169

We

Ourself will be that messenger for desire nothing better than to emulate Thy Nobility in serving the Cardinal of Valencia to the :

uttermost; and

it

is

clear that

Ourself at the same time,

We

shall serve

seeing

that

Cin-

thyanum lieth on the high road to the City." Thus I spoke, letting the fire of mine eyes add force to the words that the thing

thou

must be

;

and Pietrogorio saw

so.

He

himself

is,

as

o Prospero, more a man of of words ; and, thereafter, we

knowest,

deeds

spoke

than little

but did

much

in a

few moments of

time.

While

I

girded on the runner's garb again,

he saddled an horse for me, shouting meanwhile for his people to bring the juice of a live

goose pressed to death for

and to rub

my

me

stiffening legs with

Which was done. Anon I leaped into

to drink,

mugwort

in

oil.

me through the gave me the little

the saddle; and he led

There, he gateway alone. gold ring with the carbuncle

(which thy mother, o Prospero, weareth on her

DON TARQUINIO

170

neck-chain), signing for the use of

Having bent " Present Cinthyanum,

to him, he whispered this

ring

to

the

as a sign that

that city are

all

mine

ear.

:

postmaster

of

the horses in

bought up by the Cardinal of

Valencia."

Thus having spoken, he

sent

me

flying

at a gallop, mightily striking the stallion

rump

with his

fist.

away

on the

XVI I

HAD no more than

what was doing now. But the City and that sufficed ;

Little

vulgar

boys gibed

I

for at

my my

satisfaction.

disgraceful

At rode through the streets. time I would have cut out their

as

aspect

knowledge of was returning to

a superficial

another

I

tongues: but, then, I did not even stop to Little simpering girls, going frown at them. to mass with the nuns of their convent, pre-

tended to shudder

but not

at the dirty, detestable,

but I unshapely legs so shamelessly exposed did not even kiss my fingers. Every moment :

now brought me

nearer to

my

proper maid.

I

thought of nothing else as I flew along the road but I grieved a little by cause that I had :

and the whip (which I had snatched Moreparting) was but a slight one.

no

spurs,

up

at

over,

I

had

left

my

poignard in the 171

stable.

DON TARQUINIO

172

But,

my

when

beast's

footgear

I

drummed

barrel,

emitted

the

with mine heels on leather of

sodden

certain

squelching to

amusing to the rider, terrific for he

augmented

his speed in a

my

noises,

the ridden

:

very agreeable

manner, not needing any other incitement.

So

I

came

to

Cinthyanum; and, having done

my business with the postmaster, I pursued my course without drawing rein. When I reached the summit of the hill by the ruins, 1

saw

I

(in the ravine before

approaching troop.

by

my

eyes were so blinded

sweat and the dust of

that (though

on

Mine

loricate

I

my

furious riding,

perceived the glint of the sun

and on cross-bows) I whether these were worn

mail-coats

could not see clearly

and borne by friends or foes. But I knew that it was 1

me) an

I don't quite

know what

easier

to

ride

these ruins are, unless

they are the remnants of the Villa of Vitellius

Monte

Gentile

:

but, if this be the

quinio was off the main road. ravines

between Genzano and Aricia,

the viaducts of Pius the Ninth.

case,

There

on

Don Tar-

are plenty of

now

spanned by

DON TARQUINIO

173

through a squadron from an high place, than for an ascending squadron to obstruct precipitate attack. Wherefore I goaded mine horse to extra speed with terrific shoutings as well as

with the thuds of mine heels

and

;

it

seemed

was going very quickly. But the beast, having run away four times

that

I

for his

own

pleasure and being

now

constrained

was becoming exhausted; and myself was becoming sore and rather feeble from the stress of my night's adventure

to run for mine, I

:

was famishing with hunger. For which causes we came down the steep hill with moreover,

I

had designed and nothing would have been done at the bottom in the

less

impetus than

I

way of smashing

a

;

passage through

the

ad-

wait

for

vancing troop.

The

said

troop, indeed,

the onslaught: but, to

ranged

itself

by the

did

not

my immense

surprise,

sides of the road laughing

very loudly indeed.

But erected

I,

indignant

myself on

at

my

gratuitous saddle,

contumely,

straight

and

DON TARQUINIO

174 filthy

(for

along

the

had come down the

I

horse's

back

the

estate

whom

And, while and

avoid

swift

passage)

;

indignantly looked about for one of mine

I

own

lying

to

better

wounds during the proposed and

hill

fell

I

dead

:

I

call

might

was looking, but I made

my shift

of him, in order to meet mine

and death

But

I

in a princely

had

to

account.

rocked

beast

to leap clear

own

torture

manner.

fallen into

no worse hands than

That one chubby Gioffredo. to whose inquiries instantly began to chatter I would not respond, until he had dismounted those

of

the

:

one of his own kataphractors 1 in order to give me a new horse; and then I insisted that we should hasten toward the City.

So we galloped together like Kastor and Polydeykes: but the dismounted kataphractor rode a-pillion with one of his comrades.

we went,

as 1

I

gave a

little

news of

my

And,

deeds to

Mail-clad cavalry with cross-bows. Pietrogorio's at Velletri names him as the lieutenant of

tombstone

Caesar Borgia's kataphractors.

DON TARQUINIO Gioffredo

remnant

until

quickly as possible

When

with his

me

The

;

for

I

was very anxious to

end. I

lapsed into silence, Gioffredo began

What

to be garrulous.

portant.

me.

failed

kept for the business of riding as

I

make an

breath

my

175

he said was not im-

He

had spent an hour of the night wife at Traspontina. But it pleased

to hear that impatience and a kind heart

had constrained him to leave long before the time, and had sent him so great a distance along

And

road to mine assistance.

the

d esired to reach the Lateran Gate (so he said)

I :

eagerly

for there

the litter was waiting, wherein

I

longed to seclude myself, by cause of the sordid condition of my body, which shame forbade

me

to

that

exhibit

was

fatigue

the

in

and

City,

affecting

me

by cause

very gravely

indeed.

Anon we been

lifted

reached

on

place

and,

;

having

to the soft cushions, the curtains

were drawn about me. for

the

Instantly

which cause, o Prospero,

I

I fell

am

asleep

:

unable to

DON TARQUINIO

176 write

the

Lateran

Gate

there

awoke,

I

of

history

jerk in the

to

first

as

my

the

the

progress

Estense

from the

But

Palace.

mules halted with a

court

peeped between the curtains and I saw the double-cross and the torches of the cardinal's I

;

up the steps of the audiencefrom which portent I augured that

estate disappearing

chamber it

:

would be

useless to try to approach Ippolito

until such time

when he should have

finished

the morn's business of dispensing justice to his family.

But, that I

possible,

might come

I

at

advised GiofFredo

decurions, and himself to

him to

as

soon as

dismiss

me

accompany

the as I

was, mixing unnoted with the motley of clients, parasites, flatterers,

men-at-arms, chamberlains,

pages, chaplains, athletes, poets, painters, merchants,

who

officials,

were

secretaries,

thronging

servitors,

into

the

women,

audience-

chamber.

So we enter,

did.

But, though

we were

we could not penetrate

able

to the front

to

of

DON TARQUINIO the

having come in behind all the myself was too drowsy and too

crowd,

others. stiff to

I

care whether

My

time.

177

only

I

spoke then or at another

idea

was

to

from

refrain

interrupting the natural order of events, and to wait

an

opportunity:

for

saw that

I

had become malignant. Wherefore restrained Gioffredo from certain violent

my I

for

stars

demonstrations which together

we found

he was preparing

;

a corner quieter than

and the

others.

Here, by the marble settle

of the

wall,

we

sat

on the

of marble, out of the stink and confusion

mob

at the front.

12

XVII IN order to prevent myself from falling again into slumber, I carefully noted the white walls and the cornice of shields, spade-shaped, richly

which

blazoned, and

depended

the

Byzantine tapestries

therefrom.

Nor

did

the

grandeur of Ippolito on his vermilion throne, the listening to the chaplains who intoned Office

of None,

same manner day's

business

I

escape

my

assiduously attended

was begun.

In

notice.

At

the

when the

first

was

it

uninteresting.

While the auditors whispered advice in the cardinal's ears, and while the secretaries recorded events in huge tomes or wrote at his dictation,

put myself to count the gilded coffers of the This casting upward of mine oaken roof.

I

made me more drowsy than ever but knew that, if once I permitted myself to :

eyes I

178

DON TARQUINIO sleep,

my

sleep

would be

a stupor

even an earthquake would

Wherefore

179

from which

awaken me.

not

constrained myself to note all was going on lest I should lose a chance of declaring mine achievement. For it must I

that

:

be clear to thee, o Prospero, that, when I ran as the Cardinal of Valencia's angel, I ran as the

Cardinal

last

it

soon

of Ferrara's familiar,

behoved as

me

to

which

render an account as

well

as

possible,

to

for

him

relieving

from

his obligation to the credentials sent

our

Lord

the

deliverance,

first,

Paparch from the

as

for

filth

own

mine

of

my

by

body,

secondly, from the rigour which was paralyzing my limbs, thirdly, from the Great Ban which so direly was afflicting me.

doubt but that the

my running. To pass the

For

I

did

not

last

would be the reward of

I

entertained myself with

time,

thoughts of my maid, as soon as I had convinced Gioffredo of my determination to remain silent.

He, being more than nap,

after

cursing

me

a little fatigued, took a for

a sulky prince.

12

2

I

DON TARQUINIO

i8o

promised myself an abundance of felicity in the contemplation of Hersilia, when she should have heard of

my viiij

leagues'

the lonely night: for

it

journey through

very pleasant to be

is

and admired by one's lover when one I has striven strenuously and successfully. pitied

to

tried

be deaf to the hubbub in front of

me, while I indulged my mind as aforesaid: but it was merely another insidious way to Wherefore, having rejected it, I dismissed my proper affairs, and alertly attended

sleep.

to the others.

The the

They were

as follows.

master of pages exhibited, to the cardinal,

monthly sheaf of the boys' specimens of

handwriting.

same,

dictated

having inspected

Ippolito

to

a

neatly on a bad one

secretary

" :

to

be

the

written

Gianlucido, write thus

or better here and now."

The master of but

pages retired, to see

Ippolito signed

sundry

some

them.

household

expenditures for

notary executed them

billets

;

it

done

:

authorizing stuff.

The

and the datary sealed

DON TARQUINIO

181

The

steward brought a plebeian page, who had been caught in the act of spitting idly into the rainwater tank of the cardinal's bathing-

The

chamber.

rascal

was condemned to be

stripped in the courtyard,

and to be spat upon

by x of his companions

during half-an-hour.

Order was issued

for covering

the said tank

with stout canvas.

The

of the

mistress

women

shrilly

com-

plained that one Fulgencia, a laundry-maid, was refusing to be married by the barber's son, to

whom

she had been betrothed one year.

Inter-

rogated whether she could shew cause for so culpable

a

defection,

sponded, saying

The whip

:

said

Fulgencia re-

And sucked her thumb. women was impowered to

No.

mistress of the her,

the

in the presence of

iij

maids, every

Friday at the ninth hour of the day, until the

The marriage should have been consummate. said Fulgencia, having bellowed for instant was conveyed to the chapel with the barber's son, iiij witnesses, and one chap-

nuptials, said

lain, to

be married forthwith.

DON TARQUINIO

i8a

The

oil -merchant

who was

steward,

the

bear

loss

appealed

the

against

him

intending to cause

to

of a consignment of his mer-

chandize which had been stolen, on the Ostian brigands in the pay of the bandit Giuliano Dellarovere desirous of

Way, by Cardinal building

cathedral. 1

new

a

The

said appeal

was admitted.

The

vegetable-merchant very brazenly came

But the

forward, producing a similar appeal.

steward fraud.

lege

His appeal was

was cancelled

mandment

to

;

Indian

rejected,

and

his privi-

in

future

rival.

slave-merchant offered for sale acrobats,

his

and the steward had com-

purchase vegetables

from the deceiver's

The

him with proofs of

confronted

saying

ij

young

that Cardinal Rafaele

They performed Riarj wished to have them. divers tricks of agility, which Ippolito ap1

He

did build

it

two

years later (A.D. 1497).

This

example of the fifteenth century method of raising cathedral-building-funds may be compared with that of the twentieth.

DON TARQUINIO plauded

;

physician

and he

order

on the

that,

them to be healthy and

certifying

bodies

their

gave

183

without

the

blemish,

treasurer

should pay the price. They were extremely slim of figure ; and their flesh was as yellow

dew-kissed pumpkins gleaming in the sun-

as

light.

The

chief equerry had order to water the

horses daily in Tiber, beyond the Portuensian

Gate, seeing

that

the Keltic

army was gone

away.

Order was issued for the burial of cenaries,

who had been found murdered

ij

mer-

outside

the barbacan at dawn, having gone out at night

without their mail-shirts. ij

Order was issued

for

masses to be intoned for their souls' repose.

Order was issued for the

name',

for

iij

masses to be intoned

repose of the soul of one without a

who had

died improvisedly and suddenly.

The absurd Messer Nerone required

Diotisalvi

was

on pain of the minor torments to

apply himself more assiduously to his studies in

the magic

arts.

For

it

will

be

clear

to

DON TARQUINIO

184 thee,

that

o

Prospero, that, had

mage's ignorance

of

it

his

not been

for

craft,

proper

homicide would not have been necessary. Permission was granted to the firelighter to

become served by

ij

extra boys, if the weather

should continue to be cold.

The new purchase.

goldsmith offered a crucifix for

Ippolito, having inspected the piece,

gave order that the wretch should be buffeted by all and singular, from the audience-chamber to the gate of the barbacan,

by cause

that

he

contumeliously had used carelessness in making the Image of the Divine Heros.

A

strange poet, in a dark-green wig resem-

bling sea-weeds, declaimed a sonnet in praise of a bee's nipples

A

;

and he was derided.

very young painter, shy, rather rosy-faced,

exhibited a panel whereon he had depicted the

Divine Herakles and the gruesome Hydra. To whom the treasurer had order to pay xx gold sequins.

Ippolito complained that the tallow-scraper

had neglected to scrape tallow from

iiij

stairs,

DON TARQUINIO

185

of a certain

chamberlain

whereby the

attire

name

(whose

have

I

forgotten)

had

been

rendered indecorous, and the cardinalitial shins themselves liable to divers incommodious abra-

The

sions.

said

misdemeanant was produced

;

and charged with his crime. He blubbered. Order was issued that he should tolerate vij

The

He

honour of the Apostles.

stripes in

master of

the

pages

amended specimen of handwriting. having denominated

it

still

very

yelled.

exhibited

the

Ippolito,

evil,

dictated

to a secretary to be written very neatly there-

upon

" :

before

to

Gianlucido, -

thus

write

or

better

morrow, or bid farewell to thine

hide."

The Turkish

captain of the arbalister

mercenaries accused a

of having murdered a bap-

tized Dacian slinger treacherously, in a brawl,

hour of the night also, of having out the said Dacian's heart, eating the same, hot, in contempt of our most holy

at the sixth

:

torn

faith.

Order was issued that the

having

been

conveniently

said

tormented,

Turk, should

DON TARQUINIO

i86

by strangulation within

tolerate natural death

the hour place

hang in the avemmaria, and then

be

at

:

that his carcase should

of exposition till thrown into Tiber

below the

a mile

Portuensian Gate.

Two

tormentors

introduced

tallow -scraper before

the

miscreant

the dais, loudly bawling.

He

was a sturdy Trasteverino of about the age of xiij years, dark-coloured and big-eyed, and

tough and sinewy placed

as a

wolf.

his wrists

him, they tied

with the end of a

young

Having behind him

of rope, deftly tossing the other end over a beam in the roof, and pulling

it

taut

coil

and so they waited.

;

Ippolito was smelling to an orange infected

with rose-attar

mob

He

in the

:

indeed the foetor of the

for

audience-chamber was most putid-

threw the

fruit to a favourite

page

;

and

I

augured from the expression on his physiognomy that he was about to manifest abnormal sagacity.

He

busipretended that he understood not the

ness which was afoot

;

for these preparations.

and demanded the reason

DON TARQUINIO The

187

tallow-scraper ceased his clamour, con-

centrating his gaze on the cardinal.

The first tormentor responded, saying " The Most Illustrious Purpled Person :

choose to hear the

rogue's

will

confession of his

crime." Ippolito said

"

We

The

have heard." first

saying

:

tormentor volubly expostulated,

:

" But not under The Question, o Most Illustrious for none can believe a creature who is :

neither clerk nor noble, unless he

(first)

shall

have been hauled upward by the drawn-back wrists and (secondly) shall have been dropped It suddenly to within a span from the floor. the torture of hanging from dislocated is

shoulders

which alone

insureth

a true

con-

fession."

Thus having spoken, he rope of

;

instantly pulled the

and the boy ascended high over the heads

all.

But that

rascal,

being very sinewy and very

DON TARQUINIO

i88

quick-witted, did not wait for the dislocation of his shoulders. his

clenching instantly

on

For, drawing teeth

pressed his

as

he

left

and

his legs

up

the

he

floor,

bound hands downward

his buttocks, with admirable force, twisting

round and round

like an athlete.

The boy's Applause began to be heard. throat curved stiffly backward ; and his breasts and shoulders resembled tan-coloured knots

as

he hung up there. He bended his legs further and further back ; and, by degrees, he contrived to grasp his

own

his

and hanging face-downward

sinews,

semicircle like a strung

delicate

by

its

ankles, relaxing the strain

string.

mentor, saying very quickly " What thou hast said is

proclaim the crime.

to look that is

Our

purely

The

silly.

Let him come down.

The

Our Our

boy's office

floors lack tallow.

needed, with

tor-

:

chamberlain's split hosen, and the tallow on

fession

a

bow hanging

But Ippolito went on speaking to the

stairs,

in

on

No

is

con-

Question or without.

Give him

his whipping.

DON TARQUINIO And

let

him go

to the

treasurer

189 a rose-

for

reward of dexterity. And then let him go to the master of the athletes, who And let hath order to take him in charge. 1

as the

giulio

the comptroller provide another tallow-scraper,

who

will

When

do well not to waste Our tallow." the boy came down, the

disappointedly untied his wrists

first

;

tormentor

and, seizing

them, hoisted him in the usual manner

:

while

the other, having turned his garment over his

head, scored xij criss-cross weals on his plunging

hams with

Anon

a cane.

being released, the freshly

athlete stifled his yells

on

his

head with his

sprouted

and he instantly stood arms and legs spread as ;

widely apart as possible.

Everybody burst out laughing. There was commotion at the door of the audience-chamber. Gioffredo precipitate 1

:

About a

value.

woke up and would have been for chamberlains were

shilling,

with four times

announcing its

:

purchasing

DON TARQUINIO

igo

"The

Exalted Tranquillity of the Tyrant

Lucrezia Borgia-Sforza of Pesaro." Beating as quickly as possible then was the heart in

of

its

my bosom, instantly sensing mate in my maid's.

the coming

XVIII

ALL

women

the

audience-chamber were

in the

But

plebeian, ugly, stinking.

of fragrant herbs I

most beauti-

brought in the odours of a garden

ful princess

ing her,

this

saw

;

my

among

and,

the bevy attend-

maid.

Her eyelashes were lowered but, every now and then, she flashed a glance on this side :

and on

I

thing.

But

though she were seeking someknew what she was seeking.

that, as

I

shrank

down

in

my

the impetuous Gioffredo with

corner, pulling

me

not conscious that the opportune arrived,

stool

was

Ippolito. her.

for

I

was

moment had

even now.

The crowd opened

A

:

set for

pathway for the tyrant. her under the canopy near a

Her maids-of-honour

stood behind

All their hair was dyed yellow with

of honey in imitation of their mistress 191

:

oil

but

DON TARQUINIO

I 92

my

maid's hair was as black as a sapphire in a

night without light.

The

chamberlains

of

front

in

the

emptied a great space back the dais, pressing

crowd.

But

and Gioffredo thrust ourselves through, not to the front rank but to the second for I

:

I

did not wish to be seen, and

I

did wish to

hear.

The saying

tyrant

thus

the

addressed

"We

are

come,

Our mother.

visiting

rejoiceth by cause

departed

:

o

lord

is

of her

Madonna Giovannozza 1

that the Keltic soldiers are

for she hath been in terror lest they

her heart's treasure

late

;

1

sworn

husband's bequest

to

ask

orchard, the

and the revenues

the pay of an armed guard. are

from

cardinal,

should rob the blossoms of her

which

cardinal,

:

Our Most

suffice

not for

Wherefore, Blessed

We

Father

This was her nickname (Big Jenny), which she

commonly custom

:

bore

in

but her real

accordance

with

name was Giovanna

the

Roman

de' Catanei.

DON TARQUINIO

193

1 immunity of her inn against taxation and against the excise-duty on wines, so that

for the

she

may

a

reap

little

hard

these

in

profit

times."

She spoke rapidly, as her young brother did, but in a voice which was very sweet and soft

But

to hear.

was

it

clear

to

me

that

she

had other more important things to say by side of this gossip. Ippolito also perceived it

he

for

:

in

smiling

The

head,

goest

at

noon

to

:

dine

Blessed Father, o Cardinal

The Lion Inn

deceased husband. patricians,

his

silence.

His Blessedness 1

nodded

tyrant continued, saying

"Thou Most

sagaciously

no one

is

in

very Bear

lonely,

with

Our

of Ferrara. very grave.

Street, a bequest

from her

Excepting perhaps the sixty Roman in those days thought a whit the

worse of a lady for getting her living banaysically than Madonna de' Catanei was neither a people do now. barmaid nor a female boniface.

She was the proprietor

of the most celebrated hostelry in Rome ; and lived privately on her income in a villa near San Pietro ad Vincula.

DON TARQUINIO

194

He

taketh

chancellor,

He

the

hardly

whom He

hath

of

loved

horrid

these

in

those Keltic invaders,

not

haps during

but that there

saith

for

:

As

quarrels.

for

end

that the

that there will be war, per-

:

months, but not

iij

much

though they go now, anon

yet: that,

they will return

He

Vice-

the

must stand

cannot see that Sforza needs

by Sforza

is

defect

will

first

in the City:

be happenings which

astound the Christian King." Ippolito appended grave nods and impene-

will

trable smiles.

Madonna

Lucrezia again tried to approach

the matter which she had in mind, saying c<

After

intention

to

La Magliana Giulia 1

A

2

1

o

lord

cardinal,

dine

daily

in

to the

sound of luths.

Lent,

hath brought

iiij

the

luthists

it

is

:

Our

gardens

of

Madonna

from Venice

;

the

Campagna, ten miles S.E. of Rome, founded by Xystus the Fourth and enlarged paparchal

villa in

by Innocent the Eighth, the predecessor of Alexander the Sixth. 2

Giulia (Farnese) Orsini, a lady of the court.

DON TARQUINIO and one

is

an

195

We

improvisatore.

therefore

beg that thou wilt be Our beadsman, giving Us the benefit of thine holy prayers for fair weather after Eastertide."

conceded

Ippolito

What was

the

a

assent.

use of a cardinal-deacon, ex-

cepting to pray for

fair

who were minded

to

seemed to

aspect

of

gesture

say.

weather for dine

in

fair ladies

gardens,

Having obtained

his

so

small a boon, the tyrant (womanlike) instantly

demanded "

And

a great one, saying

:

now, o Cardinal of Ferrara,

We

desire

to hear thy news."

To whom

he responded, saying " Since yesterday, divers strange things have One of Our athletes, by race a happened. Dacian, derer

:

hath been murdered

even now

is

;

and

mur-

his

tolerating torment

before

strangulation."

Madonna Lucrezia "

The news which

interrupted, saying

We

desire are not of that

nasty species." Ippolito added

:

:

132

DON TARQUINIO

196

" There are not any news of affairs known to Us, save those of Our family and those which Thine Exalted Tranquillity hath named."

Madonna Lucrezia looked him up and down. She would try the continued, saying

"Our Most Castle

of a

effect

taunt

and

;

:

Blessed

of Santangelo,

Father

sitteth

the

in

dumb, but smiling

at

His thoughts. Of what pleasant thing is He There is not anyone in the City thinking?

who

will

others,

to

respond

Our

cannot

perchance,

:

The

inquiries.

thou

but

canst

and wilt not, o Cardinal of Ferrara."

was

She

A

woman

dark

self

becoming

but

indignant,

sorry.

never ought to inflame

her-

with anger, by cause that the black or

the brown of her hair and the red of her rage are the colours of our old enemy, the devil

but

fury

woman

augmenteth

the

beauty

to the highest degree, for

it

the clear blue of her eyes, while colour the

of her face

straw-colour

of

is

of

hair.

fair

brighteneth the poppy-

exquisitely allied

her

a

:

with

At such

a

DON TARQUINIO

197

moment, she resembleth a joyful field ready for reaping and happy is the youth who ;

is

bold enough to reap. Ippolito was a

little

confused

;

but he used

himself serenely enough, saying that

(for

his

was willing but unable. tyrant no longer restrained her spleen.

part) he

The She

scornfully saying

" It

is

her

while

spoke,

well

cheeks

fair

flamed,

:

known

Us

to

that the Cardinal

of Ferrara doth profess himself to be the friend of the Cardinal of Valencia. Our mind telleth

Us

also that the said Cesare

dire peril,

Keltic

have

safety

day

the

that

some

friend.

Or

then, o Prospero,

of

vigorous familiars in

many

would be doing something

of his

We

Cardinal

are all these

and magnificent gentlemen merely but not for use ?"

And

in

Wherefore

king.

thought

Ferrara, having so his hand,

this

having gone away with that very

abominable should

is

my

burst out incontinent, saying

darling :

for the

mighty show

for

little

maid

DON TARQUINIO

ig8

"At

one

least

o Exalted Tranquillity/* Everybody shouted with

Her

effrontery. fire

of

front

at

laughter

such

burned her like a

blushes

:

other

stars,

girls

and her

;

blue -black,

eyes

brilliantly

almost believed that she actually

I

beaming.

me

the

like

glittered

saw

Cardinal's

but she maintained her situation bravely

:

in

Lord

and willing as well as mighty and very beautiful,

and

magnificent

the

useful

is

gentlemen

of

but

I

kept

my

face

behind the head

peeping between his hood and the twisted liripipe of the same.

of a

fool,

Madonna Lucrezia changed her posture, with the alacrity of one who findeth that her seat is

a

of

nest

mockingly

"What

scorpions,

demanding

shrilly,

:

doth a maid-of-honour

know about

a cardinal's beautiful gentlemen ?"

There was a noise lains entered

"The

at the

door

announcing Exalted Potency

;

and chamber-

:

of

the

Sancia d'Aragon Borgia of Squillace."

Princess

DON TARQUINIO I

as

199

instantly cuddled Gioffredo's head as tightly possible,

wide-open mouth despite

my

other hand

one wrist into

pressing

fast I

him

same

strength,

failing

seized

the

at

and,

;

his

with

in a certain grip

very time,

the

from

which no one may move an hair's breadth. Nor did I release him without a promise of silence,

asked in a whisper, granted by green

eyes bulging and glaring. staring at the

form of

Thus we

his wife.

ij

stood

XVIIII

SHE came

in

of-honour,

all

and

hands

with her in

own galaxy of maids-

black

habits,

head

her

swaying

her

waving

distractedly,

querulously blaming everybody.

She was a red-haired,

sembled nurse

fat

girl,

white- fleshed

those

stepped

together

proceeding at

and her

;

eyes

A

of a bereaved cow. closely behind

baby swaddled on This,

very long in the back,

a

with the

her,

re-

large

carrying a

board, terribly squealing. the

recriminations

now

throne, and the occasional

howls of the Princess of Squillace, and the shrieking laughter of the crowd, produced a tumult resembling that of Navona at Epiphany.

1

Another 1

stool

The Epiphany

having

been

set

on

the

Square of Navona, where everybody screeches and blows tin horns. Fair in the

200

DON TARQUINIO new comers arranged themselves

the

dais,

201 in

order.

Gioffredo's wife wept loudly until everyone

was

Then

silent.

she began to speak, saying

"Ah-hoo, o Lord Cardinal, for

For thou

know that Cesare hath and Our Fredo hath followed

;

him,

ah-hoo,

desire

know why.

to

to

know why.

we

all

will

ah-he-he-he-he.

We

We

desire

Ah-hoo.

Ah-he-he-he-he-hoo.

be compelled

Now we

all will

ah-hoo,

ah-hoo.

to

our jewels.

Why

hath ?

not

Lucrezia

Why

hath not

Purpled Person prevented Our Fredo from

following?

were

sell

Now

be compelled to be ransomed,

prevented Cesare from going this

come

shalt

gone to Naples ah-hoo,

are

ah-hoo, ah-he-he-he-

consolation, ah-hoo,

he.

We

:

Both those impetuous adolescents

in this

very palace during the past night for Fredo himself said so. And now he hath :

deserted Us, his most loving wife

;

and hath

ridden after Cesare with a mere handful of an escort,

and on swift horses, ah-hoo.

hours ago,

We

missed

him.

Four

Three hours

DON TARQUINIO

202

We

and who knoweth how much more, have

been a widow, and Our baby but a month

Lord

old, a-hoo, a-hoo.

Our husband.

We

Cardinal,

Ah-he-he-he-he-hoo.

desire

Hoo."

She tottered toward the large nurse

moo

over her baby, mumbling I wished with her lips from time to time. herself to

set it

and

;

for

the

for

I

death

feared

restrain

of

the

that

I

Ippolito's

comfort of

"

its

mother:

not

be

able

to

That prince

longer.

showed the extreme

dis-

mind.

The Tyrant Lucrezia saying

and

like a clean dolphin.

visage

his

should

much

Gioffredo

was wriggling

brat

spat

out a sentence,

:

We

are unable to treat such people with

Women

patience.

every time

when

their

husbands run after the

Our Own husband gone cousin, Duke Lodovico Sforza-

soldiers.

Hath

to

his

assist

do not become widows

not

Visconti of Milan, and the Kelts, 1

some months

ago, before these wars began?

And

The

Sforza were siding with Gaul.

is

there

DON TARQUINIO Roman

any

203

temerarious enough, or suburban

enough, to denominate Alexander's daughter Widow on that count ?"

The

Princess Sancia bewailed herself, saying

wanted her Fredo.

that she

But now indeed Gioffredo began to jump about, disturbing the people whose bodies had concealed us

him.

;

and

was

I

unable to hold

totally

For, having broken away from me, he

bounded towards

his wife, very agitated,

ing like Stentor.

And,

catching

Ippolito,

a

same moment,

at the

glimpse

roar-

of me, emitted

tremendous shouts of welcome,

calling

me by

name.

But mine eyes were directed maid.

Now

toward

that this long (and, as

I

rather silly) period of concealment at

my

think,

length

had no thoughts in my breast save of her who, unknowingly, had nerved me was concluded,

to

my

I

great exploit.

no longer any cause

Wherefore, there being

for secrecy, I

attempted to

rush to her.

But

it

became

clear that I could

do no more

DON TARQUINIO

204

than limp, slowly, painfully, very ungracefully and,

when

vij paces

had extricated

me from

;

the

crowd, placing me alone in the empty space in the middle of the audience-chamber, where I

myself to be the target for the arrows of more than dccc eyes, then I sudinstantly felt

denly remembered that my yellow-silver hair was knotted in an abominable night-cap, that the flesh of deal

my

body and limbs was

more than half-naked,

indelicately,

that

I

that

I

a great

stank most

was besmirched and be-

grimed from head to foot with sweat and mire and every kind of uncleanness.

Such

a terrific piece

to utter yells,

of knowledge caused

and to bolt

me

(like a rabbit into his

burrow) through the tapestried door at the Tumults of side of the audience-chamber. laughter pursued flight.

me

;

and

lent

wings to

my

XX HAVING made threshold of

my ;

my

far

as

my

the

limbs

sank to the ground. the palace was long and

I

All the family was in the audience-

devious.

chamber

as

get

proper antechamber,

me there and The way through

failed

to

shift

;

and

I

encountered no assistant on

painful passage.

was so utterly exhausted that I ceased to care for anything at all and the mind in my I

;

breast advised

when it

my

being

palace,

I

me

to lie

servitors should

known

that

I

still,

until such

come

to me.

time For,

had returned to the

did not doubt but that search would

be made for me.

That antechamber, o Prospero, was a very long room panelled with slabs of lapis-lazuli and malachite.

The

ceiling of

it

was painted

with the images of the Divine Hylas struggling 205

DON TARQUINIO

206

with the nymphs.

was

deliberated that

I

than any of these

fairer

what she might be doing

The

and

I

wondered

moment.

at that

sunlight streamed in through the

which

windows

of

;

maid

my

the

brightening

the other side

all

abutted

gilding

on

the

row

court,

On

of the cornice.

the outer doors of

my

divers

but I continued to lie chambers stood open where I was on the very threshold of the ;

antechamber,

go

drowsy, not

happy,

anxious to

further.

Anon, a posse of

up the

stairs

me

came running

familiars

behind me, moaning and shouting

commiseration for carried

my

my

condition

who, having

:

into the bathing-chamber, stripped

me, and began to perform their

now and tion

indeed I

my mind

devised

became most anxious of

my

normal

condemned them lazy oaves

;

and

for I

And

new schemes

;

for instant restora-

aspect.

a

office.

parcel

Wherefore,

I

of fools and

issued divers

peremptory

commandments. Pages galloped hither and thither to and

DON TARQUINIO

207

from the wardrobe, bringing towels, ewers of and all the apparatus of various waters, washing, with numerous ceremonial garments, trays

of jewels,

of the quintessence of

flasks

southernwood, and the paraphernalia of mine estate.

While selected

my a

was

flesh

certain

very

being

scrubbed,

new

singular

which, by the benignance of

caused to be made, when

I

my

appeared

likely

had

entered the

first

For now

be.

habit,

stars, I

City, for just such an occasion as the

to

I

present

my mind

was persuaded that but one more turn of Divine Fortune's wheel would bring me to the top. But here my meditations were interrupted. Ippolito

GiofFredo

with

with

the the

mine own maid with

Tyrant Princess

Lucrezia, Sancia,

and

and

company, came inquiring for me. all

the

bounding up the stair A gesture from the chamberlains

at

my

door kept them in the antechamber. The said door was not quite shut and, having put ;

DON TARQUINIO

208

my

wet hair away from mine eyes,

I

was able

(through the crevice) to see GiofFredo and his wife going to the embrasure of one of the

There they

windows. cooing

:

down,

billing

and

but the others, unseen by me, began

bombard me with

to

sat

questions.

Ippolito vociferated, saying

:

" GiofFredo saith that thou hast

which thou didst

set

done that

Tell us of the

out to do.

same, o Sideynes."

To whom

I

briefly

moment, the page on the

me "

(for, at

responded stool

the

was deluging

with hot water), saying Pietrogorio hath received both messages :

and he desireth nothing

better than to die for

the Cardinal of Valencia, o

But,

when

servitors

I

had

;

Hebe."

said this,

were

a

I

noted that

my

rather

wearing desperate nor more than durst they give depreaspect: and sad imploring glances to cating gestures

my

prompt

interrogations.

commanded them

to bring

myself between the same

Wherefore, having mirrors,

I

in order that I

placed

might

DON TARQUINIO examine of

my

What me to

person.

back caused

my

I

209

saw on the

flesh

utter certain very

fervent objurgations.

The

the

people in

antechamber with one

demanded the cause of mine

voice instantly anger.

To whom

I

indignantly responded, saying

that the cyphers evidently were indelible

:

for

vigorous scrubbing with hot water and lupin-

meal only rendered the

diagram

was a

A

terrific

itself

my

white flesh whiter, but

remained clearly grey.

It

predicament.

certain page suggested an application of

pumice

:

but

I

indignantly

being willing to have

denied

my smooth

flesh

him,

not

roughened

and ruined.

Those

friends of

mine

cackled with laughter at

antechamber

in the

my

discomfiture

;

and

Madonna Lucrezia implored me

to exhibit the

accursed inscription.

also

similar request

added

My

:

to

Ippolito

whose voice

all

placed a

the others

theirs.

pages having swathed

me

in

dry sheets

DON TARQUINIO

210

(covering

me from

head to foot like a shrouded

cadaver but exposing

my

few moments

in

for

a

Everybody giggled

;

back),

I

placed myself

the

open doorway. and came near. I heard

their snuffling gasps of exclamation

the

warm

gaze.

and

felt

breath of the heads which stooped to

No

These be

;

one was able to read the cyphers.

they, o Prospero.

wsm TIWTCUI I?

IT!, :

mi

Wll U-

TO \l 1T-

mm

DON TARQUINIO The Tyrant Lucrezia was

211

instantly averred that

a lovely device for

embroidering in gold on the front of a bodice, and that such a work would drive the plain Marchioness of this

Mantua mad with envy. Ippolito, having traced the grey lines slowly

with the tip of a loving finger (for so to

it

an

stated

be),

the kabbalistic

opinion

character

that

invented

I

felt

was

this

by Messer

Honorios, formerly of Thebes, which Cesare

was known to have taken from that erudite Gothic boy

called

Enrico

von Nettesheim, who now the

said,

save Cesare only and his proper

As

familiars.

he

it

it

is

Agrippa a councillor of

In this case, he said, no one

Emperor.

could read

Cornelio

for the defilement of

no

my

doubt

would wear

rejoiced

very greatly

flesh,

off

in

time.

And

then

heard saying "

the

I

dear

little

voice

of

my

:

for

I

maid,

:

We

will

offer

most fervent prayers that

142

DON TARQUINIO

212 the

lord

cardinal's

may

prediction

not

lack

fulfilment."

At which words Madonna Lucrezia suddenly turned to examine the

becoming

agog

for

last

speaker, instantly

In

match-making.

her

opinion, so she said, so beautiful a gentleman

was

fit

to be anybody's husband.

Ippolito

put in a salient word about the

Great Ban. she

That, to

run

as

I

said,

in

longer

could

despite of

had shown myself to

cause,

she

gentleman

said,

in the

the

doorway

I

howled with delight

forward

into

manded

the

my

secret

;

all

an

one

For which

and blameless

instantly

company, in order to tell Lord the Paparch Himself.

permitted

such

be.

beautiful

the Castle of Santangelo

to

be

not

must hasten

with the present the tale to our

and, having leaped I

com-

with

mine

chambers,

pages to indue

me

habits using extreme celerity.

Ippolito cried out, inquiring whether Pietro-

gorio

had read the

cypher message

to

me,

DON TARQUINIO demanding

what the

also

213

said noble

was going

to do.

To whom

I

responded,

that

saying

His

Nobility had read the inscription as signifying " Statim adveniunt Gallicani, cum iis ego, obses :

retentus

The their

:

auxilium praestes

fac ut exquiras, et

Gallicans are

hostage

find

;

upon thee, with me me, and lend succour

as " :

and the autograph, " C. Car al de Valencia." Also I said that I was ignorant of Pietrogorio's plans,

me

to

knowing only that he had

buy up

all

the

horses

the

at

sent post-

house of Cinthyanum in Cesare's name. added that the said adolescent, in

And

my

I

judgment,

was

not

a

only

Odyssey s

very

for deep-scheming, but also a gentleman with

whom

it

would be

safe to play

odd-and-even in

the dark.

Having

pondered these have an inkling

began to So he plan. leagues

which

said.

between last

city

For

Velletri

words,

of there

and

doth belong to

Ippolito

Pietrogorio's are

but

ij

Cinthyanum,

Rome

;

and,

DON TARQUINIO

214 if

Cesare

master of

no

could all

difficulty

But those

means of

himself

he would have

a

effecting

Such was Ippolito's sentence.

affair.

The Tyrant another a

transit,

find

speedy return. leagues were the crux of the

in

ij

and

there

get

Lucrezia

a

irresistible

fine

herself of

She said that Cesare was

opinion.

beast,

delivered

beast,

an admirable

and just now

beast,

a

beast,

an

necessary

And she was (nay) an indispensable beast. contrive to cover quite certain that he would those

ij

leagues.

But, at the I

escaped

moment of

from

my

princely, in a habit

of

speaking, at length

pages, state.

radiant,

delicate,

XXI I

CAME out

into the antechamber, very vivid,

very vigorous, for fatigue seemed to have

my

limbs,

very

and

pale

myself again, very

clean, -

grand

eyed,

pleasant things were waiting

upon them.

smooth

My

for

silk,

silver

The on

set

lovely to look

glittering

My

garb was adorned with

pearls,

cabochon

with great

me

was

moonstones.

armorials of mine house were emblazoned

my

breast,

of white videlicet

cross

Luna. 1

white as

I

for

was

hair

like a cocoon, sunlit, delicate.

shining

for

left

not

our ordinary tinctures

in

and red but

in

white and

Luna and Saturn party per

potent

party

per

pale

black, pale,

Saturn

a

and

1

Really, this

arrogance.

is

just

like

Don

Tarquinio's naive

Instead of being content with the ordinary

nomenclature of

his

tinctures

215

(Argent and

Sable),

DON TARQUINIO

216

Everybody made

haste to inspect me.

Ippolito said that he never had seen these habits before.

To whom

I

responded, saying that

I

had had

them prepared secretly for the day when I should come face to face with our Lord the and that they bore a certain signifiI in fact had cation. made myself as it were a book which His Sanctity might read. Paparch

He He

;

would

youth and strength and ability would see the candid whiteness of inno-

cence

:

He

see

:

would

see the blazon

of mine house

blackened by the Great Ban, whitening with the dawn of hope. But, having said these things, I

a

became conscious of the eyes of few

paces

adoration

:

at

away,

whom

gazing I

my upon me

instantly

maid,

with

precipitated

myself, forgetting the others.

even the form used by peers (Pearl and Diamond), he needs must use the terms which are disdaining

employed sovereign

world.

only !

But

in

the

blazoning

armorials

no equal There

Certainly his lineage has !

Well

!

of

a

in this !

DON TARQUINIO Madonna Lucrezia put

217

in a sentence,

say-

ing " All these things are very poetic and pretty ; and the beautiful and blameless gentleman :

most urbane

certainly is in

Ourself by

done on

this

We take pride We are purely

but

that

Furthermore,

practical. is

cause

:

all

the damage, which

orb of earth,

is

done

either

by saying the right things to the wrong person, or the wrong things to the right person. These admirable words ought not to

Us, but to fore,

the

Our Most present

Blessed Father.

company

instantly

to the Castle of Santangelo.

At

be uttered to

Boy

!

Wheremust go Litters

!

the Vatican, a division shall be made, not to

embarrass

show of

Our Most

force.

The

Blessed

Father with

a

Cardinal of Ferrara hath

the right of demanding a boon, by cause that

he provided the swift runner. The beautiful and blameless gentleman hath an equal right, by cause that he ran swiftly. Let those ij

demand well.

their said boons.

In

any

case,

after

If they win them,

dinner,

when Our

DON TARQUINIO

2i8

Most

Blessed Father

good humour and

in a

is

concede anything for the sake of being left to His afternoon Ourself and nap, then will

We

Our

well-beloved brother,

enter

The

He

Gioffredo, will

But

Presence prepared to intercede.

Lord Alexander

the

Don

be

will

is

and gentle

just

Litters

propitious.

;

and

Boy

!

!

Litters!"

Half

Her

with

one

to

any more: be said.

collect

fingers

;

and anon we

down

there

for

Our

themselves,

fled

the stair

No

commandments.

Tranquillity's

said

more to

a score of pages

was

nothing

several families began

while left

we washed our

the antechamber in

due order. In the courtyard, the tyrant and the princess

and their maids ascended the

we

others

we

set

not

took horse in

forth,

unusual

thenean

a very in

those

full

grand old

Prospero, when

litters

state

;

:

and so

procession,

days,

o

but

my

but par-

a pageant of princes

going to pay respects to the Pontifex was common enough.

Maximus

DON TARQUINIO

We

went by Lungara. We both were Ippolito.

219

by side of

rode

I

silent,

pondering the

matter in hand.

As we passed

the great Riarj Palace on the

where the white-faced cardinal was enter-

left,

taining

"

The

They

Beloved,

1

that

say

I

said

one

knoweth more Greek than was

It

sulky or

No

I

do."

word, uttered only

did not wish to seem either

afraid.

soberly saying

"

We

who

there

liveth

a silly irrelevant

by cause that

:

Ippolito

shook

his

head,

:

one knoweth more Greek than thou,

o Sideynes." Thereafter

knew

that

I

we rode without was

sparrow, jipping

as

nervous

and

flirting,

twitter entirely automatically. 1

This would be

Rotterdam

speaking. as

a

and

February liable

to

For which cause

that very wonderful

called Gerard,

I

person

of

who (having no legal surname)

name (which means Latin and Greek equivalents, Desiderius 'Epa0-/cuo9, by which combination indeed we know him now as Desiderius Erasmus. translated his Flemish Christian

"

The

Beloved ") into

its

DON TARQUINIO

220 I set I

myself to consider

I

was, and what

had done, and how extremely notable mine

aspect was.

my

body,

desires.

I

I

contemplated myself,

my

qualities,

also

benignance of all

who

very good.

called

my

stars.

my

capabilities,

to

mind,

exploits,

remembrance

And

behold

it

the

was

So we came to Vatican.

Nothing disturbed me. Nothing ever again would disturb me. Was I not riding in triumph, to the Giver of Bays

?

XXII

HAVING

parted

dismissed

our

the

along

of

corridor

ascended

were

several

through numerous

at

length

castle,

spiral,

emerging

gallery,

Below

gloomy.

companions and and Ippolito walked

our I

trains,

high

on the vast

We

from

the

passing

stairs,

antechambers

porphyry-coloured arras.

depths.

labyrinthine little

hung with

The odour

of

the

place was sepulchral.

A

ruffled

black, with

in

flunkey

a

Spanish

habit

of

and sword, drew aside a

cloak

and we porphyry-coloured curtain ; passed out of darkness into the blazing sun-

thick

light of

We

The were

Presence.

on

summit of the ments,

we

Rome and

a

fortress.

could the

secluded

terrace

Beyond the

on the battle-

panorama of all Campagna with the Alban see

221

the

DON TARQUINIO

222

Mount on

the distant horizon.

Tiber seemed

to be a chain of chrysoliths meandering

mounds of

among

So lofty a situation was Him, Whose authority was

emeralds.

convenient

for

world-wide.

Some

orange-trees in tubs formed a screen

shadow of

in the

a turret.

A

porphyry-coloured, was spread

A

ment.

throne-like

chair,

square carpet,

on the paveraised on one

step, with a foot-stool and cushions and other stools, all

Here

of the same colour, stood upon

sat the

it.

Ruler of the world, the Father

of princes and

kings,

the

earthly

Vicar

of

Paparch Alexander, magnificent, invincible, alone and read-

Jesus Christ our

Saviour,

the

ing in His breviary. I

will

tell

incomparable

me.

He

thee,

prince

o

Prospero,

how

that

and pontiff appeared to

was habited in the white cassock,

and hosen, the porphyry-coloured shoes embroidered with gold crosses, the cape and

sash,

cap

with

of

porphyry-coloured

ermine,

the

golden

velvet,

reversed

paparchal

stole.

DON TARQUINIO The

of

pallium

woven,

universal

snow-like,

was

223 well-

jurisdiction,

on His

fixed,

breast

and shoulders, by diamond pins of the form of crosses potent elongate. A gold chain surrounded His neck

and

pendent cross decorously was hidden in the folds of His 1 The grand gold signet of the paparchy cape.

on the

glittered

first

;

finger,

its

and an enormous

amethyst on the third of His right hand. He was in the sixty-fifth year of His age,

of a robust habit of body majesty distinguished

;

and genial generous

the

splendour

of

His

Spanish features.

The

and pages in porphyrywho stood about the turret-

chamberlains

coloured

liveries,

performed their genuflections retired backward. doorway,

Ippolito

vermilion

him

;

his great-cloak

let fall

and led

to

me

trail

This seems

prelatic method.

and

of ermine and

voluminously behind

forward by the hand.

denly became conscious that 1

;

I

I

sud-

was very young

to be less ostentatious than the

modern

DON TARQUINIO

224

and very slim I

grandeur.

of

side

by

felt as

all

new

a

this

sumptuous

when

taper feeleth

stuck suddenly on high upon a pricket, rather but on its head light pleased with the that a mere flip of the finger can :

knowing

and consign it to But yet, rememthe darkness of oblivion. break

its

body

how

bering

twain

in

were mine aspect and myself a

We

my

gait,

vivid

comforted

I

little.

kneeled the

kissed

and

white

diaphanously

at

the

foot-stool.

paparchal hand

:

I,

Ippolito

the

cross

on

the shoe.

The

Archiereys

closed

His

prayer-book,

looking with inquiry from me to Ippolito, I and back again to me. perceived admiration in

me I

His glance which swept and enveloped

and

;

was

I

that

my

were benignant.

stars

glad.

Ippolito

my

knew

knees.

sented estate.

stood

He

me by

up

:

but

I

remained

took mine hand

name,

reciting

my

;

on

and prestyle and

DON TARQUINIO Our Lord

the Paparch did not

me

glance from

225

nor

:

remove

mine from Him.

I,

mine

Ippolito continued his discourse, stating

abominable

a

bandit,

he briefly

naming

condition,

well

as

abilities

the

as

his

my

disabilities

natural

which, as

was compelled to tolerate ; and narrated the deed which 1 had done, I

And

meriting favour.

length he

at

made an

end.

Our Lord

and took

;

shadow

my

I

saying nothing.

rise,

feet

the Paparch gave

ij

a sign to

alertly sprang to

my

paces backward, from the

into the full glare of the sun, stiffening

strong knees, standing well-poised and very

from mine

mine

So, having shaken

rigidly erect indeed.

hair

me

eyes,

I

looked

squarely

and

superbly in the face of His Sanctity.

He

intently

Then

moments. " Let

Us

me

regarded

He

said

during

ij

or

iij

:

hear thy voice, that

We

may know

thee." I

drew

breast,

in

raising

a

very long breath, inflating

my

head and shoulders

;

my and

DON TARQUINIO

226 to

began I

knew myself

be in the presence of the

to

Whose

Ruler of the world, could

saying that

speak, gravely, slowly,

mine

reinstate

Great Ban

contradicting, or could

same utterly by means of the

the

eradicate

of Poplicola di

house

no one

Hagiostayros,

plenitude of power

I

power,

said,

of making or of

marring.

Then

hesitated

I

conviction

rushed into

of

mine

my

mind.

helpless

What

rent of words.

sudden overwhelming

for

:

insignificance

poured out a torwas I, I said, in the I

sight of the Father of princes and kings, but

worm.

a negligible

And

impotent fury,

on the Paparch's me.

My

this

One's

will

at

my

total

dependence and pleasure, inflamed

with angry blood, at the thought that anyone should be my superior, at the knowledge that I knew myself to be

same. effort,

tinued

face

But I

tingled

inferior instantly,

and

had

with

a

confessed

very vehement

mastered mine emotions speaking,

deliberately,

the

;

even

and confrigidly,

DON TARQUINIO bowels

the

while

terrifically

I said body. " But I will not sue.

my

227

throbbed

within

:

on

my

no crimes

are

soul which are matter for pardon.

ask

not

will

There

for

live another hour,

Ban which

favour.

rather

But,

than

blameless under the Great

have not merited,

I

I

I

will

dive

headlong from these near battlements, that the candour of mine innocence may shatter the blood-stained stones of

Rome."

Thus having spoken, to

the

whence

with most

for

fierce determination, alert

on

and ready

Ippolito could lay his mighty

to leap before

hands

mine eyes

flashed

an instant, noting the place would spring. Then I looked back

side I

I

me,

standing

intense,

expecting

paparchal fulminations.

Our Lord

the

Paparch

me up and

eyed

down, comprehending each plane and contour of

the

incarnate

independence,

uncomely

in

defiance,

for

as

a

right

gently said

grace.

pallid,

not

which refused to ask

And anon He

:

152

very

DON TARQUINIO

228

" Dear lovely child, think not so unkindly

of thy Father."

At

those

words,

sublime,

throat was constricted and

benignant,

my

my

knees trembled

Mine

eyes glared upon very exceedingly. the Paparch and the cardinal in turn, without seeing

either

of those personages.

Then

I

empyrean where the for surely it was a god's voice gods live which I had heard and I noted a little sky-

looked upward

the

to

:

;

lark soaring above me, singing like an angel.

Nothing

else

was

visible

to

me

at

that

mo-

body was simply tottering by cause of the sudden violent evanescence of

My

ment.

my I

fury.

sank on

my

knees, very meekly kissing

the extended hand of

The

my

Father.

of the City began It was the hour clanging in the new manner. bells in all the turrets

of noon.

Our Lord of

Ferrara

the

Paparch

kneeled

and

the

Cardinal

where they were

;

and

DON TARQUINIO said

the

prayers,

Angelus

229

Domini and the

rest. I also

was kneeling, thankful enough

interval granted while ness, recollecting myself.

I

conquered

for the

my

weak-

XXIII

A

COMPANY of

paparchal

entered.

familiars

Some brought

a table sustaining the apparatus

for

Others

dining.

covered with a

another

brought

fair linen

the cook placed a covered dish

the

last,

the butler,

:

of raisins and a basket of bread

a dish

:

the

a glass flask of wine and another of

cellarer,

water.

On

cloth.

table

I

never have seen a service so extremely-

plain.

Being now fulness,

fulfilled

longed to do something dynamic.

I

Wherefore,

I

violently

robbing them of the the

towel

service,

with vigour and thank-

;

and,

while

on

our

hustled

three

pages,

basin and the ewer and

my

knees,

Lord

the

I

did

Paparch

boy's first

washed His hands.

He (in

smiled

at

mine ardour

His enormous wisdom) 230

:

that

but knowing I

was excited

DON TARQUINIO He

beyond measure,

231

addressed His words to

Ippolito, saying:

" Most

of

thy

and the orators

abstain from for

sufficeth

We

our

for

for

What

is

and what

//,

Let

iij.

cardinal

so far

Consequently,

hand,

they

one

enough stools

be

this

time,

a

it

is

become Our

for

then

and for

for

when

patrician,

should

enough is

dinner

at

Roman

and a

that

natural

guests.

table.

Our

cardinal -prince

but

We

carnal lusts in that a single dish

in

find

;

and the barons are unwilling

Us, by cause that

with

dine

to

1

of

prison or in rebellion

in

are either

Ferrara,

o Cardinal

colleagues,

is

is

/)*

enough for

set

white flame

enough the

of adoles-

cence."

So this Sanctity deigned to give order. The table, being an high one, was wheeled to our

Lord

the Paparch where

elevated chair. 1

The

epoch,

But our

stools

ambassadors of the

did

He

sat

on His

were heightened

Powers, who, at this most of their ambassadorial business in

flowery rhetoric.

DON TARQUINIO

232

by cushions.

was

ceremonial

Very strange

observed at this meal.

A kins,

the

presented a bundle of nap-

chamberlain

from which we each selected

first,

we scrupulously rubbed our

and knives and forks and

platters

moss-agate cups,

With

before using the same.

With

ij.

the second,

we

protected our garments from slops, or wiped

our mouths before drinking. strange to

me,

I

All

this

being

carefully imitated the example

of Ippolito, perceiving him to be acquainted But I wondered greatly with the practice.

what might

be

the significance of such ela-

And

borate functions.

me

anon

it

was given to

to understand.

For the cook, having uncovered the and presented beef and genuflected ;

to

Our Lord

deigned

to

putting the

Who Himself Paparch off a mouthful at random,

the

cut

:

same on

similarly selected

dish,

olives

;

a

fork

with

an

olive

and watched the said cook

This having been done, His Sanctity took His portion of the viands ;

eating both morsels.

DON TARQUINIO

233

and the dish was brought to us In

turn.

like

the bread-basket

the

manner, ;

others

butler

in

proffered

and ate crust and crumb of

the Paparch's choosing, before any bread was so

much

touched

as

by us

The same

iij.

ceremony having been kept with the raisins, the dish and the basket were established on the

table

under our

The

eyes.

cellarer

brought also the wine and water ; and, having drunk a cupful of both, which the Paparch deigned to pour for him, he the

placed

flasks

by

filled

of

side

for us,

the

dish

and of

raisins.

By

this

time,

I

had become conscious that

these practices merely were a substitute for the

customary venom-taster ; and, all incontinent, I said, by way of comment, that life would not be worth to take so

venom

my

many

while, if

I

were compelled

meticulous precautions against

every time

when

I

desired

to satiate

mine hunger.

Our Lord saying

:

the

Paparch retorted

on

me,

DON TARQUINIO

234

" The

life

of

Him who

is

God's Vicegerent

not worth any man's while."

is

And He soon

as the

the

strange to hear

Ippolito,

as

us alone, ques-

left

acutely concerning the events

and

night

to

speak

had

servitors

tioning him very

of

to

began

It

morning.

Him talking He by no

of Valencia: 1 for

was

very

of the Cardinal

means spoke of

that splendid purpled person, tawny, tiger-like, father speaketh of the son of his loins,

as a

He

nor did

of the said adolescent as

speak

a slave speaketh of his tyrant

speaketh those

of

who

his

very

persecutor,

vainly

have

or as a victim in

of

despite

alleged

that

Cesare dominated the indomitable Alexander

me

:

He

spoke of him rather as one would speak of a servant of hyperexcellent parts, whom one employeth for but

1

it

that

This piece of the holograph, although not exactly

germane it is

seemed to

to the thread of the story (except in so far as

the reflections of

Don

the paparchal dinner-table), history, especially to all

Tarquinio while a guest

at

extremely interesting as sorts of silly daws who would is

like to try to pretend to think otherwise.

DON TARQUINIO of another

sake

the

who

employment of such indeed

true

is

:

a

is

by such

served

And

servant.

this

now know

we

for

235

Madonna Giovannozza bore Cesareto

that

Giuliano 1

before she bore Juan Francisco 2 and Lucrezia

and GiofFredo to Rodrigo 3 and, that Alexander should have deigned to advance the ;

fortunes of Cesare, as well for that splendid

own

prince's

He

utility

as

the

for

bore for the mother of the same,

matter,

food

I

ij

I

me

being diverted from

most

being

hungry, and the attention

terrifically

other

only

I

decorum permitted,

as

is

was excogitating the But, did not omit to devour as much while

natural.

which

love

of the

during nearly

the time.

all

And 1

at

anon,

Cardinal

the

end,

Lord

our

Dellarovere

Julius the Second)

(who afterward was named Giuliano.

the

became

2

The young Duke

3

Cardinal Borja y Borja (who became Alexander named Rodrigo. And here we seem to

of Gandia

who was

murdered.

the Sixth) was

have gotten to the bottom of one of the mysteries

viz.,

(called) Borgia.

many

Borgia

the real parentage and status of Cesare

DON TARQUINIO

236

thus

Paparch

me

addressed

appellation as before

and

;

He

same

the

by

used the

Roman

tongue in a very archaic manner, saying " Dear lovely child, what wouldst thou have :

and what canst thou do?" before

But,

that

able

interrupted,

Ippolito

syllable,

was

I

to

utter

reciting

a

a cate-

gory of my numerous peculiar excellencies, which I will not include in this history, seeing that

they

known

are

to

every man.

But,

many words concerning my bravery, he ended with the assertion of Messer Pierettore after

that

I

could write

Greek and speak

it

like

Saint Gabriel Archangel.

This seemed to be intended as an advice

me

to

:

for

which

Paparch's grand eyes

cause, still

seeing

dwelled

that

on

me

the as

though expecting mine own response, I began to orate in the crisp and dulcet syllabification of Hellas, saying "

Wisdom,

:

as I suppose,

is

a different thing

from courage." 1 BTJTTOV aoi,a

evnv avbpias

(Platon).

DON TARQUINIO

237

But there our Lord the Paparch stopped me, saying again " Dear

:

lovely child, thou shalt

an old

man

worried

by

like

Who

Ourself,

recalcitrant

know

that

been

hath

and by other the Greek

kings

hath

forgotten naughty men, which He ever knew, save the wail of that scribe

who

wrote,

all

Would

that

We

could grow

1

young again." But the saying was bringing, love-inspiring I

a

pathetic

one,

and, at that

;

tear-

moment,

could not think of anything better to

than that

I

was

in

all

things obedient to

say

His

sovereign will.

He

was listening very intently

afforded

think

me

that

so

He

much

having

time for recollection,

me

expected

elaborate discourse.

for,

:

But

I,

to

make

I

an

being mindful of

His supremacy not less than of His generosity, preferred to show an equal generosity and confidence on mine

own

part

:

for

which cause,

\ap,/3avew (Eyripides).

DON TARQUINIO

238

He urged me then responded as aforesaid. to make a formal definite petition: but, being indeed very pleased with the form of words I

which all

I

had used,

continued to respond to

I

His urging, saying only "I am in all things

:

obedient

my

to

sovereign's will."

At

this

the paparchal pages returned, bring-

the rose water for our last hand-washing.

ing

This

ended,

psalm

been

having

duty

and the

performed

they removed

the

and

tables

retired.

stood

Ippolito

limbs and

up,

combing

his

hair:

sudden commandment skin

of parchment,

after

with

them

ink

the

all

the servitors were going away,

gigantic

our Lord

but

me

the Paparch was observing

As

his

stretching

He to

time.

shot a

bring a

and pens and

pounce.

This having been done, and we alone again,

my

stool

He

near

ordained that to

I

iij

being

should bring

Him, having thrown

the

cushions aside, and having placed the writing

DON TARQUINIO materials on

it

;

and

also that

I

239

should kneel

there, ready to write.

He

Thus,

Himself dictated

me

to

the

which thou, o Prospero, knowest to be the most precious document in thy father's petition,

archives.

But, although

same so often indelibly

that

its

history

videlicet

contents are impressed

on thy memory, nevertheless

not omit to transcribe this

thou hast seen the

may be

it

here, in

will

order that

and

perfect

I

complete,

:

The petition of Tarquinio

Giorgio

the

Roman

patrician

Drakontoletes

named

Poplicola

di

Hagiostayros is

Great Ban,

that he

may

be delivered from the

that he

may

be relieved from all disabilities

he

that

may

censures in his

',

be

absolved from

and excommunications,

own person,

and in the persons

of all of his house:

all

canonical

DON TARQUINIO

240 also

that he himself

use his

be

named among

the

Advo-

Sacred Consistory, where he

of the

cates

may

may

mind :

also

that he himself

may

be

named among Our knights

of Saint George for

the

Defence of Christen-

dom, where he

may use the foes of our Most Holy

Thus

He

but when

I

his

body

against

Faith.

spoke and thus conned it over,

I

as

had written I

:

threw the

golden pounce upon the wet ink, a kind of terror seized me ; and I began again to shake like

one

in

a palsy.

And

suddenly a new

diversion occurred.

Numerous

footsteps

the door of the turret, as

of

women and

love.

and voices approached wafting a delicate odour

XXIIII

MADONNA LUCREZIA of maids, terrace

who

entered with her galaxy

did obeisance

toward

the

and crossed the

;

There they

battlements.

admiring the view, moving a little among themselves like flowers in a breeze. But the tyrant came and sat on one of the stood,

cushions near the Paparch's footstool, between

me

and Ippolito, facing us both.

She

put

archieratic

a

knee

most ;

delicate

on

the

spoke,

say-

hand

and thus she

ing:
Dear and Most Holy Father,

Thou

I

hope that

hast been doing justice to this beautiful

and blameless gentleman." But, while she was speaking, yet more noises came from the door of the turret and Giof;

fredo

and

entered with their

several

his

wife

trains. 241

and

The

their

baby prince and 1

6

DON TARQUINIO

242

princess seated themselves on the other cushions

on the step of the throne: but drifted

their familiars

away to the other maids-of-honour who

were already by the battlements. I was kneeling still with the

portentous

parchment under mine hand. All my body was quaking terribly: for I was not quite able to believe in my good fortune, and rather

feared

that

I

was

being

played

with. Ippolito, having

my

side

front

in

drawn up of the

a

stool,

sat

Paparch and

by

His

children. I

cast

durst

move from my knees: but

not

a quick look

proper maid.

among

the

maids for

She instantly caught

it,

returning

comforted myself, knowing that most certainly were benignant.

my

I

Madonna Lucrezia and

my

Wherefore

a smile, very lovely, soul-inspiring.

But

I

her

stars

brother

began to make intercession on mine account ; and Ippolito joined himself to them from time to

time.

The

iij

voices

blended

very har-

DON TARQUINIO moniously, girl,

the

videlicet,

243

of

treble

clear

the

the counter-tenor of the boy as insistent

and mellow

of the young

a bell, the bass

as

cardinal, sonorous, profound. I

at first

very gratefully to

listened

melodious intonation

their

but anon, the things

:

which they said of me afflicted me with nausea. I have done many great and noble deeds, with as well as

my body I

am

with mine intellect

;

and

not ashamed of esteeming the same accord-

them

ing to their merits, or of hearing

But enough

in convenient terms. as a feast

;

and

at

this

moment

I

is

praised

as

good

had heard

enough and more than enough. Wherefore, with mine eyes I strove most earnestly, imploring Ippolito and Gioffredo to be favourable

to

their

All

tongues.

They continued

to speak

;

and

no purpose. perforce was

to I

compelled to kneel where I was, listening, blushing with augmenting fury. At length our Lord the Paparch signed for silence

"

;

We

and

He

said

:

have heard you, o lord cardinal and 1

6

2

DON TARQUINIO

244

o dearest daughter and o dearest son

thank you for your good

and

;

But

offices.

We

inter-

cessors are not necessary in this present matter: for

Our

dear lovely child here present hath an

exceedingly definite notion of what

Us

to

him

;

and he hath

most eloquently

due from

is

down

set

the

same

in writing."

And, having thus spoken, He took the and handed it to the parchment from me ;

others.

Ippolito

had

already

heard what

by commandment Lucrezia and Gioffredo put

written

I

had

but

Madonna

their

heads to-

:

gether, eagerly perusing the writing.

But the

fine features

of Alexander remained

as imperscrutable as those of the sphynx.

His daughter looked at Him, trying to read the intention of His mind: but, having failed, she said

:

"The

and

beautiful

blameless

hath merited these rewards at is

another reward

any case

known

shall have.

But

to

least

;

gentleman and there

me which

first

he in

deign a stroke

DON TARQUINIO of the

o

here,

pen

dear

245

and Most

Holy

Father."

Thus

she spoke

:

but we

all

suddenly began from the distance

to hear very joyful shouts far

below,

augmenting.

Crowds

cardinalitial,

paparchal,

The

Presence,

But, while

all

and

nearer

surging

of

nearer,

baronial,

familiars,

came

ever

tumbling into

phrenetically roaring.

we stood and kneeled

staring in

amazement, the splendid Cardinal of Valencia also strode on to the terrace, panting, sweating,

He triumph. wore an astonishing Neapolitan habit of green velvet, pinked and escalloped and purfled with mud-stained,

but

elate

with

the same which

I

myself in seen another had on another person already His on hosen were striped that city very day. orange-coloured

satin,

and orange-colour.

in green

of orange-coloured leather. green hat, long-peaked in

by

a

tall

orange-coloured

His boots were

His high conical front, was adorned feather

:

but

his

bulged behind in a net of green never have seen a cardinal in such an

tawny

hair

cord.

I

DON TARQUINIO

246

incommodious guise before or since. And he dragged with him by the hand that noble Pietrogorio, of

whom

who wore

vermilion

the

had worn when he

already have written,

I

left

which Cesare

habit

us during the night,

which habit now was very gravely disordered.

Had

not been for their different voices,

it

would have been

say which was the

difficult to

and which the noble

cardinal

it

:

but, as

it

was,

they only resembled twins in trouble, horribly dirty, tattered, dilapidated.

Gioffredo saying

that

made himself heard it

in a sentence,

would occupy the

servitors

of

gentlemen during iiij hours to correct the condition of their persons. these

They

fell

of Valencia

on their kness

;

and the Cardinal

began to bellow a narration of

his adventures.

But our Lord the Paparch with a gesture And anon He beckoned produced silence.

me

to hold

the pen. in

order

my

up

This

I

stool

and to give

did, holding

to avoid the

pricking

my

face

Him low

:

of the mul-

DON TARQUINIO titudinous

which were impinging upon

eyes

of

bare part

every

my

flesh.

and

taken the parchment,

on the

247

And, having

having placed

it

He

began to write in this way, saying each word aloud as He wrote it ; and stool,

He

thus

said

:

"It pleaseth impulse

We

And

my

command

Pontiff.''

Supreme

by Our Own Alexander the Sixth,

and

Us,

:

so

1

he gave the

signed

parchment into

tingling hands.

Having bent down to kiss the cross on His shoe, purely grateful, and having made obeisance

Madonna

to

and

Lucrezia

to

and

having embraced Ippolito, oblivious of manners I launched myself toward

Gioffredo,

maid by the battlements. The moment was opportune.

my

approaching The Presence

was

newest news

:

Placet

ander

;

mine

Could

important. 1

for

et ita,

VI P.M.

I

motu

Everybody to

hear the

were no longer have done aught else, affairs

Proprio,

Mandamus.

Alex-

DON TARQUINIO

248

o Prospero

We

?

the crowd.

and

my my

both

were alone,

offered to her the parchment,

I

body and soul with knees

as

one

some Divine One. most gentle to me.

a

I

who

kneeleth before

But she

movement,

kneeling on

it,

me

raised

conscious

:

of

but,

my

when

with

herself

giving

cannot remember what happened

suing minutes

back of

at the

all

in the in-

once more became

I

Cardinal

the

circumstances,

of Valencia, unchecked, was bellowing like the I will set down the few words Borgia bull.

which

much

I

heard him

observance

saying: not

to

for

him,

that

1

who,

paid

having

the desire of his heart in his heart and pressed

would

against

his

roaring

of other matters?

that

and

heart,

cardinal's

his eyes

delicate,

vociferations

by cause of

Yet,

(and

gleamed the while

another

to

listen

his

teeth

like a tiger's,

very triumphant in vigour),

I

could

not avoid seeing his gestures and hearing the noise which he was making.

"

Having

secluded

me

He as

said

:

aforesaid,

this

DON TARQUINIO Nobility changeth clothes with

with betaketh

himself

me

249

and

;

my room

in

forthto

the

But I neighbourhood of the Keltic monkey. made haste to ride back to Cinthyanum, where during iij hours I waited in the house of which some of ye pretend to know. Anon, this

Nobility cometh, laughing as though his

cheeks

were

on

King,

For the

another's. to

preparing

ride

Christian

from

Velletri,

quickly perceived that his hostage no longer

was the Cardinal of Valencia; and,

fume

falling in

myself should harass his rear, resolved to make a sudden dash for Naples,

a

lest

I

But he left camp. behind him the Cardinal of Amboise and the where he might de

Sieur

should fire

his

fortify his

Commines,

strangle

very

They

ordaining

worthy

that

Nobility

they

and

did

neither, admiring and as much as I do fidelity courage Pietrogorio, thou art Our locumtenens and city.

his

signifer

from to-day

near a

fresh

and looked

horse,

for

him

:

but,

having put him

they turned

their

backs

elsewhere, quietly evacu-

DON TARQUINIO

250

and

Velletri

ating

Wherefore

this

following

Nobility,

master.

their

his

that

seeing

was permitted, came to Cinthyanum, and thence with me hither with all speed."

escape

Thus he

But Madonna Lucrezia,

spoke.

not being overmuch entertained by his narra-

was letting her sweet eyes rove round

tion,

a

mischievous the

for, at lip.

And here she pointed at me and my maid

the company.

among

finger

:

moment, we by chance were

The crowd

divided,

lip to

us

exhibiting

in

that situation.

We terrific

became conscious of

instantly silence,

of

us.

stabbing

dicament, giggles

and

Having we drew a from

arising

glittering

of

innumerable

the

by innumerable and dismayed us.

apart.

crowd,

innumerable

teeth

further

smiles,

We

glances

our

recognised little

a very

preSlight

and

the

manifested disconcerted

ran forward hand in

hand, kneeling before our Lord the Paparch. I was hot with blushes but I contrived to :

stammer

a few words, saying

:

DON TARQUINIO " Immense

indecorum

in

we

Sanctity,

our

is

happiness

251

the Apostolic

excuse

Presence:

for

for,

o

love one another."

Alexander, magnificent, invincible, benignly smiled upon us; and saying

He

deigned a response,

:

" Love one another, o dear lovely children and We will consecrate your love." And He held out His hand for a ring. Seeing

how

I

was

in

;

the Paparch's favour,

everybody instantly proffered all their rings. might have been married with Ippolito's

We

cardinalitial

offered

ij

upon me

sapphire.

Madonna

Prince

handfuls.

Lucrezia

Gioffredo thrust

might have of rings. But I

his great table ruby.

I

had a peck-measure full myself was drawing off mine own jasper with the Scorpion and Ares, 1 being desirous of communicating the benignance of my stars with my maid, when the Cardinal of Valencia produced the 1

enormous This appears

gilt -bronze to

jasper intagliate with

have TT\_

been

and <.

ring, his

the

cre-

nativity-ring, a

DON TARQUINIO

252 dentials

which had procured for him the swift

And we

runner.

of

the

realized

all

suitability

that.

having brought the the holy water from

GiofFredo,

of

stoup

door

of

little

silver

inside

of

placed

himself as

acolyth at the right hand of his

Most Holy

the

the

turret,

Father.

The sky above our

heads had the beautiful

blue of spring-time, clear as the light in

my

We

were kneeling together in freshness, high over the City and the

maid's eyes. the

world.

Out of profound

the

silence,

strong voice

of the Archiereys came to me, demanding whether I willed to have Hersilia as my

wedded saying

"

I

To

Whom

I

responded,

:

so will have her."

He to

wife.

demanded of her whether she

me

have

Whom she "An

it

as

her

wedded

responded, saying

husband.

:

so please Thee, o Sanctity."

willed

To

DON TARQUINIO Everybody was smiling the

Paparch

joined

253

again.

our

Our Lord

hands.

Having

enormous ring and blessed it, He deigned it to me. I put it on the first, the second, and left it on the third left finger sprinkled the

of

my

maid,

accustomed words

saying the

which bound her indissolubly

Our Lord

the Paparch rose.

pany kneeled round

He

us.

me. All the com-

Lifting

His hand,

imparted Apostolic Benediction.

So the

to

He

withdrew to His afternoon nap, like

life-giving

sun,

who

golden, to his rest in the sea.

sinketh,

glorious,

XXV INSTANTLY, the

light of

The

Presence having

been extinguished, we were (so to speak)

all

in

the dark.

Great

confabulations

exuded important

but

insued. perfectly

Everybody preposterous

propositions.

The

of Valencia was for raising

Cardinal

armies wherewith to pursue the Keltic scamps

and put himself to speak Cardinal

of Este,

inquiring

seriously

to

;

the

how many mer-

But bought from Ferrara. Ippolito would not have anything to say to him and he went off, muttering, with his cenaries could be

;

new

lieutenant and standard-bearer.

But

all

the others came to converse with me.

From what was

said, certain

which gave food

for thought.

The

question of

my

matters appeared,

next act was discussed.

254

DON TARQUINIO It

255

seemed not to be decorous that with

live

my

Cardinal

of

wife

the

in

Ferrara.

It

should

I

of

palace

was

clearly

the

my

bounden

duty to send news, of the removal of the Great Ban, to my cousin and our baron

Marcantonio.

strenuously

to

once to

at

go

Deira by the southern the transit of City, where

Furthermore, only for

my

desired

my

there

sea,

very castle of

to arrange

and

my familiars to the intending to pass my life.

my goods was

I

also

I

was famishing with hunger, not maid but also for a meal, solid, I

interminable,

seeing that

since supper-time

:

for

had been

I

what

I

had eaten

fasting at the

Paparch's table was no more than a snack.

Wherefore, the Cardinal of Valencia having disappeared, while the tyrant and the princess and were chattering to my blushing wife (whose dear little hand I did not relinquish for a moment), I turned the other way and, at

their girls

;

length, contrived to

overcome the loud voices

of Ippolito and Gioffredo, proclaiming to them

my

necessities.

DON TARQUINIO

256 But,

though they demurred from nevertheless

parture,

spoke reasonably

confessed

they

and,

;

my that

after

finally,

deI

many

words, Gioffredo offered an immediate banquet with lodgings at Traspontina till the evening,

and Ippolito offered an escort of xl athletes and xl men-at-arms for our journey to Deira. And anon we went to Traspontina. There

we also

slept.

what we to

did, in those

iiij

For

was

specify.

delirium,

than

my

There we played. What we ate and

feasted.

of

no

having

sufficed wife,

I

for

hours, in

a

There we drank,

am

I

or

unable

species

of

more mind and body

these

ij

things,

videlicet

and mine insuing progress to the

comparison with which all other worldly matters seemed very rightly to be of no price. But at one hour before avemmaria, my cradle

my

race,

in

having been brought from the Estense Palace and my wife's from the Apostolic

valises

Palace of Vatican, viij decurions of Ippolito's

came with

my

proper

/'//,

being

a

company

DON TARQUINIO of cxxj persons in

we rode out from

so

length

to

and

;

the City, on the

road which

stage toward the eastern at

us

attend

to

all

257

the

in

Deira,

cool

first

leadeth

of

the

evening.

Thus, thy loving the

full

hours of his

fortunate

anything which

and which

he

saith,

his

that

history

Prospero,

of

history

my

hath

father

the day,

not

senses

this

the

is

to

be

concealing perceived

manner written,

o

son.

AND

SONS, LTD., PRINTERS,

;

in

FELICITER

BILLING

down

four-and-twenty

own

ought

set

OUILDFORD

BT THE SAME AUTHOR

HADRIAN THE SEVENTH A ROMANCE (LONDON

A

" "

:

CHATTO&WINDUS, in

striking book;'

Undeniably

" The plot and audacious "

ST. MARTIN'S LANE,

W.C.)

The King.

brilliant.

.

An

.

.

able satire."

The Queen.

a daring one, instinct with scholarly forethought Court Journal. originality." is

Brilliantly written, and quite justifies itself as a study of temperaments. The author has a great many incisive things to say both of the strategy and tactics of Roman ecclesiastics j and, by putting his criticisms in the mouth of a Pope, says them effectively. The romance, with There is no obscurity in his ideas. It is rare to its somewhat cynical enthusiasm, is really impressive. find such finished and vigorous work from an unknown hand." Saturday Review. "In spite of all the author's efforts, we like this book. Power of impressionist drawing lights up the romance. His genuine fund of ideas makes both the politics and the religion interesting. But the making of the book is in the characters. They are Not merely is the Pope allowed to display Himall vivid and real. self, but every one of His friends and the cardinals is rendered interThe author has a real sense of scenic effect esting and life-like. for the close of the book is dramatic without being theatrical. ' Hadrian the Seventh is a book to irritate, if not to anger, but at Athenceum. the same time to suggest and to delight." .

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

:

'

"A

strange story Literary World.

.

.

not without considerable

.

merit."

"The

Publishers'' Circular. study is clear, even powerful." " Written with a Westminster Cathedral comes in purpose. The book also deals a trenchant for a tremendous criticism. blow at Socialism. Exquisite word-painting lightens the tragic end of the story." Book and News Trades' Gazette. .

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

" Mr. Rolfe writes excellent English. the embodiment of some interesting ideas." .

"

Veritably a

new

and truly novel of Reviews.

really

novel that

is

.

unlike

in style, in matter,

.

Worth

reading

...

as

Bookman. all

and

other novels, and is in design." Re-~vie-w

HADRIAN THE SEVENTH

continued.

Critiques

" ' Hadrian the Seventh has a threefold interest as a characterstudy, as a political forecast, and as a revelation of the true inwardness of the Roman Catholic Church. . Definite in aim and Hadrian's relations with the German fascinating in interest. '

.

.

.

.

.

Emperor and King Victor Emmanuel

are convincingly given j and of the world as authoritatively drawn by Him, ' the Supreme Outlook. Arbitrator,' is worthy of the study of statesmen."

the

map

"

This remarkable novel. . Entirely new and fascinating. Full of captivating interest, wit, and learning." Vanity Fair. .

"

.

.

.

.

A

highly controversial, lively, and racy story, quite individual in To the novel-reader who yearns for a colouring and unique in plot. stimulating companion, we can strongly recommend Pope Hadrian. He is amazingly lively all the time." Illustrated London News.

" There

marked

is

"

No

ability in the book.

The

character of Rose

is

Ladies* Field.

finely conceived.''

Protestant could write anything more damaging."

Christian

World.

"

A

strange and, in some ways, a striking book ; fantastic, and It is the work rather of an incisive, only a romance. keenly observant pamphleteer than of a novelist, save for the fertile and minute realism or the style." Times. in that sense

"

Something

at once out of

and altogether beyond the ordinary."

Daily Telegraph.

" It sparkles with wit and gleams with satire, and displays a really remarkable knowledge we are almost induced to say an inside knowledge of Roman Catholic proceedings at the headquarters of the faith."

" There

Daily Graphic.

not a page of this book without some delightful whim." Daily Chronicle. " If ' anyone should object to the theatricality of Hadrian the Seventh,' one would remind him that that is just what the modern is

Englishman will like." Daily News. " The book is clever ... Fr. Rolfe can

write, but hath a devil."

Daily Mail.

"

Quaint, audacious, fantastic."

Scotsman.

A capital story." Sheffield Daily "A remarkably clever book. "

.

good.

...

It is

worth reading."

.

.

a splendid study Liverpool Post.

Telegraph.

The

story itself

finely portrayed.

is .

more than Well .

.

HADRIAN THE SEVENTH M

continued.

Critiques

Preposterous . sublimely perverse ingenuous to a It is possible to forget these faults because of the degree. intensity with which he urges a point of view and the determination with which he advocates unfamiliar ideals. . . The energy and .

.

.

.

.

...

.

candour of

criticism will appeal not unsuccessfully to intelligent minds j and, as it appears to be the work of a devout Roman Catholic, there may be a certain significance blended with its its

Pall Mall Gazette.

singularity."

"Remarkable.

.

All

.

.

through there

is

very marked

There is stuff in the book, originality and a sense of style. . . . and a fresh point of view." St. Jameses Gazette. "

An

extremely clever book. Not a great book, not a beautiful but as clever as filigree. It is the story of an Englishman with a vocation for the Catholic Church, unfairly prevented from entering it till middle age. By a strange but in no way impossible series of events, he is almost immediately made Pope. This one

book

:

is traced through the difficulties raised by private and public schemers, through the tumult of international Hated by many, He is respected by all. Among a host of politics. He can friends, He is as solitary as a pike among a shoal of perch. crush them : but cannot share with them. The study is profoundly

clever sensitive character

Nor is the style commonplace. The man who wrote interesting. this book must be a talker worth knowing, in these days when and conversationalists many. Also, he can write. books we know have ends as impressive as this last sentence, which closes the chronicle of Pope Hadrian the Seventh wounded to death by the assassin's bullet ' Pray for the repose of His soul. He talkers are few

Few

:

was

so tired}

" This

is

"

Weetis Survey.

a book for which

measure of success.

It

I

think

possesses

it

safe to predict a fairly large

two of the most powerful of

all

merely fortuitous recommendations to the public favour it is a Dazzlingly clever religious novel, and it is a 'roman a clef.' . in spots, and almost consistently admirable throughout. ... Hadrian becomes the great political force born literary artist of His day, labouring at the reconstruction of a disordered world shoulder to shoulder with Victor Emmanuel, Kaiser Wilhelm, and Mr. Joseph Chamberlain, Prime Minister of England. The Kaiser, posed amid the supposititious circumstances created by the fancy of so placed, it is verily so and no the writer, is admirably handled otherwise that he would speak and act. Fr. Rolfe is obviously a :

.

.

A

.

.

.

:

A

great deep and acute student or contemporary politics. ... situation, greatly treated, and places Fr. Rolfe among the best Book of the Week, artists in fiction now working in Europe." by HENRY MURRAY Sunday Sun.

CHRONICLES OF THE HOUSE OF BORGIA A

" strange book, full of novel and unexpected attractions . . . a vigorous bit of word-painting in Carlyle's manner . . . like an icy shower-bath after the tepid ablutions of average historical research."

"

As

Daily Telegraph.

and

entertaining, painstaking, and illuminating, as research make it." Illustrated London Nenvs.

enthusiasm can

" The historic imagination, the big vision, the humour, the irony, the wit, the perverseness, the daring, and the tremendously felicitous It is like a magnificent series of tapestry and effective manner of it of In any land save England such a the fifteenth century. pictures !

book would make

its

author at once famous and rich.

It is

Great."

Mr. HENRY HARLAND.

ME

STORIES TOTO TOLD "

The most

hair-brained

of

amazing, fantastical, whimsical, bizarre, books.

... A

literary

artist

who

and

erratic,

plays with

words as a savage plays with coloured beads. He strings them, pours them out in cataracts and cascades, tosses them in the air, swallows them, regurgitates them.

.

.

.

Frantic nonsense

.

.

.

exquisitely

maddest frolic . fantasy . . . wildest whim . flashes of tender poetry . . . rollicking hilarious wistfulness. Very like literature." Mr. JAMES DOUGLAS in The Star.

delicate

.

Etc.

.

.

.

.

.

.