The Sun.
London, England, 1847-01-11 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

CIESAR BORGIA; an Historical Romance. By the
Author of " Whitefriars." 3 Vols.
The author of " Whitefriars " and " Whitehall,"
after having, in those productions, endeavoured to
pourtray the glittering and dissolute Court of the
second Charles, and the stirring events incident on
the downfall of his predecessor, has now, grown
confident by past success, adventured on a more
arduous, because more comprehensive, theme,
and turned to an epoch as eventful, though
less interesting. A recent historical novel, the
" Roman Traitor," described to us Rome in the old
days of the republic ; in 'Wieser Borgia," we are again
introduced to the eternal city, but under very dif-
ferent auspices. Here we behold the Rome of the
middle ages her pontifical magnificence almost
equalling her ancient glories—no longer by force of
arms the boasted mistress of the world, but avowedly
the supreme ruler of all Christendom. In attempting
to depict the state of Italy at such a period as during
the pontificate of Alexander TI., and in endeavouring
to narrate the fortunes of such a hero as Caesar
Borgia, the author of these volumes has chosen a
theme fraught with abundant materials for the
romancist, but also, from that very cause, most com-
plicated and most difficult. He tells us of a sove-
reign, who in virtue of his religious office was
regarded with awe and reverence even by his
enemies, but who was at the same time from his
great abilities, inordinate ambition, and many crimes,
an object of fear and hate even to his (so•called)
friends. He reveals to us a court uniting all the
gorgeous magnificence which wealth could furnish
and the varied allurements which luxury could de-
vise, with the polished refinements of art, and the fas-
cinations of beauty, and wit, and genius. In the
bright circle which surrounded Lucretia Borgia in-
numerable varieties of character were combined—
the poetic compliments of Bembo mingling
with the pregnant brevities of Machiavelli.
Of this last personage, however, we have
not enough in these volumes; he is intro-
duced it is true, but is only interesting from the
prestige of his name—not from any words or actions
there chronicled. He appears only in a secondary
character, as the confidant of the plans of Caesar
Borgia—the apt pupil of his dangerous doctrines—the
true expounder of the Machiavellian policy. The
character of User, as depicted in the work which
bears his name, presents a compound of extraordinary
vices and extraordinary abilities—one of those which
history happily but rarely presents to us, in which an
almost superhuman intellect is combined with an
almost superhuman depravity—the deficiency of
heart rendered more conspicuous by the superabun-
dance of brain. Yet the adventures of such a man
are full of interest. We turn with disgust from the
records of those slaves of passion, who plunge into
all excesses and all crimes in following its dictates,
but with very different feelings, with an
anxious and curious eagerness, we follow de-
tails of plots and counterplots, daring expedients
and marvellous combinations, crafty intrigues and
subtle treacheries—such as make up the history of
Caesar Borgia. We are interested, we are perforce
interested,' not from the merits of the cause but the
ability with which it is sustained; we look on with
the 'rapt attention of some spectator of a game of
skill, who, ignorant of the value of the stake, and in-
different as to who obtains it, yet watches the game
with absorbing interest on account of the talent
therein displayed. The novel of " Calm. Borgia" is
peculiarly valuable at the present time, evidencing
as it does the great power vested in the head of the
Catholic Church, and furnishing as it does an ex-
ample, in the history of Alexander VI., of the crimes
which may desecrate the sacred office, and the

tyranny and ambition which may render its power
most pernicious ; it enables us most satisfactorily to
compare the past with the present, and the better
to estimate the acts of the present Reformer of
Rome. It is salutary now-a-days, in this improving
age, to look back on the annals of ancient tyranny ;
it is pleasing to be recalled from the iniquitous
doings of the Borgias to hear of the good deeds of
Pius. It is well to read the history of Alexan-
der VI. at the present time, when his successor
in the chair of St. Peter, by acting in a manner
diametrically opposed to his, is doing far more
to increase the true glory of the Pontificate,
and extend the real power of the Church,
than did ever the all ambitious Borgias
by force of arms or intellect, however potent the one
or marvellous the other. In an historical point of
view " Caesar Borgia" is more valuable than as a novel.
The characters are well discriminated and well drawn,
the language is animated, the descriptions full of in-
terest, yet, as a novel, it is certainly not without
faults. In the first place, it is too long, and is
rendered so by a constant succession of impro-
bable adventures—the historical events which it
chronicles are certainly marvellous enough to render
the addition of fictitious wonders unnecessary. Lu-
cretia Borgia, the sister of Ca2sar, is represented as
a paragon of beauty and talents. The story of her
wooing and wedding is sufficiently interesting. The
adventures of her lover, Alfonso of Ferrara, perhaps
equal those of any knight-errant upon record. Hav-
ing heard many calumnious reports respecting his
future bride, he comes to Rome in disguise, in order
to discover their truth or falsehood, and after much
difficulty his doubts are at length dispersed, much of
his information being acquired by the unknightly
system of eaves-dropping. We are candid in stating
our objections to " Cmsar Borgia," and for two
reasons: in the first place, admitting the evident
abilities of its author, we are anxious he should in
future abstain from errors which greatly diminish
their effect; and in the second place, we have no fear
of wounding the feelings of a young author, for the
writer of these volumes has apparently no small con-
fidence in his own talents—we say apparently,
for doubtless the whole " preface dedicatory" was
only intended pour rire. Nevertheless, it in-
clines us to believe that the author of "Whitefriars,"
in consequence of the general approbation bestowed
on that, his first production, deems himself secure of
public favour and future fame. If this be the case
we beg respectfully to assure him that his future fate
must depend on his future exertions—if he has
done well he must do better. On this present
work he has evidently bestowed much labour
and much research, it was a great and
arduous undertaking, and he has performed
it with much care, but we would advise him for the
future to bestow more care and more attention on
details, not taking such delight in the marvellous and
improbable. There is one description in one of these
volumes of a sort of firework or illumination, which
is perfectly bewildering, and almost baffles compre-
hension. Again, we would pray him, in illustrating a
subject, to seek not only for forcible but for elegant, or
at least appropriate, comparisons ; for instance, speak-
ing of the great alarm felt by a monk lest some Lcident
had befallen his superior, to whom he was much at-
tached, the author of " Caesar Borgia,"
pathetically
observes, "he trembled all over like a
man in an
ague fit, or rather like a jelly on a shaking sideboard."
Lest our author deem us too severe, let us inform
him, en revanche, for our severity, that having, in
his " preface dedicatory," apportioned the different
parts of his book to various classes, inscribing to the
critics " all they find good," we, in virtue of this
arrangement, notwithstanding our exceptions, con-
sider the greater portion dedicated to ourselves.

TALES EXPLANATORY OF THE SACRA-
MENTS. By the Authoress of " Geraldine, a Tale
of Conscience. In 2 Vols.
This being a strictly Roman Catholic work, we
shall briefly speak of its purport for the benefit of our
Roman Catholic readers, without investigating the
theological subjects of which it treats. It is, in our
opinion, incumbent on a newspaper, while enforcing
the practical duties of religion, to abstain from
all doctrinal discussions —it were well, in •
deed, were such a course pursued not only
in newspapers, but universally. The volumes inquestion contain seven tales, explanatory of the seven
sacraments of the Catholic Church. The design of
these tales, the authoress tells us, is to enable the sacra-
ments " to be approached by the young Catholic with
awe, with gratitude, and with a full comprehension
of the specific nature and value of each
sacrament." In order to effect this, she
has wisely attempted to teach by example,
rather than by precept, and these tales,
which exhibit the various emotions and religious in -
fluences experienced by others, are calculated to pro-
duce far more effect on the youthful readers, than the
most forcible sermon, or homily addressed to them-
selves. Abstaining from all enquiry into the hidden
mysteries of religion—at all times a bad study for
youth—she endeavours only to describe the prepa-
ration necessary for and the practical benefits to be
derived from a participation in its sacred rites.
The tales are of various kinds, calculated to attract
the young readers for whom they were designed ;
but they are manifestly objects of but secondary con-
sideration, the whole interest of the book being very
adroitly concentrated upon the Sacraments them-
selves. Their object is very forcibly demon-
strated, the outline of the ceremonies given, in-
cluding also many of the prayers. We have said the
account of these ceremonies is interesting, and so
indeed it is, even to Protestants. These volumes
may elicit their interest and admiration, with out in
interest
and least endangering their belief, for their
and admiration will be excited, not for the tenets of
the church of Rome, but for the glorious doctrines of
our common Christianity. The perusal of these
volumes only strengthens our desire that the day may
not be far distant when the unhappy disputes of Ca-
tholics and Protestants may give way to the universal
concord of Christi?..as. The last tale in these volumes,
entitled
" - T :eSpousal Cross," is calculated to be of
pract'- "regardedex em .
in a religious point .
i
...Al utility.. Theof
f dutiesview
plified. We transcribe,for areof NaTrwyiffOrcasibly
' the benefit of those
whom it may concern, some excellent advice given
by gm old lady to her niece, who interrupts