The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-09-24
THE OCTOBER MA GAZLNES.

article on VlttOria Coiouna, the Irlenu anu BVV"
genius OF Michael Angelo, from which we .ex
tract the iollowings1 q
II was Immediately after the publication OF
the first edition Other poems, and when sue was
at the zenith of her fame, that sue tooK up het
residence in Rome, ana achieved the greatest
triumph OF her life, the "capttvatton OF the aus
tere and stole soul of hcnsel Angelo in fer
vent and cheste love, such as never before mad
power over this most wonderful man." under
what circumstances she first met mlcnael Angelo
is not precisely known. When she arrived in
Rome he was hard at work on MS painting Oh
the Last Judgment" 10 the Slstine Chapeii
and his nature was so retiring, and Vittoria's
interest in and enthusiasm for art so great that
it is probable that she sought him out. She
was then forty-eigbt time at which women
rarely expect to win, or succeed In winning,
such admiration as she received from him; and
Michael Angelo was sixty years old, and had
probably long relinqushed the hope of meeting
q soul to whom he could fully open his own.
They became friends instantly, however, and
Vitto1ia's Doblest gift the power she pos
sessed of drawing out and developing what
those with whom she came In con-
tact was never more fully exemphied than in
this instance; and many OF the sonnets which
Michael Angelo addressed to her bear witness
no less to the strength and purity of his love for
her than to the vast influence she had over him,
and its soothing, ennobling, welcome power
over his wearied soul. On her side she under
stood his character instinctively and re everenced
1t even as she did his genius; and OF that genius
she said that, 'transcendent as it was, those
valued that in him which could oaly be called
perfect on q lower SCALE" This was high praise,
If we remember that Vittoria was real lover OF
art, capable of feeling to the utmost the more
than Joy which 1t besloWS on those who truly
love 1t; deeply penetrated with a sense OF its
almost divine mission to humanity, und fully
recognizing the immense value OF the services
which this man, 'plu che mortal d1gtot diUGn"
had rendered TO it. She was the only human
being who ever possessed real personal power
over him; and she used it entirely to soothe and
Altpra h ~, 10
her own vanity. An example of the delicate
tact with which she drew upon his vast mental
resources, Is given in f. d'Ollandas account OF
a Sunday afternoon he spent IN their company
at the Convent of San Slvestro, a translation of
which is given in Grimm's life of Michael
Angelo.
Michael Angelo bound up forty of the sonnets
which he received from her in volume which
he always Kept near him, and one of the most
famous sonnets which he addressed to her was
written to ackno wledge q volume of her poems
which she presented TO him when she LETT Rome
for Viterbo.
Not oil unworthy OF tn boundless grace
Which thou. most noble LADY, hast bestowed,
fam at first would pay the debt owed,
aud An! some small ma gif Tor by acc. ptancs place.
That opes the way 10 reach an aim so high,
Ny rash pretenIsions tSeIr 4 success deny.
That work, faded aud fralL OF niue
Could emulate the perfect grace of Ihiue
Genius and art aud daring backward shrink
Can ne Ter repay what heaven has given thee!
The sublime strain of aspiration which runs
through most Of these sounets was very much
the result of Vlttona's example and influence.
Her deeper religious experiences conceded in
great degree with those of Michael Angelo; and
the natural genteness and dependence of her
woman's nature had taught her higher faith
and deeper consolation than he had attained
when they met, Her later poems, which are all,
or nearly all, on sacred subjects, have much
higher degree of finish than her others. She
labored TO make them perfect from the idea
mat nothing ought to oe as noble and beautiful
as religious poems; and thus it happened that,
In nearly every sonnet which Michael Angelo
addressed to ner, the expression Of his love is
blended with an aspiration towards that Divine
Love in whom alone human love may be i'm
mortal.
Love cannot have tn that, ia loving thee.
Glory to tnat eternal peace peace Is paid
M nS aoRs syhy nnd K nss psre ri gentle hearts,
His hope is tres cherous whose love dies
Rqt in shssts hearts 5y I6s power
That breathes on earth the air Of paradise.
Long years after Vittoria's dea th that death
less flower was blooming stlll in Michael An
gelo's heart. The frenzy of despair into whicn
he was thrown by her loss was well known,
and shortly before he died he told Condiya that
he repented nothing in his whole life so much
as having only kissed her hand, and not her lips
and cheeks, when he went to her at her last
hour.
The latter years OF her life were spent amid
fast-thickenng shadows. The storm of perse-
cution which was beginning to rage against
tuOSe VINO nelu nOeIdl OplulOuS, luc luCIcdsluS
severity of the lnquisition, the ignominous
fight Of 0cchino and Peter Martyr, the death of
Contarini of whom she said that ''he ought to
have been Pope to have made the age happy"
and lastly, the tragic tate OF the Marquis
del Vasto, ''the light of italian soldiers,n and
who had always been to her son, crushed the
strong spirit which had borne so much with
patience She survived Vasto several years,
but they were years of suffering aud in6rmty,
and all the letters written by her friends on the
subject Of her health express the regret that no
physician could be found for her mind. She
resided up to within few months of her death
at the convent OF s. Caterina where she CON-
posed her last rinae, and where she is supposed
to have somewhat hastened her end by the
austeriues which she practised. Early in the
year l547 she returned to Rome, aud took up
her residence at the convent OF Z. Anna. She
was then very Ill, and few weeks later as 1t
became evident that she was near her end, she
was removed to the Palazzo Cesarinl, "chiamato
Argentina" which was the residence Of Giuliano
Cesarini and his wife Giulia ColOnna. Here, on
the 10th OF February l647, she made and signed
her last will and testament, bequeathing large
sums for charitable purposes, and the remainder
OF her fortune to her brother Ascanio Colonna.
She then gave minute directions as to her fune-
raj, desiring that it should be as simple and
unostentatious as possible, and, In all things,
like the burial OF professed nun. After this
she sank rapidly, suffering much, but bearing
until towards the end of February the day
dawned which was to close upon her dying bed.
As the hours crept on one after another of
her friends stole in to look upon her beloved
face for the last time; but one there was who
after all had gone, aud she had sunk into the
lingered still beside her bed, holding her cold
hand in his own, and gazing, with what infinite
love and longing, what passion of regret, we
shall never know, upon the features, worn aud