, 1869-03-28


blue with IL this moral deforn,ily puro feel
Ing, the puzest WOMAN can kuoF. tha feel
Ing for maternity; with your moaster COM
bIne mother, and the mouater viii interest.
and The monster will draw tears, end you
will pity the creature at whom ypu shudder~
beautiful to your eyes,n MI. Roscoe. Is a
historian, was pethaps Iefs justified 10 his
attitude of partisau1hip On the other side
aud his rhetorical summary OF LucretlA's
character does not tell Us much after Rll
besides, bis attempted mitigation Of the In:
dlsputAbIa atrocities Of her Alexander and
her brother Cefare makes us suspicious OF bis
arguments ia the case OF her pwn more eulg-
mRlic crimet. SlRror Zucchettl's work we
have not eeen, but Slgnor Zuccheth Is clearly
= pariisaD ; and pazltsanship u not what we
want: Accordingly ,We looked with interest
famous Duchess Of Ferrafa, "l1lasttated With
is1e and nj puhlnhsd documeuts," By Nj.
William Giibert, who In more. THAI one
pFscholoei ical romance had eeemed TO ShDw
l ! ss5t ain aptitude 70. the .sadlng : Of mora!
What Is most interesting fand, 1t saonld
be sdded, what dls most room) in Mr. GIL.
ber1,a book ia the picture Of the msnncfs and
history OF the time which be draws from
contemporary chronlclers. These supply
him With de1ails OF Lucrezla's millinery and
jewelry which, though sometimes tedious In
his account OF her character; and with anec-
dotes OF Ferrarese lite AID history. which,
but for plainne=s Of st5le that borders upon
poverty, Eenld be thoroughly satisfactory.
We hats sketch Of q fourishin1 Italian
city, under the government succe<slv1ly Of
tao comparatively vinuoa dukes. The
elder. Ercole, addicted to gorgeous t.t
costly public shows; the younger, Alfonso,
to Industry. mechanics mud ecoromy-bOth
to letters and The fine arts; q city Of palaces
and pictures. and at the same time OF fost!u,
cations and improved artlllerTia city Of
scholars, Of sor1eseett, Of stage-plaSc.s; a
ard p}ety less intolesaat than elsewhere i
city where, although the p7or mans careless
blRsphtny was punished By nall driven
through hta tongue, the rich mans violence
was not allowed iEee way ]; city where luz
Ike Justice and public virtue the happiest
city Of those troubled tim, s, and favorable
e1ample Of Italy NJ the Renaissance. And
Lucrezla Bo1gia. 80.
und!sputed facts Of The case-from the tac,s
that she lived contented]y - the wlfc Of three
| successive husbands. two Of them plt away
By heE father, one murdered By her brother,
! at the, most proftgate Court Of tho world i;
that she 1iFed equally contented Afterwards
Court :. inst nader both conditions ahe Was
| thought 1T to administer government In the
absence OF hex male projectors; that under
the former conditions she WAS rcputed to
| combine atl the vices or her house, under the
latter all tho virtues becoming TO soverelgn
| pstneess that she. In spite Of pEedjudlce,
l galned Aud kept the respect Of her fourth
husbard's relat!ons-our own impression IN
something Ike this, She must have bees
possessed, In the FIRST place, OF that gift OF
supreme personal fascination winch does not
necessarily Imply the possession Of deep fee
irgs; her strongest passions mpst hare been
Sic must have been cool headed, piiable, ,adap =
ting hertelf readily to the circumstances IN
which either TO virtue or vice. Such character
ahe lived, with no strong natural inclinations
joined to the perfection of beauty, would
naturally both take The tone Of lts su'r:und.
ings aud be regarded as the shining ard CEN
surroundings. Lucrezia BorEta's surround.
ings at Rome were vicious, at Fertara noble.
P4ety, Justice, generosity, charity or the os-
ttnta'i0n OF charity, were as much the Easb-
ion at Fsrara as irrelisiou, avariec, Inst, and
the parade Of vlllsmy were the fashion al
Rome. Hence she may without mconsisten
CT have lived 3 Vicious lite at Rome aud q
yirtuous cEe at Ferrarn. though In neither
case 60 vicious OF 80 virtuons as her reputa
tion. She would be on All occasions cool
| PVotAt Ab3A4AS0y ~ We AAA 4CtS t9AE UvA&l
bear hertelt with equal grace aud facility a,
the orgies of Alex alder or the decorout
festivities OF Escolc. Her good and eril
deeds woula be Eu to be alike exaggerated
tlnce her high rank, not less than her bril-
liant pefsouat 9races, would add malice t6
her Elandesers aud forwardness to her fatter.
ere. Mr. Gilbert insists on the spltef1l mo-
tivea likely to make the Roman writers hel
elauderers, but not On the. eeryie motives
likely 10 make aatterers for her at Ferrara,
De4pcts, whether bene vols Mt Or not, are ap
to become the subjects both of contemp por:r,
and posthumous adulatfon. Putting aside
then, what may fairly be set down TO tht
habit ofslAnder in the one case, aud thl
habit Of na.tery IN the other, the characte
OF Lucrexia loe6 not. perhaps, offer specta
cla Of quite hT coucilable contrasts. hon
Of her virtues seem 10 be quite Incompatible
with the truth OF her early reputation 10
vice none Of her vices such Us quite to beii
her latter reputation, or debsr her from th
possession Of virtue enough ID make q soyer
eign princess admired towards middle age
As to the specific immoralittcs charged
| agairst her, proof Is wanting; her rep1g
nance to the crime Of Incest would probabl!
be proportional to the amount Of reproacl
It Involved, and that At the centre Of Chris
tia1 ity Was small the degree Of her CON
plaieance towards her later admirers won't
probably depend upon the Instance OF thel
dem autis ard this, in the case Of Pier
bembo, uterw ards Cardinal, vas likely t.
| be great.-Pdu Hall Eu-tttk.