The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-03-02


Marina GAMBIA, Venetian of the lower class,
he had three children. Vincenzio, born In
August, 1905, was legitimated by the Grand
Duke Of Tuscany in 1919. His daughter
Po1issena was born in 1901, Virginia proba-
bly, somewhat later. The boy remained with
his mother till October, 1912, when Galileo
had him brought to Florence. Marina shortly
afterwards married aeman well to do in her
own Clation of life, one Giovanni Barto-
luzzi, Calico behaving with his wonted libe-
rality on the occasion. Galileo's two girls
were placed for q while under the care of his
mother, but the old ladys temper being
terrible" as il appears from letter of
Galileo's brother Michelangelo, the father
was mindedto remove them into convent for
life. Here threefold difficulty met him. Pope
Leo XI (Alessandro Ottaviano de- Medici),
when Cardinal, had obtained bull forbidding
two sisters to take the veil in the same con-
vent in Florence. Secondly, the convent
chosen by Galileo being already full, the
dowry must be doubled for such an exoep-
tional admission. In the third place, the
eldest girl was six years below the canonical
age of sixteen. Cardinal Del Monte, in a
letter to Galileo, November II, 1911, pro-
misses every exertion to get relaxation of
this rule, which he declares at the same time
to be insuperable. The good offices of Car
dinal Bandini proved more effectual, and by
means of q dispensation as to age Galileo
was enabled, in October, 1913, to place the
unfortunate children in the Franciscan con-
vent of st. Matthew, at Arcetri. There they
took the veil q year later, Polissena--hence-
forth Sister Maria Celeste-being but
thirteen years of age. Her letters to her
father, beginning from the year 1923, become
our chief materials for following the domestic
life of Calico, his illnesses and private sor-
rows; furnishing at the same time graphic and
instructive details of the interior life of con-
vents. His letters to her, though we are told
that she kept them carefully and was in the
habit Of perusing them during such leisure
moments as her special duties in the
pharmacy and the still-room left to her, have
perished. They were in all probability de-
stroyed by the abbess for fear of the house
being compromised by their heretical author
ship. Her own simple effusions are spoken
of as breathing throughout sound sense and
sober Judgment, without trace of mysticism.
''She does not pass her nights in the church,
kneeling on the cold stones, expecting vision.
She goes to bed like sensible woman, and
takes her seven hours sleep" One of her
crosses was the selfshness of her sister Vir-
ginia Sister Arcangela in religion, who was
subject to hypochondria, and perpetual
invalid Ill health was indeed the rule, not
the exception, at st. Matthew's. Rheumatism
was prevalent. In winter the nuns were
bldINGu VIII Ihc COlll, III bhOJ WoI0
melted with the heat. Sister Maria Celeste
herself was scarcely ever well. Her fathers
visits alone kept her from finding convent
life insupportably dull. What she pined for
was home life. Her yearnipg is to penetrate
within the dwelling which her fathers pre-
sence renders sacred, but which she can never
enter. Discreet dame Piera his housekeeper,
careless unloving brother Vincenzio, good
Signor Rondinelli the gardener, the boy
Geppo, may all go in and out, may all serve
her Dec0t0, sit by him when he is ill, help
to tend the vines, run the errands;
only she is debarred from the daily inter-
course which would be her supreme delight"
Little presents perpetually passed between
father and daughter. She becomes his secre-
tary, copying in a clear and delicate hand his
more important letters or papers. She works
| for him shirts and dinner napkins, mends the
apron "as well as she possibly can, and asks
for ''any collars that want getting up" In
turn she begs ten 6racciG of stuff for Dress
not wide or fine or expensive cloth. Galileo,
at this time settled at Rome, and in favor for
the while, asks his daughter what boon would
be most acceptable to the convent The abbess
thinks it wiser to ask for aims than anything
else, the house being so poor. Sister Maria,
taking counsel with nun of higher feeling,
begs that the Pope will grant the favor of
choosing for confessor to the convent regu-
lar or brother of some order, changing him
every three years. Her paper of reasons
throws much light upon the habits of the
clergy of the period The parish priests have
the scantiest knowledge of nuns, their rules
and requirements The fees they expect
outrun the convent purse, and they make @
practice of dropping in to take out their
arrears by dining and ''getting friendly with
one or other of the nuns. And what is worse,
they make common talk of us, so that we
are become the laughing stock of the whole
Casentino, from whence these confessors
come, who are more apt at chasing hares thar
at guiding souls" Later on Galileo is called
upon to set to rights the convent clock, which
no one has made to go well before In 1925
Michelangelo died, throwing upor
Galileo the charge of his widow an(
family. Next year Vincenzio marries Sestilia
sister of Luisa Bocchineri, Maria Celeste
bosom friend in the convent, and the yount
couple have to be set up out of the Profes
sors slender income In the throes of writing
the famous Dialogue leisure is snatched for
memorable family dinner in the convent par
lor. Then the plague breaks out, and Vincen
zio runs away with his bride, leaving his fathe
to face the danger unmoved, against whic
Sister Maria Celeste seeks to fortify him wit
a wondrous elixir made by Abbess Ursula,
Pistoian nun of great sanctity. Alone in hi
tower, hemmed in by quarantine, he ha
enough-''his telescope, his thoughts" Hi
daughters anxiety eliminates with his jour
, ney to Rome, and with the news of his cits
, ton before the Inquisition.
, We are enabled, by means of the minut
, touches contributed in the narrative befor
us, to realize with a force and vividness neve
q before attainable the struggles and the SUI
q pense of that crowning episode in the life G
!. Calico There may be nothing very weight
| ON novel in these details They seem, how