The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-08-04

| AflOStD. ana IN MI ways ltHiy WIS EIHuu"ilN
losing the sentiment Of nationality and grow
ing more and moro corrupted politically and
socially. Alta period Of class teal uuintcsscncc,
when medieval chivairy WIS throwing its last
| glilic. and modern gallantry kindng its first
, namol. the most cOurtcd and Toasted man Of his
| time. n passionate admrcr Of the amenities Of
| life. md who lived. according 10 Yasari. not
! ~ u painter but rs a Prince. becomes cnam-
orcd ~ n young girl entirely without the pale
| 81 his society. uncducatcd, and ignorant Of
every rcnnemont. Raphael meets with wo-
man, a stranger. as II were. TO contemporary
/ civilization, and chooses her for the companion
| ~ his leisure hours. But. after ALL the eXpa-
nation ~ tho seeming paradox Is nc: far to
sock. In the artificial society Of the Italian
Renaissance the sexual passion had been dis
torcd and crampod into SO Grotcsquo and pain
ful posture. and such vgilant guardians set
| about II. that any return to ts natural free
! dom may well have seemed q rapture. nm nd
/ venture. and triumph which mono but the
| w.scst md most skiful could encompass with
grace or safety. but which for that very reason
/ wise men might think worth comprising. II ia
/ certain that although Raphael did not marry
Margarita. yet he lived with her till death in
mutual fidelity aud content. Recent Biographies
| hive wholly rcfu,cd tho old accusations brought
ngainst this plobcian beauty Of having driven
UfI ltfNfF INTO tNtNNtt anu 50 'luSfN HIS N'bl
We know that the humble city lass was strong
enough TO defeat marriage projected for RAJ
! rharl with tho niece Of Cardinal. just ~
Chrs;anc vulpius was able to eclipse Char
! lotto Won Stein In the heart Of Goethe Tho fact
| that almost nothing Is known regarding lia-
phacls companion is very crediiablc to her.
We should have heard Of II. we may be sure
from the scandalous chroniclcrs Of the period
| II Margarta had over shared the orgies and
carousals presided over blythe sumptuous Nor
osina. the mistress of Rnphaels friend. Bcmbo
or 10y lmpcria. the magnificent concubine of his
patron. Agostino Chigi
Mr.. Vandam introduces a chapter on Lope de
Vega 10y reminding MS OF Montesduieus saying
There are climates where physical nature IL
so strong that moral laws are unavaiing against
her. In these lands they need instead OF pre-
cep,s bolts" 1t would not be easy to select civil
lied country TO which these lines are more ap-
plicable than the Spain OF the sixteenth CEN
tury The lcentious gallantry prevalent in
tho highest society. but especially in that
OF the court. had gradually passed into the daily
habits Of oil classes and become ut last ma
tional characteristic. Now in one of his most
interesting and singular prose works, Lopo dc
Vega has pictured the existing state Of morals
and since " Dorothca." an autobiogrnphical
comedy. is. as NJ LAUREL and others have boon
able 10 demonstrate. part Of the authors own
life. we cannot do better than reproduce some
OF the principal incidents rccted in this vol
umc. convinced as we are that the Spanish
dramatist meant 10 sketch himself and has done
so with an incredible candor only equalled by
Jean jacques Rousseau in his Confessions.
IOpe himself informs us that in Madrid he
know lady whom he qualities by the name OF
relative. She had he says. n daughter OF Ia
and pretty niece Of II, the latter being nearly
his own age. Intimacy. he continues. bred an
attachment for the niece Marflss, but " thanks
to my discretion and prudence no evil resulted
from it, There seems to have been con
siderable room for discretion. since at
a later period Lope recognized child
Of this young lady's the fruit OF this
juvenile attachment. Owing to the pru-
dcnce on which the drainatist congratulatcs
himself this step did not prevent Marilsa from
being welded TO an old sayant. The day she
was taken away" says Lope. I had carefully
TO purge her lips lest they should kill her hus-
band by the venom they had imbbed from con
lugal apprehensions. We wept long while
behind door. inscparably min.ling our tears
and our lamentations"
SO far there is nothing very striking or new
in the poets situation. But it happened that on
the very day Of Senorita Marhsn's wedding ono
Of Lope's friends brought him nm invitation
from lady whom he had already met at one OF
two parties, and whom lac had had the good
fortune II pleasing. II We are 10 believe
him the lady WAS most beautiful and OF
beauty which the French have taught
US to call the beGuie du diabls. How shall
describe her to YOU he writes. when my very
blood freezes ia lis Vuins at the memory Of her
A. for her name. II was liOncss. tigrcss serpent.
syrcn. Gree, Medea. pain. glory. heaven and
nall aI la mt
Dorothea' The fret interview between these
lovers seems to have defined their relations.
" do not know, says the Castilian poet. what
star propitious to lovers was in the ascendant
but scarcely had We seen and spoken than VIZ
We're all in all TO each other" Had Lopo for
gotten Marisa. with whom u few short hours be-
fore he had wept behind n door, Hero Mr.
Vandam takes occasion TO remark not
unapuy, that man ia a curious animal The In
dian widow mandates herself ON a husbands
grave, and the Roman widow. asked why she
does not marry again. replies; 81 For me my
husband is still living but such protestations
and performances are not recorded of the mas
culine sex. man decIaims against the fate
which has taken a woman from him. but he re-
members that the world is wide that the type IL
OF more import than tho individual; he casts
his eyes around and no consoles himself.
Dorothoa was what in our modern slang we
term grass widow Though young, she had
been married for some time but her husband
was in Peru and not expected TO return; mean
while the young lady lived under the guardian
ship OF mother and an aunt. two old women
| of Jolly manners but doubtful morals. not
! blessed with worldly goods and not par
| ticular as TO the means OF getting them.
At the notion Of dsintsrcsted love these old
harridans revolted, and Dorothea was forced
! 70 comTromisc, Unwilling to renouncc
| Lopo rho tolerated the lcft-handcd addresses
Of some grand segneur whom by clcycrly de-
y.scd delays. magnificent expectations. and
moderate favors she kept At her feet prob
ably in order not to fall out with her guardians,
Tho rvalship does not last long, however. for
the great nobloman il presently sent out Of the
country on n mission. Thenccforth the init
mate relation between Lope and Dorothca
continued some hve years, during which
time the lady was obliged to provide for her
necessities by the labor Of her hands, and even
pledged or sold her plate. her Jewels. and other
vnluables in order TO support her lover. OF
course tho aspirants Of the aunt's and mothers
choosing forsook her, for. as Lopc himself OBJ