Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1889-08-03
sATURDAY----AUGUST 9, 1885
LIES OF HISTORY.


When a lie is once started ano
given publicity it seems impossible
to correct it.
History il often very unjust in its
praise and its blame. He, who, with
a small force, when Rome was cap
tured and was small weak state,
conquered her enemies and restored
her once and preserved her again
and whose life was full Of noblest
acts of virtue, Camillus, is never re-
garded az the equal Of those who,
when Rome was the mistress Of the
world, conquered the same enemies
and used their triunphs for their
own private ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. Were
history Just, neither Marlus nor
Caesar would be mentioned ~ at all
comparable with Camillus. And
what did Caesar ever do to equal the
mighty conquests OF Marius? Moth
ing!
This unjust treatment is never 50
powerfully shown as in the case Of
the house of Borgia. No doubt Al
exander vi and Caesar Borgia were
vicious and cruel and treacherous,
but no more 80 than their cotem-
poraries. Lucretia Borgia, the
daughter of Alexander, is spoken of
to-day as the most Infamous char
acter that has ever appeared. And
yet no one can investigate the au-
thorities and read the accounts Of
her by poets and historians, her
contemporaries, without seeing that
she was one of the most virtuous and
intellectual and polished women Of
her age. The sole origin of the
ISLANDERS on her reputation is In two
or three verses by some poets Of
Naples, whereas the most fulsome
eulogies are given her by men Of
whom Roscoe in his dissertation on
her character says u was impossible
that they could falsify or be mis-
taken. StraZZo and Tebaldeo Of
Ferrara were perpetually resounding
her praises. The illustrious Bembo
often speaks of her rs "surpassins
all women IN beauty, virtue aud
culture of mlnd.n Siraldi, the his-
torian, says she was woman of un-
common excellence. And Sardi, In
his history Of Ferrara, calls her
"Donna bellissima, gentle, cd er-
rata d'ogui virtu." Libanori says
she "was endowed with the most
inestimable qualities of mind and
soul" Cavicoe says, In the dedica-
ton of his work, "The Traveller to
Isabella of Este, 'that he has given
TO his patroness enough praise by
simply saying, you are next to
the excellent Lucretia Borgia.h
Tho immortal Arlosto says Of
her: she "rivals in virtues and beau
ty all the women former ages can
boast Of" In the AID book of his |
greatest work he raised n temple TO |
female worth and In its highest |
niche he places Lucretia Borgia for
"modesty and beauty" The cele-
brated painter Aldo Manuzio, from
whom IL the word "Aldine," ad-
dressed her in the same way as one
of the most illustrious examples of
womanly worth and excellence.
There are but u few. Against all
this testimony there Is nothing In
the world but the ISLANDERS of some
who were exasperated
against her father, quoted by Qulc-
ciardlni who merely says ''it Is re-
ported" and one statement found
long Afterwards among the Vatican
papers, being diary Of one Burch-
ard, who merely said Of Lucretla
that on all occasions, during certain
immodeSt scenes in the
great dining hall "she was looking
IN" The whole story as n'a ed
~ him Is most Incredible and un.
worthy OF belief, Aud yet the wo.
mans name goes down etornally to
'ternal inhmy.
Macauley somewhere says on u sim
lar subject that after mans death
his victorious enemies have all the
'dyantage in making history, and
hat II Cstaline had lived We should
ave had u very different story
DO It that famous "Consplrcy.n
When Pope Alexander died hn f,
Iosts OF enemies all had IL thoir !,
wn way, wao during his lite /,
at his name.
A naughty lite boy one day q
A. III =.