New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-11-14
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
OLD LOVE LETTERS.

TINE LOVE LETTERS OF A PORTUGUESE NUN
Translated by Il. H. 24mo PIP. 145. Cassel
Publishing Company.
1t must have been nearly go years ago that a
beautiful girl living in Portuguese convent ~
Beja stood a balcony day to view the troops
passing to and from military review. Ions inc
Fourteenth at the time helping Portugal 10 Ssist
tho assaults of Spain, and many French officers had
taken service in the Portuguese army Among the'c
was Noel Bouton de Chamilly. Count OF st. Leger'
gallant of twenty-f and riding along the street oy
the Convent Of Beta he glanced mp. met the gaze OF
Marianne Alcaforado and straightway the two fell In
love with one another. Whether Mariana had taken
the veil or not unknown but at all events she was
not leading rigdly secluded life. Tor the young
Count found no difficulty in obtaining access to her,
and the amour developed rapidly. With the young
man IL proved to be mere passing fancy; with the
girl II was the master passion of life. There Is
naturally much obscuy about the details Of the story.
Il has even been questioned attcrly whether Chamily
was indeed the tickle lover concerned That his con-
cmporarics believed him to be the object of Mariannas
letters, however, is undenable, and perhaps their
opinion may be trusted. AS TO the identity Of the
Portuguese Nun, nothing known until the year
1910, whom a French critic made the discovery that
her name that given above and that she OF one
of tho best families of her country The "Lctters" were
nrst given to the world in 1869, and great many
editions have been published since, for though the
episues only five in number. and little space,
and though the lovetragedy they Sgnalize is but a
fragment of which the end remains concealed, there
Is something In these letters which appeals to the
common sympathies, strikes upon the common
emotions that the world has not been willing to let
hem die.
The Count do Chamilly did what thousands Of young
and he rode away Mariana remained in her con-
vent and wrote these letters to him letters the pas
SION sincerity, utter devotion and simplicity OF which
buoysd them over the centuries and brought them
down TO this tme to appear at last In an Einghsi
dress introduced by an American woman In most
sympathetic preface, and breathing as fresh ana nat
ural atmosphere Of human devotion as though thcy
had been written yesterday. What is the secret, IL
may vol be asked, of this survival7 Why 90 the
passionate outpourings OF this seventeenth century
Portuguese woman impress us SO strongly! III IS VIC
think, because they informed throughout by SO
profound and utter sefsacrice: because there Is IN
them something akin to that ecstasy OF spiritual love
which characterzes some of the writings of ST. Theresa
for example, The very intensity of poor Mariannas
pesson moreover poured blndly forth like tropical
Storm 1t is, has kind Of fascination Tor rcaoer
Of any sensbty and thcn too, there Is the eVldehce
In her Of singular capacity-that Of living for loves
sake when the unwortness Of her loves original oD-
iect Is revealed to her. In these hve letters we sec
the whole course Of her passion. AT the beginning
she IS dazcd Her familiar world has been shattered
She walks as in a dream, and hardly knows when
uooplc speak to her. She writes 81 have lately been
made FORTRESS Of the convent; every one WHO speaks
TO me thinks 1 crazy. / do not know now an
aver and the must be as crazy as l. W unnh
me capable of taking Of anything
In q little while she begins to realize that sne IS
deserted deliberately but she continues to write humbly
and patiently. She says: 81 have made it my nonor
and nv religion to you desperately, since have
beQun by loving you l do not say all this TO oDh1e
Won TO write to me. All do not force yourself In any
way / wish nothing from you which does not come
of your free WILL and refuse all tokens OF your love
which you could help giving And later on, when she
Is struggling to free herself she FAREWELL would
that had never seen you! Ah how well know the
falseness of this sentiment and at the very moment
Of writing you / recognize that ! would Infinitely
rather be unhappy loving than never to nave
aeon you" Here is the sentiment two hundred years
before Tcnnyson, of
.'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at ALL"
a. last he wrote but his letter. instead Of stimulating
her Iosc killed it, at least far as he was con-
cerncd; for it proved him to be moved only by pity
for her. why,p she says bitterly, why Gid you moi
leave me nv passion? III you had to do was, moi
A. write TO me; did not wish 10 be enlightened
BETTER deception than the despair Of knowing the truth
80 the letters end abruptly, and the figure OF the
Portuguese Nun passes into obscurity; but whoever
the book which gives this revelation of her heart
must feel that the passion still breatiles and burns
TINT the poor soul still agOnzes that time is nothing
and space nothing, and only the vital experiences
ito nd