New-York tribune., 1898-12-25

when a too reckless act OF dchanSc y" ''
der of the State was likely to prec'pi'a'e
resstible roprisals? 1t was hard enough u YIN
hat the encroachments of warlike kings ano
nrircos who were constantly seeking to proht
bv the comparative insignilcance OF the 0a-
,o,,ords ucnce the masters OF the latter were
always fuctuating between expedeh.s u
fence and defence; they were aggressive when
| tbev dared to be- and especially when theS
! could find a good ally, but although there aro
| como wise statesmen and some chivairous Wal
riors in their history, they present. IN 'he n"'''
the spectacle Of a noble family strik'ns o@
gains for the privilege OF existing lh's ie"O
, to their chronicles certain ignopie ha'oi, a"~
Nine Wiel Is hard put to 1t to make a'i "o.
| heroes heroic but It does not prevent her ITO"
making them Interesting. ~
II was characteristic Of every member Vi '"'
house to pass through ups and downs OK lor'-
une Hardy any of them was uniformly PROS
porous and happy. Each yignette drawn !"
| these volumes is full OF contrasts Ihus
Amadeus VIII touched the whole gamut OF
worldly change. He it was who. in the tfteentn
century, raised his country to high level OK
material welfare and saw it erected into a duchy
by the Emperor SigIsmund. Then he stepped
down from his throne into curious retirement
nstituting a knightly order and gathering MS
proseytes around him under KIND Oh seh"-
monastc rule at Rpaille, on the shores Oh Laho
Leman. Here, as AIneas Piccolomini describes
| In his commentaries. the secretly AMBITIOUS
prince went through many religious torihs' suo
mitted, with his companions to a certain amount
Of discipline, and after five years, discovered
that he would like to be elected Pope. EugenluS
IV was already in the chair of St Peter, put the
schismatic Council of Base was in the inooo
to resent his military performances in ltaiy ana
after discussions and negotiations, into which
we need not enter here, Amadeus was named
| to displace him. He never entered Rome, ana
the doings Of Felix V. as he called himself are
not in fact Of transcendent interest TO the
student of ecclesiastical history. But it is ex-
tremely interesting to consider that as anti
Pope Amadeus was lifted, for number or
years, to a position Of extraordinary emnence.
only to renounce the honor, as he had renounced
his dukedom and return TO the peaceful serlu-
sion of Ripaille. What makes him peculiarly typ
ical as a SavoyarJ is just this nehectual career.
He had held high Place. 1t is true. and yet II
would be idle to say that he left an indelibe or
even momentous mark European history.
The rise and fall of his predecessor. Amadeus
VII, is even more pathetic Nine Wel de-
scribes the tournament instituted by this per-
sonage, known the Red Count, in an interval
in the siege Of Bourbourg. An arrogant Eng
lsh knight, the Earl of Haddington, came for
ward with challenge of exceptional pride and
insoonce. The Red Count. after much parley-
ing persuaded the King of France to allow him
to enter the lists against the Earl Being still
in mourning for his father, he was dressed in
black velvet but his housings and accoutre-
ments were all richly embroidered with love-
knots in gold, with the letters Il. L. r. 7.
worked in pearls. rubies diamonds and other
precious stones. His helm, whereon was a
golden crown set with jewels and surmounted
with his crest of liens skull winged was borne
by the Count Of Armagnac." He fought spden-
didy, and won. Later he exchanged the lance
for the sword, and engaged in gallant combat
with the Earl Of Arundel. cleaving deeply
through the casque and skull OF that noble
Englishman that he pierced the brain. stand
ing thus brilliantly upon The field OF tourney
and distinguishing himself with equal chivalry
in every scene of arms he persuades us. as we
read the earlier chapters of his biography that
his future must necessarily be daZZlingly
mantle. But he married when very young
Bonne OF Berry whom he did not love. and be-
tween her machirations-wnether well or i'll
meant, It is hard to say-and those of his
mother, he reached dreary end. The two
women called auack of the time Granville by
name. to their side and would seem to have
aided and abetted him in a course toward the
unsuspecting Count either abyssmaly stupid
or deliberately murderous. The Counts COM
plexon was bad, and his hair was thin Gram
vile. serving court physician. resolved there
fore, upon what Nine. Wiel mildly calls de
csive" measure. after shaving AmadeuSs
head" she says. 'he exposed it to the fire.
had ,,;vt,, ,f