Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1906-01-11
ONE WOMAN WHO WAS TOO BEAU
TIFUl FOR THIS WORLD.
She Had Florence In Mourning For
the Victims of Her LONELINESS anu
HeartIessness-Her Power over Men
and Her Awful Fate.

She Had Florence In Mourning For
the Victims of Her LOveIiness and
HeartIessness-Her Power over Men
and Her Awful Fate.
While personal beauty is naturally
the most coveted possession of woman,
1t is gift which may be almost as full
of danger to herself as to those who fall
victims to 1t. From the days of Helen
of Troy and of Cleopatra to our own
time it has brought perhaps more dis
aster to the world than delight, or, ut
least, happiness; but to one, at least, it
brought life of such tragedy and suf-
fering as has rarely fallen to the lot or
any woman.
s 1t was at Florence that Rosaura
Montalboni, perhaps the most beautiful
woman the world has ever seen, lived
in the days of the Medicis. No man
has ever ventured with pen or brush to
portray her beauty, and 1T Is only from
its effects that one can judge or us
surprising brilliance.
From early girlhood this beauty gave
IL
such as no queen of Europe could
WELD. Men nocked from all parts OF
Europe content to catch glimpse OF
her during her rare walks abroad. If
she appeared in the streets of Florence
it was a signal for hundreds of wor-
shippers 10 flock around her for the
mere delight of gazing on her or by
.lxo hnnl
Of her gown.
When she went TO church thousands
1ocked to see her, and it was in vain
that the priests tried to conduct the
services. The door of her residence
was besieged night and day with low
ers Of every class, from princes of the
greatest reigning families Of Europe to
peasants and fishermen. Every day
brought her rich stores of presents.
some of which might well have bought
kings ransom, while others were the
tribute of lowly admirers, who offered
them as humbly and reverently as If
they were laying them on an altar.
None would receive payment from
her, from the wealthy merchants who
laid at her feet their treasures of rich
dresses and jewels to the humblest
tradesman or domestic who ministered
to her, aDd, crowning triumph of all,
women were as eager as men to rem
der homage to her beauty and We'd
with each other in their offerings and
their worship.
1t was inevitable that many should
suffer for beauty such as this, and es-
pecially as Rosaura was as heartless
as she was fair. Scarcely day pass
ed when she was not the object Of
some fatal duel or when some lover
did not destroy himself in despair Of
winning her. 1t is said that there was
scarcely q family of any position in
Florence or for many leagues around
it that had not to mourn Il son or near
relative, and many complaints were
made to the authorities by indignant
parents.
On several occasions she was brought
before the judges, who were as power
less against her charms as the most
love stricken youth in Florence. They
came to condemn and remained to
worship her fatal beauty, for as she
appeared before them in all the glory
of her beauty even the eyes of stern
judges were daZZled, and they were
ready to go into the dock for her sake.
Ii was about this time that great dis
tress fell on Florence. The city was in
the grip OF famine, and hundreds were
dying for want of bread, but while
| thousands were starving Rosaura
would give up nothing OF her luxurles.
1t came TO the ears OF the poor that
while they were dying for crust Of
bread this spoiled child Of fortune was
drinking the costliest wines, eating the
| rarest dellcacies, enjoying her baths Of
perfumed milk and squandering every
day more than would keep hundred
families In comfort.
Reused to terrible anger, they be-
sieged her palace and forced their way
into ii, with the object of killing q wo-
man SO heartless. Without tremor
Rosaura went from her room to meet
her would be murderers. and the mere
sight of her radiant and stately beauty
so subdued the ringleaders that they
ltii OH luelr hneeS duu klSScu the
ground ut her feet.
But Nemesis was coming nearer
every day. Once, when q court official
had committed suicide for her sake she
was condemned to be branded and sent
into exile, but no executioner could be
| found to do the work, and one of them
| sacrificed his life rather than touch her
shoulder with the redhot Iron. When
| she was summoned before the relgnlng
| duke, he, too, was vanqYished, and, In
| stead OF furnishing her. he sent her
away with presents and a benedictiop.
! 1t was his successor, Ferdinand dc
| Medici, who broke the spell OF this fatal
beauty. Realizing that she was the
| greatest enemy to peace within his
kingdom, he issued orders for her ar
rest She was brought for the last time
before judges, who were proof even
| against beauty such as hers, and was
sentenced TO lifelong Imprisonment and
to wear mask, fashloned like skull,
! TO conceal the face which had wrought
| so much havoc.
For forty years Rosaura suffered this
| horrible punishment, her very jallors
shrinking from the grinning skull
I which always greeted them. When at
! last she was liberated and the skull
| mask was removed the wrlnkled,
drunken face that was disclosed to
.iew was almost as hideous as the
mask that bod SO long hidden it.