New-York tribune., 1920-11-28
rANEs BRANCH CABELL's Jur-


J public bookstalls on the ground
of obscenity, sits on an obscure
shelf waiting for the courts to de-
termIne whether It shall be given the
freedom Of general circulation or re-
turned forever TO oblivion. Meanwhile,
10 Hll in the interim and plscate an
uneasy audience. Mr.. Csbell braves the
storning threats OF the New York So
ciety for the Suppression of Vice by
producing another book. Domnei NC
Bride. revised edition Of the novel
first published as The Soul of Ne icent-
We can imagine the thoroughness
with which the Investigators will scan
this volume. Hiding behind the COM
paratively unintelligible title of Dom
mel. the book is certain to be held
guilty until proved innocent beyond
any reasonable doubt What does
"domnei" mean? What can it mean
but something terrible and illegal?
Ha. A Bedroom Scene
As the searching party gets on with
the story we can picture the glee with
which they viii pounce on the bedroom
scene in the third episode. where the
lovely Melicent visits Peron de Ia
Foret in his room at a compromising
hour Of the night But when this de
velops into nothing which couldn't be
read with moderate safety before
mixed company of Sunday school
youngsters there will be sigh. of dis
appointment and chagrin.
From here on the trail for vice
seekers is peculiarly coloress. Not
until toward the close of the book is
there another hedroom-and this only
fash with Melicent and Ahasuerus,
the Jew. on the scene. Taken ss q
whole. we think Domnei will success
fully defv all flank attacks from the
Investigators
Probably no romance OF fiction or
fact was ever quite the polite. exalted
affair as the love Of Melicent and
Perion. Theirs was no surging passion
Of the flesh; theirs was the love Of
service Of martyrdom Domnei was s.
term used By me troubadours TO ex-
press this chivalric love. this devotion
Of man to tn service Of maid bv
which he might prove to her his love
and merit hers in return.
The Service of Domnei
"The service % domnei involved. in
fact it invited anguish" MIR. Caber ex-
plains il II Afterword. 1T was mar
tyrdom whereby the lover was uplifted
TO saintship and the lady to little less
than, il anything less thar. godhead."
Mr.. Cabel protests that his history
Of Melicent and Psrion makes no pre-
tensions 20 Be more than rendering
into English Of The Romance O. Lusi-
gnan from Nicolas de Caen, An almost
forgotten French writer Of the fifteenth
century. Actually it IS much more than
that The legend has come down only
in scattered fragments from varied Ian
guages Vhiei Mr. Cebell hss y eced
together un.l he has deamatic tale
that makes complete story.
His earlier novel dealing with Nell
cent and Per;on vas written bsecre the
discovery three years ago OF = manu-
script Of Les Amants De lilicent. dating
bacA 70 l54s. Before that reprint Of
1873 was believed 20 be the first version
printed in French AS there were sev-
era Interesting variants in the later
volume, Mr. Cabel considers this sufg-
cient excuse for revising his tale.
A Master Artist
James Branch Cabel need make no
excuses for any contribution which he
cares % make a, any zine. In this day
o. me hastily written line and the
sloFenly constructed pot his products
are deserving of instant recognition and
continued rejoicing His artistry is Of
degree that demands superlative term
IN comment. As weaver OF word
pictures ne a.tains brilliance without
any seeming effort and relieves the
whole w..h gracious sense Of humor.
We realize that these are brave words
to use IN connection with man who
has not yet received general acclaim.
Possibly in perspective we might lose
cur enthusiasm But at the moment
Cabelfs workmanship in Domnei seems
% ns very near perfect
For tale as generally known as
she romance Of Lusignan. as studded
18th the conventional precepts Of leg
I'D Cabeii rad no easy task to MAKE
oomne' Interesting, apart from tn
oeauty which he could lend 20 the tel
ing Yet he succeeds beyond all meas
IRE Of reasonable anticipation Ey
the simplest expedierts he contrives
suspense a1d surprise, often by no
more q . device than the arrangement
Of his material
The story IS divided into four parts
sacn Introduced by an eigh,-.ne verse
We prefer Caoells prose beginnings
- his verse.
Y IS tale which they narrate in
Polc'esne." he begins part two. "teU-
sns hon iove be9an between pcrion
Of ihe Foress, ~ho vas captain Of mer-
eenaf'es, and Yogng lie cent, who was
>a1ghtef % ne grest Dom Manuel ana
2'f'ef = Count fnroerick " Poictezne
1ney tell aigo nor Mellccnt and Perion
NcYe rsr<eS ,co..-.. .L,xe .... 49,