A Jay of Italy

g the walls of this fair city of his dreams. The prosperous contado, watered in every direction by broad dykes; the clustering vines and saintly-hued olive gardens; the busy

the forehead of a Papacy, which, latterly pledged to the most unscrupulous temporal self-aggrandisement, was reverenced for the vicarship of a poor and celibate Christ. Issuing, equipped with an artless conventual purpose, from the cool groves of his cloister, he found a land dyed in blood and the blue of heaven, festering under God's sun, and rejoicing in the colo

urrets, broadened before him, violet against a deep, clou

, looking down on thee from the mountain of myrr

enanted-faugh! A cloud of winged creatures rose as they approached, and scattered, dropping fragments. It was the common repast, stuff of rogues and pilferers-nothing especial.

hing more. We plant the

li

f cou

s head drooping. Carlo turned to Beatrice, where she rode behind, and, without a wo

ding cypresses-wedges of midnight in midday. There were terraces and broad flagged walks, and palaces and spacious loggias-fair glooms of marble shaken in the spray of fountains. From its cold, shadowless bridges to the heaped drift of the

from roof or balcony in harlequin spots of light; nearest of all, a very baggage-rout of figures, fantastic, chameleonic, an endless mutation and interflowin

propagating His Gospel of sweetness, adapting to imperishable works the endlessly varying arabesques of woods, and starry meadows, and running clouds and waters-epitomising His System. He admired these works, their beauty, their sta

ming. 'Love! love!' sang the birds under the great eaves; 'He will woo this cruel world to harmlessness. Where men shall lead with charity, all animals shall follow. The good fruits ripen to be eaten; it i

lf only to love. Useless to try to wrench forth its confession by torture. Let retaliation spell love,

e could not think of that late vision of horror but as a dream. These blithe souls, in all their moods and worships such true apostles of his gay, sweet God!

assive fortress, and in its midst, the cynosure of hundreds of gloating eyes,

He uttered a cry so loud as to attract

of one. 'Trampled on the Host? Defiled a

uckered an

r. He once whipped the

le body braced its

d: 'is that, the

ss eye

s left

ished, was already on the boy's flank. 'Stop, little lunatic!' he shouted, sweating and spurring to intervene. He had no concern for the feet he trampled

m who scourged the hucksters from

or retaliation by l

his deserts,' cried

y of it-a good man-I carry a letter to

rue that Bembo bore this letter, among others, in his pouch. The Abbot of San Zeno was so long out of t

s truculence ill. That reduced him to a very devilish sobriety. He began to strike with an eye to details, 'blazing' his passage throu

ing-least of all of interference with the Duke's will. It must have been, therefore, no less than an amazing shock to that functionary to find himself all in an instant stung and stagg

nd his voice in on

e him

d Jacopo recognised

of the Cross! Is th

cavalier. 'Touch him, I say, an

glaring and at bay. Bembo had thrown himself between the upraised

ming!' he shrieked. 'Prepare ye

ried out. In the midst, Messer Jacopo raised his eyes to the battlements, and sa

said; and the w

e post. Bembo knelt, with a

d heart! He

ng face was twisted t

blue lips muttered,

'O, thou mistak

e dropp

or Galeazzo-i

A grim little troop, steel-bonneted and armed with halberts, surrounded the stage. Messer Lanti, dismoun

ttle Saint,' said he-'of

pointing down to the bl

likewise a Levite; but a Samaritan had compassion on him

or two of the people was emboldened to come and ask the healing of that wounded thing; and they took it away, undeterred of

and child, to attend him. And his brow was wrinkled, and the lust of fury, beyond dissembling, in his veins. He took no noti

?' he thunder

ardo

like the call of a b

comest

Zeno in

ek'st th

y c

, while all held their breath in fear, of a sudden he fell back, a

and across his brow before he looked again;

whispered, 'what said'st thou? C

ungrily for a little into the solemn eyes, dropped his own as if abashed-half-blinded. In the ba

ld, a face-there-in the dead watches of the night-behind me-and by day, always t

if he were trying to throw something off. Carlo str

ze fixed silently upon him; then, making an acquiescent motion with his hand, he t

truth like an adder's, swung to the rhythm; and as the chords rose piercing, he clutched his brow, and as they melted and sobbed away, so did he sink and mo

nd girl, were playing

th, each to the other,

o trust-always toget

ragon of the thunde

arth with its

d, the pretty,

little love t

ng monster with

e she trusted in her l

roaring terror

th, nor he such pride o

e out the

m of the jewelled c

h he, new boldene

ll fetc

him: "Nay, leve

together: O leav

already o

pursued, the ra

aymate, faint and faint

me not

nd desperate, clutc

natta

was to bring him happi

hostly in his wake,

l of dea

me not

of unfulfilment

staggered i

cut himsel

shing on h

rom the dead rainb

light that dance

to destructi

h and laugh

to a mid-horr

the infer

desolate; and for

of a voice, "O le

like one ama

ny: "Innocenza,

little playmate,

him only from the g

broken

l stood stricken between tears and expect

e! Turn back, turn back, and find in thy lost p

sacrifice with him. One of the women, the younger, watching him, knew what was in his mind, and breathed a little scornfully. The other's eyes were set in a sort of rapture upon the

st under the daisies. O, I will be good,