Dante and Beatrice. From 1282 to 1290. A Romance. By
" Roxburgh° Lothian." 2 vols. (Henry S. King and Co.)—The writer of this romance appears to have made a careful study of the life and times of the great Italian poet, and to have been captivated, as many have been before him, with the immortal story of his love. Unfortunately it seems to have occurred to Mr. "Roxburgh° Lothian "that the story required resetting, and with much prolixity and amplification he has gone over the old, familiar ground, and out of the abundance of his know- ledge and the fertility of his imagination he has produced the two good- sized volumes before us. If he had given us the result of his labours in the form of studies or essays, we should have given him a more cordial welcome. As it is, the progress of his "romance" is retarded and its interest reduced by the introduction of a vast number of extracts in several languages, and of a mass of historical lore, whose accuracy is vouched for by foot-notes on nearly every page, after the manner of the late Mr. Buckle, and with pretty nearly his copiousness. These, how- ever, and the appendices we have found the most readable parts of the romance. We cannot pretend to believe in a hermit "of the Vallambrosan order," who addresses Dante after this fashion, "What the devil made him offend the black-robes ?" said the hermit, "A murrain take the fools who are everlastingly making the world uncomfortable !" " Fools !" said I; "they be arrant knaves! A pack of sour-visaged, groaning, moaning, disagreeable greedy-guts are those Franciscan Inquisitors !" Nor is this sort of thing much better :—" Oh, youth and loveliness, how witching are ye 1 Rare, and because rare, priceless! for who can com- mand ye, and hew brief, alas! your life !" &c.
Previous page
