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The Duke's Prize; a Story of Art and Heart in Florence By: Maturin Murray Ballou (1820-1895) |
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THE DUKE'S PRIZE. A STORY OF ART AND HEART IN FLORENCE. BY LIEUTENANT MURRAY. NEW YORK:
PREFACE. THE scenes of the following story are laid in Italy, that land of
the sun. They are designed to impress a goodly moral, as well as to
amuse the reader to show that patience and perseverance will conquer
all things and that a poor coat may cover a rich heart. The reader
will find also herein, that love raises the humblest; and that true
merit, like true genius, tramples upon misfortunes; and that "some
falls are means the happier to rise."
THE DUKE'S PRIZE. CHAPTER I. FLORENCE. Lend thy serious hearing to what I shall unfold. Hamlet. COME with me, gentle reader, on the wings of fancy into the mild and
genial latitude of the Tyrrhenian Sea. The delightful region of the
Mediterranean has been the poet's ready theme for ages; then let us
thitherward, with high hopes (and appreciating eyes) to enjoy the
storied scenery of its shores. Touch, if you will, at Gibraltar; see
how the tide flows through the straits! We go in with a flowing
sail, and now we are at Corsica, Napoleon's home. Let us stop at
Sardinia, with its wealth of tropical fruits; and we will even down
to Sicily, for this mimic ocean teems with subjects to delight the
eye even of the most casual observer, with its majestic boundary of
Alps and Apennines, and the velvet carpet of its romantic shores,
while its broad breast is dotted with the sails of the picturesque
craft whose rig is peculiar to these seas. It were worth the journey we have taken, if only to behold the
curious maritime scene before us now made up of the felucca, the
polacre, and the bombard, or ketch all equally unknown in our own
waters. Well, on with us still; let us up again and new through the canal of
Piombino, touching at the isle of Elba, the "Great Emperor's" mimic
domain; step into the town lying beneath this rocky bluff; which is
crowned by a fort it is Porto Ferrajo. Look off for a moment from
this rocky eminence, back of the town, and see the wild beauty of
these Tuscan mountains on the main land. Now, we will over to the
Italian coast, and cross, if you will, from Leghorn to Florence.
There, we are now in the very lap of genius and of poetry; let us
pause here and breathe the dreamy, soothing, balmy air of Italy. Florence, most favored daughter of Italy, sweet, sunny Florence,
where dwelleth the gallantry and beauty of Tuscany, with thy wealth
of architectural beauty, thy magnificent churches and palaces, thy
princely court and hoarded beauties favorite of that genial land, we
greet thee! How peacefully dost thou lay at the very foot of the
cloud topped Apennines, divided by the mountain born Arno in its
course to the sea, and over whose bosom the architectural genius of
the land is displayed in arched bridges; loveliest and best beloved
art thou of sunny, vine clad Italy. The poetical luxury of Italian genius is nowhere more plainly
manifested than in Florence. 'Tis the artist's favorite resort and
best school; 'tis the city the traveller likes least to turn his
back upon; and the spot being consecrated by poetry and art, where
the blood flows quickest through the veins, warmed by a fervid and
glowing clime. A clime which breathes in zephyrs of aromatic
sweetness, wafted over the fragrant blossoms of the land so redolent
of loveliness, that they would seem to rival the fabled Loto tree,
which springs by Allah's throne, and whose flowers have a soul in
every leaf. There is a breathing of the arts in the very air of Florence, whose
galleries are crowded with the choicest collections of paintings and
statuary in the world. Here have ever congregated the talent and
beauty of every clime. With the painter, the poet, the sculptor,
here sleep, in the city of the silent, Michael Angelo, Alfieri, and
like spirits, rendering it hallowed ground to the lovers of art.
Proud and lovely city, with thy sylvan Casino spreading its riches
of green sward and noble trees along the banks of the silvery Arno,
well may a Florentine be proud of his birthplace! It is in Florence, this very paradise of art, that our tale opens... Continue reading book >>
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