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Article THE ROSICRUCIAN. Page 1 of 5 →
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The Rosicrucian.
THE ROSICRUCIAN .
A TALE . " Florence fair eitv of that land , Where the poet ' s lip and painter ' s hand Are most divine . " L . E . L . A COURTLY throng were assembled ™ the halls of the Medici . Cosmo , the reigning Grand Duke loved to assemble around him the wit and
beauty of his sunny land ; like his ancestor , the magnificent Lorenzo , he was an enthusiastic admirer ofthe arts , and gloried more in the possession of the works of Praxiteles , Michael Angelo , Raphael , and Titian , together with the countless treasures which genius has bequeathed to immortality in the royal galleries of Florence , than in the ducal circlet , which proclaimed him sovereign of fair and fertile Tuscany . The monarch had just entered the great hallwhereon either sidethe
, , , pencils of Vasari and Cizoli , have recorded the principal events in the history of the line of merchant princes . Among the pictures most conspicuous , were the coronation of Cosmo the First , and the portraits ofthe twelve Florentines , sent at the same time by as many different states , ambassadors to Boniface the Eighth , an event not less singular in the history of diplomacy , than honourable to the city which gave them birth . As the prince passed round the apartment , now listening to the lays of
an improvisatrice , the wisdom of the philosopher , or the dangerous flattery of woman ' s praise , his eyes fell upon a young painter , whose rising talent had introduced him to his notice . The youthful artist , as he reclined against the pedestal which supported the unfinished victory of Buonaroti , was himself no uninteresting study for the art which he professed ; his face was of that pale intellectual character , which is frequently more interesting than mere abstract beauty—his hair worn after
, the fashion of his country , long , fell in dark masses from his ample forehead , and contrasted against the whiteness of his uncovered neck : so profound was his abstraction , that he perceived not the approach of his patron : his mind had wandered from the scene , and he stood as motionless as the statue beside him .
The attitude of the painter mighthave been deemed a study for effect , had not the blush ; and start , as the prince addressed him , indicated the total absence of artifice or affectation . " How , Andrea ! " exclaimed Cosmo , " dreaming , and in the presence of women ?—treason against the majesty of beauty , and beauty shall be your judge ; for , by my crown , I swear whate ' er the sentence of the ladies present , I will see it done , provided it be less than death , disgrace , and banishment courtfair dames
. A , , " continued Cosmo , gaily— " pronounce your judgment . " At the sound of the Grand Duke ' s voice , the loveliest daughters of Florence gathered round him , —some proposed a verse , some a picture others that he should reveal the name of the fair one whose frown dejected him ; but ere his fate could he decided , the Duchess , who had been lingering at the balcony to catch the last breeze from the golden
arno , approached the circle , and to her the painter ' s sentence was referred . "Let him confess his thoughts , " said the royal dame , whose pleasure was to read the human heart : " it is the fittest punishment . "
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Rosicrucian.
THE ROSICRUCIAN .
A TALE . " Florence fair eitv of that land , Where the poet ' s lip and painter ' s hand Are most divine . " L . E . L . A COURTLY throng were assembled ™ the halls of the Medici . Cosmo , the reigning Grand Duke loved to assemble around him the wit and
beauty of his sunny land ; like his ancestor , the magnificent Lorenzo , he was an enthusiastic admirer ofthe arts , and gloried more in the possession of the works of Praxiteles , Michael Angelo , Raphael , and Titian , together with the countless treasures which genius has bequeathed to immortality in the royal galleries of Florence , than in the ducal circlet , which proclaimed him sovereign of fair and fertile Tuscany . The monarch had just entered the great hallwhereon either sidethe
, , , pencils of Vasari and Cizoli , have recorded the principal events in the history of the line of merchant princes . Among the pictures most conspicuous , were the coronation of Cosmo the First , and the portraits ofthe twelve Florentines , sent at the same time by as many different states , ambassadors to Boniface the Eighth , an event not less singular in the history of diplomacy , than honourable to the city which gave them birth . As the prince passed round the apartment , now listening to the lays of
an improvisatrice , the wisdom of the philosopher , or the dangerous flattery of woman ' s praise , his eyes fell upon a young painter , whose rising talent had introduced him to his notice . The youthful artist , as he reclined against the pedestal which supported the unfinished victory of Buonaroti , was himself no uninteresting study for the art which he professed ; his face was of that pale intellectual character , which is frequently more interesting than mere abstract beauty—his hair worn after
, the fashion of his country , long , fell in dark masses from his ample forehead , and contrasted against the whiteness of his uncovered neck : so profound was his abstraction , that he perceived not the approach of his patron : his mind had wandered from the scene , and he stood as motionless as the statue beside him .
The attitude of the painter mighthave been deemed a study for effect , had not the blush ; and start , as the prince addressed him , indicated the total absence of artifice or affectation . " How , Andrea ! " exclaimed Cosmo , " dreaming , and in the presence of women ?—treason against the majesty of beauty , and beauty shall be your judge ; for , by my crown , I swear whate ' er the sentence of the ladies present , I will see it done , provided it be less than death , disgrace , and banishment courtfair dames
. A , , " continued Cosmo , gaily— " pronounce your judgment . " At the sound of the Grand Duke ' s voice , the loveliest daughters of Florence gathered round him , —some proposed a verse , some a picture others that he should reveal the name of the fair one whose frown dejected him ; but ere his fate could he decided , the Duchess , who had been lingering at the balcony to catch the last breeze from the golden
arno , approached the circle , and to her the painter ' s sentence was referred . "Let him confess his thoughts , " said the royal dame , whose pleasure was to read the human heart : " it is the fittest punishment . "