Note 370 — Chapter IV · INTELLECTUAL INFLUENCE (Continued)

Castiglione, that arbiter of taste, devotes six pages of excellent Latin distiches to dissuade his lady from going to the sea-baths. He gives a charming description of the sea monsters which advance towards the girls, not only to fling them as food to the fishes, but to get them into their embrace, and so on. “Let us go rather,” he sighs, “towards the gentle river, in the thick shade, among the flowers. Perfumed, crowned with our favourite colours, we will let the water lave thy snowy feet, ... the zephyr will lay bare thy marble flanks.... O, dear soul of mine, the woodland gods will feel the sting of my love, the very water of the river will boil with my flame: let no one know whither we bend our steps! The crowd strips rocks and woods of their charm.... Let young scatterbrains go to the sea. We will be mum about the place whereto we are bound. And if on the billows thou hearest a murmur, ah! my love, at once bury thy head in my breast!”