who　had　seen　and　suffered。　　The　old　gentleman　seemed　alone　in　the
  world；　nor　did　I　know　that　he　had　one　relation；　till　his
  executor；　a　distant　cousin；　residing　abroad；　informed　me　of　the
  very　handsome　legacy　which　my　poor　friend　had　bequeathed　me。
  This　consisted；　first；　of　a　sum　about　which　I　think　it　best　to　be
  guarded；　foreseeing　the　possibility　of　a　new　tax　upon　real　and
  funded　property；　and；　secondly；　of　certain　precious　manuscripts；
  to　which　the　following　volumes　owe　their　existence。
  I　imagine　I　trace　this　latter　bequest　to　a　visit　I　paid　the　Sage；
  if　so　I　may　be　permitted　to　call　him；　a　few　weeks　before　his
  death。
  Although　he　read　little　of　our　modern　literature；　my　friend；　with
  the　affable　good…nature　which　belonged　to　him；　graciously
  permitted　me　to　consult　him　upon　various　literary　undertakings
  meditated　by　the　desultory　ambition　of　a　young　and　inexperienced
  student。　　And　at　that　time　I　sought　his　advice　upon　a　work　of
  imagination；　intended　to　depict　the　effects　of　enthusiasm　upon
  different　modifications　of　character。　　He　listened　to　my
  conception；　which　was　sufficiently　trite　and　prosaic；　with　his
  usual　patience；　and　then；　thoughtfully　turning　to　his
  bookshelves；　took　down　an　old　volume；　and　read　to　me；　first；　in
  Greek；　and　secondly；　in　English；　some　extracts　to　the　following
  effect：
  〃Plato　here　expresses　four　kinds　of　mania；　by　which　I　desire　to
  understand　enthusiasm　and　the　inspiration　of　the　gods：　　Firstly；
  the　musical；　secondly；　the　telestic　or　mystic；　thirdly；　the
  prophetic；　and　fourthly；　that　which　belongs　to　love。〃
  The　author　he　quoted；　after　contending　that　there　is　something　in
  the　soul　above　intellect；　and　stating　that　there　are　in　our
  nature　distinct　energies；by　the　one　of　which　we　discover　and
  seize；　as　it　were；　on　sciences　and　theorems　with　almost　intuitive
  rapidity；　by　another；　through　which　high　art　is　accomplished；
  like　the　statues　of　Phidias；proceeded　to　state　that
  〃enthusiasm；　in　the　true　acceptation　of　the　word；　is；　when　that
  part　of　the　soul　which　is　above　intellect　is　excited　to　the　gods；
  and　thence　derives　its　inspiration。〃
  The　author；　then　pursuing　his　comment　upon　Plato；　observes；　that
  〃one　of　these　manias　may　suffice　（especially　that　which　belongs
  to　love）　to　lead　back　the　soul　to　its　first　divinity　and
  happiness；　but　that　there　is　an　intimate　union　with　them　all；　and
  that　the　ordinary　progress　through　which　the　soul　ascends　is；
  primarily；　through　the　musical；　next；　through　the　telestic　or
  mystic；　thirdly；　through　the　prophetic；　and　lastly；　through　the
  enthusiasm　of　love。〃
  While　with　a　bewildered　understanding　and　a　reluctant　attention　I
  listened　to　these　intricate　sublimities；　my　adviser　closed　the
  volume；　and　said　with　complacency；　〃There　is　the　motto　for　your
  book；the　thesis　for　your　theme。〃
  〃Davus　sum；　non　Oedipus；〃　said　I；　shaking　my　head；
  discontentedly。　　〃All　this　may　be　exceedingly　fine；　but；　Heaven
  forgive　me；I　don't　understand　a　word　of　it。　　The　mysteries　of
  your　Rosicrucians；　and　your　fraternities；　are　mere　child's　play
  to　the　jargon　of　the　Platonists。〃
  〃Yet；　not　till　you　rightly　understand　this　passage；　can　you
  understand　the　higher　theories　of　the　Rosicrucians；　or　of　the
  still　nobler　fraternities　you　speak　of　with　so　much　levity。〃
  〃Oh；　if　that　be　the　case；　I　give　up　in　despair。　　Why　not；　since
  you　are　so　well　versed　in　the　matter；　take　the　motto　for　a　book
  of　your　own？〃
  〃But　if　I　have　already　composed　a　book　with　that　thesis　for　its
  theme；　will　you　prepare　it　for　the　public？〃
  〃With　the　greatest　pleasure；〃　said　I；alas；　too　rashly！
  〃I　shall　hold　you　to　your　promise；〃　returned　the　old　gentleman；
  〃and　when　I　am　no　more；　you　will　receive　the　manuscripts。　　From
  what　you　say　of　the　prevailing　taste　in　literature；　I　cannot
  flatter　you　with　the　hope　that　you　will　gain　much　by　the
  undertaking。　　And　I　tell　you　beforehand　that　you　will　find　it　not
  a　little　laborious。〃
  〃Is　your　work　a　romance？〃
  〃It　is　a　romance；　and　it　is　not　a　romance。　　It　is　a　truth　for
  those　who　can　comprehend　it；　and　an　extravagance　for　those　who
  cannot。〃
  At　last　there　arrived　the　manuscripts；　with　a　brief　note　from　my
  deceased　friend；　reminding　me　of　my　imprudent　promise。
  With　mournful　interest；　and　yet　with　eager　impatience；　I　opened
  the　packet　and　trimmed　my　lamp。　　Conceive　my　dismay　when　I　found
  the　whole　written　in　an　unintelligible　cipher。　　I　present　the
  reader　with　a　specimen：
  （Several　strange　characters。）
  and　so　on　for　nine　hundred　and　forty　mortal　pages　in　foolscap。　　I
  could　scarcely　believe　my　eyes：　　in　fact；　I　began　to　think　the
  lamp　burned　singularly　blue；　and　sundry　misgivings　as　to　the
  unhallowed　nature　of　the　characters　I　had　so　unwittingly　opened
  upon；　coupled　with　the　strange　hints　and　mystical　language　of　the
  old　gentleman；　crept　through　my　disordered　imagination。
  Certainly；　to　say　no　worse　of　it；　the　whole　thing　looked　UNCANNY！
  I　was　about；　precipitately；　to　hurry　the　papers　into　my　desk；
  with　a　pious　determination　to　have　nothing　more　to　do　with　them；
  when　my　eye　fell　upon　a　book；　neatly　bound　in　blue　morocco；　and
  which；　in　my　eagerness；　I　had　hitherto　overlooked。　　I　opened　this
  volume　with　great　precaution；　not　knowing　what　might　jump　out；
  andguess　my　delightfound　that　it　contained　a　key　or
  dictionary　to　the　hieroglyphics。　　Not　to　weary　the　reader　with　an
  account　of　my　labours；　I　am　contented　with　saying　that　at　last　I
  imagined　myself　capable　of　construing　the　characters；　and　set　to
  work　in　good　earnest。　　Still　it　was　no　easy　task；　and　two　years
  elapsed　before　I　had　made　much　progress。　　I　then；　by　way　of
  experiment　on　the　public；　obtained　the　insertion　of　a　few
  desultory　chapters；　in　a　periodical　with　which；　for　a　few　months；
  I　had　the　honour　to　be　connected。　　They　appeared　to　excite　more
  curiosity　than　I　had　presumed　to　anticipate；　and　I　renewed；　with
  better　heart；　my　laborious　undertaking。　　But　now　a　new　misfortune
  befell　me：　　I　found；　as　I　proceeded；　that　the　author　had　made　two
  copies　of　his　work；　one　much　more　elaborate　and　detailed　than　the
  other；　I　had　stumbled　upon　the　earlier　copy；　and　had　my　whole
  task　to　remodel；　and　the　chapters　I　had　written　to　retranslate。
  I　may　say　then；　that；　exclusive　of　intervals　devoted　to　more
  pressing　occupations；　my　unlucky　promise　cost　me　the　toil　of
  several　years　before　I　could　bring　it　to　adequate　fulfilment。
  The　task　was　the　more　difficult；　since　the　style　in　the　original
  is　written　in　a　kind　of　rhythmical　prose；　as　if　the　author
  desired　that　in　some　degree　his　work　should　be　regarded　as　one　of
  poetical　conception　and　design。　　To　this　it　was　not　possible　to
  do　justice；　and　in　the　attempt　I　have　doubtless　very　often　need
  of　the　reader's　indulgent　consideration。　　My　natural　respect　for
  the　old　gentleman's　vagaries；　with　a　muse　of　equivocal　character；
  must　be　my　only　excuse　whenever　the　language；　without　luxuriating
  into　verse；　borrows　flowers　scarcely　natural　to　prose。　　Truth
  compels　me　also　to　confess；　that；　with　all　my　pains；　I　am　by　no
  means　sure　that　I　have　invariably　given　the　true　meaning　of　the
  cipher；　nay；　that　here　and　there　either　a　gap　in　the　narrative；
  or　the　sudden　assumption　of　a　new　cipher；　to　which　no　key　was
  afforded；　has　obliged　me　to　resort　to　interpolations　of　my　own；
  no　doubt　easily　discernible；　but　which；　I　flatter　myself；　are　not
  inharmonious　to　the　general　design。　　This　confession　leads　me　to
  the　sentence　with　which　I　shall　conclude：　　If；　reader；　in　this
  book　there　be　anything　that　pleases　you；　it　is　certainly　mine；
  but　whenever　you　come　to　something　you　dislike；lay　the　blame
  upon　the　old　gentleman！
  London；　January；　1842。
  N。B。The　notes　appended　to　the　text　are　sometimes　by　the　author；
  sometimes　by　the　editor。　　I　have　occasionally　（but　not　always）
  marked　the　distinction；　where；　however；　this　is　omitted；　the
  ingenuity　of　the　reader　will　be　rarely　at　fault。
  ZANONI。
  BOOK　I。
  THE　MUSICIAN。
  Due　Fontane
  Chi　di　diverso　effeto　hanno　liquore！
  〃Ariosto；　Orland。　Fur。〃　Canto　1。7。
  （Two　Founts
  That　hold　a　draught　of　different　effects。）
  CHAPTER　1。I。
  Vergina　era
  D'　alta　belta；　ma　sua　belta　non　cura：
  。。。
  Di　natura；　d'　amor；　de'　cieli　amici
  Le　negligenze　sue　sono　artifici。
  〃Gerusal。　Lib。；〃　canto　ii。　xiv。…xviii。
  （She　was　a　virgin　of　a　glorious　beauty；　but　regarded　not　her
  beauty。。。Negligence　itself　is　art　in　those　favoured　by　Nature；　by
  love；　and　by　the　heavens。）
  At　Naples；　in　the　latter　half　of　the　last　century；　a　worthy
  artist　named　Gaetano　Pisani　lived　and　flourished。　　He　was　a
  musician　of　great　genius；　but　not　of　popular　reputation；　there
  was　in　all　his　compositions　something　capricious　and　fantastic
  which　did　not　please　the　taste　of　the　Dilettanti　of　Naples。　　He
  was　fond　of　unfamiliar　subjects　into　which　he　introduced　airs　and
  symphonies　that　excited　a　kind　of