. Old love stories retold. e liked better the name of mistress, oreven—let us say it — that of concubine orcourtesan: in the thought that the more I humbledmyself for you, the more I should win the rightto your good graces, and the less impaired theglorious renown of your genius. You yourself in writing that letter of consola-tion to a friend have not entirely forgotten thesesentiments of mine. You have not disdained torecall some of those reasons for which I did mybest to dissuade you from our fatal marriage, butyou have passed over in silence almost all thosewhich made me prefer love to marr
. Old love stories retold. e liked better the name of mistress, oreven—let us say it — that of concubine orcourtesan: in the thought that the more I humbledmyself for you, the more I should win the rightto your good graces, and the less impaired theglorious renown of your genius. You yourself in writing that letter of consola-tion to a friend have not entirely forgotten thesesentiments of mine. You have not disdained torecall some of those reasons for which I did mybest to dissuade you from our fatal marriage, butyou have passed over in silence almost all thosewhich made me prefer love to marriage, libertyto a chain. I take God to witness that if Augus-tus, master of the world, had deemed me worthyof the honour of his alliance, and assured me ofthe Empire of the universe for ever, the name ofcourtesan with thee would have seemed sweeterand nobler than the name of empress with him;for it is not riches, not power, that makes great-ness: riches and power arc things of fortune;greatness depends upon merit.[181].
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Keywords: ., bookauthorlegallie, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookyear1904
