Though Papillon’s long-lost manuscript, containing the whole account of the works of the Cunio and notices of other old books of engravings, consisted of only three sheets of letter-paper, yet the history alone of the learned, beautiful, and amiable twins, which Turine the grandson caused to be written out as he had heard it from his father, occupies in Papillon’s book four long octavo pages of thirty-eight lines each. To assume that his long-lost manuscript consisted of brief notes which he afterwards wrote out at length from memory, would at once destroy any validity that his account might be supposed to possess; for he states that he had lost those papers for upwards of thirty five years, and had entirely forgotten their contents. Without troubling myself to transcribe the whole of this choice morsel of French Romance concerning the history of the “amiable twins” Cunio,--the surprising beauty, talents, and accomplishments of the maiden,--the early death of herself and her lover,--the heroism of the youthful knight, Alexander Alberic Cunio, displayed when only fourteen years old,--I shall give a brief abstract of some of the passages which seem most important to the present inquiry.[I-39] [Footnote I-39: Readers of French romances will find the tale of the Cunio at p. 89, tom. i. of Papillon’s “Traité de la Gravure en Bois,” or at p. 17, vol. i. of Mr. Ottley’s “History of Engraving.”] From this narrative,--which Papillon informs us was written in a much better hand, though also in Swiss characters, and with much blacker ink than Turine the grandson’s own memorandum,--we obtain the following particulars: The Count de Cunio, father of the twins, was married to their mother, a noble maiden of Verona and a relation of Pope Honorius IV. without the knowledge of their parents, who, on discovering what had happened, caused the marriage to be annulled, and the priest by whom it was celebrated to be banished. The divorced wife, dreading the anger of her own father, sought an asylum with one of her aunts, under whose roof she was brought to bed of twins. Though the elder Cunio had compelled his son to espouse another wife, he yet allowed him to educate the twins, who were most affectionately received and cherished by their father’s new wife. The children made astonishing progress in the sciences, more especially the girl Isabella, who at thirteen years of age was regarded as a prodigy; for she understood, and wrote with correctness, the Latin language; she composed excellent verses, understood geometry, was acquainted with music, could play on several instruments, and had begun to design and to paint with correctness, taste, and delicacy. Her brother Alberic, of a beauty as ravishing as his sister’s, and one of the most charming youths in Italy, at the age of fourteen could manage the great horse, and understood the practice of arms and all other exercises befitting a young man of quality. He also