BLUE BLOOD 139 



subject, extending from the Csesars to the Georges, 

 Dr. Paul Jacoby has felt justiiSed in laying it down 

 as a principle that the assumption of power by one 

 class over another is a crime unfailingly resented 

 and punished by nature.^ The degeneration of the 

 Caesars was terribly rapid and complete, beginning 

 unmistakably with Augustus, Eoman society as a 

 whole was at that time so corrupt, however, that the 

 Caesars may be taken rather as an example of family 

 than of class degeneracy, the conjunction of the gens 

 Julia and the gens Claudia in Caligula being an illus- 

 tration of the worst effects of consanguinity in promot- 

 ing weak-mindedness, depravity, and downright mania 

 In dealing with the modern dynasties of Europe, 

 Jacoby finds abundant material for supporting his 

 theory. The subject being one of some novelty and 

 importance, it may be well to indicate in a few words 

 the French writer's line of research, which has been 

 pursued with striking results by W. W. Ireland in 

 the case of the Eussian dynasty of the Romanoffs.^ 

 No reigning family would appear to be sound. 

 Passing over Jacoby's analysis of the various Savoy, 

 Spanish, and Portuguese dynasties — a uniform record 



^ Jacoby, Etudes sur la Selection dans scs Rapports avcc l'H6r6dit6 

 chez V Homme. 



* W. "W. Ireland, The Blot upon the Brain. 



