1903] Annunsio's Play "Francesco," 73 



his career proves this, and the only wonder is to find him in friendly 

 partnership with a man of honour like Arthur Balfour. Arthur, I 

 see, has just put Alfred Lyttelton into the Colonial Office, continuing 

 thus the tradition of what I call the ' Soul's Cabinet,' Milner having 

 refused. The appointment is amusing to those who know the femin- 

 ine side of things. St. John Brodrick, another of the set, goes to the 

 India Office in spite of his incapacity; the two, with George at the 

 Irish Office and Arthur, make up a Soul quartet at which one smiles. 

 And to think of all these fine gentlemen being hustled and brow- 

 beaten by that great . . . Joe of Birmingham. What a comedy! 



" 14th Oct. — Shot the Woodgaters beat with Dormer, Robert 

 Gregory, and Caffin, getting seventy-two pheasants. Young Gregory 

 is a distinctly good shot, and an extremely nice fellow. 



" 21st Oct. — With Dorothy to Annunzio's Italian play, Francesca 

 da Rimini, the chief part played by Duse. We found the play in- 

 tensely interesting, quite admirably acted, especially by the men; 

 the fourth act is I consider the finest dramatic conception, and 

 was the most finely executed of any I have ever seen on any stage. 

 As a rule I hate mediaeval plays, but this one has all the reality of a 

 thing of to-day, while it sacrifices nothing of the atrocity inseparable 

 from mediaeval Italy. It is the work of a great genius comparable to 

 that of Victor Hugo at his best, Corneille, Racine, and even Shakes- 

 peare. We were both deeply moved, and the impression was sus- 

 tained to the end. 



"22nd Oct. — George tells me he had great difficulty in evading 

 the War Office, which was thrust upon him in the recent Minis- 

 terial changes. ' But,' he said, ' I go on the Cromer principle of 

 sticking to one thing until it is done thoroughly, and I mean to 

 stick to Ireland. I could have had any place I liked, but I would 

 not move. He is now going to take up the Catholic University, 

 not that it is urgent, but as part of the programme, and because 

 the present will be a capital moment to start it when everyone 

 is busy with the preferential tariffs. ' I like,' he said, ' fishing in 

 troubled waters, but I shall not force the thing on. I must get 

 my colleagues to go with me.' I asked him how he was going to 

 endow it, whether he was going to take funds from Trinity College 

 or how ? He said, ' No, I never take anything from anybody, my 

 plan is always to give. I shall endow a Catholic University and a 

 Presbyterian University out of the public Funds, the money admittedly 

 due to Ireland. It will be a great thing to do both at once, because 

 then I shall split the religious interests into three, instead of as now 

 into only two, and shall always be able to get two with me against 

 the third. I asked him whether he is going to announce his scheme 

 at Dover where he is to speak to-morrow, and showed him the article 



