434 THE BORDERLAND OF SCIENCE. 



piece of old parchment about eleven inches by three, 

 containing, in very old writing, nearly the same words 

 which M. Bach had written, and signed Henry. This 

 parchment was taken to the Bibliotheque Imperials 

 and submitted to experienced antiquarians, and was 

 pronounced to be an undoubtedly genuine autograph 

 of Henry III.' 



'This is the story,' says Prof. Wallace, and pro- 

 ceeds to dwell on the care with which Mr. Owen, who- 

 narrates it (in The Debatable Land between this World 

 and the Next), had examined all the details. ' Not 

 content with ascertaining these facts at first hand, and 

 obtaining photographs of the spinet and parchment' (!) 

 c of both of which he gives good representations, 

 Mr. Owen sets himself to hunt up historical confirma- 

 tion of the story, and after much research and many 

 failures, he finds that Baltasarini was an Italian 

 musician, who came to France in 1577, and was in 

 great favour with Henry III.; that the King was- 

 passionately attached to Marie de Cleves, who became 

 wife of the Prince de Conde, and that several of the 

 allusions to her in the verses corresponded to what was 

 known of her history. Other minuter details were 

 found to be historically accurate.' (In other words 

 4 the bricks are alive this day to testify it ; therefore, 

 deny it not.') ' Mr. Owen also carefully discusses the 

 nature of the evidence, the character of the persons 

 concerned, and the possibility of deception. M. Bach 

 is an old man of high character ; and to suppose that 



