A PERSISTENT NATIONALITY. 2?3 



It would be a curious question to inquire how far 

 these old and ingrained Etruscan ideas may have helped 

 to modify and colour the gentler conceptions of primitive 

 Christianity. Certainly, one must never for a moment 

 forget that Borne was at bottom nearly one-half Etruscan 

 in character ; that during the imperial period it became, 

 in fact, the capital of Etruria ; that myriads of Etruscans 

 nocked to Eome ; and that many of them, like Sejanus, 

 had much to do with moulding and building up the 

 imperial system. I do not doubt, myself, that Etruscan 

 notions large interwove themselves, from the very outset, 

 with Eoman Christianity ; and whenever in the churches 

 or galleries of Italy I see St. Lawrence frying on his 

 gridiron, or St. Sebastian pierced through with many 

 arrows, or the Innocents being massacred in unpleasant 

 detail, or hell being represented with Dantesque minute- 

 ness and particularity of delineation, I say to myself, 

 with an internal smile, ' Etruscan influence.' 



How interesting it is, too, to observe the constant out- 

 crop, under all forms and faiths, of this strange, under- 

 lying, non-Aryan type ! The Etruscans are and always 

 were remarkable for their intellect, their ingenuity, their 

 artistic faculty ; and even to this day, after so many 

 vicissitudes, they stand out as a wholly superior people 

 to the rough Genoese and the indolent Neapolitans. 

 They have had many crosses of blood meanwhile, of 

 course ; and it seems probable that the crosses have done 

 them good : for in ancient times it was Eome, the 

 Etrurianised border city oi' the Latins, that rose to great- 

 ness, not Etruria itself ; and at a later date, it was after 

 the Germans had mingled their race with Italy that 



T 



