o Cesare Borgia, drawing upon their imagination to fill up the
lacunae in the story so as to support their point of view.

Those lacunae, however, are invested with a certain eloquence which it
is well not to disregard. Admitting that the construing of silence into
evidence is a dangerous course, all fraught with pitfalls, yet it seems
permissible to pose the following questions:

If the revelation of the circumstances under which she was found, the
revelations contained in her letters to the Senate, and the revelations
which one imagines must have followed her return to her husband, confirm
past rumours and convict Cesare of the outrage, how does it happen that
Sanuto--who has never failed to record anything that could tell against
Cesare--should be silent on the matter? And how does it happen that so
many pens that busied themselves greedily with scandal that touched the
Borgias should be similarly silent? Is it unreasonable to infer that
those revelations did not incriminate him--that they gave the lie to all
the rumours that had been current? If that is not the inference, then
what is?

It is further noteworthy that on January 16--after Dorotea's letter to
the Senate giving the details of her misfortunes, which details Sanuto
has suppressed--Diego Ramires, the real and known abductor, is still the
object of a hunt set afoot by some Venetians. Would that be the case had
her revelations shown Ramires to be no more than the duke's instrument?
Possibly; but not probably. In such a case he would not have been worth
the trouble of pursuing.

Reasonably may it be objected: How, if Cesare was not guilty, does it
happen that he did not carry out his threat of doing exemplary justice
upon Ramires when taken--since Ramires obviously lay in his power for
years after the event? The answer to that you will find in the lady's
reluctance to return to Caracciolo, and the tale it tells. It is not
in the least illogical to assume that, when Cesare threatened that
vengeance upon Ramires for the outrage which it was alleged had been
committed, he fully intended to execute it; but that, upon taking
Ramires, and upon discovering that here was no such outrage as had been
represented, but just the elopement of a couple of lovers, he found
there was nothing for him to avenge. Was it for Cesare Borgia to set up
as a protector and avenger of cuckolds? Rather would it be in keeping
with the feelings of his age and race to befriend the fugiti