Giovanni Battista Pamphili became Pope Innocent X in 1644. The rivalry between him and Cardinal Antonio Barberini is well documented.

The Church of the Capuchins, originally of St Mary of the Conception, stands next to Piazza Barberini at the end of Via Veneto.

Palazzo Cenci is only a short distance from Via di Tor Millina, on the other side of Piazza Navona. The Borghese Gardens, however, are much further away, in much the same direction as Kenyon’s studio. The suggestion is that Miriam has been delaying her meeting with Donatello, perhaps for the purposes of avoiding the model who haunts her step.

Beatrice Cenci became legendary after plotting with her brothers and mother to murder her father, Francesco Cenci, along with some of their servants. The plot to poison him failed, and so he was beaten and thrown from a high window in order to conceal the crime. The crime was discovered, and the conspirators were executed, Beatrice being beheaded. She is believed to haunt the bridge where she was executed, and has become a symbol of the people’s resistance against aristocratic arrogance.

In 1875, after his first year at Oxford, Wilde undertook a trip to Italy with his former professor from Trinity College, Dublin, Rev John Pentland Mahaffy. Their tour included Florence, Bologna, Venice, Padua, and Milan. The tour that might have ended in Rome was cut short by Wilde’s dearth of funds. The idea, however, did not leave Wilde. Having contemplated visiting the “Scarlet Woman” in the company of Oxford friends, Wilde eventually undertook the journey in 1877, after a wide-ranging trip, again with Mahaffy, including visits in late March to Genoa, Ravenna, Brindisi and Corfu. Tafani’s absence is unsurprising, given that Wilde was already in company, and that this trip ran into the start of the next Oxford term, a transgression for which Wilde was fined and rusticated.

This letter is sadly lost to us. No copy remains either from Wilde’s collection or from Tafani’s. Any response that Tafani might have made is also lost. The first exchange of letters available, hailing from Ravenna, is not reproduced here.

The word “relic” retains an important significance in Oxford Aestheticism.

It is amusing to speculate here as to whether Wilde may have in mind any of his contemporaries, although this chapter precedes by several months Ruskin’s criticism of Whistler (in his Fors Clavigera letter of July), and the subsequent libel case.

Wilde pokes here at the “tapestry effect” of the style of hanging paintings in many British galleries and museums of the early- and mid-nineteenth century. It was only with the work of Anna Jameson and Charles Lock Eastlake that the practices of such museums began to change, although Michael Field record in the 1890s still the ease with which a sought-out painting, such as a Giorgione, might be easily mistaken for another hung haphazardly near it in the National Gallery’s dimly lit chambers.

Although a lot has changed, "certain symbolic and rhetorical practices, notably the assertion and defence of authorship, and all the presumptive rights associated therewith, have remained center stage.

A king of ancient Britons during the Iron Age who ruled from 43-50 AD, his successful attempts at expansion are believed to be the catalyst for the Roman invasion of Britain (Hill).

Alfred the Great was king of the southern Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex and was known for social and educational reforms as well as military success. He is also the only English monarch known as "the Great" ("Alfred the Great").

Agricola was a Roman statesman and soldier that governed over Britain and conquered large areas of northern England, Scotland, and Wales ("Agricola").

Here, the narration refers to a “card”, which is more properly known as a calling card. A calling card -- or visiting card-- is defined as “a card bearing a person’s name and address, sent or left in lieu of a formal social or business visit; a visiting card” (OED). Originally a Parisian trend, these cards were either sent or left at a person’s place of residence to denote that acquaintance had formally visited while they were away or later intended to visit them (Robert Chambers, The Book of Days, np).

The Gothic novels that Isabella and Catherine were reading at this time would have used depicted the setting and architecture of the Abbey to reflect and enhance the dark and austere trend of the novels. (Lake, Crystal B. "Studies in English (The Rise of Gothic Literature)."

The Protestant Reformation began in 1517, with the German theologian, Martin Luther's, and his posting of the 95 Theses. According to him, all convents must be shut down, for a woman's true place is married and in the home with children. "Luther maintained that a woman who vows herself to virginity is 'blasphemes and despises God,' [...] the Reformers’ relegated women strictly to the home, where the husband or father did not have to share his authority with the confessor, the bishop, or the mother superior" (Charlotte Allen, The Holy Feminine).

"[...] letters were written on sheet[s] of paper that were folded and sealed [...] Envelopes were not used" (Jane Austen's World, Vic, "Letter Writing in Jane Austen’s Time").

“Modern capitalization patterns for this word only became well established during the 18th century” (OED).

“Originally: a female domestic servant, esp. one in charge of the reception rooms and bedrooms. Now more generally: a woman who is employed to perform various domestic tasks, esp. cleaning, in a person's home, a hotel, etc” (OED).

"1755 - Oct 18 : Bath Advertiser, Bath's second newspaper, founded to include 'Lists of the Nobility and Gentry resorting to the BATH'" (British Library).

"A book of maps showing the roads of a district or country, often having additional information of interest to travellers or motorists; (also formerly) a book describing particular roads or routes" (OED).

"The church house provided for a rector. Also (in later use): the house of any benefice member of the clergy of the Church of England; the residence of any minister of religion" (OED).

"A piece of land set aside for recreation and enjoyment, esp. one ornamented and laid out for this purpose" (OED). These were generally in the form of a garden attached to an estate, as below.

A type of lace, so called because it was primarily produced in Mechelen, Belgium. It was also produced in Antwerp and Brussels. It was very popular throughout the 18th century, but the "disappearance of lace ruffles before 1780 from women's sleeves, and the disappearance of the cravat and men's ruffles" seriously reduced its place in fashionable dress (http://belovedlinens.net/lace/Mechlin.html ).

An extension of the phrase a hackney horse, a "horse let out for hire; depreciatively, a sorry or worn out horse; a jade" (OED). 'Post-chaise' refers to a "horse-drawn, usually four-wheeled carriage (in Britain usually having a closed body, the driver or postilion riding on one of the horses) used for carrying mail and passengers, esp. in the 18th and early 19th centuries" (OED). Therefore, 'hack post-chaise' means that the entirety of the post-chaise was hired and not owned.

Access the collection, Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSi) 19th Century Historical Maps, at https://digital.ucd.ie/view/ucdlib:40377

See "View large scale 19th century Irish town and city maps," at RootsIreland.ie 2016-03-09.

The king, and "Royal Albany" Behn references is James II of England, whose title was Duke of Albany, among many others. He was the last Roman Catholic monarch to rule over the kingdoms of England, Ireland, and Scotland. He reigned from 1685 to 1688, when he was overthrown by the Glorious Revolution.

A woman who gathers, cultivates and/or sells oysters.

Oyster-women were associated with bawds, whores, and beggar women that took part in a 1637 riot in a church that made so much noise that it drowned out the service. They were described by a royalist newspaper as a carnivalesque mob.

This phrase refers to the practice of announcing one's intention to marry in the presence of church witnesses. These vows were considered to be binding, despite the couple not yet being joined in holy matrimony.

Thomas Bell (fl. 1573–1610) was an English Roman Catholic priest, who later denounced the faith and became an anti-Catholic writer and persecutor.

“Domestick Intelligence” refers to “Domestick Intelligence: Or News both from CIty and Country” an early local newspaper developed by Anti- Catholic, Pro-Whig publisher Benjamin Harris. In the context of this text, one in possesion of the “Domestick Intelligence” would have negative connotations placed upon him. (Wikipedia Online)

This two verse song by Aphra Behn would have been considered a "Scotch Jig". It was set to the tune of "Ah, Jenny Gin" (Ebsworth).

Sheet music published between 1719-20.

(National Library of Scotland)

This is a reference to the Little Ice Age, a time period roughly "between 1300 and 1870" when the winter climate of Europe and North America was significantly colder than that of the 20th century. (Environmental History Resources).

James II was Duke of York from 1644 and Duke of Albany from 1660 to his reign King of England in 1685. James II reigned until his death in 1688. He was the second surviving son of executed Charles I and Henrietta Maria of France. He was married to Anne Hyde from 1660 until her death in 1671. He remarried Mary of Modena in 1673 until his death. The Exclusion Crisis (1679-1681) attempted to exclude James II and Charles II, his brother, from the throne of England, Scotland, and Ireland because they were Roman Catholic, but the bill did not pass. He was the last Roman Catholic monarch to rule England, Scotland, and

Portrait of John Calvin by Hans Holbein the Younger

The correct spelling of the word is Huguenots. Huguenots were French Protestants and members of the Calvinist communion of France in the 16th and 17th century (OED).

A term for a 17th century Royalist; “a name given to those who fought on the side of Charles I in the war between him and the Parliament” (OED).

John III Sobieski was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1684 until his death in 1696. He married Marie Casimire Louise. He was named the “hero king” in Poland after deafeating the Ottomans.

Cosmetics coming from or used in Spain. (OED)

(A generic name for) a British private soldier; British private soldiers collectively. (OED)

A fool or simpleton; a foolish, conceited, showy person, vain of his accomplishments, appearance, or dress; a fop (OED).

A sort of hobgoblin (presumably in the shape of a bear) supposed to devour naughty children; hence, generally, any imaginary being invoked by nurses to frighten children; an object of dread. (OED)

A meeting secular or religious. (OED)

The distinctive dress or uniform provided for and worn by an official, retainer, or employee. (OED)

A character possibly crafted around a person at the time but no definitive information was found to support this.