And the prose itself, unlike his more serious prose in his letters and essays, is good, clear, and of an excellent style.

The time of the play is in the sixteenth century; but there is nothing in it which is special to that time: no scenery, no vivid pictures of street life, no distinct atmosphere of the period.

It might just as well be of the eighteenth or nineteenth century.

The character of Chiappino may be found in any provincial town.
This compound of envy, self-conceit, superficial cleverness and real silliness is one of our universal plagues, and not uncommon among the demagogues of any country.

And he contrasts him with Ogniben, the Pope's legate, another type, well known in governments, skilled in affairs, half mocking, half tolerant of the "foolish people," the alluring destroyer of all self-seeking leaders of the people.