ABSTRACT
The evanescent Italy of the Prince is introduced almost by apology. He is first seen in Bond Street, surrounded by the goods of the world, meditating on imperium. A touch of the flaÃneur is revealed as he glances at shops and passers-by, while waiting for an appointment. His thought is largely undirected, but we are aware that he finds himself in that truer imperium which is to be found by London Bridge or Hyde Park Corner than by the Colosseum or the Palatine. Another imperium lying in wait is slowly unfolded. If Gore Vidal finds the Prince the most sympathetic of the characters, and others find him irritating or off-putting, it is a tribute to James's extraordinary power in creating conviction out of such improbable elements.
