Maturin’s writings fall into three periods.  Of his three early novels, The Fatal Revenge or The Family of Montorio (1807), The Wild Irish Boy (1808) and The Milesian Chief (1812), the first only is a tale of horror. The Wild Irish Boy is a domestic story, and forms a suitable companion for Lady Morgan’s Wild Irish Girl. The Milesian Chief is a historical novel, and is now chiefly remembered on account of the likeness of the opening chapters to Scott’s Bride of Lammermoor (1819).  After the publication of these novels, Maturin turned his attention to the stage.  His first tragedy, Bertram (1816), received the encouragement of Scott and Byron.  The character of Bertram is modelled on that of Schiller’s robber-chief, Karl von Moor, who captivated the imagination of Coleridge himself, and who is reflected in Osorio and perhaps in Mrs. Radcliffe’s villains.  The action of the melodrama moves swiftly, and abounds in the “moving situations” Maturin loved to handle. Bertram was succeeded in 1817 by Manuel, and in 1819 by Fredolfo.  Meanwhile Maturin had returned to novel-writing. Women, or Pour et Contre, with its lifelike sketches of Puritanical society and clever characterisation, appeared in 1818, and was favourably reviewed by Scott.[59] Melmoth the Wanderer, Maturin’s masterpiece, was published in 1820, and was succeeded in 1824 by his last work, The Albigenses, a historical romance, following Scott’s design rather than that of Mrs. Radcliffe.

In reviewing The Family of Montorio, Scott prudently attempted only a brief survey of the plot, and forsook Maturin’s sequence of events.  In his sketch the outline of the story is comparatively clear.  In the novel itself we wander, bewildered, baffled and distracted through labyrinthine mazes.  No Ariadne awaits on the threshold with the magic ball of twine to guide us through the complicated windings.  We stumble along blind alleys desperately retracing our weary steps, and, after stumbling alone and unaided to the very end, reach the darkly concealed clue when it has ceased to be either of use or of interest to us.  Many an adventurer must have lain down, dispirited and exhausted, without ever reaching his distant and elusive goal.  Disentangled and simplified almost beyond recognition, the story runs thus:  In 1670, Count Orazio and his younger brother are the sole representatives of the family of Montorio.  Orazio has married Erminia di Vivaldi, whom he loves devotedly.  She does not return his love.  The younger brother determines to take advantage of this circumstance to gain the title and estates for himself, and succeeds in arousing Orazio’s jealousy against a young officer, Verdoni, to whom Erminia had formerly been deeply attached.  In a violent passion Orazio slays Verdoni before the eyes of Erminia, who falls dead at his feet.  This part of his design accomplished, the younger