Yet so far, at any rate, in spite of many opportunities, he had not succeeded although he was now a man of more than thirty.

The causes of his failures were various, but at the bottom of them lay his lack of stability and genuineness.
A man who is always playing a part amuses every one but convinces nobody.

Montalvo convinced nobody.

When he discoursed on the mysteries of religion with priests, even priests who in those days for the most part were stupid, felt that they assisted in a mere intellectual exercise.

When his theme was war his audience guessed that his object was probably love.