The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1839-09-04
SELECTED TALES.
THE YOUNG ITALIAN.
By WASHINGTON IRVING.

thef, my lather was ostentatious beyond his
means, and expended so much on his palace.
his equpage, and his retenue, that he was con-
tinually straitened in his peeuuary crcumstan-
ces. | was younger son, and looked upon
with indifference by my father, who. from a
principle Of family pride, wished TO leave all
his property TO my elder brother. | showed,
when quite child, an extreme sensibility.
Every thing effected me violently. While
yet an infant in my mothers arms, and before
! had learned TO talk, | could be wrought up
on TO wonderful degree of anguish or delight
by the power of music. AS ! grew older, my
feelings remained equally acute and was cas-
ly transported INTO paroXysms of pleasure or
rage IL was the amusement of nv relations
and of the domestlcs to play upon this irritable
temperament. | was moved TO tears, tckled
TO laughter, provoked TO fury, for the enter
talnment of company, who were amused by
such a tempest of mighty passion in a pigmy
trame-they little thought, or perhaps httle
needed the dangerous senslbiluies they were
fostering. | thus became little creature of
passion before reason was developed. In a short
time, ] grew too old TO be a playthng, and Then
] became a torment. The tricks and passions
| had been teased into became irksome, and
was disliked by my teachers for the very les
sons they had taught me. My mother died ;
and my power as spoiled child was at an end.
There was no longer any nccessity to humor
or tolerate me, for there was nothing TO be
gained by II, as | was no favorite of my father.
therefore experienced the fate of the spoiled
child IN such a situation, anG was neglected, or
noticed only to be crossed and conrradcted- -
Such was the early treatment of the heart.
which if can Judge of it at all, was naturally
disposed to the extremes of tenderness aud al
fectlon.
My father as ! have already said never liz
ed me-in fact he never understood me; he
looked upon me as wliul and wayward, as de6c-
lent in natural affection. Ii was the statclines,
/ OF ms own manner, the loftlness and grandeur
OF his own look, that had repelled me from his
arms, / always pictured him to myself as |
had seen him clad in his senatorial robes. rust-
ling with pomp and pride. The manniGcencc
OF his person had daunted my young imauina.
ton. | could never approach him with the
contdng affection of child.
My fathers feelings were wrapped m ~ N,
elder brother. lie was TO be the inherit or q
the family title and the family dignity, and eve
~ thing was sacrificed TO him. as well n
every thing else. 1t was determined to devot,
me to the church, SO that my humOrs and my
self, might be removed out Of the way, nehe
tasking my fathers time and trouble, or inter
ierng wlth the interests of my brother Al
an early age, therefore, before my mind had
dawned upon the world and lis delights oI
known anything of 1t beyond the precincts o
my fathers palace, | was sent to a convent
the superior OF which was my uncle, and was
confded entirely TO his care.
/ My uncle was man totally estranged from
/ the world he had never relished, for he had
never tasted, its pleasures; and he regarded
/ rigid sei-denlal as the great basis of Christian
virtue. He considered every ones tempcra.
ment like his own or at least he made them
conform to 1t. His character and habits had
an influence over the fraternity Of which he
was superor--a more gloomy, saturnine set o
beings were never assembled together The
convent, too, was calculated to awaken sad
and solitary thoughts. 1t was situated in a
gloomy gorge Of those mountains away south
Of Vesuylus. All distant views were shut out
| by sterile volcanic heights. A mountain
stream raved beneath It's walls, and eagles
screamed about its turrets.
! ] had been sent to this place at so tender an
age as soon to lose all distinct recollection o
the scenes ! had left behind As my mind ex.
| panded, therefore. it formed its idea Of the
world from the convent and its vicinity, and =
drcary world 1t appeared TO me. An early
tinge Of melancholy was thus infused into my
about devils and evil spirits, with which they
airIghted my young Imagination, gave me
tendency to superstition which could not ef
fectually shake off. They took the same de.
light TO work upon my ardent imagination, thai
had been 50 mischevously exercised by my
fathers household. ! can recollect the hor-
rors with which they fed my heated fancy dur
ing an eruption OF Mount Vesuylus. We were
distant from that volcanOe, with mountains be-
tween as: but its conyulsve throes shook the
solid foundations Of nature. Earthquake
threatened to topple down our convent towers.
4 lurId, baleful light hung IN the heavens al
night, and showers Of ashes borne by the WIND
fell IN our narrow valley. The monks talked
Of the earth being honey y-combed beneath US
Of streams of molten lava raging through IT,
veins Of caverns Of sulphurous flames roaring
IN the centre. the abodes Of demons and the
damned; Of fiery gulfs ready to yawn beneath
our feet. All these tales were told to the dole
iul accompaniment of the mountains thunder
whose low believing made the walls Of oU
convent yIbrate.
One Of the monks had been a painter, bu
had retired from the world. and embraced thi
dismal LIE IN expiation Of some crime. III
was melancholy man, who pursued his art u
the solitude OF his CELL bW made 1t a source 0
pendnce 10 Nun. iIs employment was 10 pOr
tray, either on canvass or 10 waxen models, thl
human face and human form, 10 the agonies o
death, and IN all the stages Of dissolution an,
decay. The federal Mysteries Of the charneI
house were unfoded in his labois. The loath
} some banquet Of the beetle aud worm. tuu
with sudderIng even from the recollection o
J his works, yet at the time, my strong but III
directed Imagination seized with ardor upoi
! his instructions 10 his art. Any thing was
: variety from the dry studies and noonotonoui
duties OF the cloister. la little while I BE-
came expert with my pencil. and my gloom,
J productions sers thought worthy Of decorating
! some OF the .l,srS Of ih. chapel.
; In this dismal way was a creature Of f,elinl
and fancy brought up. Every thing genial an,
smisDle 10 my nature was repressed, and moth
, Jog broueh, ont bat what was Improbable as'
] uugra.loDs. vas arden, IN my temperament