The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1856-12-11

THE CENcL-Thsrs are few students of history
VINO nave not pondered with fascination fuli OF
psin sns horrible episode Of Italian crime and cru.
city involved In the fate Of the lovely Beatrice
Oenci. 1t ID doubtful even Il the eventful life Of
Mary Queen Of Scots, has point Of such fearful
a"raction - 10 presented In her fate, and Il 10
therefore no matter Of surprise that the poets
should have seized 1t and clothed Il with . snlen.
dor OF fiction In which the true incidents h.ve b.eu
ohscured or lost. This is peculiarly the case with
'oe representation OF the facts best known 70 the
general English reader, "The Cenci" of Shelley
The subject was one peculiarly suited to the per.
verted moral nature of Shelley, and be made q use
OF Il In strict accordance with the worst features
Of his own character. An English writer on Rome.
Mr.. Whiteside, published some years ago what ia
supposed to be the true story of Beatrice Ceuci-
atranslation from an authentic history of that love-
ly martyr. Speaking of this account a recent lat.
ter from Romsssays:
Itis almost too narrowing to the feelings to be
read but represents the heroine as innocent of the
crime Of parricide for which she suffered II i.
difficult to conceive of such human devil as Cen
ci, her unnatural father is represented to have
been; Borgia could not mate him But. Though
driven to.madness by his cruelty, and the suspi
cion OF bis incestuous passion, Beatrice was Meth
and physical endurance was nothing short of mi
racrlous; 1t was the injured exasperated wife her
step mother, who alone melted the assassination
OF the monster,
Yet the whole fsmilv-his wife two sons and
his daughter-were executed together, after hay.
ing endured horrid tortures to wiring from them
all confession of participation in deed, which
one at least OF the suffering party was ignorant
OF, till arrested on suspicion. SO grest was the
excitement OF the Roman populace against the
condemnation of Beatrice, that ousher way to the
scafold three attempts were made by concerted
bands OF young men 10 rescue her from the Off
GERS hands. On the eve of the fatal day she sat
meditating her doom so intently, that for some
time she did not notice young man who had brib-
ed the aor to admit him into the CELL for the pur.
pose Of making . sketch Of her. Her appearance
at this moment is thus described: Beatrice had
risen from her miserable pallet, but, unlike the
wretched inmate of q dungeon, resembled being
from brighter sphere. Her large brown eyes
were of liquid softness, her forehead broad and
ously beautiful. Around her head fold of white
muslin had been carelessly wrapped. from whencs
10 rich luxuriance fell her fair and waving hair
Profound sorrow and recent bodily anguish i'm.
parted an air of touching sensibility to her lovely
features" Suddenly turning, she discovered .
stranger, seated, with pencil and paper in hand,
looking earnestly at her; it was Guido Reni She
demanded who he was and what he did there
The frank young artist told his name and object,
when, after . moments hesitation, Beatrice re
piled: "SigHor Guido, your great name and my
sad story may make my portrait interesting, and
the picture will awaken compassion if you write
on one Of its angles the word innocent" Thus
contemplate, Is itself worth visit to Rome; which,
once seen, haunts the memory as a supernatural
mystery-as the beautiful apparition Of sublma-
ted suffering.