Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-12-15
EVENING STAR.
THR CENCI.

There are fow students of history who have
not pOndered with fascination full Of pain
the horrible episode Of Italian crime and cru
city involved in the fate of the lovely Cenci
1t is doubtful even if the eventful life Of Mary,
Queen Of Scots, has a point Of suoh fearful
attraction as is presented in her fate, and il is
therefore no matter of surprise that the poets
should have seized it and clothed it with &
splendor of fiction in which the :r#e incidents
have been obsoured or lost This is peculiarly
the case with the representation Of the facts
best known TO the general English reader
The Cenci' OF Shaiiey. The subject was
one peculiarly suited to the perverted moral
nature Of Shelley, and he made c.e IF il in
strict accordance with the worst features Of
his own character. An English writer on
Rome, Mr.. Whiteside, published some years
ago what is supposed to be the true story Of
Beatrice Cenci-s translation from an authen'
tic history of that lovely martyr. Speaking
of this account a recent letter from Rome
says:
1t is almost too narrowing to the feelings to
be read; but represents the heroine as inno-
cent Of the crime of parricide for which she
suffered. 1t is difficult to conceive Of such
human devil as Cenci, her unnatural father
is represented to have been; Borgia could
not mate him. But, though driven to mad
ness by his cfuslty, and the suspicion Of his
incestuOus passion, Beat-iee was neither de-
filed, nor goaded to murder Both her moral
and physical endurance was nothing short Of
miraculous; it was the injured exaspsrated
wife, her step mother, who alone melted the
assassination Of the monster.
Yet thc whole family-his wife, two sons
and his daughtcr-were executed together,
after having endured horrid tortures to wiring
from them all q confession Of participation in
decd, which enc al least OF the sVlcriDg &
party was ignorant of, until arrested on suS-
picion. So great was tho excitement of the
Roman p0pulace against the condemnation OF
Beatrice, that on her way 10 the scatfcld three
attempts wero made by concerted bands o:
yourg mon to rescue her from the officers
hands. On the eve Of the fatal day she sat
medltating her doom so intently, that for some
time she did not notice young man who had
bribcd the jailor to admit him In the cell, for
the purpose of making a sketch of her Her
| appearance at this moment is thus described ::
"Beatrlco had risen from her miserable pal
| let, but unlike the wretched inmate Of a dun
| geon, resembled q being from a brighter
sphere. Her largo brown eyes were of liquid
| sOftness, her forehead broad and clear. her
countenance Of angelic purity, mysteriously
beautiful. Around her head fold of white
muslin had been carelessly wrapped, from
whence in rich luxuriance fell her fair and
waving hair. Profound sorrow and recent
oOully anguish lnfaIleu an air OF tOucnlng
sensibility to her lovely features" Suddenly
turning, she discovered n stranger, seated,
with pencil and paper in hand, looking ear
nestly at her; it was Guido Roni. She de-
manded who he was and what he did there
The frank young artist told his name and OBJ
ject, when, after a moments hesitation, Beat
rice replied: "Signor Guido, your great anne
and my sad story may make my portrait in
teresting, and the picture will awaken CON.
passion If you write on one of its angles the
word innocent" Thus was birth given to an
inspired picture, which, to contemplate, is it.
self worth visit TO Rome; which, once seen,
haunts the memory as a supernatural mys.
tery-as the beautiful apparitiOn Of subIima-
ted suffering.