Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1857-01-17
The Cenci.

There are few students of history who
have not pondered with fascination full
of pain the horrible episode of Italian
crime and cruelty involved in the fate of
the lovely Beatrice Cenci It is doubtful
even if the eventful life Of Mary, Queen
Of Scots. has q point of such fearful at
traction as is presented in her fate, and
it is therefore no matter of surprise that
the poets should have seized it and clothed
it with a splendor of fiction in which the
true incidents have been obscured or lost.
This is peculiarly the case with the re-
presentation of the facts best known to
the general English reader, The Cenci' of
Shelley. The subject was one peculiarly
suited to the perverted moral nature of
Shelley, and he made use of it in strict
accordance with the worst features Of his
own character. An English writer on
Rome, MIR. Whiteside, published some
years ago what is supposed to be she true
story of Beatrice Cenci, translation from
an authentic history ofthat lovery martyr.
Speaking of this account recent letter
from Rome says:
1t is almost too narrowing to the fee
lings to be read; but represents the heroine
as innocent of the crime of parricide for
which she suffered. 1t is difficult to con-
ceive of such human devil as Cenci, her
unnatural father is represented to have
been; Borgia could not mate him But,
though driven to madness by his cruelty,
and the suspicion of his incestuous pas
sion, Beatrice was neither defled, nor
goaded to murder. Both her moral and
physical endurance was nothing short of
miraculous; it was the injured exasperated
wife, her step-mother, who alone melted
the assassination of the monster.
Yet the whole family, his wife, two sons
and his daughter, were executed together
after having endured horrid tortures to
wiring from them all confession of par
ticipation in deed which one, at least, of
the suffering party was ignorant of, till
arrested on suspicion. So great was the
excitement ofthe Roman populace against
the condemnation Of Beatrice, that, on
her way to the scafioId, three attempts
were made by concerted bands of young
men to rescue her from the officers hands.
On the eve of the fatal day, she sat medi-
tating her doom so intently that for some
time she did not notice young man, who
had bribed the jaiIor to admit him into the
cell for the purpose 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 ola dungeon, resembied
being from brighter sphere. Her large
brown eyes were of a liquid softness, her
forehead broad and clear, her countenan-
ce of angelic purity, mysteriously beauti-
ful. 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 re-
cent bodily anguish impaired an air of
touching sensibillty to her lovely features
Suddenly turning, she discovered a
stranger seated with pencil and paper in
hand, looking earanestly 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, af-
a moments hesitation, Beatrice replied
Signor Guido, your great name and my
sad story may make my story interesting,
and the picture viii awaken compassion
if you write on one Of its angles, the holy
word innocent. Thus was birth given
to an inspired picture, which, to contem-
plate, is itself worth visit to Rome; and
which, once seen, haunts the memory as
a supernatural mystery-as the beautiful
of subIimated suffering.