Weekly Trinity journal., 1862-09-13

A LEGEND OF FLORENcE-Tbere is a street in
Florence which is called the Via della Morte,
(the street of the dead) name derived from a
remarkable circumstance Antonio Rondlnell,
young Florentinc, in the middle rank OF life,
fell passionately in love with Ginevra Arnerl, a
beautiful young woman Of the same station The
lover could not, by any cntreaties or CONCESSIONS
obtain her from her father. who choose rather to
give her to francesca Angaenti, youth of
distinguished and noble family. 1t would be
vain to attempt describing the agony of the real
lover on receiving this intelligence nor was
Ginevra the less afflicted, her beart being wholly
devoted to Rondneli. Now, whether it arose
from The struggles Of disappointed affection, or
from any physical cause. the effect was that, four
years after this unhappy union, She fell ILL., Re
naming without pulse, and finally giving no
external signs of life, she was considered dead
and accordingly was deposited in the family
vault under the Duomo, and close to the Cam
panile. The tomb is still shown in our time. 1t
is narrated, by Leopold del Meyloine, that when
the fossus was repaired, and this vault passed
into the family OF the Riacci, the letters, G. and
a, the Initials Of the Ginevra Arnort were en-
graved upon it, bring "A confirmation OF the truth
Of the story. The death of Geneera was not
real, but one Of those proiracted swoons which
the faculty are unable to explain, On the night
following her dreadful incarceration, the unhap-
py Giuevra, on rcganug her senses, became
aware of her situation Recovering by degrees,
a little strength. increased by her despair and
horror, she succeeded in breaking the chords
which bound her hands and feet Lighted by
ray of the moon, which CLEANED through the
door OF the vault, she crept towards it,
and pushing it open with her head, ieebly
assembled the stairs. and gained the outer
air. Taking the shortest paths, she passed
through the street then called the Msere-
cord but ever afterwards, from The circum-
stance, the Via della Morte. Knocking at the
door of her husbands house, she claimed admit
tance but he scared by her sepulchral costume,
and hollow yet faint voice, believing her also to
be the ghost of his wife, refused entrance to ber
while hastily closing his easement Thus repu-
sed she continued to crawl along to the house of
her father adjoining, Bernado Arneri, from whom
she encountered the same cruel repulse, as also
from an uncle in the Mercato Vecchio. Aban-
doned thus to her unhappy fate, she resolved,
ere laying down to die, to essay the affections Of
her former lover, from whom she had received so
many remembered pledges of love and faithful
ness. Faithful still to his first and o3ly love,
after his horror was overcome, he comforted as
sisted restored to health and married her. The
chronicle further says that this marriage being
deemed invalid by her former husband and fami-
ly, the cause was tried by the magistrates OF
Florence, who, strangely enough, gave it in favor
Of the second husband and not on the plea of
having been inferred, but because all
her family had refused to admit her. TO make
more clear the truth of her release from the
tomb, we should state the custom, that people in
those days were not buried in collins, but in sacks
tied up at the neck and feet,