New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-10-02
BENVENUTO CELLINI.
HIS OWN STORY OF HIS CAREER

HIS OWN STORY OF HIS CAREER.
1rc1 ANcUE,s FRENCH TRANSLATION OF CELLINTs
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ENGLISH TRANsLA-
TIoN-FREEDoM AND UNAFFECTED SIMPLICITY
OF STYLE IN THE woRK-CELIINTs REMARK
ABLE CARERR-HIS EGoTISM-NERlTs OF HIS
MEMOIRS FROM A LITERARY POINT OF VIEW.
FRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIbUNEI
LONDON, Sept IN Quantin. printer and pub
Usher Paris has issued in large Svt' volume OF
624 pages a edition of the translation OF the
" Life of Benvenuto Ccllini, Written by HIMSELF
into French by Leopold Leclanche, with Notes lot
no great value), and Index Ia meagre performance
by NJ Franco The book is illustrated by nine
etchngs of LaguIllermle, of various degrees OF
merit, and by sixteen engravings OF important
works by or attributed to Cellini. These latter
are printed off by some process attempting with
very moderate To reproduce IN gold silver
and bronze the effect of the originals. The typog-
raphy and general appearance OF the volume will
not detract from the reputation NJ. Quantin mas
established in his double capacity. In conformity
with the modern French custom, number OF
copies have been printed on japanese l2Ol and
Whatman sO) paper. The former have not seen,
but the latter are less desirable thar the copies on
ordinary paper the proportions of the book having
been changed from octave to a clumsy quario.
Good as is the taste of the French in bookmaking,
it runs sometimes to extremes. and instead OF ee-
gance affects eccentricty. There are amateurs
who are satisfied with mere variety, and who'
provided particular impression be limited, do not
care that it be excellent in itself NJ Leopold
Lecanche's version was first published IN 1917
and passes for being the best to be had III French
1t is. at any rate, good one. and Nj. Quantln mas
probably done better in reIssuing 1t THAI II no had
sought TO have the transIating done afresh by
III lilo hon, nlynG M YER
of reediting the Life. NJ Lcclanches translation is
now divided into brief chapters following i'll this
convenient arrangement the edition lately pub
Ushed at Milan by S. Camern. who himself adopted
the distribution indicated by Cellini in his manu-
script
An English translation of Ceni's autobiography
by Thomas Roscoe published in London IN
1923 in two octave volumes. under the title
Memoirs Of Benvenuto CellIni." 1t is neither
accurate nor complete, but ii reproduces with some
success the quaint naturalness OF CellInis stNle,
with now and then touch of archaic simplicity.
| This is the version IN which many Engllsh ana
American readers have made their first acquaintance
with the immortal Florentne. The original edition
of it is not rare book nor is it very common IN
GOOD condition, yet when it occurs it may
be had for few shlings ana is worth
having. / presume it has been reprinted,
| Int never happened TO see re-
| print. Mr. Roscoe thought himself permitted or
| perhaps obliged. to suppress many passages and
| even whole chapters and to condense many Others
vet not even in this expurgated state IS the DOCK
one to be recommended Tor "A Sunday-school library,
or even the drawing-room table NJ. Leclanche's
| French translation is faithful reproduction OF
| the original with all its audacties, and what the
admirers of NJ lola would call its naturallsm |
| am Ear from meaning to associate NJ. Lolas name
with Cellini's. The Italian wrote with the frank
ness which astonishing as of it is, was charac-
| teristc of his time and of his co"ntrymen. vi
genuine autobiography there is, perhaps, nothing III
| existence not even ROsscau's, so outsDOken. with
all this the book has nothing erotic about it, and
the admirers of mere cochoanerc would find 10 place
for if OIL their shelves. NJ ZOa's nastincss. on tho
| other hand is wilful. Having talent Tor minute
| observation of material facts he had the world
before him where to choose aud he chose to observe
| the phenomena Of CUTTERS of the latrine and vi
whatever IN general people OF clearly mind leave
| in obscurity. Cellini does not write OF such
matters from choice They come III, as other facts
| of his life come in, and the references to them do
not bear IA larger proportion to the While narrative
than the facts themselves did TO the actual physica
| life of the man. Nor 80 large.
Celnis autobiography, long ranked though 1t
| has been among the masterpieces OF Italian tora-
1 4.
| P0urre 1t is unique. The flavor of the book Is alb
| solutelv original and unlike that of any other
| known autobiography. The reason is not far to
| seek. Cellin, had very marked individuality.
| and his memoirs are the exact and unchecked eX-
| preston of powerful and original character He
writes of himself with a freedom which few men
would use in writing of others. lie did not begin
this chronicle of his life till near the end Of his fifty
| eighth year, but his memory was prodigious. and
he records with precision the most minute partlcu-
| lars of his early days. He never forgot anything
| that happened to hin nor any detail of any of the
| jnn(r cradle works of art he executed. He was
| convinced or rather it never occurred To him to
| doubt. that the world would take interest in
| whatever had interested him, and the two things
| that interested him were his art and himself. The
| manners of his time depicted in these animated
| pages with admirable fidelity and liie-lIkeness
| but the most fecitous strokes are laid in uncon-
| sciously. High was the opinion Cellini had Of
himself he buded better than he knew. II is
natural that the central figure of the autobiography
| sh,mld be Ceni but it results from he vivldness
with which he paints and portraits, character
| and costume, that the book is an account not
| only of CeliDis life but of his times. Only, it Is
AN account of his times of the first half that is. Of
the sixteenth century, IN its relation to Benvcnuto
| Cellini The Rome of Clement VII ana Paul ILL.,.
4 the Florence OF Alessandro and Cosmo dc Medici,
| the Paris of Francis the First. the scene Of
Benyenuto's exploits. He is the obedient servant
| and The employe of all these rulers and victim Of
| their caprices. His narrative abounds in profess