The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1912-08-29

Such in a nutshell IN 49,
is the character OF BthvthUTo CEILING
one of history's strangest blackguards
--Benvenuto Cellini
| Cellini was born at Florence. Italy,
| in 1900. His father, a maker OF mu-
steal instruments, wanted his son to
| follow the same trade Benvenuto
would not do it, but became a gold
worker and engraver. As mere lad
| his exquisitely chased metal orn'
| aments and sword hits won him fame.
| But he could use sword as readily as
he could engrave one. And when he
was only fifteen he took part in so
fierce street duel that he was ban
ished from his native city.
With his sword at his side, rare &C.
MUS in his brain. and very little mon
ey in his pocket, young Cellini set out
| to bring a fortune from the world. He
drifted from one Italian city TO anoth-
or, falling constantly into trouble, lead
ing a grossly dissolute life, fighting
as he went and incidentally turning
out miracles of artistic work.
He reached Rome at length, whore
his talent as an engraver attracted
Pope Clement Wis attention, lie al
so became one of the pope's court nu-
sicians and executed, in spare mo-
ments. some, beautiful seals and me-
dallions. When Rome was attacked by
the Imperial army, Cellini fought
bravely In the Eternal City's defense.
According to his own improved state
ment he slew, single handed, the
prince of Orange and the constable
de Bourbon during this siege (There
Is no reason to believe this boast is
not one OF the countless like that
strew Cellini's story Of his own life)
Back to Florence he went, the news
of his Roman exploits winning him
pardon and a welcome There, he set
tied down and devoted himself to en-
craving and sculpture. II was dur
ing this period that he made his cele-
brated Hercules" ATLAS Supporting
the Earth and The Numidian Lion"
He returned to Rome, after time,
where he promptly slew one man in a
duel and wounded another. Scarcely
had high Influences secured his par
don for these offenses when Cellini
fell into fresh difficulties by killing
goldsmith who CHANGED to offend him.
Then after series of political
squahhes he found it wise to leave
Italy, and io,rneyed to the court Of
King Francis l. OF France. There he
was received into high favor, but pro-
ceeded to get into a rather unpleasant
scrape which sent him back to Italy
again. He went to Rome, and was ar
rested on a charge of having stolen
precious jewels from the pope's tiara.
Cellini was condemned to death and
was thrown into prison at the Castle of
Saint Angelo. He managed to escape,
but was soon caught and put back in
his cell The friendship of the power
full cardinal of Ferrara won a pardon
| for him, and he set forth again upon
| his wanderings.
His quarresome nature and the RI
| valry OF greet men made CelIlnis
| next few years miserable Every mans
hand seemed against him, though none
denied his splendid genius. In fact,
Celini the Genius was forever saving
| Cellini the BLACKBOARD from the pun
| ishment OF his misdeeds.
The art-loving Italians recognized
and reyered his work. even while
| many of them loathed his personality
At times he was in peril of death; at
| other times--as when he helped to
| fortify Florence In that citys war with
| Siena--or when one Of his statues was
unveiled-he became something of a
| local hero.
He died, in his native city, December
| is, 1859. Eleven years before his
death, Cellini began to write his auto
| biography. This is one OF the most de
lightful books of its sort in existence;
not only for the picture it gives of a
life Of struggle and the era In which
| that struggle was waged, but because
| of its portrayal of Cellini's n1onstrous
| vanity, his total lack OF truthfuiness
| and his absence of conscience
He writes with calm satisfaction
about the killing of his victims, tells
| of his alleged power to raise demons
| before him at will and assures the
| reader that he himself was SO utterly
under divine protection that once or
twice he awoke in the morning to
find his head crowned by a glowing
halo.
The man died. by the world at large
| his character and his misdeeds became
| half forgotten. But his work is I'M
mortal.