Part I). This brings us to the end of the first pagination of Note Book II; and the first leaf of the second pagination (II * 1 r. and v.) is treated under the head of Julian and Maddalo in Part I. Pages II* 2 r. to 18 v. are with trifling exceptions filled by prose related to The Cenci. It will be convenient to treat the exceptions before passing to the Cenci material: the first is as follows: the weeping willows Spread on the lucid wave a green pavilion The ilex makes a mimic curtain with its old leaves when the new ones come out [. These botanical notes, forming a curious mixture of verse and prose, are written in pencil at the top of page II * 5 v. The rest of the page, turned upside down, is filled with hideous faces and profiles in ink; with the pen still in hand he turned the page right way up again and wrote the single word ilex between two of the inverted noses. After leaf II * 5 two leaves are torn out. One of the stubs makes no sign. The other has words or parts of words upon it. Page II* 6 r. has a Latin prescription for a tonic written by Shelley in a workmanlike manner (he had walked the hospitals in order to become useful to his poor fellow creatures in the country) and some hideous profiles done in a very unworkmanlike manner. In the centre of the page is some barely legible pencilling of which I have made out a heading for an essay On the tendency and destiny of Art. The verso page bears some trade addresses; and the next leaf is torn out all but a wide stub with nothing on it. On a spare half page in the draft of the Cenci preface are two distichs in Mary Shelley's writing, each headed Fior di cent' erbe: the first is as follows: Non bimbi vaglion a loro mamma The second reads thus: Se un sospiro avesse la parola Quanto bel ambasciator sarebbe! These may or may not have been written in Shelley's pocket companion for his use and at his request. CENCIAJA The first piece of Cenci material is that described in the Auction catalogue among the Unpublished Matter as "I Abstract of Narratives concerning the Cenci family." It is written in pencil; but five of its seven pages have pen and ink profiles of various degrees of hideousness done across them. It should be borne in mind that here, as elsewhere in Shelley's holographs, the letters "MSS" are used as an abbreviation of "manuscript"-singular, not plural. MEMORANDUM ABOUT THE CENCI CASE Cenci had five sons & two daughters by his first wife-one of whom was Beatrice Married a second time by whom he had no children He built a chapel in the court of his palace to St Thomas, where he meant to be buried Sends Giacomo Christofano & Rocco his sons to the Studdii at Rome then in order to get rid of them to Salamanca where he stints them in money. They apply to the Pope the rage of Cenci is turned by this on his wife & daughter His cruelty to them. . they supplicate the pope who marries his eldest daughter to Gabbriello a gentleman of Gabbia He confines Beatrice He alone took her food Christofano & Rocco killed in one night at Salamanca. Cenci says that now he will die content, & gives a feast on the occasion He tempts1 Beatrice He thinks by mild means to bring her to his will She applies to the Pope Monsignor Guerra-20 years old handsome She consults with him & her mother & they resolve to kill him Guerra gains Giacomo his eldest son to the murder They hire murderers for 10000 crowns to waylay him in the road to Petrella a place in the Regno di Napoli (something about Giacomo) Cenci goes there a few days before & escapes 1 This word is substituted for two, of which one is obliterated and the other is with. Beatrice finds1 Marzio & Olimpio, vassals of Cenci who had received wrongs from him, & offers them 1000 crowns apiece She gives him opium Beatrice & her Mother wait while the murderers go in to kill Cenci 3 The men relent & return from the ChamberShe meets them at the entrance & says-see MSS. & then hearing that he breathes-What is that I see you have done she said with an altered lookNothing replied Marzio See MSS for the whole death She gave the murderers beside 2000 crowns A coat of scarlet & gold, & Olimpio a silver Sword They return to Rome-Rumours a commission from Naples to examine the Murder at Petrella The Court of Rome discusses it Guerra sends assassins to kill the Murderers. Marzio is in prison at Naples or Rome for another Murder & on the rack confesses that of Cenci. They are arrested. Giacomo Bernardo & Beatrice & Lucretia. In the Corte Savella Marzio & Beatrice introduced together, her reply. Marzio retracts The judges know not what to do. Send them to Castel St Angelo. Meanwhile Olimpio is imprisoned for another murder & indicates Guerra as the accomplice Guerra flies. 1 Before finds the syllable pers (for persuades) is struck out. CANCELLED WORDS 2 Before She, They. 3 Before hearing, seeing. 4 Before Marzio, They are in. 5 Before know, neither. Tormented the Cenci confess except Beatrice -see the MSS. life Moreato the judge Moreato refuses to condemn1 her & is deposed The next judge is cruel thro fear of losing his place [. THE ROUGH DRAFT OF THE PREFACE The draft Preface to The Cenci, written (in ink) on pages II *7 r. to II * 18 v., differs in numerous details from the Preface as printed in Italy under Shelley's own supervision in 1819. On the first page a passage of real importance is cancelled at the very outset. It consists of five lines, framed, literally, thus: The Story upon which the "Family of the Cenci" is written is perhaps fearful domestic tragedy which was ever acted on the scene of real life. The annexed [.. Neither the first sentence nor the second was completed when the whole was crossed through; but it is beyond doubt that Shelley meant to pronounce the historic basis of his tragedy to be "the most fearful domestic tragedy" ever really enacted, and to appeal to the manuscript account of the circumstances in support of that position. The enunciation of his view is not, however, the contribution of real value to Shelley lore contained in this rejected 1 Before condemn the word do is struck out. |