SPURZHEIM versus LAVATER.

[From the New Monthly Magazine for June.] Lavater once was quite " the go,"

And Noses and Eyes were the plan,
By which all the wise ones would know
The talents and thoughts of a man:
As for Noses, I know not, I vow,

What they really mean or import,
But all who read Sterne must allow

That a long one's preferr'd to a short.

But oh! 'tis a glance of the Eye

'Tis the radiance its flashes impart, Gives the light that I love to read by. When I study the Head or the Heart : And who is so sightless or dull

But could learn much more by one look Of what passes within heart or skull, Than by studying Sparzheim's whole book?

There are eyes of all colours and hues

In the gentlest gradation, quite down
From the brightest of blacks and of blues.
To the softest of hazel and brown:
And still as they vary in hue,

Expression or lustre, you'll find
Each a vista of light to look through,
And study each thought of the mind.

The black eye, all sparkling and bright,
Shews a soul full of genius and fire;
Melting softly in Loye's tender light,

But flashing resplendent in ire.

The brown eye, bewitching and mild,

Speaks a heart that is gentle and true, Than the black eye less fery and wild, More tender and fond than the blue.

Yet blue's a sweet colour, 1 own,
The bright laughing hue of high Heaven,
Which to light and to gay hearts alone.

By the young God of Love has been given. Thus wicked blue eyes! to be sure,

What havock they'd make in the heart, Were they not much more given to cure Than to lengthen the pang of Love's sinart.

But Lavater's no longer " the go,"

Now Spurzheim and Gall are the fashionBy the shape of the Skull you're to know,

For the future, each talent and passion.
Your grandfather look'd for a .wife

With a face that was fair and purse-full;
But you, as you value your life,
Must look to the shape of her skull.

Her forehead, like Jove's, must be large,
Expansive, full, prominent too,

As if, proud of the brains in its charge,
It exultingly swell'd into view.
But shun a too prominent eye,

For the organ of language is there-
An organ which all men decry,

When developed too much in the fair.

There are some pleasant organs behind,
Seated just at the top of the neck:

But if too large, 'twere hard, you would find,
To keep such a lady in check:-
For Love, who was once so sublime,
Has quitted his seat in the soul,
Where he lived, in the good" olden time,"
For a snug little spot in the poll.
But no longer on organs to dwell-
What need I of organs now speak?

the hatred of this wicked old man for his children to its climax; and it raged with equal fierceness towards the innocent and the guilty: the two daughters were most especially subject to this domestic persecution, inasmuch as they had no means of escaping it by occasional absences from their unhappy home; a privilege of which their brothers largely availed themselves. The eldest daughter however conquering all obstacles found means to make the Pope acquainted with her just grounds of complaint; and the holy father, convinced by her representations, married her shortly to the Cavaliero Carlo Gabrielli, obliging Da Cenci to settle on the bride a dowry proportioned to his ample ability. This measure had entirely baffled the foresight of Francesco, and provoked his wrath to the utmost, since he dared not oppose the will of his sovereign, and had no alternative but implicit obedience; his only consclation was derived from a resolution that he would effectually hinder his youngest daughter from following her sister's example; he therefore strictly confined his victim to a solitary cham-, ber, and only permitted her to receive her coarse and scanty portion of daily food through his hands. Lucretia, the step-mother of the unhappy prisoner, found means occasionally to obtain access to her.

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Meanwhile two of the sons of Da Cenci, Rocco and Christophano, who did not degenerate from the ways of their father, but had rendered themselves notorious by a wild and violent course of life, fell victims to their enormities, in two several tumults occasioned by their outrages. Their father, far from lamenting their fate, broke out into indecent demonstrations of joy, and refused to expend a single penny on a grave for their bodies, or a mass for their souls.

The youngest daughter Beatrice, rendered desperate by a very rigorous confinement, aggravated by the most insupportable treatment, again endeavoured, in concert with her step-mother to make the Pope acquainted with her situation, and drew up a representation of suffer ings almost incredible. This attempt unfortunately miscarried, being discovered by the vigilant Francesco, whom this new motive of exasperation rendered, if possible, more cruel; and the hearts of the two persecuted females became fatally hardened against their tyrant, from whose bondage they re

solved at any cost to deliver themselves*.

A noble youth of the family of Guerra, distinguished by the prelatic habit, had contrived, in spite of the Argus watchfulness of Da Cenci, to converse from time to time with the fair captive; of whom it was no secret that he was pas sionately enamoured, and for which reason he was the object of her father's especial hatred. In these clandestine interviews he received those bitter lamentations in the utterance of which the unhappy Beatrice found her only relief. By degrees the minds of these wretched women were so stimulated by ill treat ment, that they became capable of the most fatal resolutions; and so entirely did the most desperate of all means of deliverance take possession of their imaginations that they scrupled not to give breath to their dark conception, and to take the devoted Guerra into their confidence. Enraged by the barbarous treatment which he had seen the beloved of his soul endure, he did not recoil from a suggestion which, depraved and unnatural as it was, had perhaps found some corresponding feeling in his own bosom ; he not only heard this desperate wife and daughter without horror, but pledged himself to the deadly service which Beatrice demanded of him. Jacopo, the eldest son of Da Cenci, was likewise admitted into this domestic conspiracy; and from the moment the plot was confided to him discovered the most horrible eagerness to shed the blood of his father, chiefly for the sake of the wealth, which on the old man's death would become his own, since he had kept himself beyond the reach of paternal bondage, and was wasting his life in licentious riot.

Da Čenci had spoken repeatedly of retiring for some months to the fortress of Petrello, of which he was castellan. The Conspirators thought to seize the opportunity which the journey would afford them, and engaged some banditti to waylay and murder him on his road; an enterprise which might easily have been accomplished with little risk to the authors. The banditti lurked among the thickets and hollows which bordered the road for two or three days; but the procrastination and wavering of their victim baffled for the time the

Here it is perhaps necessary to observe, that some part of the conduct of this monster towards his captive daughter was of a nature so detestable that it cannot be alluded to without the most shuddering repugnance.

deadly project. The ruffians in vain awaited his arrival, and, impatient at the length of the delay, began to apprehend a snare, and abandoned their post, leaving their task unfulfilled, It might be hoped that this check would have turned the hearts of the unhappy women from the sinister and dangerous designs over which they had so long brooded; but an infernal spirit had taken up its abode in their bosoms, and would not depart thence unsatisfied.

When Da Cenci with his family had inhabited the fortress for about a month, Lucretia and Beatrice contrived to introduce into the house two desperate fellows, whose names were Marzia and Olympio; they were the emissaries of Guerya; who by their agency carried on an uninterrupted intercourse of message and letter with his captive mistress. She now promised to each of them a reward of one thousand gold crowns, to enter her father's chamber in the dead of night, and put him to death during his sleep. The proposal was readily acceded to; and Guerra, by way of security, advanced one third of the stipulated reward.

Thus far being resolved, the night of the 9th of September, 1568, was fixed on for the accomplishment of this most horrible deed. On that night the treacherous wife contrived dexterously to administer opium to the wretched old man, sufficient to plunge him into a most profound sleep. As they were allowed somewhat more liberty and were less strictly guarded than heretofore, they found no difficulty in introducing the two assassins into the chamber of the sleeping victim, where they left them with earnest exhortations to perform the deed briefly and resolutely; and, retiring into a neighbouring apartment, awaited the catastrophe. While they stood listening in suspense and expectation, they were disappointed by the return of their agents, pale, trembling, their knees smiting each other, and the deed not performed. On being interrogated, they declared they had been struck with remorse; that the grey hairs and helpless slumber of the old man had arrested their purpose; they dared not uplift their hands against him. A woman possessed with the spirit of vengeance is of all monsters the most fearful. Reproaches the most violent aud unfeminine issued from the lips of Beatrice. Give way then," said she; "since you, ye base effeminate cow ards, dare not kill a sleeping man; since

ye refuse to relieve me from the task, I will do it myself!" and she rushed furiously towards her father's chamber. The ruffians, stimulated by her contemptuous and goading expressions, now resolutely approached the bed, and with two nails transfixed his head and his breast; which barbarous execution performed, they received the stipulated reward and were dismissed.

Lucretia and Beatrice, being left alone, extracted the nails from the corpse; and, having wrapt it in a sheet, they dragged it into, an old garden lodge, and threw it forth from the window, so that it alighted on a spike; from whence it hung suspended. They conceived that the body being found in such a situation, it would be concluded that, inadvertently falling, he had thus received his death-wound. In the morning accordingly he was found, and an outcry raised that the old Cencia was found impaled on a spike, upon which he had fallen from a window during the night. The blood-stained women were loud in lamentation for the unhappy and premature fate of a husband and father. They honoured his remains by a handsome funeral; and, with as light hearts as murderesses can be supposed to carry in their bosoms, they returned to Rome.

On the death of Cencia becoming generally known, a dark suspicion gradually found harbour in the minds of many, insomuch that a commissary was sent to Petrella to examine the corpse, and to obtain all possible indications which might throw light on this black business. The principal discovery made at this time was in the evidence of a washerwoman, who asserted that a sheet given to her by Beatrice to wash, was bloody, and that the stains of blood were fresh and lively. This deposition was secretly carried to Rome; neverthe less some months were suffered to elapse ere the sons of the deceased Francesco were arrested and imprisoned. About this time the youngest brother died, and there remained only Jacopo and Bernardo.

Guerra, meanwhile, perceiving that suspicion was aroused and an inquiry set on foot, became alarmed, and despatched certain of his creatures with an order to put his two assassins, Olympio and Marzio, to death, as the most sure method of silencing the principal wit nesses. Olympio was accordingly mur dered at Terni, but Marzio was tracked by the emissaries of justice, and taken at Naples, when he confessed the whole

transaction. Immediately Jacopo and Bernardo Cenci, with Beatrice their sister, and Lucretia their step-mother, were seized and imprisoned in Rome. They baffled their examiners y a calm deportiment and a steady and a resolute denial of the atrocious deed alleged against them; and, as they mutually persevered in this denial, Marzio was brought from Naples, that his testimony might confront the negative, from which they could not be induced to waver. Still the accused continued immovable. Beatrice steadily refused to recognise a hammer which she had given with her own hand info that of Marzio. In short, this same assassin was so struck and astonished by the intrepidity of the young and beautiful Beatrice, that he retracted every syllable of his confession, declared all that he had uttered was false, and preferred dying in torments to giving breath to a word which might lead to confirm his original deposition.

The judges were so perplexed between certain indications of guilt and the strong assertions of innocence which the prisoners persisted in making that they knew not how to act: the criminal process was therefore for the present delayed; but the prisoners were still closely confined in the, castle, where they remained unmolested for some months. Yet the cause was not long suffered to sleep, the ruffian who murdered Olympio was discovered and taken, and, being conducted to Rome, revealed whatever he knew of the matter. Guerra, being timely warned of this sinister circumstance, and receiving at the same time a hint that his own person was the object of secret pursuit, fled disguised as a Carbonaro, having sha.ed his hair and beard and so dyed his skin as to acquire the appearance of a man of the lowest order.

The flight of Guerra and the confession of his agent were indications too direct and valid to admit of doubt. The most rigorous and extreme measures were pursued to extort confession:Jacopo, Bernardo, their step-mother, and Marzio were compelled by torture to make a full avowal of guilt. Beatrice alone, young, robust, and of a most dauntless temper, still resisted; she refused to bend, and, on the contrary, in the midst of agony replied boldly to each interr gation.

The judge, Ulisse Mascati, was baffled by such surprising firmness, and referred the whole to the Pope; who, suspicious lest the beauty of Beatrice

should have dazzled the eyes and perverted the justice of Mascati, took the cause out of his hands and transferred it to the examination of another judge; who, having compelled those who were already convicted to recapitulate their confession on oath, ordered that the torture should be administered to Beatrice with renewed severity, in order to force from her the acknowledgement of her crime. Then the brothers and Lucretia implored Beatrice to yield rather than longer expose herself to the endurance of such horrible tortures; to which in-treaty she replied: "Is it possible that you can desire the dishonour of your house, and to reflect indelible infamy upon it by an ignominious death? It is a grievous weakness. But since it must be so, it is vain for me to resist." She then desired the process might be read; and confirmed her guilt. The Pope carefully considered the whole examination and the several depositions, and sentenced each of the criminals to be dragged through Rome at horse's tails.

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The most rigid sentence excited violent emotion throughout Rome. Α' crowd of princes and prelates persecuted his holiness-with entreaties for mercy, and requests that at least some might be permitted to undertake the defence of the beautiful and interesting Beatrice. The Pope was inflexible, and adhered to his sentence; conceding, however, a delay of twenty-five days. The first advocates of the country interested themselves in the most horrible case; and when the prescribed term expired, Niccolo de Angelis appeared before his holiness. He had scarcely opened his lips when the Pope, in a voice of anger, exclaimed aloud :"Children then in Rome may murder their parents, and find men capable of standing forth in defence of the deed'! It is a fact of which only proof could persuade me." This sharp reproof embarrassed and silenced all the leaders; when the celebrated Farinaccio came forward and replied: "Holy Father, we presume not to vindicate a crime so enormous, but to save, if possible, the lives of those who may be innocent." The Pope listened willingly to Farinaccio, granted farther delay for the consideration of the case, so that some hopes were entertained of saving the lives of the culprits. But Fate decreed their punishment. At other most atrocious action of a similar colour happened at the moment when the case of the Cenci stood suspended. Paolo Santa Croce