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44 - Life and Letters of Mary Shelley by Mrs. Julian Marshall · Life and Letters of Mary Shelley

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  Speaker 1: Chapter fifteen, Part four of the Life and Letters of
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  Speaker 1: Mary Wolstonecraft Shelley, Volume one by Julian Missus Marshall. This
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  Speaker 1: LibriVox recording is in the public domain, Chapter fifteen, Part four. Meanwhile, Claire,
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  Speaker 1: in the pursuit of her newly adopted profession, was thinking
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  Speaker 1: of going to Vienna, and she longed for a sight
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  Speaker 1: of her child. First. She had been unusually long, or
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  Speaker 1: she fancied so without news of Allegra, and she was
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  Speaker 1: growing desperately anxious with only two good cause. As the
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  Speaker 1: event showed, She wrote to Byron, entreating him to arrange
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  Speaker 1: for a visit or an interview. Byron took no notice
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  Speaker 1: of her letters. The Shelleys dared not annoy him unnecessarily
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  Speaker 1: on the subject, as he had been heard to threaten,
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  Speaker 1: if they did so, to immure Allegra in some secret
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  Speaker 1: convent where no one could get at her or even
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  Speaker 1: hear of her. Claire, working herself up into a state
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  Speaker 1: of half frenzied excitement, sent them letter after letter suggesting
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  Speaker 1: and urging wild plans which Shelley was to realize for
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  Speaker 1: carrying off the child by armed force. Indeed, one of
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  Speaker 1: her schemes seems to have been to take advantage of
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  Speaker 1: the projected interview. If granted, for putting this design into execution,
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  Speaker 1: some such proposed breach of faith must have been the
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  Speaker 1: occasion of Shelley's answering her, I know not what to
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  Speaker 1: think of the state of your mind, or what to
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  Speaker 1: fear for you. Your late plan about Allegra seems to me,
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  Speaker 1: in its present form, pregnant with irremediable infamy to all
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  Speaker 1: the actors in it, except yourself. He did not think that,
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  Speaker 1: in her present excited mental condition, she was fit to
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  Speaker 1: go to Vienna, and he entreated her to postpone the idea.
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  Speaker 1: His advice, often repeated in different words, was that she
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  Speaker 1: should not lose herself in distant and uncertain plans, but
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  Speaker 1: systematize and simplify her motions, at least for the present,
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  Speaker 1: and if she felt in the least disposed, that she
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  Speaker 1: should come and stay with them. If you like, come
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  Speaker 1: and look for houses with me in our boat. It
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  Speaker 1: might distract your mind. He and Mary had resolved to
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  Speaker 1: quit Pisa as soon as the weather made it desirable
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  Speaker 1: to do so, but their plans and their anxieties were
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  Speaker 1: alike suspended by a temporary excitement, of which Mary's account
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  Speaker 1: is given in the following letter, Missus Shelley to Missus Gisborne, Pisa,
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  Speaker 1: the sixth of April eighteen twenty two. My dear Missus Gisborne.
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  Speaker 1: Not many days after I had written to you concerning
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  Speaker 1: the fate which ever pursues us at Springtide, a circumstance
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  Speaker 1: happened which showed that we were not forgotten this year.
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  Speaker 1: Although indeed, now that it is all over, I begin
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  Speaker 1: to fear that the King of Gods and men will
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  Speaker 1: not consider it a sufficiently heavy visitation, although for a
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  Speaker 1: time it threatened to be frightful enough. Two Sundays ago,
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  Speaker 1: Lord Byron, Shelley, Trelawney, Captain Hay, Count Gamba, and Taife
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  Speaker 1: were returning from their usual evening ride, when near the
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  Speaker 1: Porta de la Piazza, they were passed by a soldier
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  Speaker 1: who galloped through the midst of them, knocking up against Taife.
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  Speaker 1: This nice little gentleman exclaimed, Shall we endure this man's insolence?
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  Speaker 1: Lord Byron replied, no, we will bring him to an account.
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  Speaker 1: And Shelley, whose blood always boils at any insolence offered
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  Speaker 1: by a soldier, added, as you please, so they put
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  Speaker 1: spurs to their horses. I e all but Taife, who
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  Speaker 1: remained quietly behind, followed and stopped the man, and, fancying
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  Speaker 1: that he was an officer, demanded his name and address,
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  Speaker 1: and gave their cards. The man, whom I believe was
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  Speaker 1: half drunk, replied only by all the oaths and abuse
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  Speaker 1: in which the Italian language is so rich. He ended
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  Speaker 1: by saying, if I liked, I could draw my saber
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  Speaker 1: and cut you all to pieces. But as it is,
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  Speaker 1: I only arrest you. And he called out to the
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  Speaker 1: guards at the gate, arrestaateli. Lord Byron laughed at this
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  Speaker 1: and said dasta. The chipure gave spurs to his horse
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  Speaker 1: and rode towards the gate, followed by the rest. Lord
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  Speaker 1: Byron and Gamba passed. But before the others could, the
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  Speaker 1: soldier got under the gateway, called on the guard to
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  Speaker 1: stop them, and, drawing his saber, began to cut it them.
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  Speaker 1: It happened that I and the Countess Guiccioli were in
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  Speaker 1: a carriage close behind and saw it all. And you
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  Speaker 1: may guess how frightened we were when we saw our
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  Speaker 1: cavaliers cut at they, being totally unarmed, Their only safety
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  Speaker 1: was that the field of battle, being so confined, they
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  Speaker 1: got close under the man and were able to arrest
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  Speaker 1: his arm. Captain Hay was, however, wounded in his face
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  Speaker 1: and Shelley thrown from his horse. I cannot tell you
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  Speaker 1: how it all ended, but after cutting and slashing a
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  Speaker 1: little a man sheathed his sword and rode on, while
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  Speaker 1: the others got from their horses to assist poor Hay,
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  Speaker 1: who was faint from loss of blood. Lord Byron, when
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  Speaker 1: he had passed the gate, rode to his own house,
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  Speaker 1: got a sword stick from one of his servants, and
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  Speaker 1: was returning to the gate Lungarno, where he met this man,
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  Speaker 1: who held out his hands saying si et contento. Lord
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  Speaker 1: Byron replied, no, I must know your name that I
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  Speaker 1: may require satisfaction of you. The soldier said, ilmonome emasi son,
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  Speaker 1: no sargente maggiore, et cetera, et cetera. While they were talking,
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  Speaker 1: a servant of Lord Byron's came and took hold of
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  Speaker 1: the bridle of the sergeant's horse. Lord Byron ordered him
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  Speaker 1: to let it go, and immediately the man put his
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  Speaker 1: horse to a gallop, But passing Casa Lanfranki, one of
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  Speaker 1: Lord Byron's servants, thought that he had killed his master
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  Speaker 1: and was running away. Determining that he should not go scotfree,
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  Speaker 1: he ran at him with a pitchfork and wounded him.
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  Speaker 1: The man rode on a few paces, cried out, sono
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  Speaker 1: a mazzato, and fell was carried to the hospital. The
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  Speaker 1: miserri cordia bell ringing. We were all assembled at Casaalan Franki,
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  Speaker 1: nursing our wounded man, and poor Teresa from the excess
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  Speaker 1: of her fright was worse than any when what was
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  Speaker 1: our consternation when we heard that the man's wound was
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  Speaker 1: considered mortal. Luckily, none but ourselves knew who had given
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  Speaker 1: the wound. It was said by the wise Pisani to
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  Speaker 1: have been one of Lord Byron's servants, sent on by
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  Speaker 1: his padrone, and they pitched upon a poor fellow merely
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  Speaker 1: because a veva los Seguardo fierro guanto un assassino. For
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  Speaker 1: some days Massi continued in great danger, but he is
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  Speaker 1: now recovering. As long as it was thought he would die,
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  Speaker 1: the government did nothing, But now that he is nearly well,
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  Speaker 1: they have imprisoned two men, one of Lord Byron's servants,
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  Speaker 1: the one with the Seguardo Fierro, and the other a
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  Speaker 1: servant of Teresa's who was behind our carriage, both perfectly innocent.
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  Speaker 1: But they have been kept in segreto these ten days,
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  Speaker 1: and God knows when they will be let out. What
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  Speaker 1: think you of this? Will it serve for our spring adventure?
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  Speaker 1: It is blown over now, it is true, But our
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  Speaker 1: fate has in general been in common with Dame Nature,
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  Speaker 1: and march winds and april showers have brought forth may flowers.
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  Speaker 1: You have no notion. What a ridiculous figure Tafe cut
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  Speaker 1: In all this. He kept far behind during the danger,
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  Speaker 1: But the next day he wished to take all the
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  Speaker 1: honor to himself, vowed that all Pisa talked of him alone,
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  Speaker 1: and coming to Lord Byron, said, my Lord, if you
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  Speaker 1: do not dare ride out to day, I will alone.
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  Speaker 1: But the next day he again changed. He was afraid
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  Speaker 1: of being turned out of Tuscany, or of being obliged
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  Speaker 1: to fight with one of the officers of the sergeant's regiment,
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  Speaker 1: of neither of which things there was the slightest danger.
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  Speaker 1: So he wrote a declaration to the governor to say
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  Speaker 1: that he had nothing to do with it, so embroiling
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  Speaker 1: himself with Lord Byron, he got between Scylla and Charybdis,
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  Speaker 1: from which he has not yet extricated himself. For ourselves,
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  Speaker 1: we do not fear any ulterior consequences. Tenth of April
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  Speaker 1: we received Hellas today and the bill of lading. Shelley
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  Speaker 1: is well pleased with the former. Though there are some mistakes.
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  Speaker 1: The only danger would arise from the vengeance of Massi,
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  Speaker 1: But the moment he is able to move, he is
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  Speaker 1: to be removed to another town. He is a pessimo Sogetto,
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  Speaker 1: being the crony of Soldini, Roussolmini and Augustini Peasan names
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  Speaker 1: of evil fame which perhaps you may remember. There is
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  Speaker 1: only one consolation in all this, that if it be
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  Speaker 1: our fate to suffer, it is more agreeable and more
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  Speaker 1: safe to suffer in company with five or six than alone. Well,
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  Speaker 1: after telling you this long story, I must relate our
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  Speaker 1: other news. And first, the Greek Ali Pashaw is dead,
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  Speaker 1: and his head sent to Constantinople. The reception of it
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  Speaker 1: was celebrated there by the massacre of four thousand Greeks.
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  Speaker 1: The latter, however, get on the Turkish fleet of twenty
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  Speaker 1: five sail of the line of war vessels and forty transports,
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  Speaker 1: endeavored to surprise the Greek fleet in its winter quarters.
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  Speaker 1: Finding them prepared, they bore away for Lante, and, pursued
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  Speaker 1: by the Greeks, took refuge in the Bay of Naupacto.
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  Speaker 1: Here they first blockaded them and obtained a complete victory.
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  Speaker 1: All the soldiers on board the transports in endeavoring to
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  Speaker 1: land were cut to pieces, and the fleet taken or destroyed.
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  Speaker 1: I heard something about Hellenists which greatly pleased me. When
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  Speaker 1: anyone asks of the peasants of the Morea what news
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  Speaker 1: there is and if they have had any victory, they
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  Speaker 1: reply I do not know, but for us it is
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  Speaker 1: itan e epitas, being their Doric pronunciation of Ittan eepitis,
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  Speaker 1: the speech of the Spartan mother on presenting his shield
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  Speaker 1: to her son. With this or on this, I wish,
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  Speaker 1: my dear missus Gisborne, that you would send the first
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  Speaker 1: part of this letter addressed to mister W. Godwin at
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  Speaker 1: Nash's Esquire, Dover Street. I wish him to have an
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  Speaker 1: account of the fray, and you will thus save me
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  Speaker 1: the trouble of writing it over again, for what with
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  Speaker 1: writing and talking about it, I am quite tired. In
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  Speaker 1: a late letter of mine to my father, I requested
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  Speaker 1: him to send you Matilda. I hope that he has
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  Speaker 1: complied with my desire, and in that case, that you
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  Speaker 1: will get it copied and send it to me by
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  Speaker 1: the first opportunity, perhaps by Hunt, if he comes at all.
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  Speaker 1: I do not mention commissions to you, for although wishing
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  Speaker 1: much for the things about which I wrote, we have
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  Speaker 1: for the present no money to spare. We wish very
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  Speaker 1: much to hear from you again, and to hear if
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  Speaker 1: there are any hopes of your getting on in your plans,
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  Speaker 1: what Henry is doing, and how you continue to like England.
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  Speaker 1: The months of February and March were with us as
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  Speaker 1: hot as in English June. In the first days of
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  Speaker 1: April we have had some very cold weather, so that
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  Speaker 1: we are obliged to light fires again. Shelley has been
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  Speaker 1: much better in health this winter than any other since
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  Speaker 1: I have known him. Pisa certainly agrees with him exceedingly well,
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  Speaker 1: which is its only merit in my eyes. I wish
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  Speaker 1: fate had bound us to Naples instead. Percy is quite well,
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  Speaker 1: he begins to talk Italian only now, and to call
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  Speaker 1: things belo and buono. But the droll thing is that
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  Speaker 1: he is right about the genders. A silk vestito is Belo,
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  Speaker 1: a new Frusta is Bella. He is a fine boy,
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  Speaker 1: full of life and very pretty. Williams is very well,
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  Speaker 1: and they are getting on very well. Missus Williams is
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  Speaker 1: a miracle of economy, and as Missus Godwin used to
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  Speaker 1: call it, makes both ends meet with great comfort to
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  Speaker 1: herself and others. Madwin is gone to Rome. We have
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  Speaker 1: heaps of the gossip of a petty town this winter,
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  Speaker 1: being just in the coterie where it was all carried out,
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  Speaker 1: but now grazier a messer dominido. The English are almost gone,
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  Speaker 1: and we being left alone, all subjects of discord and
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  Speaker 1: clacking cease. You may conceive what a beast Billio our
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  Speaker 1: adventure made. The Peasons were all enraged because the meladee
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  Speaker 1: inglazy were not punished. Yet, when the gentlemen returned from
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  Speaker 1: their ride the following day busy Fate, an immense crowd
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  Speaker 1: was assembled before Cassilan Franki, and they all took off
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  Speaker 1: their hats to them Adieu stat de beni e Felice,
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  Speaker 1: best remembrances to mister Gisborne, and compliments to Henry, who
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  Speaker 1: will remember Hay as one of the Marema hunters. He
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  Speaker 1: is a friend of Lord Byron's yours. Ever, truly, Mary
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  Speaker 1: w s. This affair and the consequent inquiry and examination
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  Speaker 1: of witnesses in connection with it, took up several days,
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  Speaker 1: on one of which Mary and Countess Guiccioli were under
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  Speaker 1: examination for five hours. In the mean time, Byron decided
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  Speaker 1: to go to Leghorn for his summer boating, whereupon Shelley
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  Speaker 1: rode and definitively proposed to Claire that she should accompany
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  Speaker 1: his party to Spezzia, promising her quiet and privacy and
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  Speaker 1: immunity from annoyance while she bided her time with regard
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  Speaker 1: to Allegra. Claire accepted the offer and joined them at
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  Speaker 1: Pisa on the fifteenth of April, in the expectation of
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  Speaker 1: starting very shortly. It turned out, however, that no suitable
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  Speaker 1: houses were after all to be had on the coast.
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  Speaker 1: This was an unexpected disappointment, and on the twenty third
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  Speaker 1: she and the Williams went off to Spezzia for another search.
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  Speaker 1: They were hardly on their way when letters were received
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  Speaker 1: by Shelley and Mary with the grievous knews that Allegra
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  Speaker 1: had died of typhus fever in the convent of Bania Cavallo,
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  Speaker 1: and of Chapter fifteen