"Father, thou hast forgotten to name the condemned?"
"It is a certain Jacopo Frontoni;--a reputed bravo," The start, the
changing color, and the glance of the prince of Venice, were full of
natural surprise.
"Callest thou the bloodiest stiletto that ever disgraced the city, the
weapon of a reputed bravo? The arts of the monster have prevailed over
thy experience, monk!--the true confession of such a wretch would be but
a history of bloody and revolting crimes."
"I entered his cell with this opinion, but I left it convinced that the
public sentiment has done him wrong. If your Highness will deign hear
his tale, you will think him a fit subject for your pity, rather than
for punishment."
"Of all the criminals of my reign, this is the last in whose favor I
could have imagined there was aught to be said!--Speak freely,
Carmelite; for curiosity is as strong as wonder."
So truly did the Doge give utterance to his feelings, that he
momentarily forgot the presence of the inquisitor, whose countenance
might have shown him that the subject was getting to be grave.
The monk ejaculated a thanksgiving, for it was not always easy, in that
city of mystery, to bring truth to the ears of the great. When men live
under a system of duplicity, more or less of the quality gets interwoven
with the habits of the most ingenuous, although they may remain
themselves unconscious of the taint. Thus Father Anselmo, as he
proceeded with the desired explanation, touched more tenderly on the
practices of the state, and used more of reserve in alluding to those
usages and opinions, which one of his holy calling and honest nature,
under other circumstances, would have fearlessly condemned.
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