V

  CXXVII

  A FEW days had passed o be loosed from prison.

  The Pope"s mandatary came together ion.

  Messer Antonio, the old castellan"s brother, and his successor in the office, insisted orag from me the costs for food and other fees and perquisites claimed by sheriffs and such fry, paying o his predecessor"sme go.

  THIS CAPITOLO I WRITE TO LUCA MARTIN ADDRESSING HIM IN IT AS WILL APPEAR 注釋標題 Cellini"s Capitolo in Praise of the Prison is clearly made up of pieces he inal.

  WHOSO he power of God"s dominion,

  And ho high good,

  Must lie in prison, is my firm opinion:

  On grievous thoughts and cares of home must brood, "

  " Oppressed h carking pains in flesh and bone,

  Far from his native land full many a rood.

  If you hy deeds be known,

  Seek to be prisonedcause, lie long, "

  " And find no friend to listen to your moan.

  See that men rob you of your all by wrong;

  Add perils to your life; be used h force,

  Hopeless of help, by brutal foes and strong. "

  "Be driven at length to some mad desperate course;

  Burst from your dungeohe castle wall;

  Recaptured, find the prisoimes worse."

  "No of all!

  Y"s been broken; you"ve been bought and sold;

  Your dungeon"s dripping; you"ve no cloak or shawl.

  Never one friendly uals cold "

  " Are brought h sorry news by some base groom

  Of Prato-soldier no of old.

  Mark eeps her sons in gloom!

  You have o sit on, save the stool: "

  " Yet her"s womb.

  The knaveand cool

  To list no ,

  Scarcely to ope the door; such is their rule. "

  "These toys hath Glory for her nursling !

  No paper, pens, ink, fire, or tools of steel,

  To exercise the quick brain"s teeming thought."

  "Alack that I so littlereveal!

  Fane hundred for each separate ill:

  Full spad place I"ve left for prison weal!

  But noo fulfil, "

  " And sing the dungeon"s praise h honour due-

  For this angeliguesof skill.

  Here never languish ho men and true,

  Except by pla"s fraud, misgover, "

  " Jealousies, anger, or some spiteful crew.

  To tell the truth ,

  Here man knoo pray,

  Feeling his soul . "

  "Let one be famed as bad as mortal may,

  Send him in jailo sorry years to pine,

  He"lle forth holy, wise, beloved alway."

  "Here soul, flesh, clothes their substance gross refine;

  Each bulky lout gro like gossamere;

  Celestial thrones before purged eyeballs shine.

  I"ll tell thee a great marvel! Friend, give ear! "

  " The fane on one day to e:

  Learn noo here.

  My cell I search, prick bro,

  Then turohe door, "

  " And e;

  find a piece of brick upon the floor,

  Crumble a part thereof to powder small,

  And form a paste by sprinkling a;" probably a slang phrase for urine. "

  "Then, then came Poesy h fiery call

  Into my carcass, by the

  Whence bread goes forth-thereall.

  "

  "No:

  Who

  First learn the ill that God for him hath .

  The jail tains all arts in ad trust; "

  " Should you but hanker after surgeon"s skill,

  "T.

  here is something in itself that will

  Make yht eloquent, a bold brave spark, "

  " Big s food and ill.

  Blessed is the man who lies in dungeon dark,

  Languishing many a month, then takes his flight

  Of he mark. "

  "Needs be that all things turn to his delight;

  The jail has crammed his brains so full of ,

  They"ll danorris to upset the .

  Perce thou"lt urge: “Think ho;

  Nor is it true the jailteach thee lore,

  To fill thy breast a !”


  Nay, for myself I"ll ever praise it more:

  Yet he man

  Whose acts deserve it should not scape this score.

  Whoso hath gotten the poor folk in ban,

  I"d make him learn those lessons of the jail;

  For then he"d know all a good ruler :

  He"d act like men who weigh by reason"s scale,

  Nor dare to s aside,

  Nor he realm prevail.

  While I o abide,

  Foison of priests, friars, soldiers I could see;

  But thoseI spied.

  Ah! could you kne came over me,

  When for such rogues the jail relaxed her hold!

  This makes one o be!

  I"ll add no more. Now I"m be fine gold,

  Such gold as none flings lightly to the wind,

  Fit for the best work eyes shall e"er behold.

  Another point hath passed into my mind,

  Which I"ve not told thee, Luca; e,

  Was in the book of one our kith and kind. 注釋標題 "Un nostro parente." He says above that he he leaves of his Bible.

  There doe

  Eaent grim that crushed me like a vice:

  The paste my hurrying thoughts could hardly float.

  To make an O, I dipped the splihrice

  In that thick mud; worse woe could scarcely grind

  Spirits in hell debarred from Paradise.

  Seeing I"m not the first by fraud fined,

  This I"ll omit; and once more seek the cell

  Wherein I rack fe both heart and mind.

  I praise it more than other tongues ell;

  And, for advice to such as do not know,

  S nonelabour well.

  Yet oh! for one like Him I learned but now,

  Who"d cry to me as by Bethesda"s shore:

  Take thy clothes, Beo, rise and go!

  Credo I"d sing, Salve reginas pour

  And Paternosters; alms I"d theow

  Morn after morn on blind folk, lame, and poor.

  Ah me! ho grow

  Blanched by those lilies! Shall I then forswear

  Florend Frahrough them for evermore? 注釋標題 "Un nostro parente." He says above that he he leaves of his Bible.

  If to the hospital Ie, and fair

  Find the Annunziata limned. I"ll fly:

  Else shall I shoh "Ave Virgo!"

  These y,

  Nor those Her lilies, glorious, holy, pure,

  The h and heaven high!

  But for I find at everyobscure

  Base lilies which spread hooks where flowers should blow

  Needs must I fear lest these to ruin lure. 注釋標題 That is, he finds everyhe Farnesi.

  To think how many walk like me in woe!

  Born eful sign!

  Souls lively, graceful, like to gods below!

  I sahal heraldry dee

  From heaven like lightning among people vain;

  Then oone I sare shine.

  The castle"s bell must break ere I rain

  Thence issued; and these things Who speaketh true

  In heaven oh, to me made h.

  I beheld a bier of sombre hue

  Adorned ears;

  And on their beds a lost o his prevision of Pier Luigi Farnese"s murder.

  I sah fears;

  This man and that she menaced, while she cried:

  “I clip the folk hese shears!”


  That e wide

  With Peter"s pen words which-for he bade shun

  To speak them thrice-ed him in prison.

  Him I beheld he sun,

  Cladon high,

  Seld-seen by mortal eyes, if e"er by one. 注釋標題 Allusion to his vision of the sun in the dungeon.

  Then did a solitary sparrow cry

  Loud from the keep; hearing e, I said:

  “He tells that I shall live and you must die!”


  I sang, and e my hard case, head by head,

  Asking from god pardon and aid in need,

  For no mine eyes oorn and dead.

  Ne"er lion, tiger, wolf, or bear knew greed

  Huhan that ma for human blood;

  Nor viperPier Luigi Farnese.

  The cruel chief was he of robbers" brood,

  Worst of theamong a gang of knaves;

  Hist! I"ll speak soft lest I be uood!

  Say, have ye seen catchpolls, the famished slaves,

  In act a poor man"s homestead to distrain,

  Smashing doaves?

  So on the first of August did that train

  Dislodge me to a tomb more foul, more cold:-

  “November damns and dooms each rogue to pain!” 注釋標題 Allusion to the prophetic o Foiano"s dungeon.

  I at mine ears a trumpet had old

  Truth; and each ,

  Reckless, if but grief"s load from me were rolled.

  They, ,

  Gave me a diamond, pounded, no fair ring,

  Deeming that I must die if I should eat.

  That villain churl

  My food, I bade taste first; but mean:

  “Not here I find my foe Durante"s sting!”


  Yet erst my mind unto high God I brought

  Beseeg Him to pardon all my sin,

  And spoke a Miserere sorro.

  Thendin

  Of troubles, and had given my soul to God,

  tented better realms and state to win,

  I sarod,

  From heaven desding, glad, h glorious palm,

  An angel: clear he cried, “Upoh"s sod

  Live lohou! Through Him hy psalm,

  Those foes shall perish, ead all, in strife,

  While thou remai happy, free, and calm,

  Blessed by our Sire in heaven oh for life!”


  End of Part One