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head, by way of binding the compact. He looked up to the wall to consider the best means of enabling the lady to scale it, when he saw above it a man's head looking at them. Ascanio at first thought they were betrayed, but the expression of the face, which he continued to look at, removed his alarm on this head. It was a very fine countenance, highly intelligent, and uncommonly good-humoured. It seem ed, as well as Ascanio could guess, by the thick beard and mustaches, to belong to a man of middle age. He had a long pointed nose, bright eyes, and very white teeth; a small cap just stuck on the left side of his head gave a knowing sort of look to his appearance, and added to the arch expression of his visage, as he put his finger on his lips to enjoin silence when Ascanio looked up at him.

arms, and once kissed her fair fore-half dead with horror, awaited the issue of the contest. The assailants came on with great fury; and as they were three to two, the odds were rather in their favour. They consisted of the Gascon Captain, the porter, and a servant, who seemed to be in no great hurry to begin the fight; they appeared astonished at finding two opponents, having seen only Ascanio from the house. They fell on, however, in pretty good order. It happened to be the lot of the stranger, perhaps because he was the bigger man, to encounter the servant and the Captain. Just as they came up, he loosened his cloak from his throat, and twisting it very lightly round his left arm, he made as serviceable a buckler as a man should wish to use. Upon this he caught the Captain's first blow, and dealt in return so shrewd a cut upon the serving man's head, as laid him on the forest turf without the least inclination to take any further share in the combat. The fight was now nearly equal; and to do him justice, the Gascon Captain was a fair match for most men. The stranger, however, was one to whom fighting was evidently any thing but new and in less than five minutes the Captain lay beside the servant so dead, that if all the monks in Christendom had sung a mass in his ears he would not have heard it.

"Hush,' he said, it is a very reasonable bargain on both sides, very disinterested, and strongly sworn to. And now, my children, as I have been a witness to it, although unintentionally, I feel bound to help your escape.' Ascanio hardly knew what answer to make; but as he saw it was perfectly indifferent to the stranger, who knew the whole of his secrct, whether he should trust him or not, he resolved to accept his offer. He told him of the difficulty he had to get the lady over the wall."

While employed on this, "three fellows were seen stealing round the walls with their swords drawn.

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"By St. Dennis we have been reckoning without our host,' cried the stranger, they don't mean to let us part thus. Come, my spark,' he said to Ascanio, you will have some service for that sword you wear, and which, pray heaven, you know how to use: Do you stand on the other side of the tree, Madam,' he said, putting the lady on his horse, and if the worst should betide, gallop down the path, keeping the high road till you come to Paris; inquire for the Nunnery of St. Genevieve, and give this ring to the Abbess, who is a relation of mine; she will ensure you protection.'

"The lady received the ring, and,

"I have owed you this good turn a very long time, my gallant Captain Sangfeu. I have not forgotten an ill turn you did me at Pavia, when you did not wear the rebel Bourbon's livery; but there's an end of all, and you die as a soldier should.' And as the stranger muttered this, he wiped the blood-drops off his own sword, and looked at the fight which was continuing between the Swiss and Ascanio, but did not seemed inclined to interfere. "Save him, for mercy's sake,' cried the lady. By our Holy Lady,' he replied, I think he wants no aid. He is making gallant play with his slender rapier there against the large weapon of the Swiss. You shall see him win you, Madam, or I have mistaken my man. Well evaded!there he has it!' he shouted, as Ascanio's sword entered his antagonist's

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body until the shell struck against his breast-bone, and the giant fell at the youth's feet.

"The varlet may get over it,' said the stranger, kicking the servant's body; but for the other two, I'll be their gage they'll never come out to assassinate honest men on moonlight nights again. But away with you,' turning to Ascanio, we shall have the whole country up in five minutes; begone:' and he held the horse while Ascanio mounted.

"But what will you do?' returned the youth.

"I am not far from home, and if the hunt should become hot, I'll get up one of these trees; but take care of the horse, he'll carry you six leagues in an hour. Good bye, Rabican,' he added, patting the steed's neck, who by his pawing seemed to know his master.

The lovers do indeed put the speed of this noble animal to the test, and "his gallop was as wild as if it would never end." But, on reaching Paris, Ascanio is at a loss how to dispose of his fair charge.

"He was at this time living with Cellini, in an old castellated house on the left bank of the Seine, which had formed part of the Nesle Palace, and which Cellini had called Il Piccol Nello. Almost all the chambers, excepting the few in which they dwelt, were occupied by the numerous works in which the artist was engaged. At length Ascanio's fertile invention suggested to him an expedient, by which he might ensure an asylum for the lady, for a short time at least, until he should be able to explain the whole af fair to Cellini.

"Among the odd whims which, from time to time, reigned in the crazy brain of Cellini, that of making a colossal statue of Mars, had for a long time been paramount, and he had proceeded so far as to make the head of the figure, when some other freak drew off his attention. This head was about as large as the cottage of a London ruralist, and occupied a large space in the court-yard of Il Piccol Nello. The frame was made of solid timber, and the outside covered with a very thick plaster, which was moulded into

the form of a gigantic face, representing the aspect of the God of Battles, and a very terrible affair to look upon it was.

"Ascanio, who had often been much annoyed by the discordant noises with which his master conducted his labours, and no less by the incessant talking of the old house-keeper, had found a refuge from both in the cavity of this head, where he had formed a very convenient, and not a very small apartment. Here he used to study painting and music, both of which he loved far better than either sculpture or working in gold; and he had been wise enough never to tell Cellini or any other person of this retreat. entered it easily by a chasm from the ground, and a small ladder, which he had placed within side, conducted him up to his chamber.

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"Cellini's oddities and the unceremonious method he had adopted of getting possession of the Il Piccol Nello, had made him many enemies. Among others, there was a wretched little tailor, who had the honour of being employed for some of the Counseillers du Parlement." This tailor becomes for certain reasons the implacable foe of Cellini. "He took a garret directly opposite his house, where he used to watch the motions of the inhabitants of Il Piccol Nello, and to soften the exasperation of his mind, he bestowed on them from morning till night all the maledictions his ingenuity could invent. He had heard noises proceeding from the monstrous plaster head in the court-yard, and even sometimes in the dead of the night he had seen two streams of light issuing from the great eyes, but as he had no notion that Ascanio was then within the head, drawing by the light of a lamp, or playing upon a guitar, which he accompanied with his voice, the little tailor's fears and malice induced him to spread a report that Cellini was an enchanter, and that the Testu di Marte he had made, was some demoniacal contrivance which he had animated for the destruction of the good city of Paris. Not content with reporting this throughout the quarter in which he dwelt, he told it among all

the lacquais of all the Conseillers he in the world of whom he had ever been afraid) to themselves. He said he would see Cellini, who had staid all night in the palace by his orders; and the artist was accordingly sent for.

knew, until at length the story of the Devil's Head in Il Piccol Nello was as well known as any other current lie in the city."

In this chamber Beatrice is placed : meanwhile the Chancellor had found bis bullies where Ascanio left them, but could persuade "none of the three to tell him what had brought them into so sad a plight, and for this reason; two of them were stone-dead, and the other was so faint, from the loss of blood, that he could not speak, and seemed very likely to follow his companions." He however pursues the fugitives," resolved, in his rage, to devote the youth to utter ruin, as soon as he should catch him; and, in the meantime, he proposed to glut his rage by sacrificing Benvenuto Cellini, who, as we said before, had made himself many enemies, by an unlucky habit he had of threatening to kill people with whom he had any disputes, A practice which, although it has its advantages, would, if generally adopted, be highly injurious to all legal professions; and which, therefore, deserved the most severe reprobation of a Chancellor."

Aware of Cellini's favour with the King, he is obliged to tread warily; but the superstition of that age rendered a charge of sorcery too grave to be parried. The haunted bead is therefore made the hinge on which the artist's ruin is to turn; and the Duchess d'Estampes, the King's mistress, and his Majesty's confessor, both enemies of Cellini, enter into the confederacy against him.

The confessor "devoutly believed in all the legends of the Romish church, and thought it highly probable, that a man who could execute such beautiful sculptures, as Cellini had exhibited on the preceding day, must be in league with the devil. When, therefore, the Chancellor began to tell his story, these two worthy personages chimed in, and backed his villainous project so well, that the good-natured King was diverted from his first intention, which had been to kick the Chancellor, and to leave the confessor and the sultana (the only two persons

"How now, Cellini," said the monarch, as he approached, did I send for you to Paris that you should bring with you troops of fiends and demons, who, it is said, help you in your works,'

"I have no devils to help me in my work,' said Cellini, but your majesty's subjects; and if my great countryman, Alighieri, were to lead me through all the darkest places in the Inferno, I could not find worse fiends.'

"But here,' said the king, holding out the papers, 'two men swear that you have a head of the devil in Il Piccol Nello, and that the whole of the neighbourhood is infested by his legions, to the disturbance of the public tranquillity, and the great scandal of our holy church.'

"The confessor crossed himself.

"I abjure the devil and his powers,' said Cellini, crossing himself with no less fervour; and next to them, I hate and abhor the villains who have thus slandered me to your gracious Majesty. Give me to know their names, and I swear they shall be better acquainted with the real devil ere long.'

The King decides, on examining into the matter personally; but Ascanio had married the fair Beatrice before the royal commission got to Paris, and was gone to restore the stranger's horse, according to the directions he had received, at the time it arrived at the Testa di Marte, wherein the Bride was lodged.

"The consternation of Beatrice may be better imagined than described, when she heard the arrival of so many strangers; but it was increased to an almost intolerable degree as she listened to the conversation which ensued, and heard the odious voice of her oppressor, the Chancellor. She could not see any of the persons unless she had looked out at the eyes of the figure, and this she dared not to do lest she should discover herself.

"And this,' said the King, is what they call the Devil's Head.'

"Who calls it so?' asked Cellini, fiercely, it is the head of Mars, and whoever has called it the head of the Devil is an ass and a liar!?

"Patience, good Benvenuto,' said the King; let us hear what they have to say against the head, which seems to be a very fine work of art, whether it has been wrought by man or demon.'

"The Chancellor, who had taken care upon the journey to mature his plans, now produced the little tailor, who saw here a glorious opportunity of being revenged on his formidable antagonist. He, therefore, began a long story, every third word of which was a lie, about the sights he had seen and the sounds he had heard, in and about this dreadful head. He had often seen the foul fiend himself go in and out, he said; he had heard the devils performing the sacred office of mass backwards; he had seen flames issue from the mouth, and no longer ago than last night, as he was a Christian and a tailor, he swore that he had seen two fiends enter the head, immediately after which it was seen to roll its fiery eyes in a manner truly horrible and awful.

"It would be impossible to convey any adequate notion of the extravagances which Cellini committed while this little idiot was uttering his lies. If he had not been restrained he would have killed him on the spot; he roared all sorts of imprecations, he cursed every tailor that had been on the earth since the creation, and then, adding all those curses together, he heaped them in a lump on the head of the particular tailor then before him; in short, he acted so whimsical a madness, that the King laughed until his sides ached.

"The Chancellor, however, took up the matter in a much more serious light. He said it was evident from the relation of the witness, that some foul deeds were practised, and that the head ought to be exorcised; never doubting that if he could once gain the assistance of the Clergy, they would

invent some pretext upon which Cellini might be sent to prison, and knowing that their influence with the King was much greater than his own, the Confessor fell into his scheme readily, and he said he did not doubt that there was a spirit in the head, and repeated that it ought to be exorcised. The King had no objection to this, and as he had already enjoyed the farce so far, he wished to see it played. Some of the brethren of the neighbouring Carmelite Church were sent for, in all haste, and preparations made for the exorcising. The Confessor directed a large stack of faggots, which stood in a corner of the yard, to be laid around the head; because, he said, the application of fire was always necessary to dislodge a spirit so malignant as that appeared to be which had taken up its abode in this structure. The preparations were soon made, and a torch applied, when a faint shriek was heard to issue from the head. All the bystanders looked aghast; the Priests crossed themselves; even the King looked grave; Cellini's hair stood on end; and the tailor ran away. At this moment Ascanio had returned from the park, and learning from a bystander that they were about to exorcise the Magic Head, at the Italian sculptor's, because there was a spirit in it, he rushed in just time enough to dash the torch from the hand of a lay brother of the Carmelites, who was applying it, and whom he knocked down, at the same time trampling out the fire which had begun to catch one of the faggots.

"Fiends, monsters!' he cried, 'advance one step, and your lives shall be the forfeit.'

"Beatrice heard his voice, and almost fainting with terror, she rushed out, and threw herself into his arms. Supporting her with his left arm and holding out his sword with his right, he continued to menace all who should approach.

"What means all this?' cried the King. But Ascanio was too much busied in encouraging the terrified girl to listen to the question.

"The old Chancellor, however, whe

holy patron, St. Dennis, I believe he could himself have killed those three murderous villains whom thou didst retain, but know that I helped himthat I cut the throat of that traitor Sangfeu, whom, in spite of me, thou didst cherish, to do deeds which thy black heart planned, but dare not

recognized →→ Beatrice instantly, now **thought that his plan had succeeded even beyond his expectation. Diff My gracious liege,' he cried, this maiden is a ward of mine, whose person I require to be instantly restorbed to me; the youth I charge with having, in company with others, slain esthree of my household and having car-achieve. I helped him to carry off the ried off the maiden by force.'

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"But what says the youth ?' asked 2. the King, of Ascanio, who had been gazing on him in almost stupifying astonishment. He saw before him, in the person of the gallant Francis, the stranger who had so generously aided him in the Forest of Fontainbleau. Has he any witness besides that maiden who is too deeply interested in this matter, to prove that he killed his antagonist in fair fight ?”

He is one of a band of murder<ers and ravishers, cried the Chancellor in a rage, he has no witness.'

“Thou art a liar though thou wert a thousand Chancellors,' replied the youth; and since peaceful men like thee do not make war but upon weak maidens, I defy thee by thy champion.'

"No, my liege,' he added, turning to the King, and kneeling-' I have no witness save God and your Majesty.?

And may every honest man have witnesses as good in time of need to oppose to perjurors and lawyers. He is no murderer, Chancellor; by my

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maiden, thy dead friend's daughter, whom thou didst basely oppress; and if he had not been there I had done it myself." --

"The King and his train then departed, leaving the young people with Cellini, whom the disgrace of the Chancellor had put into mighty good humour. He made Ascanio tell him the story of the fight in the forest over and over again. He kissed Beatrice, and called her his child; he forbade all work in Il Piccol Nello for a week; had the wedding celebrated with great magnificence, and said, that of all works he had ever produced, none had made him so happy as

"LA TESTA DI MARTE.'

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We now give a specimen of the poetry—a canzonet :

My soul they say is hard and cold,

And nought can move me;

Perchance 'tis so 'midst life's wild whirl,
But oh! on beauty's lips, my girl!
"Twill melt like Cleopatra's pearl :

Then love me-love me.

I would not climb th' ambitious heights
That soar above me;

I do not ask thee to bestow

Or wealth or honours on me now,
Or wreathe with laurel leaves my brow,
But love me-love me.

Oh! I'll gaze on thee till my fond

Fixed glances move thee:

Love's glance sometimes the coldest warms,
Pygmalion on a statue's charms
Gazed, till it leaped into his arms;
Then love me-love me.

THE HARP OF TEARS.

LOVE, once on a time, with Sorrow *his bride,
Was amid the Nine bright Sisters' choir,
And, as Sorrow was brushing a tear aside,
It fell on the strings of a Muse's lyre.

Oh the golden chords had a soul before,

But the warm drop gave them a heart beside ;
And Love has hallow'd the sweet harp more,
Ever since it was wet by its tearful bride.

* See Mrs. Barbauld's beautiful allegory of "Pity." 59 ATHENEUM VOL. 2. 2d series.

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