- Performer Name:
- Sgricci
- Performance Venue:
- Lucca
- Performance Date:
- 1821
- Author:
- Shelley, Mary
- Date Written:
- 1821
- Language:
- English
- Publication Title:
- The Letters of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
- Article Title:
- Page Numbers:
- 1:181-83
- Additional Info:
- Ed. Betty T. Bennett
- Publisher:
- Johns Hopkins
- Place of Publication:
- Baltimore
- Date Published:
- 1980
Text:
[181] Upon the occasion of Sgci's second Academia he wished this latter to give him 200 tickets to distribute among the poor scolars to fill the pit — (I have not the smallest portion of a doubt that he intended to sell them at a paul or 1/2 a paul a piece) S. [Sgricci] refused to mendicare con i lodi* in consequence this excellent friend did not attend his Academia yesterday night** — We went as you may suppose & after much deliberation & consultation we agreed that the best way would be to give a sum at the door as is the custom for the friends of the Actor or Poet to do — Accordingly we left 10 sequins — a small sum but as you know as much as we could afford — Hardly had we entered our box — keeping ourselves for a while in the obscurest part of it than we heard it announced in the pit that dei Inglesi hanno last lascriarti dieci zechini all'uscio*** — the words were repeated again & again — I sat in the greatest fear I ever felt you could not have watched & doubted more the shaking posts of our carriage windows than I feared (not then knowing that P. was not in the house) that he or others would find us out & that the scolari ever in search of amusement & most riotous in [182] carnival time should treat us with some of their sonorous approbation — But our Black Genius not being there the sound of the zechini died away from the voice of man & we heard no more
The subject of the Tragedy was the Death of Hector. S. [Sgricci] was in excellent inspiration, his poetry was brilliant flowing & divine — a hymn to Mars & another to Victory were wonderfully spirited & striking — Achilles foretold to Hector that he (Achilles) was the master spirit who would destroy & vanquish him — Victory, he said, sits on the pummel of my sword & the way is short from thence to the point. The madness of Cassandra was exquisitely delineated — and her prophesies wondrous & torrent like — they burst on the ear like the Cry Trojans cry — of Shakespear and music eloquence & poetry were combined in this wonderful effort of the imagination — or rather shall I say of the inspiration of some wondrous deity.
(24) I was interrupted last night in my letter by the entrance of Prince Mauro**** — On the day before the Williams and Medwin (the latter to our infinite joy & good fortune for he threatened us with his seca presenza at the theatre) went to Livorno & yesterday S. went to join them so I was alone. Prince Mauro is a man much to my taste gentlemanly — gay learned and full of talent & enthusiasm for Greece — he gave me a greek lesson & staid until 8 o'clock — about half an hour after Sgricci came & we had a tête a tête for two hours until Shelleys return. I was extremely pleased with him he talked with delight of the inspiration he had experienced the night before, which bore him out of himself and filled him as they describe the Pythyness***** to have been filled with divine & tumu[l]tuous emotion — especially in the part where Cassandra prophesies he was as over come as she could { } & he poured forth prophecy as if Apollo had also touched his lips with the oracular touch. He talked about many things as you may guess in that time — with a frankness & gentleness beyond what I have before seen in him & which was the best and a conclusive answer to what has been said of his irregular life.
One word more of our Black Genius — A rich Englishman here — a natural philosopher bought at Leghorn a box of Elba minerals — worth at the very most 20 crowns — Pacchiani joined with the seller & together they made this poor fellow pay £70 — This is well known all over Leghorn — where Pacchiani exults & revels with this well got cash.
Emilia is at present in much better spirits than I have seen her for a long time — Pacchiani brings her many visitors — She says she does not like this but at least it makes pass the time & gives her something else to think of than the dreary cells & high walls of her convent.
Adieu — I will write to you soon again — Sgricci conveys this to you. I am sorry that he is going — yet in some sort glad for Florence is better suited to him than Pisa — He talks of giving an Acedemia there in the Quaresima
Ever yours M.
[183] […] *"Beg for praises."
**Mary Shelley recorded in her Journal for 22 January 1821: "Accademia in the evening — the subject the Quattro Etade & of the tragedy la morte d'ettore — He visits our box after the end of the tragedy."
***"Some Englishmen have lost ten sequins at the door."
****See 29 [?30] December [1820].
*****The priestess of Apollo, believed to have powers of prophecy.
Notes:
- Collected by:
- DP