IV.
_Of the new attack made by Salvator Rosa and Antonio Scacciati uponSigner Pasquale Capuzzi and upon his company, and of what furtherhappens in consequence._
Next morning Antonio came to Salvator, melancholy and dejected.
"Well, what's the matter?" cried Salvator when he saw him coming, "whatare you hanging your head about? What's happened to you now, you happydog? can you not see your mistress every day, and kiss her and pressher to your heart?"
"Oh! Salvator, it's all over with my happiness, it's gone for ever,"cried Antonio. "The devil is making sport of me. Our stratagem hasfailed, and we now stand on a footing of open enmity with that cursedCapuzzi."
"So much the better," said Salvator; "so much the better. But come,Antonio, tell me what's happened."
"Just imagine, Salvator," began Antonio, "yesterday when I went back tothe Via Ripetta after an absence of at the most two hours, with allsorts of medicines, whom should I see but the old gentleman standing inhis own doorway fully dressed. Behind him was the Pyramid Doctor andthe deuced ex-gendarme, whilst a confused something was bobbing aboutround their legs. It was, I believe, that little monster Pitichinaccio.No sooner did the old man get sight of me than he shook his fist at me,and began to heap the most fearful curses and imprecations upon me,swearing that if I did but approach his door he would have all my bonesbroken. 'Be off to the devil, you infamous barber-fellow,' he shrieked;'you think to outwit me with your lying and knavery. Like the verydevil himself, you lie in wait for my poor innocent Marianna, and fancyyou are going to get her into your toils--but stop a moment! I willspend my last ducat to have the vital spark stamped out of you, ereyou're aware of it. And your fine patron, Signor Salvator, themurderer--bandit--who's escaped the halter--he shall be sent to joinhis captain Masaniello in hell--I'll have him out of Rome; that won'tcost me much trouble.'
"Thus the old fellow raged, and as the damned ex-gendarme, incited bythe Pyramid Doctor, was making preparations to bear down upon me, and acrowd of curious onlookers began to assemble, what could I do but quitthe field with all speed? I didn't like to come to you in my greattrouble, for I know you would only have laughed at me and myinconsolable complaints. Why, you can hardly keep back your laughternow."
As Antonio ceased speaking, Salvator did indeed burst out laughingheartily.
"Now," he cried, "now the thing is beginning to be rather interesting.And now, my worthy Antonio, I will tell you in detail all that tookplace at Capuzzi's after you had gone. You had hardly left the housewhen Signor Splendiano Accoramboni, who had learned--God knows in whatway--that his bosom-friend, Capuzzi, had broken his right leg in thenight, drew near in all solemnity, with a surgeon. Your bandage and theentire method of treatment you have adopted with Signor Pasquale couldnot fail to excite suspicion. The surgeon removed the splints andbandages, and they discovered, what we both very well know, that therewas not even so much as an ossicle of the worthy Capuzzi's right footdislocated, still less broken. It didn't require any uncommon sagacityto understand all the rest."
"But," said Antonio, utterly astonished, "but my dear, good sir, dotell me how you have learned all that; tell me how you get intoCapuzzi's house and know everything that takes place there."
"I have already told you," replied Salvator, "that an acquaintance ofDame Caterina lives in the same house, and moreover, on the same flooras Capuzzi. This acquaintance, the widow of a wine-dealer, has adaughter whom my little Margaret often goes to see. Now girls have aspecial instinct for finding out their fellows, and so it came aboutthat Rose--that's the name of the wine-dealer's daughter--and Margaretsoon discovered in the living-room a small vent-hole, leading into adark closet that adjoins Marianna's apartment. Marianna had been by nomeans inattentive to the whispering and murmuring of the two girls, norhad she failed to notice the vent-hole, and so the way to a mutualexchange of communications was soon opened and made use of. Wheneverold Capuzzi takes his afternoon nap the girls gossip away to theirheart's content. You will have observed that little Margaret, DameCaterina's and my favourite, is not so serious and reserved as herelder sister, Anna, but is an arch, frolicsome, droll little thing.Without expressly making mention of your love-affair I have instructedher to get Marianna to tell her everything that takes place inCapuzzi's house. She has proved a very apt pupil in the matter; and ifI laughed at your pain and despondency just now it was because I knewwhat would comfort you, knew I could prove to you that the affair hasnow taken a most favourable turn. I have quite a big budget full ofexcellent news for you."
"Salvator!" cried Antonio, his eyes sparkling with joy, "how you causemy hopes to rise! Heaven be praised for the vent-hole. I will write toMarianna; Margaret shall take the letter with her"----
"Nay, nay, we can have none of that, Antonio," replied Salvator."Margaret can be useful to us without being your love-messengerexactly. Besides, accident, which often plays many fine tricks, mightcarry your amorous confessions into old Capuzzi's hands, and so bringan endless amount of fresh trouble upon Marianna, just at the verymoment when she is on the point of getting the lovesick old fool underher thumb. For listen to what then happened. The way in which Mariannareceived the old fellow when we took him home has quite reformed him.He is fully convinced that she no longer loves you, but that she hasgiven him at least one half of her heart, and that all he has to do isto win the other half. And Marianna, since she imbibed the poison ofyour kisses, has advanced three years in shrewdness, artfulness, andexperience. She has convinced the old man, not only that she had noshare in our trick, but that she hates our goings-on, and will meetwith scorn every device on your part to approach her. In his excessivedelight the old man was too hasty, and swore that if he could doanything to please his adored Marianna he would do it immediately, shehad only to give utterance to her wish. Whereupon Marianna modestlyasked for nothing except that her _zio carissimo_ (dearest uncle) wouldtake her to see Signor Formica in the theatre outside the Porta delPopolo. This rather posed Capuzzi; there were consultations with thePyramid Doctor and with Pitichinaccio; at last Signor Pasquale andSignor Splendiano came to the resolution that they really would takeMarianna to this theatre to-morrow. Pitichinaccio, it was resolved,should accompany them in the disguise of a handmaiden, to which he onlygave his consent on condition that Signor Pasquale would make him apresent, not only of the plush waistcoat, but also of a wig, and atnight would, alternately with the Pyramid Doctor, carry him home. Thatbargain they finally made; and so the curious leash will certainly goalong with pretty Marianna to see Signor Formica to-morrow, in thetheatre outside the Porta del Popolo."
It is now necessary to say who Signor Formica was, and what he had todo with the theatre outside the Porta del Popolo.
At the time of the Carnival in Rome, nothing is more sad than when thetheatre-managers have been unlucky in their choice of a musicalcomposer, or when the first tenor at the Argentina theatre has losthis voice on the way, or when the male prima donna[4.1] of the Valletheatre is laid up with a cold,--in brief, when the chief source ofrecreation which the Romans were hoping to find proves abortive, andthen comes Holy Thursday and all at once cuts off all the hopes whichmight perhaps have been realized It was just after one of these unluckyCarnivals--almost before the strict fast-days were past, when a certainNicolo Musso opened a theatre outside the Porta del Popolo, where hestated his intention of putting nothing but light impromptu comicsketches on the boards. The advertisement was drawn up in an ingeniousand witty style, and consequently the Romans formed a favourablepreconception of Musso's enterprise; but independently of this theywould in their longing to still their dramatic hunger have greedilysnatched at any the poorest pabulum of this description. The interiorarrangements of the theatre, or rather of the small booth, did not saymuch for the pecuniary resources of the enterprising manager. There wasno orchestra, nor were there boxes. Instead, a gallery was put up atthe back, where the arms of the house of Colonna were conspicuous--asign that Count Colonna had taken Musso
and his theatre under hisespecial protection. A platform of slight elevation, covered withcarpets and hung round with curtains, which, according to therequirements of the piece, had to represent a wood or a room or astreet--this was the stage. Add to this that the spectators had tocontent themselves with hard uncomfortable wooden benches, and it wasno wonder that Signor Musso's patrons on first entering were prettyloud in their grumblings at him for calling a paltry wooden booth atheatre. But no sooner had the first two actors who appeared exchangeda few words together than the attention of the audience was arrested;as the piece proceeded their interest took the form of applause, theirapplause grew to admiration, their admiration to the wildest pitch ofenthusiastic excitement, which found vent in loud and continuouslaughter, clapping of hands, and screams of "Bravo! Bravo!"
And indeed it would not have been very easy to find anything moreperfect than these extemporised representations of Nicolo Musso; theyoverflowed with wit, humour, and genius, and lashed the follies of theday with an unsparing scourge. The audience were quite carried away bythe incomparable characterisation which distinguished all the actors,but particularly by the inimitable mimicry of Pasquarello,[4.2] by hismarvellously natural imitations of the voice, gait, and postures ofwell-known personages. By his inexhaustible humour, and the point andappositeness of his impromptus, he quite carried his audience away. Theman who played the _role_ of Pasquarello, and who called himself SignorFormica, seemed to be animated by a spirit of singular originality;often there was something so strange in either tone or gesture, thatthe audience, even in the midst of the most unrestrained burst oflaughter, felt a cold shiver run through them. He was excellentlysupported by Dr. Gratiano,[4.3] who in pantomimic action, in voice, andin his talent for saying the most delightful things mixed up withapparently the most extravagant nonsense, had perhaps no equal in theworld. This _role_ was played by an old Bolognese named Maria Agli.Thus in a short time all educated Rome was seen hastening in acontinuous stream to Nicolo Musso's little theatre outside the Portadel Popolo, whilst Formica's name was on everybody's lips, and peopleshouted with wild enthusiasm, "_Oh! Formica! Formica benedetto! Oh!Formicissimo!_"--not only in the theatre but also in the streets. Theyregarded him as a supernatural visitant, and many an old lady who hadsplit her sides with laughing in the theatre, would suddenly look graveand say solemnly, "_Scherza coi fanti e lascia star santi_" (Jest withchildren but let the saints alone), if anybody ventured to say theleast thing in disparagement of Formica's acting. This arose from thefact that outside the theatre Signor Formica was an inscrutablemystery. Never was he seen anywhere, and all efforts to discover tracesof him were vain, whilst Nicolo Musso on his part maintained aninexorable silence respecting his retreat.
And this was the theatre that Marianna was anxious to go to.
"Let us make a decisive onslaught upon our foes," said Salvator; "wecouldn't have a finer opportunity than when they're returning home fromthe theatre." Then he imparted to Antonio the details of a plan, which,though appearing adventurous and daring, Antonio nevertheless embracedwith joy, since it held out to him a prospect that he should be able tocarry off his Marianna from the hated old Capuzzi. He also heard withapprobation that Salvator was especially concerned to chastise thePyramid Doctor.
When night came, Salvator and Antonio each took a guitar and went tothe Via Ripetta, where, with the express view of causing old Capuzziannoyance, they complimented lovely Marianna with the finest serenadethat ever was heard. For Salvator played and sang in masterly style,whilst Antonio, as far as the capabilities of his fine tenor wouldallow him, almost rivalled Odoardo Ceccarelli. Although Signor Pasqualeappeared on the balcony and tried to silence the singers with abuse,his neighbours, attracted to their windows by the good singing, shoutedto him that he and his companions howled and screamed like so many catsand dogs, and yet he wouldn't listen to good music when it did comeinto the street; he might just go inside and stop up his ears if hedidn't want to listen to good singing. And so Signor Pasquale had tobear nearly all night long the torture of hearing Salvator and Antoniosing songs which at one time were the sweetest of love-songs and atanother mocked at the folly of amorous old fools. They plainly sawMarianna standing at the window, notwithstanding that Signor Pasqualebesought her in the sweetest phrases and protestations not to exposeherself to the noxious night air.
Next evening the most remarkable company that ever was seen proceededdown the Via Ripetta towards the Porta del Popolo. All eyes were turnedupon them, and people asked each other if these were maskers left fromthe Carnival. Signor Pasquale Capuzzi, spruce and smug, all eleganceand politeness, wearing his gay Spanish suit well brushed, parading anew yellow feather in his conical hat, and stepping along in shoes toolittle for him, as if he were walking amongst eggs, was leading prettyMarianna on his arm; her slender figure could not be seen, still lessher face, since she was smothered up to an unusual extent in her veiland wraps. On the other side marched Doctor Splendiano Accoramboni inhis great wig, which covered the whole of his back, so that to look athim from behind there appeared to be a huge head walking along ontwo little legs. Close behind Marianna, and almost clinging to her,waddled the little monster Pitichinaccio, dressed in fiery redpetticoats, and having his head covered all over in hideous fashionwith bright-coloured flowers.
This evening Signor Formica outdid himself even, and, what he had neverdone before, introduced short songs into his performance, burlesquingthe style of certain well-known singers. Old Capuzzi's passion for thestage, which in his youth had almost amounted to infatuation, was nowstirred up in him anew. In a rapture of delight he kissed Marianna'shand time after time, and protested that he would not miss an eveningvisiting Nicolo Musso's theatre with her. Signor Formica he extolled tothe very skies, and joined hand and foot in the boisterous applause ofthe rest of the spectators. Signor Splendiano was less satisfied, andkept continually admonishing Signor Capuzzi and lovely Marianna not tolaugh so immoderately. In a single breath he ran over the names oftwenty or more diseases which might arise from splitting the sides withlaughing. But neither Marianna nor Capuzzi heeded him in the least. Asfor Pitichinaccio, he felt very uncomfortable. He had been obliged tosit behind the Pyramid Doctor, whose great wig completely overshadowedhim. Not a single thing could he see on the stage, nor any of theactors, and was, moreover, repeatedly bothered and annoyed by twoforward women who had placed themselves near him. They called him adear, comely little lady, and asked him if he was married, though to besure, he was very young, and whether he had any children, who they darebe bound were sweet little creatures, and so forth. The cold sweatstood in beads on poor Pitichinaccio's brow; he whined and whimpered,and cursed the day he was born.
After the conclusion of the performance, Signor Pasquale waited untilthe spectators had withdrawn from the theatre. The last light wasextinguished just as Signor Splendiano had lit a small piece of a waxtorch at it; and then Capuzzi, with his worthy friends and Marianna,slowly and circumspectly set out on their return journey.
Pitichinaccio wept and screamed; Capuzzi, greatly to his vexation, hadto take him on his left arm, whilst with the right he led Marianna.Doctor Splendiano showed the way with his miserable little bit oftorch, which only burned with difficulty, and even then in a feeblesort of a way, so that the wretched light it cast merely served toreveal to them the thick darkness of the night.
Whilst they were still a good distance from the Porta del Popolo theyall at once saw themselves surrounded by several tall figures closelyenveloped in mantles. At this moment the torch was knocked out of theDoctor's hand, and went out on the ground. Capuzzi, as well as theDoctor, stood still without uttering a sound. Then, without theirknowing where it came from, a pale reddish light fell upon the muffledfigures, and four grisly skulls riveted their hollow ghastly eyes uponthe Pyramid Doctor. "Woe--woe--woe betide thee, SplendianoAccoramboni!" thus the terrible spectres shrieked in deep, sepulchraltones. Then one of them wailed, "Do you know me? do you know me,Splendiano? I am Cordier, the French painter, who
was buried last week,and whom your medicaments brought to his grave." Then the second, "Doyou know me, Splendiano? I am Kuefner, the German painter, whom youpoisoned with your infernal electuary." Then the third, "Do you knowme, Splendiano? I am Liers, the Fleming, whom you killed with yourpills, and whose brother you defrauded of a picture." Then the fourth,"Do you know me, Splendiano? I am Ghigi, the Neapolitan painter,whom you despatched with your powders." And lastly all four together,"Woe--woe--woe upon thee, Splendiano Accoramboni, cursed PyramidDoctor! We bid you come--come down to us beneath the earth.Away--away--away with you! Hallo! hallo!" and so saying they threwthemselves upon the unfortunate Doctor, and, raising him in theirarms, whisked him away like a whirlwind.
Now, although Signor Pasquale was a good deal overcome by terror, yetit is surprising with what remarkable promptitude he recovered courageso soon as he saw that it was only his friend Accoramboni with whom thespectres were concerned. Pitichinaccio had stuck his head, with theflower-bed that was on it, under Capuzzi's mantle, and clung so fastround his neck that all efforts to shake him off proved futile.
"Pluck up your spirits," Capuzzi exhorted Marianna, when nothing morewas to be seen of the spectres or of the Pyramid Doctor; "pluck up yourspirits, and come to me, my sweet little ducky bird! As for my worthyfriend Splendiano, it's all over with him. May St. Bernard, who alsowas an able physician and gave many a man a lift on the road tohappiness, may he help him, if the revengeful painters whom he hastenedto get to his Pyramid break his neck! But who'll sing the bass of mycanzonas now? And this booby, Pitichinaccio, is squeezing my throat so,that, adding in the fright caused by Splendiano's abduction, I fear Ishall not be able to produce a pure note for perhaps six weeks to come.Don't be alarmed, my Marianna, my darling! It's all over now."
She assured him that she had quite recovered from her alarm, and beggedhim to let her walk alone without support, so that he could freehimself from his troublesome pet. But Signor Pasquale only took fasterhold of her, saying that he wouldn't suffer her to leave his side ayard in that pitch darkness for anything in the world.
In the very same moment as Signor Pasquale, now at his ease again, wasabout to proceed on his road, four frightful fiend-like figures rose upjust in front of him as if out of the earth; they wore short flaringred mantles and fixed their keen glittering eyes upon him, at the sametime making horrible noises--yelling and whistling. "Ugh! ugh! PasqualeCapuzzi! You cursed fool! You amorous old devil! We belong to yourfraternity; we are the evil spirits of love, and have come to carry youoff to hell--to hell-fire--you and your crony Pitichinaccio." Thusscreaming, the Satanic figures fell upon the old man. Capuzzi fellheavily to the ground and Pitichinaccio along with him, both raising ashrill piercing cry of distress and fear, like that of a whole troop ofcudgelled asses.
Marianna had meanwhile torn herself away from the old man and leaptaside. Then one of the devils clasped her softly in his arms,whispering the sweet glad words, "O Marianna! my Marianna! At lastwe've managed it! My friends will carry the old man a long, long wayfrom here, whilst we seek a better place of safety."
"O my Antonio!" whispered Marianna softly.
But suddenly the scene was illuminated by the light of several torches,and Antonio felt a stab in his shoulder. Quick as lightning he turnedround, drew his sword, and attacked the fellow, who with his stilettoupraised was just preparing to aim a second blow. He perceived that histhree companions were defending themselves against a superior number ofgendarmes. He managed to beat off the fellow who had attacked him, andjoined his friends. Although they were maintaining their groundbravely, the contest was yet too unequal; the gendarmes wouldinfallibly have proved victorious had not two others suddenly rangedthemselves with a shout on the side of the young men, one of themimmediately cutting down the fellow who was pressing Antonio thehardest.
In a few minutes more the contest was decided against the police.Several lay stretched on the ground seriously wounded; the rest fledwith loud shouts towards the Porta del Popolo.
Salvator Rosa (for he it was who had hastened to Antonio's assistanceand cut down his opponent) wanted to take Antonio and the youngpainters who were disguised in the devils' masks and there and thenpursue the gendarmes into the city.
Maria Agli, however, who had come along with him, and, notwithstandinghis advanced age, had tackled the police as stoutly as any of the rest,urged that this would be imprudent, for the guard at the Porta delPopolo would be certain to have intelligence of the affair and wouldarrest them. So they all betook themselves to Nicolo Musso, who gladlyreceived them into his narrow little house not far from the theatre.The artists took off their devils' masks and laid aside their mantles,which had been rubbed over with phosphorus, whilst Antonio, who,beyond the insignificant scratch on his shoulder, was not woundedat all, exercised his surgical skill in binding up the wounds of therest--Salvator, Agli, and his young comrades--for they had none of themgot off without being wounded, though none of them in the least degreedangerously.
The adventure, notwithstanding its wildness and audacity, wouldundoubtedly have been successful, had not Salvator and Antoniooverlooked one person, who upset everything. The _ci-devant_ bravo andgendarme Michele, who dwelt below in Capuzzi's house, and was in acertain sort his general servant, had, in accordance with Capuzzi'sdirections, followed them to the theatre, but at some distance off, forthe old gentleman was ashamed of the tattered reprobate. In the sameway Michele was following them homewards. And when the spectresappeared, Michele who, be it remarked, feared neither death nor devil,suspecting that something was wrong, hurried back as fast as he couldrun in the darkness to the Porta del Popolo, raised an alarm, andreturned with all the gendarmes he could find, just at the moment when,as we know, the devils fell upon Signor Pasquale, and were about tocarry him off as the dead men had the Pyramid Doctor.
In the very hottest moment of the fight, one of the young paintersobserved distinctly how one of the fellows, taking Marianna in his arms(for she had fainted), made off to the gate, whilst Signor Pasquale ranafter him with incredible swiftness, as if he had got quicksilver inhis legs. At the same time, by the light of the torches, he caught aglimpse of something gleaming, clinging to his mantle and whimpering;no doubt it was Pitichinaccio.
Next morning Doctor Splendiano was found near the Pyramid of Cestius,fast asleep, doubled up like a ball and squeezed into his wig, as ifinto a warm soft nest. When he was awakened, he rambled in his talk,and there was some difficulty in convincing him that he was still onthe surface of the earth, and in Rome to boot. And when at length hereached his own house, he returned thanks to the Virgin and all thesaints for his rescue, threw all his tinctures, essences, electuaries,and powders out of the window, burnt his prescriptions, and vowed toheal his patients in the future by no other means than by anointing andlaying on of hands, as some celebrated physician of former ages, whowas at the same time a saint (his name I cannot recall just at thismoment), had with great success done before him. For his patients diedas well as the patients of other people, and then they already saw thegates of heaven open before them ere they died, and in fact everythingelse that the saint wanted them to see.
"I can't tell you," said Antonio next day to Salvator, "how my heartboils with rage since my blood has been spilled. Death and destructionovertake that villain Capuzzi! I tell you, Salvator, that I amdetermined to _force_ my way into his house. I will cut him down if heopposes me and carry off Marianna."
"An excellent plan!" replied Salvator, laughing. "An excellent plan!Splendidly contrived! Of course I presume you have also found somemeans for transporting Marianna through the air to the Spanish Square,so that they shall not seize you and hang you before you can reach thatplace of refuge. No, my dear Antonio, violence can do nothing for youthis time. You may lay your life on it too that Signor Pasquale willnow take steps to guard against any open attack. Moreover, ouradventure has made a good deal of noise, and the irrepressible laughterof the people at the absurd way in which we have read a lesson toSplendiano an
d Capuzzi has roused the police out of their lightslumber, and they, you may be sure, will now exert all their feebleefforts to entrap us. No, Antonio, let us have recourse to craft. _Conarte e con inganno si vive mezzo l'anno, con inganno e con arte si vivel'altra parte_ (If cunning and scheming will help us six monthsthrough, scheming and cunning will help us the other six too), saysDame Caterina, nor is she far wrong. Besides, I can't help laughing tosee how we've gone and acted for all the world like thoughtless boys,and I shall have to bear most of the blame, for I am a good bit olderthan you. Tell me now, Antonio, supposing our scheme had beensuccessful, and you had actually carried off Marianna from the old man,where would you have fled to, where would you have hidden her, and howwould you have managed to get united to her by the priest before theold man could interfere to prevent it? You shall, however, in a fewdays, really and truly run away with your Marianna. I have let NicoloMusso as well as Signor Formica into all the secret, and in common withthem devised a plan which can scarcely fail. So cheer up, Antonio;Signor Formica will help you."
"Signor Formica?" replied Antonio in a tone of indifference whichalmost amounted to contempt. "Signor Formica! In what way can thatbuffoon help me?"
"Ho! ho!" laughed Salvator. "Please to bear in mind, I beg you, thatSignor Formica is worthy of your respect. Don't you know that he is asort of magician who in secret is master of the most mysterious arts? Itell you, Signor Formica will help you. Old Maria Agli, the cleverBolognese Doctor Gratiano, is also a sharer in the plot, and will,moreover, have an important part to play in it. You shall abduct yourMarianna, Antonio, from Musso's theatre."
"You are flattering me with false hopes, Salvator," said Antonio. "Youhave just now said yourself that Signor Pasquale will take care toavoid all open attacks. How can you suppose then, after his recentunpleasant experience, that he can possibly make up his mind to visitMusso's theatre again?"
"It will not be such a difficult thing as you imagine to entice the oldman there," replied Salvator. "What will be more difficult to effect,will be, to get him in the theatre without his satellites. But, be thatas it may, what you have now got to do, Antonio, is to have everythingprepared and arranged with Marianna, so as to flee from Rome the momentthe favourable opportunity comes. You must go to Florence; your skillas a painter will, after your arrival, in itself recommend you there;and you shall have no lack of acquaintances, nor of honourablepatronage and assistance--that you may leave to me to provide for.After we have had a few days' rest, we will then see what is to be donefurther. Once more, Antonio--live in hope; Formica will help you."