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Untitled Article
repeat thy other words , Nevertheless , not as I will , but as Thou wilt O . ' roboni " ' died on the 13 th of June , 1823 , his last words being , From my heart I forgive my enemies / We have in some degree anticipated the order of events , in order to bring the notices of this amiable young man to a close . We must now inform the reader , that , inconsequence of a severe and dangerous accession of illness , Pellico was permitted , previous to his friend ' s decease , to have his irons removed , to write to his father , and finally to enjov the
society of his beloved Maroncelh , who henceforth occupied the same cell . A similar mitigation of misery seems to have been afforded to some of the other state prisoners , who were placed in pairs in the different apartments . They were in every respect partners in affliction . Not one of them appears to have escaped severe bodily sufferings , the consequence ' of bad and scanty food and confinement , and several died . As for Maroncelli , who had been in the flower of youth and health , Pellico scarcely recognised him , when
brought from the depths of his dungeon into upper air ; and his extreme anxiety for the restoration of his friend ' s health , diminished the satisfaction of their renewed intercourse . The idea of losing him , of another associate preceding him to the tomb , was unutterably appalling . Every time he was ill he trembled , whenever he was better it was a day of rejoicing . To Maroncelli a like anxiety was awarded . He watched over Pellico as a brother .
' He perceived when conversation did not suit me , and then he was always silent : and he saw when his words would be a comfort to me , and then he found subjects fitted to the state of my mind , sometimes seconding its views , sometimes by degrees moulding them anew . A more noble spirit than his I have never met with ; few equal to it ; great love of justice , candour , confidence in human virtue , and in the help
of Providence , a lively perception of the beautiful in art , a rich poetic fancy , all the most pleasant endowments of heart and mind , conspired to make him dear . I did not forget Oroboni ; every day I grieved for his loss , but often my heart rejoiced , imagining that that beloved being , free from all evil , and in the bosom of his God , might still number among his enjoyments that of seeing me with a friend not less affectionate than himself /
In the beginning of 1824 , a more rigorous discipline was adopted . Hitherto they had been allowed to have books ; but through the whole of the years 1824 , 25 , 26 , and 27 , these , with the exception of a few religious works , were forbidden . The place where they walked was enclosed , so as to hide from their
eyes the refreshing sight of surrounding lulls , and the city beneath . They had been accustomed sometimes to see the children of the superintendent at play , sometimes to speak a few words to them ; this , too , was disallowed ; Maroncelli , however , and his
companion occupied themselves ; they composed poems occasionally , and repeated them . Two of their fellow-prisoners were liberated , but still no kind message of hope waa brought to them ; and 2 G 2
Untitled Article
Silvio Pellico . 411
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), June 2, 1833, page 411, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2616/page/51/
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