"Venice, May 30. 1817.
"I returned from Rome two days ago, and have received your letter;
but no sign nor tidings of the parcel sent through Sir C. Stuart,
which you mention. After an interval of months, a packet of
'Tales,' &c. found me at Rome; but this is all, and may be all that
ever will find me. The post seems to be the only sure conveyance;
and _that only for letters_. From Florence I sent you a poem on
Tasso, and from Rome the new third Act of 'Manfred,' and by Dr.
Polidori two portraits for my sister. I left Rome and made a rapid
journey home. You will continue to direct here as usual. Mr.
Hobhouse is gone to Naples: I should have run down there too for a
week, but for the quantity of English whom I heard of there. I
prefer hating them at a distance; unless an earthquake, or a good
real irruption of Vesuvius, were ensured to reconcile me to their
vicinity.
"The day before I left Rome I saw three robbers guillotined. The
ceremony--including the _masqued_ priests; the half-naked
executioners; the bandaged criminals; the black Christ and his
banner; the scaffold; the soldiery; the slow procession, and the
quick rattle and heavy fall of the axe; the splash of the blood,
and the ghastliness of the exposed heads--is altogether more
impressive than the vulgar and ungentlemanly dirty 'new drop,' and
dog-like agony of infliction upon the sufferers of the English
sentence. Two of these men behaved calmly enough, but the first of
the three died with great terror and reluctance. What was very
horrible, he would not lie down; then his neck was too large for
the aperture, and the priest was obliged to drown his exclamations
by still louder exhortations. The head was off before the eye could
trace the blow; but from an attempt to draw back the head,
notwithstanding it was held forward by the hair, the first head was
cut off close to the ears: the other two were taken off more
cleanly. It is better than the oriental way, and (I should think)
than the axe of our ancestors. The pain seems little, and yet the
effect to the spectator, and the preparation to the criminal, is
very striking and chilling. The first turned me quite hot and
thirsty, and made me shake so that I could hardly hold the
opera-glass (I was close, but was determined to see, as one should
see every thing, once, with attention); the second and third (which
shows how dreadfully soon things grow indifferent), I am ashamed to
say, had no effect on me as a horror, though I would have saved
them if I could. Yours," &c.
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