Abate Pachiani who in 1820 introduced Shelley to the Contessina Emilia
Viviani, to whom the poet dedicated his _Epipsychidion_. Medwin, in his
_Life of Shelley_, a book which does not now obtain many readers, gives
a lively but partly very unfavourable account of Pachiani: I append a
few extracts from it, more as being relevant to Shelley than to
Polidori. "Pachiani was about fifty years of age, somewhat above the
common height, with a figure bony and angular. His face was dark as that
of a Moor. During the reign of Austrian despotism he was admirably
calculated for a spy. As to his religion, it was about on a par with
that of l'Abate Casti. At Pisa, il Signore Professore was the title by
which he was generally known. He lost [his professorship] by an
irresistible _bon mot_. During one of his midnight orgies, which he was
in the habit of celebrating with some of the most dissolute of the
students, he was interrogated, in the darkness, by the patrole in the
streets of Pisa as to who and what he was,—to which questioning he gave
the following reply: 'Son un uomo pubblico, in una strada pubblica, con
una donna pubblica.' His epigrams were _sanglants_, and he gave
sobriquets the most happy for those who offended him. His talent was
conversation—a conversation full of repartee and sparkling with wit; and
his information (he was a man of profound erudition, vast memory, and
first-rate talent) made him almost oracular. He was a mezzano, cicerone,
conoscitore, dilettante, and I might add ruffiano."[40]]
_December 21._—Went in the evening to the Countess Mastrani's. Ices,
iced people, prepared poetry, music. Went to the theatre, in the days
past, several times. Saw Goldoni's _Bugiardo_, with Harlequin etc.
_December 22._—As usual.
_December 23._—Same.
_December 24._—Ditto.
_December 25._—Christmas-day. Walked along Arno. Spent the evening and
dined at Vaccà's.
_December 26._—Up at 7. Went with Vaccà to Leghorn, a neat, regular,
well-built town. The first thing I went in search of was the sea, and I
stood gazing some time on the waves. The Public Place and Strada Maestra
fine. Saw Vescali's collection of alabasters. Returned by 3. Dined with
Vaccà. Went to the theatre with Mrs. Vaccà, who introduced me to Signora
Bettina Franciuoli.
_December 27._—As usual. Up at 4—dined at Vaccà's—went to theatre, and
to B.'s box.
_December 28._—Went to hear nella Chiesa dei Cavalieri (after a ride
with Mrs. Vaccà) Nicolini play a sonata upon the organ, which is perhaps
the finest in Italy. There were the Prince Villafranca, the Countess
Castelfiel, Princess della Pace, and other nobles. At Vaccà's and
theatre.
_December 29._—Up at 3-1/2. Dined at Vaccà's: theatre. English etc. as
usual.
_December 30._—Up at 1. Reading Sismondi. Got up—went to Vaccà to dine.
After English, to the Casa Mastrani: all evening with Sofia. The
others—Biribro, Dionigi.
[According to a letter from Lord Byron, April 11, 1817, Dr. Polidori had
at least three patients at Pisa—Francis Horner, a child of Thomas Hope,
and Francis North, Lord Guilford. They all died—which may or may not
have been partly the Doctor's fault.]
With this entry we come to the end of Dr. Polidori's Diary—although (as
I have before intimated) not by any means to the end of his sojourn in
Italy. He saw Byron again in April 1817 in Venice: Shelley, to the best
of my knowledge, he never re-beheld.
I add here two letters which Polidori wrote to his sister Frances (my
mother, then a girl of only sixteen), and two to his father. The first
letter was written soon after beginning the journey with Byron; the last
not long after the date of parting from him. I also add a letter sent to
Mr. Hobhouse during Polidori's sojourn with Byron, and a note, of much
later date, written by Mrs. Shelley to my father, Gabriele Rossetti.
The letter to Mr. Hobhouse, it will be observed, goes over some of the
same details which appear in the Diary. This letter has been copied by
me from the Broughton Papers, in the Manuscript Department of the
British Museum (Add. MSS. 36456 to 36483). I did my best to trace
whether these papers contain anything else relating to Polidori, and I
do not think they do. In fact, the affairs of Lord Byron, and the very
name of him, scarcely figure in those Broughton Papers at all: for
instance, I could not find anything relating to his death.
JOHN POLIDORI TO FRANCES POLIDORI.
MY DEAR FANNY,
I shall see Waterloo in a day or two—don't you wish to be with me?
but there are many more things that I have seen which would have given
you as much pleasure. Shakespear's Cliff at Dover, the French coast, the
phosphorescent sea, Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp, and Brussels, have all got
more than is in any of Feinaigh's plates to excite the memory to bring
forth its hidden stores. The people amongst whom we are at present
dwelling is one that has much distinguished itself in the noblest
career, the race for liberty; but that tends little to the ennobling of
a people without the sun of literature also deigns to shine upon them.
It was not the warlike deeds, the noble actions, of the Greeks and
Romans or modern Italians, that has rescued these names from the
effacing daub of oblivion; if it had not been for their poets, their
historians, their philosophers, their heroes would in vain have
struggled for fame. Their actions would have been recorded in the dusty
legends of monks, and consequently have been forgotten, like those of
the Belgians, Carthaginians, and others. How many fine actions of modern
times will be buried in oblivion from the same want, and how many merely
secondary characters will be handed down with a halo round their deeds
reflected from the pages of historic genius!
I am very pleased with Lord Byron. I am with him on the footing of an
equal, everything alike: at present here we have a suite of rooms
between us. I have my sitting-room at one end, he at the other. He has
not shown any passion; though we have had nothing but a series of
mishaps that have put _me_ out of temper though they have not ruffled
his. The carriage, the new carriage, has had three stoppages. We are at
present at Brussels merely to have the carriage-part well looked at and
repaired.
The country till here has been one continued flat; and, except within
this neighbourhood, we have not seen a rising ground on which to feast
our eyes. Long avenues paved in the middle form the continued appearance
of our roads. The towns are magnificently old, such as England cannot
rival, and the state of cultivation is much greater than in England:
indeed we have not seen a weed or a foot of waste ground all our way.
The people in the country show no misery; the cottages comfortable,
whitewashed, large-windowed, shining with brass utensils internally, and
only having as many heaps of dirt as there are inhabitants—who certainly
throw away all their cleanliness upon the house, fields, roads, and
windows. But I will not fill my letter with this, as some time you will
either see my Journal in writing or print—Murray having offered me 500
guineas for it through Lord Byron. L[ord] B[yron] is going to give me
the manuscript, when done printing, of his new cantos of _Childe
Harold_.[41]
Have you seen Mrs. Soane and Mr. S[oane]? how are they? If you see them,
remember me to her and him. I shall write when I have seen the seat of
_his_ hero's glory, _mine's_ disgrace; no, not disgrace—misfortune. See
Mrs. S[oane], and write how she is.
How are you all at home? Papa, Mamma, Meggy (have you heard from her?),
Charlotte, Bob, Henry, Eliza, and Mr. Deagostini. Remember me to all,
and to all who enquire about me not merely from curiosity—telling me in
your next whether they exceed the number 0. I am very well, and wrote
Mamma from Ostend.
I remain, my dear Fanny,
Your affect. Brother,
J. POLIDORI.
Brussels, _May 2, 1816_.
Write to me—Dr. Polidori, à Genève, poste restante,—and soon, as I shall
be there in 12 days.
TO JOHN HOBHOUSE, WHITTON PARK,
NEAR HOUNSLOW.
Coblentz, _May 11, 1816_.
DEAR SIR,
As we are at last some way on our journey, I take a sheet of paper
up, in despair of filling it, to tell you we are both well and hearty.
Lord Byron's health is greatly improved, his stomach returning rapidly
to its natural state. Exercise and peace of mind, making great advances
towards the amendment of his _corps délabré_, leave little for medicine
to patch up. His spirits, I think, are also much improved. He blithely
carols through the day, 'Here's to you, Tom Brown': and, when he has
done, says, 'That's as well as Hobhouse does it.' You and his other
friend, Scrope Davies, form a great subject of conversation.
God! here I am at the end of all my thoughts. Oh no! Waterloo was ridden
over by my Lord on a Cossack horse, accompanied by myself on a Flemish
steed; Lord Byron singing Turkish or Arnaout riding-tunes, and your
h[umble] s[ervant] listening. We had a very good day of it. Lord Byron
visited Howard's (I think, Colonel) burying-place twice. We have had two
days by preëminence in our tour—to-day and Waterloo. To-day we came from
Bonn hither through the finest scenes I ever saw, modern and ancient;
the 13th and 18th century forming an _olla podrida_ with the bases given
in the year 1. Towers and towns and castles and cots were sprinkled on
the side of a.... But here I am on poetic stilts, cut short for prose
ones.
They boast—the Ministerialists and others—of ours being the happy land.
I should like to carry John Bull to Flanders and the Rhine: happiness,
content, cleanliness (here and there), husbandry, plenty without luxury,
are here bestowed on all. War has had no effect upon the fields; and
even at Waterloo no one (except for the glittering button or less
brilliant cuirass in beggar's hand) would imagine two such myriaded
armies had met there. No sulkiness is seen upon the face here, and no
impudence. On the Rhine and in Flanders there are hardly any beggars.
To-day we had nosegays given us by little girls for centimes. But the
other day, coming to Battice, we met the best beggars: three little
girls, pretty though not well dressed, ran along our carriage, crying
out—"Donnez-nous un sou, Monsieur le Général en chef"; and another,
"Chef de bataillon." Having given these some, a boy followed, pulling
faces comic enough to make such grave dons laugh, and crying out,
"Vivent Messieurs les Rois des Hanovériens—donnez-moi un sou."
As I fear I have tried your eyes, and lost my pains after all on account
of the illegibility of my accursed pen's scratches, I must end—assuring
you at the same time I am with esteem
Yours etc.,
J. POLIDORI.
We count upon being at Geneva in ten days at best. Excuse the bad
writing etc., for I am in a fever of digestion after my ride.—J. P.
TO GAETANO POLIDORI.
_September 20, 1816._
MY DEAR FATHER,
You judged right with regard to my writing. I had written twice
since your letter announcing _The Pamphleteer_, and was anxiously
waiting yours. Your letter gave me pleasure; and I was indeed in want of
some just then, for I was in agitation for my parting from Lord Byron.
We have parted, finding that our tempers did not agree. He proposed it,
and it was settled. There was no immediate cause, but a continued series
of slight quarrels. I believe the fault, if any, has been on my part; I
am not accustomed to have a master, and therefore my conduct was not
free and easy. I found on settling accounts that I had 70 napoleons; I
therefore determined to walk over Italy, and (seeing the medical
establishments) see if there proves a good opportunity to settle myself,
so that I hope I am still off your hands for nine months: perhaps Lady
Westmorland, who is at Rome, is desirous of having an English physician
for longer, I having a letter for her from Mme. de Staël. I shall write
to-day to Vaccà and Zio [uncle] for letters to Milan to physicians, in
your name; and at present, till I think they and my trunks can have
arrived, will wander amongst the Alps,—in which course I am now at Thun,
almost in the centre. I have seen Mont Blanc and its glaciers, and will
see the Jungfrau, Grindelwald, and Grimsel. Then I will go by the
Simplon to Milan, whither direct to me poste-restante, only putting my
Giovanni etc. names in full, as there are Polidoris there.[42] I am in
good health and spirits; I hope this won't hurt yours, for assure
yourself I will do all I can not to allow you to feel any inconvenience
on my account.
Remember me to my mother, who I know will feel deeply this
disappointment; to Mary,[43] Fanny, and Charlotte, to Signor Deagostini
and Signor De Ocheda, and to all.
If you could get me letters of introduction, they would be of great use.
In the meanwhile, my dear father, believe me
Your affectionate son,
JOHN POLIDORI.
JOHN POLIDORI TO GAETANO POLIDORI—TRANSLATION.
Arezzo, _November 14, 1816_.
DEAR FATHER,
I fear you must be in much anxiety at not having heard from me for
so long; but the reason was that I did not wish to write before having
seen my uncle—to whom I went the day before yesterday, and who received
me with great affection and pleasure. I wrote to him from Thun. Thence I
went to Grindelwald and Lauterbrunner; thence to Interlachen, and, by
the Lake of Brientz, to Meyringen; by the Grimsel in the Valais to
Obergasteln; thence to Brieg; and then by the Simplon down to Farinoli
in the Borromean Islands. Thence I embarked to Sestri Calende; thence to
Milan—where, meeting the poet Monti, Lord Byron, Monsignor de Brême, and
others of my acquaintance, I remained some weeks. Thence I went to
Florence, by Bologna, Modena, Parma, and Piacenza, and crossing the
Apennines. In Florence I stayed two days, and saw Cavalier Pontelli,
Abate Fontani, Dr. Frosini, and others. Thence I went on foot to Arezzo,
where I found my uncle, my aunt, Pippo, and Teresa, all well; and they
received me with great cordiality into their house, where I now am.
Seeing, by your letter to my uncle, in how much trouble you are on my
account, I have determined, after learning whether Lady Westmorland will
employ me or no—if yes, to go to Rome; if no, to go straight from
Leghorn to London, to the bosom of my family. I shall soon hear from
Lady Westmorland, as Lady Jersey undertook, at the instance of Monsignor
de Brême, to ask her mother whether she wants me or not, and she is now
in Florence, _en route_ for Rome. In case she should tell me yes, I
shall at once go to Rome: but meanwhile I don't proceed any farther than
Arezzo. If she says no, I shall be off to Leghorn, and return to London.
I wish that in your next letter you would send me enough money, in a
bill on Florence, for paying the passage from Leghorn to London, for the
chance of my not having enough remaining....
When I see you again I shall have much to tell you about, but will not
put it into a letter. Suffice it that I have found that what you told me
about Italy is but too true. I am in good health....
Your affectionate son,
JOHN POLIDORI.
[To this letter the uncle Luigi Polidori added something. One point
regarding Lord Byron is of a certain interest.]
I became indignant at some references [made by John Polidori] to the
strange conduct of that Lord with whom he was travelling: but _he_ kept
his temper well—I envy him for that. All these people are hard: Sævus
enim ferme sensus communis in illâ fortunâ.—Patience!
* * * * *
[My father, about the date of this ensuing letter, met Mrs. Shelley
several times, and he liked her well. He did not think her good-looking:
indeed I have heard him say "Era brutta" (she was ugly).—The letter is
written in fairly idiomatic, but by no means faultless, Italian.—I am
not aware whether Gaetano Polidori supplied Mrs. Shelley with
information, such as she asked for, for her Biography of Alfieri:
perhaps a minute inspection of the book might show.—_Cleopatra_, acted
in 1775, was Alfieri's first attempt at tragedy.]
Harrow, _April 20, 1835_.
COURTEOUS SIGNOR ROSSETTI,
Thank you so much for your amiable reply, and the interest you
show in the undertaking of a pen but too unworthy of those great names
which give so much lustre to your country. Meanwhile I am about to make
a farther request: but am afraid of showing myself troublesome, and beg
you to tell me your opinion sincerely. I should not like to seem to take
impertinent liberties; and, if my idea appears to you impracticable,
don't say anything about it to any one.
I am informed that your Father-in-law the celebrated Polidori can relate
many interesting circumstances regarding Alfieri. The Life which I am
writing will be printed in _Dr. Lardner's Cyclopædia_: therefore it is
very short, running perhaps to 70 pages—not more. Thus, if I could
introduce some details not yet known but worthy of publication, I should
be very pleased indeed. I don't know whether Polidori would be willing
to give me such details. For example, I should like to know whether
Alfieri was really so melancholy and taciturn as is said by Sir John
Hobhouse in his work, _Illustrations to the Fourth Canto of Childe
Harold_; whether he gave signs of attachment to his friends, and whether
he was warmly loved by them in return. Some anecdotes would be welcomed
by me; also some information about the Countess of Albany. There is an
affectation of silence, as to all that relates to her, in whatever has
yet been written concerning Alfieri. But, now that she is dead, this is
no longer necessary. Were they married? If not, nothing need be said
about it; but, if they were, it would be well to affirm as much.
I shall be in London next Sunday, and shall be staying there several
days. But I am in a quarter so distant from yours (7 Upper Eaton Street,
Grosvenor Place) that it would be indiscreet to ask for a visit from
you—and much more indiscreet to say that, if Signor Polidori would visit
me, he could perhaps tell me some little things more easily than by
writing. As the Tuscans say, "Lascio far a lei."[44] You will do
whatever is most fitting, and will give me a reply at your convenience.
Repeating the thanks so much due to your kindness, believe me
Your much obliged servant,
M. W. P. SHELLEY.
I hear that Alfieri was intimate with Guiccioli of Ravenna, the latter
being then quite young; and they had a joint idea and project (which did
not turn out manageable) of establishing a national theatre in Italy.
Possibly Signor Polidori knows about this. Is there any historical work
containing particulars about the closing years of the royal husband of
the Countess of Albany? I don't know, and am in the dark. He (is it not
so?) was the last of the Stuarts, except his brother the Cardinal of
York.
Oh what trouble I am giving you to reply! Really I now feel more than
ashamed of it. But you are so kind. And, besides, the grammar of this
letter must be like Alfieri's _Cleopatra_.
Footnotes.
-----
Footnote 1:
The word, as written by Charlotte Polidori, seems to be "dole" rather
than anything else. It looks as if she had copied the form of Dr.
Polidori's word without understanding what it was. I substitute
"door," but this is done _faute de mieux_.
Footnote 2:
Such is the word written by Charlotte Polidori. I fancy it ought to be
"late."
Footnote 3:
Only an initial is written, "M": but I suppose "Master"—_i.e._ Michael
Wohlgemuth—is meant.
Footnote 4:
It seems rather odd that Polidori should make this jotting, "and (not)
towns." Perhaps he aimed to controvert the phrase, "scattered cities
crowning these," in Byron's poem quoted further on.
Footnote 5:
These are the precise words as they stand in Charlotte Polidori's
transcript. It is to be presumed that Dr. Polidori wrote them some
while after May 13, 1816.
Footnote 6:
I don't understand "Mayor" in this context: should it be "Mylor"?
Footnote 7:
No name is given: should it be Shelley? Another Englishman who was in
this locality towards the same date was Robert Southey.
Footnote 8:
I don't think there was any such stone-pelting in Geneva: it took
place elsewhere in Switzerland.
Footnote 9:
The word written is perpanism, or possibly perhanism. Is there any
such word, medical or other? Should it perchance be pyrrhonism?
Footnote 10:
The "ghost-story" which Polidori _published_ was _The Vampyre_: see p.
128 as to his having begun in the first instance some different story.
Footnote 11:
Word obscurely written.
Footnote 12:
"Blind" appears to be the word written. It seems an odd
expression—meaning, I suppose, "to blind (mislead or puzzle) the
auditors."
Footnote 13:
This, again, is not clear to me: something in the nature of a game of
forfeits may be indicated.
Footnote 14:
So written: should it be "Bingwen" or something of the kind?
Footnote 15:
The word "society" is perfectly clear in Charlotte Polidori's
transcript. From the context, I question whether it ought not to be
"Shakespear." As to "the criticism of Johnson" on Gray in the _Lives
of the Poets_, many of my readers will recollect that this criticism
is somewhat adverse, Gray being treated as a rather nebulous writer.
Footnote 16:
Seems rather an odd phrase, but I suppose correctly transcribed.
Footnote 17:
A name is written here, but so obscurely that I leave it out. It
somewhat resembles "Neravois," or "the ravois."
Footnote 18:
Should this be "glaciers"?
Footnote 19:
This name is illegibly written: I can only suppose that it must be
meant for Brieg.
Footnote 20:
"I don't understand."
Footnote 21:
"It's an old affair."
Footnote 22:
Coffee with milk, grapes, and figs.
Footnote 23:
Orgoglio is pride; disinganno is undeceiving, disillusion.
Footnote 24:
There is a word following "Rè," evidently the title of the play which
was acted. It looks something like "Amondre," but cannot be read.
Footnote 25:
The word is more like Crabule than anything else: I don't understand
it.
Footnote 26:
Presumably some English book, but I know not what.
Footnote 27:
I think the name would correctly be Marchese di Negro: my father had
some correspondence, towards 1850, with the then Marchese of that
family.
Footnote 28:
This essay was on the Punishment of Death.
Footnote 29:
The word written is "his"; but the context shows that this must be a
mistake.
Footnote 30:
_i.e._ Artemisia, who built the mausoleum of Halicarnassus.
Footnote 31:
The speeches run thus: (_a_) Look at that man, with his cap on his
head. (_b_) Would you do me the favour of taking off your hat, so that
I may see? (_c_) Would you wish for it? (_d_) Yes, I wish it. In
Italian, this last phrase has an imperative tone, "I will it."—It may
be added that the Austrian's phrase "Lo vorreste?" was itself not
civil: the civil form would have been "Lo vorrebbe ella?"
Footnote 32:
"To be sold."
Footnote 33:
These words form (I _suppose_) the answer of the Italian
officer—_i.e._ he would side with either party indifferently.
Footnote 34:
I presume that the word should be "presented": the writing looks like
"pented."
Footnote 35:
"What? A servant of the sovereign? There are porters."
Footnote 36:
I suppose that Pontelli was a person who had been more or less known
to Dr. Polidori's father before the latter left Italy in 1787, and
that the father had given his son some letter of introduction or the
like. Or possibly the introduction came from some acquaintance in
Geneva or in Milan.
Footnote 37:
The name of Santa Croce is not in the MS.: but it ought to be, as this
is the church containing the sepulchral monuments of Galileo, etc.
Footnote 38:
"Was third amid so much intellect." The phrase is adapted from a line
in Dante's _Inferno_.
Footnote 39:
Rather (it must be understood) to _Signora_ Vaccà.
Footnote 40:
Ruffiano does not correspond to our word "ruffian," but to "pimp" or
"go-between."
Footnote 41:
No doubt this intention was not carried into effect.
Footnote 42:
These Polidoris were not (so far as I know) members of the same family
as John Polidori.
Footnote 43:
This was Dr. Polidori's elder sister, Maria Margaret, who in my time
was invariably called "Margaret" in the family.
Footnote 44:
"I leave the question to you."
INDEX OF NAMES
A
_Agnese_ (drama), 196
Aix-la-Chapelle, 74
Albany, Countess of, 199-202
Alfieri, Count, 200, 219-222
Andreini, 170
—— _Adamo_, by, 170
Antwerp, 46-51, 54, 55
Arezzo, 202, 218
Arrow, Eliza, 31
Avenches, 93, 94, 96
B
Bâle, 90, 91
Battice, 73, 74, 213
Beauharnais, Prince Eugène, 175
Berger, 31, 108, 110, 135
Berne, 92
Beyle, Henri, 173, 177, 190, 192
—— _Reminiscences of Napoleon_, by, 177
Bologna, 194, 195
Bonn, 80
Bonnet, Charles, 97
Bonstetten, C. V. de, 105, 132, 137, 147, 148
Borsieri, 173, 174, 177, 186
—— _Il Giorno_, by, 177
Breadalbane, Lord, 139, 145
Brelaz, Madame, 139, 143-146, 152, 153, 155, 168, 182
Brême, Cavalier de, 171, 173, 177
—— de (or Brema), Monsignor, 139, 147, 170, 172-177, 182, 183, 187-189,
191, 193, 198, 218
Brême, de (or Brema), Monsignor _Ina_, by, 176
Breuss, Countess, 12, 13, 17, 134, 141-143, 152
Bridgens, R., 3
—— _Costumes of Italy, etc._, by, 3
Brieg, 160-163
Broglie, Duc Victor de, 137, 138
—— Duchesse Victor de, 137-9, 146
Bruges, 35
Brussels, 57-59, 61, 68, 211
Bubna, 173, 187-189, 193
—— Junior, 189
Byron, Lady, 26
—— Lord, 1, 7, 8, 11, 12, 15, 25, 28, 33, 40, 44, 51-53, 62, 67, 68,
70, 71, 74, 88, 89, 97-105, 107, 111, 112, 117-120, 123-126, 128,
132, 133, 135-140, 146, 147, 152, 158, 170, 173, 174, 179-181,
186-188, 190-193, 209-211, 213, 215, 218, 219
—— —— _Childe Harold_, by, 25, 66, 67, 71, 80, 83, 84, 87, 94, 95, 212
—— —— _Churchill's Grave_, by, 28, 29
—— —— _Letters and Journals of_, 101, 133
—— —— _The Vampyre_ (fragment), by, 14-17, 125
—— —— _To Princess Charlotte_ by, 112
C
Caluro, 176, 177
Campagne Chapuis, 117
Canterbury, 26