flight; lugano; arrival in london; santa-rosa; sentence of death; liverpool; roscoe and friends; letter to the tax-gatherer and inspector of finances; miss martin; lectures.
it is hardly possible for a native of a free country to form a right conception of the more than fatherly interest formerly taken by the petty prince of an italian state in the welfare of his subjects. so deeply impressed with this feeling was francis iv, duke of modena, panizzi’s patron of yore, that he was in the habit at this time (1821) of sending regularly during the week one of his own private carriages into brescello for the express purpose of bringing back two persons (whose names were set down in his orders, but not divulged) whom it was, doubtless, his intention to reclaim from evil opinions, to save them from the dangers to which such opinions might lead, and to hold them up as examples of his paternal care, or, it is just possible, as a warning to the remainder of his people. the brescellese, either from uneasiness of conscience or from a natural dislike to all that was good, regarded both the duke’s intentions and his carriage with aversion. of all men the least anxious for a seat in it were panizzi and his 40friend dr. minzi, whom, it may be remembered, he had initiated into carbonarism. it happened one day, as these two friends were taking their afternoon stroll along the peggio road, that the ill-omened carriage suddenly appeared in the distance. their only resource was to throw themselves into the ditch by the roadside, and remain concealed as closely as possible until the fatal vehicle had passed. this they accordingly did, and, as good luck would have it, escaped unnoticed. to return to brescello was to meet the carriage a second time in all probability, for they suspected, and not without reason, that they themselves were the two persons who were to take a forced drive to modena—a journey for which, at present, they felt little inclination. it was decided, therefore, as a temporary measure, to cross the frontier, and both being nimble of foot and with bodies well trained, as becomes all wise and prudent men, by athletic exercise, they fled across country with all possible speed for the parmese territory. arrived on this hospitable soil, the story goes that they threw themselves prone upon it, and actually (not figuratively) kissed it, pouring forth their heartfelt thanks to providence for their deliverance from impending evil. their position was even now far from enviable. it was impossible for them to remain on parmese ground, and they were fully aware that perils as great as those from which they had just escaped lay before them. exhausted as they were, they held a council on the road, in doubt whether to proceed or return to brescello. the conclusion at which they arrived was that the better plan was to go back and 41make careful inquiries in the neighbouring villages, in order to ascertain who were the two persons for whom the agents of the police were seeking. on that very night, therefore, they returned, reaching brescello about daybreak, and learnt to their great satisfaction that their names had never been mentioned. here they seemed to have secured repose; but, as it turned out, of short duration, lasting only for the space of two months; for on the 22nd of october in the same year panizzi received a slight message summoning him to the police office, where he accordingly attended. hardly had he reached the door when he was arrested. throughout all his misfortunes he seems not to have been without his share of good luck. the man who arrested him proved to be a friend, and by the aid of this kindly official he was enabled to jump out of a window, and again make his way for the frontier.
it may not be uninteresting to mention here that this man afterwards became an austrian spy. many years later on, while panizzi was on a journey to italy, and had arrived at the frontier, some one approached the carriage and demanded his passport. it was, of course, handed over. on returning it the man said, “buon viaggio, signor panizzi!” and he recognised his friend of the brescello police-office.
in the meantime, and before his arrest, the refugee, whose good luck it must be confessed was mainly owing to his sagacity and foresight, had taken care to provide himself with a passport. this, strange to say, he obtained duly endorsed, through a friend of count munarini, then minister of foreign affairs. in addition to this passport, he had also armed himself 42with another document, almost equally useful. this was a pass, in the form usually given to labourers who wished to absent themselves for the day. with these papers in his possession he crossed the po to viadana, and, setting out from thence in company with minzi, zatti and montani, arrived at cremona, where he was recognised by the austrian police-agent ticino, who endeavoured to arrest his further progress. in this attempt, however, he failed; panizzi’s passport being perfectly en règle. nevertheless, he succeeded at the instigation of a notorious spy named antonioli in robbing the fugitive of a portion of his luggage.
from cremona he made his way as well as he could to switzerland, where he took up his quarters at lugano. here he wrote his “processi di rubiera,” and at first thought of settling in the place, as this was a free town, near his own home. it may be as well to keep the memory of wrongs before the world, and it is unfortunately the way of unsuccessful men in general, and of unsuccessful revolutionists in particular, not to accept defeat philosophically, but after all hope of success has departed, still to irritate those whom they have failed to dispossess or overcome. from this pardonable defect panizzi was, as might be expected, not more free than the rest of mankind. his restless and energetic disposition would not allow him to refrain from political controversy, and the character of his writings so provoked the austrians that he was ordered to quit lugano and proceed to. geneva. thither he accordingly went, but not to remain long; his objectionable reputation had preceded him, and the representatives of austria, france, and sardinia 43insisted on his expulsion. england was the only country now open to himself and his brother exiles, and thither they determined to journey by way of france; but, as they were not certain that the french authorities would allow refugees to pass through their country, it was decided to send forward signor bezzi (afterwards well-known in england as mr. g. aubrey bezzi, who died in piedmont only a few months before panizzi) to exploiter the route. this gentleman’s exploitation must be held to have fallen a little short of complete success. at gex, a small town in france, in the department of ain, and about 11 miles from geneva, he was stopped, unceremoniously stripped, and after being thoroughly searched and examined, sent back. there was, however, a way to england still left to the party, by the rhine and the netherlands, and by this route they arrived in london in may, 1823. it is painful to have to record that the slenderness of their means obliged them to live in a state bordering on actual destitution. the author clearly recollects hearing panizzi narrate that, in these days of his indigence, fourteen-pence was all he allowed himself for breakfast and dinner, and how well he remembered spending one portion of an afternoon in gazing through the windows of a cook-shop watching with hungry eyes the more fortunate mortals who were satisfying their appetites within; and this reminiscence gained additional zest from the fact that it was related at a banquet.
london at this period was full of refugees, from every country and of every grade, including presidents of republics, generals, men of letters, lawyers, poets, etc.
44at first these various celebrities enjoyed a considerable amount of notoriety, no small part of which was bestowed upon them by the newspaper writers, who seemed for some time to be indefatigable in drawing public notice to the exiles, and in relating exciting anecdotes of this or that famous person sojourning amongst them. in due course, however, the novelty of the thing wore off, and readers, having had a surfeit of such accounts, the newspapers gradually ceased to stimulate their curiosity, and the expatriated heroes were forgotten by the public at large.
if, as the maxim is, a man may be known by the society he keeps, panizzi, who seems at most times to have had peculiar good fortune in attracting to himself men of worth, both privately and publicly, must be allowed to have stood high in this respect.
his dearest friend at this period of his life in london was the illustrious piedmontese statesman, santorre santa-rosa, who, the life and soul of the great patriotic movement then lately made to achieve the freedom of his country, was born at savigliano in sardinia, in september, 1783. he was the author of the history of the piedmontese revolution, a work which breathes the true spirit of national liberty, and exhibits its writer as a most determined foe to anything in the shape of foreign domination. forced by his government to expatriate himself in 1821, santa rosa went to switzerland, but being, like panizzi, compelled by the austrian and sardinian governments to quit that country, he betook himself to france, taking up his residence in paris, where he 45assumed the name of conti, and became the bosom friend of victor cousin. early in october, 1822, he arrived in england, on the merits and defects of which country he makes the following quaint comment in one of his letters to his brother exiles:—“here i have been received with sincerity and kindness. i also admire the virtuous habits of the english, but cannot get used to their mode of cooking.”
for ourselves, as true lovers of our country, we are too well content with the eulogy at the beginning, to take exception to the blame of one of our institutions implied in the concluding part of the sentence.
in november, 1824, santa-rosa left england for napoli di romania to fight for the cause of greek independence, and was killed in battle on the 19th of may, 1825. his death was a sad blow to the band of italian patriots in london, but especially to panizzi, who had looked up to him as a father and a counsellor, and had kept up a constant correspondence with him. there are in our possession but two letters written by santa-rosa to his friend, dated respectively the 5th september and 13th november, 1823, from “the green cottage, south bank, st. john’s wood,” a part of the town much affected as a dwelling place by the leading refugees. conspicuous in these are the writer’s affection for panizzi and anxious care for his welfare; nor are matters of mental instruction omitted, for we find strong recommendations carefully to study the political and literary history of italy, and also “note all the most important points of english habits.” after santa-rosa, panizzi’s chief friends, with whom during his stay in town he spent a great portion 46of his time, were the brothers camillo and filippo ugoni, both literary men of some note.
shortly after panizzi’s arrival in london he was tried in his absence on the charge of carbonarism, in which it has been shown that he was deeply implicated. of this, as might have been expected, he was found guilty on pretty clear evidence, and, in default of appearance, was sentenced to death by the government of modena.
subjoined is a translation of the sentence:—
invoking the name of god most holy, in the reign of francis iv. duke of modena, reggio, and mirandola, archduke of austria, prince royal of hungary and bohemia.
the special tribunal, instituted by revered sovereign sign manual of 28 july, 1823,
having assembled at the palace of justice, and in the chamber duly appointed for the purpose of trying the doctor of laws, antonio, son of luigi panizzi, native of and domiciled at brescello, province of reggio, contumacious, and criminally arraigned:
1. for that he, being already enrolled in a prohibited sect, took part with other persons known to the judicial authorities in the reception into the sect of carbonari of the appraiser francesco panizzi, and doctor domenico giglioli of brescello, in the afternoon of the 11th of march, 1821, in his own office situated in his dwelling house at brescello.
2. for that he in the evening of the next day, the 12th, did with other persons likewise known to the judicial authorities take part in the reception into the sect of carbonari of the apothecary bartolomeo panizzi of brescello, which reception took place in the office of the appraiser francesco panizzi, situated in his dwelling house at brescello.
having referred to the documents drawn up by the acting director of police, doctor pietro curti, and to the further 47documents before this tribunal, and particularly to the charges issued against the accused by the special inquisition on the 1st, and the 19th of september last past;
having referred to the inferences of the procurator fiscal of this tribunal, advocate felice fieri;
considering that the results of the legal proceedings taken against the said contumacious dr. panizzi prove that he certainly belonged to a proscribed sect, and moreover clearly demonstrate that he was anxious to gain proselytes for the sect of carbonari, and to promote by every means the efforts of the confederates, and the object at which they were aiming, that is the overthrow and destruction of our present lawful government;
considering that the deposition of the appraiser panizzi and those of giuseppe alberici, of dr. giuseppe minzi and of dr. giov. batta cavandoli all of brescello, show that the accused panizzi took part in the reception into the sect of carbonari of the said appraiser panizzi and of dr. domenico giglioli of brescello, which took place at his own house and exactly in the office of the accused himself, in the afternoon of the first sunday in lent, in the year 1821, that is on the 11th of march in the said year, whilst amongst the said persons there are some who assert that the accused himself acted there as chief, and also instructed the aforesaid giglioli and appraiser panizzi, the first of whom likewise confesses that his aggregation to the sect, which he afterwards found to be that of the carbonari, and which was even indicated to him as such by the accused panizzi, took place with the participation of the said accused and in the place above-mentioned;
considering that in regard to the aggregation of the apothecary panizzi to the carbonari sect with the participation of the accused, there are the depositions of the former as well as of the appraiser panizzi and of cavandoli, who were present there with others, and that those depositions are corroborated by the extrajudicial confession of the accused himself, made to nizzoli on the very evening of the event, that he had introduced 48the said apothecary panizzi into the carbonari sect, and made a carbonaro of the said panizzi, and subsequently with regard to giglioli that he too had been affiliated to the carbonari sect;
as the said panizzi still persists in his contumacy, which in terms of the law is equivalent to imputed confession, and considering that all the formalities prescribed by t. 12, l. 4 of the cod. est. have been observed;
having referred to the same code §§ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 of l. 5. t. 2.—§ 9. l. 4, 7, 15, and the sovereign edict 20 september, 1820;
the above-mentioned tribunal has condemned, and does condemn, the contumacious doctor of laws, antonio panizzi, to the punishment of
death
to be executed on his effigy, to confiscation of his property, and in the costs.
modena, 6 october, 1823.
giuseppe consre terni, president.
pe cavedoni, judge.
c. tassoni, judge.
p. pedreschi, chancellor.
this sentence was promulgated by me in due form this 20 october, 1823.
pedreschi, chancellor.
a true copy. pedreschi, chancellor.
these hair-breadth escapes may be very amusing and pleasant to read about, but to the principal person concerned, who was thoroughly capable of appreciating the various positions and vicissitudes of life, they must have conveyed anything but agreeable impressions, or conduced to the ease of mind so acceptable to mankind in general.
49 william roscoe
panizzi remained but a short time in london. the celebrated ugo foscolo, to whom the ugoni had introduced him, had strongly advised him at once to quit the metropolis and to try his fortunes at liverpool, where there was more likelihood of his obtaining employment. foscolo furnished him with letters of introduction to william roscoe, author of the life of leo x., and also to other distinguished liverpool men. how he was received by roscoe, the following passage in the biography of the latter (lond. 1833), vol. ii., p. 406, will show:—“it was the good fortune of mr. roscoe to retain, even to the close of his life, that power of attracting the friendship of others which had been from his youth one of his most marked characteristics. amongst these, the friends of his age, there was no one who became more sincerely attached to him, or for whom he himself felt a higher degree of esteem and affection than mr. panizzi, an italian gentleman, who had been compelled, in consequence of political persecutions, to abandon italy and to take refuge in england. soon after his arrival in this country he settled in liverpool as a teacher of the italian language, where his talents and worth soon won the regard of mr. roscoe. to the kindness and attention of mr. panizzi, which rather resembled that of a son than of a stranger, he owed many happy hours.” mr. roscoe died on june 30th, 1831.
50at his death panizzi received the following letter:—
lodge-lane, 30th june, 1831.
so affectionately attached as you have been to my father, i cannot let you learn the sad intelligence which this letter will convey from anybody but one of his own family.
he was seized last week with a violent cold or influenza, accompanied with fever. at first we thought him getting over it, but on monday night he was attacked with a shivering fit, and being put to bed he never rose again. his strength failed him rapidly, and this morning at 11 o’clock he breathed his last quite peacefully.
it is a great consolation to know that he suffered no acute pain, and his mind seemed perfectly composed.
yours, &c.,
h. roscoe.
the centenary of william roscoe’s birth was celebrated at liverpool on the 8th march, 1853, and panizzi was of course asked to attend.
in replying to the invitation he said:—“feb. 19, 1853.... the veneration in which i, together with all lovers of truth, of freedom, of independence, of literature, and of the arts, hold the memory of that illustrious man, and the grateful recollection of the warm and affectionate regard with which i was honoured by him, are inducements so powerful to accept so kind an invitation as that which your letter conveys, that nothing but the absolute impossibility of leaving my duties here could restrain me from availing myself of it.”
before panizzi left london he received from italy a most curious bill for money due from him; such a bill as few men have ever received at any time, and such as many men, panizzi, probably, amongst the number, would hardly consider the most unpleasant 51of their kind. it was from the inspector of finances and tax-gatherer (ispettore ed esattore di finanze) at reggio, who, having heard of panizzi’s escape and arrival in switzerland, sent him an account of money spent in preparing his accusation, sentence of death, and even for the expenses of his execution, “in contumaciam.” the actual sum demanded was 225 francs and 25 cents, including the usual fee for the hangman.
in his then low state of spirits panizzi hardly felt equal to answering this amusing epistle in a befitting manner, and accordingly postponed his reply until after his arrival at liverpool, whence he sent the following humorous letter:—
(translation.) realm of death,
elysian fields,
10th may, 1824.
the soul of whilom dr. antonio panizzi,
to the inspector of finances and tax-gatherer of the province of reggio (satanic domain).
the body animated by me before i was smitten by the pointless stiletto of terni, cavedoni, and crew, and now living at liverpool, by the grace of god sound and so sprightly that those who see it think that—spite of modena’s dukeling—i have not yet forsaken it, has sent me in my abode here a letter of yours, no. 14 of the 26th of march last past, requesting information or reply. now i, in compliance with the latter solicitation, have to tell you that, mindful of the maxim “mors omnia solvit,” i do not consider that since my departure i have any longer either assets or liabilities in that miserable world of yours; unless you mean to say that, notwithstanding the holy alliance, i am still united to that body of mine at liverpool; which would be a deadly sin ipso facto et jure incurring the penalty of higher excommunication, from which 52none but a fashionable jesuit could absolve me, for having had the audacity to suggest a doubt of your most benign petty masterling’s lawful authority to expel me from the world.
nevertheless, as i and that aforesaid body of mine are always upon such good terms with each other that we might still pass for body and soul conjoined, and as the corporal party through honourable industry can by my direction dispose of a few pounds sterling without inconvenience, i beg you to send to my body at liverpool—for the post from your diabolical state never comes to disturb my rest here—a detailed account of the expenses and of the food which you tell me ought to be paid for to the extra-crammed treasury of a microscopical duke who has been so over-weeningly fatuous as to send me to dwell in this beatific place; and if your statement be found correct, i will remit you in discharge thereof a bill of exchange on some capuchin bank payable at sight when the greek calends come. only i warn you to give full particulars of the food, for i have an idea that it was gobbled up by the aforesaid fleshmongers terni, cavedoni, and crew; knowing well that my body, seasonably advised by me, spared the treasury the trouble not only of providing the food to be paid for afterwards, and for which you make a demand now, but also of preparing a lodging generously offered gratis, only rather too late. if i perceive by the item—bottles—that terni bravely distinguished himself as a consummate hypocrite in austrian service ought to do, i will write to him, begging him to pardon me for a letter which i addressed to him, as if i had been on earth, telling him that he acted against me like a hired assassin, and i will excuse him as a “drunken murderer.”
wishing you a death such as mine, i conclude without further ceremony, both for the sake of following your example and because such observances are not much affected in this republic.
the soul of a. panizzi
53it must be acknowledged that this was rather a substantial letter to emanate from the world of spirits, and the imaginary separation of the soul from the “sound and sprightly” body should certainly have satisfied his extraordinary creditors and absolved him from the debt.
panizzi had now settled for the time in liverpool, where he kept up a constant correspondence with absent friends. the two letters from santa-rosa, dated 1823, too clearly prove that he was at this time in a state of great poverty, and that he thought of returning to london, a step, however, strongly opposed by his friend.
the capricious nature of the english climate—it was in the winter that he had arrived at liverpool—seemed to discourage and depress him, perhaps, more than anything else; whilst the want of the most ordinary comforts of life, even of proper food, told severely upon his health. his income was chiefly derived from giving lessons in the italian language and literature; some of his pupils lived far away from the town, and he used to start on foot early in the morning, give his lessons and return to liverpool by eleven o’clock. this was necessary, as other duties required his attendance in the town at that hour; and, when we consider that the journey had frequently to be made through snow and rain, its depressing influence on the spirits of the young italian, accustomed to the more genial climes of the south, may be readily understood.
francis haywood
his address at this date, december 1823, is not known, but in the january following he lodged at 54no. 6, king-street, soho. he continued to extend his acquaintance and was upon friendly terms with the bankers, mr. ymes and mr. zwilchenbart. at this period, too, he knew mr. john ewart, at whose house he met mr. francis haywood, the translator of kant’s “critick of pure reason.”
from these gentlemen, who, as well as the rev. william shepherd, author of the “life of poggio bracciolini,” were among his earliest acquaintances in liverpool, he received the greatest kindness. with mr. haywood he soon became most intimate, and frequent communications passed between them. indeed, if a day elapsed without a letter from mr. haywood, panizzi wrote, asking “why had he not written.”
such were the friends, whom even in his early career, when chances of success appeared at a hazy distance, this young man was able to draw towards him, and many more he secured in after life.
the necessity of close attention to his duties, and the attractions of the hospitable society of english friends, never led him to neglect his fellow exiles.
amongst the latter was a certain count linati, whose character and antecedents deserve some short notice at our hands. claudio linati was born in the duchy of parma, on the 1st of february, 1790. he appears to have been at one time a man of wealth and standing, but had become deeply involved in the political complications of his country. on the 559th of april, 1824, he was tried in his absence for conspiracy against his government, and sentenced to death in contumaciam by the supreme tribunal of parma. having succeeded in making his escape, he settled for a time in spain, and subsequently in france. he was a writer and artist of no mean ability. in a letter to a mutual friend, panizzi describes linati, as a man of turbulent spirit, on whom nature had bestowed a robust constitution, proof against all changes of climate; full of energy, though without any decided aim, an adept at all employments, and well versed in literature; a painter and a poet, a writer of plays, too, both comic and tragic, many of which he delighted to read to his friend. the manners and customs of the countries in which he lived were his constant study, though his views of mankind in general partook of his own untutored spirit. speaking of spain he says that priestly anarchy predominates in that country, and calls france “quel servilissimo versatile compassionevole popoletto,” stigmatising the nation as “servile pecus” for its submission to tyranny. linati’s troubles were many, and these it was his constant pleasure to relate to his friend at liverpool, in long letters which panizzi often answered by sharp criticisms, perhaps provoked in part by the heavy postage which he had to pay, and to which he did not scruple to call attention. in one especial respect there was great dissimilarity between the count and panizzi, for whereas the former for some unknown reason hated england and the english people, the latter early evinced the strongest liking for both.
56in december, 1823, he wrote to linati, minutely describing his position, and concluding his long letter thus:—“in spite of all my sufferings and many troubles occasioned by poverty, i had rather live in england than in italy.”
upon this linati wrote:—“though your dear and beloved england may in some measure have slackened your chain, i will nevertheless tell you that i still prefer the duke d’angoulême, open enemy as he is, to that vile and infamous sir william a’court, who has betrayed the rights of hospitality by supporting a government which, if unable to save itself, ought at least to have saved others. i can make a distinction between the generous people of england, whose hearts beat with noble enthusiasm at the war-cry of the liberal spaniards, as well as the aspiration for greek independence and self-government. i am delighted to learn that you are in the way of getting an honest livelihood. a hazardous occupation is that of teaching languages, particularly if you happen to meet with a pretty ‘brittanna,’ who, whilst she is anxious to learn how to sing in italian, may seem still more anxious to master the language of petrarch, and suggest to her teacher that he might assist her in conjugating the verb amare (to love).”
the biographer has at this point to deplore the absence of some of panizzi’s letters; not only because of the interesting matter which they are sure to have contained, but because curiosity must now remain unsatisfied in regard to the particular impression made on panizzi’s mind by the suggestion in the last paragraph of linati’s letter.
57as the count was no longer allowed to reside in france, the police ordered him to quit the country at once; whereupon he emigrated to brussels, and here he found a letter from his liverpool friend, enclosing an order for 300 francs. this present, however, he declined with thanks. the wretched state of the italians, cast into the streets of paris penniless, after several months of imprisonment, gave panizzi and linati work enough to do. the former used his influence with the philhellenic society in london, and the latter secured the interest of lord byron, of whom he happened to be an intimate friend.
in the summer of the following year it appears that both intended to settle at new york. panizzi, however, in discussing this project, remarked that his acquaintance, though showing him every mark of kindness, never seemed to lose sight of the fact that he was an italian; from the americans, who were “a proud people,” there was a fortiori but scant courtesy to be expected, and but little advancement to be hoped for in their country. linati’s answer was:—“i do not agree with you in what you say respecting the north americans, for half the population consists of adventurers, and the system of colonization being so active, there will be no difficulties in becoming a citizen, whereas in england you will remain a ‘foreigner’ for ever.”
however, linati went to mexico, and from there again indulged in his abuse of england in these words:—“i cannot understand your sympathy with those english tradesmen; for whilst living amongst them i daily noticed cold and formal ceremonials, stupidity 58provoked by drink, and the brutality of the ‘prize-ring,’ with its livid eyes and battered faces. really, and indeed, my dear friend, i am truly sorry that you do not agree with me.”
linati seems to have discovered that worse countries existed than england; only a short interval had elapsed before we find him leaving mexico in disgust and returning during the winter of 1827 to london, where he is heard of no more until 1830. in that year he was upon the committee for remodelling italy. it is certain, however, that in course of time he overcame his antipathy to mexico, for he afterwards returned thither, and died at tampico in the year 1832.
count giuseppe pecchio was another of those distinguished exiles in whose company panizzi delighted. their long correspondence reveals a close intimacy. pecchio, better known in england as the author of the “semi-serious observations of an italian exile during his residence in england,” was also one of the victims of the ill-fated piedmontese revolution. england was his first refuge, and, after being engaged in various occupations, amongst others that of italian teacher at nottingham, he married an english lady, and, “post tot naufragia tutus,” took up his residence at brighton.
the book, published at lugano in 1827, contains amusing sketches of english life from a foreigner’s point of view; and after perusing it one can safely conclude that the count was indebted for his inferences rather to imagination than to memory—perhaps to the two combined more than to actual facts.
59while residing in london pecchio contemplated the production of a periodical, to which panizzi was to be the chief contributor, with messrs. haywood and roscoe as his supporters in addition to silvia pellico, who was about to be set free on occasion of the marriage of the archduke leopold, and whose presence was expected in the metropolis. this formed a strong company for the undertaking, to which the promoters were justified in looking forward with no little hope of success. the attempt to start this periodical, however, proved futile, and not even a number of it ever appeared.
on the 13th november, 1825, pecchio wrote a letter to panizzi, for the purpose of introducing a certain miss e ****, telling him that he ought to appear as a narcissus to captivate the young lady. panizzi’s health, however, seemed at this time to fail him, and this he attributed to the severity of the winter season, which, as before stated, invariably affected him in a remarkable decree.
possibly this may have been one cause of his indisposition. the count, however, with some acuteness in deciding on symptoms, remarks: “the loss of one’s country is a wound which never heals; it is one of those pains which slowly destroy our own existence without our perceiving it.”
sufficient space has, however, been allotted to panizzi’s friends, and it is now time to return to panizzi himself. his celebrity as a teacher of italian and lecturer on that language was established at liverpool. before dilating upon his peculiar aptitude in this direction we must mention one feature in his 60character which will pre-eminently raise him in the estimation of all discerning readers. miss martin, one of his former pupils, knew him as a political exile in the time of his penury; nevertheless, she well recollects and bears witness to his most high-spirited disinterestedness in pecuniary matters—in fact, his singular disregard of money.
the lectures on the italian language, at which this lady was present, were delivered by him in the years 1824 and 1825 in english; they had been inaugurated by mr. roscoe, and were given at the royal institution, liverpool, where, strange to say, no record of them has been kept.
the following anecdote related by miss martin may serve to illustrate the earnestness of his addresses. in reciting some of the lines of the “gerusalemme liberata,” where the anxious crusaders first catch sight of the sacred city of jerusalem:—
“ecco apparir gerusalem si vede,
ecco additar gerusalem si scorge;
ecco da mille voci unitamente
gerusalemme salutar si sente.—”
his eager eye glanced at the wall at the side of the lecture-room with such realistic animation, and with such power over his hearers, that some of the audience turned to gaze on the vacant space as though the veritable towers and walls of jerusalem had been thereon depicted.
these lectures were never published. the following extracts, expressive of his personal feelings towards his auditors may, even at this distance of time, be not altogether devoid of interest.
61the first quotation is from the first of the lectures, written in the summer of 1824, and the second is from the concluding lecture of the series, delivered three years afterwards.
i.
if i dare to address you in your own language, it is neither because i have a vast confidence in my limited knowledge of it, nor because i am unaware how awkwardly a foreigner is situated on such an occasion. but since you do not honour me with your presence to ascertain how i am acquainted with your language, but to hear what my opinion is with respect to some poems written in my own, it is after all of very little consequence whether my diction be so correct and my pronunciation be pure, if i am but intelligible. having to speak of a foreign literature, i had still more reason to expect that the audience would liberally overlook my blunders; for the italian quotations would remind those whose keen sense of the beauties of their own tongue might perchance dispose to pass a vigorous sentence on my english, how difficult it is to speak a foreign language tolerably.
these reasons alone might perhaps have induced me to trust to the liberality of an english public; but even without them, and with far more confidence would i have presented myself before you. your kindness to me on former occasions, to which i shall only allude as no language at any length could do justice to it, would have been a sufficient encouragement to me. it was in this same place that without any claim to your favour, i met the most flattering reception. the repeated proofs of benevolence which i have received from you warrant me in expecting that you would continue to me the same support. i know you so well that i am as certain that you cannot be unkind, as i am conscious that i cannot be ungrateful.
the lectures which i purpose delivering will form an appendix to those which you have already heard on ariosto, on whose poem i shall not lecture this time. i am sensible of the disadvantage of such an omission.
62
ii.
i feel it would be indiscretion were i to trespass any longer upon your time, as i was inclined so to do on this last occasion. i shall therefore conclude, offering you my sincerest thanks for the kindness with which, sometimes even in spite of the enraged elements, you have honoured this course of lectures. i know full well that the subject must have been so agreeable to a choice audience like that by which i have been favoured, so as to be a powerful attraction for them to attend. but i cannot and will not think that i am indebted for your presence to the merits of the poems i lectured upon rather than to your benevolence to me. i have known liverpool so long and so well, and have had so many occasions of experiencing the hospitality of its inhabitants, that my heart cannot allow me to think that you came to hear me as you would have done a stranger. i am not a stranger in this town to which the noblest of sentiments—gratitude—ties me. i beg you will continue to entertain for me the kind feelings which you have hitherto done, being certain that i am fully sensible of their value, and proud in thinking that you have not found—and i hope you never will find me either unworthy of them, or not appreciating them as fully as they deserve.
it is pleasing to trace in these words the grateful heart of panizzi, reflecting as they do the warmth of his feelings, and acknowledging the kindness shown him by liverpool friends at a time when he sadly needed sympathy and support; we now leave him, through such aid, in better worldly circumstances than he had but recently encountered.
