oom where he lay. At first they held back, saying that they
could not kill a man in his slumber; but Beatrice would not allow them
to abandon the task, so great was her power over them.

[Illustration 4:
_BEATRICE CENCI
After the painting by L. Valles
The larger share of responsibility was put upon Beatrice; but she, it
appeared, had been the one most sinned against, and certain
unmentionable villainies in her father's conduct, which were darkly
hinted at, aroused the pity of the Holy Father to such an extent that he
gave them all comparative liberty, with the hope of ultimate acquittal.
At this juncture of affairs, a certain nobleman, Paolo Santa Croce,
killed his mother as the result of a family quarrel; and the pope, newly
angered against the Cenci family because he considered it to have set
the example for this parricidal mania, ordered them all to be executed
according to the terms of the original judgment, with the exception of
the youngest son, Bernardo, who was given a free pardon. The sentence
was executed on the following day, Saturday, May 11, 1599, on the bridge
of Saint Angela._]

Beatrice has shown all along a surprising firmness of character, and a
more detailed description of her appearance cannot fail to be of
interest. Leigh Hunt gives the following pen portrait, which he ascribes
to some Roman manuscript: "Beatrice was of a make rather large than
small. Her complexion was fair. She had two dimples in her cheeks, which
added to the beauty of her countenance, especially when she smiled, and
gave it a grace that enchanted all who saw her. Her hair was like
threads of gold; and because it was very long, she used to fasten it up;
but when she let it flow freely, the wavy splendor of it was
astonishing. She had pleasing blue eyes, of a sprightliness mixed with
dignity, and, in addition to all these graces, her conversation had a
spirit in it and a sparkling polish which made every one in love with
her."

Such was the girl who overcame the compassion of these hirelings by
recounting to them again the story of their own wrongs and those of the
family; and when they still refused, she said: "If you are afraid to put
to death a man in his sleep, I myself will kill my father; but your own
lives shall not have long to run." So, in they went, and the deed was
done in a terrible manner: a long, pointed nail was thrust through one
of the eyes and into the brain and then withdrawn, and the body was
tossed from a