Chapter 11 Duchess of Pagliano

(Translated by Li Xiong) I am not a naturalist.I only know a little bit about Greece.The main purpose of my trip to Sicily was not to observe the strange phenomenon of Mount Etna, nor to find out, for myself or others, what the ancient Greek authors had said about Sicily. I have come here above all for the pleasure of the eyes, and the scenery is very beautiful in this strange region, which, it is said, is a bit like Africa.But one thing is certain for me, and that is that there is only one thing about Italy: an insatiable passion.As soon as the Sicilians are ignited with love or hatred, one can say that for them the word "impossible" does not exist.In this beautiful region, hatred has never been born of monetary gain.

In England, and especially in France, I have noticed that people often speak of "Italian Passion," that is, the overheated feeling one finds in Italy in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.Today, among classes that imitate the manners of France and the fashions of Paris or London, this fine feeling has disappeared, quite gone. I know it can be said that Naples, Florence, and even Rome, from the time of Charles V onwards, have a little imitated the manners and customs of Spain. But isn't this noble social habit based on infinite respect for the activities of the mind?This respect should be cherished by everyone worthy of the name.Far from repelling vitality, this social habit exaggerates it.And the first rule of those fools who imitate the Duke of Richelieu is to pretend to be "indifferent to everything."

In Naples at the present time more people imitate English dandies than French fools.And isn't the code of British playboys just to pretend to be superior to everything and to be tired of everything? Thus, for a century, the "Italian Passion" ceased to exist in the highbrow circles of the country. Our novelists speak with considerable confidence of this "Italian passion."To get an idea of ​​it, I had to look up the history.But the big, often overly majestic histories written by brilliant men say little about such trivialities.It is only willing to pay attention to the love of princes and nobles.I wanted to draw on each city's unique history.But there are so many materials that I dare not care about them.A small city proudly shows you its history.It was printed in quarto and consisted of three or four volumes.There are seven or eight volumes of manuscripts.It's full of abbreviations in weird, almost illegible glyphs.Some of the most interesting places, in particular, are full of expressions used locally, and the words become incomprehensible when you go out of a hundred miles.For in Italy, a beautiful country where love has sown so many tragic events, there are only three cities, Florence, Siena, and Rome, where the spoken language comes close to the written language.Elsewhere, the spoken and written languages ​​are separated by thousands of miles.

What has been called the "Italian Passion," that is, the striving for self-satisfaction rather than the affection "to make our neighbor think something good about us personally," began with the revival of society in the twelfth century and ended (at least in refined circles) ri) before and after.During this period, the Bourbon family came to rule Naples through the person Don Carlos.He was the offspring of Farnese's remarriage to Philip V.Philip V was the grandson of Louis XIV. He was melancholy and troubled by nature, but he was brave under the hail of bullets and loved music especially.We know that for twenty-four years, the excellent eunuch Farinelli sang to him every day, and every day was the three favorite tunes of his.

A philosopher may be curious about the details of passions felt in Rome or Naples, but I confess that nothing strikes me as absurd in those novels which give their protagonists Italian names.Don't we agree that passion changes every thousand miles north, that in Marseilles and Paris it is the same kind of love, at most one can say that it has long suffered from the same domination, that society has a certain semblance of similar to. Like passion and music, one goes three or four degrees north, and the landscape changes.It would seem absurd to transfer Naples to Venice if one had not been used, even in Italy, to appreciate its natural beauty.In Paris, we are even more confused. We think that the scenery of Naples is the same as that of Venice, with vast jungles and large cultivated plains.And we also want Canaletto to paint exactly the same colors as Salvatore Rosa.

Is it not utterly absurd that an Englishwoman, with all the virtues of her island, should be considered incapable of describing love and hate, even in that island?Lady Anna Rycliffe gave Italian names to the characters of her famous novel, The Confessional in Black, and added a strong passion. This very true account is naive, sometimes crude, and unpleasant.I leave it to the generosity of the reader without embellishment.For example, ① both are Italian painters, the former was born in Venice, and the latter was born near Naples. I have translated the Duchess of Pagliano's courtship to her cousin Marcel Capers as it is.I do not know why this passage, which is devoted to a family, is placed at the end of the second volume of the manuscript History of Palermo, and therefore I cannot give any details.

I have painstakingly made a large number of cuts to this narrative (I have cut out many characteristic scene descriptions).It contains the amusing story of a unique passion rather than the last adventures of the unfortunate Carafa family.Literary vanity tells me that by further developing the narrative, that is, by inferring what the characters in the story feel and telling the reader in detail, it may be possible to increase the interest of several scenes.But can I, a young Frenchman born in the north of Paris, be sure to guess the feelings of these Italians who lived in 1990?The most I can hope for is to speculate on what the French readers of the 1990s would find elegant and amusing.

This passionate feeling, which was all the rage in Italy some time ago, demands plot rather than words.Therefore, in the following narrative, the reader will not read much dialogue.In this translation, this is a disadvantage, because we are used to the long dialogues of our fictional characters; for these characters, a conversation is tantamount to a battle.I beseech the reader to be lenient with this story, for it exhibits a certain peculiarity of the manners which were introduced into Italy by the Spaniards.I didn't go beyond my translator role.It seems to me that a faithful imitation of the sixteenth century's way of feeling, and even of a historian (who, on the face of it, is a gentleman of the unfortunate Duchess of Pagliano), narrates, is this The main merit, if any, of this tragic story.

The strictest Spanish etiquette once prevailed at the court of the Dukes of Pagliano.If you notice that every cardinal, and every prince of Rome, has a similar court, you will know a little about the way the civilization of the city exhibited in the year.Don't you forget, this was the time when Philip II needed the help of two cardinals in order to play electoral intrigue.He gave him an annuity of £200,000 each as a teaching stipend.Rome at that time had no formidable army, but it was the capital of the world.And Paris in 2000 was nothing more than a rather lovely city of savages. A Faithful Translator of an Ancient Narrative Dated in 2000. Jean-Pierre Caraffa was born into one of the most distinguished families in the Kingdom of Naples, but his manner of conduct was as rough, reckless, and insolent as that of a shepherd with cattle.He donned a robe, went to Rome at a young age, and prospered under the kind care of his cousin Olivier Caraffa, cardinal and archbishop of Naples.First, Alexander VI, the omniscient and omnipotent great man, made him a squire (equivalent to what we call an adjutant).Later, Jules II made him the archbishop of Chieti, and Pope Paul made him a cardinal after he came to power. Finally, on the day of the month, the cardinals closed their doors. He elected as the new pope, known as Paul IV.He was then seventy-eight.Soon those who had installed him on the throne of the Palais Saint-Pierre shuddered at the thought of the harsh and savage piety of the new master.

News of this unexpected appointment reached Naples and Palermo, sparking a revolution.Within a few days, a large group of prominent members of the Caraffa family flooded into the city of Rome.Everyone has a place assigned.But the pope attached great importance to the three sons of his brother, Count Montorillo.Originally, this is also a very natural thing. The old lobby Juan was married and was canonized as Duke of Pagliano.This duchy, wrested from Marc-Antoine Colonne, consists of a considerable number of villages and small towns.The second child, Carlos, was a member of the Knights of Malta and had fought in battle.He was canonized as a cardinal and served as governor and prime minister of Bologna.A decisive man, true to family tradition, he dared to defy and show hatred to the most powerful monarch in the world (Philip II, king of Spain and India).As for the third child, since he was married, the Pope canonized him as Marquis of Montebello.Finally, he planned to marry the daughter of his brother's second marriage to François, the crown prince of France and the son of King Henry II of France.Pope Paul IV declared that he was going to take the Kingdom of Naples from Philip II of Spain as a dowry for his niece.The Caraffa family hated the powerful Spanish monarch.But the reader will see that the monarch took advantage of the Caraffa family's mistakes and finally destroyed it.

The throne of the Palais Saint-Pierre is the most powerful throne in the world.In that era, it even eclipsed the eminent Spanish monarchs.Since assuming this throne, Paul IV has exemplified every kind of virtue.This situation was also seen in most of his successors.This is a great pope, a great saint.He sought to abolish the abuses of the Church, thereby alienating the Synod.Although there was widespread demand in the Holy See for such a meeting, it would have been wise to deny it. Today our age has completely forgotten the customs of that age.According to that custom, the Holy Majesty gave his dominions to his three nephews as dictatorships, because it was not for a prince to trust anyone whose interests did not coincide with his own.The cardinal is the prime minister, responsible for carrying out his uncle's will.The Duke of Pagliano was appointed general of the army of the Holy Church, and the Marquis of Montebello the commander of the palace guard, and no one was allowed to enter the palace except those he liked.Soon, these young men are abusing their power and appropriating the properties of families who are at odds with their government.The people do not know whom to rely on for justice.They feared not only their own property, but--a thing dreadful in the country of chaste Lucrece--the lack of assurance of the chastity of their wives and daughters.Duke Paliano and his two brothers rob the most beautiful women.Whoever unfortunately makes them happy will be robbed.The people were dismayed to discover that they did not spare even those of noble blood, and what was more, the sacred walls of the monastery did not prevent them from doing anything wrong.The people were greatly disappointed, and did not know to whom to turn their grievances, for the three brothers terrified all who approached the Pope, and were insolent even to the envoys of various nations. Even before his uncle's ascension to pope, the duke married Violante de Cardona.She was born into a family of Spanish origin, belonging to the first class of dignitaries in Naples. She is one of the inhabitants of the Nile district. Violante was a rare beauty, known for her skill in putting herself into all the charms she tried to please.But she is more known for her irrational arrogance.However, to be fair, she confessed nothing before the Capuchin monk who made her confess before she died. I am afraid that it is difficult to find a more courageous display of perseverance than this.She knew by heart the wonderful long poem "Orlando" of Monsieur Arioste, most of Petrarch's sonnets, and the story of Pecorona, and could recite it with the greatest grace.However, ①②A residential area in Naples in ancient times, all the nobles lived in the area. A traditional Roman martyr (?~), who committed suicide after being raped by the tyrant's son Sextus. She was also charming when she condescended to talk about her novel ideas with those in her circle. She had a son named Duke Kavi.Her brother D. Fernand was Earl of Alifer.He was attracted by the wealth of his brother-in-law and came to Rome. Duke Pagliano had a magnificent court.The youngsters of Naples' leading families yearn for the glory of being in it.Among the duke's closest associates the Romans most admired was Marcel Capes (who was also a resident of the Nile district).Natural good looks and great wit endowed the young knight with great fame in Naples. The Duchess had a favorite woman named Diana Blancaccio, about thirty years old, and a close relative of the Duchess' sister-in-law, the Marchioness of Montebello.In Rome it was said that the Duchess had no airs with her, and would tell her all her secrets.But they are only about politics.The Duchess creates passion in people, but never shares it with anyone. The Pope adopted Cardinal Caraffa's idea and went to war against the King of Spain. The King of France sent an army to support the Pope.This army was commanded by the Duke of Guiz. However, we will not go into detail about the situation in this regard, but let us talk about the internal affairs of the court of the Duke of Pagliano. For a long time, Capers acted like a madman, doing some weird things.The poor young man fell in love with his mistress, the Duchess, but he dared not express his feelings to her.He hasn't completely lost faith in his success, though.He understood that the Duchess was very annoyed that her husband did not care about him.Duke Pagliano was powerful and powerful in Rome, and the most famous beauties in Rome came to his palace every day to meet him privately.The Duchess knew these things clearly, but she couldn't bear the offense. Among the priests of Pope Paul IV, there is a venerable monk who is responsible for reading the Office with the Pope every day.One day, at the risk of his own death, this character had the audacity to tell his uncle the Pope about the misdeeds of his nephews.Perhaps, he did so at the urging of the Spanish ambassador.The pope became sick with grief.He didn't want to believe it at first, but the facts with solid evidence came from all directions.An incident occurred on New Year's Day in 1999, which dispelled the pope's doubts and may have prompted him to make up his mind.Since the day of the accident was the anniversary of the circumcision of Christ Jesus, this made the pious Pope feel that the matter was more serious.It happened as follows: the secretary of the Duke of Pagliano, André Langfonci, gave a feast for Cardinal Caraffa.In order to add a little beauty to the food, he invited Matusia, the richest, most beautiful, and most famous prostitute in the noble city of Rome, to accompany his guests.But unfortunately, the Duke's favorite, Capers (the one who loves the Duchess privately) who is considered to be the most handsome man in the capital of the world, has also fallen in love with Matusha for a while.That night, he searched all the places where he might meet her, but he couldn't find her.When he learned that there was a banquet at Langfonch's house, he guessed what happened.At midnight he arrived at Langfonche's house with a large party of armed men. The door was opened for Capes, and the host invited him to eat and drink with him.However, after he reluctantly spoke a few words with his host and guests, he signaled Matusha to get up and go out with him.She hesitated, embarrassed, and had a premonition of what was going to happen.At that moment, Capes got up from his seat, walked up to the girl, grabbed her by the hand, and tried to drag her away.But the cardinal strongly disagreed, because she came for him.Capes, however, insisted on dragging her out of the restaurant. The cardinal holds the post of prime minister.It's just because he changed his attire that night, and the clothes he wore didn't show his status.He drew his sword, and with that gallantry known to all Romans, protested vigorously against taking the girl away.Furious, Capes called his men in.Most of them are Neapolitan.When they recognized first the duke's secretary and then the cardinal in a different attire, they sheathed their swords and persuaded them to fight. At first everyone surrounded Matusha, and Capes still held her left hand.But she was also clever enough to slip away while they were arguing.When Capes found that she was gone, he immediately went after her, and his men followed closely behind. But the night was thick, no one could figure out what happened, and all kinds of strange theories followed.The next day, on the morning of January 2, news spread around Kyoto that the Pope's nephew, the Cardinal, had fought a big fight with Marcel Capers.Duke Pagliano is the leader of the church army. He took the matter too seriously. Besides, he had a bad relationship with his younger brother who was the prime minister. That night he sent someone to arrest Langfonci, and the next day he arrested him. Capes was thrown into prison.But soon, he found that the fight did not lead to a murder case, and the detention of the two men only spread the rumors, and they were all aimed at the cardinal, so he hurriedly released them, and worked hard with the other two brothers to try to Cover things up.He would have succeeded in this, but on the third day word reached the Pope.So he sent for his two younger brothers and talked for a long time. Anyway, he did what a prince who was so pious and so offended could do. On the fifth day of the first month, a large group of cardinals gathered in the Holy See to discuss business.The pope was the first to speak of this terrible event.He asked how the cardinals present dared to block the news from him: "You don't report to me, but the scandal also damages your dignity! Cardinal Caraffa dared to wear secular clothes, holding a sword, and appeared in the In public. For what purpose? To occupy a lowly whore!" When the pope spoke and reprimanded the prime minister, the entire court fell silent.This is an old man in his eighties who is angry with his nephew.So far, this nephew has swayed his wishes.The pope was so angry that he even wanted to take off his nephew's cardinal hat. This anger has not disappeared, and a new one is coming.The envoy of the Grand Duke of Tuscany complained to the Pope about a recent act of insolence by the Cardinal Prime Minister.Therefore, when the cardinal, as powerful as before, went to the palace on routine business, the Pope made him wait for four hours in the antechamber in full view of the public.Then he was sent away without seeing him.We can imagine how much the cardinal's arrogance was hit.He was furious, but he refused to admit defeat.He thought that an old man, old and frail, who had loved his family all his life, and was not quite used to dealing with worldly affairs, would have to come and ask him for help.But papal virtue triumphed.He summoned all the cardinals and stared at them for a while without saying a word.Finally, tearfully, he confessed his mistake to everyone: "I am getting old, and I have devoted my energy to church affairs--you know, in church affairs, I think I have cleaned up fraud--this has prompted me to put Three nephews have been given temporal power, but they have abused it. Now I will drive them away forever." Then, he read out an imperial edict depriving the three nephews of all their honors and sending them to a remote village for confinement.The Cardinal, who was Prime Minister, was exiled to Civita Lavinia; the Duke of Pagliano was exiled to Soriano, and the Marquis to Montebello, his former domain.By this imperial edict, the duke's 72,000 piastres' salary (more than one million francs per year) was cancelled. There is no possibility of refusing to enforce these solemn decrees.All the people in Rome hated the Caraffa brothers, regarded them as enemies, and watched them all the time. The Duke of Pagliano moved to the village of Soriano.He was accompanied by his brother-in-law, the Earl of Alifer, and Leonor Dell'Cardinet.The Duchess and her mother-in-law moved to the village of Galez, twenty miles from Soriano. The villages are also charming.But this is exile, and they were exiled from Rome, where not long ago they had reigned supremely. Marcel Capers, along with other courtiers, follows the "mistress" ① came to the poor village where she was exiled.A few days ago, this woman was so arrogant and hot, but today she found herself among a group of small peasants, and even their astonished expressions reminded her of her own defeat.She has no consolation to speak of.Uncle's days are numbered, perhaps, he will die suddenly before he can remember his nephews. What's even more unfortunate is that the three brothers you hate me and I hate you are very at odds.It was even said that the duke and marquis, displeased with the cardinal's violent passions, and fearing his violence, had long since complained about him to their uncle the pope. In the dreadful days of the Caraffa family's disgrace and disgrace, another incident occurred which showed that in Rome Capes was not motivated by genuine affection for Matusia. One day, the Duchess had Capers summoned and asked him to do something.She was alone with him, this kind of situation rarely happened twice a year.When Capers found that there was no one else in the room, he kept his composure, went to the door to see if anyone was eavesdropping in the neighboring room, and then boldly said the following: "Madam, I don't take the liberty to say something to you." , don't be flustered, and don't be angry. I've loved you more than my own life since long ago. You can't blame me if I'm too careless to look at your holy beauty with a lover's eye, I can only blame the supernatural power that drove me and moved me. I am in agony, I am restless. I do not ask to put out the fire that is burning me, I only ask to forgive. You are generous enough to sympathize with a respectful servant. " The Duchess looked surprised, and even more angry.She said: "Marcel, who do you think I am? Who gave you the courage to woo me? Is it because my life is out of order, my conversation is out of order, that you dare To do such a disrespectful thing? How could you have the audacity to think that I could give myself to you, or any other man besides my husband? I think you were in a moment of madness, regardless of what you just said. But you have to Be careful, don't do it again next time. Otherwise, I will settle the old and new scores together." The Duchess left in a huff.In fact, Capes was too rash: he should not have said it, but should have made her feel his love.He was momentarily flustered, lest the Duchess should tell her husband what had happened. But what happened next was nothing like what he had feared.In this remote mountain village, the haughty duchess could not resist telling her intimate companion, the court lady Diana Blancaccio, what she had dared to say.This is a woman of thirty, with red hair (the author mentions this several times, as if to explain all the madness of this woman), who is suffering from a passionate love.She is madly in love with a gentleman named Domiel Fornari, one of the Marquis of Montebello's men, and wants to marry him, but the Marquis and his wife (she is fortunately related to them) will allow her to marry one of their servants. ?This obstacle is insurmountable, at least on the surface. There is only one chance of success: the trust of the Duke of Pagliano must be gained. Because he is the brother of the Marquis.In this regard, Diana is not hopeless.The duke had always treated her as a relative rather than a servant.This is a man with pure feelings and a kind heart. He is far less concerned with matters of pure etiquette than his two younger brothers.Despite his high position and all the advantages of a young man, he remained faithful to his wife.He loved her affectionately, and on the surface, if she insisted on asking him for a favor, it would be impossible for him to refuse. In Diana's opinion, Capers' bold confession to the Duchess was an unexpected good thing.So far her mistress has been disappointingly chaste.If she could feel some passion, if she committed some fault, she would always need Diana, and what could Diana not expect from a woman who knew all the secrets? ? Therefore, Diane didn't say how the Duchess should keep herself, nor how terrible dangers she would encounter in such a wise court. She was only driven by her passionate love, and she talked about Marcel to the mistress. Capes, it was like talking about Domina Forneri to herself.Every day, when the two of them were alone, Diana managed to remind her mistress of poor Marcel, who looked so sad, of his grace and handsomeness, when they were alone together and talking to each other.Like the Duchess, he belonged to the noble family of Naples, and his manners were as noble as his blood, he only lacked property, but the vagaries of fortune may make him rich every day, so that he can be bold with him in every way. The woman who falls in love is equal. Diana noticed with pleasure that after she said these words, the Duchess trusted her even more. She also lost no time in telling Marcel Capers about the situation on the Duchess' side.On hot summer days, the Duchess often went for walks in the woods around the village.When the sun was setting, she would come to the charming hills in the woods and wait for the breeze from the sea.On the top of the hill, you can see the ocean more than ten miles away. Marcel could come and walk in the woods without violating the strict rules.So Diana asked him to hide in the woods first, and after she said that the Duchess was ready, she signaled him to show up. Diana herself no longer repressed her passionate love for Domiel Fornari, seeing that she had aroused a passion in the Duchess, and was ready to submit to this fatal passion.From then on she felt sure of marrying him.But Domi Yi is a prudent young man with a calm and steady nature.The excitement of the passionate mistress, instead of holding his heart, disgusted him.Diana is a close relative of the Caraffa family.He was sure that if any word of their love ever reached the ears of the dreaded cardinal, he would be stabbed to death instantly.Although the cardinal was the younger brother of the Duke of Pagliano, he was actually the head of the family. For some time now, the Duchess has succumbed to Capez's love offensive. But one day, Domiyi Fornari disappeared from the village where the Marquis of Montebello and his entourage fled.It was later learned that he boarded the ship from the small port of Nettuno, and probably changed his name, and there has been no news of him since. Who can describe Diana's despair?One day, after listening to her kindly complaints about fate, the Duchess showed that she was tired of such topics.Diana found that she was despised by her lover, her heart was already being tortured cruelly, and the duchess was tired of listening to her complaints, which inevitably led her to draw wrong inferences.She believed that the Duchess had induced Domiel Fornari to leave her forever, and had provided him with travel expenses.The duchess had accused her before, and she did not want these reproaches to be grounded in her madness.She was suspicious at first, and then had the idea of ​​revenge.She begged to see the Duke and told him everything about the Duchess and Marcel Capers.But the Duke would not believe it.He said: "If you think about it, for fifteen years, the Duchess has had nothing to blame me for. She has resisted the temptations of the court and some of the more prominent people in Rome. The most pleasing Prince, and the French The general, the Duke of Guyz, himself, has hit a wall at her door, but you say she succumbed to a small nobleman?" Unfortunately, the Duke was very tired of the village of Soliano, where he lived, which was less than twenty miles away from his wife's residence, so Diana received many visits from him, but the Duchess had nothing to do with it. heard.Diana is also amazingly capable, and love makes her eloquent.She had told the Duke many details, and revenge was now her sole pleasure.She took the trouble to say that Capers sneaked into the Duchess' bedroom almost every night at eleven o'clock, and did not come out until two or three o'clock in the morning.These words did not have much effect on the Duke at first, and he did not want to ask for trouble, so he ran twenty miles in the middle of the night and entered his wife's bedroom unexpectedly. However, he went to Galaise one night, just after sunset, and it was still dark.Diane broke into the living room where the Duke was staying, disheveled, and told him that Marcel Capers had just entered the Duchess' bedroom.The Duke was probably in a bad mood right now, so without saying a word, he took the dagger, went straight to the lady's room, and broke in through a secret door.Marcel Capers was there, as expected.To be honest, when the two lovers saw him coming in, their colors changed.But their posture was beyond reproach. The Duchess sat on the bed to write down a small account she had just spent; there was also a maid in the room, and Marcel stood three steps from the bed. The Duke was furious, grabbed Marcel by the collar, dragged him to the next room, and ordered him to throw the dagger and dagger on the ground.The Duke then summoned his bodyguards and immediately led Marcel to Soriano's cell. The Duchess remained at the palace but was closely guarded. The duke was not cruel.In doing so, he seemed to want to cover up the scandal and avoid taking extreme measures because the incident caused him to lose face.He convinced others that Marcel was imprisoned for something else.He made the excuse that Marcel had bought some big toads at a high price two or three months ago, and said that the young man wanted to poison him.In fact, everyone knows the real crime of Marcel.The Duke's younger brother, the cardinal, sent to ask when he was going to wash away the offences suffered by the family with the blood of criminals. The Duke, his brother-in-law, the Count Alif, and his family friend Antoine Torondo formed a tribunal to try Marcel Capers.He was charged with adultery with the Duchess. Things in the world are fickle.Paul IV died, and his successor, Pope Pius IV, belonged to the Spanish faction.King Philip II of Spain demanded that the cardinal and the Duke of Pagliano be executed, and he complied.The two brothers were taken before state court.Their trial did not last long, but it gave us details of the execution of Marcel Capez. Among the many witnesses was one who testified as follows: "We were then living in Soliano; the Duke, my master, had a long conversation with the Count of There is a single cell on the ground floor, and the Duke ordered someone to prepare ropes for the interrogation of criminals. There were four people present that day, the Duke, Count Alif, Antoine Torondo, and me. "The first witness to be called was Captain Camille Griffner. He was a close friend of Capes. The Duke said to him: ''Friend, tell the truth.'Do you know what Marcel was doing in the duchess' room? '"'I don't know. I fell out with him twenty days ago.'" Since he refused to say anything more, the duke summoned some bodyguards from outside.Gryfner was roped up by Soriano's top brass, and the bodyguards pulled the rope taut, hoisting Gryfner a few inches above the ground.After hanging like this for a full quarter of an hour, Gryfner couldn't take it anymore and said, "'Put me down, and I will tell what I know.'" After putting him down, the bodyguards walked away, leaving only The next captain and the four of us. "'Yes, I have accompanied Marcel to the Duchess several times, but I don't know anything, because I waited for him in a nearby courtyard until one o'clock in the morning.'" The Duke immediately called the bodyguards in again and ordered They hoisted the captain up again. Presently the captain shouted again: "'Put me down. I'm telling the truth. Well, for many months I found out that Marcel and the Duchess were in love. I would have reported to your lord or to D. Leonard. The Duchess sends for news of Marcel every morning; she sends for him little presents, such as elaborate and expensive jams. I see Marcel has a gold chain, thin and finely made, It must have been from the Duchess.'" After this circumstantial testimony, the captain was taken back to his cell.Then the Duchess' porter was brought in.He said he knew nothing.So he too was tied up and hung in the air.After half an hour he said, "'Put me down, and I'll tell you what I know.'" But as soon as he landed, he didn't know anything.So they hung him up again. After half an hour he was put down, pleading that he had not been sent to serve the Duchess long.Since it was possible that he did not know, he was taken back to his cell.Since the bodyguards had to go out and in every time, the interrogation took a lot of time.因为公爵只想让保镖相信，事关一起蟾蜍毒谋杀公爵的企图。 “马赛尔·卡佩斯被押来时，夜已很深了。保镖们避开了。 门从里面锁上了。 “'你在公爵夫人房里待到凌晨一点，二点，有时甚至四点，有什么事可干呢？'公爵问他。 “马赛尔一口否认。于是保镖们又被叫了进来。马赛尔被吊起来，手臂脱了臼。他痛得受不了，要求放他下来。保镖们让他坐在一张椅子上。可是屁股一落座，他就张口结舌，不知说什么话为好。于是保镖们又进来，再次把他吊在空中。过了好久，他要求放他下来。 “'是的，我在这些不合适的时刻进过公爵夫人的房间。 可我是与夫人的女伴狄亚娜·布朗卡乔相爱。我向她求婚，除了有失体面的事，她什么都答应。'“马赛尔被带回牢房，在那里与上尉和狄亚娜对质。狄亚娜断然否认与他相爱。 “接着，马赛尔又被带下来。我们那时站在门口。 “'公爵先生，'马赛尔说，'您记得，您曾允诺，只要我说真话就饶我一命。现在不必用绳子了，我把一切都告诉您。'“于是他走近公爵，用发颤的，含混不清的声音，告诉公爵，他确实得到了公爵夫人的欢心。一听这话，公爵就扑向马赛尔，在他脸上咬了一口；接着，公爵抽出匕首，在罪犯身上连捅了几刀。这当口我赶忙说，最好让马赛尔把他的口供写下来，让这份文件来证明公爵是有理的。于是大家进了屋。里面有纸笔。可是马赛尔手臂手腕都被勒伤了，只写了两句话就不行了：对，我背叛了主子，对，我毁了他的尊严！'“马赛尔一边写，公爵一边念。念完，公爵扑上去，捅了三匕首，要了他的命。狄亚娜站在几步开外，看到这个场景，吓得魂飞魄散。大概，她千悔万悔不该闹出这件事。 “'你这个刁妇，你不配出生在一个高贵的家庭！'公爵咆哮道，'我丢面子就是被你害的。你穿针引钱，都是为了你那可耻的情欲。你这些背叛行为也该得到报偿。'“说完这话，他揪住她的头发，一刀割断了她的颈子。鲜血汨汨流出。然后，这个可悲的女人就倒地死了。 “公爵把两具尸体扔在牢房附近的一个垃圾场里。” 蒙特贝洛侯爵的儿子阿尔封斯·卡拉法是个年轻的红衣主教。整个家族就只有他一人被教皇保罗四世留在身边。他认为应该把事情禀告教皇。可是教皇听完经过，只问了一句：“公爵夫人呢，怎么处置的？” 在罗马，普遍认为这句话决定了这位可怜妇女必死无疑。 可是公爵不忍作出这分重大牺牲，或是由于她有孕在身，或是由于他从前对她的百般恩爱。 保罗四世大义灭亲，把几个侄儿流放到穷乡僻壤三个月后，他身染重病，又过了三个月，也就是年月日，他不治身亡。 红衣主教接二连三写信给帕利亚诺公爵，反复强调，为保全他们的荣誉，应把公爵夫人处死。眼看伯父已死，又不知未来的教皇会有什么想法，他希望在最短的时间内把事情了结。 公爵单纯，善良，在涉及名誉的事情上没有红衣主教那么苛严，因此对于红衣主教的过激要求，他不能答应。他寻思自己也对夫人有过多次不忠，并且瞒着她，没有丝毫为难。 一个心高气傲的女人，是完全可能对这些不忠行为进行报复的。可是红衣主教固执己见。就在参加选举教皇的红衣主教会当中，在听完弥撒，领受圣体之后，红衣主教还给公爵写信，说事情还拖着没有了结，他甚觉难过，还说对于家族荣誉所要求的事情，公爵若是下不了决心，那么以后他就不会再管公爵的事，也不会在红衣主教会或新教皇那儿为他出力进言。说来也巧，一个与荣誉无关的理由促使公爵下了决心。 公爵夫人虽被严密看管，但她还是想法与马克－安图瓦纳·科洛纳取得了联系。此人因为帕利亚诺公爵领地的权属，与公爵成了不共戴天的死敌。公爵夫人派人告诉他，假如他有办法解救她，她就把帕利亚诺要塞交给他。现在的要塞统领是忠于她的人。 年月日，公爵派了两连军队去嘎莱兹。日，公爵的亲戚Ｄ·勒奥纳·代尔·卡迪纳，和公爵夫人的弟弟阿利弗伯爵来到此地，进入公爵夫人的房间，要把她处死。他们向她宣布了这一决定。公爵夫人听了后镇定自若。她要求忏悔，听弥撒。然后，两个人向她走拢来。她看出两人意见不一致，便问她丈夫公爵是否有令要把她处死。 “有的，夫人。”Ｄ·勒奥纳回答。 公爵夫人要求看一看。阿利弗伯爵便出示公爵的手令。 （在帕利亚诺公爵一案中我发现了一些僧侣的证词。他们都参加了那可怕的行动。我觉得这些证词比其他证人的证词真实，大概是因为僧侣在法庭作证时有所顾忌，而其他证人或多或少是他们主子的同谋的缘故。）嘉布遣会修士安图瓦纳·德·帕维作证如下：“听完弥撒，她虔诚地领受了圣体。当我们为她诵经超度时，她的弟弟阿利弗伯爵进来了，拿来一条绳子和一根拇指粗半尺长的榛树棍。伯爵拿一条手帕蒙住公爵夫人的眼睛。夫人也够冷静了，还把手帕往下扯，以便遮严实一点。伯爵把绳子套在夫人脖子上，可是绳子细了一点，他又取下来，往外走了几步。公爵夫人听到他的脚步，一把扯掉手帕，问：“'喂，怎么回事？'“伯爵回答道：“'绳子太细了，我去换一根，让你舒服点。'“说完，伯爵走出门，不久就换了一根绳子回来。他又给她蒙上眼睛，套好绳子，把棍子插在绳结里，然后让姐姐转过身，把她勒死了。公爵夫人自始至终脸没变色心没跳，说话的声调都跟平常一样。” 另一个嘉布遣会修士安图瓦纳·萨拉扎的证词是用这几句话结尾的：“我想离开房间，避免看到她死的惨状。可是公爵夫人叫住我：“'看在上帝份上，你别离开。'（僧侣在此描写了公爵夫人死亡的情景，与上面描述的完全一样。）他还补充道：“她一遍又一遍地说：'我信上帝！我信上帝！'她像一个好基督徒那样死去。” 看来，两个僧侣大概得到上级允许，在证词里反复提到公爵夫人在与他们谈话，在作忏悔，尤其是听弥撒前领受圣体时，多次声称自己是完全无辜的，要是她有罪，出于她那高傲的个性，她也会毫不迟疑地去地狱的。 在嘉布遣会修士安图瓦纳·德·帕维与Ｄ．莱奥纳·代尔·卡迪奈对质时，修士说：“我的同伴对伯爵说，最好等公爵夫人分娩后再执刑。她已有六个月的身孕。得留住她怀在肚子里的那条可怜的小生命。给新生儿行了洗礼后再处死她也不迟。 “对此阿利弗伯爵回答：“'你知道我得去罗马，我不愿带着耻辱在那里露面。 '" 公爵夫人一死，两个修士就坚持要立即剖腹，救出里面的婴儿，可是伯爵和Ｄ．莱奥纳对他们的恳求置之不理。 第二天举行了安葬仪式，将公爵夫人埋在当地的教堂里（我翻阅了案情记录）。消息立即传开了，可是没有引起多大反响，因为此事早在人们的预料之中，而且，在嘎莱兹，在罗马，已经多次宣布过公爵夫人死亡的消息。再说，一桩在城市外面，而且是在教皇宝座无人的时期发生的谋杀是绝无异常之处引人注意的。保罗四世驾崩后立即举行了红衣主教会议，推选新教皇，大家唇枪舌箭，争吵激烈，开了四个多月才收场。 年月日，可怜的红衣主教卡洛·卡拉法不得不与一名红衣主教竞选教皇。后者当选了，号称庇乌四世。由于他是靠西班牙的支持才坐上教皇宝座的，所以腓力普二世要求他严惩卡拉法红衣主教，他不得不照办。 倘若伯父晏驾时红衣主教没有流亡他乡，他也许会竞选获胜，至少，他有办法阻止对手当选。 不久，红衣主教与公爵都被逮捕。腓力普二世的命令是将他们处死。他们被指控犯了十四条主要罪状。凡是能为这十四条罪状作证的人，法庭都一一取了证词。案情记录得很好，对开的两大卷。我饶有兴致地翻阅了一遍，在每一页上面都发现了一些具体细微的风俗民情。这些东西在正史上是读不到的，因为历史学家都认为它们不值得载入史册。我还注意到一个细节，那是卡拉法红衣主教任首相期间，亲西班牙派组织了一次谋杀他的行动。 总之，就因为杀害不忠的妻子及其情夫这一罪名，红衣主教和公爵两人被审判。若干年以后，奥西尼亲王娶了托斯卡纳大公的妹妹为妻。他认为她不忠，便征得大公的同意，把她毒死在托斯卡纳本地。他从未因这件事受到追究。美第奇家族的好几位公主也是这样死的。 卡拉法两兄弟的案子审讯结束后，有人编制了一份长长的摘要。几经删改之后，红衣主教大会审查通过了这份摘要。 过去，为惩罚奸夫奸妇而杀人，法律从来不管，但这次很明显，大家都同意对这种罪行处以死刑。红衣主教的犯罪事实是劝说兄弟犯罪，公爵的犯罪事实是动手杀人。 年月日，庇乌四世召开红衣主教会议。会议持续了八个钟头，到结束时，他用下面这句话对卡拉法兄弟作了判决：ＰｒｏｕｔｉｎＳｃｈｅｄｕｌａA（拉丁语：需要怎么办就怎么办）。 次日深夜，大法官派人去圣安琪宫，执行对卡拉法红衣主教夏尔，和帕利亚诺公爵两兄弟的死刑判决。人们先处决公爵，把他从圣安琪宫转押到托迪诺纳监狱，那里已为行刑作好了准备。公爵、阿利弗伯爵和Ｄ．莱奥纳·代尔·卡迪奈就在那里被斩首。 在这可怕的时刻，公爵不仅表现出是一个出身高贵的骑士，而且是一个为了上帝容忍一切的好基督徒。他对两位黄泉路上的同伴说了好些话，鼓励他们从容赴死。然后他给儿子写下遗书。 接着刽子手又回到圣安琪宫，向红衣主教宣布死刑，并只给他一个钟头作准备。红衣主教表现出超过兄长的豪气，尤其是他说话不多。因为话语本是人们在自身之外寻求的一种力量，一种支持。当他听到可怕的消息时，只低声说了下面几句话：“我要死了！啊，庇乌教皇！啊，腓力普国王！” 他作过忏悔，背过悔罪的七篇圣诗，便坐在椅子上，对刽子手说：“动手吧！” 刽子手用一根丝带勒他的脖子。丝带断了。必须来第二次。红衣主教注视着刽子手的动作，不屑于说一句话。 （后补的按语）没过几天，庇乌五世让人重审此案，撤销了原判。红衣主教及其兄长被平反昭雪，恢复名誉。而在判处他们死刑上出力最大的总检察官被绞死。庇乌五世命令销毁案卷。存在档案馆的所有副本都被付诸一炬。凡保存者一律逐出教会。可是教皇没想到，在他的书房里也保存了一份。我们今天读到的东西，就是依据这个副本写出来的。