The Italian, or The confessional of the Black Penitents; A romance Volume 1 - Softcover

Reseña del editor

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1797 edition. Excerpt: ...It overlooked the whole extent of plains, of which fhe had before caught partial fcenes, with the vaft chain of mountains, which feemed to form an infurmountable rampart to the rich landfcape at their feet. Their towering and fantaftic fummits, crowding together into dufky air, like flames tapering tapering to a point, exhibited images of peculiar grandeur, while each minuter line and feature withdrawing, at this evening hour, from obfervation, feemed to refolve itfelf into the more gigantic mafles, to which the dubious tint, the folemn obfcurity, that began to prevail over them, gave force and loftier character. The filence and deep re-pofe of the landfcape ferved to imprefs this character more awfully on the heart, and while Ellena fat wrapt in the thoughtfulnefs it promoted, the vJfper-fervicfc of the monks, breathing foftly from the cathedral above, came to her ear; it was a mufic which might be faid to win on filence, and was in perfect unifon with her feelings; folemn, deep, and full, it fwelled in holy peels, and rolled away in murmurs, which attention purfued to the laft faint note that melted into air. Ellena's heart owned the power of this high minftrelfy; and while fhe caught for a moment the fweeter voices of the nuns mingling in the choral refponfe, fhe indulged a hope that they would not be wholly infenfible to her fufferings, and that fhe fhould receive fome confolation from fympathy as foft as thefe tender-breathing ftrains appeared to indicate. She had refted nearly half an houi on the turfy flope before the chapel, when fhe perceived through the twilight two monks defcending from the monaftery towards the fpot where fhe fat. As they drew near, fhe diftinguifhed their drefs of grey ftuff, the hood, the fhaven head, where only a...