The ring and the book . foot presently o the closet-sill He watched outside of, bear as superscribed That mandate to the Governor forthwith: Then heaves abroad liis cares in one good sigh, 1260 Traverses corridor with no arms help, And so to sup as a clear conscience should. The manner of the judgment of the Pope. Then must speak Guido yet a second time, Satans old saw being apt here —skin for skin, 1265 All a man hath that will he give for life. While life was graspable and gainable. And bird-like buzzed her wings round Guidos brow. Not much truth stitfened out the web of words He wove to cat
The ring and the book . foot presently o the closet-sill He watched outside of, bear as superscribed That mandate to the Governor forthwith: Then heaves abroad liis cares in one good sigh, 1260 Traverses corridor with no arms help, And so to sup as a clear conscience should. The manner of the judgment of the Pope. Then must speak Guido yet a second time, Satans old saw being apt here —skin for skin, 1265 All a man hath that will he give for life. While life was graspable and gainable. And bird-like buzzed her wings round Guidos brow. Not much truth stitfened out the web of words He wove to catch her: when away she flew 1270 And death came, deaths breath rivelled^ up the lies, Left bare the metal thread, the fibre fine Of truth, i the spinning: the true words shone last. How Guido, to another purpose quite, Speaks and despairs, the last night of his life, 1275 In that New Prison by Castle Angelo At the bridge foot: the same man, another voice. On a stone bench in a close fetid cell, ^ Riveiled : shrank THE RING AND THE BOOK. 31 Where the hot vapor of an agony, Struck into drops on the cold wall, runs down— 1280 Horrible worms made out of sweat and tears — There crouch, well nigh to the knees in dungeon-straw, Lit by the sole lamp suffered for their sake, Two awe-struck ligures, this a Cardinal, That an Abate, both of old styled friends 1285 O the thing part man part monster in the midst, So changed is Franceschinis gentle blood. The tiger-cat screams now, that whined before, That pried and tried and trod so gingerly, Till in its silkiness the trap-teeth joined ; 1290 Then you know how the bristling fury foams. They listen, this wrapped in his tolds of red. While his feet fumble for the filth below; The other, as beseems a stouter heart. Working his best with beads and cross to ban 1295 The enemy that comes in like a flood Spite of the standard set up, verily And in no trope at all, against him there; For at the prison-gate, just a few steps Outside, alread
Size: 1380px × 1810px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorbrowningrobert1812188, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890
