The Story of the Madiai (Paperback)

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. 1853 Excerpt: ...the attention of justice. Now, this witness, so zealous for the prosecution, and so well informed, how did she appear before you in this room? You saw her. She had hardly voice to make herself heard; she could not raise her eyes to the accused, nor to you. When told to turn to them, that they might hear what she with so low and trembling a voice related, she seemed nailed to her seat, and would have desired to turn her back upon the seat of the accused. Everything revealed in her, hesitation and remorse. And neither was her memory propitious, because she would have remembered nothing without the aid of the explicit and determinate interrogations of the counsellor. That she did not contradict herself was, perhaps, from fear that the court should suspect in her answers the crime of false witness. # Well might the presence of the accused render her vacillating and uncertain, since she was stung with remorse for her atrocious ingratitude. I agree that the witness must not perjure herself on account of gratitude towards the accused. The counsellor told this to Rosa Madiai when, in a moment of noble indignation, she let fall from her lips a bitter reproof. Truth, I say above all, truth and loyalty. Thus, if Zaccaguini had deposed nothing but the truth, we should only have to pity her that she was under the painful necessity of administering hemlock to one who had fed and succored her. But she has pretended and dissimulated much. She dissimulated when she withheld the fact, that if they conversed on religion with her, if they had her to read the Bible with them, if they read it to her, or presented her with one, it was because she asked it; because she pretended to share their faith, in order that she might more profitably draw forth their charity. She did not, ho...