Previous Chapter
Related Chapters
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 72
At the end of the summer of 1613, the twenty-two-year-old Istvan arrived in Rome. He had already become quite accustomed to his clergy and felt very comfortable in a cassock and a traditional Jesuit square cap.Father Paul provided him with a letter of recommendation to Cardinal Fabrizio Veralli, trustee of the Pontifical Gregorian University, known in the old manner as the College of Rome.On the very first evening, Istvan went to the Cardinal's Palace on Holy Trinity Street. The majestic square building of light stone was striking in its size. The central arch led into the courtyard, from where the colonnade of the opposite wall was visible through the lush greenery.His Eminence received Istvan without delay. He sat in a huge, richly decorated office, arranged in a modern way. Instead of cold stone, soft silk on the walls, instead of tapestries, there are portraits in heavy bronze frames, and the high ceiling is painted with scenes from the Bible.The owner of the study sat in a re
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 73
- On Saturday, Fedeli performs in Piazza Venezia, shall we go?Who is this preacher?Roberto laughed.I don't understand, are you kidding? Or do you really not know? Famous theater troupe, they play comedy dell ' arte .- Hear it for the first time.- Well, yes, of course, there is no such thing in Hungary. These are performances that professional troupes give in the squares or, for example, in taverns. The script always has the same characters, most of them wearing masks. The plot is usually similar: lovers who are not allowed to connect with parents or guardians, and clever servants who arrange the happiness of the young.- And what is the interest if the masks and the plot are always the same? Stephanio was surprised.- Only the basics are preserved, and the actors come up with most of the lines on the go. It is especially funny when the joke falls on the topic of the day. Let's go, huh? You'll like it. To live in Italy and not see the comedy dell'arte...- Well, let's go and see w
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 74
Galileo remained at the Rome College for two weeks and delivered four lectures. During this time, he and Stefano met more than once in the huge library of the university. In the tradition of all public libraries, books here were chained to the shelves to prevent theft, long enough to comfortably read at the table. The scientist often used some tome, explaining the details of his theory.“I am sure, my friend,” he said, poking his finger at the parchment pages, “that the universe has no edge, and it is all evenly filled with stars. There are a lot of them, and the distance to them is huge. It is a pity that not everyone shares my opinion.“What do you care about everyone, professor?”- Of course, I don't care what the ignorant think, but I appreciate the opinion of every thinking person. I have a colleague, the German Johannes Kepler, who is very clever, I tell you. So, he, like me, believes that the Sun is at the center of the world, that the planets, due to their natural properties,
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 75
Andrea Calvo was in euphoria: the adamant Clarice, who had rejected his advances for so long, finally gave in and agreed to meet him in one of the upper rooms of the tavern. However, he had no doubt that sooner or later this would happen - among the many girlfriends, Calvo was considered an irresistible gentleman.Approaching the "Golden Trout", Andrea felt a joyful excitement. He entered the inn, looked around, and went to the counter where Clarice was. She smiled shyly and glanced up at the ceiling. Calvo nodded almost imperceptibly and moved to the stairs leading to the second floor, and the girl slipped into the kitchen, from where she could also go upstairs.Rising, Andrea stepped into the corridor, dimly lit by an oil lamp on the table, and looked around. At the same instant, one of the doors opened slightly, and a whisper was heard:- Here!Feeling sweet excitement, he hurried to the call and entered the room. There was total darkness here. Calvo looked around, trying to get hi
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 76
It was necessary to find a way out that would allow them to stay with Lucrezia and save the child. Stefano puzzled for a long time, but did not think of anything better than to turn to a spiritual mentor for help. Of course, not the most pleasant solution, but what to do ...“Hmm, unexpectedly,” muttered Father Bernardo, after listening to the confession of the ward. – How did it happen?“I love her so much that I completely lost my head.“Oh, these women are an eternal devilish temptation... It’s not so terrible that you broke your vow of chastity, my son, but that you never told me about it in confession. If the principal finds out...“Sinful,” Stephanio whispered repentantly.“And what are you going to do now?”“Maybe to renounce the dignity?”Who are you trying to fool? Father Bernard was angry. “You know very well that you cannot become a layman.Stephanio hung his head. He understood that the mentor was right, dignity is forever. But someone inside him, as if observing what was
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 77
A day later, he was called to see Roberto Bellarmino. This was the first time this had happened in all his years of study, and as he climbed the stairs, Stefano wondered what could have been the reason. Has he finally been noticed?In the office, besides the owner, were Bernardo Villardi and, oddly enough, Andrea Calvo. All three of them stared gloomily at the newcomer.“Lock the door, Signor Nadio,” ordered the rector, “and come here.” Closer please.Stephanio approached in bewilderment. It seems that this meeting does not bode well.“Signor Calvo claims that you stole the emerald ring from him. What do you think?"So that's the thing! This puppy set it all up on purpose!"“That is not so, Your Eminence,” Stephanio tried to keep his voice as firm as possible.“So you haven’t seen the ring and don’t know anything about it?”- I didn't say that. On the third day, I really found an emerald ring, but I found it, not stole it.“Rare luck,” the cardinal chuckled. - And where did you deign
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 78
They lived in different rooms, but they invariably spent their nights together. However, in the morning, before the arrival of the maid, Lucretia always returned to her bedroom, where Mario's small bed stood next to her bed.The kid was taught to call his father uncle. Stefano did not imagine how painful it would be for him to hear such an appeal. But he could not change anything and was glad at least that both - both Lucretia and Mario - were nearby.The son grew by leaps and bounds. By the age of six, to the great surprise of his father, he showed artistic abilities and an interest in painting. The boy sat at the table for hours, painting landscapes, portraits and still lifes.Stephanio was puzzled. He perfectly remembered how, a hundred years ago, his little son François was addicted to the same thing."What is this, a coincidence? Or is there something in my nature that gives my children a love of painting? What a strange joke of nature."He hired teachers, including an artist, an
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 79
As soon as he got out of the Old Oak, Stephanio jumped on his horse and galloped towards him. With every moment it became more and more difficult to stay in the saddle, the street blurred before his eyes, passers-by seemed to increase in size, and only by a huge effort of will he reached the inn, ran up to the second floor and locked himself in his room.Quiet joy seized him, he fell on the bed and began to look at the beams of the ceiling, feeling how he was filled with inexplicable bliss. Here the walls shook slightly, someone walked around the room, again and again, but this did not frighten him. On the contrary, he loved these incomprehensible creatures, loved everything that was around, he wanted to go downstairs and kiss the owner, go out into the street and hug everyone he met. Peace and happiness filled the soul, overflowing.And yet his mind was clear enough to understand: all this is just a consequence of the drunk elixir. You can’t run anywhere, you just need to lie down an