CENCI, called the beautiful parricide," was the daughter of Francesco Cenci, a wealthy Roman nobleman. According to Muratori (Annalex, lib. x.), Francesco was twice married, Beatrice being his daughter by the first wife. After his second mar riage, he Initied the children of his first wife in a revolting manner, and was even Accused of hiring bandits to murder two of his sons on their return from Spain. The beauty of Beatrice inspired him with the horrible and incestuous desire to possess her Iverson; with mingled lust and hate, he persecuted her from day, until circum stances enabled him to consummate his brutality. The unfortunate girl besought the help of her relatives, and of pope Clement VII. (Aldobrandini), but did not receive it; whereupon, in company with her step-mother, and her brother, Giacomo, she planned and executed the murder of her unnatural parent. The crime was discovered, and both she and Giacomo were put to the torture; Giacomo confessed, but Beatrice persisted in the delaration that she was innocent All, however, were condemned, and put to death, August, 1599, in spite of efforts made in their behalf. Such is 3luratori's narrative.
Others allege that Beatrice was the innocent victim of an infernal plot. The results of Bertolotti's investigations (Francesco Cenci e la sun Fantiglia, 1877), based on original documents and contemporary notices, go far to deprive the story of the Cenci tragedy of the romantic elements on which Shelley's powerful tragedy mainly turns. Francesco, it would appear, was profligate, but no monster; Beatrice at the time she murdered her father, was not 16 but 21 years of age, was far from beautiful, and probably had already a tarnished moral reputation. And Berto]otti is further convinced that the sweet and mournful countenance which forms one of the treasures of the T3arberini palace in Rome, is not only not the portrait of Beatrice, but was not even painted by Guido, to whom it bus long been unhesitatingly attributed.