GRIMALDI. 409 



courfe of things, became fallen, and Adelaide impe- 

 rious. One day they quarrelled fo violently, that Va- 

 lentina turned the old houfekeeper, with her daughter, 

 out of doors* Fazio, ca returning home, took this 

 procedure very much amifs, grew fo much the fonder 

 of Adelaide, and hired a fuitable lodging for her, Va- 

 lentina, who was very violent by nature, could no 

 longer moderate her fury. 



Fazio, having in vain tried every method to pacify 

 or to deceive her, retired to his eftate in the country, 

 and had Adelaide brought to him. This no fooner 

 reached the ears of Vaientina, who in her jealoufy was 

 more like a fury than a woman, than fhe meditated the 

 moll horrid revenge. Without once reflecting, on the 

 melancholy confequences, fhe refolved to impeach her 

 huiband, before the magiftrate, as the murderer of 

 Grimaldi, She put her dreadful fcheme in execution 

 on the fpot; and Fazio, who was dreaming away deli - 

 cious moments in the company of his fair-one, never 

 thought of the fiorm that was gathering over his head. 



The judge, in the firffc place, examined into the 

 circumftances delivered in by the informant, and then 

 difpatched perfons to dig up the ground in Fazio's cel- 

 lar ; where, finding the remains of Grimaldi's body, 

 Fazio was felzed in the arms of Adelaide, and carried 

 to prifon. At firft, he denied the charge ;, but, on 

 being confronted with his wife, and fhe appearing" as 

 his accufer, he immediately exclaimed : 66 Wretch as 

 * 6 thou art, had I loved thee lefs, thou wouldft not 

 " have been entrufted with my fecret; I was weak 

 " from my love towards thee, and thou haft brought 

 66 me hither." The torture, which at that time was fo 



dan- 



