 Chapter 27-30 of the Autobiography of Benvenuto Scilini, Volume 1 this is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings win the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Andrew Coleman. The Autobiography of Benvenuto Scilini, Volume 1 translated by John Addington Simmonds, chapters 27 through 30. 27. At that time, while I was still a young man of about 23, there raged a plague of such extraordinary violence that many thousands died of it every day in Rome. Somewhat terrified at this calamity I began to take certain amusements, as my mind suggested, and for a reason which I will presently relate. I had formed a habit of going on feast days to the ancient buildings, and copying parts of them in wax or with the pencil. And since these buildings are all ruins, and the ruins house innumerable pigeons, it came into my head to use my gun against these birds. So then, avoiding all commerce with people, in my terror of the plague, I used to put a fouling piece on my boy Pagolino's shoulder, and he and I went out alone into the ruins. And oftentimes we came home laden with a cargo of the fattest pigeons. I did not care to charge my gun with more than a single ball, and thus it was by pure skill in the art that I filled such heavy bags. I had a fouling piece which I had made myself. Inside and out it was as bright as any mirror. I also used to make a very fine sort of powder, in doing which I discovered secret processes beyond any which have yet been found. And on this point, in order to be brief, I would give but one particular, which will astonish good shots of every degree. This is that when I charged my gun with powder weighing one-fifth of the ball, it carried two hundred paces point blank. It is true that the great delight I took in this exercise bid fair to withdraw me from my art and studies, yet in another way it gave me more than it deprived me of, seeing that each time I went out shooting I returned with greatly better health, because the open air was a benefit to my constitution. My natural temperament was melancholy, and while I was taking these amusements my heart leapt up with joy, and I found that I could work better, and with far greater mastery than when I spent my whole time in study and manual labour. In this way my gun, at the end of the game, stood me more in profit than in loss. It was also the cause of my making acquaintance with certain hunters after curiosities, who followed in the track of those lombard peasants who used to come to Rome to till the vineyards at the proper season. While digging the ground they frequently turned up antique medals, agates, chrysoprases, cornelians and cameos, also sometimes jewels, as for instance emeralds, sapphires, diamonds and rubies. The peasants used to sell things of this sort to the traders for mere trifle, and I very often, when I met them, paid the latter several times as many golden crowns as they had given julios for some object. Independently of the profit I made by this traffic, which was at least tenfold, it brought me also into agreeable relations with nearly all the cardinals of Rome. I will only touch upon a few of the most notable and the rarest of these curiosities. There came into my hands, among many other fragments, the head of a dolphin about as big as a good-sized ballot-bean. Not only was the style of this head extremely beautiful, but nature had here far surpassed art. For the stone was an emerald of such good colour that the man who bought it from me for tens of crowns sold it again for hundreds after setting it as a finger-ring. I will mention another kind of gem. This was a magnificent topaz, and here art equaled nature. It was as large as a big hazelnut, with a head of Minerva in a style of inconceivable beauty. I remember yet another precious stone, different from these. It was a cameo, engraved with Hercules' binding kerbress of the triple throat. Such was its beauty and the skill of its workmanship that our great Michelangelo protested he had never seen anything so wonderful. Among many bronze medals I obtained one upon which was a head of Jupiter. It was the largest that had ever been seen, the head of the most perfect execution, and it had on the reverse side a very fine design of some little figures in the same style. I might enlarge at great length on this curiosity, but I will refrain for fear of being Prolex. 28. As I have said above, the plague had broken out in Rome, but though I must return a little way upon my steps, I shall not therefore abandon the main path of my history. Though arrived in Rome a surgeon of the highest renown, who was called Maestro Giacomo da Carpi. This able man, in the course of his other practice, undertook the most desperate cases of the so-called French disease. In Rome this kind of illness is very partial to the priests, and especially to the richest of them. When therefore Maestro Giacomo had made his talents known, he professed to work miracles in the treatment of such cases by means of certain fumigations, but he only undertook a cure after stipulating for his fees, which he reckoned not by tens, but by hundreds of crowns. He was a great connoisseur in the arts of design. Chancing to pass one day before my shop he saw a lot of drawings which I had laid upon the counter, and among these were several designs for little vases in a capricious style, which I had sketched for my amusement. These vases were in quite a different fashion from any which had been seen up to that date. He was anxious that I should finish one or two of them for him in silver, and this I did with the fullest satisfaction, seeing they exactly suited my own fancy. The clever surgeon paid me very well, and yet the honour which the vases brought me was worth a hundred times as much. For the best craftsmen in the Goldsmith's trade declared they had never seen anything more beautiful or better executed. No sooner had I finished them than he showed them to the Pope, and the next day following he betook himself away from Rome. He was a man of much learning who used to discourse wonderfully about medicine. The Pope would feign have had him in his service, but he replied that he would not take service with anybody in the world, and that whoso had need of him might come to seek him out. He was a person of great sagacity, and did wisely to get out of Rome, for not many months afterwards all the patients he had treated grew so ill that they were a hundred times worse off than before he came. He would certainly have been murdered if he had stopped. He showed my little vases to several persons of quality, amongst others to the most excellent Duke of Ferrara, and pretended that he had got them from a Greek lord in Rome by telling this nobleman that if he wanted to be cured he must give him those two vases, and that the Lord had answered that they were antique, and besought him to ask for anything else which it might be convenient for him to give, provided only he would leave him those. But according to his own account Maestro Giacomo made as though he would not undertake the cure, and so he got them. I was told this by Messer Alberto Bendeggio in Ferrara, who with great ostentation showed me some earthenware copies he possessed of them. Thereupon I laughed, and as I said nothing, Messer Alberto Bendeggio, who was a haughty man, flew into a rage, and said, You are laughing at them are you, and I tell you that during the last thousand years there has not been born a man capable of so much as copying them. I then, not caring to deprive them of so eminent reputation, kept silence, and admired them with mute stupefaction. It was said to me in Rome by many great Lords, some of whom were my friends, that the work of which I had been speaking was, in their opinion, of marvellous excellence and genuine antiquity, whereupon, emboldened by their praises, I revealed that I had made them. As they would not believe it, and as I wished to prove that I had spoken truth, I was obliged to bring evidence, and to make new drawings of the vases, for my word alone was not enough, inasmuch as Maestro Giacomo had cunningly insisted upon carrying off the old drawings with him. By this little job I earned a fair amount of money. Twenty-nine, the plague went dragging on for many months, but I had as yet managed to keep it at bay. For those several of my comrades were dead, I survived in health and freedom. Now it chanced one evening that an intimate comrade of mine brought home to supper a Bollonet's prostitute named Faustina. She was a very fine woman, but about thirty years of age, and she had with her a little serving-girl of thirteen or fourteen. Faustina, belonging to my friend, I would not have touched her for all the gold in the world, and though she declared she was madly in love with me, I remained steadfast in my loyalty. But after they had gone to bed, I stole away the little serving-girl, who was quite a fresh maid, and woe to her if her mistress had known of it. The result was that I enjoyed a very pleasant night, far more to my satisfaction than if I had passed it with Faustina. I rose upon the hour of breaking fast, and felt tired, for I had travelled many miles that night, and was wanting to take food, when a crushing headache seized me. Several boils appeared on my left arm, together with a carp-bunkle which showed itself just beyond the palm of the left hand, where it joins the wrist. Everybody in the house was in a panic. My friend, the cow and the calf, all fled. Left alone there with my poor little Prentice, who refused to abandon me, I felt stifled at the heart, and made up my mind for a certain I was a dead man. Just then the father of the lad went by, who was physician to the cardinal Yakoachi, and lived as a member of their prelates household. The boy called out, come, father, and see Benvenuto. He is in bed with some trifling intersposition. Without thinking what my complaint might be, the doctor came up at once, and when he had felt my pulse, he saw and felt what was very contrary to his own wishes. Turning round to his son, he said, O traitor of a child, you've ruined me. How can I venture now into the cardinal's presence? His son made answer, Why, father, this man, my master is worth far more than all the cardinals in Rome. And the doctor turned to me and said, Since I am here, I will consent to treat you. But of one thing only I warn you, that if you have enjoyed a woman, you are doomed. To this I replied, I did so this very night. He answered, With whom, and to what extent? I said, Last night, and with a girl in her earliest maturity. Upon this, perceiving that he had spoken foolishly, he made haste to add, Well, considering the sores are so new and have not yet begun to stink, and that the remedies will be taken in time, you may not be too much afraid, for I have good hopes of curing you. When he had prescribed for me and gone away, a very dear friend of mine called Giovanni Rigogli, came in, who fell to commiserating my great suffering, and also my desertion by my comrade, and said, Be of good cheer, my Benvenuto, for I will never leave your side until I see you restored to health. I told him not to come too close, since it was all over with me. Only I besought him to be so kind as to take a considerable quantity of crowns, which were lying in a little box near my bed, and when God had thought fit to remove me from this world, to send them to my poor father, writing pleasantly to him in the way I too had done, so far as that appalling season of the plague permitted. My beloved friend declared that he had no intention whatsoever of leaving me, and that come what might, in life or death, he knew very well what was his duty toward a friend. And so we went on by the help of God, and the admirable remedies which I had used, began to work a great improvement, and I soon came well out of that dreadful sickness. The sore was still open, with a plug of lint inside it and a plaster above, when I went out riding on a little wild pony. He was covered with hair four fingers long, and was exactly as big as a well-grown bear. Indeed, he looked just like a bear. I rode out on him to visit the painter Rossell, who was then living in the country, toward Chiveta Vecchia, at a place of Count Anquilaris called Chevetera. I found my friend, and he was very glad to see me, whereupon I said, I am come to do to you that which you did to me so many months ago. He burst out laughing, embraced and kissed me, and begged me for the Count's sake to keep quiet. I stayed in that place about a month, with much content and gladness, enjoying good wines and excellent food, and treated with the greatest kindness by the Count. Every day I used to ride out alone along the seashore, where I dismounted and filled my pockets with all sorts of pebbles, snail shells, and seashells of great rarity and beauty. On the last day, for after this I went there no more. I was attacked by a band of men, who had disguised themselves, and disembarked from a Moorish privateer. When they thought that they had run me into a certain passage, where it seemed impossible that I should escape from their hands, I suddenly mounted my pony, resolved to be roasted or boiled alive at their past perilous, seeing I had little hope to evade one or the other of these fates. But, as God willed, my pony, who was the same I have described above, took an incredibly wide jump, and brought me off in safety, for which I heartily thanked God. I told the story to the Count. He ran to arms, but we saw the galleys setting out to sea. The next day following, I went back sound and with good cheer to roam. 30. The plague had by this time almost died out, so that the survivors, when they met together alive, rejoiced with much delight in one another's company. This led to the formation of a club of painters, sculptors, and goldsmiths, the best that were in Rome, and the founder of it, was a sculptor with the name of Michel Agnello. He was a Sienese and a man of great ability, who could hold his own against any other workmen in that art. But, above all, he was the most amusing comrade, and the heartiest good fellow in the universe. Of all the members of the club, he was the eldest, and yet the youngest from the strengthened figure of his body. We often came together, at the very least twice a week. I must not omit to mention that our society counted Julia Romano, the painter, and Gem Francesco, both of them celebrated pupils of the mighty Raffaello Diabino. After many and many merry meetings, it seemed good to our worthy president that for the following Sunday we should repair to supper in his house, and that each one of us should be obliged to bring with him his crow. Such was the nickname Michel Agnello gave to women in the club, and that whoso did not bring one should be scorned by paying a supper to the whole company. Those of us who had no familiarity with women of the town were forced to purvey themselves at no small trouble and expense in order to appear without disgrace at their distinguished feast of artists. I had reckoned upon being well provided with a young woman of considerable beauty, called Pantasilia, who was very much in love with me. But I was obliged to give her up to one of my dearest friends, called Albertiaca, who on his side had been, and still was, over head and ears in love with her. This exchange excited a certain amount of love as anger, because the lady, seeing I had abandoned her at Bacciaca's first entreaty, imagined that I held in slight esteem the great affection which she bore me. In course of time a very serious incident grew out of this misunderstanding, through her desire to take revenge for the affront I had put upon her, whereof I shall speak him after, in the proper place. Well, then, the hour was drunk night when we had to present ourselves before that company of men of genius, each with his own crow, and I was still unprovided, and yet I thought it would be stupid to fail of such a madcap bag at hell. But what particularly weighed upon my mind was that I did not choose to lend the light of my countenance in that illustrious sphere to some miserable, plume-plucked scarecrow. All these considerations made me devise a pleasant trick, for the increase of merriment and the diffusion of mirth in our society. Having taken this resolve, I sent for a stripling of sixteen years, who lived in the next house to mine. He was the son of a Spanish coppersmith. This young man gave his time to Latin studies, and was very diligent in their pursuit. He bore the name of Diego, had a handsome figure, and a complexion of marvellous brilliancy. The outlines of his head and face were far more beautiful than those of the antique Antinous. I had often copied them, gaining thereby much honour from the works in which I used them. The youth had no acquaintances, and was therefore quite unknown, dressed very ill and negligently, all his affections being set upon those wonderful studies of his. After bringing him to my house, I begged him to let me array him in the woman's clothes which I had caused to be laid out. He readily complied, and put them on at once, while I added new beauties to the beauty of his face, by the elaborate and studied way in which I dressed his hair. In his ears I placed two little rings, set with two large and fair pearls. The rings were broken, they only clipped his ears, which looked as though they had been pierced. Afterwards I wreathed his throat with chains of gold and rich jewels, and ornamented his fair hands with rings. Then I took him in a pleasant manner by one ear, and drew him before a great looking-glass. The lad, when he beheld himself, cried out with a burst of enthusiasm, Heavens, is that Diego? I said, that is Diego. From whom until this day I never asked for any kind of favour? But now I only beseech Diego to do me pleasure in one harmless thing, and it is this. I want him to come in those very clothes to supper with the company of artists, whereof he has often heard me speak. The young man who was honest, virtuous and wise, checked his enthusiasm, bent his eyes to the ground, and stood for a short while in silence. Then with a sudden move he lifted up his face and said, With Benvenuto I will go, now let us start. I wrapped his head in a large kind of napkin, which is called in Roma summercloth, and when we reached the place of meeting the company had already assembled, and everybody came forward to greet me. Michel Agnello had placed himself between Julio and Giovanni Francesco. I lifted the veil from the head of my beauty, and then Michel Agnello, who as I have already said was the most humorous and amusing fellow in the world, laid his two hands, the one on Julio's and the other on Giovanni Francesco's shoulders, and pulling them with all his force made them bow down, while he on his knees upon the floor cried out for mercy, and called to all the folk in words like these, Behold ye of what sort are the angels of paradise, for though they are called angels, here shall you see that they are not all of the male gender. Then with a loud voice he added, Angel beautious, Angel best, save me thou, make thou me blessed. Upon this my charming creature laughed, and lifted the right hand, and gave him a papal benediction, with many pleasant words to boot. So Michel Agnello stood up, and said it was the custom to kiss the feet of the pope, and the cheeks of angels, and having done the latter to Diego, the boy blushed deeply, which immensely enhanced his beauty. When this reception was over, we found the whole room full of sonnets, which every man of us had made, and sent to Michel Agnello. My lad began to read them, and read them all aloud so gracefully, that his infinite charms were heightened beyond the powers of language to describe. Then followed conversation at which he sang, on which I will not enlarge, for that is not my business. Only one clever word must be mentioned, for it was spoken by that admirable painter Giulio, who, looking round with meaning in his eyes on the bystanders, and fixing them particularly upon the women, turned to Michel Agnello, and said, My dear Michel Agnello, your nickname of Crow very well suits those ladies today, though I vow they are somewhat less fair than Crows by the side of one of the most lovely peacocks, which fancy could have painted. When the banquet was served and ready, and we were going to sit down to table, Giulio asked leave to be allowed to place us. This being granted, he took the women by the hand, and arranged them all upon the inner side, with my fare in the centre. Then he placed all the men on the outside, and me in the middle, saying there was no honour too great for my desserts. As a background to the women, there was spread an espalier of natural jasmines in full beauty, which set off their charms, and especially Diego's, to such great advantage that words would fail to describe the effect. Then we all of us fell to enjoying the abundance of our host's well furnished table. The supper was followed by a short concert of delightful music, voices joining in harmony with instruments. And for as much as they were singing and playing from the book, my beauty begged to be allowed to sing his part. He performed the music better than almost all the rest, which so astonished the company that Giulio and Michel Agnello dropped their earlier tone of banter, exchanging it for well-wayed terms of sober heartfelt admiration. After the music was over, a certain Aurelio Ascolano, remarkable for his gift as an improvisatory poet, began to extol the women in choice-phrases of exquisite compliment. One he was chanting, the two girls who had my beauty between them, never left off chattering. One of them related how she had gone wrong. The other asked mine how it had happened with her, and who were her friends, and how long she had been settled in Rome, and many other questions of the kind. It is true that, if I chose to describe such laughable episodes, I could relate several odd things which then occurred through Pantosilia's jealousy on my account. But since they form no part of my design, I pass them briefly over. At last the conversation of those loose women vexed my beauty, whom we had christened Pomona for the nonce. At Pomona, wanting to escape from their silly talk, turned restlessly upon her chair, first to one side and then to the other. The female brought by Giulio, asked whether she felt indisposed. Pomona answered, yes, she thought she was a month or so with a child. This gave them the opportunity of feeling her body and discovering the real sex of the supposed woman. Thereupon they quickly withdrew their hands and rose from table, uttering such jibing words as are commonly addressed to young men of eminent beauty. The whole room rang with laughter and astonishment, in the midst of which Michel Agnello, assuming a fierce aspect, called out for leave to inflict on me the penance he thought fit. When this was granted, he lifted me aloft amid the clamour of the company, crying, Long live the gentleman! Long live the gentleman! And added that this was the punishment I deserved for having played so fine a trick, thus ended that most agreeable supper-party, and each of us returned to his own dwelling at the close of day. End of chapters twenty-seven through thirty. CHAPTERS thirty-one through thirty-three of the autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini volume one. This is a Librevox recording. All Librevox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit Librevox.org. Recording by Morgan Scorpion. The autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini volume one, translated by John Addington Simmons, chapters thirty-one through thirty-three. Thirty-one. It would take too long to describe in detail all the many and diverse pieces of work which I executed for a great variety of men. At present I need only say that I devoted myself with sustained diligence and industry to acquiring mastery in several branches of art, which I enumerated a short while back. And so I went on labouring incessantly at all of them. But since no opportunity has presented itself as yet for describing my most notable performances, I shall wait to report them in their proper place before very long. The Sienese sculptor, Micheal Agnolo, of whom I have recently been speaking, was at that time making the monument of the late Pope Adrian. Giulio Romano went to paint for the Marquise of Mantua. The other members of the club betook themselves in different directions, each to his own business, so that our company of artists was well-nigh altogether broken up. About this time there fell into my hands some little Turkish pognar. The handle, as well as the blade of these daggers, was made of iron, and so too was the sheath. They were engraved by means of iron implements with foliage in the most exquisite Turkish style, very neatly filled in with gold. The sight of them stirred in me a great desire to trial my own skill in that branch, so different from the others which I practised, and finding that I succeeded to my satisfaction I executed several pieces. Mine were far more beautiful and more durable than the Turkish, and this for diverse reasons. One was that I cut my grooves much deeper and with wider trenches in the steel, for this is not usual in Turkish work. Another was that the Turkish arabesques are only composed of aram leaves, a few small sunflowers. And although these have a certain grace, they do not yield so lasting a pleasure as the patterns which we use. It is true that in Italy we have several different ways of designing foliage. The lombards, for example, construct very beautiful patterns by copying the leaves of bionic and ivy in exquisite curves, which are extremely agreeable to the eye. The Tuscans and the Romans make a better choice, because they imitate the leaves of the acanthus, commonly called bear's foot, with its stalks and flowers curling in diverse wavy lines. And into these arabesques one may excellently well insert the figures of little birds and different animals, by which the good taste of the artist is displayed. Some hints for creatures of this sort can be observed in nature among the wildflowers. As for instance in snap-dragons and some few other plants, which must be combined and developed with the help of fanciful imaginings by clever draughtsmen. Such arabesques are called grotesques by the ignorant. They have obtained this name of grotesques among the moderns through being found in certain subterranean caverns in Rome by students of antiquity, which caverns were formerly chambers, hot baths, cabinets for study, halls and apartments of like nature. The curious discovering them in such places, since the level of the ground has gradually been raised while they have remained below, and since in Rome these vaulted rooms are commonly called grottos, it has followed that the word grotesque is applied to the patterns I have mentioned. But this is not the right term for them, inasmuch as the ancients, who delighted in composing monsters out of goats, cows and horses, called these chimerical hybrids by the name of monsters, and the modern artificers of whom I speak, fashioned from the foliage which they copied, monsters of like nature. For these the proper name is therefore monsters and not grotesques. Well then, I designed patterns of this kind and filled them in with gold as I have mentioned, and they were far more pleasing to the eye than the Turkish. It chanced at that time that I lighted upon some jars of little antique urns filled with ashes, and among the ashes were some iron rings inlaid with gold, for the ancients also used that art, and in each of the rings was set a tiny cameo of shell. On applying to men of learning, they told me that these rings were worn as amulets by folk desirous of abiding, with mind unshaken in any extraordinary circumstance, whether of good or evil fortune. Hereupon, at the request of certain noblemen who were my friends, I undertook to fabricate some trifling rings of this kind, but I made them of refined steel, and after they had been well engraved and inlaid with gold, they produced a very beautiful effect, and sometimes a single ring brought me more than forty crowns merely in payment for my labour. It was the custom of that epoch to wear little golden medals, upon which every noblemen or man of quality had some device or fancy of his own engraved, and these were worn in the cap. Of such pieces I made very many, and found them extremely difficult to work. I have already mentioned the admirable craftsman Caradoso, who used to make such ornaments, and as there were more than one figure on each piece, he asked at least a hundred gold crowns for his fee. This being so, not however because his prices were so high, but because he worked so slowly, I began to be employed by certain noblemen, for whom, among other things, I made a medal in competition with that great artist, and it had four figures, upon which I had expended an infinity of labour. These men of quality, when they compared my piece with that of the famous Caradoso, declared that mine was by far the better executed and more beautiful, and vade me ask what I liked as the reward for my trouble, for since I had given them such perfect satisfaction, they wished to do the like by me. I replied that my greatest reward and what I most desired was to have rivaled the masterpieces of so eminent an artist, and that if their lordships thought I had, I acknowledged myself to be most amply rewarded. With this I took my leave, and they immediately sent me such a very liberal presence that I was well content. Indeed, they grew in me so great a spirit to do well, that to this event I attributed what will afterwards be related of my progress. 32. I shall be obliged to digress a little from the history of my art, unless I were to omit some annoying incidents which have happened in the course of my troubled career. One of these, which I am about to describe, brought me into the greatest risk of my life. I have already told the story of the artist's club, and of the farcical adventures which happened are into the woman whom I mentioned, Pantasalea, the one who felt for me that false and fulsome love. She was furiously enraged because of the pleasant trick by which I brought Diego to our banquet, and she swore to be revenged on me. How she did so is mixed up with the history of a young man called Luigi Pulci, who had recently come to Rome. He was the son of one of the Pulci's who had been beheaded for incest with his daughter, and the youth possessed extraordinary gifts for poetry together with sound Latin scholarship. He wrote well, was graceful in manners, and of surprising personal beauty. He had just stepped the surface of some bishop, whose name I do not remember, and was thoroughly tainted with a very foul disease. While he was yet a lad and living in Florence, they used in certain places of the city to meet together during the nights of summer on the public streets, and he, ranking among the best of the infovisitori, sang there. His recitations were so admirable that the divine Michael Angnolo Brunootti, that Prince of Sculptors and of Painters, went wherever he heard that he would be, with the greatest eagerness and delight to listen to him. There was a man called Pilotto, a goldsmith, very able in his art, who together with myself joined Brunootti upon these occasions. Thus acquaintance sprang up between me and Luigi Pulci, and after the lapse of many years he came in the miserable plight which I have mentioned, to make himself known to me again in Rome, beseeching me for God's sake to help him. Moved to compassion by his great talents, by the love of my fatherland, and by my own natural tenderness of heart, I took him into my house, and had him medically treated in such wise that, being but a youth, he soon regained his health. While he was still pursuing his cure, he never omitted his studies, and I provided him with books according to the means at my disposal. The result was that Luigi, recognizing the great benefits he had received from me, often times with words and tears returned me thanks, protesting that if God should ever put good fortune in his way, he would recompense me for his kindness. To this I replied that I had not done for him as much as I desired, but only what I could, and that it was the duty of human beings to be mutually serviceable. Only I suggested that he repay the service I had rendered him by doing likewise to someone who might have the same need of him as he had of me. The young man in question began to frequent the court of Rome, where he soon found a situation, and enrolled himself in the suite of a bishop, a man of eighty years, who bore the title of Gorgensis. This bishop had a nephew called Meso Giovanni. He was a nobleman of Venice, and the said Meso Giovanni made a show of marvellous attachment to Luigi Palti's talents, and under the pretense of these talents he brought him as familiar to himself as his own flesh-blood. Luigi, having talked of me and of his great obligations to me with Meso Giovanni, the latter expressed a wish to make my acquaintance. Thus when it came to pass, that when I had upon a certain evening invited that woman Pantazalea to supper, and had assembled a company of men of parts, who were my friends, just at that moment of us sitting down to table Meso Giovanni and Luigi Palti arrived, and after some complimentary speeches they both remained to sub with us. The shameless strumpet, casting her eyes upon the young man's beauty, began at once to lay her nets for him, perceiving which, when the supper had come to an agreeable end, I took Luigi aside and conjured him by the benefits he said he owed me, to have nothing whatever to do with her. To this he answered, Good heavens, Benvenuto, do you then take me for a madman? I rejoined, not for a madman, but for a young fellow, and I swore to him, by God, I do not give that woman the least thought, but for your sake I should be sorry if through her you came to break your neck. Upon these words he vowed and prayed to God that, if ever he but spoke with her, he might upon the moment break his neck. I think the poor lad swore this oath to God with all his heart, for he did break his neck, as I shall presently relate. Meso Giovanni showed signs too evident of loving him in a dishonourable way, for we began to notice that Luigi had new suits of silk and velvet every morning, and it was known that he abandoned himself altogether to bad courses. He neglected his fine talents, and pretended not to see or recognise me, because I had once rebuked him, and told him he was giving his soul to foul vices, which would make him break his neck, as he had vowed. Thirty-three. Now, Meso Giovanni brought his favourite a very fine black horse, for which he paid a hundred and fifty crowns. The beast was admirably trained to hand, so that Luigi could go daily to Caracoli around the lodgings of that prostitute Pantazolea. Though I took notice of this, I paid it no attention, only remarking that all things acted as their nature prompted, and meanwhile I gave my whole mind to my studies. It came to pass one Sunday evening that we were invited to sup together with a Sienese sculpture, Michael Agnolo, and the time of the year was summer. Bacciacca, of whom I have already spoken, was present at the party, and he had wrought with him his old flame Pantazolea. When we were at table, she sat between me and Bacciacca, but in the very middle of the banquet, she rose, and excused herself upon the pretense of a natural need, saying she would speedily return. We meanwhile continued talking, very agreeably, and supping, but she remained an unaccountably long-time absent. It chanced that, keeping my ears open, I thought I heard a sort of subdued tittering in the street below. I had a knife in hand which I was using for my service at the table. The window was so close to where I sat that, by merely rising, I could see Luigi in the street, together with Pantazolea, and I heard Luigi saying, Oh, if that devil Benvenuto only saw us, shouldn't we catch it? And she answered, Have no fear, only listen to the noise they're making, we're the last thing they're thinking of. At these words, having made them both well out, I leapt from the window and took Luigi by the cape, and certainly I should then have killed him with the knife I had, but that he was riding a white horse, to which he clapped spurs, leaving his cape in my grasp in order to preserve his life. Pantazolea took to her heels in the direction of a neighbouring church. The company at supper rose immediately and came down, entreating me in a body to refrain from putting myself and them to inconvenience for a strumpet. I told them that I should not have let myself be moved on her account, but that I was bent on punishing the infamous young man, who showed how little he regarded me. Accordingly, I would not yield to the remonstrances of those ingenious and worthy men, but took my sword, and went along toward Prety, the house where we were supping, I should say, stood close to the castellogate which led to Prety. Walking thus upon the road to Prety, I had not gone far before the sun sank, and I re-entered Rome itself at a slow pace. Night had fallen, darkness had come on, but the gates of Rome were not yet shut. Towards two hours after sunset, I walked along Pantazolea's lodging with the intention, if Luigi Pulci were there, of doing something to the discontent of both. When I heard and saw that no one but a poor servant girl called Carnido was in the house, I went to put away my cloak and the scabbard of my sword, and then returned to the house, which stood behind the banshee on the river Tiber. Just opposite stretched a garden belonging to an innkeeper called Romolo. It was enclosed by a thick hedge of thorns, in which I hid myself, standing upright, and waiting till the woman came back with Luigi. After keeping watch awhile there, my friend Bacciacca crept up to me, whether led by his own suspicions or by the advice of others I cannot say. In a low voice he called out to me, Gossip, for so we used to name ourselves for fun, and then he prayed me for God's love, using the words which follow, with tears in the tone of his voice. Dear Gossip, I entreat you not to injure that poor girl. She at least has aired no wise in this matter. No, not at all. When I heard what he was saying I replied, if you don't take yourself off now, at this first word I utter, I will bring my sword here down upon your head. Overwhelmed with fright, my poor Gossip was suddenly taken ill with the colic, and withdrew to ease himself apart. Indeed, he could not but obey the call. There was such a glorious heaven of stars, which shed good light to see by. All of a sudden I was aware of the noise of many horses. They were coming toward me from one side and the other. It turned out to be Luigi and Pantazalea, attended by a certain mess of Ben Vagnato of Perugia, who was Chamberlain to Pope Clement, and followed by four doubty captains of Perugia, with some other valiant soldiers in the flower of youth. Altogether reckoned there were more than twelve swords. When I understood the matter and saw not how to fly, I did my best to crouch into the hedge. But the thorns pricked and hurt me, goading me to madness like a ball, and I half resolved to take a leap and hazard my escape. Just then, Luigi, with his arm round Pantazalea's neck, was heard crying, I must kiss you once again, if only to insult that traitor Ben Vagnato. At that moment, annoyed as I was by the prickles, and irritated by the young man's words, I sprang forth, lifted my sword on high, and shouted at the top of my voice, You are all dead folk. My blow descended on the shoulder of Luigi, but the satires who doted on him had steeled his person round with coats of mail, and such like villainous defences. Still the stroke fell with Crushing's force. Swerving aside, the sword hit Pantazalea full in nose and mouth. Both she and Luigi groveled on the ground. While Baciaca, with his britches down to heels, screamed out and ran away, then I turned upon the others boldly with my sword, and those valiant fellows, hearing the sudden commotion in the tavern, thought there was an army coming of a hundred men, and though they drew their swords with spirit, yet two horses which had taken fright in the tumult cast them into such disorder that a couple of the best riders were thrown, and the remainder took to flight. I, seeing that the affair was turning out well for me, ran as quickly as I could, and came off with honour from the engagement, not wishing to tempt fortune more than was my duty. During the hurly-burly, some of the soldiers and captains wounded themselves with their own arms, and Messer Ben Vegnato, the pope's chamberlain, was kicked and trampled by his mule. One of the servants also, who had drawn his sword, fell down together with his master, and wounded him badly in the hand. Maddened by the pain, he swore louder than all the rest in his pyrogyne jargon, crying out. By the body of God, I will take care that Ben Vegnato teaches Ben Venuto how to live. He afterwards commissioned one of the captains who were with him, braver perhaps than the others, but with less aplomb as being but a youth, to seek me out. The fellow came to visit me in the place of by-retirement. That was the palace of a great Neapolitan nobleman, who had become acquainted with me in my art, and besides taken a fancy to me because of my physical and mental aptitude for fighting, to which my lord himself was personally well inclined. So then, finding myself made much of, and being precisely in my element, I gave such answer to the captain as I think must have made him earnestly repent of having come to look me up. After a few days, when the wounds of Luigi and the Strompet and the rest were healing, the great Neapolitan nobleman received overtures from Messer Ben Vegnato, for the prelate's anger had cooled, and had proposed to rotify a peace between me and Luigi and the soldiers, who had personally no quarrel with me and only wished to make my acquaintance. Accordingly, my friend and nobleman replied that he would bring me where they chose to appoint, and that he was very willing to effect a reconciliation. He stipulated that no words should be banded about on either side, seeing that would be little to their credit. It was enough to go through the form of drinking together and exchanging kisses. He, for his part, undertook to do the talking, and promised to settle the matter to their honour. This arrangement was carried out. On Thursday evening my protector took me to the house of Messer Ben Vegnato, where all the soldiers who had been present at that discomforture were assembled and already seated at table. My nobleman was attended by thirty brave fellows, all well armed, a circumstance which Messer Ben Vegnato had not anticipated. When we came into the hall, he walking first, I following, he speak to this effect. God save you, gentlemen! We have come to see you. I and Ben Venuto, whom I love like my own brother, and we are ready to do whatever you propose. Messer Ben Vegnato, seeing the hall filled with such a crowd of men, called out, It is only peace and nothing else we ask of you. Accordingly, he promised that the Governor of Rome with his catch-polls should give me no trouble. Then we made peace, and I returned to my shop, where I could not stay an hour without that neapolitan nobleman either coming to see me or sending for me. Meanwhile, Luigi Pulci, having recovered from his wound, rode every day upon the black horse which was so well trained to heal and bridle. One day, among others, after it had rained a little, and he was making his horse Corvette just before Pantazalea's door, he slipped and fell with the horse upon him. His right leg was broken short off in the thigh, and after a few days he died there in Pantazalea's lodgings, discharging thus the vow he registered so heartily to heaven. Even so it may be seen that God keeps account of the good and the bad, and gives to each one what he merits. CHAPTER 34 The whole world was now in warfare. Pope Clement had sent to get some troops from Giovanni de Medici, and when they came they made such disturbances in Rome that it was ill living in open shops. On this account I retired to a good snug house behind the Bianchi, where I worked for all the friends I had acquired. Since I produced few things of much importance at that period, I need not waste time in talking about them. I took much pleasure in music and amusements of the kind. On the death of Giovanni de Medici in Lombardy, the Pope, at the advice of Mr. Giacopi Salviati, dismissed the five bands he had engaged, and when the constable of Bourbon knew that there were no troops in Rome, he pushed his army with the utmost energy up to the city. The whole of Rome upon this flew to arms. I happened to be intimate with Alessandro, the son of Piero del Bene, who at that time, when the Colonnese entered Rome, had requested me to guard his palace. On this more serious occasion, therefore, he prayed me to enlist fifty comrades for the protection of the said house, appointing me as their captain, as I had been when the Colonnese came. So I collected fifty young men of the highest courage, and we took off our quarters in his palates, with good pay and excellent appointments. Bourbon's army had now arrived before the walls of Rome, and Alessandro begged me to go with him to reconnoiter. So we went with one of the stoutest fellows in our company, and on the way a youth called Cicino de la Casa joined himself to us. On reaching the walls by the Campo Santo, we could see that famous army which was making every effort to enter the town. Upon the ramparts where we took our station, several young men were lying killed by the besiegers. The battle raged there desperately, and there was the densest fog imaginable. I turned to Alessandro and said, Let us go home as soon as we can, for there is nothing to be done here. You see, the enemies are mounting and our men are in flight. Alessandro in a panic cried, Would God that we had never come here, and turned in maddest haste to fly. I took him up somewhat sharply with these words. Since you have brought me here, I must perform some action worthy of a man, and directing my arch-boost where I saw the thickest and most seary troop of fighting men, I aimed exactly at one whom I remarked to be higher than the rest. The fog prevented me from being certain whether he was on horseback or on foot. Then I turned to Alessandro and Cicino and bade them discharge their arch-boosts, showing them how to avoid being hit by the besiegers. When we had fired two rounds apiece, I crept cautiously up to the wall, and observing among the enemy a most extraordinary confusion, I discovered afterwards that one of our shots had killed the constable of Bourbon, and from what I subsequently learned he was the man whom I had first noticed above the heads of the rest. Quitting our position on the ramparts, we crossed the Campo Santo, and entered the city by St. Peter's. Then coming out exactly at the church of Santo Añuelo, we got with the greatest difficulty to the great gate of the castle. For the generals, Renzo de Cary and Orazio Baglioni were wounding and slaughtering everybody who abandoned the defense of the walls. By the time we had reached the great gate, part of the foeman had already entered Rome, and we had them in our rear. The castellan had ordered the portcullis to be lowered, in order to do which they cleared a little space, and this enabled us four to get inside. On the instant that I entered, the captain, Poloni de Medici, claimed me as being of the papal household, and forced me to abandon Alessandro, which I had to do much against my will. I ascended to the keep, and at the same instant Pope Clement came in through the corridors into the castle. He had refused to leave the palace of St. Peter earlier, being unable to believe that his enemies would affect their entrance into Rome. Having got into the castle in this way, I attached myself to certain pieces of artillery, which were under the command of a bombardier called Giuliano Fiorentino. Leaning there against the battlements, the unhappy man could see his poor house being sacked, and his wife and children outraged. Fearing to strike his own folk, he dared not discharge the cannon, and flinging the burning fuse upon the ground, he wept as though his heart would break, and tore his cheeks with both hands. Some of the other bombardiers were behaving in like manner, seeing which I took one of the matches and got the assistance of a few men who were not overcome by their emotions. I aimed some swivels and falconettes at points where I saw it would be useful, and killed with them a good number of the enemy. Had it not been for this the troops who poured into Rome that morning, and were marching straight upon the castle, might possibly have entered it with ease, because the artillery was doing them no damage. I went on firing under the eyes of several cardinals and lords who kept blessing me and giving me the hardiest encouragement. In my enthusiasm I strove to achieve the impossible, let it suffice that it was I who saved the castle that morning, and brought the other bombardiers back to their duty. I worked the whole of that day, and when the evening came, while the army was marching into Rome through the testaveri, Pope Clement appointed a great Roman nobleman named Antonio Santa Croce to be captain of all the gunners. The first thing that this man did was to come to me, and having greeted me with the utmost kindness, he stationed me with five fine pieces of artillery on the highest point of the castle, to which the name of the Angel specially belongs. This circular eminence goes round the castle and surveys both the Prati and the town of Rome. The captain put under my orders enough men to help in managing my guns, and having seen me paid in advance, he gave me rations of bread and a little wine, and begged me to go forward as I had begun. I was perhaps more inclined by nature to the profession of arms than to the one I had adopted, and took such pleasure in its duties that I discharged them better than those of my own art. Night came, the enemy had entered Rome, and we who were in the castle, especially myself who have always taken pleasure in extraordinary sights, stayed gazing on the indescribable scene of tumult and compligration in the streets below. People who were anywhere else but where we were could not have formed the least imagination of what it was. I will not, however, set myself to describe that tragedy, but will content myself with continuing the history of my own life and the circumstances which properly belong to it. During the course of my artillery practice, which I never intermitted through the whole month passed by us beleaguered in the castle, I met with a great many very striking accidents, all of them worthy to be related. But since I do not care to be too prolix or to exhibit myself outside the sphere of my profession, I will omit the larger part of them, only touching upon those I cannot well neglect, which shall be the fewest in number and the most remarkable. The first which comes to hand is this. Messer Antonio Cento Croce had made me come down from the Angel in order to fire on some houses in the neighborhood, where certain of our besiegers had been seen to enter. While I was firing a cannon shot reached me, which hid the angle of a battlement, and carried off enough of it to be the cause why I sustained no injury. The whole mass struck me in the chest and took my breath away. I lay stretched upon the ground like a dead man and could hear what the bystanders were saying. Among them all Messer Antonio Cento Croce lamented greatly, exclaiming, Alas! Alas! we have lost the best defender that we had. Attracted by the uproar, one of my comrades ran up. He was called Jan Francesco and was a bandsman, but was far more naturally given to medicine than to music. On the spot he flew off, crying for a stoop of the very best Greek wine. Then he made a tile red-hot and cast upon it a good handful of wormwood, after which he sprinkled the Greek wine, and when the wormwood was well soaked, he laid it on my breast, just where the bruise was visible to all. Such was the virtue of the wormwood that I immediately regained my scattered faculties. I wanted to begin to speak, but could not, for some stupid soldiers had filled my mouth with earth, imagining that by doing so they were giving me the sacrament, and indeed they were more like to have excommunicated me, since I could with difficulty come to myself again. The earth was doing me more in mischief than the below. However, I escaped that danger and returned to the rage and fury of the guns, pursuing my work there with all the ability and eagerness that I could summon. Pope Clement, by this, had sent to demand assistance from the Duke of Urbino, who was with the troops of Venice. He commissioned the envoy to tell his Excellency that the Castle of St. Angelo would send up every evening three beacons from its summit, accompanied by three discharges of the cannon thrice repeated, and that so long as this signal was continued he might take for granted that the castle had not yielded. I was charged with lighting the beacons and firing the guns for this purpose, and all the while I pointed my artillery by day upon the places where mischief could be done. The Pope in consequence began to regard me with still greater favour, because he saw that I discharged my functions as intelligently as the task demanded. Aid from the Duke of Urbino never came, on which, as it is not my business, I will make no further comment. 36. While I was at work on that diabolical task of mine, there came from time to time to watch me some of the Cardinals who were invested in the castle, and most frequently the Cardinal of Ravenna and the Cardinal de Gadi. I often told them not to show themselves, since their nasty red caps gave a fair mark to our enemies. From the neighbouring buildings, such as the Torre de Bini, we ran great peril when they were there, and at last I had them locked off and gained thereby their deep ill will. I frequently received visits also from the General, Orazio Baglioni, who was very well affected toward me. One day while he was talking with me he noticed something going forward in a drinking-place outside the Porta de la Castello, which bore the name of Buccanello. This tavern had for sign a sun painted between two windows of a bright red colour. The windows being closed, Sr. Orazio concluded that a band of soldiers were carousing at table, just between them and behind the sun. So he said to me, Benvenuto, if you think that you could hit that wall and El's breadth from the sun with your demi-canon here, I believe you would be doing a good stroke of business, for there is a great commotion there, and men of much importance must probably be inside the house. I answered that I felt quite capable of hitting the sun in its centre, but that a barrel full of stones, which was standing close to the muzzle of the gun, might be knocked down by the shock of the discharge and the blast of the artillery. He rejoined, Don't waste time, Benvenuto, in the first place it is not possible where it is standing that the cannon's blast should bring it down, and even if it were to fall, and the Pope himself was underneath, the mischief would not be so great as you imagine. Fire, then, only fire. Taking no more thought about it, I struck the sun in the centre exactly as I said I should. The cask was dislodged as I predicted, and fell precisely between Cardinal Farnese and Messer Giacopi Salviati. It might very well have dashed out the brains of both of them, except that, just at that very moment, Farnese was reproaching Salviati with having caused the sack of Rome, and while they stood apart from one another to exchange approprious remarks, my gabion fell without destroying them. When he heard the uproar in the court below, good senior Orazio dashed off in a hurry, and I, thrusting my neck forward where the cask had fallen, heard some people saying, it would not be a bad job to kill that gunner. Upon this I turned two falconets toward the staircase, with mind resolved to let blaze on the first man who attempted to come up. The household of Cardinal Farnese must have received orders to go and do me some injury. Accordingly I prepared to receive them, with a lighted match in hand. Recognizing some who were approaching I called out, you lazy lepers, if you don't pack off from there, and, if but a man's child among you dares to touch the staircase, I've got two cannon-loaded, which will blow you into powder. Go and tell the Cardinal that I was acting at the order of superior officers, and that what we have done and are doing is in defense of them priests and not to hurt them. They made away, and then came Sr. Orazio Baglione running. I bad him stand back, else I'd murder him, for I knew very well who he was. He drew back a little, not without a certain show of fear, and called out, Benvenuto, I am your friend. To this I answered, Sir, come up, but come alone, and then come as you like. The general, who was a man of mighty pride, stood still a moment, and then said angrily, I have a good mind not to come up again, and to do quite the opposite of that which I intended toward you. I replied that, just as I was put there to defend my neighbors, I was equally well able to defend myself, too. He said that he was coming alone, and when he arrived at the top of the stairs, his features were more discomposed than I thought reasonable. So I kept my hand upon my sword, and stood eyeing him a scans. Upon this he began to laugh, and the color coming back into his face, he said to me, with the most pleasant manner, Friend Benvenuto, I bear you as great love as I have it in my heart to give, and in God's good time I will render you proof of this. Would to God that you had killed those two rascals, for one of them is the cause of all this trouble, and the day perchance will come when the other will be found the cause of something even worse. He then begged me, if I should be asked, not to say that he was with me when I fired the gun, and for the rest bade me be of good cheer. The commotion which the affair made was enormous, and lasted a long while. However, I will not enlarge upon it further, only adding that I was within an inch of avenging my father on Meso Giacopo Salviati, who had grievously injured him, according to my father's complaints. As it was, unwittingly, I gave the fellow a great fright. Of Farnese I shall say nothing here, because it will appear in its proper place how well it would have benefitted killed him. 37 I pursued my business of artillerymen, and every day performed some extraordinary feat, whereby the credit and the favor I acquired with the Pope was something indescribable. There never passed a day but what I killed one or another of our enemies in the besieging army. On one occasion the Pope was walking around the circular keep, when he observed a Spanish colonel in the Prati. He recognized the man by certain indications, seeing that this officer had formerly been in his service, and while he fixed his eyes on him, he kept talking about him. I, above by the angel, knew nothing of this, but Spidey fellow down there, busying himself about the trenches with a javelin in his hand. He was dressed entirely in rose color, and so, studying the worst that I could do against him, I selected a girth falcon which I had at hand. It is a piece of ordinance larger and longer than a swivel, and about the size of a demiculverine. This I emptied, and loaded it again with a good charge of fine powder mixed with the coarser sort. Then I aimed it exactly at the man in red, elevating prodigiously, because a piece of that caliber could hardly be expected to carry true at such a distance. I fired and hit my man exactly in the middle. He had trust his sword in front, for swagger, after a way those Spaniards have, and my ball when it struck him broke upon the blade, and one could see the fellow cut in two fair halves. The Pope, who was expecting nothing of this kind, derived great pleasure and amazement from the sight, both because it seemed to him impossible that one should aim and hit the mark at such a distance, and also because the man was cut in two, and he could not comprehend how this should happen. He sent for me and asked about it. I explained all the devices I had used in firing, but told him that, why the man was cut in two halves, neither he nor I could know. Upon my bended knees I then besought him to give me the pardon of his blessing for that homicide, and for all the others I had committed in the castle in the service of the church. There at the Pope, raising his hand and making a large open sign of the cross upon my face, told me that he blessed me, and that he gave me pardon for all murders I had ever perpetrated, or should ever perpetrate in the service of the apostolic church. When I felt him I went aloft, and never stayed from firing to the utmost of my power, and few were the shots of mine that missed their mark. My drawing, and my fine studies in my craft, and my charming art of music, all were swallowed up in the den of that artillery, and if I were to relate in detail all the splendid things I did in that infernal work of cruelty, I should make the world stand by and wonder. But not to be too prolix, I will pass over them. Only I must tell a few of the most remarkable, which are, as it were, forced in upon me. To begin, then, pondering day and night what I could render for my own part in defense of holy church, and having noticed that the enemy changed guard in March past the great gate of Santo Spirito, which was within a reasonable range, I thereupon directed my attention to that spot. But having to shoot sideways I could not do the damage that I wished, although I killed a fair percentage every day. This induced our adversaries, when they saw their passage covered by my guns, to load the roof of a certain house one night with thirty gabions, which obstructed the view I formerly enjoyed. Taking better thought than I had done of the whole situation, I now turned all my five pieces of artillery directly on the gabions, and waited till the evening hour when they changed guard. Our enemies, thinking they were safe, came on at greater ease and in a closer body than usual. Whereupon I set fire to my blow-pipes. Not merely did I dash to pieces the gabions which stood in my way, but what was better, by that one blast I slaughtered more than thirty men. In consequence of this maneuver, which I repeated twice, the soldiers were thrown into such disorder, that being, moreover, encumbered with the spoils of that great sack, and some of them desirous of enjoying the fruits of their labor, they often time showed a mind to mutiny and take themselves away from Rome. However, after coming to terms with their valiant captain, Gian Diorbino, they were ultimately compelled, at their excessive inconvenience, to take another road when they changed guard. It cost them three miles of march, whereas before they had but half a mile. Having achieved this feat, I was entreated with prodigious favors by all the men of quality who were invested in the castle. This incident was so important that I thought it well to relate it, before finishing the history of things outside my art, which is the real object of my writing. For Seuth, if I wanted to ornament my biography with such matters, I should have far too much to tell. There was only one more circumstance which, now that the occasion offers, I propose to record. CHAPTERS 38 I shall skip over some intervening circumstances, and tell how Pope Clement, wishing to save the Tierras and the whole collection of the great jewels of the apostolic camera, had me called, and the Cavallorino in a room alone. This Cavallorino had been a groom in the stable of Fidipo Strozzi. He was French, and a person of the lowest birth. But being a most faithful servant, the Pope had made him very rich, and confided in him like himself. So the Pope, the Cavallier, and I, being shut up together, they laid before me the Tierras and jewels of the regalia, and his holiness ordered me to take all the gems out of their gold settings. This I accordingly did. Afterwards I wrapped them separately up in bits of paper, and we sewed them into the linings of the Popes and the Cavallier's clothes. Then they gave me all the gold, which weighed about two hundred pounds, and bade me melt it down as secretly as I was able. I went up to the Angel where I had my lodging, and could lock the door so as to be free from interruption. There I built a little draft furnace of bricks, with a largeish pot, shaped like an open dish, at the bottom of it, and throwing the gold upon the coals it gradually sank through and dropped into the pan. While the furnace was working I never lucked off watching how to annoy our enemies, and as their trenches were less than a stone's throw right below us, I was able to inflict considerable damage on them with some useless missiles, of which there were several piles forming the old munition of the castle. I chose a swivel and a falconette, which were both a little damaged in the muzzle, and filled them with the projectiles I have mentioned. When I fired my guns they hurtled down like mad, occasioning all sorts of unexpected mischief in the trenches. Accordingly I kept those pieces always going at the same time that the gold was being melted down, and a little before Vespers I noticed someone coming along the margin of the trench on mule-back. The mule was trotting very quickly, and the man was talking to the soldiers in the trenches. I took the precaution of discharging my artillery just before he came to the immediate opposite, and so, making a good calculation I hit my mark. One of the fragments struck him in the face. The rest were scattered on the mule which fell dead. A tremendous uproar rose from the trench. I opened fire with my other piece, doing them a great hurt. The man turned out to be the Prince of Orange, who was carried through the trenches to a certain tavern in the neighborhood, whither in a short while all the chief-folk of the army came together. When Pope Clement heard what I had done he sent it once to call for me and inquired into the circumstances. I related the whole and added that the man must have been of the greatest consequence, because the end to which they carried him had been immediately filled by all the chiefs of the army, so far at least as I could judge. The Pope, with a shrewd instinct, sent for Messer Antonio Santa Croce. The nobleman who, as I have said, was chief and commander of the gunners. He bade him order all us bombardiers to point our pieces, which were very numerous, in one mass upon the house, and to discharge them all together upon the signal of an arc boost being fired. He judged that if we killed the generals, the army, which was already almost on the point of breaking up, would take flight. God perhaps had heard the prayers they kept continually making, and meant to rid them in this manner of these impious scoundrels. We put our cannon in order at the command of Santa Croce, and waited for the signal. But when Cardinal Orsini became aware of what was going forward, he began to expostulate with the Pope, protesting that the thing by no means ought to happen, seeing they were on the point of concluding an accommodation, and that if the generals were killed, the rabble of the troops without a leader would storm the castle and complete their utter ruin. Consequently, they could by no means allow the Pope's plan to be carried out. The poor Pope in despair, seeing himself assassinated both inside the castle and without, said that he left them to arrange it. On this our orders were countermanded, but I, who chafed against the leash, when I knew that they were coming round to bid me stop from firing, let blaze one of my demi-canons, and struck a pillar in the courtyard of the house, around which I saw a crowd of people clustering. This shot did such damage to the enemy that it was like to have made them evacuate the house. Cardinal Orsini was absolutely for having me hanged or put to death, but the Pope took off my cause with spirit. The high words that passed between them, though I well know what they are, I will not here relate, because I make no profession of writing history. It is enough for me to occupy myself with my own affairs. 39. After I had melted down the gold I took it to the Pope, who thanked me cordially for what I had done, and ordered the Cavalierino to give me twenty-five crowns, apologizing to me for his inability to give me more. A few days afterwards the articles of peace were signed. I went with three hundred comrades in the train of Sr. Orazio Buglioni toward Perugia, and there he wished to make me captain of the company, but I was unwilling at the moment, saying that I wanted first to go and see my father, and to redeem the ban which was still in force against me at Florence. Sr. Orazio told me that he had been appointed general of the Florentines, and Sr. Pierre Mario Delotto, the envoy from Florence was with him, to whom he specially recommended me as his man. In course of time I came to Florence in the company of several comrades. The plague was raging with indescribable fury. When I reached home I found my good father, who thought either that I must have been killed in the sack of Rome, or else that I should come back to him a beggar. However, I entirely defeated both these expectations, for I was alive, with plenty of money, a fellow to wait on me in a good horse. My joy on greeting the old man was so intense, that while he embraced and kissed me I thought that I must die upon the spot. After I had narrated all the devilries of that dreadful sack, and had given him a good quantity of crowns which I had gained by my soldiering, and when we had exchanged our tokens of affection, he went off to the eight to redeem my ban. It so happened that one of those magistrates who sentenced me was now again a member of the board. It was the very man who had so inconsiderately told my father he meant to march me out into the country with the lances. My father took this opportunity of addressing him with some meaning words, in order to mark his revenge, relying on the favor which Oratio Bacleoni showed me. Matters standing thus I told my father how Sr. Oratio had appointed me captain, and that I ought to begin to think of enlisting my company. At these words the poor old man was greatly disturbed, and begged me, for God's sake, not to turn my thoughts to such an enterprise, although he knew I should be fit for this or yet a greater business, adding that his other son, my brother, was already a most valiant soldier, and that I ought to pursue the noble art in which I had labored so many years, and with such diligence of study. Although I promised to obey him, he reflected, like a man of sense, that if Sr. Oratio came to Florence I could not withdraw myself from military service, partly because I had passed my word, as well as for other reasons. He therefore thought of a good expedient for sending me away and spoke to me as follows. Oh, my dear son, the plague in this town is raging with immatigable violence. And I am always fancying you will come home infected with it. I remember when I was a young man that I went to Mantua, where I was very kindly received and stayed there several years. I pray and command you for the love of me to pack off and go thither, and I would have you do this to-day rather than to-morrow. 40 I had always taken pleasure in seeing the world, and having never been to Mantua I went there very willingly. Of the money I had brought to Florence I left the greater part with my good father, promising to help him wherever I might be, and confiding him to the care of my elder sister. Her name was Cosa, and since she never cared to marry she was admitted as a nun in Santa Orsola, but she put off taking the veil in order to keep house for our old father, and to look after my younger sister, who was married to one Bartolomeo, a surgeon. So then, leaving home with my father's blessing, I mounted my good horse and rode off on it to Mantua. It would take too long to describe that little journey in detail. The whole world being darkened over with plague in war, I had the greatest difficulty in reaching Mantua. However, in the end I got there, and looked about for work to do, which I obtained from a maestro Nicolo of Milan, Goldsmith to the Duke of Mantua. Having thus settled down to work, I went after two days of work to visit Mr. Quiello Romano, that most excellent painter, of whom I have already spoken, and my very good friend. He received me with a tenderest caresses, and took it very ill that I had not dismounted at his house. He was living like a Lord, and executing a great work for the Duke outside the city gates, in a place called Delte. It was a vast and prodigious undertaking, as may still, I suppose, be seen by those who go there. Mr. Quiello lost no time in speaking of me to the Duke in terms of the warmest praise. That Prince commissioned me to make a model for a reliquary to hold the blood of Christ, which they have there, and say it was brought to them by Longinus. Then he turned to Quiello, bidding him to supply me with the design for it. To this Quiello replied, My Lord, benvenuto is a man who does not need other people's sketches, as your Excellency will be very well able to judge when you shall see his model. I set hand to the work, and made a drawing for the well-equery, well adapted to contain the sacred file. Then I made a little waxen model of the cover. This was a seated Christ, supporting his great cross aloft with the left hand, while he seemed to lean against it, and with the fingers of his right hand he appeared to be opening the wound in his side. When it was finished it pleased the Duke so much that he heaped favours on me, and gave me to understand he would keep me in his service with such appointments as should enable me to live in affluence. Meanwhile I had paid my duty to the cardinal, his brother, who begged the Duke to allow me to make the pontifical seat of his most reverend Lordship. This I began, but while I was working at it I caught a quart in fever. During each access of this fever I was thrown into delirium, when I cursed Mantua and its master and whoever stayed there at his own liking. These words were reported to the Duke by the Milanese goldsmith, who had not omitted to notice that the Duke wanted to employ me. When the Prince heard the ravings of my sickness, he flew into a passion against me, and I, being out of temper with Mantua, our bad feeling was reciprocal. The seal was finished after four months, together with several other little pieces I made for the Duke under the name of the cardinal. His reverence paid me well, and bad me returned to Rome, to that marvellous city where we had made acquaintance. I quitted Mantua with a good sum of crowns, and reached Coverno, where the most valiant General Giovanni had been killed. Here I had a slight relapse of fever, which did not interrupt my journey, and coming now to an end it never returned on me again. When I arrived at Florence I hoped to find my dear father, and knocking at the door a hump-backed woman in a fury showed her face at the window. She drove me off with a torrent of abuse, screaming that the sight of me was a consumption to her. To this misshapen hag I shouted, Oh, tell me, cross-grained hunchback, is there no other face to see here but your ugly visage? No, and bad luck to you. Whereupon I answered in a loud voice, in less than two hours it may never vex us more. Attracted by this dispute, a neighbor put her head out, from whom I learned that my father and all the people in the house had died of the plague. As I had partly guessed it might be so, my grief was not so great as it would otherwise have been. The woman afterwards told me that only my sister Lippurata had escaped, and that she had taken refuge with a pious lady named Demona Andrea de Bellaci. I took my way from thence to the inn, and met by accident a very dear friend of mine, Giovanni Ragogli. Dismounting at his house we proceeded to the piazza, where I received intelligence that my brother was alive, and went to find him at the house of a friend of his called Bertino Aldo Brandini. On meeting we made demonstrations of the most passionate affection, for he had heard that I was dead, and I had heard that he was dead, and so our joy at embracing one another was extravagant. Then he broke out into a loud fit of laughter and said, Come, brother, I will take you where I am sure you'd never guess. You must know that I have given our sister Lippurata away again in marriage, and she holds it for absolute certain that you are dead. On our way we told each other all the wonderful adventures we had met with, and when we reached the house where our sister dwelt, the surprise of seeing me alive threw her into a fainting fit, and she fell senseless in my arms. Had not my brother been present, her speechlessness and sudden seizure must have made her husband imagine I was someone different from a brother, as indeed at first it did. Cicino, however, explained matters, and busied himself in helping the swooning woman who soon came to. Then after shedding some tears for father, sister, husband, and a little son whom she had lost, she began to get the supper ready, and during our merry meeting all that evening we talked no more about dead folk, but rather discoursed gaily about weddings. Even with gladness and great enjoyment we brought our supper-party to an end. 41 On the entreaty of my brother and sister I remained at Florence, though my own inclination led me to return to Rome. The dear friend also who had helped me in some of my earlier troubles, as I have narrated, I mean Piero, son of Giovanni Landi, he too advised me to make some stay in Florence, for the Medici were in exile, that is to say, Signor Ippolito and Signor Alessandro, who were afterwards respectively Cardinal and Duke of Florence, and he judged it would be well for me to wait and see what happened. At that time there arrived in Florence a Sienese called Gerolamo Mereti, who had lived long in Turkey and was a man of lively intellect. He came to my shop and commissioned me to make a golden medal to be worn in the hat. The subject was to be Hercules wrenching the lion's mouth. While I was working at this piece, Michelangelo Buonarrati came oftentimes to see it. I had spent infinite pains upon the design, so that the attitude of the figure and the fierce passion of the beast were executed in quite a different style, from that of any craftsmen who had hitherto attempted such groups. This together, with the fact that the special branch of art was totally unknown to Michelangelo, made the Divine Master give such praises to my work that I felt incredibly inspired for further effort. However, I found little else to do but jewel-setting, and though I gained more thus than in any other way, yet I was dissatisfied, for I would feign have been employed upon some higher task than that of setting precious stones. Just then I met with Frederigo Ginori, a young man of a very lofty spirit. He had lived some years in Naples, and being endowed with great charms of person and presence, had been the lover of a Neapolitan princess. He wanted to have a medal made, with Atlas bearing the world upon his shoulders, and applied to Michelangelo for a design. Michelangelo made this answer. Go and find out a young goldsmith named Ben Venuto. He will serve you admirably, and certainly he does not stand in need of sketches by me. However, to prevent your thinking that I want to save myself the trouble of so slight a matter, I will gladly sketch you something, but meanwhile speak to Ben Venuto, and let him also make a model. He can then execute the better of the two designs. Frederigo Ginori came to me, and told me what he wanted, adding there too how Michelangelo had praised me, and how he had suggested I should make a wax and model, while he undertook to supply a sketch. The words of that great man so heartened me, that I set myself to work at once with eagerness upon the model, and when I had finished it, a painter who was intimate with Michelangelo, called Giuliano Buggiardini, brought me the drawing of Atlas. On the same occasion I showed Giuliano my little model in wax, which was very different from Michelangelo's drawing, and Frederigo, in concert with Buggiardini, agreed that I should work upon my model. So I took it in hand, and when Michelangelo saw it he praised me through the skies. This was a figure, as I have said, chiseled on a plate of gold. Atlas had the heaven upon his back, made out of a crystal ball, engraved with a zodiac upon a field of lapis lazuli. The whole composition produced an indescribably fine effect, and under it ran the legend Suma Tulli's Juvat. Frederigo was so thoroughly well pleased that he paid me very liberally. A Luigi Almani was at that time in Florence. Frederigo Ginori, who enjoyed his friendship, brought him often to my workshop, and through this introduction we became very intimate together. CHAPTER 42 THROUGH 45 Philip Clement had now declared war upon the city of Florence, which thereupon was put in a state of defense, and the militia being organized in each quarter of the town, I too received orders to serve in my turn. I provided myself with a rich outfit, and went about with the highest nobility of Florence, who showed a unanimous desire to fight for the defense of our liberties. Meanwhile the speeches which are usual upon such occasions were made in every quarter. The young men met together more than was their want, and everywhere we had but one topic of conversation. It happened one day, about noon, that a crowd of tall men and lusty young fellows, the first in the city, were assembled in my workshop, when a letter from Rome was put into my hands. It came from a man called Maestro Giacopini della Barca. His real name was Giacopa della Scorini, but they called him della Barca in Rome, because he kept a ferry boat upon the Tiber between Ponsisto and Ponticente Angelo. He was a person of considerable talent, distinguished by his pleasantries in striking conversation, and he had formerly been a designer of patterns for the cloth-weavers in Florence. This man was intimate with the Pope, who took great pleasure in hearing him talk. Being one day engaged in conversation, they touched upon the sack and the defense of the castle. This brought me to the Pope's mind, and he spoke of me in the very highest terms, adding that if he knew where I was, he should be glad to get me back. Maestro Giacopo said I was in Florence, whereupon the Pope bade the man right and tell me to return to him. The letter I have mentioned was to the effect that I should do well if I resumed the service of Clement, and that this was sure to turn out to my advantage. The young men who were present were curious to know what the letter contained, wherefore I concealed it as well as I could. Afterwards I wrote to Maestro Giacopo, begging him by no means whether for good or evil to write to me again. He, however, grew more obstinate in his officiousness, and wrote me another letter, so extravagantly worded that if it had been seen I should have got into serious trouble. The substance of it was that the Pope required me to come at once, wanting to employ me on a work of the greatest consequence. Also, that if I wished to act a right, I ought to throw up everything, and not to stand against a Pope in the party of those hair-brained radicals. This letter, when I read it, put me in such a fright that I went to seek my dear friend Pierre Hollande. Directly he said his eyes on me, he asked what accident had happened to upset me so. I told my friend that it was quite impossible for me to explain what lay upon my mind, and what was causing me this trouble. Only I entreated him to take the keys I gave him, and to return the gems and gold in my drawers to such and such persons, whose names he would find inscribed upon my memorandum-book. Next I begged him to pack up the furniture of my house, and keep account of it with his usual loving-kindness, and in a few days he should hear where I was. The prudent young man, guessing perhaps pretty nearly how the matter stood, replied, My brother, go your way quickly, then write to me, and have no further care about your things. I did as he advised. He was the most loyal friend, the wisest, the most worthy, the most discreet, the most affectionate that I have ever known. I left Florence and went to Rome, and from there I wrote to him. 43 Upon my arrival at Rome I found several of my former friends, by whom I was very well received and kindly entertained. No time was lost before I set myself to work at things which brought me profit, but were not notable enough to be described. There was a fine old man, a gold-smith, called Raffaello Del Moro, who had considerable reputation in the trade, and was to boot a very worthy fellow. He begged me to consent to enter his workshop, saying he had some commissions of importance to execute, on which high-profits might be looked for, so I accepted his proposal with good will. More than ten days had elapsed, and I had not presented myself to Maestro Jacopina della Borca. Meeting me one day by accident he gave me a hearty welcome, and asked me how long I had been in Rome. When I told him I had been there about a fortnight he took it very ill, and said that I showed little esteem for a pope who urgently compelled him to write three times for me. I, who had taken his persistence in the matter still more ill, made no reply, but swallowed down my irritation. The man, who suffered from a flux of words, began one of his long yarns, and went on talking, till at last when I saw him tired out, I merely said that he might bring me to the pope when he saw fit. He answered that any time would do for him, and I, that I was always ready. So we took our way toward the palace. It was a monty Thursday, and when we reached the apartments of the pope, he being known there, and I expected, we were at once admitted. The pope was in bed, suffering from a slight indisposition, and he had with him Messer Jacopi Salviati and the Archbishop of Capua. When the pope set eyes on me he was exceedingly glad. I kissed his feet, and then as humbly as I could drew near to him, which let him understand that I had things of consequence to utter. On this he waved his hand, and the two prelates retired to a distance from us. I began at once to speak. Most blessed father, from the time of the sack up to this hour, I have never been able to confess or to communicate, because they refused me absolution. The case is this. When I melted down the gold and worked at the unsetting of those jewels, your Holiness ordered the Cavalierino to give me a modest reward for my labours, of which I received nothing, but on the contrary he rather paid me with abuse. When then I ascended to the chamber where I had melted down the gold and washed the ashes, I found about a pound and a half of gold in tiny grains like millet seeds, and in as much as I had not muddy enough to take me home respectively, I thought I would avail myself of this and give it back again when opportunity should offer. Now I am here at the feet of your Holiness, who is the only true confessor. I entreat you to do me the favour of granting me indulgence, so that I may be able to confess and communicate, and by the grace of your Holiness regain the grace of my Lord God. Upon this the Pope, with a scarcely perceptible sigh, remembering perhaps his former trials, spoke as follows. Benvenuto, I thoroughly believe what you tell me. It is in my power to absolve you of any unbecoming deed you may have done, and what is more, I have the will. So then speak out with frankness and perfect confidence, for if you had taken the value of a whole tiara, I am quite ready to pardon you. Thereupon I answered, I took nothing most blessed Father but what I have confessed, and this did not amount to the value of one hundred and forty dockets, for that was the sum I received from the Mint in Perugia, and with it I went home to comfort my poor old Father. The Pope said, Your Father has been as virtuous, good, and worthy a man as was ever born, and you have not degenerated from him. I am very sorry that the money was so little, but such as you say it was, I make you a present of it, and give you my full pardon. Assure your confessor of this, if there is nothing else upon your conscience which concerns me. Afterwards, when you have confessed and communicated, you shall present yourself to me again, and it will be to your advantage. When I parted from the Pope, Messer Jacopo and the Archbishop approached, and the Pope spoke to them in the highest terms imaginable about me. He said that he had confessed and absolved me, then he commissioned the Archbishop of Capua to send for me, and ask if I had any other need beyond this matter, giving him full leave to absolve me amply, and bidding him, moreover, treat me with the utmost kindness. While I was walking away with Maestro Jacopino, he asked me very inquisitively what was the close and lengthy conversation I had with his holiness. After he had repeated the question more than twice, I said that I did not mean to tell him, because they were matters with which he had nothing to do, and therefore he need not go on asking me. Then I went to do what had been agreed on with the Pope, and after the two festivals were over, I again presented myself before his holiness. He received me even better than before, and said, If you had come a little earlier to Rome, I should have commissioned you to restore my two tiaras, which were pulled to pieces in the castle. These, however, with the exception of the gems, are objects of little artistic interest, so I will employ you on a piece of the very greatest consequence, where you will be able to exhibit all your talents. It is a button for my priest's cope, which has to be made round like a trencher, and as big as a little trencher, one third of a cubit wide. Upon this I want you to represent God the Father in half relief, and in the middle to set that magnificent big diamond, which you remember, together with several other gems of the greatest value. Caradoso began to make me one, but did not finish it. I want yours to be finished quickly, so that I may enjoy the use of it a little while. Go then and make me a fine model. He had all the jewels shown to me, and then I went off like a shot to set myself to work. 44 During the time when Florence was besieged, Federico Genori, for whom I made that medal of Atlas, died of consumption, and the medal came into the hands of Messer Luigi Alamani, who after a little while took it to present in person to Francis, King of France, accompanied by some of his own finest compositions. The King was exceedingly delighted with the gift, whereupon Messer Luigi told his majesty so much about my personal qualities as well as my art, and spoke so favorably that the King expressed a wish to know me. Meanwhile I pushed my model for the button forward with all the diligence I could, constructing it exactly of the size which the jewel itself was meant to have. In the trade of the goldsmiths it roused considerable jealousy among those who thought they were capable of matching it. A certain Micheletto had just come to Rome. He was very clever at engraving cornelions, and was moreover a most intelligent jeweler, an old man of great celebrity. He had been employed upon the Pope's tiaras, and while I was working at my model he wondered much that I had not applied to him, being as he was a man of intelligence and of large credit with the Pope. At last when he saw that I was not coming to him he came to me, and asked me what I was about. What the Pope has ordered me, I answered. Then he said, the Pope has commissioned me to superintend everything which is being made for his holiness. I only replied that I would ask the Pope, and then should know what answer I ought to give him. He told me that I should repent, and departing in anger had an interview with all the masters of the art. They deliberated on the matter, and charged Michel with the contact with the whole affair. As was to be expected from a person of his talents he ordered more than thirty drawings to be made, all differing in their details for the peace the Pope had commissioned. Having already access to his holiness's ear he took into his counsel another jeweler, named Pompeo Amilinese, who was in favour with the Pope, and related to Messer Treano, the first chamberlain of the court. These two together then began to insinuate they had seen my model, and did not think me up to a work of such extraordinary import. The Pope replied that he would also have to see it, and that if he then found me unfit for the purpose he should look around for one who was fit. Both of them put in that they had several excellent designs ready, to which the Pope made answer that he was very pleased to hear it, but that he did not care to look at them till I had completed my model. Afterwards he would take them all into consideration at the same time. After a few days I finished my model and took it to the Pope one morning, when Messer Treano made me wait till he had sent for Micheletto and Pompeo, bidding them make haste and bring their drawings. On their arrival we were introduced, and Micheletto and Pompeo immediately unrolled their papers which the Pope inspected. The draftsmen who had been employed were not in the jeweler's trade, and therefore knew nothing about giving their right place to precious stones, and jewelers on their side had not shown them how. For I ought to say that a jeweler, when he has to work with figures, must of necessity understand design, else he cannot produce anything worth looking at. And so it turned out that all of them had stuck that famous diamond in the middle of the breast of God the Father. The Pope, who was an excellent connoisseur, observing this mistake, approved of none of them, and when he had looked at about ten he flung the rest down and said to me, who was standing at a distance, now show me your model, Benvenuto, so that I may see if you have made the same mistake as these fellows. I came forward and opened a little round box, whereupon one would have thought that a light from heaven had struck the Pope's eyes. He cried aloud, if you had been in my own body you could not have done it better, as this proves. Those men there have found the right way to bring shame upon themselves. A crowd of great lords pressing round, the Pope pointed out the difference between my model and the drawings. When he had sufficiently commended it, the others, standing terrified and stupid before him, he turned to me and said, I am only afraid of one thing, and that is of the utmost consequence. Friend Benvenuto, wax is easy to work in. The real difficulty is to execute this in gold. To those words I answered without moment's hesitation, most blessed Father, if I do not work it ten times better than the model, let it be agreed beforehand that you pay me nothing. When they heard this, the noblemen made a great stir, crying out that I was promising too much. Among them was an eminent philosopher, who spoke out in my favour. From the fine physiognomy and bodily symmetry which I observed in this young man, I predict that he will accomplish what he says, and think that he will even go beyond it. The Pope put in, and this is my opinion also. Then he called his chamberlain, Mr. Treano, and bad him bring five hundred golden dookets of the camera. While we were waiting for the money, the Pope turned once more to gaze at leisure on the dexterous device I had employed for combining the diamond with the figure of God the Father. I had put the diamond exactly in the centre of the piece, and above it God the Father was shown seated, leaning nobly in a sideways attitude, which made a perfect composition and did not interfere with the stone's effect. Lifting his right hand, he was in the act of giving the benediction. Below the diamond I had placed three children, who, with their arms upraised, were supporting the jewel. One of them, in the middle, was in full relief, the other two in half relief. All around I set a crowd of cherubs in diverse attitudes adapted to the other gems. A mantle undulated to the wind about the figure of God the Father, from the folds of which cherubs peaked out, and there were other ornaments besides which made a very beautiful effect. The work was executed in white stucco on a black stone. When the money came, the Pope gave it to me with his own hand, and begged me in the most winning terms to let him have it finished in his own days, adding that this should be to my advantage. 45 I took the money in the model home, and was in the utmost impatience to begin my work. After I had laboured diligently for eight days, the Pope sent word by one of his chamberlains, a very great gentleman of Bologna, that I was to come to him and bring what I had got in hand. On the way, the chamberlain, who was the most gentle-mannered person in the Roman court, told me that the Pope not only wanted to see what I was doing, but also intended to entrust me with another task of the highest consequence, which was, in fact, to furnish dyes for the money of the mint, and bade me arm myself beforehand with the answer I should give. In short, he wished me to be prepared, and therefore he had spoken. When we came into the presence I lost no time in exhibiting the golden plate, upon which I had as yet carved nothing but my figure of God the Father, but this, though only in the rough, displayed a grander style than that of the Waxon model. The Pope regarded it with stupefaction, and exclaimed, From this moment forward I will believe everything you say. Then, loading me with marks of favour, he added, it is my intention to give you another commission, which if you feel competent to execute it, I shall have no less at heart than this or more. He proceeded to tell me that he wished to make dyes for the coinage of his realm, and asked if I had ever tried my hand at such things, and if I had the courage to attempt them. I answered that of courage for the task I had no lack, and that I had seen how dyes were made, but that I had not ever made any. There was in the presence a certain Mr. Tomaso, of Prado, his holiness's datary, and this man, being a friend of my enemies, put in, Most Blessed Father, the favours you are showering upon this young man, and he, by nature so extremely over-bold, are enough to make him promise you a new world. You have already given him one great task, and now, by adding a greater, you are alike to make them clash together. The Pope, in a rage, turned round on him, and told him to mind his own business. Then he commanded me to make the model for a broad doubloon of gold, upon which he wanted a naked Christ with his hands tied, and the inscription, Echohomo. The reverse was to have a pope and emperor in the act of propping up a cross which seemed to fall, and this legend, Unes Spiritus et Una Fides Eret Ines. After the pope had ordered this handsome coin, Bandonello the sculptor came up. He had not yet been made a knight, and with his wanted presumption muffled up in ignorance, said, For these goldsmiths one must make drawings for such fine things as that. I turned round upon him in a moment, and cried out that I did not want his drawings for my art, but that I hoped before very long to give his art some trouble by my drawings. The pope expressed high satisfaction at these words, and turning to me said, Go then, my benvenuto, and devote yourself with spirit to my service, and do not lend an ear to the chattering of these silly fellows. So I went off, and very quickly made two dies of steel. Then I stamped a coin in gold, and one Sunday after dinner took the coin and the dies to the pope, who, when he saw the piece, was astonished and greatly gratified, not only because my work pleased him excessively, but also because of the rapidity with which I had performed it. For the further satisfaction and amazement of his holiness, I had brought with me all the old coins which in former times had been made by those able men who served popes Julio and Leo, and when I noticed that mine pleased him far better, I drew forth from my bosom a patent, in which I prayed for the post of stamp-master in the mint. This place was worth six golden crowns a month, in addition to the dies which were paid at the rate of a duket for three by the master of the mint. The pope took my patent and handed it to the datory, telling him to lose no time in dispatching the business. The datory began to put it in his pocket, saying, Most blessed Father, your holiness ought not to go so fast. These are matters which deserve some reflection. To this the pope replied, I have heard what you have got to say, give me hear that patent. He took it and signed it at once with his own hand. Then, giving it back, added, Now you have no answer left. See that you dispatch it at once, for this is my pleasure, and Benvenuto's shoes are worth the eyes of all those other blockheads. So, having thanked his holiness, I went back, rejoicing above measure to my work.