When I had got my clothes on, I strode with soul bent on mischief toward the workshop; there I beheld the men, whom I had left erewhile in such high spirits, standing stupefied and downcast. I began at once and spoke: ?Up with you! Attend to me! Since you have not been able or willing to obey the directions I gave you, obey me now that I am with you to conduct my work in person. Let no one contradict me, for in cases like this we need the aid of hand and hearing, not of advice.? When I had uttered these words, a certain Maestro Alessandro Lastricati broke silence and said: ?Look you, Benvenuto, you are going to attempt an enterprise which the laws of art do not sanction, and which cannot succeed.? I turned upon him with such fury and so full of mischief, that he and all the rest of them exclaimed with one voice: ?On then! Give orders! We will obey your least commands, so long as life is left in us.? I believe they spoke thus feelingly because they thought I must fall shortly dead upon the ground. I went immediately to inspect the furnace, and found that the metal was all curdled; an accident which we express by ?being caked.? [1] I told two of the hands to cross the road, and fetch from the house of the butcher Capretta a load of young oak-wood, which had lain dry for above a year; this wood had been previously offered me by Madame Ginevra, wife of the said Capretta. So soon as the first armfuls arrived, I began to fill the grate beneath the furnace. [2] Now oak-wood of that kind heats more powerfully than any other sort of tree; and for this reason, where a slow fire is wanted, as in the case of gun-foundry, alder or pine is preferred. Accordingly, when the logs took fire, oh! how the cake began to stir beneath that awful heat, to glow and sparkle in a blaze! At the same time I kept stirring up the channels, and sent men upon the roof to stop the conflagration, which had gathered force from the increased combustion in the furnace; also I caused boards, carpets, and other hangings to be set up against the garden, in order to protect us from the violence of the rain.
Note 1. "Essersi fatto un migliaccio."
Note 2. The Italian is "bracciaiuola," a pit below the grating, which receives the ashes from the furnace.
LXXVII
WHEN I had thus provided against these several disasters, I roared out first to one man and then to another: ?Bring this thing here! Take that thing there!? At this crisis, when the whole gang saw the cake was on the point of melting, they did my bidding, each fellow working with the strength of three. I then ordered half a pig of pewter to be brought, which weighed about sixty pounds, and flung it into the middle of the cake inside the furnace. By this means, and by piling on wood and stirring now with pokers and now with iron rods, the curdled ma.s.s rapidly began to liquefy. Then, knowing I had brought the dead to life again, against the firm opinion of those ignoramuses, I felt such vigour fill my veins, that all those pains of fever, all those fears of death, were quite forgotten.
All of a sudden an explosion took place, attended by a tremendous flash of flame, as though a thunderbolt had formed and been discharged amongst us. Unwonted and appalling terror astonished every one, and me more even than the rest. When the din was over and the dazzling light extinguished, we began to look each other in the face. Then I discovered that the cap of the furnace had blown up, and the bronze was bubbling over from its source beneath. So I had the mouths of my mould immediately opened, and at the same time drove in the two plugs which kept back the molten metal. But I noticed that it did not flow as rapidly as usual, the reason being probably that the fierce heat of the fire we kindled had consumed its base alloy. Accordingly I sent for all my pewter platters, porringers, and dishes, to the number of some two hundred pieces, and had a portion of them cast, one by one, into the channels, the rest into the furnace. This expedient succeeded, and every one could now perceive that my bronze was in most perfect liquefaction, and my mould was filling; whereupon they all with heartiness and happy cheer a.s.sisted and obeyed my bidding, while I, now here, now there, gave orders, helped with my own hands, and cried aloud: ?O G.o.d! Thou that by Thy immeasurable power didst rise from the dead, and in Thy glory didst ascend to heaven!?…. even thus in a moment my mould was filled; and seeing my work finished, I fell upon my knees, and with all my heart gave thanks to G.o.d.
After all was over, I turned to a plate of salad on a bench there, and ate with hearty appet.i.te, and drank together with the whole crew.
Afterwards I retired to bed, healthy and happy, for it was now two hours before morning, and slept as sweetly as though I had never felt a touch of illness. My good housekeeper, without my giving any orders, had prepared a fat capon for my repast. So that, when I rose, about the hour for breaking fast, she presented herself with a smiling countenance, and said: ?Oh! is that the man who felt that he was dying? Upon my word, I think the blows and kicks you dealt us last night, when you were so enraged, and had that demon in your body as it seemed, must have frightened away your mortal fever! The fever feared that it might catch it too, as we did!? All my poor household, relieved in like measure from anxiety and overwhelming labour, went at once to buy earthen vessels in order to replace the pewter I had cast away. Then we dined together joyfully; nay, I cannot remember a day in my whole life when I dined with greater gladness or a better appet.i.te.
After our meal I received visits from the several men who had a.s.sisted me. They exchanged congratulations, and thanked G.o.d for our success, saying they had learned and seen things done which other masters judged impossible. I too grew somewhat glorious; and deeming I had shown myself a man of talent, indulged a boastful humour. So I thrust my hand into my purse, and paid them all to their full satisfaction.
That evil fellow, my mortal foe, Messer Pier Francesco Ricci, majordomo of the Duke, took great pains to find out how the affair had gone. In answer to his questions, the two men whom I suspected of having caked my metal for me, said I was no man, but of a certainty some powerful devil, since I had accomplished what no craft of the art could do; indeed they did not believe a mere ordinary fiend could work such miracles as I in other ways had shown. They exaggerated the whole affair so much, possibly in order to excuse their own part in it, that the majordomo wrote an account to the Duke, who was then in Pisa, far more marvellous and full of thrilling incidents than what they had narrated.
LXXVIII
AFTER I had let my statue cool for two whole days, I began to uncover it by slow degrees. The first thing I found was that the head of Medusa had come out most admirably, thanks to the air-vents; for, as I had told the Duke, it is the nature of fire to ascend. Upon advancing farther, I discovered that the other head, that, namely, of Perseus, had succeeded no less admirably; and this astonished me far more, because it is at a considerably lower level than that of the Medusa. Now the mouths of the mould were placed above the head of Perseus and behind his shoulders; and I found that all the bronze my furnace contained had been exhausted in the head of this figure. It was a miracle to observe that not one fragment remained in the orifice of the channel, and that nothing was wanting to the statue. In my great astonishment I seemed to see in this the hand of G.o.d arranging and controlling all.
I went on uncovering the statue with success, and ascertained that everything had come out in perfect order, until I reached the foot of the right leg on which the statue rests. There the heel itself was formed, and going farther, I found the foot apparently complete. This gave me great joy on the one side, but was half unwelcome to me on the other, merely because I had told the Duke that it could not come out.
However, when I reached the end, it appeared that the toes and a little piece above them were unfinished, so that about half the foot was wanting. Although I knew that this would add a trifle to my labour, I was very well pleased, because I could now prove to the Duke how well I understood my business. It is true that far more of the foot than I expected had been perfectly formed; the reason of this was that, from causes I have recently described, the bronze was hotter than our rules of art prescribe; also that I had been obliged to supplement the alloy with my pewter cups and platters, which no one else, I think, had ever done before.
Having now ascertained how successfully my work had been accomplished, I lost no time in hurrying to Pisa, where I found the Duke. He gave me a most gracious reception, as did also the d.u.c.h.ess; and although the majordomo had informed them of the whole proceedings, their Excellencies deemed my performance far more stupendous and astonishing when they heard the tale from my own mouth. When I arrived at the foot of Perseus, and said it had not come out perfect, just as I previously warned his Excellency, I saw an expression of wonder pa.s.s over his face, while he related to the d.u.c.h.ess how I had predicted this beforehand. Observing the princes to be so well disposed towards me, I begged leave from the Duke to go to Rome. He granted it in most obliging terms, and bade me return as soon as possible to complete his Perseus; giving me letters of recommendation meanwhile to his amba.s.sador, Averardo Serristori. We were then in the first years of Pope Giulio de Monti. 1
Note 1. Gio Maria del Monte Sansovino was elected Pope, with the t.i.tle of Julius III., in February 1550.
LXXIX
BEFORE leaving home, I directed my workpeople to proceed according to the method I had taught them. The reason of my journey was as follows. I had made a life-sized bust in bronze of Bindo Altoviti, [1] the son of Antonio, and had sent it to him at Rome. He set it up in his study, which was very richly adorned with antiquities and other works of art; but the room was not designed for statues or for paintings, since the windows were too low, so that the light coming from beneath spoiled the effect they would have produced under more favourable conditions. It happened one day that Bindo was standing at his door, when Michel Agnolo Buonarroti, the sculptor, pa.s.sed by; so he begged him to come in and see his study. Michel Agnolo followed, and on entering the room and looking round, he exclaimed: ?Who is the master who made that good portrait of you in so fine a manner? You must know that that bust pleases me as much, or even more, than those antiques; and yet there are many fine things to be seen among the latter. If those windows were above instead of beneath, the whole collection would show to greater advantage, and your portrait, placed among so many masterpieces, would hold its own with credit.? No sooner had Michel Agnolo left the house of Bindo than he wrote me a very kind letter, which ran as follows: ?My dear Benvenuto, I have known you for many years as the greatest goldsmith of whom we have any information; and henceforward I shall know you for a sculptor of like quality. I must tell you that Master Bindo Altoviti took me to see his bust in bronze, and informed me that you had made it.
I was greatly pleased with the work; but it annoyed me to notice that it was placed in a bad light; for if it were suitably illuminated, it would show itself to be the fine performance that it is.? This letter abounded with the most affectionate and complimentary expressions towards myself; and before I left for Rome, I showed it to the Duke, who read it with much kindly interest, and said to me: ?Benvenuto, if you write to him, and can persuade him to return to Florence, I will make him a member of the Forty-eight.? [2] Accordingly I wrote a letter full of warmth, and offered in the Duke?s name a hundred times more than my commission carried; but not wanting to make any mistake, I showed this to the Duke before I sealed it, saying to his most ill.u.s.trious Excellency: ?Prince, perhaps I have made him too many promises.? He replied: ?Michel Agnolo deserves more than you have promised, and I will bestow on him still greater favours.? To this letter he sent no answer, and I could see that the Duke was much offended with him.
Note 1. This man was a member of a very n.o.ble Florentine family. Born in 1491, he was at this epoch Tuscan Consul in Rome. Cellini?s bust of him still exists in the Palazzo Altoviti at Rome.
Note 2. This was one of the three Councils created by Clement VII. in 1532, when he changed the Florentine const.i.tution. It corresponded to a Senate.
Lx.x.x
WHEN I reached Rome, I went to lodge in Bindo Altoviti?s house. He told me at once how he had shown his bronze bust to Michel Agnolo, and how the latter had praised it. So we spoke for some length upon this topic.
I ought to narrate the reasons why I had taken this portrait. Bindo had in his hands 1200 golden crowns of mine, which formed part of 5000 he had lent the Duke; 4000 were his own, and mine stood in his name, while I received that portion of the interest which accrued to me. [1] This led to my taking his portrait; and when he saw the wax model for the bust, he sent me fifty golden scudi by a notary in his employ, named Ser Giuliano Paccalli. I did not want to take the money, so I sent it back to him by the same hand, saying at a later time to Bindo: ?I shall be satisfied if you keep that sum of mine for me at interest, so that I may gain a little on it.? When we came to square accounts on this occasion, I observed that he was ill disposed towards me, since, instead of treating me affectionately, according to his previous wont, he put on a stiff air; and although I was staying in his house, he was never good-humoured, but always surly. However, we settled our business in a few words. I sacrificed my pay for his portrait, together with the bronze, and we arranged that he should keep my money at 15 per cent.
during my natural life.
Note 1. To make the sum correct, 5200 ought to have been lent the Duke.
Lx.x.xI
ONE of the first things I did was to go and kiss the Pope?s feet; and while I was speaking with his Holiness, Messer Averardo Serristori, our Duke?s Envoy, arrived. [1] I had made some proposals to the Pope, which I think he would have agreed upon, and I should have been very glad to return to Rome on account of the great difficulties which I had at Florence. But I soon perceived that the amba.s.sador had countermined me.
Then I went to visit Michel Agnolo Buonarroti, and repeated what I had written from Florence to him in the Duke?s name. He replied that he was engaged upon the fabric of S. Peter?s, and that this would prevent him from leaving Rome. I rejoined that, as he had decided on the model of that building, he could leave its execution to his man Urbino, who would carry out his orders to the letter. I added much about future favours, in the form of a message from the Duke. Upon this he looked me hard in the face, and said with a sarcastic smile: ?And you! to what extent are you satisfied with him?? Although I replied that I was extremely contented and was very well treated by his Excellency, he showed that he was acquainted with the greater part of my annoyances, and gave as his final answer that it would be difficult for him to leave Rome. To this I added that he could not do better than to return to his own land, which was governed by a prince renowned for justice, and the greatest lover of the arts and sciences who ever saw the light of this world. As I have remarked above, he had with him a servant of his who came from Urbino, and had lived many years in his employment, rather as valet and housekeeper than anything else; this indeed was obvious, because he had acquired no skill in the arts. [2] Consequently, while I was pressing Michel Agnolo with arguments he could not answer, he turned round sharply to Urbino, as though to ask him his opinion. The fellow began to bawl out in his rustic way: ?I will never leave my master Michel Agnolo?s side till I shall have flayed him or he shall have flayed me.?
These stupid words forced me to laugh, and without saying farewell, I lowered my shoulders and retired.
Note 1. His despatches form a valuable series of historical doc.u.ments.
"Firenze," Le Monnier, 1853.
Note 2. Upon the death of this Urbino, Michel Agnolo wrote a touching sonnet and a very feeling letter to Vasari.
Lx.x.xII
THE MISERABLE bargain I had made with Bindo Altoviti, losing my bust and leaving him my capital for life, taught me what the faith of merchants is; so I returned in bad spirits to Florence. I went at once to the palace to pay my respects to the Duke, whom I found to be at Castello beyond Ponte a Rifredi. In the palace I met Messer Pier Francesco Ricci, the majordomo, and when I drew nigh to pay him the usual compliments, he exclaimed with measureless astonishment: ?Oh, are you come back?? and with the same air of surprise, clapping his hands together, he cried: ?The Duke is at Castello!? then turned his back and left me. I could not form the least idea why the beast behaved in such an extraordinary manner to me.
Proceeding at once to Castello, and entering the garden where the Duke was, I caught sight of him at a distance; but no sooner had he seen me than he showed signs of surprise, and intimated that I might go about my business. I had been reckoning that his Excellency would treat me with the same kindness, or even greater, as before I left for Rome; so now, when he received me with such rudeness. I went back, much hurt, to Florence. While resuming my work and pushing my statue forward, I racked my brains to think what could have brought about this sudden change in the Duke?s manner. The curious way in which Messer Sforza and some other gentlemen close to his Excellency?s person eyed me, prompted me to ask the former what the matter was. He only replied with a sort of smile: ?Benvenuto, do your best to be an honest man, and have no concern for anything else.? A few days afterwards I obtained an audience of the Duke, who received me with a kind of grudging grace, and asked me what I had been doing at Rome. To the best of my ability I maintained the conversation, and told him the whole story about Bindo Altoviti?s bust.
It was evident that he listened with attention; so I went on talking about Michel Agnolo Buonarroti. At this he showed displeasure; but Urbino?s stupid speech about the flaying made him laugh aloud. Then he said: ?Well, it is he who suffers!? and I took my leave.
There can be no doubt that Ser Pier Francesco, the majordomo, must have served me some ill turn with the Duke, which did not, however, succeed; for G.o.d, who loves the truth, protected me, as He hath ever saved me, from a sea of dreadful dangers, and I hope will save me till the end of this my life, however full of trials it may be. I march forward, therefore, with a good heart, sustained alone by His divine power; nor let myself be terrified by any furious a.s.sault of fortune or my adverse stars. May only G.o.d maintain me in His grace!
Lx.x.xIII
I MUST beg your attention now, most gracious reader, for a very terrible event which happened.
I used the utmost diligence and industry to complete my statue, and went to spend my evenings in the Duke?s wardrobe, a.s.sisting there the goldsmiths who were working for his Excellency. Indeed, they laboured mainly on designs which I had given them. Noticing that the Duke took pleasure in seeing me at work and talking with me, I took it into my head to go there sometimes also by day. It happened upon one of those days that his Excellency came as usual to the room where I was occupied, and more particularly because he heard of my arrival. His Excellency entered at once into conversation, raising several interesting topics, upon which I gave my views so much to his entertainment that he showed more cheerfulness than I had ever seen in him before. All of a sudden, one of his secretaries appeared, and whispered something of importance in his ear; whereupon the Duke rose, and retired with the official into another chamber. Now the d.u.c.h.ess had sent to see what his Excellency was doing, and her page brought back this answer: ?The Duke is talking and laughing with Benvenuto, and is in excellent good-humour.? When the d.u.c.h.ess heard this, she came immediately to the wardrobe, and not finding the Duke there, took a seat beside us. After watching us at work a while, she turned to me with the utmost graciousness, and showed me a necklace of large and really very fine pearls. On being asked by her what I thought of them, I said it was in truth a very handsome ornament.
Then she spoke as follows: ?I should like the Duke to buy them for me; so I beg you, my dear Benvenuto, to praise them to him as highly as you can.? At these words I disclosed my mind to the d.u.c.h.ess with all the respect I could, and answered: ?My lady, I thought this necklace of pearls belonged already to your most illus trious Excellency. Now that I am aware you have not yet acquired them, it is right, nay, more, it is my duty to utter what I might otherwise have refrained from saying, namely, that my mature professional experience enables me to detect very grave faults in the pearls, and for this reason I could never advise your Excellency to purchase them.? She replied: ?The merchant offers them for six thousand crowns; and were it not for some of those trifling defects you speak of, the rope would be worth over twelve thousand.? To this I replied, that ?even were the necklace of quite flawless quality, I could not advise any one to bid up to five thousand crowns for it; for pearls are not gems; pearls are but fishes? bones, which in the course of time must lose their freshness. Diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, on the contrary, never grow old; these four are precious stones, and these it is quite right to purchase.? When I had thus spoken, the d.u.c.h.ess showed some signs of irritation, and exclaimed: ?I have a mind to possess these pearls; so, prithee, take them to the Duke, and praise them up to the skies; even if you have to use some words beyond the bounds of truth, speak them to do me service; it will be well for you!?
I have always been the greatest friend of truth and foe of lies: yet compelled by necessity, unwilling to lose the favour of so great a princess, I took those confounded pearls sorely against my inclination, and went with them over to the other room, whither the Duke had withdrawn. No sooner did he set eyes upon me than he cried: ?O Benvenuto! what are you about here?? I uncovered the pearls and said: ?My lord, I am come to show you a most splendid necklace of pearls, of the rarest quality, and truly worthy of your Excellency; I do not believe it would be possible to put together eighty pearls which could show better than these do in a necklace. My counsel therefore is, that you should buy them, for they are in good sooth miraculous.? He responded on the instant: ?I do not choose to buy them; they are not pearls of the quality and goodness you affirm; I have seen the necklace, and they do not please me.? Then I added: ?Pardon me, prince! These pearls exceed in rarity and beauty any which were ever brought together for a necklace.? The d.u.c.h.ess had risen, and was standing behind a door listening to all I said. Well, when I had praised the pearls a thousandfold more warmly than I have described above, the Duke turned towards me with a kindly look, and said. ?O my dear Benvenuto, I know that you have an excellent judgment in these matters. If the pearls are as rare as you certify, I should not hesitate about their purchase, partly to gratify the d.u.c.h.ess, and partly to possess them, seeing I have always need of such things, not so much for her Grace, as for the various uses of my sons and daughters.? When I heard him speak thus, having once begun to tell fibs, I stuck to them with even greater boldness; I gave all the colour of truth I could to my lies, confiding in the promise of the d.u.c.h.ess to help me at the time of need. More than two hundred crowns were to be my commission on the bargain, and the d.u.c.h.ess had intimated that I should receive so much; but I was firmly resolved not to touch a farthing, in order to secure my credit, and convince the Duke I was not prompted by avarice. Once more his Excellency began to address me with the greatest courtesy: ?I know that you are consummate judge of these things; therefore, if you are the honest man I always thought you, tell me now the truth.? Thereat I flushed up to my eyes, which at the same time filled with tears, and said to him: ?My lord, if I tell your most ill.u.s.trious Excellency the truth, I shall make a mortal foe of the d.u.c.h.ess; this will oblige me to depart from Florence, and my enemies will begin at once to pour contempt upon my Perseus, which I have announced as a masterpiece to the most n.o.ble school of your ill.u.s.trious Excellency. Such being the case, I recommend myself to your most ill.u.s.trious Excellency.?
Lx.x.xIV
THE DUKE was now aware that all my previous speeches had been, as it were, forced out of me. So he rejoined: ?If you have confidence in me, you need not stand in fear of anything whatever.? I recommenced: ?Alas!
my lord, what can prevent this coming to the ears of the d.u.c.h.ess?? The Duke lifted his hand in sign of troth-pledge, [1] and exclaimed: ?Be a.s.sured that what you say will be buried in a diamond casket!? To this engagement upon honour I replied by telling the truth according to my judgment, namely, that the pearls were not worth above two thousand crowns. The d.u.c.h.ess, thinking we had stopped talking, for we now were speaking in as low a voice as possible, came forward, and began as follows: ?My lord, do me, the favour to purchase this necklace, because I have set my heart on them, and your Benvenuto here has said he never saw a finer row of pearls.? The Duke replied: ?I do not choose to buy them.? ?Why, my lord, will not your Excellency gratify me by buying them?? ?Because I do not care to throw my money out of the window.? The d.u.c.h.ess recommenced: ?What do you mean by throwing your money away, when Benvenuto, in whom you place such well-merited confidence, has told me that they would be cheap at over three thousand crowns?? Then the Duke said; ?My lady! my Benvenuto here has told me that, if I purchase this necklace, I shall be throwing my money away, inasmuch as the pearls are neither round nor well-matched, and some of them are quite faded. To prove that this is so, look here! look there! consider this one and then that. The necklace is not the sort of thing for me.? At these words the d.u.c.h.ess cast a glance of bitter spite at me, and retired with a threatening nod of her head in my direction. I felt tempted to pack off at once and bid farewell to Italy. Yet my Perseus being all but finished, I did not like to leave without exposing it to public view.
But I ask every one to consider in what a grievous plight I found myself!
The Duke had given orders to his porters in my presence, that if I appeared at the palace, they should always admit me through his apartments to the place where he might happen to be. The d.u.c.h.ess commanded the same men, whenever I showed my face at that palace, to drive me from its gates. Accordingly, no sooner did I present myself, than these fellows left their doors and bade me begone; at the same time they took good care lest the Duke should perceive what they were after; for if he caught sight of me before those wretches, he either called me, or beckoned to me to advance.
At this juncture the d.u.c.h.ess sent for Bernardone, the broker, of whom she had so often complained to me, abusing his good-for-nothingness and utter worthlessness. She now confided in him as she had previously done in me. He replied: ?My princess, leave the matter in my hands.? Then the rascal presented himself before the Duke with that necklace in his hands. No sooner did the Duke set eyes on him than he bade him begone.
But the rogue lifted his big ugly voice, which sounded like the braying of an a.s.s through his huge nose, and spoke to this effect: ?Ah! my dear lord, for Heaven?s sake buy this necklace for the poor d.u.c.h.ess, who is dying to have it, and cannot indeed live without it.? The fellow poured forth so much of this stupid nonsensical stuff that the Duke?s patience was exhausted, and he cried: ?Oh, get away with you, or blow your chaps out till I smack them!? The knave knew very well what he was after; for if by blowing out his cheeks or singing "La Bella Frances-china," [2] he could bring the Duke to make that purchase, then he gained the good grace of the d.u.c.h.ess, and to boot his own commission, which rose to some hundreds of crowns. Consequently he did blow out his chaps. The Duke smacked them with several hearty boxes, and, in order to get rid of him, struck rather harder than his wont was. The sound blows upon his cheeks not only reddened them above their natural purple, but also brought tears into his eyes. All the same, while smarting, he began to cry: ?Lo!
my lord, a faithful servant of his prince, who tries to act rightly, and is willing to put up with any sort of bad treatment, provided only that poor lady have her heart?s desire!? The Duke tired of the ribald fellow, either to recompense the cuffs which he had dealt him, or for the d.u.c.h.ess? sake, whom he was ever most inclined to gratify, cried out: ?Get away with you, with G.o.d?s curse on you! Go, make the bargain; I am willing to do what my lady d.u.c.h.ess wishes.?
From this incident we may learn to know how evil Fortune exerts her rage against a poor right-minded man, and how the strumpet Luck can help a miserable rascal. I lost the good graces of the d.u.c.h.ess once and for ever, and thereby went close to having the Duke?s protection taken from me. He acquired that thumping fee for his commission, and to boot their favour. Thus it will not serve us in this world to be merely men of honesty and talent.
Note 1. "Alz la fede."
Note 2. A popular ballad of the time.
Lx.x.xV
ABOUT this time the war of Siena broke out, [1] and the Duke, wishing to fortify Florence, distributed the gates among his architects and sculptors. I received the Prato gate and the little one of Arno, which is on the way to the mills. The Cavaliere Bandinello got the gate of San Friano; Pasqualino d?Ancona, the gate at San Pier Gattolini; Giulian di Baccio d?Agnolo, the wood-carver, had the gate of San Giorgio;
Particino, the wood-carver, had the gate of Santo Niccol; Francesco da San Gallo, the sculptor, called Il Margolla, got the gate of Santa Croce; and Giovan Battista, surnamed Il Ta.s.so, the gate Pinti. [2] Other bastions and gates were a.s.signed to divers engineers, whose names I do not recollect, nor indeed am I concerned with them. The Duke, who certainly was at all times a man of great ability, went round the city himself upon a tour of inspection, and when he had made his mind up, he sent for Lattanzio Gorini, one of his paymasters. Now this man was to some extent an amateur of military architecture; so his Excellency commissioned him to make designs for the fortifications of the gates, and sent each of us his own gate drawn according to the plan. After examining the plan for mine, and perceiving that it was very incorrect in many details, I took it and went immediately to the Duke. When I tried to point out these defects, the Duke interrupted me and exclaimed with fury: ?Benvenuto, I will give way to you upon the point of statuary, but in this art of fortification I choose that you should cede to me. So carry out the design which I have given you.? To these brave words I answered as gently as I could, and said: ?My lord, your most ill.u.s.trious Excellency has taught me something even in my own fine art of statuary, inasmuch as we have always exchanged ideas upon that subject; I beg you then to deign to listen to me upon this matter of your fortifications, which is far more important than making statues. If I am permitted to discuss it also with your Excellency, you will be better able to teach me how I have to serve you.? This courteous speech of mine induced him to discuss the plans with me; and when I had clearly demonstrated that they were not conceived on a right method, he said: ?Go, then, and make a design yourself, and I will see if it satisfies me.? Accordingly, I made two designs according to the right principles for fortifying those two gates, and took them to him; and when he distinguished the true from the false system, he exclaimed good humouredly: ?Go and do it in your own way, for I am content to have it so.? I set to work then with the greatest diligence.