THE LIBRARY

THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA

LOS ANGELES

EX LIBRIS
RUTH McC. MAITLAND

BENVENUTO CELLINI

THE LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI
WRITTEN BY HIMSELF

EDITED AND TRANSLATED BYJOHNADDINGTON
SYMONDS WITH A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF
CELLINI BY THE SAME HAND TOGETHERWITH
AN INTRODUCTION TO THIS EDITION UPON
BENVENUTO CELLINI, ARTIST AND WRITER^BY
ROYAL CORJISSOZ WITH Rj; PRODUCTIONS
OF FORTY ORIGINAL PORTRAITS AND VIEWS
ILLUSTRATING THE LIFE

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1 BRENTANO'S -NEW YORK

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Art.
Library

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

BENVENUTO CELLINI! ARTIST AND WRITER. BY

ROYAL CORTISSOZ XI

INTRODUCTION TO THE LIFE OF CELLINI. BY JOHN

ADDINGTON SYMONDS 3

THE LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI. WRITTEN BY
HIMSELF AND TRANSLATED BY JOHN ADDING-
TON SYMONDS. BOOK FIRST [CHAPTERS I-C] 71

1Q10802

ILLUSTRATIONS

FACING PAGE

TITLE-PAGE DESIGNED BY T. M. CLELAND

WAX MODEL FOR THE PERSEUS [FLORENCE] XXII

COSIMO DE' MEDICI, WITH CELLINI AND OTHER

ARTISTS AND ARCHITECTS [VASARI] 3

BUST OF COSIMO DE* MEDICI [FLORENCE] 26

SALT-CELLAR BY CELLINI [VIENNA] 5O

BENVENUTO CELLINI [PAINTED ON PORPHYRY] 71

LORENZO DE' MEDICI, CALLED THE MAGNIFICENT

[VASARI] 80

BENEDETTO VARCHI [TITIAN] 112

POPE CLEMENT VII. [SEBASTIANO DEL PIOMBO] 1 3O

GIULIO ROMANO [BY HIMSELF] 144

CASTELLO SANT' ANGELO [ROME] 166

BRONZE BY CELLINI [FLORENCE] 18$
LEO X., GIULIO DE' MEDICI AND L. DE ROSSI

[RAPHAEL] 194

ALESSANDRO DE' MEDICI [VASARI] 212

C vii ]

ILLUSTRATIONS

FACING PAGE

BACCIO BANDINELLO [BY HIMSELF] 228

"PAIX" ATTRIBUTED TO CELLINI [MILAN] 246

IPPOLITO DE' MEDICI [PONTORMO] 26O

GIACOPO TATTI, CALLED SANSOVINO [TINTO-
RETTO] 284

GIORGIO VASARI [BY HIMSELF] 3l6

CHARLES V. [TITIAN] 326

SHIELD ATTRIBUTED TO CELLINI [TURIN] 342

BENVENUTO CELLINI
ARTIST AND WRITER

BY ROYAL CORTISSOZ

N"La Cousine Bette" Balzac has an
illuminating note on one phase of the
artistic temperament. He is speaking
of Wenceslas Steinbock,the sculptor,
and of the way in which his statue of
Marshal Montcornet somehow fails
to get itself turned into a masterpiece. Describing the
Pole as wasting a large proportion of his time in talk-
ing about the statue instead of working at it, he thus
continues: " He talked admirably about art, and in the
eyes of the world he maintained his reputation as a
great artist by his powers of conversation and criti-
cism. There are many clever men in Paris who spend
their lives in talking themselves out, and are content
with a sort of drawing-room celebrity. ... At the
same time, these half artists are delightful; men like
them and cram them with praise ; they even seem su-
perior to the true artists, who are taxed with conceit,
unsociableness, contempt of the la ws of society. "Ben-
venuto Cellini was a kind of Steinbock. He had an im-
mense amount of energy, but he did not concentrate
it and send it through the right channels with the de-
voted instincl: of the great artist.The parallel is not to
be overdone. Indeed, if we carry it too far, it is bound
to break down, for Cellini was every inch a man,
and there is a deplorably effeminate weakness about

BENVENUTO CELLINI

Wenceslas. But there is no denying that where the
Italian was vulnerable was in just that foible which
Balzac, in his penetrating way, hits off so well. He
talked too much. He was of too impulsive a habit to
make immortal statues. There was too much vehe-
mence about him, he used too many gestures, and
it seems the most natural thing in the world that his
fame should be preserved in a work of literature
rather than in a work of art. The Autobiography is
his best monument, better even than the Perseus.
Nevertheless, it is a mistake to allow this fa6l to ob-
scure the very interesting question of his relation to
Italian art. Too often has eagerness to get at the
Autobiography inclined writers to pass indifferently
over Cellini's achievements as a goldsmith and sculp-
tor. It is true that M. Plon's book does not err in
this direction, and that only eight years ago Mr.
C. R. Ashbee took the pains to translate Cellini's
technical "Trattati," and to print his version in lux-
urious form. But when the Autobiography is at all
to the fore it seems to abate discussion of the things
for which Cellini himself had, after all, the most con-
cern. I think it is worth while, therefore, to speak of
those things on the present occasion.

One of the most delightful of the many paradoxes
of the Italian Renaissance is its treatment of the pro-
fessional idea. Never was there a time in which men
were keener on preserving the integrity of their vari-
ous guilds ; the youth apprenticed to anyone of the nu-
merous branches of art that had then each its clearly

ARTIST AND WRITER

fixed status was impelled by all the influences of the
period to make the independence and the importance
of his chosen branch a pointof honour. It was a time
of intense personal pride. Yet it was a time, too, of
extraordinary give and take in the arts. The archi-
tect and the sculptor, for example, met one another
halfway. It is significant that in the very dawn of
plastic art in Italy it is an entirely utilitarian project
that stirs creative genius to activity. It is as an archi-
tect, no less than as a sculptor, that Niccola Pisano
undertakes to construct the hexagonal pulpit for the
baptistery at Pisa, and it would be difficult to say
where the architect leaves off and the sculptor begins
in the transformation of this tribune, made for a prac-
tical purpose, into an essentially decorative object. In
other words, when the journeyman stone-carver sub-
sides into the background and the sculptor which is
to say the stone-carver of individual genius takes
his place, the change is effected amid conditions which
keep sculpture a craft as well as an art; and this
situation endures for generations, modified in many
ways as different types of personal force arise, but
true, in the main , to the broad instinct at which we
have just glanced. That instinct was a sound one.
The man of the Renaissance knew that art embraced
not only the greater but the lesser, and that it was
as much worth his while, when the chance offered,
to do an ordinary bit of craftsmanship as to produce
some elaborate tour deforce. Thus you find the pul-
pits of the Pisani, their Fonte Maggiore at Perugia,

C xiii ]

BENVENUTO CELLINI

or Jacopo della Quercia's Fonte Gaia at Siena, suc-
ceeded by triumphs of pure craftsmanship like the
pulpit at Prato which Donatello and Michelozzo did
together, or like any of those countless sepulchral
monuments of which Desiderio's tomb for Cardinal
Marsuppini, in Santa Croce, is perhaps the most con-
clusive type. Verrocchio, with the power in him to do
a thing like the Colleoni at Venice, approaches with
the same creative ardour, the same impassioned feel-
ing for beauty, not only that heroic equestrian statue,
but the Medici tomb in the sacristy of San Lorenzo
at Florence, a tomb of wholly formal decoration. The
point of view is in each case the same. " Make the
work beautiful/' he says, "no matter what its form
may be/' He makes it so, and incidentally he helps
to establish a tradition. The spirit of the man of genius
was shared, in a measure, even by the mediocrity,
and as you look over the whole mass of Renaissance
work in stone, metal, or, for that matter, any mate-
rial, you are struck by the way in which craftsman-
ship is raised to a higher power. A certain largeness
of feeling is in the air, and a lantern wrought by some
Florentine to-day unknown, a setting given to a jewel
at a shop whose proprietor, even in his lifetime, never
had any celebrity whatever, bears the same stamp
that you find on the noblest productions of the era.
Why was that stamp not recaptured by Cellini ? He
had the sincerity of his predecessors, and their zeal.
What he lacked was that something, next to impos-
sible to define, which seems more the property of an

ARTIST AND WRITER

age than of any one individual.

It is the fashion in these scientific days to put the
" document" in the foreground and leave "the spirit
of things " to take care of itself, as a volatile, tricksy
quality, full of danger for the unwary. " There never
was an artistic period," said Mr. Whistler. "There
never was an art-loving nation." That kind of a re-
mark wears a convincing air. For a moment one hesi-
tates to contradict. But he who hesitates in this mat-
ter is unquestionably lost. You cannot put your fin-
ger on some unmistakable source of inspiration in
fifteenth-century Italy and say that it acted automati-
cally, making masters out of all the artists coming
within the range of its influence. But you can dis-
cern at this time an element which presently disap-
pears, a general atmosphere, dominant in Italian life,
which, for the artist, serves both as a stimulus and as
a check upon his professional conscience. This atmo-
sphere dies down as the great body of creative artists
shrinks in size, and in all things, in politics and in
social life as well as in art, Italy begins to show
signs of exhaustion, of decadence. Traditions sur-
vive, but in a sadly debilitated condition. Cellini cher-
ishes the highest ideals of goldsmithing, and it is
plain from the opening pages of his treatise on that
subject that he considered himself as one of the line
of Ghiberti,Pollaiuolo, Donatello and Verrocchio; but
he was nothing of the sort. The gods had begun to
withdraw their gifts from Italy when Cellini saw the
light in 1500. In truth they had lingered in lavish

C ]

BENVENUTO CELLINI

mood for a long time. They had given Italy the
Pisani and Jacopo della Quercia. Then had come
Ghiberti, Brunelleschi,DonatelloandLucadella Rob-
bia and his kin, and, as though this were not enough,
man after man was sent into the world to make Ital-
ian sculpture worthy of Italian painting. Besides art-
ists cast in giant mould like Donatello or Verrocchio,
there were any number of sculptors so accomplished
that they can scarcely be dismissed as forming, in a
colourless way, the rank and file. Higher praise than
that must go to Desiderio da Settigano or the Rosel-
lini ; to Mino or to Pollaiuolo; to Matteo Civitali or to
Benedetto da Maiano. Nor was Tuscany alone thus
bountifully endowed. Pisanello and Matteo de Pasti
had been showing at Verona how the Renaissance
medal might be made to rival the antique coin. Other
masters might be cited from other regions. The coun-
try everywhere had more or less reason to congratu-
late itself on its sculptors. Then the effort seems to
be too much of a strain, a kind of blight falls upon
plastic art, and only one figure, that of Michael An-
gelo, continues to illustrate the grand style down
into the sixteenth century.

It is as though fate had done all that could be done
to place models of what sculpture should be before
Cellini, but had grudged him the voiceless whisper,
the invisible spark, the impalpable something in the
air, which had thrilled the generations just preced-
ing his own, and had caused masterpieces to appear
before men as nature causes fruits and flowers to

C xvi ]

ARTIST AND WRITER

issue forth from the sun- warmed earth. In a word,
Cellini's limitations, which are to be ascribed first and
last to the caprice of destiny, are understood the bet-
ter if we remember the character of the period into
which he was born. It needed a fiercer, more mas-
terful nature than his and his was masterful and
fierce enough in all conscience to conquer the dead-
ening tendency of the time. One might say that it was
pathetic, too, if pathos had not a certain incongruity
where Cellini is concerned, to observe the depth
and strength of his faculty of appreciation. He knew
the right thing when it was put before him, and there
is nothing more ingratiating about him than the gusto
with which he lauds a great artist. He alludes to
Leonardo as "a veritable angel incarnate;" and of
"that divinest painter," MicKael Angelo, he speaks
with positively passionate warmth. The treatment of
the moving soldiers in the famous cartoon of " The
Bathers " moves him to this outburst : " He drew them
at the very moment the alarm is sounded, and the
men all naked run to arms ; so splendid is their a6lion
that nothing survives of ancient or of modern art
which touches the same lofty point of excellence."
When Cosimo de Medici asked him to model a Per-
seus for the Loggia dei Lanzi, which was already
adorned by Donatello's "Judith" and Michael An-
gelo's " David," he replied after this fashion: " Most
excellent, my lord, upon the piazza are now stand-
ing works by the great Donatello and the incompara-
ble Michael Angelo, the two greatest men who have

C xvii 3

BENVENUTO CELLINI

ever lived since the days of the ancients. But since
your Excellence encourages my model with such
praise, I feel the heart to execute it at least thrice
as well in bronze." Precisely he had the heart, but
that was not enough. For his readiness to apprehend
the true stature of a Michael Angelo, a Donatello or
a Leonardo he is to be honoured, especially as the
taste of his contemporaries, while still impressed with
a sense of Michael Angelo's grandeur, steadily drifted,
all through the sixteenth century, toward such types
as Bandinelli, Ammanati, John of Bologna and the
like, as though the stars in their courses were fight-
ing to prepare the way for the seventeenth-century
poseur, Bernini. But Cellini's superior judgment was
not matched by his abilities, and even in his admira-
tions he was not always as fortunate as he was en-
lightened. There is a kind of tragic irony in the enthu-
siasm that swept him to the feet of Michael Angelo,
who, breathing the airs of an apocalyptic world, was
just the mighty exemplar for a delicate craftsman like
Cellini to avoid.

That is what, as an artist, Cellini was, a delicate
craftsman, with one great difference between him-
self and those fifteenth-century masters with whom,
as I have indicated, art and craftsmanship were often
made one and the same thing. He could not give to
his work, even at its finest, that exquisiteness in
grain, that subtle beauty of surface, that haunting
personal note, which the earlier men achieved simply
because, as it seems to me, their whole natures, their

xviii

ARTIST AND WRITER

very souls, were in harmony with the tremendous
inspiration prevailing in the life about them. Pisanello
can give one of his portrait medals the massive dig-
nity of an antique sculpture or of a painting by Man-
tegna. Verrocchio, making the Medici tomb of San
Lorenzo, has some magic in his fingers which satu-
rates in beauty the simple leafage of bronze with
which he embellishes the porphyry sarcophagus, and
that touch of his performs the same mysterious office
for the network of bronze rope that fills up the rest
of the opening in the design. Cellini could not have
made one of those medals, he could not have made
that net of twisted rope, though his life had depended
on it. It was his genius, instead, to be supremely
clever. Read the pages in which he tells how to do
filigree work, how to set an emerald or to tint a
diamond, how to make a seal or a medal, and you
can almost catch the flash of the shrewd eye, you
can almost hear the self-confident, dogmatic voice as
it exposes to you some of the secrets of the trade.
He was the Rue de la Paix in excelsis, an inspired
shop-keeper, not an inspired artist. He could do any-
thing he liked with his hands. It was when quali-
ties less ponderable were needed that he was at a
disadvantage. Intelle6l, spirituality, fine feeling, these
are the resources that he lacked as an artist. When
he produces the famous salt-cellar for Francis I., now
at Vienna, he makes the first stage of the work an
affair of reasonablyjust proportions, but then he mo-
dels the figures in the round on too large a scale, and

BENVENUTO CELLINI

in style as well as in bulk detaches them from the
spirit of the design considered as a goldsmith's de-
sign. He is both goldsmith and sculptor in this re-
nowned piece, but awkwardly, and to the advantage
of neither the one nor the other. A master of the
early Renaissance would have known how to exploit
both professions, on an occasion like this, in perfect
harmony. Cellini is without the necessary poise. Let
him do pure jeweller's work, let him design a cas-
ket or a chalice, and he is tolerably sure of himself.
Give him a commission permitting him a wider scope,
and, in his impetuous way, he flings himself upon the
task, works like a demon, and never realizes, as he
gazes upon the finished obje6l,that he has just missed
striking twelve.

Possibly his ill luck is thrown into sharper relief
for us through the very fa6l that his more ambitious
productions form such a small group there is little
chance for flaws to be overlooked. The Perseus is,
of course, the salient member of that group, but be-
fore alluding to it I must refer to the work which
has always seemed to me, more than any other, to
reflect upon Cellini the kind of credit which doubt-
less he most craved, the kind that goes to the sculp-
tor in the stri6l sense. This is the bust of Bindo Al-
toviti. It is a work of simple dignity, conceived in a
virile mood, and executed without that teasing of the
surfaces which is elsewhere so apt to be character-
istic of Cellini. Michael Angelo thought well of it,
writing to Cellini a note which the latter quotes with

ARTIST AND WRITER

undisguised satisfaction. " My dear Benvenuto," he
says, "I have known you for many years as the
greatest goldsmith of whom we have any informa-
tion ; and henceforward I shall know you for a sculp-
tor of like quality. I must tell you that Master Bindo
Altoviti took me to see his bust in bronze, and in-
formed me that you 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 per-
formance that it is." One does not need to give Mi-
chael Angelo's polite expressions to a junior an ex-
aggerated value in order to find in them the evi-
dence that Cellini had surpassed himself in this bust.
For once he seems to have fitted his style to his
theme and to have carried on a piece of work from
beginning to end in an unqualifiedly sculptural vein.
The bust of Cosimo de' Medici is less successful be-
cause it is less simple. The ornamentation is over-
done, and the whole work has an artificial, even the-
atrical air. When he was portraying Bindo Altoviti
it is obvious that he worked from nature, endeavour-
ing merely to get a good likeness in a straightfor-
ward way. When he undertook the bust of Cosimo
we cannot help but feel that there was hovering in
the back of his mind a notion that he would make
his patron look as much as possible like a Roman
emperor. How often was he betrayed by this con-
fusion of mind ! Nature should have had her chance,
if anywhere, in that large Nymph of Fontainebleau

C xx i 3

BENVENUTO CELLINI

of his, in which the opportunity to model a nude
female figure at full length should have put him on
his mettle, but the figure is painfully untrue to life,
and leaves not only an artificial but even a some-
what vulgar impression. The crucifix in the Escurial
escapes this last danger, but, to the critical eye, its
actual value as a work of religious art is far below
its repute. Neither as a study of anatomical structure
nor as an interpretation of a tragic theme does it
rise above an ordinary level. There remains the
bronze in the Loggia dei Lanzi, the bronze which
probably meant more to him than anything he did
in the course of his whole career.

He seems to have been attracted at once by the
subject when Cosimo proposed it to him, and, as we
have seen from the words to the Duke already
quoted, he was fired with the desire to show that
he could produce a statue worthy of association with
works by Donatello and Michael Angelo. The his-
tory of the enterprise is sufficiently traversed in the
Autobiography and so need not be further dealt
with here, nor, for that matter, need we pause very
long upon the Perseus itself. The wax model, which
is still preserved at Florence, shows that Cellini
started with a capital idea, producing a lithe, slen-
der figure of good proportions, and arranging it,
with the headless body trampled under foot, in a
composition both picturesque and graceful. If we
look at the figure in the Loggia, enlarged, and
marked everywhere with the signs of Cellini's meti-

WAX MODEL FOR THE. PERSEUS
( FLORENCE )

ARTIST AND WRITER

culous craftsmanship, and if, as we look, we deliber-
ately put out of mind the whole dramatic story of
its casting, so that no elements of personal sympathy
are left to affect our view of the matter, we are
constrained to admit that the sculptor lost his grasp
on his original idea as the work went on. The Per-
seus should have been executed in silver on a mod-
est scale, it should have been made not a statue but
a statuette. As it is, Cellini strove in vain to rise to
the level of his great opportunity. Once more the
sculptor and the craftsman in him were antipathetic
where they should have worked together, and he
fell, as it were, between two stools. The Perseus
is brittle, finikin, where it should be heroic, and at
the same time it is badly proportioned and heavy
where it should have been light and elegant. Cel-
lini was in his prime when he put forth this dearest
work of his ambition, and by it his rank as an artist
may fairly be fixed. It is the subordinate rank of a
temperament that paid the penalty of its own ingra-
tiating vivacity. Cellini himself, in his account of his
life, suggests that he was not steadfast enough to
reach perfection in any form of art, that he relied too
much on the sudden jet of emotion, on the excitement
which goes with the tour de force. One suspects that
he would sometimes take up a task in a fury of inter-
est and then execute it with doubtful success, largely
for the reason that it had ceased to appeal to him,
only a sort of burning pride keeping him at it. It
was not for him to penetrate gravely, tenderly, into

xxiii

BENVENUTO CELLINI

the heart of things, to explore the secrets of nature
in a passion of awed delight, and then to realize
some splendid conception with the noble authority
of a Donatello, a Verrocchio or a Michael Angelo.
But he was to win his reward when, in his fifty-
eighth year, he crowned his lifelong indulgence in
what he himself called "natural bragging" with the
writing of his Autobiography.

There are half a dozen different points of view
from which this famous book appears in a good light.
To begin with, in interesting the world in Cellini, it
has interested the world in his works, and has thus
fostered the fame of the latter. Secondly, these pages
are invaluable for the pictures they contain of Italian
society in the author's day. He touched life at many
points, mingling not only with artists but with princes
and prelates. He had a "devouring" eye and a good
memory. A thing once seen stayed in his mind; a
thing once heard by him was well remembered, and
when he dictated his memoirs he gave them the
vitality of a daily journal. Moreover, he was of the
race of Boccaccio, which is to say that he was a born
story-teller, a man who naturally dramatised his ex-
periences as he came to relate them, making the
most of a personality or a situation, and, above all,
flinging over everything an air of reality, of move-
ment. How far did he swerve from the facls, if he
swerved at all, in the framing of this wonderful nar-
rative? It is practically impossible to say, but I am
not sure that the point is, in the last resort, of any

xxiv

ARTIST AND WRITER

serious consequence. The late John Addington Sy-
monds was at some pains to demonstrate that Cellini
was neither base nor a liar. He made out an excel-
lent case for his hero, and it were ungracious to
quarrel with his conclusions, for Symonds not only , c
made the best translation of the Autobiography that
has ever been produced, but was so saturated with
his subject through years of preoccupation with Ital-
ian art and history that his opinion necessarily car-
ries great weight. Yet there are passages in Cellini's
life which it is idle to estimate as having any justifi-
cation whatever in morals, and I cannot for the life
of me see why, in the circumstances, we should as-
sume that he was not, when occasion demanded, a
rousing good liar. Why should he not have been a
liar ? Is a man who is capable of malicious mischief,
of murder, and of ways of living which are perhaps
better left unmentioned, any the better company be-
cause he always told the truth, or any the worse
because he now and then lied? The question is im-
material. It is not by a careful balancing of his vir-
tues and his vices that we get nearer to Cellini, and
the more willing to enjoy his book. The only thing
to do is to accept once and for all the fact that man-
ners and morals in the sixteenth century were totally
different from morals and manners in our own, and
then to approach Benvenuto Cellini as a human being.
Our examination of his work as an artist has shown
clearly enough that he was no demi-god. Perusal of
the Autobiography only makes us the more sure of

C xxv ]

BENVENUTO CELLINI

this. No, this book is to be read for what it is, a work
in the same category with the memoirs of Casanova,
"Gil Bias/' and those other classics which, whether
they be made of history or of fiction, appeal to the
reader as being all compact of the very blood and
bone of human experience.

Cellini is a master of picaresque literature. He
loves adventure, and nothing in the world gives
him quite the joy that he gets from a hand-to-hand
fight. He is happy when he is at work; happy when
he is foregathering with Giulio Romano or some
other boon companion in Florentine Bohemia, when
the day's task is done; happy when he is arguing
with a patron ; happy when he is driving his dagger
up to the hilt in the neck of his enemy ; happy, in
short, whenever anything is toward that convinces
him that he is alive and playing the part of a man.
As he looks back over it all, his being thrills with
an ineffable gusto, and small blame to him if the
story loses nothing in the telling. Take, for exam-
ple, the fracas which is soon reached in his narrative,
the one following Gherardo Guasconti's insult. Ben-
venuto swoops down upon Gherardo in the midst
of his family like an avenging flame. "I stabbed
him in the breast/' he says, " piercing doublet and
jerkin through and through to the shirt, without,
however, grazing his flesh or doing him the least
harm in the world." He is promptly set upon in the
street by "more than twelve persons," all of them
crudely but effectively armed, and the fight waxes

C xxvi j

ARTIST AND WRITER

Homeric. " When I got among them, raging like a
mad bull, I flung four or five to the earth, and fell
down with them myself, continually aiming my
dagger now at one and now at another. Those
who remained upright plied both hands with all
their force, giving it me with hammers, cudgels,
and anvil." Incredible as it may seem, Cellini and
all of his adversaries emerged from this tremendous
conflict absolutely unscathed. Cellini attributes this
to the merciful intervention of a divine power. We
know better. We know that the fight was, of course,
not anything like so fierce as Cellini represents it
to be. But would we have the record changed ? Not
for worlds ! It is just this rich, full-bodied quality in
him that makes him the absorbing narrator that he is.
He persuades you, too, because he puts what he
has to say in such an artless manner. If he lies it is
not in cold blood, but with the perfect good faith of
a Tartarin. His story of the sack of Rome and of
his achievements on the beleaguered walls of the
city is superb. Perhaps he did indeed fire the shot
that killed the Constable of Bourbon. Perhaps he
lied about the shot, and knew he lied. But he tells
of the incident with a simple sincerity that all but
disarms the sceptic. It is the same with his descrip-
tion of his labours in the lodging to which he with-
drew to melt down the gold settings some two
hundred pounds of them from which he had, un-
der the direction of Clement, detached the Papal
jewels. According to the Autobiography, Cellini

xxvii

BENVENUTO CELLINI

would put a quantity of gold into the pot, and then,
turning to his guns, cause " all sorts of unexpected
mischief in the trenches." Again we say " Perhaps,"
and again, in the next moment, we grant that
whether Cellini served as artilleryman and gold-
smith in the same moment or not, a pretty tall
order, he draws a picture of the scene that for
vividness and dramatic interest is unimpeachable.
Curiously, too, his picture apparently causes him no
trouble in the painting. This maker of literature was
never a literary man, never for even the smallest
fraction of a second. It was probably with no very
definite consciousness of just what he was doing
that he gave his recollections their extraordinarily
tangible form. You could not say of him that he
understood the art of omission, for that implies a
professional faculty, the instinct of the man of let-
ters ; yet one of the great sources of Cellini's charm
is this gift for painting an episode without a super-
fluous touch. The commentator selecting an illus-
tration is tempted, as a matter of course, to take
one showing Cellini in a crisis of some sort, to
choose the "important" passage; but I think we do
him better justice if we take him in more familiar
mood, if we take him when he is treating of some
ordinary affair in his daily life. There is the tale of
his meeting with Madonna Porzia at the Farnesina,
and of her giving him a jewel to set. Flaubert him-
self, slaving his hardest, could not have approached
the lucidity and the vitality of those three or four

xxviii

ARTIST AND WRITER

pages. The way in which the artist and the lady met,
the tone she used toward him, and her exit from the
room in which he stayed on to finish the drawing
he was making from a figure in the famous ceiling
decoration all this is sketched with the animation
of life itself; and Benvenuto's succeeding labours
over the jewel, and his rivalry with Lucagnolo, are
handled with the same power. Very little space is
given to the subject, but we are made, within that
little space, to live a part of Cellini's life. Glance,
too, at the note, less than a page long, in which he
tells of going to see Michael Angelo in Rome, and
suggesting that the great man return to Florence
and the service of Duke Cosimo. Little is said.
Michael Angelo looks his interlocutor hard in the
face and briefly answers him with a question, smil-
ing sarcastically the while. Cellini is pressing, where-
upon Michael Angelo creates a diversion by turn-
ing to his simple-minded servant. The visitor gives
up his mission in despair, but he laughs as, without
saying farewell, he goes from the house. It is odd,
but somehow this casual fragment, which tells prac-
tically nothing, yet tells everything. The leonine
head of Michael Angelo turns toward us in the
dusk of the studio, and we see that sarcastic smile.
This, then, is the supreme merit of the Autobio-
graphy that it has the dramatic reality for which
we look, as a rule, only to the creative artists in
literature. As for the stuff of the narrative, Cellini
may have been born too late to witness the richest

C xxix ]

BENVENUTO CELLINI

developments of the Renaissance, but there were
still great spirits on- earth sojourning when he was
born, and even those public figures that were not
precisely great had characteristics, or filled posi-
tions, significant to the modern reader. Cellini fills
his canvas with a generous hand. He is himself his
best theme, but he draws a friend or an enemy with
the same care that he bestows upon his own traits
or mischances, and though he has a due sense of
the powers of the great ones with whom he comes
in contact, it is with a quite unhampered brush that
he introduces Pope or mundane potentate upon the
scene. He speaks of artists and their work with the
intimate accent of Vasari, and with a robuster,
warmer, more roughly human element of appreci-
ation in his voice. He is, as I said at the beginning,
every inch a man, and it is a man's report of what
he did and felt and saw that he gives us, a report
wanting in the niceties of literary form, darkened
by prejudice and passion, but, in its spirit, a thing
genuine as the man himself was genuine.

INTRODUCTION
BY JOHN ADDINGTON SYMONDS

COSIMO DE MEDICI

WITH CELLINI AND OTHER ARTISTS AND ARCHITECTS
( VASAR I )

INTRODUCTION

BY JOHN ADDINGTON SYMONDS

HE translator of an autobiography,
especially if it be a long one like
Cellini's, or like Rousseau's Confes-
sions, enjoys very special opportuni-
ties for becoming acquainted with the
mind and temper of its writer. No
other method of study, however conscientious, can
be compared in this particular respe6l with the method
of translation ; in no other way is it possible to get
such knowledge of a man's mental and emotional
habits, to judge the value of his accent and intona-
tion so accurately, or to form by gradual and subtle
processes so sympathetic a conception of his nature.
The translator is obliged to live for weeks and months
in close companionship with his author. He must bend
his own individuality to the task of expressing what
is characteristic in that of another. He tastes and ana-
lyses every turn of phrase in order to discover its
exacl significance. He taxes the resources of his own
language, so far as these may be at his command,
to reproduce the most evasive no less than the most
salient expressions of the text before him. In the case
even of a poem or a dissertation, he ought, upon this
method, to arrive at more precise conclusions than
the student who has only been a reader. But when
the text is a self-revelation, when it is a minute and
voluminous autobiography, he will have done little

C 3 1

INTRODUCTION

short of living himself for awhile into the personal-
ity of another. Supposing him at the same time to be
possessed of any discernment, he will be able after-
wards to speak of the man whose spirit he has at-
tempted to convey, with the authority of one who has
learned to know him intus et in cute bones, mar-
row, flesh, and superficies. Nor is the translator ex-
posed to the biographer's weakness for overvaluing
his subje6l. He pretends to no discoveries, has taken
no brief for or against the character it is his duty to
reproduce, has set up no full-length portrait on the
literary easel, to be painted by the aid of documents,
and with a certain preconceived conception of pic-
torial harmony. In so far as it is possible to enter
into personal intercourse with any one whose voice
we have not heard, whose physical influences we
have not been affedled by, in whose living presence
we have not thought, and felt, and a6led, in so far
the translator of a book like Cellini's Memoirs or
Rousseau's Confessions can claim to be familiar and
intimate with its author.

I have recently put myself into these very confiden-
tial relations with Cellini, having made the completely
new English version of his autobiography to which
the following pages serve as introduction. I think
that I am therefore justified in once more handling
a somewhat hackneyed subject, and in rectifying
what I have previously published concerning it. 1
A book which the great Goethe thought worthy

1 Renaissance in Italy, 'vol. Hi. ch. 'viii.

C 4]

INTRODUCTION

of translating into German with the pen of Faust
and Wilhelm Meister, a book which Auguste Comte
placed upon his very limited list for the perusal of
reformed humanity, is one with which we have the
right to be occupied, not once or twice, but over
and over 'again. It cannot lose its freshness. What
attracted the encyclopaedic minds of men so differ-
ent as Comte and Goethe to its pages still remains
there. This attractive or compulsive quality, to put
the matter briefly, is the flesh and blood reality of
Cellini's self-delineation. A man stands before us in
his Memoirs unsophisticated, unembellished, with all
his native faults upon him, and with all his potent
energies portrayed in the veracious manner of Velas-
quez, with bold strokes and animated play of light
and colour. No one was less introspective than this
child of the Italian Renaissance. No one was less
occupied with thoughts about thinking or with the
presentation of psychological experience. Vain, osten-
tatious, self-laudatory, and self-engrossed as Cellini
was, he never stopped to analyse himself. He at-
tempted no artistic blending of Dtchtung und Wahr-
heit; the word "confessions" could not have escaped
his lips ; a Journal Intime would have been incom-
prehensible to his fierce, virile spirit. His autobio-
graphy is the record of action and passion. Suffering,
enjoying, enduring, working with restless activity;
hating, loving, hovering from place to place as im-
pulse moves him ; the man presents himself dramati-
cally by his deeds and spoken words, never by his
ponderings or meditative breedings . It is this healthy
externality which gives its great charm to Cellini's

I 5 D

INTRODUCTION

self-portrayal and renders it an imperishable docu-
ment for the student of human nature.

In addition to these solid merits, his life, as Horace
Walpole put it, is "more amusing than any novel."
We have a real man to deal with a man so real-
istically brought before us that we seem to hear him
speak and see him move; a man, moreover, whose
eminently characteristic works of art in a great
measure still survive among us. Yet the adventures
of this potent human actuality will bear comparison
with those of Gil Bias, or the Comte de Monte
Cristo, or Quentin Durward, or Les Trois Mousque-
taires, for their variety and ever-pungent interest.

In point of language, again, Cellini possesses an
advantage which places him at least upon the level
of the most adroit romance-writers. Unspoiled by
literary training, he wrote precisely as he talked,
with all the sharp wit of a born Florentine, heedless
of grammatical construction, indifferent to rhetorical
effects, attaining unsurpassable vividness of narration
by pure simplicity. He was greatly helped in gain-
ing the peculiar success he has achieved by two cir-
cumstances ; first, that he dictated nearly the whole
of his Memoirs to a young amanuensis ; secondly, that
the distinguished academical writer to whose correc-
tion he submitted them refused to spoil their ingenu-
ous grace by alterations or stylistic improvements.
While reading his work, therefore, we enjoy some-
thing of that pleasure which draws the folk of East-
ern lands to listen to the recitation of Arabian Nights'
entertainments.

INTRODUCTION

But what was the man himself? It is just this ques-
tion which I have half promised to answer, imply-
ing that, as a translator, I have some special right
to speak upon the topic.

Well, then: I seem to know Cellini first of all as
a man possessed by intense, absorbing egotism ; vio-
lent, arrogant, self-assertive, passionate; conscious
of great gifts for art, physical courage, and personal
address. Without having read a line of Machiavelli,
he had formed the same ideal of virtu or manly force
of character as the author of The Prince. To be self-
reliant in all circumstances ; to scheme and strike, if
need be, in support of his opinion or his right; to
take the law into his own hands for the redress of
injury or insult: this appeared to him the simple duty
of an honourable man. But he had nothing of the
philosopher's calm, the diplomatist's prudence, the
general's strategy, or the courtier's self-restraint.
On the contrary, he possessed the temperament of
a born artist, blent in almost equal proportions with
that of a born bravo. Throughout the whole of his
tumultuous career these two strains contended in his
nature for mastery. Upon the verge of fifty-six, when
a man's blood has generally cooled, we find that he
was released from prison on bail, and bound over
to keep the peace for a year with some enemy whose
life was probably in danger; and when I come to
speak about his homicides, it will be obvious that
he enjoyed killing live men quite as much as cast-
ing bronze statues.

C 7]

INTRODUCTION

Both the artist and the bravo were characteristic and
typical products of the Italian Renaissance. The gen-
ius of the race expressed itself at that epoch even
more saliently in the fine arts than in scholarship or
literature. At the same time the conditions of soci-
ety during what I have elsewhere called "the Age
of the Despots" favoured the growth of lawless ad-
venturers, who made a practice of violence and lived
by murder. Now these two prominent types of the
nation and the period were never more singularly
combined than in Cellini. He might stand as a full-
blown specimen of either. Sensitive, impulsive, rash
of speech, hasty in action, with the artist's suscep-
tibility and the bravo's heat of blood, he injured no
one more than himself by his eccentricities of tem-
per. Over and over again did he ruin excellent pro-
spects by some piece of madcap folly. Yet there is no
trace in any of his writings that he ever laid his mis-
adventures to the proper cause. He consistently poses
as an injured man, whom malevolent scoundrels and
malignant stars conspired to persecute. Nor does he
do this with any bad faith. His belief in himself re-
mained as firm as adamant, and he candidly con-
ceived that he was under the special providence of
a merciful and loving God, who appreciated his high
and virtuous qualities.

On one occasion, after a more than customary out-
break of violent speech, the Lucchese ambassador
remarked to his patron, Cosimo de' Medici, "That
Benvenuto of yours is a terrible man ! " "Yes," an-

INTRODUCTION

swered the Duke, " he is far more terrible than you
imagine. Well were it for him if he were a little less
so, for then he would have possessed much which
he now lacks." 1 Cellini reports this speech with satis-
faction; he is proud to be called terrible a word
which then denoted formidable vehemence. 2 On an-
other occasion he tells us how Pope Paul III. was
willing to pardon him for an outrageous murder com-
mitted in the streets of Rome. One of the Pope's gen-
tlemen submitted that this was showing unseasonable
clemency. " You do not understand the matter as well
as I do," replied his Holiness. " I must inform you that
men like Benvenuto, unique in their profession, are
not bound by the laws/' 3 That sentence precisely
paints Cellini's own conception of himself; and I be-
lieve that something to the like effecl: may really
have been spoken by Pope Paul. Certainly our art-
ist's frequent homicides and a<5ts of violence were
condoned by great princes, who wished to avail them-
selves of his exceptional ability. Italian society ad-
mired the bravo almost as much as Imperial Rome
admired the gladiator; it also assumed that genius
combined with force of character released men from
the shackles of ordinary morality. These points are
so clear to any student of the sixteenth century that
I need not here enlarge upon them. It is only ne-

1 Vita dl Benvenuto Cellini, lib. it. ch. c.

* Compare the following passage from a memorandum 'written by Cellini : "Mifu

risposto da un gran gentilhuomo di corte, il quale non mi disse altro se nan che to era

un terribile huomo ; e repricandani piii volte questo name di terribile, to gli risposi

che i terribli si erano quegli strumenti che si empierano di incenso sol per honor are

Iddio."' Trattati, &fr., p. xlii.

3 Vita di Benvenuto Cellini, lib. i. ch. Ixxiv.

L 9l

INTRODUCTION

cessary to keep them steadily in mind while forming
an estimate of Cellini's temperament and conduct ;
at the same time we must not run to the conclusion
that people of his stamp were common, even at that
time, in Italy. We perceive plainly from his self-com-
placent admissions that the peculiar hybrid between
the gifted artist and the man of blood which he ex-
hibited was regarded as something not quite normal.

Such being the groundwork of Cellini's nature, it
follows as a necessary consequence that his self-
conceit was prodigious. Each circumstance of his life
appeared to him a miracle. Great though his talents
were, he vastly overrated them, and set a mon-
strously exaggerated value on his works of art.
The same qualities made him a fierce and bitter
rival: he could not believe that any one with whom
he came into collision had the right to stand beside
him. This did not prevent him from being a clear-
sighted and impartial critic. His admiration for Mi-
chel Angelo Buonarroti amounted to fanaticism. He
properly appreciated Raphael, and gave the just
amount of praise to Sansovino,Primaticcio, and Rosso
three artists with whom he was not on the best of
terms. Nor will any one deny that his unfavourable
estimates of Bandinelli and Ammanati were justified.
Indeed, contemporaries acknowledged the whole-
someness of his sound, outspoken criticism. When
Vasari's abominable frescoes on the cupola of the
Florentine cathedral were exposed to view, the witty
Lasca wrote as follows:

INTRODUCTION

"Purfra color ^ che son di vita privi,
Vivo vorrei Benvenuto Cellini,
Che senza alcun ritegno o barbezzale
Delle cose malfatte dicea male^
E la cupola al mondo singolare
Non si potea di lodar mai saziare;
E la solea chiamare,
Alzandola alle stelle,
La maraviglia delle cose belle;
Certo non capirebbe or nella pelle,
In tal guisa dipintala veggendo;
E saltando e correndo e fulminando^
S' andrebbe querelando,
E per tutto gridando ad alta voce,
Giorgin a" Arezzo metterebbe in croce." *

In spite of his vehemence and passion, Cellini had
not depth or tenacity of feeling. His amours were nu-
merous, but volatile and indiscriminate. As a friend he
seems to have been somewhat uncertain ; not treach-
erous, but wayward. Hospitable indeed and gener-
ous he proved himself by his conduct toward Ital-
ians in Paris, and by his thoroughgoing kindness
for the Sputasenni family in Florence. Still, if any-
thing, either in k>ve or comradeship, crossed his hu-
mour, he sacrificed emotion to vanity. Like many
egotistical people, he extended the affection he felt

1 " Fain 'would I recall to life Benvenuto Cellini, iuho ^without reserve or restraint
spoke evil of things ill done ; he used to exalt our cupola with indefatigable praise
as something unique in the world j he called it the miracle of beauteous master-
pieces. Assuredly that man 'would jump out of his skin 'with rage to see it thus be-
daubed ; leaping and running and fulminating, he 'would go about the city uttering
his indignation at the top of his voice, and 'would crucify this little George of
Arezzo."

c :

INTRODUCTION

for himself to the members of his immediate family.
On the whole, he was a good and dutiful son, al-
though he caused his poor old father great uneasi-
ness by running away from home, because one of
his sisters had given his new suit of clothes to his
only brother. For this brother, a brave soldier of the
same stormy sort as Benvenuto, he entertained at
the same time, and always, a really passionate love.
The young man, named Cecchino, assassinated a con-
stable in the streets of Rome, and was wounded in
the squabble which ensued. He died of the wound;
but though the officer who fired his arquebuse had
done this only in self-defence, Benvenuto tracked
him down one night and murdered him. Not a syl-
lable of remorse escapes his lips. Men like himself
and Cecchino had the right to slay ; and if their op-
ponents managed to checkmate such virtuous fel-
lows, they must be punished. The best recorded
a6lions of Cellini concern his conduct toward a sis-
ter and six daughters, for whose sake he quitted a
splendid situation in France, and whom he supported
by his industry at Florence; yet he does not boast
about this sustained and unselfish exercise of domes-
tic piety. He was, finally, much attached to his legi-
timate children, though almost brutally indifferent
about a natural daughter whom he left behind in
Paris.

VII

The religious feelings of this singular personage de-
serve to be considered. They were indisputably sin-
cere, and I have no doubt that Cellini turned, as he

c I* n

INTRODUCTION

asserts, in all his difficulties with hearty faith to God.
But, like the majority of Italians in his age, he kept
religion as far apart from morality as can be. His
God was not the God of holiness, chastity , and mercy,
but the fetish who protected him and understood him
better than ungrateful men. He was emphatically,
moreover, the God who " aids such folk as aid them-
selves" a phrase frequently used in these Memoirs.
The long and painful imprisonment which Cellini en-
dured without just cause in the Castle of S. Angelo
made a deep and, to some extent, a permanent im-
pression on his mind. He read the Bible and com-
posed psalms, was visited by angels and blessed with
consolatory visions. About the truth of these expe-
riences there is no doubt. The man's impressible,
imaginative nature lent itself to mysticism and spir-
itual exaltation no less readily than to the delirium
of homicidal excitement. He was just as inclined to
see heaven opened when dying of misery in a dun-
geon as to "see red/' if I may use that French term,
when he met an enemy upon the burning squares
of Rome in summer. The only difference was, that
in the former case he posed before himself as a
martyr gifted with God's special favour, in the lat-
ter as a righteous and wronged hero, whose hand
and dagger God would guide. There was nothing
strange in this mixture of piety and murder. The
assassin of Lorenzino de' Medici whose short nar-
rative, by the way, reads like a chapter of Cel-
lini's Memoirs relates how, while he was running
drenched with blood through Venice after the event,
he took refuge in a crowded church, and fervently

C 13]

INTRODUCTION

commended himself to the Divine protection. Homi-
cide, indeed, was then considered a venial error, and
several incidents might be cited from this autobio-
graphy proving that men devoted to the religious
life screened murderers red-handed after the com-
mission of what we should regard not merely as
criminal, but also as dastardly deeds of violence.

VIII

Among Cellini's faults I do not reckon either base-
ness or lying. He was not a rogue, and he meant
to be veracious. This contradicts the commonplace
and superficial view of his character so flatly that I
must support my opinion at some length. Of course,
I shall not deny that a fellow endowed with such
overweening self-conceit, when he comes to write
about himself, will set down much which cannot be
taken entirely on trust. His personal annals will
never rank as historical material with the Venetian
Despatches, however invaluable the student of man-
ners may find them. Men of his stamp are certain
to exaggerate their own merits, and to pass lightly
over things not favourable to the ideal they present.
But this is very different from lying ; and of calcu-
lated mendacity Cellini stands almost universally ac-
cused. I believe that view to be mistaken.

So far as I have learned to know him, so far as I
have caught his accent and the intonation of his ut-
terance, I hold him for a most veracious man. His
veracity was not of the sort which is at present cur-
rent. It had no hypocrisy or simulation in it, but a
large dose of vainglory with respect to his achieve-

C 14 3

INTRODUCTION

ments, and a trifle of suppression with respect to mat-
ters which he thought unworthy of his fame. Other-
wise, he is quite transparent after his own fashion
the fashion, that is to say, of the sixteenth century,
when swaggering and lawlessness were in vogue,
which must be distinguished from the fashion of the
nineteenth century, when modesty and order are
respectable.

What I have called the accent and the intonation of
Cellini strikes genuinely upon my ear in the open-
ing sentences of a letter to Benedetto Varchi. It should
be premised that this distinguished historian, poet,
and critic was an intimate friend of the great artist,
who sent him his autobiography in MS. to read. "It
gives me pleasure to hear from your worship/' writes
Cellini, "that you like the simple narrative of my
life in its present rude condition better than if it were
filed and retouched by the hand of others, in which
case the exa6l accuracy with which I have set all
things down might not be so apparent as it is. In
truth, I have been careful to relate nothing whereof
I had a doubtful memory, and have confined myself
to the strictest truth, omitting numbers of extraor-
dinary incidents out of which another writer would
have made great capital." In a second letter to Varchi
he declares himself as " bad at dictating, and worse
at composing.." He clearly thought that his imperfect
grammar and plebeian style were more than com-
pensated by the sincerity and veracity of his narra-
tion.

c 15 n

INTRODUCTION

His own attitude with regard to truth can well be
studied in the somewhat comic episode of the Duch-
ess of Tuscany's pearls. 1 She was anxious to coax
her husband into buying some pearls for her, and
entreated Cellini to tell a fib or two in their favour
for her sake. "Now," says Cellini, "I have always
been the devoted friend of truth and the enemy of
lies; yet I undertook the office, much against my
will, for fear of losing the good graces of so great
a princess." Accordingly, he went with "those con-
founded pearls" to the Duke, and having once be-
gun to lie, exaggerated his falsehoods so clumsily
that he raised suspicion. The Duke at last begged
him, as he was an honest man, to say what he really
thought. This appeal upset him: "I blushed up to
the eyes, which filled with tears;" and on the in-
stant he made a clean breast of the whole matter,
losing thereby the favour of the Duchess, who had
been shown in an unpleasing light to her lord and
master. The minute accounts he has left of all his
negotiations for the payment of the Perseus prove
in like manner that the one thing Cellini could not
do was to gain his ends by artifice and underhand
transactions. On the contrary, he blurted out the bit-
ter truth, as he conceived it, in hot blood, and cla-
moured with egregious presumption for what his
vanity demanded. Not lying, not artfulness, but ar-
rogance and overweening self-importance are the
vices of his character.

1 Pita, lib. it. ch. ixxxiii.

INTRODUCTION

His portrait is drawn in this light by contemporaries.
Vasari describes him as "in all his doings of high
spirit, proud, lively, very quick to a6l, and formid-
ably vehement ; a person who knew only too well
how to speak his mind to princes/' Bembo, Caro,
Martelli, Varchi, speak of him always in terms which
would be quite inapplicable to a rogue or a liar. Dur-
ing his imprisonment in S. Angelo, Annibale Caro,
who had known him well for several years, wrote
thus to his friend Luca Martini : " I have still some
hope for Benvenuto, unless his own temper should
do him mischief, for that is certainly extravagant.
Since he was in prison, he has never been able to
refrain from saying things in his odd way, which, in
my opinion, makes the Prince (Pier Luigi Farnese)
uneasy as to what he may do or utter in the future.
These follies, far more than any crime he has com-
mitted in the past, now compromise his safety/' That
passage strongly corroborates the view I have pre-
sented of Cellini's character. I might quote another
letter written by Niccolo Martelli to Benvenuto in
France. It begins by paying a tribute to his "dis-
tinguished talents and gracious nature," saying that
any favours he may receive at the French court will
not be equal to his merits, " both as a rare goldsmith
and admirable draughtsman, and also as a man of
liberal and open conversation with his fellows, free-
handed not only to artists and friends, but also to
all who seek him out; esteeming mighty cardinals
no more than noble spirits in a humble station, which

c i? :

INTRODUCTION

is really worthy of a nature so generous as yours."
These phrases might pass for merely complimen-
tary, did they not so exactly confirm Cellini's own
narrative. They give us good reason to believe that
what he spoke about himself was the truth.

XII

In the next place I will adduce the opinions of two
Italian critics who have been occupied with Cellini's
autobiography. Antonio Cocchi, its first editor (Na-
ples, 1730), says in his preface: "I will not conceal
my belief that there are some things scattered through
his narrative in blame of contemporaries to which we
ought to lend a somewhat doubting ear. It is not that
the author was not an impassioned friend of truth,
but he may have accepted vague reports or yielded
to conjectures." This admission is too cautious. It is
certain that Cellini wrote his Memoirs in no critical
spirit; and what Cocchi calls "his habit of excessive
frankness, his harsh manners, readiness to take af-
front, and implacable hatreds," betrayed him into
great unfairness when dealing with people whom he
disliked. This does not, however, imply of necessity
that he fabricated falsehoods against the folk he could
not tolerate. Truth is ever a more trenchant weapon
than mendacity in most cases. When Aretino, that
unscrupulous gladiator of the pen, was asked how
men might best speak evil of their neighbours, he
replied : " By telling the truth by telling the truth."
And Cellini understood with keen sagacity this force
of plain unvarnished statement. I take it that the most
disagreeable things he said of Paul III., of Luigi Pulci,

C I* 1

INTRODUCTION

of Baccio Bandinelli, and of Giorgio Vasari were crude
verities. The manners of the period and his method
of narration justify this conclusion.

Taking a wider sweep and survey of this subject,
Baretti sums up the impression left upon his mind
by Cellini's self-portraiture thus: "He has painted
himself as brave as a French grenadier, as vindic-
tive as a viper, superstitious to the last degree, full
of eccentricity and caprice; a pleasant companion
among friends, but not susceptible of affectionate
attachments ; rather loose in sexual relations, a bit of
a traitor without being aware of it ; slightly tainted
with spite and envy, a braggart and vain without sus-
pecting himself to be such ; a madcap who firmly be-
lieved he was wise, circumspect, and prudent. Fully
persuaded that he was a hero, he dashed this pic-
ture of himself upon the canvas without a thought of
composition or reflection, just as his fiery and rapid
fancy prompted. We derive from it something of the
same pleasure which we feel in contemplating a
terrible wild beast who cannot get near enough to
hurt us."

XIII

After these general considerations upon the limits
within which Cellini's veracity may be trusted, I pass
to some particulars that have been always challenged
in his statements.

Upon the very first pages of the book we are met
with an astounding legend relating to the foundation
and the name of Florence. Having shown familiar-
ity with previous speculations on the subjedl, he re-

C 19 ]

INTRODUCTION

jecls all other hypotheses in favour of a pure myth,
by which the origin of the city is referred to an im-
aginary ancestor of his own, Fiorino da Cellino, a
captain in the army of Julius Caesar. It is needless
to say that there is no ground whatever for the le-
gend ; and we can hardly believe that Cellini thought
it would impose on any one's credulity. That it flat-
tered his own vanity is certain ; and I suspect from
his way of introducing it that the story formed part
of some domestic gossip regarding his ancestry which
he had heard in boyhood. Many of the so-called Nor-
man pedigrees of our aristocracy used to begin with
fables hardly less ridiculous. To call this one of Cel-
lini's lies would be as absurd as to deny that it con-
firms our belief in his childish self-conceit and un-
critical habit of mind.

A more important piece of boasting is usually cast
in his teeth. He tells us how he went, upon the 6th
of May 1527, to the ramparts of Rome at the mo-
ment when the assault of the Imperial troops was
being hotly pressed, and how he slew a captain with
a well-directed musket-shot. This captain, as he after-
wards learned, was the Constable of Bourbon. Now
there is nothing to prove whether he did or did not
shoot the Constable. He only mentions the fact him-
self on hearsay, and when he enumerated his past
services before the judges who sent him to prison in
1538 he did not mention this feat. 1 That he wounded
the Prince of Orange by the discharge of a culverin
from the Castle of S. Angelo has never been disputed.
Indeed, it is quite certain that he performed more than

1 Vita, lib. i. ch. ciii.

INTRODUCTION

yeoman's duty as a gunner all through the period of
the sack of Rome. In consequence of his excellent sol-
diership, Orazio Baglioni offered him the captaincy of
a band in the army he was collecting for the defence
of Florence. Now Bourbon had been shot dead in the
assault of Rome upon that foggy morning, and Cel-
lini had certainly discharged his arquebuse from the
ramparts. Always posing as a hero in his own eyes,
he was gratified to obtain some colour for the sup-
position that one of his unerring balls had done the
deed. If it were possible to put his thoughts about
this event into a syllogism, it would run as follows:
"Somebody shot Bourbon; I shot somebody; being
what I am, I am inclined to think the somebody I
shot was Bourbon/'

Many of the odd things related by Cellini can be
classified as things which really took place, like the
accident of the scorpion and the tremendous hail-
storm he encountered in the neighbourhood of Ly-
ons. Others may be referred to common superstition.
I will choose the instance of the salamander, which
has often been brought up against him. Here he only
informs us that his father gave him a good box on
the ears, in order that he might not forget the occa-
sion when he saw something in a wood-fire which
his father took for a salamander.

Not a few of the most striking of his presumed lies
turn out, upon inspection, like those of Herodotus,
to be simply the best evidence of his veracity. That is
to say, when we examine them we find that he had
been recording a<5lual phenomena with more than
usual powers of observation, but without the power

C 2> 3

INTRODUCTION

of scientifically accounting for them. Being vividly
conscious of the fact as he observed it, and at the
same time subject to a wrong method of interpre-
tation, he unconsciously proved his veracity by ac-
curately describing what he saw, and then referring
it to such causes as were current at his epoch. I will
sele6l two examples bearing on this point ; both shall
be recorded in his own words.

The first relates to a portent in the heavens, which
he regarded as a sign sent for some fateful warning.
After relating how he and his friend Felice had been
shooting all day on the Roman Campagna, he pro-
ceeds as follows: 1 "We mounted and rode rap-
idly towards Rome; and when we reached a certain
gently rising ground night then had fallen look-
ing in the direction of Florence, both with one breath
exclaimed in the utmost astonishment, ' Oh, God of
heaven ! what is that great thing one sees there over
Florence?' It resembled a huge beam of fire, which
sparkled and gave out extraordinary lustre. I said to
Felice,' Assuredly we shall hear to-morrow that some-
thing of vast importance has happened in Florence/ '
In effecl:, they did hear that Alessandro de' Medici
had been murdered by his cousin Lorenzino. Yet,
meanwhile, Cellini has left a striking, though brief,
picture of the aurora borealis which he happened to
have noticed.

The second of these examples is more curious and
far more confirmatory of his truth. After those half-
delirious experiences in the dungeon of S. Angelo,
when he saw visions and thought that angels mi-

1 Vita, lib. i. ch. Ixxxix.

L 22 ]

INTRODUCTION

nistered to his sick body, he fancied himself un-
der God's special guidance. As a sign of this pecu-
liar grace, he relates the following circumstance: 1
"Since that time till now an aureole of glory (mar-
vellous to relate) has rested on my head. This is
visible to every sort of men to whom I have chosen
to point it out; but these have been very few. This
halo can be observed above my shadow in the morn-
ing, from the rising of the sun for about two hours,
and far better when the grass is drenched with dew.
It is also visible at evening about sunset. I became
aware of it in France, at Paris ; for the air in those
countries is so much freer from mist that one can
see it there far better manifested than in Italy, mists
being far more frequent among us. However, I am
always able to see it, and to show it to others, but
not so well as in the country I have mentioned."
Critics have taken for granted that this is a mere
piece of audacious mendacity meant to glorify him-
self, whereas it is really the record of a very accu-
rate but misinterpreted observation. Any one who
walks abroad in grassy places when the light is low,
as at sunrise or at sunset, can satisfy himself that
his shadow cast on dewy sward is surrounded with
a rim of glory like a lunar rainbow. But if he goes
with companions, he will not see their shadows en-
circled with the same light, because his own body
is the point which focusses the diffused rays. 2 He,

1 Vita, lib. i. ch. cxxviii.

* On the appearance of this passage in the Fortnightly Review for January 1887,
/ received a communication from H. D. Pearsall, Esq., of 3 Cursitor Street, ex-
pressing some interest in my account of Cellini's aureole. He says . " / observed the
phenomenon some years ago in India, and the attendant circumstances were such as

therefore, might well imagine that the aureole is
given to himself alone; and, in order to exhibit it,
he must make his comrade take a place behind him,
where the halo becomes at once visible to both. Long
before I attended to the above passage in Cellini, I
noticed this phenomenon, and pointed it out to friends,
finding that some of them were too deficient in pow-
ers of observation to perceive it, while others at once
recognised the singular and beautiful efFecl:. What
makes the example interesting for the light it casts
on Cellini's habit of mind is that he starts by saying
the aureole surrounds his head, and then very in-
genuously proceeds to tell us that it only surrounds
the shadow of his head at certain times and in cer-
tain places. Those times and places are just what the
experience of one who has observed the same phe-
nomena would lead him to expe6l. Again, he sets

you mention. It is curious, as illustrating the want of observation of most people, that
I have never yet met with any one but yourself who had observed it" In expla-
nation of the aureole he adds : " It appeared to me that the cause was simply the
reflection of the direfl rays of the sun from the wet surface of the blades of grass.
The reason why a spectator at one side cannot see it would, therefore, not be that
the illuminated person s body focus sed the diffused rays, but simply the direfl conse-
quence of the law of reflection of light (angle of incidence = angle of refraction), so
that the reflected rays would reach the eye of the objefl, but not that of any person
at a little distance to one side. The aureole never extended lower than my shoulder,
evidently for the same reason." This explanation is so obviously superior to that sug-
gested by my own vague and unscientific phrase in the text, that I am grateful for
the permission to report it in Mr. Pearsall"s own words. It is worth adding, per-
haps, that when the objefl finds himself at a considerable distance from the reflect-
ing surface of wet grass, as w hen, for instance, he is driving in a carriage above a
grassy meadow, the aureole will extend somewhat lower than his shoulder. This
I have observed.

[Since this note was first published, a friend has pointed out to me a passage in
Thoreaus Walden, at the beginning of the article named Baber Farm, which shows
that Thoreau had observed the phenomenon I have described, and, like me, had con-
nefied his observation with Cellini's Memoirs. This confirmatory evidence gives me
pleasure, and I am glad to report it. J. A. .]

[ 24 ]

INTRODUCTION

up a false theory to explain why he could see it bet-
ter in France than in Italy. It is not that there is more
mist in the latter than the former country, but that
low-lying humidity of atmosphere and heavy dews
on deep grass are favourable to the production of
the appearance, and these conditions may be met
with more frequently in a country like France than
in the provinces of Middle Italy. It was upon the
Alpine meadows, where I am now writing, at the
season of early autumn frosts, that I first noticed it;
and I can predict with some confidence when it is
pretty certain to be reproduced. In my opinion, the
very hesitancies of Cellini in this test-passage are
undesigned corroborations of his general veracity.
A man who deliberately invents something to glorify
himself and mystify the world does not go about his
work in this fashion. He does not describe a natural
phenomenon so exactly that all the limiting condi-
tions, which he regarded as inexplicable imperfec-
tions in the grace conferred upon him, shall confirm
the truth of his observation.

A similar line of reasoning might be adopted with
regard to the extraordinary night-scene in the Col-
iseum. Cellini went thither, firmly believing in ghosts
and fiends, in order to raise devils, with a necroman-
cer. A bonfire was lighted and drugs were cast upon
the coals, which rolled forth volumes of murky smoke.
In the smoke legions of demons appeared. Imagina-
tion and the awe-inspiring influences of the place,
even if we eliminate a possible magic-lantern among
the conjuror's appurtenances, are enough to account
for what Cellini saw. He was credulous, he was super-

INTRODUCTION

stitious ; he was readily exalted to the fever-point of
delirium (as in the case of Charon, who obsessed
him during his Roman illness, the visions of S. An-
gelo when his leg was broken, and the apparition of
the gravedigger during his short fever on the night
of casting Perseus); but there is nothing in his con-
fidences to make us suppose that the phantasmagoria
of the Coliseum was a deliberate invention.

XIV

The most convincing proofs of Cellini's trustworthi-
ness are not, however, to be sought in these minor
details. I find them far stronger and far more abun-
dant in the vast picSlure-gallery of historical portraits
which he has painted. Parini, while tracing the sa-
lient qualities of his autobiography, remarked: "He
is peculiarly admirable in depi6ling to the life by a
few salient touches the characters, passions, personal
peculiarities, movements, and habits of the people
with whom he came in contact."

Only one who has made himself for long years
familiar with the history of Cellini's period can ap-
preciate the extraordinary vividness and truth of Cel-
lini's delineation. Without attempting to do more than
record his recollection of what happened to himself
in commerce with men of all sorts, he has drama-
tised the great folk of histories, chronicles, and dip-
lomatic despatches exactly as our best authorities in
their more colourless and cautious style present them
to our fancy. He enjoyed the advantages of the al-
cove and the ante-chamber ; and without abusing these
in the spirit of a Voltaire or a valet, he has greatly

t 26]

BUST OF COSIMO DE MEDICI

( FLORENCE: i

INTRODUCTION

added to our conception of Clement VII., Paul III.,
Francis I., and Cosimo de' Medici, Grand Duke of
Tuscany. Clement driven to his wits' end for cash
during the sack of Rome ; Paul granting favours to
a cardinal at the end of a copious repast, when wine
was in his head ; Francis interrupting the goldsmiths
in their workshop at the Petit Nesle; Cosimo in-
dulging in horse-play with his buffoon Bernardone
these detach themselves, as living personages,
against the grey historic background. Yet the same
great people, on more ceremonious occasions, or in
the common transactions of life, talk, move, and a6l
precisely as we learn to know them from the most
approved documentary sources. Take, for example,
the singular interview between Paul III. and the
Marquis del Vasto, which Cellini interrupted, and
when he was used by the former to exhaust the
patience of the Spanish envoy. 1 Our authorities tell
us much about the fox-like shifty nature of the Pope ;
and we know that, precisely at this moment, he was
eager to preserve his own neutrality between the
courts of France and Spain. Cellini, thinking only of
his personal affairs, withdraws the curtain from a
scene which we feel at once to be the very truth and
inner life of history.

It was not only in dealing with the greatest aclors
on the world's stage that Cellini showed this keen
fidelity to fa<5l. His portraits of the bestial Pier Luigi
Farnese, of the subtle and bizarre Lorenzino de'
Medici, of the Ferrarese minister Giliolo, of the
Florentine majordomo Ricci, of the proud Comte de

1 Vita, lib, i. ch. xcii.

C 27 H

INTRODUCTION

St. Paul, correspond exaclly to what we learn other-
wise about them, adding slight significant touches
from private information. Madame D'Etampes and
the Duchess Eleanora of Tuscany move across his
pages as they lived, the one with the vivacity of a
king's insolent mistress, the other with the some-
what sickly and yet kindly grandeur of the Span-
ish consort to an astute Italian prince. Lesser folk,
with whom we are equally acquainted through their
writings or biographical notices, appear in crowds
upon a lower plane. Bembo, in his dignified retreat
at Padua ; Torrigianp, swaggering about the Flor-
entine workshops; Giulio Romano, leading the de-
bauched society of Roman artists; Maitre Roux, in
his Parisian magnificence; Alamanni, the humane
and gentle nobleman of letters ; Sansovino, expand-
ing at ease in Venetian comfort; old Michel Angelo,
with his man Urbino, in their simple Roman dwell-
ing; Bandinelli, blustering before the Duke of Flor-
ence in a wordy duel with Cellini, which Vasari also
has reported all these, and how many more be-
sides, are portrayed with an evident reality, which
corresponds in each particular to the man as he is
otherwise revealed to us by independent evidence.
Yet Cellini had no intention of describing such folk
for our benefit. As they happened to cross his life, so
he sketched them with sharp, pungent quill-strokes,
always thinking more about his own affairs than their
personality. Nothing inspires a firmer confidence in
his accuracy as an observer and his veracity as a
narrator than the undesigned corroboration given
to his portraits by masses of external and less vivid
testimony. C 28 3

INTRODUCTION .

This forces me to accept as genuine many of
those powerful and humorous descriptions of char-
acter which we cannot check . How true to life is the
history of young Luigi Pulci, who came to grief in
Rome, after wasting exceptional talents in disgrace-
ful self-indulgence! That episode reads like apiece
justificative in illustration of Aretino's Dialogo delle
Corti. The story too of the mad Castellan of S. An-
gelo, who thought he was a bat, deserves like cre-
dence. The ruffianly postmaster at Siena, shot dead
by Cellini in a quarrel ; the Milanese simpleton who
entreated the surgeon, while sewing up a wound in
his mouth, not to close the whole orifice out of spite ;
the incomparable dilettante at Ferrara, Alfonso de'
Trotti, who made such a fool of himself about some
old models from Cellini's vases ; Tribolo, the quak-
ing coward; Busbacca, the lying courier; Cellini's
father, with his fixed idea about Benvenuto's flute-
playing; Ascanio and his sweetheart hidden in the
head of the great statue of Mars at Paris hundreds
of such rapidly traced silhouettes, with all the force
of life and all the comicality of satiric genius, cross
these pages and enliven them at every turn. We have
faith in their veracity, partly because they correspond
to human nature in the times which Cellini knew, and
partly because his descriptions of character, when
verified by external evidence, are found so faithful.

The trustworthiness of Cellini's Memoirs might be
submitted to yet another test. Numerous details, as,
for instance, the episode of his brother's death and

INTRODUCTION

what he says about Foiano's starvation in S. Angelo,
are supported by Varchi's History of Florence. His
own private memoranda and official petitions to the
Duke of Florence confirm the main records of his
life in that city. The French letters of naturalisation
and the deed conferring on him the lordship of Le
Petit Nesle are in existence. Signor Bertolotti's and
the Marchese Campori's researches have established
the accuracy of his narrative regarding his life in
Rome and his relations to the Cardinal of Ferrara. 1
But it would occupy too much space to pursue this
line of investigation with the scrupulous thorough-
ness, without which such arguments are unconvin-
cing. Enough has perhaps been said in this place up-
on the topic of the man's veracity. What I have at-
tempted to demonstrate is, that he did not mean to
lie, and that we possess strong confirmatory testi-
mony to the truth of his statements and the accuracy
of his observation. This does not imply that a man
of his violent passions and egregious vanity is always
to be trusted, either when he praises his own per-
formance or depreciates his sworn foes.

XVI

A different class of problems have to be faced when
we seek to estimate how far Cellini can be justly
called either a rogue or a villain. I have admitted
in my general review of his character that he was
capable of suppressing portions of the truth respect-
ing matters which involved his own ideal of a manly

1 Benvenuto Cellini a Roma, &c. Arch. Star, di Roma, 1875. Notizie inedite delle
relazioni tra il Cardinale Ipfr. d'Este e B. C., Modena, 1862.

c so :

INTRODUCTION

reputation ; although I am inclined to trust his nar-
rative on all points openly related.

Now there are two important passages in his life
which might be challenged as imperfectly explained
by him, and which are therefore ex hypothesi sus-
picious. The first of these is the long imprisonment
in S. Angelo at Rome ; the second is his final depar-
ture from France.

The account which Cellini gives of the former
episode is that he had been calumniated to Pope
Paul III., and had furthermore incurred the hatred
of Pier Luigi Farnese. 1 At the same time he states
that his first examination before judges turned upon
a charge of having stolen crown jewels amounting
to eighty thousand ducats, while employed to melt
their settings down for Clement VII. 2 It seems that
a Perugian workman in Cellini's employ informed
against him ; and Pier Luigi obtained from his Papal
father a grant of this value when it should be recov-
ered. Cellini successfully disposed of the accusation
by appealing to the books of the Apostolic Camera,
upon which all the articles belonging to the regalia
were duly inscribed. He also asked what he could
have done with so large a sum as eighty thousand
ducats. 3 Upon this point it is worth noticing that
when Cellini made his nuncupatory will some months
previous to this imprisonment, he possessed nothing
at all approaching to the amount of eighty thousand
ducats. 4 Also, he relates how he confessed, during
the lifetime of Pope Clement, to having kept back

1 Lib. i. chaps. lxx<v. t xcii'. a Ibid., chap. ci.

3 Ibid., chap. ciii. * Ibid., chap. Ixxxiv.

c 31 :

INTRODUCTION

a small quantity of gold-filings in the Castle of
S. Angelo, for which a6l he received plenary Papal
absolution. 1 It seems therefore certain that Cellini
cleared himself before the judges of this charge of
peculation ; and nothing more was subsequently said
about it.

Yet there remains some difficulty in understand-
ing why he was kept so long in prison after the
voracious Pier Luigi found that no articles of value
could be extracted from him. Are we to believe that
Paul III. remained obdurate in his resentment merely
because some courtiers told him that Cellini had
been laughing at the Pope behind his back ? That
is by no means either impossible or improbable,
knowing as we do what a6ls of tyranny a Pope was
capable of perpetrating. Varchi, for example, writ-
ing his History of Florence under Medicean influ-
ence for a Medicean Grand Duke, relates how the
last great Medicean Pope, Clement VII., caused a
political antagonist, Fra Foiano, to be starved in the
Castle of S. Angelo by daily reducing his rations
till the wretch expired of vermin and famine. Now
Alessandro Farnese, Pope Paul III., was in some
ways worse and more dangerous than any of those
previous Pontiffs. He owed his first advancement to
his sister's shame; for Giulia la Beila had been the
mistress of Pope Alexander VI. During his early
manhood he underwent imprisonment in the Castle
of S. Angelo for forgery while holding public offices
of trust. He was, in fa<5l, a survivor from the most
worldly and most lawless days of the Roman Church.

* Lib. i. chap, yfliii.

C 32 ]]

INTRODUCTION

But when he obtained the tiara public opinion had
begun to undergo a change. Paul III. could not play
the part of a Delia Rovere or Borgia openly before
the world. His hands, in the new age dawning over
Europe, were tied; the natural movements of his
youthful years were checked ; the quality he chiefly
cultivated was craft. That did not, however, prevent
him from being stiff-necked and tyrannical when he
could indulge his humour. His bastard, Pier Luigi,
Duke of Parma, who was eventually murdered by
his outraged subjects, is acknowledged to have been
a low rascal of infamous habits. A pair of such peo-
ple were quite capable of keeping Cellini in prison
out of spite and obstinacy. Moreover, we have al-
ready learned from Caro's correspondence that well-
informed persons in Rome ascribed his prolonged
detention to the incorrigible violence of his 'language
rather than to any past offences.

With regard to Cellini's final removal from France,
a good deal might be said. He informs us that do-
mestic circumstances obliged him to revisit his na-
tive town of Florence. His only sister was married
to an aged husband with failing health, who earned
nothing for the family. This couple had six daugh-
ters, and Cellini not unreasonably feared that the
girls might fall into bad ways unless they were pro-
vided for. 1 With characteristic recklessness he left
the land of his adoption before he had properly
squared accounts with King Francis. On the journey
from Paris to Lyons something happened which
might raise suspicion. Messengers followed our art-

1 Lib. ii. chap. I.

INTRODUCTION

1st, and obliged him to give up three pieces of silver
plate and some bullion on the King's account. Cellini
asserts that he intended to deposit these valuables
at Lyons in an abbey of his old patron the Cardi-
nal of Ferrara, before he left the country. He ar-
gues with much show of reason that it would have
been impossible to convey a whole mule-load of
precious metal out of France under the then stri6l
laws regarding exportation. There were further cir-
cumstances connected with the King's health at that
period which made him unwilling to abandon so
much property in Paris under the charge of two
Italian workmen. Francis, in the year 1545, was
already sinking into premature decrepitude, and his
life could not be reckoned on. Cellini's story is
therefore plausible and intelligible enough. We
know, besides, that he subsequently lost all the
effects which he left behind at Paris; nor have we
any reason to doubt that Francis was satisfied with
the lengthy statement which he transmitted from
Florence. 1 Yet the narrative of his departure has
exposed him to a charge of peculation or of seriously
involved accounts in his transactions with the King.
I am not aware that sinister light has been thrown
upon this matter from French archives. On the con-
trary, we know that Francis, who sincerely liked
him, wanted Cellini to return. What is more, we
possess a letter written by Duke Cosimo to Caterina
de' Medici in 1547, the year of her husband's acces-
sion to the French throne, recommending Benve-
nuto to his royal cousin, and expressly setting forth

1 See Plan, Betrvenuto Cellini, p. 67. '

C 34 D

INTRODUCTION

the reasons why the artist had left Paris. 1 " He came
back to this country," says the Grand Duke, " in
order that his nieces might benefit by his talents and
assistance ; and I am no less pleased by this mark of
dutiful regard for his family than by the beauty of
his works." For some reason or another, Cellini
does not appear to have used this letter. Still, twelve
years afterwards, the Queen of France again re-
quired his services. Henri II. died in 1559, and in
1562 his widow had not yet erecled her husband's
monument. At the latter date her envoy to Flo-
rence, Baccio del Bene, invited Cellini to complete
the work, which had been begun by Daniele da
Volterra. 2 Whether he did not care to go, being old
and having recently married, or whether, as he says,
the Duke refused him leave, cannot be decided. It
is only certain that he never returned to France.

These two episodes are, it seems to me, the two
most dubious passages in Cellini's life those,! mean,
upon which a charge of roguery might most plau-
sibly be founded. In the matter of the Pope's jewels
he stands acquitted ; but scrupulous critics may still
perhaps trace a mystery in the circumstances which
attended his quitting the service of King Francis.
It is hardly necessary here to refer to a sentence
passed on him in 1 548 for selling garnets under the
pretence that they were rubies. 3 The fa6ls are not
sufficiently established.

1 Bianchiyp. 588. * Lib, it. chap, cxii.

3 See Mabellini, 'Delle Rime di B. C.,p. 104, and Montazio, I prigionieri del Mas-

tio di Volterra, />. 200, note .

C 35 ]

INTRODUCTION

XVII

After roguery we come now to the question of vil-
lainy and violence. When Benvenuto was first cap-
tured by the Roman authorities, they tried, as I have
already shown, to convicl: him on a charge of steal-
ing court jewels. In the course of his interrogation,
"that catchpoll of a governor" said to him: "And
yet you have murdered several men I" 1 This had
nothing to do with the prisoner's accusation ; but it
had, perhaps, something to do with the attitude of
his judges; and so, I imagine, has it a great deal to
do with the opinion people of the present day will
form of him. It is certain that Cellini himself was
not wholly indifferent to his homicides ; for when he
thought his throat was going to be cut in Torre di
Nona, the memory of them weighed upon his con-
science. 2 At that moment he had assassinated two
men in Rome upon the open streets, namely, the
constable who caused his brother's death, and a
goldsmith called Pompeo. He had thrice risked the
commission of wholesale slaughter, once in Florence,
once in Rome, and thirdly at Ferrara; but these
quarrels resulted in no bloodshed. It does not appear
that he had killed anybody else, although he se-
verely wounded a man named Ser Benedetto in a
sudden fit of rage. 3

So far, then, according to his own admission, Cel-
lini had only two clear murders on his mind in
1538. Possibly he forgot a few of less importance,
for his memory was not always trustworthy about

1 Lib. i. chap. ciii. * Ibid., chap. cx*u. 3 Ibid., chap. hcvi.

C 36 1

INTRODUCTION

trifles .? For instance, when he baptized an illegiti-
mate daughter at Paris in 1 543, he calmly remarked:
"This was the first child I ever had, so far as I
remember/' 1 Afterwards, he made up to some ex-
tent for any previous omissions ; for -he informs us
with circumstantial details how he killed the post-
master at Siena, and how he disabled two of his
enemies at Paris, carving them about the legs and
arms with his sword, in order to avoid a homicide
and display his skill at fence/

Bloodshed, accordingly, played a prominent part
in Benvenuto's life experiences; and those who are
best acquainted with him know that it was hardly
his fault if this feature is not more prominent in
their records. Paolo Micceri and Baccio Bandinelli,
for example, owed their narrow escape from assas-
sination less to his forbearance than to their own
want of pluck. 3 At this point, then, it is necessary
to advance some arguments in his defence. In the
first place, it will be noticed that he speaks with
pride and imperturbability about these murderous
exploits. Whatever ceremony of phrase he used in
describing his departure from Paris, there is no-
thing of this sort when he comes to relate the details
of a homicide. All is candid and above board upon
these occasions, except when he exhibits a slight
sense of shame at being obliged to waylay his bro-
ther's slayer. 4 The causes of this good conscience are
not far to seek. I have already stated that murder
at that epoch passed for a merely venial error. It

1 Lib. ii. chap. xxx<vii. * Ibid., chaps. i<v., xx<viii.

3 Ibid., chaps, xxxiii., lx<ui. * Lib. i. chap. It.

c 37 :

INTRODUCTION

was then esteemed the duty of a vigorous human
being to assert his honour by taking the lives of
men who had insulted or wronged him in his own
judgment, or the lives of sisters and wives who had
disgraced his family. The universal records of the
age support this statement ; and long after Cellini's
death theological casuists defended homicide on
both these counts, arguing that honour was a man's
life, and that an assault upon his honour was equiv-
alent to an assault with violence upon his person.
They justified murder when the member of a reli-
gious order vindicated its reputation. They justified
infanticide when a girl sought to defend her good
repute. The casuists did but formulate social cus-
toms too prevalent to be suppressed, with the pious
view of keeping men whom we call criminals within
the pale of Holy Church. Small blame was it then
to Cellini if he practised what the doctors preached !
His acts of violence fell under what were then con-
sidered honourable categories. He speaks with sat-
isfaction about them, because he plumed himself on
their commission, and reckoned upon gaining credit
with society. This curious self-complacency reaches
its climax in some lines addressed to Bandinelli, who
had cast Cellini's murders in his teeth. Cellini an-
swered: "At any rate, the men I have killed do not
shame me so much as your bad statues shame you ;
for the earth covers my victims, whereas yours are
exposed to the view of the world." Little did he
imagine how he would be arraigned, after the lapse
of full three centuries, by English criticasters for
what, at the very worst, he reckoned splendid crimes!

c 38 :

INTRODUCTION

Meanwhile an enormous mass of historical evidence
remains to cast explanatory light upon his singular
illusion. 1

It is harder to extenuate Cellini's action upon two
occasions when he killed nobody, but indulged an
infernal instinct of revenge. On the first of these
occasions, an innkeeper somewhere near Chioggia
crossed his humour about the proper way of pay-
ing the host's bill. 3 Having paid it overnight, our
friend managed to slice the man's new beds up with
his knife next morning, and decamped, after doing
more than fifty crowns' worth of damage. The sec-
ond is one I cannot here conveniently deal with. It
involves the whole episode of Caterina and Paolo
Micceri in Paris, over whichibiographers^of Cellini
would willingly draw a veil/and the details of which
are such as^ojustify thejpreticence before the re-
spectable (EngHsJ^public^ The only defence which
might be urged for Cellini at this point is the one
which Dante used in self-exculpation after break-
ing faith with Fra Alberigo on that hideous glacier
in the lowest pit of hell. 4 In other words, it is neces-
sary to invoke the principle that rogues should be
unmercifully paid out in their own coin of roguery.
But this argument will hardly serve to excuse either
Cellini's brutalities or Dante's malice.

XVIII

The revolting episode of Cellini's dealings with
Caterina suggests another aspect of his character

1 See my Renaissance in Italy, 'vol. *vi. chaps. <v., <vi. * Lib. i. chap. Ixxix.

3 Lib. ii. chaps, xxix.-xxxv. * Di<vina Commedia, Inferno, xxxiii. 109-150.

c 39 :

INTRODUCTION

which jmustj be lightly touched on. Not even a pro-
fessed apologist can deny that he was reckless in
the indulgence of his sensual appetites. We have no
evidence that he ever felt the gentler emotions of
love for a woman. Perhaps his passion for Angelica
comes nearest to a tender or romantic sentiment;
but the grotesque ending of that adventure deprives
it of all dignity. On the other hand, women of loose
life play a large part in his Memoirs; and it is clear
that he changed mistresses with indiscriminate facil-
ity. There is, moreover, reason to believe that he
was not free from theldarker lusts; which deformed
Florentine society in that epoch. 1 The loves to which
he yielded were animal, licentious, almost brutal;
determined to some extent by an artist's feeling for
beauty, but controlled by no moral sense and ele-
vated by no spiritual enthusiasm.

XIX

Passing now from the man to the writer and the
artist, we have first to regard Cellini as the com-
poser of one of the world's three or four best auto-
biographies, and next as the most eminent exponent
of the later Italian Renaissance in craftsmanship of
several kinds.

It would be superfluous to quote authorities upon
the high esteem in which the Memoirs are held, both
for their style and matter, by Italians. Baretti's em-

1 Of course he loudly protests his innocence. But his precipitate flight after the af-
fair ofCencio (lib. ii. chap. Ixi.) is suspicious. So is the language used by Bandi-
nelli in his altercation with Cellini (ib. t chap. Ixx.). It must also be added that he
<was imprisoned in 1556 on a charge of unnatural vice. See Mabellini (Delle
Rime di B. C., pp. 106, 129) on this point.

i 40 3

INTRODUCTION

phatic eulogy can hardly be called exaggerated:
" The Life of Benvenuto Cellini, written by himself
in the pure and unsophisticated idiom of the Floren-
tine people, surpasses every book in our literature
for the delight it affords the reader/'

In truth, without multiplying passages of panegy-
ric, I am confident that every one who may have
curiously studied Italian history and letters will pro-
nounce this book to be at one and the same time
the most perfect extant monument of vernacular
Tuscan prose, and also the most complete and
lively source of information we possess regarding
manners, customs, ways of feeling, and modes of
acting in the sixteenth century. Those who have
made themselves thoroughly familiar with Cellini's
Memoirs y possess the substance of that many-sided
epoch in the form of an epitome. It is the first book
which a student of the Italian Renaissance should
handle in order to obtain the right direction for his
more minute researches. It is the last book to which
he should return at the close of his exploratory voy-
ages. At the commencement he will find it invalu-
able for placing him at the exactly proper point of
view. At the end he will find it no less invaluable
for testing and verifying the conclusions he has
drawn from various sources and a wide circumfer-
ence of learning. From the pages of this book the
Genius of the Renaissance, incarnate in a single per-
sonality, leans forth and speaks to us. Nowhere else,
to my mind, whether in the frescoes of the Sistine
Chapel or on Palladian palace fronts, in Ariosto's
cantos or in Machiavelli's dissertations, do we find

INTRODUCTION

the full character of the epoch so authentically
stamped. That is because this is no work of art or
of reflection, but the plain utterance of a man who
lived the whole life of his age, who felt its thirst
for glory, who shared its adoration of the beautiful,
who blent its paganism and its superstitions, who
represented its two main aspects of exquisite sensi-
bility to form and almost brutal ruffianism. We must
not expect from Cellini the finest, highest, purest
accents of the Renaissance. He does not, as an art-
ist, transport us into the heavens of Michel Angelo
and Tintoretto. He has nothing of Ariosto's golden
melody or Tasso's romantic love-chant. He cannot
wield Aretino's lash or Machiavelli's scalpel of an-
alysis. But his Memoirs enable us to comprehend how
those rarer products of the Italian genius at a cer-
tain point of evolution were related to the common
stuff of human nature in the race at large. For stu-
dents of that age he is at once more and less than
his illustrious contemporaries; less, inasmuch as he
distinguished himself by no stupendous intellectual
qualities; more, inasmuch as he occupied a larger
sphere than each of them singly. He touched the
life of that epoch at more points than any person
who has left a record of his doings. He was the first
goldsmith of his time, an adequate sculptor, a rest-
less traveller, an indefatigable workman, a Bohemian
of the purest water, a turbulent bravo, a courtier and
companion of princes ; finally, a Florentine who used
his native idiom with incomparable vivacity of style.
These qualities combined in a single personality,
strongly marked by specific characteristics, yet pe-

[42 3

INTRODUCTION

culiar to the sixteenth century in Italy, render him
unique as a guide through the labyrinth of that bril-
liant but perplexing epoch.

The literary merits of Cellini's autobiography de-
mand a passing notice. Notwithstanding the plebeian
simplicity of his language, he has described some
scenes with a dramatic vigour and a richness of
colouring rarely to be found upon the pages of
romance or history. Among these I would call at-
tention to the Roman banquet, during which Diego,
dressed magnificently like a woman, won the hom-
age of assembled artists; to the conjuration in the
Coliseum; Cecchino's deathbed; Benvenuto's vision
of the sun while lying sick and hopeless in his dun-
geon; the phantom of Charon which haunted him
throughout a lingering fever; the exhibition of his
Jupiter in the great gallery of Fontainebleau ; the
Parisian law-court; and the long episode of his cast-
ing the bronze Perseus. His memory was so tena-
cious that he could present the incidents of bygone
years, with all their circumstances, just as though
his eye were on the object. Without conscious effort
he communicates the atmosphere, the local colour,
the specific feeling of each place he visited. Ferrara
has a different note from Florence, Rome from Paris,
in his narrative. Yet it is clear that he never took
thought about word-painting. The literary result is
not attained by external touches of description, but
by the vigorous reproduction of a multitude of im-
pressions made upon his eagerly observant nature.

INTRODUCTION

This quality of vivid vision makes itself peculiarly
felt in the narrative of his dangerous passage across
the Lake of Wallenstadt. 1 Here every detail contri-
butes to the presentation of a specifically Swiss land-
scape the steep and cavernous cliffs of the Chur-
firsten, the dreary rain beating upon precipitous
lawns and hanging fir-woods, the night-watchman
in the town of Glarus, the sudden breaking of a
glorious day upon the Lake of Zurich, and then the
little city of Zurich itself citta maravigliosa pulita
quanta un gioiello.

Having already touched upon his power of por-
trait-painting with the pen, I need not return to that
topic. 3 It should, however, be remarked that his
method of sketching men resembles his treatment
of things and places. There is very little of descrip-
tion. The characters present themselves so vividly
before our eyes because they were so clearly visi-
ble to Cellini's mind while writing, because he so
firmly seized what was to him essential in their per-
sonalities, and so powerfully communicated the im-
pression made upon his sensibilities by contact with
them.

XXI

Cellini's autobiography might also be studied from
the side of humour. Many passages remind us of
the Florentine Novelle, notably of the old tale en-
titled // Grasso Legnaiuolo, and of Lasca's stories
about Pilucca and his mischievous companions. Take,
for example, the episode of his quarrel with Bernar-

1 Lib. i. chaps. xcv.-xc<vii. * See above, pp. 26, 27.

C 44 ]

INTRODUCTION

done, and the burlesque revenge with which he
chastised that fellow's coarseness. 1 The same note
of Florentine bizarrerie distinguishes the less agree-
able incident in the tavern near Chioggia. 2 Again,
how racy, how native to the soil, is that altercation
between Cellini and the old hag in a deserted street
of the plague-stricken city! 3 While posing as a hero,
he was able to see the humorous side of himself
also. This is shown in the passage where he relates
how his good-natured housekeeper bantered him. 4
But it is enough to have indicated these aspe6ts of
the Memoirs. The charm of the whole book very
largely consists in a vivacity and elasticity of narra-
tive style, which passes from grave to gay, from
passion to mirth, from the serious occupations of the
artist to the light amusements of the man of plea-
sure, without perceptible transitions, the author's own
intense individuality pervading and connecting each
successive mood.

XXII

After reviewing Cellini's autobiography, it should
be mentioned that he appeared in his own lifetime
as an author. 5 He published two treatises : one upon
the goldsmith's art, describing its several processes
in detail; another upon sculpture, with special re-
ference to bronze-foundry. These dissertations are

1 Lib. it. chap. Ixxxix. * Lib. i. chap. Ixxix.

3 Ibid., chap. xl. * Lib. ii. chap. lxx*vii.

5 The prose luorks and colleSed poems may best be studied in Milanesfs edition

(Florence, Le Monnier, 1857^). Mabellims little book, Delle Rime di B. C. (Roma,

Paravia, 1885,), deserves careful attention for its patient and subtle analysis of

CeUims 'verses.

C 45 3

INTRODUCTION

of the highest value for students of Renaissance
craftsmanship, at a time when the experience of
centuries had been condensed in the practice and
principles of a first-rate master. They rank, more-
over, as excellent specimens of sound Italian style
applied to the purpose of technical exposition. 1 In
the next place, we possess the fragments of a dis-
course on Architecture, and a short defence of
Sculpture against Painting, from which numerous
details regarding the artist's works and theories can
be derived.

Cellini, like every Florentine of many-sided gen-
ius, was also ambitious of making his mark as a
poet. Some specimens of his compositions will be
found translated in the following pages; and a col-
lection has recently been formed of his scattered
verses. As might be guessed, they are not the pro-
ductions of a literary master ; yet they confirm our
opinion of his singularly keen and stringent person-
ality. Having received no education in letters, Cel-
lini never learned to write grammatically. His poe-
try suffers naturally more than his prose from awk-
ward incoherences. He rhymed with difficulty; fre-
quently tripped in rhythm and accent ; and affected
such far-fetched conceits and violent images that
a large portion of his sonnets are unintelligible.
Of these defects he was fully conscious, speaking
with modest humour of his boschereccia Musa, or
untutored rustic inspiration.

1 We ha<ve good reason to suppose that they luere re-written by a man of letters
before going to press. Signer Milanesi believes that Gherardo Spini performed this
office for the author. See his Trattati, fifft, Florence, Le Monnier, 1857, p. xvii.
* See Milanesfs edition of the Trattati, cited above.

C 46 1

XXIII

Cellini has, finally, to be estimated as an artist in
the narrower sense of that word. While approach-
ing this part of our subject, it is worth remembering
that he showed in boyhood a strong predilection for
the arts of design. His father longed to make him
a musician; but though the lad became a skilful
flute-player, he displayed the strongest aversion to
this exercise of his talents. On the other hand, his
love for drawing and his inborn mastery over tech-
nical processes of all kinds made themselves so
manifest, that no doubt remained about his real
vocation. Like nearly all the greatest Florentine
artists before him, sculptors, painters, architects,
and engravers, he was put at an early age to the
goldsmith's trade. Oreficeria, as then understood,
formed an epitome of all the plastic arts. 1 The young
goldsmith did not merely learn how to work in
precious metals and to set jewels. He was bound to
become acquainted with the mysteries of brass-
foundry, the methods of hammering iron, the secrets
of chiselling steel for medals and casting dies. He
had to make himself an expert draughtsman, to
study anatomy, to model from the nude, and to
acquire familiarity with antique masterpieces. Enam-
elling and niello formed special branches of his
craft; nor could architecture be neglecled, because

1 Of this relation of Oreficeria to the other arts Cellini himself was fully conscious .
He writes as follows: " L" arte dell* orefice, per essere maggior arte di tutte"
Trattati, p. 277.

He speaks of architecture, sculpture, and painting as " sorette carnali" of Orefi-
ceria. Ibid., p. 6.

[ 47 n

INTRODUCTION

he was often called upon to fashion tabernacles, and
to execute large works in gold or silver which re-
sembled buildings by their intricacy of design. Dur-
ing the course of this apprenticeship he gained fur-
ther insight into numerous subordinate processes,
such as modelling in wax or stucco, baking terra-
cotta, preparing foils for gems. He studied the qual-
ities of precious stones and pearls. He handled
every instrument, from the hammer of the gold-
beater and the chisel of the stone-cutter down to
the engraver's burin and the palette of paste-mixers.
He had to be as ready at the anvil or the furnace
as at the more delicate operations of wire-drawing
and filigree manipulation. From the workshop of a
master-goldsmith the apprentice went forth able to
sele6t his own particular branch of industry. Mean-
while it must not be forgotten that, so long as he
remained a goldsmith, he was forced to work in
miniature. His many technical accomplishments were
employed chiefly in producing articles of plate, jew-
ellery, and costly furniture. This made him, while
he continued in the trade, a servant of popular ca-
price and fashion, which varied with the change of
seasons. Those world-famous masters who, like
Ghirlandajo, Donatello, and Brunelleschi, won glory
by their subsequent achievements in painting, sculp-
ture, and architecture, devoted themselves to special
studies in the higher arts soon after their prentice-
days were over. This was not the case with Cellini.
He continued to be a goldsmith in the stric"l sense
of that term until he had completed his fortieth year.
This fa6l has to be taken into account when we

INTRODUCTION

criticise his serious efforts in statuary.

It does not appear that during his early manhood
Cellini felt any inclination to abandon the craft which
he had chosen in boyhood. Perhaps Nature had not
gifted him with those imperative instincts which force
some artists to become sculptors or painters. Per-
haps the large admixture of the bravo and the plea-
sure-seeker in his character prevented him from
applying to intellectual studies, and from using his
technical acquirements as a stepping-stone toward
nobler undertakings. It would indeed seem as though
he was naturally formed to be a goldsmith, but that
ambition led him at an advanced period of life to
rival men who had already made their mark in
sculpture. At any rate, he exercised his eminent
artistic faculties through more than half his lifetime
in the humbler trade, earning much money by his
undisputed excellence, spending it freely, and form-
ing no plans for the future. In this way he became
an adept in all the technicalities of plastic art ; but
the heart and soul and vigour of the man found vent
through other channels. In 1527, for instance, we
know that he was upon the point of throwing up
his profession and accepting a captaincy under Ora-
zio Baglioni. The bravo and the soldier kept dis-
puting with the artist in his nature. Meanwhile he
never relaxed his efforts to become the most expert
and inventive goldsmith of his time. The defects
which are apparent in his more ambitious works,
and which I shall have to point out shortly, may
be ascribed to this composite temper and to this
prolonged contentment with a subordinate branch

[ 49

INTRODUCTION

of industry. He had the qualities of a consummate
craftsman, not those of an imaginative artist, who
is led irresistibly to dedicate his life with all its
energies to the ideal.

XXIV

Few of Benvenuto's masterpieces in jewellery and
goldsmith's work survive. 1 Artists who aspire to im-
mortality should shun the precious metals. The same
fate has probably befallen Cellini's handiwork as
befell the jewels he took to pieces in the Castle of
S. Angelo. Critics have blamed his callousness on
that occasion ; but he knew well that it is of no use
to waste a sigh over things in their nature so ephe-
meral as gold and silver settings. Still, some authentic
pieces of his workmanship may be inspected in the
collections of Florence, Vienna, Paris, Munich, and
Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Perhaps the most interesting
are the golden salt-cellar at Vienna and the medal-
lions of Clement VII. and Alessandro de' Medici, since
these are minutely described for us in his Memoirs.
In technical excellence, as regards all processes of
handling, chasing, and engraving, setting and mount-
ing precious stones, enamelling metals, and adapt-
ing ingenious designs with bold invention to the spe-
cial purpose of the obje6l, these rare remnants of
Cellini's art defy competition. It must, however, be
admitted that, even while working on a small scale,
he displayed more manual dexterity and more orna-

1 The exhaustive work of M. Eugene Plan, Berrvenuto Cellini, Orfe-vre, Medail-
leur, Sculpteur, Paris, 1883, contains a complete catalogue of authentic and doubt-
ful pieces.

L sl

< r

n >

INTRODUCTION

mental luxuriance than any of the higher intellectual
gifts. The man, as he stands revealed in his auto-
biography, was lacking in reserve, in delicacy, in
fineness of emotion, in what the Germans call In-
nigkeitj in elevation of soul and imaginative purity.
The very qualities which render his life-history
dramatic prove the externality of his nature, the
violence and almost coarseness of his temperament,
the absence of poetry, reflection, reverie, and spir-
itual atmosphere in his whole being. We are not,
therefore, surprised to find that his artistic work,
in spite of its prodigious skill, fecundity of inven-
tion, energy, and thoroughness of execution, is de-
ficient in depth, deficient in sweetness, deficient in
true dignity and harmony, deficient in those sug-
gestive beauties which inspire a dream and waken
sympathy in the beholder.

Shortcomings of this kind in the moral and intel-
lectual elements of art were not peculiar to Cellini.
They mark nearly the whole produ6tions of his
epoch. Only at Venice did the really grand style
survive in the painting of Titian, Veronese, and Tin-
toretto. Michel Angelo indeed was, yet alive in
1543, the year when Benvenuto essayed works on
a large scale in sculpture; but Michel Angelo's
greatest achievements belonged to the past. Giulio
Romano retained something of the sacred fire which
animated his master Raphael's pictures. His vigor-
ous but coarse and soulless frescoes may be properly
compared with Cellini's statuary. Meanwhile, the
marbles of Bandinelli and Ammanati, the manneristic
productions of Montelupo and Montorsoli, the slo-

1 51 :

INTRODUCTION

venly performances of Vasari, the cold and vacuous
paintings of Bronzino, reveal even a lower spiritual vi-
tality. The lamp of plastic art had burned low in Italy.

XXV

When Cellini left the sphere of jewellery and gold-
smith's work, that emptiness of emotional and moral
intention on which I have been dwelling became
even more apparent. It was during his second visit
to France, in the year 1543, that he aspired to be a
sculptor in the stri6l sense of the word. At Paris he
began to cast statues on a large scale in bronze,
and to design colossal works combining statuary
and architecture. Of the clay models for the foun-
tain at Fontainebleau, with its gigantic Mars, so
minutely described in his autobiography, nothing,
so far as I am aware, is now extant. But we still
possess the Nymph, which was transferred from
Fontainebleau by Henry II. to Diane de Poitier's
country-seat at Anet, and thence removed to the
galleries of the Louvre, where it may now be seen.
The defects of this recumbent figure are obvious.
Though it might pass muster on a candlestick, the
model, expanded to something over life-size, reveals
a fatal want of meaning. The vacant features, the
defective physical structure, and the inert pose of
this nude woman are not compensated by the suc-
cess of Benvenuto's casting, which is indeed remark-
able. All the bad points of the later Florentine
school appear here a preposterous elongation of
the body, an affected attenuation of the joints and
extremities, and a complete absence of expression.

C 5* 3

INTRODUCTION

XXVI

It was not perhaps Cellini's fault that, having worked
till past forty as a goldsmith, he should fail to pro-
duce an ideal statue at the first attempt. We ought
rather to note with admiration his industry in the
pursuit of this new aim, and the progress he after-
wards made under great difficulties at Florence.
His sojourn at Paris in the service of King Francis
somewhat spoiled him as a man, but powerfully
stimulated his energies as an artist. After his return
to Italy, he was always more or less discontented
with his lot; but he never ceased to be ambitious.
From that last period of his a<5tive life ( 1 545-1 559 )
five eminent specimens of sculptor's work remain.
One of these is the large bronze bust of Duke
Cosimo, now to be seen in the Palazzo del Bargello
at Florence. It is an unsympathetic and heavy piece
of portraiture, but true to the character of the model.
A second is the bust of Bindo Altoviti in the Palazzo
Altoviti at Rome. Another is the antique statue in
the Uffizzi, restored by Benvenuto for a Ganymede.
He had to supply the head, arms, and part of the
legs of this fragment. The marble, so far as I re-
member, is well wrought, but the motive of the re-
stored figure shows a misconception of classical art.
The boy's head, to begin with, is like some wax block
in a barber's window expressionless, simpering,
and crisply curled. Then, instead of lifting the cup
for Jove to drink from, this Florentine Ganymede
teases a fawning eagle at his side by holding up
a goldfinch for the royal bird to peck at. Before

c 53 :

INTRODUCTION

speaking of the Perseus, which is Cellini's master-
piece, I must allude to his Crucifix in white marble.
This he esteemed one of his best productions, and
we have abundant evidence to prove that folk in
Florence were of his opinion. It still exists in the
Escorial, whither the Grand Duke sent it as a
present to Philip II. of Spain. Not having seen the
Crucifix, I can pass no judgment on its artistic qual-
ity or value as a piece of Christian sculpture. 1

XXVII

Cellini's most substantial title to fame rests, and
must always rest, upon his Perseus, that dramatic
bronze so superbly placed upon its pedestal in the
Loggia de* Lanzi, fronting the great piazza of Flo-
rence. Until quite recently this statue stood in close
proximity to Michel Angelo's David. It still chal-
lenges comparison with Donatello's Judith, the
Hercules and Cacus of Bandinelli, Ammanati's Nep-
tune, and Gian Bologna's Rape of the Sa'bines. Sur-
rounded by these earlier and contemporary per-
formances of the Florentine school, the Perseus
holds its own with honour. It lacks, indeed, the se-
vere pregnancy and sombre reserve of Donatello's
style. It misses the athletic simplicity and massive
strength of Michel Angelo's hero. But it has some-
thing of fascination, a bravura brilliancy, a sharpness
of technical precision, a singular and striking pic-
turesqueness, which the works of those elder mas-
ters want. Far above Gian Bologna's academical

1 The fine engraving of this crucifix in Plans book (planche xx.) suggests that
Cellini aimed at a realistic representation of physical exhaustion.

C 54 H

INTRODUCTION

group of two naked men and a naked woman, above
the blatant incapacity of Bandinelli and the dull
pomposity of Ammanati, the Perseus soars into a
region of authentic, if not pure or sublime, inspira-
tion. No one who has seen it once will forget that
ornate figure of the demigod, triumphant in his
stately pose above the twisted corpse of the decapi-
tated Gorgon.

Much might be urged in depreciation of Cellini's
Perseus. Contrary to the traditions of later Floren-
tine design, the hero's body is too thick, his limbs
too coarse, and his head too large for statuesque
dignity. Why this should be so tempts our curiosity;
for the small wax model made by Cellini, and now
preserved among several precious relics of like sort
in the Palazzo del Bargello, exhibits the same fig-
ure with longer and slimmer proportions. There the
Perseus stands as light and airy as Gian Bologna's
Mercury, without any loss of his superhuman vi-
gour. I have sometimes indulged the conjecture
that Benvenuto deliberately shortened and thickened
his statue with the view of working it in bronze.
We know that he was anxiously preoccupied with
the problem of casting the whole figure in such
wise that the liquid metal should fill all parts of the
mould, from the upraised head of Medusa to the
talaria and feet of Perseus, at one jet. He succeeded
in this tour de force of technical dexterity. But pos-
sibly he sacrificed the grace and elevation of his
own conception to the ambition of the craftsman.
Be this as it may, the first defect to notice in the
Perseus is this of physical vulgarity. Then the face

: 55 :

INTRODUCTION

is comparatively vacant of expression, though less
so than with many of the master's works. Next, the
helmet is surcharged with ornament, and the torso
displays many meaningless muscular details. But
after these criticisms have been made, the group
that is, the conquering hero and the prostrate Gor-
gon remains one of the most attractive produces
of modern statuary. We discern in it the last spark
of genuine Italian Renaissance inspiration. 1 It is still
instinct with the fire and bizarre force of Florentine
genius.

The pedestal has been, not altogether unjustly,
blamed for being too small for the statue it supports.
In proportion to the mass of bronze above it, this
elaborately decorated base is slight and overloaded
with superfluous details. Yet I do not feel sure that
Cellini might not have pleaded something in self-
defence against our criticism. No one thinks of the
pedestal when he has once caught sight of Perseus.
It raises the demigod in air; and that suffices for
the sculptor's purpose. Afterwards, when our minds
are satiated with the singular conception so intensely
realised by the enduring art of bronze, we turn in
leisure moments to the base on which the statue
rests. Our fancy plays among those masks and cornu-
copias, those goats and female Satyrs, those little
snuff-box deities, and the wayward bas-relief be-
neath them. There is much to amuse, if not to instruct
or inspire us there.

* The works of Jean Boullogne of Douai, commonly called Gian Bologna, 'which
are somewhat later in date than Cellini's, ought perhaps to have been mentioned
as exceptions in the sentence above.

I 56]

INTRODUCTION

Although the Perseus may not be a great work
of plastic design, worthy of sculpture in its best
periods, it can never cease to be the most charac-
teristic producl of the vehement, ambitious artist's
soul which throbbed in the writer of Cellini's Me-
moirs. It remains the final effort of Florentine genius
upon the wane, striking a last blow for the ideals,
mistaken, perchance, but manfully pursued, which
Florence followed through the several stages of
the Renaissance.

XXVIII

Cellini's autobiography circulated in MS. and was
frequently copied before its first committal to the
press in 1730. The result is that the extant MSS.
differ considerably in their readings, and that the
editions, of which I am acquainted with six, namely,
those of Cocchi, Carpani, Tassi, Molini, Bianchi,
and Camerini, have by no means equal value. 1 The

1 i. Antonio Cocchis edition 'was printed at Naples in 1730, 'with the date Colo-
nia. 2. Gio. Palamede Carpani 's 'was printed in three volumes at Milan, Soc. Tip.
de" 1 Classici Italiani, in 1806. 3. Francesco Tassfs appeared at Florence, Guglielmo
Pialti, in three 'volumes, 1829. 4. Giuseppe Molinfs appeared at Florence, Tipogr.
alT insegna di Dante, in tivo 'volumes, 1832. "This edition had been preceded by a
duodecimo text published by Molini on the T,oth of December 1830, simultaneously
with Tassfs above mentioned. When Molini compared Tassi s text 'with the Lau-
rentian MS., he saw that there 'was room for a third edition (that of 1832^), more
exati than either. 5. B. Bianchi' s appeared at Florence, Le Monnier, i 'vol., 1852.
6. That of Eugenia Camerini, Milan, Sonzogno, 1886, is a popular reprint, 'with
an introduction and some additional notes. The text 'which I have principally used
is Bianchi s. I may here take occasion to explain that the notes appended to my
translation have to a large extent been condensed from the annotations of Carpani s,
Tassis, and Molims editions, with some additional information derived from Bi-
anchi, Camerini, and the valuable French work of Plon (B. C., Orfevre, Medail-
leur, Sculpteur, Paris, 1883^). A considerable number of notes have been supplied
by myself, partly upon details respecting the Italian text, and partly upon points
connected with history and technical artistic processes. It does not seem necessary

C 57]

INTRODUCTION

one to be generally recommended is that of Signor
B. Bianchi, founded upon the preceding edition of
Molini. Tassi and Molini, I must state, were the
first editors to avail themselves of the original or
parent codex, while Bianchi compared Molini 's
printed text throughout with the autograph. This
authoritative MS. belongs to the Laurentian collec-
tion in Florence. It was written for the most part
by Michele di Goro Vestri, the youth whom Cellini
employed as his amanuensis; in some parts also by
himself, and again by a second amanuensis. Perhaps
we owe its abrupt and infelicitous conclusion to the
fa6l that Benvenuto disliked the trouble of writing
with his own hand. From notes upon the codex, it
appears that this was the MS. submitted to Bene-
detto Varchi in 1559. It once belonged to Andrea,
the son of Lorenzo Cavalcanti. His son, Lorenzo
Cavalcanti, gave it to the poet Redi, who used it as
a testo di lingua for the Delia Cruscan vocabulary.
Subsequently it passed into the hands of the book-
sellers, and was bought by L. Poirot,who bequeathed
it, on his death in 1825, to the Laurentian Library. 1
The autobiography has been translated into Ger-
man by Goethe, into French by Leopold Leclanche,
and into English by Nugent and Roscoe. The Ger-
man version, I need hardly say, is an excellent
piece of pure and solid style; and, for the most part,
I have found it reproduce the meaning of the ori-

afte r this acknowledgment, to refer each item to the original sources 'which have
been successively incorporated into a variorum commentary on the Memoirs, or to
indicate the portion I can claim for my o-iun researches.

1 See Tassi, vol. i. pp. xix.-xxiv.; and Molini, vol. i. pp. vi.-ix.,for the history of
this MS.

L 58 H

INTRODUCTION

ginal with fidelity. The French, which appeared sub-
sequently to a version of Vasari by the same trans-
lator, displays a more intimate familiarity with six-
teenth-century Italian than Goethe's ; but it is some-
times careless, especially toward the conclusion,
showing that the writer did not always choose to
follow Cellini in his redundancies of phrase. Of the
English version which bears the name of Thomas
Roscoe, son to the distinguished author of the Lives
of Lorenzo de Medici and Leo X. , I am unable to
speak very highly. It has the merit of a sound old-
fashioned style, but it is grossly inaccurate ; the un-
intentional misunderstandings of the text are innu-
merable, and the translator has felt himself at liberty
to omit or to misrepresent whole passages which he
deemed unfit for ears and eyes polite. Since my
excuse for offering a new translation to the English
public rests upon the deficiencies of Roscoe, I must
be permitted to point out a few of his errors in this
place.

To begin with, although Mr. Roscoe in his pre-
face declares that he has adhered closely to the
original text published by Molini,he deals unscrupu-
lously with some important passages. For example,
he blurs the incident of Faustina and her waiting-
maid recorded in book i. chapter xxix. He suppresses
the episode of Paolo Micceri and Caterina in book ii.
chapters xxx., xxxiii.-xxxv. He confuses the story
of Cencio and La Gambetta in book ii. chapter Ixi. It
is true that he might defend his action on the score
that these passages are unedifying and offensive;
but he ought to have indicated the nature and ex-

[ 59 1

INTRODUCTION

tent of his modifications and omissions. Personally,
I am of opinion that if a book is worth translating,
it ought to be set forth at full. Upon this principle
I have made my own version, feeling that it is not
right to defraud English readers of any insight into
the conditions of society in the sixteenth century,
or of any insight into the character of Cellini him-
self, which these Memoirs may afford. Here, however,
there is room for various judgments; and some cri-
tics may maintain that Roscoe chose the more ex-
pedient method.

Upon the point of accuracy, on the other hand,
all competent judges will be agreed. I therefore
proceed to select a few test-passages which will
show how little Roscoe's translation is to be relied
upon. In each case I will first copy the Italian, next
add a literal version, and finally give Roscoe's
words :

Questo cartone fu la prima bella opera che Michel
Agnolo mostro delle maravigliose sue virtu, e lo fece
a gara con un altro che lo faceva. (Bianchi, p. 22.)

This cartoon was the first fine work of art which
Michel Agnolo displayed in proof of his marvellous
talents, and he made it in competition with another
draughtsman (i.e., Lionardo da Vinci).

This cartoon was the first in which Michel Agnolo
displayed his extraordinary abilities ; as he made this
and another, which were to adorn the hall. ( Roscoe,

p. 21. )'

1 / quote from Bohni edition, London, 1850. The italics are mine.

INTRODUCTION

Perche vedevo continuamente i fatti del divino Mi-
chel Agnolo ... e da quella mai mi sono ispiccato.
(Bianchi, p. 23.)

Because I kaS'perpetually before my eyes the works
of the divine Michel Agnolo . . . and from it I have
never swerved.

Because I had seen the works of the divine Michel
Agnolo . . . and never once lost sight of it. ( Roscoe,

p. 23.)

Cosi ci legammo i grembiuli indietro. ( Bianchi, p. 25.)
So we tied our aprons behind our backs.
So we buckled on our knapsacks. (Roscoe, p. 25.)

Mi prego, che io facessi di sorte che lui T avessi a'
sua di. (Bianchi, p. 101.)

He begged me so to work that he should have it
during his lifetime.

Requested me to endeavour to please him by my ex-
ecution.

v
Me ne andai dalli destri del mastio. ( Bianchi, p. 239.)

I went toward the latrines of the fortress.

I went and got out upon the right side of the tower.
(Roscoe, p. 248.)

Perche io ho considerato che in quella vostra forma e
entrato piu roba che '1 suo dovere. ( Bianchi, p. 322. )

C' I

INTRODUCTION

For I have reflected that more metal entered that
mould of yours than it could properly hold.

For I have taken into consideration that there has
been a greater consumption of metal upon this work
than should have been. (Roscoe, p. 323.)

VII

Se io avessi veduto mettervi nella forma F anima, con
una sola parola io v' arei insegnato che la figura sa-
rebbe venuta benissimo. ( Bianchi, p. 323. )

If I had seen you placing your block inside the
mould, I could with one word have taught you how
the figure would have come out to perfection.

If I had but instructed you with a single word, the
figure would have come out admirably. (Roscoe,
p. 323.)

VIII

Mandate a 1' Elba. (Bianchi, p. 421.)
Sent to the island of Elba.
Sent to the Elbe. (Roscoe, p. 413.)

La qual cosa non credette mai nessuno di questi pra-
tici di quella arte. (Bianchi, p. 421.)

Which none of the masters versed in that art be-
lieved to be possible.

And do not imagine that every common artist could
have done as much. (Roscoe, p. 41 3-)

x
E' bisognava fare molto maggiore la fornace, dove

INTRODUCTION

io arei potuto fare un rame di gitto, grosso quanto io
ho la gamba, e con quella gravezza di metallo caldo
per forza ve F arei fatto andare ; dove il mio ramo
che va insino a' piedi quella sei braccia che io dico,
non e grosso piu che dua dita. Impero e' non por-
tava '1 pregio. (Bianchi, p. 423.)

I must have made the furnace much larger, in which
case I might have constructed a conduit as thick as
my leg, and so by the weight of the molten metal I
could have forced it down ; whereas, my pipe, which
runs the six cubits I have stated to the statue's feet,
is not thicker than two inches. However, it was not
worth the trouble and expense.

I must then have made the furnace much bigger,
to be able to cast apiece of brass as thick as my leg, and
with that weight of hot metal I should have made it
come out by force; whereas, my brass, which goes
down to the feet six cubits, as I mentioned before, is
not above two inches thick. Therefore it was not worth
your notice. (Roscoe, p. 415.)

Io feci una manica. (Bianchi, p. 424.)
I made a funnel-shaped furnace.
I made a sort offence. (Roscoe, p. 416.)

Dare nelle spine. (Bianchi, p. 426.)
Drive in the plugs.
Pour out the hot metal. (Roscoe, p. 417.)

INTRODUCTION

XIII

II principe e Don Giovanni. (Bianchi, p. 450.)

The Prince ( or Duke's eldest son ) and Don Gio-
vanni.
The princes , Don Giovanni, &c. (Roscoe, p. 437. )

XIV

E diceva male di questo popolo. (Bianchi, p. 455.)
And he spoke abusively of that people of Florence.
And all the ill that was said of him by the populace.

(Roscoe, p. 441.)

lo ne feci un poco di mal giudizio, ma io non im-
maginavo nulla di quello che mi avvenne. (Bianchi,
p. 481.)

I drew a somewhat bad conclusion from his hint;
but I did not in the least pi6lure to myself what was
going to happen to me.

/ was guilty of an error in judgment, but was not at
all mistaken in what happened to me. ( Roscoe, p. 467. )

XVI

A voi e' danno tutte le stoviglie. (Bianchi, p. 483.)
To you they give all the crockery.
They give you napkins. (Roscoe, p. 469.)

XVII

Io sentendomi ardere il sesso. (Bianchi, p. 483.)
I, feeling my seat burn.
I felt my brain all on fire. (Roscoe, p. 469.)

[ 64 -)

INTRODUCTION

XVIII

Importava la maggior gabella ; e che egli non man-
cherebbe. (Bianchi, p. 490.)

It (the lease) involved the highest tax, and that
he would not fail of his word.

The farm would produce more, and could not possi-
bly fail. (Roscoe, p. 475-)

I have sele6led these few instances at random, when
I might have culled the like by handfuls. But I may
furthermore add that Roscoe is hardly less negligent
in translating the Italian of Cellini's commentators.
Thus we read on page 265 this version of a note by
Carpani : " He was under apprehension of being flayed
alive." Carpani wrote scannato, which means having
his throat cut. 1 It remains in the last place to be re-
marked that Roscoe is not excused by having fol-
lowed bad readings of the original or incomplete au-
thorities. His translation (dated, in its second edition,
January i , 1 847 ) appeared after the labours of Car-
pani, Tassi, and Molini, and professes on the title-
page to be " collated with the new text of Giuseppe
Molini/'

I have now shown reason why a new translation
of Cellini's autobiography in our language is not a
superfluity. At the same time, after severely criti-
cising my predecessor, I disclaim the pretension that
my own version will be found impeccable. There are
many passages which it is extremely hard for an
Italian even, versed in the old dialecl of Tuscany, to

1 Carpani, 'vol. i. p. 423.

C5 3

INTRODUCTION

understand. 1 This is due in a great measure to Cel-
lini's colloquial style, and to the involved construc-
tions occasioned by his impetuous flow of utterance
in dictation, but also to his habitual use of familiar
terms regarding life and art, the exacl: significance
of which can now be hardly reproduced. Further-
more, I may add that it is no easy matter to avoid
slips while working through so long a narrative in
prose, and aiming at a certain uniformity of diclion.

The truth is, that to translate Cellini's Memoirs taxes
all the resources of the English language. It is, in the
first place, well-nigh impossible to match that vast
vocabulary of vulgar phrases and technical termi-
nology. Some of Cellini's most vivid illustrations owe
their pungency and special colouring to customs which
have long passed out of current usage. Many of his
most energetic epigrams depend for their effedl upon
a spontaneous employment of contemporary Floren-
tine slang. Not a few of his most striking descriptions
lose their value without the precise equivalents for
works of art or handicraft or armoury now obsolete.
In the next place, his long-winded and ungrammati-
cal periods, his suspended participles, his vehemently
ill-conjugated verbs, his garrulous anacolutha and
passionate aposiopeses, his ingenious recourse to re-
peated pronouns and reiterated adverbs for sustain-
ing a tottering sentence, his conversational resump-
tion of the same connective phrases, his breathless
and fiery incoherence following short incisive clauses
of a glittering and trenchant edge, all these peculiari-
ties, dependent on the man's command of his vernacu-

1 See Molinfi preface to hit edition, vol. i. p. x.

INTRODUCTION

lar and his untutored talent for expression, offer
stumbling-blocks at every turn to the translator who
wishes to preserve something of the tone of the origi-
nal while presenting a continuous discourse to modern
readers. The almost impossible task has to be at-
tempted of reproducing the effect of heedless ani-
mated talking.

My own system has been to adopt a compromise
between such literal rendering as might have made
the English version not only unpalatable, but almost
unintelligible, and such elaborate recasting of the
original as would have preserved the sense at a re-
grettable sacrifice of character and vivacity. I may
here notice that Cellini appears, at the commence-
ment of his undertaking, to have been more tenta-
tive, more involved in di6lion, than he afterwards
became; in facl, he only gradually formed his style.
Therefore I have suffered the earlier sections of my
version to retain a certain stiffness, which relaxes by
degrees until the style of the translator is in its turn
fashioned.

BOOK FIRST

This tale of my sore-troubled life I write ,
To thank the God of nature, who conveyed
tMy soul to me, and with such care hath stayed
That divers noble deeds I 've brought to light.

'Twos He subdued my cruel fortune 1 s spite :
Life glory virtue measureless hath made
Such grace worth beauty be through me displayed
That few can rival, none surpass me quite.

Only it grieves me when I understand

What precious time in vanity I've spent
The wind it beareth man's frail thoughts away.

Yet, since remorse avails not, I 'm content,
vfs erst I came, WELCOME to go one day,
Here in the Flower of this fair Tuscan land.

BENVENUTO CELLINI
(PAINTED ON PORPHYRY)

THE LIFE OF
BENVENUTO CELLINI

BOOK FIRST

LL men of whatsoever quality they
be, who have done anything of ex-
cellence, or which may properly re-
semble excellence, ought, if they are
persons of truth and honesty, to de-
scribe their life with their own hand ;
but they ought not to attempt so fine an enterprise
till they have passed the age of forty. This duty
occurs to my own mind, now that I am travelling
beyond the term of fifty-eight years, and am in Flo-
rence, the city of my birth. Many untoward things
can I remember, such as happen to all who live
upon our earth; and from those adversities I am
now more free than at any previous period of my
career nay, it seems to me that I enjoy greater
content of soul and health of body than ever I did
in bygone years. I can also bring to mind some
pleasant goods and some inestimable evils, which,
when I turn my thoughts backward, strike terror
in me, and astonishment that I should have reached
this age of fifty-eight, wherein, thanks be to God, I
am still travelling prosperously forward.

It is true that men who have laboured with some
show of excellence, have already given knowledge

c 71 n

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

of themselves to the world ; and this alone ought to
suffice them ; I mean the fa<5l that they have proved
their manhood and achieved renown. Yet one must
needs live like others; and so in a work like this
there will always be found occasion for natural brag-
ging, which is of divers kinds, and the first is that a
man should let others know he draws his lineage
from persons of worth and most ancient origin.

I am called Benvenuto Cellini, son of Maestro Gio-
vanni, son of Andrea, son of Cristofano Cellini; my
mother was Madonna Elisabetta, daughter to Stefano
Granacci; both parents citizens of Florence. It is
found written in chronicles made by our ancestors
of Florence, men of old time and of credibility, even
as Giovanni Villani writes, that the city of Florence
was evidently built in imitation of the fair city of
Rome ; and certain remnants of the Colosseum and
the Baths can yet be traced. These things are near
Santa Croce. The Capitol was where is now the Old
Market. The Rotonda is entire, which was made for
the temple of Mars, and is now dedicated to our
Saint John. That thus it was, can very well be seen,
and cannot be denied ; but the said buildings are much
smaller than those of Rome. He who caused them to
be built, they say, was Julius Caesar, in concert with
some noble Romans, who, when Fiesole had been
stormed and taken, raised a city in this place, and
each of them took in hand to ere6l one of these nota-
ble edifices.

Julius Cassar had among his captains a man of high-
est rank and valour, who was called Fiorino of Cellino,
which is a village about two miles distant from Monte

I 72 3

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

Fiascone. Now this Fiorino took up his quarters under
the hill of Fiesole, on the ground where Florence
now stands, in order to be near the river Arno, and
for the convenience of the troops. All those soldiers
and others who had to do with the said captain, used
then to say: "Let us go to Fiorenze;" as well be-
cause the said captain was called Fiorino, as also be-
cause the place he had chosen for his quarters was
by nature very rich in flowers. Upon the foundation
of the city, therefore, since this name struck Julius
Csesar as being fair and apt, and given by circum-
stance, and seeing furthermore that flowers them-
selves bring good augury, he appointed the name of
Florence for the town. He wished besides to pay his
valiant captain this compliment; and he loved him all
the more for having drawn him from a very humble
place, and for the reason that so excellent a man was
a creature of his own. The name that learned inven-
tors and investigators of such etymologies adduce,
as that Florence is flowing at the Arno, cannot hold;
seeing that Rome is flowing at the Tiber, Ferrara is
flowing at the Po, Lyons is flowing at the Saone,
Paris is flowing at the Seine, and yet the names of
all these towns are different, and have come to them
by other ways. 1

Thus then we find ; and thus we believe that we
are descended from a man of worth. Furthermore,
we find that there are Cellinis of our stock in Ra-

1 He is alluding to the name Fluenzia, which some antiquaries of his day thought to
have been the earliest name of the city, derived from its being near " Arno fluente."
I have translated the 'word "Jluente " in the text literally, though of course it signifies
"situated on a flowing river." I need not call attention to the apocryphal nature of
Cellini s own derivation from the name of his supposed ancestor.

C' 78 3

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

venna, that most ancient town of Italy, where too
are plenty of gentle folk. In Pisa also there are
some, and I have discovered them in many parts of
Christendom; and in this state also the breed exists,
men devoted to the profession of arms; for not
many years ago a young man, called Luca Cellini,
a beardless youth, fought with a soldier of experi-
ence and a most valorous man, named Francesco
da Vicorati, who had frequently fought before in
single combat. This Luca, by his own valour, with
sword in hand, overcame and slew him, with such
bravery and stoutness that he moved the folk to
wonder, who were expecting quite the contrary
issue; so that I glory in tracing my descent from
men of valour.

As for the trifling honours which I have gained
for my house, under the well-known conditions of
our present ways of living, and by means of my
art, albeit the same are matters of no great moment,
I will relate these in their proper time and place,
taking much more pride in having been born hum-
ble and having laid some honourable foundation for
my family, than if I had been born of great lineage
and had stained or overclouded that by my base
qualities. So then I will make a beginning by saying
how it pleased God I should be born.

My ancestors dwelt in Val d'Ambra, where they
owned large estates, and lived like little lords, in
retirement, however, on account of the then con-
tending factions. They were all men devoted to

C 74]

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

arms and of notable bravery. In that time one of
their sons, the younger, who was called Cristofano,
roused a great feud with certain of their friends
and neighbours. Now the heads of the families on
both sides took part in it, and the fire kindled
seemed to them so threatening that their houses
were like to perish utterly; the elders upon this
consideration, in concert with my own ancestors,
removed Cristofano ; and the other youth with whom
the quarrel began was also sent away. They sent
their young man to Siena. Our folk sent Cristofano
to Florence ; and there they bought for him a little
house in Via Chiara, close to the convent of S. Orsola,
and they also purchased for him some very good
property near the Ponte a Rifredi. The said Cristo-
fano took wife in Florence, and had sons and daugh-
ters ; and when all the daughters had been portioned
off, the sons, after their father's death, divided what
remained. The house in Via Chiara with some other
trifles fell to the share of one of the said sons, who
had the name of Andrea. He also took wife, and had
four male children. The first was called Girolamo,
the second Bartolommeo, the third Giovanni, who
was afterwards my father, and the fourth Francesco.
This Andrea Cellini was very well versed in archi-
tecture, as it was then practised, and lived by it as
his trade. Giovanni, who was my father, paid more at-
tention to it than any of the other brothers. And since
Vitruvius says, amongst other things, that one who
wishes to practise that art well must have something
of music and good drawing, Giovanni, when he had
mastered drawing, began to turn his mind to music,

C 75 ]

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

and together with the theory learned to play most ex-
cellently on the viol and the flute; and being a per-
son of studious habits, he left his home but seldom.
They had for neighbour in the next house a man
called Stefano Granacci, who had several daughters,
all of them of remarkable beauty. As it pleased
God, Giovanni noticed one of these girls who was
named Elisabetta; and she found such favour with
him that he asked her in marriage. The fathers of
both of them being well acquainted through their
close neighbourhood, it was easy to make this match
up; and each thought that he had very well ar-
ranged his affairs. First of all the two good old men
agreed upon the marriage; then they began to dis-
cuss the dowry, which led to a certain amount of
friendly difference; for Andrea said to Stefano:
" My son Giovanni is the stoutest youth of Florence,
and of all Italy to boot, and if I had wanted ear-
lier to have him married, I could have procured one
of the largest dowries which folk of our rank get
in Florence:" whereupon Stefano answered: "You
have a thousand reasons on your side ; but here am
I with five daughters and as many sons, and when
my reckoning is made, this is as much as I can pos-
sibly afford." Giovanni, who had been listening
awhile unseen by them, suddenly broke in and said:
"O my father, I have sought and loved that girl
and not their money. Ill luck to those who seek to
fill their pockets by the dowry of their wife! As
you have boasted that I am a fellow of such parts,
do you not think that I shall be able to provide for
my wife and satisfy her needs, even if I receive

c 76 n

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

something short of the portion you would like to
get? Now I must make you understand that the
woman is mine, and you may take the dowry for
yourself." At this Andrea Cellini, who was a man
of rather awkward temper, grew a trifle angry ; but
after a few days Giovanni took his wife, and never
asked for other portion with her.

They enjoyed their youth and wedded love through
eighteen years, always greatly desiring to be blessed
with children. At the end of this time Giovanni's wife
miscarried of two boys through the unskilfulness of
the doctors. Later on she was again with child, and
gave birth to a girl, whom they called Cosa, after the
mother of my father. 1 At the end of two years she
was once more with child ; and inasmuch as those long-
ings to which pregnant women are subject, and to
which they pay much attention, were now exactly the
same as those of her former pregnancy, they made
their minds up that she would give birth to a female as
before, and agreed to call the child Reparata, after the
mother of my mother. It happened that she was de-
livered on a night of All Saints, following the feast-
day, at half-past four precisely, in the year i5oo. 2
The midwife, who knew that they were expecting
a girl, after she had washed the baby and wrapped
it in the fairest white linen, came softly to my father
Giovanni and said : " I am bringing you a fine pre-
sent, such as you did not anticipate." My father, who
was a true philosopher, was walking up and down,

1 Cosa is Florentine for Niccolosa.

z The hour is reckoned, according to the old Italian fashion, from sunset of one day to

sunset of the next twenty-four hours.

I 77 3

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

and answered: "What God gives me is alway dear
to me;" and when he opened the swaddling clothes,
he saw with his own eyes the unexpected male child.
Joining together the palms of his old hands, he raised
them with his eyes to God, and said: "Lord, I thank
Thee with my whole heart ; this gift is very dear to
me ; let him be Welcome/' All the persons who were
there asked him joyfully what name the child should
bear. Giovanni would make no other answer than
"Let him be Welcome Benvenuto;" 1 and so they
resolved, and this name was given me at Holy Bap-
tism, and by it I still am living with the grace of God.

Andrea Cellini was yet alive when I was about three
years old, and he had passed his hundredth. One day
they had been altering a certain conduit pertaining
to a cistern, and there issued from it a great scorpion
unperceived by them, which crept down from the
cistern to the ground, and slank away beneath a
bench. I saw it, and ran up to it, and laid my hands
upon it. It was so big that when I had it in my little
hands, it put out its tail on one side, and on the other
thrust forth both its mouths. 2 They relate that I ran
in high joy to my grandfather, crying out: "Look,
grandpapa, at my pretty little crab." When he recog-
nised that the creature was a scorpion, he was on the
point of falling dead for the great fear he had and
anxiety about me. He coaxed and entreated me to

1 Benvenuto means Welcome.

3 'Ike luord is bocche, so I ha<ve translated it by mouths. But Cellini clearly meant

the gaping claius of the scorpion.

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

give it him; but the more he begged, the tighter I
clasped it, crying and saying I would not give it to
any one. My father, who was also in the house, ran
up when he heard my screams, and in his stupefac-
tion could not think how to prevent the venomous
animal from killing me. Just then his eyes chanced to
fall upon a pair of scissors ; and so, while soothing and
caressing me, he cut its tail and mouths off. After-
wards, when the great peril had been thus averted,
he took the occurrence for a good augury.

When I was about five years old my father hap-
pened to be in a basement-chamber of our house,
where they had been washing, and where a good
fire of oak-logs was still burning ; he had a viol in
his hand, and was playing and singing alone beside
the fire. The weather was very cold. Happening to
look into the fire, he spied in the middle of those
most burning flames a little creature like a lizard,
which was sporting in the core of the intensest coals.
Becoming instantly aware of what the thing was, he
had my sister and me called, and pointing it out to
us children, gave me a great box on the ears, which
caused me to howl and weep with 'all my might.
Then he pacified me good-humouredly, and spoke
as follows : " My dear little boy, I am not striking
you for any wrong that you have done, but only to
make you remember that that lizard which you see in
the fire is a salamander, a creature which has never
been seen before by any one of whom we have cre-
dible information/' So saying, he kissed me and gave
me some pieces of money.

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

My father began teaching me to play upon the flute
and sing by note ; but notwithstanding I was of that
tender age when little children are wont to take
pastime in whistles and such toys, I had an inex-
pressible dislike for it, and played and sang only to
obey him. My father in those times fashioned won-
derful organs with pipes of wood, spinets the fairest
and most excellent which then could be seen, viols
and lutes and harps of the most beautiful and per-
fect construction. He was an engineer, and had
marvellous skill in making instruments for lowering
bridges and for working mills, and other machines
of that sort. In ivory he was the first who wrought
really well. But after he had fallen in love with the
woman who was destined to become my mother
perhaps what brought them together was that little
flute, to which indeed he paid more attention than
was proper he was entreated by the fifers of the
Signory to play in their company. Accordingly he'
did so for some time to amuse himself, until by
constant importunity they induced him to become a
member of their band. Lorenzo de' Medici and
Piero his son, who had a great liking for him, per-
ceived later on that he was devoting himself wholly
to the fife, and was neglecting his fine engineering
talent and his beautiful art. 1 So they had him re-
moved from that post. My father took this very ill,

1 The Medici here mentioned 'were Lorenzo the Magnificent, and his son Pietro,
'who <was expelled from Florence in the year 1494. He never returned, but died in
the river Garigliano in 1 504.

LORENZO DC MEDICI

CALLED THE MAGNIFICENT

( VASARI )

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

and it seemed to him that they had done him a great
despite. Yet he immediately resumed his art, and
fashioned a mirror, about a cubit in diameter, out of
bone and ivory, with figures and foliage of great
finish and grand design. The mirror was in the
form of a wheel. In the middle was the looking-
glass; around it were seven circular pieces, on
which were the Seven Virtues, carved and joined of
ivory and black bone. The whole mirror, together
with the Virtues, was placed in equilibrium, so that
when the wheel turned, all the Virtues moved,
and they had weights at their feet which kept them
upright. Possessing some acquaintance with the La-
tin tongue, he put a legend in Latin round his looking-
glass, to this efFe6l : " Whithersoever the wheel of
Fortune turns, Virtue stands firm upon her feet:"

Rota sum: semper, quoquo me verto, stat Virtus.

A little while after this he obtained his place again
among the fifers. Although some of these things
happened before I was born, my familiarity with
them has moved me to set them down here. In those
days the musicians of the Signory were all of them
members of the most honourable trades, and some
of them belonged to the greater guilds of silk and
wool; 1 and that was the reason why my father did
not disdain to follow this profession, and his chief
desire with regard to me was always that I should
become a great performer on the flute. I for my

1 In the Middle Ages the burghers of Florence 'were divided into industrial guilds
called the Greater and the Lesser Arts. 'The former took precedence of the latter,
both in political importance and in social esteem.

c si n

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

part felt never more discontented than when he
chose to talk to me about this scheme, and to tell
me that, if I liked, he discerned in me such aptitudes
that I might become the best man in the world.

As I have said, my father was the devoted servant
and attached friend of the house of Medici; and
when Piero was banished, he entrusted him with
many affairs of the greatest possible importance.
Afterwards, when the magnificent Piero Soderini
was elected, and my father continued in his office
of musician, Soderini, perceiving his wonderful tal-
ent, began to employ him in many matters of great
importance as an engineer. 1 So long as Soderini re-
mained in Florence, he showed the utmost good-
will to my father; and in those days, I being still of
tender age, my father had me carried, and made
me perform upon the flute; I used to play treble in
concert with the musicians of the palace before the
Signory, following my notes: and a beadle used to
carry me upon his shoulders. The Gonfalonier, that
is, Soderini, whom I have already mentioned, took
much pleasure in making me chatter, and gave me
comfits, and was wont to say to my father: " Maes-
tro Giovanni, beside music, teach the boy those other
arts which do you so much honour." To which my
father answered: " I do not wish him to practise any
art but playing and composing ; for in this profession

1 Piero Soderini <was ele3ed Gonfalonier of the Florentine Republic for life in the
year 1502. After nine years of government , he ivas banished, and when he died,
Machiarvelli 'wrote the famous sneering epitaph upon him. See Renaissance in
Italy, vol. i. p. 297.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

I hope to make him the greatest man of the world,
if God prolongs his life." To these words one of
the old counsellors made answer: "Ah! Maestro
Giovanni, do what the Gonfalonier tells you! for
why should he never become anything more than a
good musician ? "

Thus some time passed, until the Medici returned. 1
When they arrived, the Cardinal, who afterwards
became Pope Leo, received my father very kindly.
During their exile the scutcheons which were on the
palace of the Medici had had their balls erased, and
a great red cross painted over them, which was the
bearing of the Commune.* Accordingly, as soon as
they returned, the red cross was scratched out, and
on the scutcheon the red balls and the golden field
were painted in again, and finished with great beauty.
My father, who possessed a simple vein of poetry,
instilled in him by nature, together with a certain
touch of prophecy, which was doubtless a divine gift
in him, wrote these four verses under the said arms
of the Medici, when they were uncovered to the
view:

'These arniSy which have so long from sight been laid
Beneath the holy cross, that symbol meek.
Now lift their glorious glad face, and seek

With Peter's sacred cloak to be arrayed.

This epigram was, read by all Florence. A few days
afterwards Pope Julius II. died. The Cardinal de'

1 This 'was in 151 2, luhen Lorenzo's two sons, Giuliano and Giovanni (afterwards
Pope Leo X.) t came back through the aid of a Spanish army, after the great battle
at Ravenna.

* The Medicean arms 'were " or, six pellets gules, three, t<wo, and one." The Floren-
tine Commune bore, "argent a cross gules"

[83 3

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

Medici went to Rome, and was elected Pope against
the expectation of everybody. He reigned as Leo X.,
that generous and great soul. My father sent him his
four prophetic verses. The Pope sent to tell him to
come to Rome; for this would be to his advantage.
But he had no will to go; and so, in lieu of reward,
his place in the palace was taken from him by Jacopo
Salviati, upon that man's election as Gonfalonier. 1
This was the reason why I commenced goldsmith;
after which I spent part of my time in learning that
art, and part in playing, much against my will.

VII

When my father spoke to me in the way I have
above described, I entreated him to let me draw a
certain fixed number of hours in the day ; all the rest
of my time I would give to music, only with the view
of satisfying his desire. Upon this he said to me: "So
then, you take no pleasure in playing?" To which
I answered, "No;" because that art seemed too base
in comparison with what I had in my own mind. My
good father, driven to despair by this fixed idea of
mine, placed me in the work shop of Cavaliere Bandi-
nello's father, who was called Michel Agnolo, a gold-
smith from Pinzi di Monte, and a master excellent
in that craft. 2 He had no distinction of birth what-
ever, but was the son of a charcoal-seller. This is no

1 Cellini makes a mistake here. Salviati married a daughter of Lorenzo de* Medici,
and obtained great influence in Florence ; but <we have no record of his appoint-
ment to the office of Gonfalonier.

* Baccio Bandinello, the sculptor, and a great rival of Cellini 's, as will appear in
the ensuing pages, ivas born in 1487, and received the honour of knighthood from
Clement Vll. and Charles V. Posterity has confirmed Cellini s opinion of Bandinello

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

blame to Bandinello, who has founded the honour of
the family if only he had done so honestly! How-
ever that may be, I have no cause now to talk about
him. After I had stayed there some days, my father
took me away from Michel Agnolo, finding himself
unable to live without having me always under his
eyes. Accordingly, much to my discontent, I remained
at music till I reached the age of fifteen. If I were to
describe all the wonderful things that happened to
me up to that time, and all the great dangers to my
own life which I ran, I should astound my readers;
but, in order to avoid prolixity, and having very much
to relate, I will omit these incidents.

When I reached the age of fifteen, I put myself,
against my father's will, to the goldsmith's trade with
a man called Antonio, son of Sandro, known com-
monly as Marcone the goldsmith. He was a most
excellent craftsman and a very good fellow to boot,
high-spirited and frank in all his ways. My father
would not let him give me wages like the other ap-
prentices ; for having taken up the study of this art
to please myself, he wished me to indulge my whim
for drawing to the full. I did so willingly enough;
and that honest master of mine took marvellous de-
light in my performances. He had an only son, a
bastard, to whom he often gave his orders, in order
to spare me. My liking for the art was so great, or,
I may truly say, my natural bias, both one and the
other, that in a few months I caught up the good,
nay, the best young craftsmen in our business, and

as an artist ; for his 'works are coarse, pretentious, and incapable of giving pleasure
to any person of refined intelligence.

L 85

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

began to reap the fruits of my labours. I did not, how-
ever, negle6t to gratify my good father from time to
time by playing on the flute or cornet. Each time he
heard me, I used to make his tears fall accompanied
with deep-drawn sighs of satisfaction. My filial piety
often made me give him that contentment, and in-
duced me to pretend that I enjoyed the music too.

VIII

At that time I had a brother, younger by two years,
a youth of extreme boldness and fierce temper. He
afterwards became one of the great soldiers in the
school of that marvellous general Giovannino de'
Medici, father of Duke Cosimo. 1 The boy was about
fourteen, and I two years older. One Sunday evening,
just before nightfall, he happened to find himself be-
tween the gate San Gallo and the Porta a Pinti; in
this quarter he came to duel with a young fellow of
twenty or thereabouts. They both had swords; and
my brother dealt so valiantly that, after having badly
wounded him, he was upon the point of following
up his advantage. There was a great crowd of people
present, among whom were many of the adversary's
kinsfolk. Seeing that the thing was going ill for their
own man, they put hand to their slings, a stone from
one of which hit my poor brother in the head. He
fell to the ground at once in a dead faint. It so chanced
that I had been upon the spot alone, and without

1 Cellini refers to the famous Giovanni dette Bande Nere, <who f was killed in an en-
gagement in Lombardy in November 1526 by the Imperialist troops marching to
the sack of Rome. His son Cosimo, after the murder of Duke Alessandro y established
the second Medicean dynasty in Florence.

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

arms; and I had done my best to get my brother
out of the fray by calling to him: "Make off; you
have done enough." Meanwhile, as luck would have
it, he fell, as I have said, half dead to earth. I ran up
at once, seized his sword, and stood in front of him,
bearing the brunt of several rapiers and a shower of
stones. I never left his side until some brave soldiers
came from the gate San Gallo and rescued me from
the raging crowd ; they marvelled much, the while,
to find such valour in so young a boy.

Then I carried my brother home for dead, and it
was only with great difficulty that he came to him-
self again. When he was cured, the Eight, who had
already condemned our adversaries and banished
them for a term of years, sent us also into exile for
six months at a distance often miles from Florence. 1
I said to my brother : " Come along with me ; " and so
we took leave of our poor father ; and instead of giv-
ing us money, for he had none, he bestowed on us
his blessing. I went to Siena, wishing to look up a cer-
tain worthy man called Maestro Francesco Castoro.
On another occasion, when I had run away from my
father, I went to this good man, and stayed some time
with him, working at the goldsmith's trade until my
father sent for me back. Francesco, when I reached
him, recognised me at once, and gave me work to
do. While thus occupied, he placed a house at my
disposal for the whole time of my sojourn in Siena.
Into this I moved, together with my brother, and ap-
plied myself to labour for the space of several months.

* The Eight, or Gli Otto, 'were a magistracy in Florence <with cognisance of matters
affecting the internal peace of the city.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

My brother had acquired the rudiments of Latin, but
was still so young that he could not yet relish the
taste of virtuous employment, but passed his time in
dissipation.

The Cardinal de' Medici, who afterwards became
Pope Clement VII., had us recalled to Florence at
the entreaty of my father. 1 A certain pupil of my
father's, moved by his own bad nature, suggested to
the Cardinal that he ought to send me to Bologna,
in order to learn to play well from a great master
there. The name of this master was Antonio, and
he was in truth a worthy man in the musician's art.
The Cardinal said to my father that, if he sent me
there, he would give me letters of recommendation
and support. My father, dying with joy at such an
opportunity, sent me off; and I being eager to see
the world, went with good grace.

When I reached Bologna, I put myself under a
certain Maestro Ercole del Piffero, and began to
earn something by my trade. In the meantime I
used to go every day to take my music-lesson, and
in a few weeks made considerable progress in that
accursed art. However, I made still greater in my
trade of goldsmith ; for the Cardinal having given
me no assistance, I went to live with a Bolognese

1 This Cardinal and Pope e was Giulio, a natural son of Giuliano, Lorenxa di Me-
dici s brother, <iuho had been killed in the Pazzi conspiracy, year 1478. Giulio limed
to become Pope Clement PH., to suffer the sack of Rome in 1527, and to make the
concordat 'with Charles V. at Bologna in 1529-30, iuhich settled for three centu-
ries the destiny of Italy. We shall hear much more of him from Cellini in the course
of this narrative.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

illuminator who was called Scipione Cavalletti (his
house was in the street of our Lady del Baraccan);
and while there I devoted myself to drawing and
working for one Graziadio, a Jew, with whom I
earned considerably.

At the end of six months I returned to Florence,
where that fellow Pierino, who had been my fa-
ther's pupil, was greatly mortified by my return.
To please my father, I went to his house and played
the cornet and the flute with one of his brothers,
who was named Girolamo, several years younger
than the said Piero, a very worthy young man, and
quite the contrary of his brother. On one of those
days my father came to Piero 's house to hear us
play, and in ecstasy at my performance exclaimed:
" I shall yet make you a marvellous musician against
the will of all or any one who may desire to prevent
me." To this Piero answered, and spoke the truth:
" Your Benvenuto will get much more honour and
profit if he devotes himself to the goldsmith's trade
than to this piping/' These words made my father
so angry, seeing that I too had the same opinion as
Piero, that he flew into a rage and cried out at him:
" Well did I know that it was you, you who put
obstacles in the way of my cherished wish ; you are
the man who had me ousted from my place at the
palace, paying me back with that black ingratitude
which is the usual recompense of great benefits. I
got you promoted, and you have got me cashiered;
I taught you to play with all the little art you have,
and you are preventing my son from obeying me ;
but bear in mind these words of prophecy : not years

r 8 9 D

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

or months, I say, but only a few weeks will pass
before this dirty ingratitude of yours shall plunge
you into ruin." To these words answered Pierino
and said: "Maestro Giovanni, the majority of men,
when they grow old, go mad at the same time; and
this has happened to you. I am not astonished at
it, because most liberally have you squandered all
your property, without reflecting that your children
had need of it. I mind to do just the opposite, and
to leave my children so much that they shall be
able to succour yours." To this my father answered :
"No bad tree ever bore good fruit; quite the con-
trary; and I tell you further that you are bad, and
that your children will be mad and paupers, and
will cringe for alms to my virtuous and wealthy
sons." Thereupon we left the house, muttering
words of anger on both sides. I had taken my
father's part; and when we stepped into the street
together, I told him I was quite ready to take ven-
geance for the insults heaped on him by that scoun-
drel, provided you permit me to give myself up to
the art of design. He answered: "My dear son, I
too in my time was a good draughtsman ; but for
recreation, after such stupendous labours, and for
the love of me who am your father, who begat you
and brought you up and implanted so many hon-
ourable talents in you, for the sake of recreation,
I say, will not you promise sometimes to take in
hand your flute and that sedu6live cornet, and to
play upon them to your heart's content, inviting the
delight of music?" I promised I would do so, and
very willingly for his love's sake. Then my good

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

father said that such excellent parts as I possessed
would be the greatest vengeance I could take for
the insults of his enemies.

Not a whole month had been completed after this
scene before the man Pierino happened to be build-
ing a vault in a house of his, which he had in the
Via dello Studio; and being one day in a ground-
floor room above the vault which he was making,
together with much company around him, he fell
to talking about his old master, my father. While
repeating the words which he had said to him con-
cerning his ruin, no sooner had they escaped his lips
than the floor where he was standing ( either because
the vault had been badly built, or rather through the
sheer mightiness of God, who does not always pay
on Saturday ) suddenly gave way. Some of the stones
and bricks of the vault, which fell with him, broke
both his legs. The friends who were with him, re-
maining on the border of the broken vault, took no
harm, but were astounded and full of wonder, espe-
cially because of the prophecy which he had just
contemptuously repeated to them. When my father
heard of this, he took his sword, and went to see the
man. There, in the presence of his father, who was
called Niccolaio da Volterra, a trumpeter of the Si-
gnory , he said : " O Piero, my dear pupil, I am sorely
grieved at your mischance ; but if you remember, it
was only a short time ago that I warned you of it;
and as much as I then said will come to happen be-
tween your children and mine." Shortly afterwards,
the ungrateful Piero died of that illness. He left a
wife of bad character and one son, who after the

C 9' 3

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

lapse of some years came to me to beg for alms in
Rome. I gave him something, as well because it is
my nature to be charitable, as also because I recalled
with tears the happy state which Pierino held when
my father spake those words of prophecy, namely,
that Pierino's children should live to crave succour
from his own virtuous sons. Of this perhaps enough
is now said ; but let none ever laugh at the prognos-
tications of any worthy man whom he has wrong-
fully insulted ; because it is not he who speaks, nay,
but the very voice of God through him.

All this while I worked as a goldsmith, and was able
to assist my good father. His other son, my brother
Cecchino, had, as I said before, been instructed in
the rudiments of Latin letters. It was our father's
wish to make me, the elder, a great musician and
composer, and him, the younger, a great and learned
jurist. He could not, however, put force upon the
inclinations of our nature, which directed me to the
arts of design, and my brother, who had a fine and
graceful person, to the profession of arms. Cecchino,
being still quite a lad, was returning from his first
lesson in the school of the stupendous Giovannino
de' Medici. On the day when he reached home, I
happened to be absent; and he, being in want of
proper clothes, sought out our sisters, who, unknown
to my father, gave him a cloak and doublet of mine,
both new and of good quality. I ought to say that,
beside the aid I gave my father and my excellent
and honest sisters, I had bought those handsome

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

clothes out of my own savings. When I found I had
been cheated, and my clothes taken from me, and
my brother from whom I should have recovered them
was gone, I asked my father why he suffered so great
a wrong to be done me, seeing that I was always
ready to assist him. He replied that I was his good
son, but that the other, whom he thought to have
lost, had been found again ; also that it was a duty,
nay, a precept from God Himself, that he who hath
should give to him who hath not; and that for his
sake I ought to bear this injustice, for God would in-
crease me in all good things. I, like a youth without
experience, retorted on my poor afflicled parent; and
taking the miserable remnants of my clothes and
money, went toward a gate of the city. As I did not
know which gate would start me on the road to
Rome, I arrived at Lucca, and from Lucca reached
Pisa.

When I came to Pisa (I was about sixteen years
of age at the time ) , I stopped near the middle bridge,
by what is called the Fish-stone, at the shop of a
goldsmith, and began attentively to watch what the
master was about. 1 He asked me who I was, and
what was my profession. I told him that I worked a
little in the same trade as his own. This worthy man
bade me come into his shop, and at once gave me
work to do, and spoke as follows: "Your good ap-
pearance makes me believe you are a decent honest
youth." Then he told me out gold, silver, and gems;
and when the first day's work was finished, he took

1 The fish-stone, or Pietra del Pesce, nvas the market on the quay where the fish
brought from the sea up the Arno to Pisa used to be sold,

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

me in the evening to his house, where he dwelt
respe6lably with his handsome wife and children.
Thinking of the grief which my good father might
be feeling for me, I wrote him that I was sojourning
with a very excellent and honest man, called Maestro
Ulivieri della Chiostra, and was working with him
at many things of beauty and importance. I bade him
be of good cheer, for that I was bent on learning,
and hoped by my acquirements to bring him back
both profit and honour before long. My good father
answered the letter at once in words like these : " My
son, the love I bear you is so great, that if it were
not for the honour of our family, which above all
things I regard, I should immediately have set off
for you ; for indeed it seems like being without the
light of my eyes, when I do not see you daily, as I
used to do. I will make it my business to complete
the training of my household up to virtuous honesty ;
do you make it yours to acquire excellence in your
art; and I only wish you to remember these four
simple words, obey them, and never let them escape
your memory :

In whatever house you be,
Steal not, and live honestly"

This letter fell into the hands of my master Ulivieri,
and he read it unknown to me. Afterwards he avowed
that he had read it, and added: "So then, my Ben-
venuto, your good looks did not deceive me, as a
letter from your father which has come into my hands
gives me assurance, which proves him to be a man

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

of notable honesty and worth. Consider yourself then
to be at home here, and as though in your own fa-
ther's house."

While I stayed at Pisa, I went to see the Campo
Santo, and there I found many beautiful fragments
of antiquity, that is to say, marble sarcophagi. In
other parts of Pisa also I saw many antique objecls,
which I diligently studied whenever I had days or
hours free from the labour of the workshop. My
master, who took pleasure in coming to visit me in
the little room which he had allotted me, observing
that I spent all my time in studious occupations, be-
gan to love me like a father. I made great progress
in the one year that I stayed there, and completed
several fine and valuable things in gold and silver,
which inspired me with a resolute ambition to ad-
vance in my art.

My father, in the meanwhile, kept writing piteous
entreaties that I should return to him ; and in every
letter bade me not to lose the music he had taught
me with such trouble. On this, I suddenly gave up
all wish to go back to him ; so much did I hate that
accursed music; and I felt as though of a truth I
were in paradise the whole year I stayed at Pisa,
where I never played the flute.

At the end of the year my master Ulivieri had oc-
casion to go to Florence, in order to sell certain gold
and silver sweepings which he had; 1 and inasmuch
as the bad air of Pisa had given me a touch of fever,
I went with the fever hanging still about me, in my

*/ have translated spaxzature by sweepings. It means all refuse of the precious
metals left in the goldsmith's trays.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

master's company, back to Florence. There my father
received him most affectionately, and lovingly prayed
him, unknown by me, not to insist on taking me again
to Pisa. I was ill about two months, during which
time my father had me most kindly treated and cured ,
always repeating that it seemed to him a thousand
years till I got well again, in order that he might
hear me play a little. But when he talked to me of
music, with his fingers on my pulse, seeing he had
some acquaintance with medicine and Latin learning,
he felt it change so much if he approached that topic,
that he was often dismayed and left my side in tears.
When I perceived how greatly he was disappointed,
I bade one of my sisters bring me a flute; for though
the fever never left me, that instrument is so easy that
it did not hurt me to play upon it ; and I used it with
such dexterity of hand and tongue that my father,
coming suddenly upon me, blessed me a thousand
times, exclaiming that while I was away from him
I had made great progress, as he thought; and he
begged me to go forwards, and not to sacrifice so
fine an accomplishment.

XII

When I had recovered my health, I returned to my
old friend Marcone, the worthy goldsmith, who put
me in the way of earning money, with which I helped
my father and our household. About that time there
came to Florence a sculptor named PieroTorrigiani ;'
he arrived from England, where he had resided many
years ; and being intimate with my master, he daily

1 Torrigiani 'worked in fail for Henry Fill., and his monument to Henry PH. still

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

visited his house ; and when he saw my drawings and
the things which I was making, he said: "I have
come to Florence to enlist as many young men as I
can ; for I have undertaken to execute a great work
for my king, and want some of my own Florentines
to help me. Now your method of working and your
designs are worthy rather of a sculptor than a gold-
smith; and since I have to turn out a great piece of
bronze, I will at the same time turn you into a rich
and able artist." This man had a splendid person and
a most arrogant spirit, with the air of a great soldier
more than of a sculptor, especially in regard to his
vehement gestures and his resonant voice, together
with a habit he had of knitting his brows, enough to
frighten any man of courage. He kept talking every
day about his gallant feats among those beasts of
Englishmen.

In course of conversation he happened to mention
Michel Agnolo Buonarroti, led thereto by a drawing
I had made from a cartoon of that divinest painter. 1
This cartoon was the first masterpiece which Michel
Agnolo exhibited, in proof of his stupendous talents.
He produced it in competition with another painter,
Lionardo da Vinci, who also made a cartoon ; and
both were intended for the council-hall in the palace

exists in the Lady Chapel of Westminster Abbey, from England he 'went to Spain,
inhere he modelled a statue of the Virgin for a great nobleman. Not receiving the
pay he expefled, he broke his work to pieces j for 'which aft of sacrilege the Inqui-
sition sent him to prison , where he starved himself to death in 1522. Such at least
is the legend of his end.

1 The cartoons to 'which Cellini here alludes were made by Michel Angela and Lio-
nardo for the decoration of the Sala del Gran Consiglio in the Palazzo Vecchio at
Florence. Only the shadows of them remain to this day ; a part of Michel Angela's,
engraved by Schiavonetli, and a transcript by Rubens from Lionardo 's, called the
Battle of the Standard.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

of the Signory. They represented the taking of Pisa
by the Florentines ; and our admirable Lionardo had
chosen to depict a battle of horses, with the capture
of some standards, in as divine a style as could pos-
sibly be imagined. Michel Agnolo in his cartoon por-
trayed a number of foot-soldiers, who, the season
being summer, had gone to bathe in Arno. He drew
them at the very moment the alarm is sounded, and
the men all naked run to arms ; so splendid in their
action that nothing survives of ancient or of modern
art which touches the same lofty point of excellence ;
and as I have already said, the design of the great
Lionardo was itself most admirably beautiful. These
two cartoons stood, one in the palace of the Medici,
the other in the hall of the Pope. So long as they
remained intact, they were the school of the world.
Though the divine Michel Agnolo in later life fin-
ished that great chapel of Pope Julius, 1 he never rose
half-way to the same pitch of power ; his genius never
afterwards attained to the force of those first studies.

XIII

Now let us return to Piero Torrigiani, who, with
my drawing in his hand, spoke as follows: "This
Buonarroti and I used, when we were boys, to go
into the Church of the Carmine, to learn drawing
from the chapel of Masaccio." It was Buonarroti's
habit to banter all who were drawing there ; and one
day, among others, when he was annoying me, I

1 The Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.

2 The Chapel of the Carmine, painted in fresco by Masaccio and some other artist,
poaibly Filippino Lippi, is still the most important monument of Florentine art sur-
viving from the period preceding Raphael.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

got more angry than usual, and clenching my fist,
gave him such a blow on the nose, that I felt bone
and cartilage go down like biscuit beneath my knuc-
kles; and this mark of mine he will carry with him
to the grave/' 1 These words begat in me such ha-
tred of the man, since I was always gazing at the
masterpieces of the divine Michel Agnolo, that al-
though I felt a wish to go with him to England, I
now could never bear the sight of him.

All the while I was at Florence, I studied the noble
manner of Michel Agnolo, and from this I have never
deviated. About that time I contracted a close and
familiar friendship with an amiable lad of my own
age, who was also in the goldsmith's trade. He was
called Francesco, son of Filippo, and grandson of
Fra LippoLippi, that most excellent painter. 3 Through
intercourse together, such love grew up between
us that, day or night, we never stayed apart. The
house where he lived was still full of the fine stud-
ies which his father had made, bound up in several
books of drawings by his hand, and taken from the
best antiquities of Rome. The sight of these things
filled me with passionate enthusiasm; and for two
years or thereabouts we lived in intimacy. At that time
I fashioned a silver bas-relief of the size of a little

1 'The profile portraits of Michel Angela Buonarroti confirm this story. They show the
bridge of his nose bent in an angle, as though it had been broken.
* Fra Filippo Lippi 'was a Carmelite monk, whose frescoes at Prato and Spoleto and
oil-paintings in Florence and elsewhere are among the most genial works of the pre-
Raphaelite Renaissance. Vasari narrates his love-adventures with Lucrezia Buti,
and Robert Browning has drawn a clever portrait of him in his " Men and Wo-
men." His son, Filippo or Filippino, was also an able painter, some of 'whose best
'work survives in the Strozzi Chapel of S. Maria Novella at Florence, and in the
Church of S. Maria Sopra Minerva at Rome.

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child's hand. It was intended for the clasp to a man's
belt; for they were then worn as large as that. I
carved on it a knot of leaves in the antique style,
with figures of children and other masks of great
beauty. This piece I made in the workshop of one
Francesco Salimbene; and on its being exhibited to
the trade, the gold smiths praised me as the best young
craftsman of their art.

There was oneGiovan Battista, surnamed II Tasso,
a wood-carver, precisely of my own age, who one
day said to me that if I was willing to go to Rome,
he should be glad to join me. 1 Now we had this con-
versation together immediately after dinner; and I
being angry with my father for the same old reason
of the music, said to Tasso: "You are a fellow of
words, not deeds/' He answered: "I too have come
to anger with my mother ; and if I had cash enough
to take me to Rome, I would not turn back to lock the
door of that wretched little workshop I call mine."
To these words I replied that if that was all that
kept him in Florence I had money enough in my
pockets to bring us both to Rome. Talking thus and
walking onwards, we found ourselves at the gate
San Piero Gattolini without noticing that we had got
there; whereupon I said : " Friend Tasso, this is God's
doing that we have reached this gate without either
you or me noticing that we were there; and now
that I am here, it seems to me that I have finished
half the journey." And so, being of one accord, we

1 Tasso nuas an able artist, mentioned both by Vasari and Pietro Aretino. He stood
high in the favour of Duke Cosimo de" Medici, nvho took his opinion on the 'work
of other craftsmen.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

pursued our way together, saying, " Oh, what will
our old folks say this evening?" We then made an
agreement not to think more about them till we
reached Rome. So we tied our aprons behind our
backs, and trudged almost in silence to Siena. When
we arrived at Siena, Tasso said (for he had hurt his
feet ) that he would not go farther, and asked me to
lend him money to get back. I made answer: "I
should not have enough left to go forward; you ought
indeed to have thought of this on leaving Florence ;
and if it is because of your feet that you shirk the
journey, we will find a return horse for Rome, which
will deprive you of the excuse." Accordingly I hired
a horse; and seeing that he did not answer, I took
my way toward the gate of Rome. When he knew
that I was firmly resolved to go, muttering between
his teeth, and limping as well as he could, he came
on behind me very slowly and at a great distance.
On reaching the gate, I felt pity for my comrade,
and waited for him, and took him on the crupper,
saying: "What would our friends speak of us to-
morrow, if, having left for Rome, we had not pluck
to get beyond Siena ? " Then the good Tasso said I
spoke the truth ; and as he was a pleasant fellow, he
began to laugh and sing; and in this way, always
singing and laughing, we travelled the whole way
to Rome. I had just nineteen years then, and so had
the century.

When we reached Rome, I put myself under a
master who was known as II Firenzuola. His name
was Giovanni, and he came from Firenzuola in Lom-
bardy, a most able craftsman in large vases and big

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

plate of that kind. I showed him part of the model
for the clasp which I had made in Florence at Salim-
bene's. It pleased him exceedingly; and turning to
one of his journeymen, a Florentine called Giannotto
Giannotti, who had been several years with him, he
spoke as follows: "This fellow is one of the Floren-
tines who know something, and you are one of those
who know nothing." Then I recognised the man,
and turned to speak with him ; for before he went
to Rome, we often went to draw together, and had
been very intimate comrades. He was so put out by
the words his master flung at him, that he said he
did not recognise me or know who I was ; where-
upon I got angry, and cried out: " O Giannotto, you
who were once my friend for have we not been
together in such and such places, and drawn, and ate,
and drunk, and slept in company at your house in
the country ? I don't want you to bear witness on my
behalf to this worthy man, your master, because I
hope my hands are such that without aid from you
they will declare what sort of a fellow I am."

XIV

When I had thus spoken, Firenzuola, who was a man
of hot spirit and brave, turned to Giannotto, and said
to him: "You vile rascal, aren't you ashamed to
treat a man who has been so intimate a comrade with
you in this way?" And with the same movement of
quick feeling, he faced round and said to me: " Wel-
come to my workshop ; and do as you have promised ;
let your hands declare what man you are."
He gave me a very fine piece of silver plate to work

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

on for a cardinal. It was a little oblong box, copied
from the porphyry sarcophagus before the door of
the Rotonda. Beside what I copied, I enriched it with
so many elegant masks of my invention, that my
master went about showing it through the art, and
boasting that so good a piece of work had been turned
out from his shop. 1 It was about half a cubit in size,
and was so constructed as to serve for a salt-cellar at
table. This was the first earning that I touched at
Rome, and part of it I sent to assist my good father ;
the rest I kept for my own use, living upon it while
I went about studying the antiquities of Rome, until
my money failed, and I had to return to the shop for
work. Battista del Tasso, my comrade, did not stay
long in Rome, but went back to Florence.

After undertaking some new commissions, I took
it into my head, as soon as I had finished them, to
change my master ; I had indeed been worried into
doing so by a certain Milanese, called Pagolo Ar-
sago. 2 My first master, Firenzuola, had a great quar-
rel about this with Arsago, and abused him in my
presence ; whereupon I took up speech in defence of
my new master. I said that I was born free, and free
I meant to live, and that there was no reason to com-
plain of him, far less of me, since some few crowns
of wages were still due to me ; also that I chose to
go, like a free journeyman, where it pleased me,

1 Cellini's use of the word arte for the art or trade of goldsmiths corresponds to
"the art" as used by English writers early in this century. See Hay dons Autobi-
ography t passim.

2 The Italian is sobbillato, which might be also translated inveigled or instigated.
But Pare hi, the contemporary of Cellini, gives this verb the force of using pressure
and boring on until somebody is driven to do something.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

knowing I did wrong to no man. My new master
then put in with his excuses, saying that he had not
asked me to come, and that I should gratify him by
returning with Firenzuola. To this I replied that I
was not aware of wronging the latter in any way,
and as I had completed his commissions, I chose to
be my own master and not the man of others, and
that he who wanted me must beg me of myself.
Firenzuola cried : " I doa't intend to beg you of your-
self; I have done with you ; don't show yourself again
upon my premises." I reminded him of the money
he owed me. He laughed me in the face ; on which
I said that if I knew how to use my tools in handi-
craft as well as he had seen, I could be quite as clever
with my sword in claiming the just payment of my
labour. While we were exchanging these words, an
old man happened to come up, called Maestro An-
tonio, of San Marino. He was the chief among the Ro-
man goldsmiths, and had been Firenzuola's master.
Hearing what I had to say, which I took good care
that he should understand, he immediately espoused
my cause, and bade Firenzuola pay me. The dispute
waxed warm, because Firenzuola was an admirable
swordsman, far better than he was a goldsmith. Yet
reason made itself heard ; and I backed my cause with
the same spirit, till I got myself paid. In course of
time Firenzuola and I became friends, and at his re-
quest I stood godfather to one of his children.

I went on working with Pagolo Arsago, and earned
a good deal of money, the greater part of which I

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

always sent to my good father. At the end of two
years, upon my father's entreaty, I returned to Flor-
ence, and put myself once more under Francesco
Salimbene, with whom I earned a great deal, and took
continual pains to improve in my art. I renewed my
intimacy with Francesco di Filippo ; and though I was
too much given to pleasure, owing to that accursed
music, I never neglected to devote some hours of the
day or night to study. At that time I fashioned a silver
heart's-key ( chiavaquore ) , as it was then called. This
was a girdle three inches broad, which used to be
made for brides, and was executed in half relief with
some small figures in the round. It was a commission
from a man called Raffaello Lapaccini. I was very
badly paid ; but the honour which it brought me was
worth far more than the gain I might have justly
made by it. Having at this time worked with many
different persons in Florence, I had come to know
some worthy men among the goldsmiths, as, for in-
stance, Marcone, my first master ; but I also met with
others reputed honest, who did all they could to ruin
me, and robbed me grossly. When I perceived this,
I left their company, and held them for thieves and
blackguards. One of the goldsmiths, called Giovan-
battista Sogliani, kindly accommodated me with part
of his shop, which stood at the side of the New Mar-
ket near the Landi's bank. There I finished several
pretty pieces, and made good gains, and was able
to give my family much help. This roused the jeal-
ousy of the bad men among my former masters,
who were called Salvadore and Michele Guasconti.
In the guild of the goldsmiths they had three big

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shops, and drove a thriving trade. On becoming
aware of their evil will against me, I complained to
certain worthy fellows, and remarked that they ought
to have been satisfied with the thieveries they prac-
tised on me under the cloak of hypocritical kindness.
This coming to their ears, they threatened to make
me sorely repent of such words; but I, who knew
not what the colour of fear was, paid them little or
no heed.

XVI

It chanced one day that I was leaning against a shop
of one of these men, who called out to me, and be-
gan partly reproaching, partly bullying. I answered
that had they done their duty by me, I should have
spoken of them what one speaks of good and worthy
men; but as they had done the contrary, they ought
to complain of themselves and not of me. While I
was standing there and talking, one of them, named
Gherardo Guasconti, their cousin, having perhaps
been put up to it by them, lay in wait till a beast of
burden went by. 1 It was a load of bricks. When the
load reached me, Gherardo pushed it so violently on
my body that I was very much hurt. Turning sud-
denly round and seeing him laughing, I struck him
such a blow on the temple that he fell down, stunned,
like one dead. Then I faced round to his cousins, and
said: "That's the way to treat cowardly thieves of
your sort;" and when they wanted to make a move

1 The Italian is appostb che passassi una soma. The verb appostare has the double
meaning of lying in *wait and arranging something on purpose. Cellini 's nuords may
mean, caused a beast of burden to pass by.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

upon me, trusting to their numbers, I, whose blood
was now well up, laid hands to a little knife I had,
and cried : " If one of you comes out of the shop,
let the other run for the confessor, because the doc-
tor will have nothing to do here/' These words so
frightened them that not one stirred to help their
cousin. As soon as I had gone, the fathers and sons
ran to the Eight, and declared that I had assaulted
them in their shops with sword in hand, a thing
which had never yet been seen in Florence. The
magistrates had me summoned. I appeared before
them; and they began to upbraid and cry out upon
me partly, I think, because they saw me in my
cloak, while the others were dressed like citizens in
mantle and hood; 1 but also because my adversaries
had been to the houses of those magistrates, and had
talked with all of them in private, while I, inexpe-
rienced in such matters, had not spoken to any of
them, trusting in the goodness of my cause. I said
that, having received such outrage and insult from
Gherardo, and in my fury having only given him
a box on the ear, I did not think I deserved such a
vehement reprimand. I had hardly time to finish the
word box, before Prinzivalle della Stufa, 2 who was
one of the Eight, interrupted me by saying: "You
gave him a blow, and not a box, on the ear/' The
bell was rung and we were all ordered out, when
Prinzivalle spoke thus in my defence to his brother

1 Varchi says that a man nuho 'went about with only his cloak or cape by daytime,
if he "were not a soldier, <vjas reputed an ill-li c ver, 'The Florentine citizens at this
time still 'wore their ancient civil dress of the long go--wn and hood called lucco.
* This man t was an ardent supporter of the Medici, and in 1510 organised a con-
spiracy in their favour against the Gonfalonier Soderini,

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

judges: " Mark, sirs, the simplicity of this pooryoung
man, who has accused himself of having given a
box on the ear, under the impression that this is of
less importance than a blow ; whereas a box on the
ear in the New Market carries a fine of twenty-five
crowns, while a blow costs little or nothing. He is
a young man of admirable talents, and supports his
poor family by his labour in great abundance; I
would to God that our city had plenty of this sort,
instead of the present dearth of them/'

XVII

Among the magistrates were some Radical fellows
with turned-up hoods, who had been influenced by
the entreaties and the calumnies of my opponents,
because they all belonged to the party of Fra Giro-
lamo; and these men would have had me sent to
prison and punished without too close a reckoning. 1
But the good Prinzivalle put a stop to that. So they
sentenced me to pay four measures of flour, which
were to be given as alms to the nunnery of the
Murate. 2 I was called in again; and he ordered me
not to speak a word under pain of their displeasure,
and to perform the sentence they had passed. Then,
after giving me another sharp rebuke, they sent us
to the chancellor; I muttering all the while, "It
was a slap and not a blow/' with which we left the

1 Cellini calls these magistrates arronzinati cappuccetti, a term corresponding to
our Roundheads. The democratic or anti-Medicean party in Florence at that time,
'who adhered to the republican principles of Fra Girolamo Savonarola, distinguished
themselves by wearing the long tails of their hoods Pwisted up and turned round
their heads. Cellini shows his Medicean sympathies by using this contemptuous term,
and by the honourable mention he makes of Prinzivalle delta Stufa.
4 A convent of closely immured nuns.

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Eight bursting with laughter. The chancellor bound
us over upon bail on both sides; but only I was
punished by having to pay the four measures of
meal. Albeit just then I felt as though I had been
massacred, I sent for one of my cousins, called Ma-
estro Annibale, the surgeon, father of Messer Li-
brodoro Librodori, desiring that he should go bail
for me. 1 He refused to come, which made me so
angry, that, fuming with fury and swelling like an
asp, I took a desperate resolve. At this point one
may observe how the stars do not so much sway as
force our conduct. When I refledted on the great
obligations which this Annibale owed my family,
my rage grew to such a pitch that, turning wholly
to evil, and being also by nature somewhat choleric,
I waited till the magistrates had gone to dinner;
and when I was alone, and observed that none of
their officers were watching me, in the fire of my
anger, I left the palace, ran to my shop, seized a
dagger, and rushed to the house of my enemies,
who were at home and shop together. I found them
at table ; and Gherardo, who had been the cause of
the quarrel, flung himself upon me. I stabbed him
in the breast, piercing doublet and jerkin through
and through to the shirt, without however grazing
his flesh or doing him the least harm in the world.
When I felt my hand go in, and heard the clothes
tear, I thought that I had killed him; and seeing
him fall terror-struck to earth, I cried: "Traitors,
this day is the day on which I mean to murder you

1 The <wwd I have translated massacred above is assassinate. It occurs fre-
quently in Italian of this period^ and indicates the extremity of wrong and outrage.

I 109

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

all." Father, mother, and sisters, thinking the last
day had come, threw themselves upon their knees,
screaming out for mercy with all their might; but
I perceiving that they offered no resistance, and
that he was stretched for dead upon the ground,
thought it too base a thing to touch them. I ran
storming down the staircase; and when I reached
the street, I found all the rest of the household,
more than twelve persons; one of them had seized
an iron shovel, another a thick iron pipe, one had
an anvil, some of them hammers, and some cudgels.
When I got among them, raging like a mad bull,
I flung four or five to the earth, and fell down with
them myself, continually aiming my dagger now
at one and now at another. Those who remained
upright plied both hands with all their force, giving
it me with hammers, cudgels, and anvil; but inas-
much as God does sometimes mercifully intervene,
He so ordered that neither they nor I did any harm
to one another. I only lost my cap, on which my
adversaries seized, though they had run away from
it before, and struck at it with all their weapons.
Afterwards, they searched among their dead and
wounded, and saw that not a single man was in-
jured.

XVIII

I went off in the direction of Santa Maria Novella,
and stumbling up against Fra Alessio Strozzi, whom
by the way I did not know, I entreated this good
friar for the love of God to save my life, since I
had committed a great fault. He told me to have no

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

fear; for had I done every sin in the world, I was
yet in perfect safety in his little cell.

After about an hour, the Eight, in an extraordinary
meeting, caused one of the most dreadful bans
which ever were heard of to be published against
me, announcing heavy penalties against who should
harbour me or know where I was, without regard
to place or to the quality of my protector. My poor
afflicted father went to the Eight, threw himself
upon his knees, and prayed for mercy for his un-
fortunate young son. Thereupon one of those Rad-
ical fellows, shaking the crest of his twisted hood,
stood up and addressed my father with these insult-
ing words: 1 "Get up from there, and begone at
once, for to-morrow we shall send your son into
the country with the lances/' 2 My poor father had
still the spirit to answer: "What God shall have
ordained, that will you do, and not a jot or tittle
more/' Whereto the same man replied that for certain
God had ordained as he had spoken. My father said:
"The thought consoles me that you do not know
for certain;" and quitting their presence, he came
to visit me, together with a young man of my own
age, called Piero di Giovanni Landi we loved one
another as though we had been brothers.

Under his mantle the lad carried a first-rate sword
and a splendid coat of mail ; and when they found me,

1 Un di quelli arrovellati scotendo la cresta dello arronzinato cappucdo. See above,
p. 1 08. The democrats in Cellini's days were called at Florence Arrabbiati or Ar-
rovellati. In the days of Savonarola this nickname had been given to the ultra-
Medicean party or Palleschi.

* Lanciotti. There is some doubt about this nuord. But it clearly means men armea.
lances, at the disposal of the Signory.

c i :

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

my brave father told me what had happened, and
what the magistrates had said to him. Then he kissed
me on the forehead and both eyes, and gave me his
hearty blessing, saying: " May the power and good-
ness of God be your protection ; " and reaching me the
sword and armour, he helped me with his own hands
to put them on. Afterwards he added: " Oh, my good
son, with these arms in thy hand thou shalt either live
or die." Pier Landi, who was present, kept shedding
tears ; and when he had given me ten golden crowns,
I bade him remove a few hairs from my chin, which
were the first down of my manhood. Frate Alessio
disguised me like a friar and gave me a lay brother
to go with me. 1 Quitting the convent, and issuing
from the city by the gate of Prato, I went along the
walls as far as the Piazza di San Gallo. Then I as-
cended the slope of Montui, and in one of the first
houses there I found a man called II Grassuccio, own
brother to Messer Benedetto da Monte Varchi. 2 ! flung
off my monk's clothes, and became once more a man.
Then we mounted two horses, which were waiting
there for us, and went by night to Siena. Grassuccio
returned to Florence, sought out my father, and gave
him the news of my safe escape. In the excess of his
joy, it seemed a thousand years to my father till he
should meet that member of the Eight who had in-
sulted him; and when he came across the man, he
said: "See you, Antonio, that it was God who knew

1 Un converse, an attendant on the monks.

2 Benedetto da Monte Varchi <was the celebrated poet, scholar, and historian of
Florence, better known as Varchi. Another of his brothers 'was a physician of high
repute at Florence. They continued throughout Cellini s life to live on terms of inti-
macy 'with him.

L "a ]

BENEDETTO VARCHI

(TITIAN I

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

what had to happen to my son, and not yourself?"
To which the fellow answered: "Only let him get
another time into our clutches!" And my father: "I
shall spend my time in thanking God that He has
rescued him from that fate."

XIX

At Siena I waited for the mail to Rome, which I after-
wards joined ; and when we passed the Paglia, we
met a courier carrying news of the new fope, Cle-
ment VII. Upon my arrival in Rome, I went to work
in the shop of the master-goldsmith Santi. He was
dead; but a son of his carried on the business. He
did not work himself, but entrusted all his commis-
sions to a young man named Lucagnolo from lesi,
a country fellow, who while yet a child had come
into Santi's service. This man was short but well
proportioned, and was a more skilful craftsman than
any one whom I had met with up to that time ; re-
markable for facility and excellent in design. He ex-
ecuted large plate only ; that is to say, vases of the
utmost beauty, basons, and such pieces. 1 Having put
myself to work there, I began to make some candela-
bra for the Bishop of Salamanca, a Spaniard. 2 They
were richly chased, so far as that sort of work ad-
mits. A pupil of Raffaello da Urbino called Gian Fran-
cesco, and commonly known as ll Fattore, was a
painter of great ability; and being on terms of friend-
ship with the Bishop, he introduced me to his favour,

1 Cellini calls this grosseria.

* Don Francesco de Bobadilla. He came to Rome in 1 5 1 7, 'was shut up ^with Clement

in the Castle of S. Angela in 1527, and died in 1 529, after his return to Spain.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

so that I obtained many commissions from that pre-
late, and earned considerable sums of money. 1

During that time I went to draw, sometimes in
Michel Agnolo's chapel, and sometimes in the house
of Agostino Chigi of Siena, which contained many
incomparable paintings by the hand of that great
master Raffaello. 2 This I did on feast-days, because
the house was then inhabited by Messer Gismondo,
Agostino's brother. They plumed themselves ex-
ceedingly when they saw young men of my sort com-
ing to study in their palaces. Gismondo's wife, no-
ticing my frequent presence in that house she was
a lady as courteous as could be, and of surpassing
beauty came up to me one day, looked at my draw-
ings, and asked me if I was a sculptor or a painter;
to whom I said I was a goldsmith. She remarked
that I drew too well for a goldsmith ; and having made
one of her waiting-maids bring a lily of the finest dia-
monds set in gold, she showed it to me, and bade
me value it. I valued it at 800 crowns. Then she
said that I had very nearly hit the mark, and asked
me whether I felt capable of setting the stones really
well. I said that I should much like to do so, and
began before her eyes to make a little sketch for it,
working all the better because of the pleasure I took
in conversing with so lovely and agreeable a gen-
tlewoman. When the sketch was finished, another

1 This painter, Gio. Francesco Penni, surnamed II Fattore, aided Raphael in his
Roman frescoes and ivas much beloved by him. Together 'with Giulio Romano hi
compkted the imperfel Stanze of the Vatican.

* Cellini here alludes to the Sistine Chapel and to the Villa Farnesina in Trastevere,
built by the Sienese banker, Agostino Chigi. It 'was here that Raphael painted his
Galatea a?td the 'whole fable of Cupid and Psyche.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

Roman lady of great beauty joined us ; she had been
above, and now descending to the ground-floor,
asked Madonna Porzia what she was doing there.
She answered with a smile: "I am amusing myself
by watching this worthy young man at his drawing ;
he is as good as he is handsome/' I had by this time
acquired a trifle of assurance, mixed, however, with
some honest bashfulness; so I blushed and said:
" Such as I am, lady, I shall ever be most ready to
serve you." The gentlewoman, also slightly blush-
ing, said: "You know well that I want you to serve
me;" and reaching me the lily, told me to take it
away; and gave me besides twenty golden crowns
which she had in her bag, and added : " Set me the
jewel after the fashion you have sketched, and keep
for me the old gold in which it is now set." On this
the Roman lady observed : " If I were in that young
man's body, I should go off without asking leave."
Madonna Porzia replied that virtues rarely are at
home with vices, and that if I did such a thing, I should
strongly belie my good looks of an honest man. Then
turning round, she took the Roman lady's hand, and
with a pleasant smile said: "Farewell, Benvenuto."
I stayed on a short while at the drawing I was mak-
ing, which was a copy of a Jove by Raffaello. When
I had finished it and left the house, I set myself to
making a little model of wax, in order to show how
the jewel would look when it was completed. This
I took to Madonna Porzia, whom I found with the
same Roman lady. Both of them were highly satis-
fied with my work, and treated me so kindly that,
being somewhat emboldened, I promised the jewel

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

should be twice as good as the model. Accordingly
I set hand to it, and in twelve days I finished it in
the form of a fleur-de-lys, as I have said above, or-
namenting it with little masks, children, and ani-
mals, exquisitely enamelled, whereby the diamonds
which formed the lily were more than doubled in
effea.

While I was working at this piece, Lucagnolo, of
whose ability I have before spoken, showed consid-
erable discontent, telling me over and over again that
I might acquire far more profit and honour by help-
ing him to execute large plate, as I had done at first.
I made him answer that, whenever I chose, I should
always be capable of working at great silver pieces ;
but that things like that on which I was now engaged
were not commissioned every day ; and beside their
bringing no less honour than large silver plate,
there was also more profit to be made by them. He
laughed me in the face, and said: "Wait and see,
Benvenuto; for by the time that you have finished
that work of yours, I will make haste to have fin-
ished this vase, which I took in hand when you did
the jewel ; and then experience shall teach you what
profit I shall get from my vase, and what you will
get from your ornament." I answered that I was
very glad indeed to enter into such a competition
with so good a craftsman as he was, because the
end would show which of us was mistaken. Accord-
ingly both the one and the other of us, with a scorn-
ful smile upon our lips, bent our heads in grim ear-

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

nest to the work, which both were now desirous of
accomplishing ; so that after about ten days, each had
finished his undertaking with great delicacy and
artistic skill.

Lucagnolo's was a huge silver piece, used at the
table of Pope Clement, into which he flung away
bits of bone and the rind of divers fruits, while eat-
ing; an obje6l of ostentation rather than necessity.
The vase was adorned with two fine handles, to-
gether with many masks, both small and great, and
masses of lovely foliage, in as exquisite a style of
elegance as could be imagined; on seeing which
I said it was the most beautiful vase that ever I
set eyes on. Thinking he had convinced me, Luca-
gnolo replied: "Your work seems to me no less
beautiful, but we shall soon perceive the difference
between the two/' So he took his vase and carried
it to the Pope, who was very well pleased with it,
and ordered at once that he should be paid at the
ordinary rate of such large plate. Meanwhile I car-
ried mine to Madonna Porzia, who looked at it with
astonishment, and told me I had far surpassed my
promise. Then she bade me ask for my reward
whatever I liked ; for it seemed to her my desert
was so great that if I craved a castle she could
hardly recompense me; but since that was not in
her hands to bestow, she added laughing that I
must beg what lay within her power. I answered
that the greatest reward I could desire for my
labour was to have satisfied her ladyship. Then,
smiling in my turn, and bowing to her, I took my
leave, saying I wanted no reward but that. She

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

turned to the Roman lady and said: "You see that
the qualities we discerned in him are companied by
virtues, and not vices." They both expressed their
admiration, and then Madonna Porzia continued:
"Friend Benvenuto, have you never heard it said
that when the poor give to the rich, the devil
laughs?" I replied: "Quite true! and yet, in the
midst of all his troubles, I should like this time to
see him laugh;" and as I took my leave, she said
that this time she had no will to bestow on him that
favour.

When I came back to the shop, Lucagnolo had
the money for his vase in a paper packet ; and on
my arrival he cried out: "Come and compare the
price of your jewel with the price of my plate." I
said that he must leave things as they were till the
next day, because I hoped that even as my work
in its kind was not less excellent than his, so I
should be able to show him quite an equal price
for it.

XXI

On the day following, Madonna Porzia sent a
major-domo of hers to my shop, who called me out,
and putting into my hands a paper packet full of
money from his lady, told me that she did not
choose the devil should have his whole laugh out:
by which she hinted that the money sent me was
not the entire payment merited by my industry, and
other messages were added worthy of so courteous
a lady. Lucagnolo, who was burning to compare
his packet with mine, burst into the shop; then in

c us :

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

the presence of twelve journeymen and some neigh-
bours, eager to behold the result of this competition,
he seized his packet, scornfully exclaiming "Ou!
ou ! " three or four times, while he poured his money
on the counter with a great noise. They were
twenty-five crowns in giulios; and he fancied that
mine would be four or five crowns di moneta. 1 I for
my part, stunned and stifled by his cries, and by the
looks and smiles of the bystanders, first peeped into
my packet; then, after seeing that it contained no-
thing but gold, I retired to one end of the counter,
and, keeping my eyes lowered and making no noise
at all, I lifted it with both hands suddenly above
my head, and emptied it like a mill hopper. 2 My
coin was twice as much as his; which caused the
onlookers, who had fixed their eyes on me with
some derision, to turn round suddenly to him and
say: "Lucagnolo, Benvenuto's pieces, being all of
gold and twice as many as yours, make a far finer
efFecl/' I thought for certain that, what with jeal-
ousy and what with shame, Lucagnolo would have
fallen dead upon the spot; and though he took the
third part of my gain, since I was a journeyman
(for such is the custom of the trade, two-thirds fall
to the workman and one-third to the masters of the
shop ) , yet inconsiderate envy had more power in him
than avarice: it ought indeed to have worked quite

1 Scitdi di giuli and scudi di moneta. The giulionuas a silver coin 'worth 56 Italian
centimes. The scudi di moneta nuas 'worth 10 giulios. Cellini was paid in golden
crowns, which had a much higher value. The scudo and the ducato at this epoch
'were reckoned at 7 /ire, the lira at 20 soldi.

2 The packet 'was funnel-shaped, and Cellini poured the coins out from the broad
end.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

the other way, he being a peasant's son from lesi.
He cursed his art and those who taught it him, vow-
ing that thenceforth he would never work at large
plate, but give his whole attention to those whoreson
gewgaws, since they were so well paid. Equally en-
raged on my side, I answered that every bird sang
its own note; that he talked after the fashion of the
hovels he came from ; but that I dared swear that
I should succeed with ease in making his lubberly
lumber, while he would never be successful in my
whoreson gewgaws. 1 Thus I flung off in a passion,
telling him that I would soon show him that I spoke
truth. The bystanders openly declared against him,
holding him for a lout, as indeed he was, and me for
a man, as I had proved myself.

XXII

Next day, I went to thank Madonna Porzia, and told
her that her ladyship had done the opposite of what
she said she would ; for that while I wanted to make
the devil laugh, she had made him once more deny
God. We both laughed pleasantly at this, and she
gave me other commissions for fine and substantial
work.

Meanwhile, I contrived, by means of a pupil of
Raffaello da JJrbino, to get an order from the Bishop
of Salamanca for one of those great water-vessels
called acquereccia, which are used for ornaments to
place on sideboards. He wanted a pair made of equal
size; and one of them he intrusted to Lucagnolo,
the other to me. Giovan Francesco, the painter I

1 The t*wo slang phrases translated above are bordellerie and coglionerie.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

have mentioned, gave us the design. 1 Accordingly
I set hand with marvellous good- will to this piece of
plate, and was accommodated with a part of his work-
shop by a Milanese named Maestro Giovan Piero
della Tacca. Having made my preparations, I cal-
culated how much money I should need for certain
affairs of my own, and sent all the rest to assist my
poor father.

It so happened that just when this was being paid
to him in Florence, he stumbled upon one of those
Radicals who were in the Eight at the time when I
got into that little trouble there. It was the very
man who had abused him so rudely, and who swore
that I should certainly be sent into the country with
the lances. Now this fellow had some sons of very
bad morals and repute; wherefore my father said
to him: " Misfortunes can happen to anybody, espe-
cially to men of choleric humour when they are in the
right, even as it happened to my son ; but let the rest
of his life bear witness how virtuously I have brought
him up. Would God, for your well-being, that your
sons may a6l neither worse nor better toward you
than mine do to me. God rendered me able to bring
them up as I have done ; and where my own power
could not reach, 'twas He who rescued them, against
your expectation, out of your violent hands/' On
leaving the man, he wrote me all this story, begging
me for God's sake to praclise music at times, in order
that I might not lose the fine accomplishment which
he had taught me with such trouble. The letter so
overflowed with expressions of the tenderest fatherly

1 That is, II Fattore. See above, p. 114.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

affection, that I was moved to tears of filial piety,
resolving, before he died, to gratify him amply with
regard to music. Thus God grants us those lawful
blessings which we ask in prayer, nothing doubting.

XXIII

While I was pushing forward Salamanca's vase, I
had only one little boy as help, whom I had taken
at the entreaty of friends, and half against my own
will, to be my workman. He was about fourteen
years of age, bore the name of Paulino, and was
son to a Roman burgess, who lived upon the income
of his property. Paulino was the best-mannered, the
most honest, and the most beautiful boy I ever saw
in my whole life. His modest ways and actions, to-
gether with his superlative beauty and his devotion
to myself, bred in me as great an affection for him
as a man's breast can hold. This passionate love led
me oftentimes to delight the lad with music; for I
observed that his marvellous features, which by com-
plexion wore a tone of modest melancholy, bright-
ened up, and when I took my cornet, broke into a
smile so lovely and so sweet, that I do not marvel
at the silly stories which the Greeks have written
about the deities of heaven. Indeed, if my boy had
lived in those times, he would probably have turned
their heads still more. 1 He had a sister named Faus-
tina, more beautiful, I verily believe, than that Faus-
tina about whom the old books gossip so. Sometimes
he took me to their vineyard, and, so far as I could

1 Gli Arebbe fatti piit uscire de' gangherl ; "Mould have taken them still more off
the hinges.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

judge, it struck me that Paulino's good father would
have welcomed me as a son-in-law. This affair led me
to play more than I was used to do.

It happened at that time that one Giangiacomo of
Cesena, a musician in the Pope's band, and a very
excellent performer, sent word through Lorenzo,
the trumpeter of Lucca, who is now in our Duke's
service, to inquire whether I was inclined to help
them at the Pope's Ferragosto, playing soprano
with my cornet in some motets of great beauty
selected by them for that occasion. 1 Although I had
the greatest desire to finish the vase I had begun,
yet, since music has a wondrous charm of its own,
and also because I wished to please my old father,
I consented to join them. During eight days before
the festival we practised two hours a day together ;
then on the first of August we went to the Bel-
vedere, and while Pope Clement was at table, we
played those carefully studied motets so well that
his Holiness protested he had never heard music
more sweetly executed or with better harmony of
parts. He sent for Giangiacomo, and asked him
where and how he had procured so excellent a cor-
net for soprano, and inquired particularly who I
was. Giangiacomo told him my name in full. Where-
upon the Pope said: "So, then, he is the son of
Maestro Giovanni ? " On being assured I was, the
Pope expressed his wish to have me in his service
with the other bandsmen. Giangiacomo replied:
" Most blessed Father, I cannot pretend for certain
that you will get him, for his profession, to which he

1 The Ferragosto or Feria Augusti <was a festival apon the first of August.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

devotes himself assiduously, is that of a goldsmith,
and he works in it miraculously well, and earns
by it far more than he could do by playing." To
this the Pope added: "I am the better inclined to
him now that I find him possessor of a talent more
than I expected. See that he obtains the same salary
as the rest of you ; and tell him from me to join my
service, and that I will find work enough by the
day for him to do in his other trade." Then stretch-
ing out his hand, he gave him a hundred golden
crowns of the Camera in a handkerchief, and said: 1
" Divide these so that he may take his share."

When Giangiacomo left the Pope, he came to us,
and related in detail all that the Pope had said; and
after dividing the money between the eight of us,
and giving me my share, he said to me : " Now I am
going to have you inscribed among our company."
I replied: "Let the day pass; to-morrow I will give
my answer." When I left them, I went meditating
whether I ought to accept the invitation, inasmuch
as I could not but suffer if I abandoned the noble
studies of my art. The following night my father ap-
peared to me in a dream, and begged me with tears
of tenderest affection, for God's love and his, to en-
ter upon this engagement. Methought I answered
that nothing would induce me to do so. In an instant
he assumed so horrible an aspect as to frighten me
out of my wits, and cried: "If you do not, you will
have a father's curse; but if you do, may you be
ever blessed by me!" When I woke, I ran, for very
fright, to have myself inscribed. Then I wrote to my

1 The Camera Apostolica 'was the Roman Exchequer.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

old father, telling him the news, which so affe6led
him with extreme joy that a sudden fit of illness
took him, and well-nigh brought him to death's door.
In his answer to my letter, he told me that he too
had dreamed nearly the same as I had.

XXIV

Knowing now that I had gratified my father's hon-
est wish, I began to think that everything would
prosper with me to a glorious and honourable end.
Accordingly, I set myself with indefatigable indus-
try to the completion of the vase I had begun for
Salamanca. That prelate was a very extraordinary
man, extremely rich, but difficult to please. He sent
daily to learn what I was doing ; and when his mes-
senger did not find me at home, he broke into fury,
saying that he would take the work out of my hands
and give it to others to finish. This came of my slav-
ery to that accursed music. Still I laboured dili-
gently night and day, until, when I had brought my
work to a point when it could be exhibited, I sub-
mitted it to the inspection of the Bishop. This so in-
creased his desire to see it finished, that I was sorry
I had shown it. At the end of three months I had it
ready, with little animals and foliage and masks, as
beautiful as one could hope to see. No sooner was it
done than I sent it by the hand of my workman, Pau-
lino, to show that able artist Lucagnolo, of whom
I have spoken above. Paulino, with the grace and
beauty which belonged to him, spoke as follows:
" Messer Lucagnolo, Benvenuto bids me say that he
has sent to show you his promises and your lumber,

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

expecting in return to see from you his gewgaws."
This message given, Lucagnolo took up the vase,
and carefully examined it; then he said to Paulino:
" Fair boy, tell your master that he is a great and
able artist, and that I beg him to be willing to have
me for a friend, and not to engage in aught else/'
The mission of that virtuous and marvellous lad
caused me the greatest joy ; and then the vase was
carried to Salamanca, who ordered it to be valued.
Lucagnolo took part in the valuation, estimating and
praising it far above my own opinion. Salamanca, lift-
ing up the vase, cried like a true Spaniard: "I swear
by God that I will take as long in paying him as he
has lagged in making it." When I heard this, I was
exceedingly put out, and fell to cursing all Spain and
every one who wished well to it.

Amongst other beautiful ornaments, this vase had
a handle, made all of one piece, with most delicate
mechanism, which, when a spring was touched, stood
upright above the mouth of it. While the prelate
was one day ostentatiously exhibiting my vase to
certain Spanish gentlemen of his suite, it chanced
that one of them, upon Monsignor's quitting the
room, began roughly to work the handle, and as
the gentle spring which moved it could not bear his
loutish violence, it broke in his hand. Aware what
mischief he had done, he begged the butler who
had charge of the Bishop's plate to take it to the
master who had made it, for him to mend, and pro-
mised to pay what price he asked, provided it was set
to rights at once. So the vase came once more into
my hands, and I promised to put it forthwith in

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

order, which indeed I did. It was brought to me be-
fore dinner ; and at twenty-two o'clock the man who
brought it returned, all in a sweat, for he had run
the whole way, Monsignor having again asked for
it to show to certain other gentlemen. 1 The butler,
then, without giving me time to utter a word, cried:
"Quick, quick, bring the vase." I, who wanted to
acl: at leisure and not to give it up to him, said that
I did not mean to be so quick. The serving-man got
into such a rage that he made as though he would
put one hand to his sword, while with the other he
threatened to break the shop open. To this I put a
stop at once with my own weapon, using therewith
spirited language, and saying: "I am not going to
give it to you ! Go and tell Monsignor, your master,
that I want the money for my work before I let it
leave this shop." When the fellow saw he could not
obtain it by swaggering, he fell to praying me, as
one prays to the Cross, declaring that if I would
only give it up, he would take care I should be paid.
These words did not make me swerve from my pur-
pose; but I kept on saying the same thing. At last,
despairing of success, he swore to come with Span-
iards enough to cut me in pieces. Then he took to
his heels; while I, who inclined to believe partly in
their murderous attack, resolved that I would de-
fend myself with courage. So I got an admirable

1 'the Italians reckoned time from sundown till sundown, counting twenty-four hours.
Twenty-two o'clock 'was therefore two hours before nightfall. One hour of the night
was one hour after nightfall, and so forth. By this system of reckoning, it is clear
that the hours <varied with the season of the year ; and unless we know the exatl
month in which an event took place, we cannot translate any hour into terms of our
own system.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

little gun ready, which I used for shooting game,
and muttered to myself: " He who robs me of my
property and labour may take my life too, and wel-
come/' While I was carrying on this debate in my
own mind, a crowd of Spaniards arrived, led by their
major-domo, who, with the headstrong rashness of
his race, bade them go in and take the vase and give
me a good beating. Hearing these words, I showed
them the muzzle of my gun, and prepared to fire,
and cried in a loud voice: "Renegade Jews, traitors,
is it thus that one breaks into houses and shops in
our city of Rome ? Come as many of you thieves as
like, an inch nearer to this wicket, and Til blow all
their brains out with my gun/' Then I turned the
muzzle toward their major-domo, and making as
though I would discharge it, called out: "And you
big thief, who are egging them on, I mean to kill
you first/' He clapped spurs to the jennet he was
riding, and took flight headlong. The commotion
we were making stirred up all the neighbours, who
came crowding round, together with some Roman
gentlemen who chanced to pass, and cried : " Do but
kill the renegades, and we will stand by you." These
words had the effecl: of frightening the Spaniards in
good earnest. They withdrew, and were compelled
by the circumstances to relate the whole affair to
Monsignor. Being a man of inordinate haughtiness,
he rated the members of his household, both because
they had engaged in such an a6l of violence, and
also because, having begun, they had not gone
through with it. At this juncture the painter, who
had been concerned in the whole matter, came in,

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

and the Bishop bade him go and tell me that if I did
not bring the vase at once, he would make mince-
meat of me; 1 but if I brought it, he would pay its
price down. These threats were so far from terri-
fying me, that I sent him word I was going imme-
diately to lay my case before the Pope.

In the meantime, his anger and my fear subsided ;
whereupon, being guaranteed by some Roman no-
blemen of high degree that the prelate would not
harm me, and having assurance that I should be
paid, I armed myself with a large poniard and my
good coat of mail, and betook myself to his palace,
where he had drawn up all his household. I entered,
and Paulino followed with the silver vase. It was
just like passing through the Zodiac, neither more
nor less; for one of them had the face of the lion,
another of the scorpion, a third of the crab. How-
ever, we passed onward to the presence of the ras-
cally priest, who spouted out a torrent of such lan-
guage as only priests and Spaniards have at their
command. In return I never raised my eyes to look
at him, nor answered word for word. That seemed to
augment the fury of his anger; and causing paper
to be put before me, he commanded me to write an
acknowledgment to the effecl: that I had been amply
satisfied and paid in full. Then I raised my head,
and said I should be very glad to do so when I had
received the money. The Bishop's rage continued to
rise; threats and recriminations were flung about; but
at last the money was paid, and I wrote the receipt.
Then I departed, glad at heart and in high spirits.

1 Lit. " the largest piece left of me should be my ears"

C 12 9 3

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

XXV

When Pope Clement heard the story he had seen
the vase before, but it was not shown him as my work
he expressed much pleasure and spoke warmly
in my praise, publicly saying that he felt very fa-
vourably toward me. This caused Monsignor Sala-
manca to repent that he had he<5lored over me ; and
in order to make up our quarrel, he sent the same
painter to inform me that he meant to give me large
commissions. I replied that I was willing to under-
take them, but that I should require to be paid in
advance. This speech too came to Pope Clement's
ears, and made him laugh heartily. Cardinal Cibo
was in the presence, and the Pope narrated to him
the whole history of my dispute with the Bishop. 1
Then he turned to one of his people, and ordered
him to go on supplying me with work for the palace.
Cardinal Cibo sent for me, and after some time spent
in agreeable conversation, gave me the order for a
large vase, bigger than Salamanca's. I likewise ob-
tained commissions from Cardinal Cornaro,and many
others of the Holy College, especially Ridolfi and
Salviati; they all kept me well employed, so that I
earned plenty of money. 2

Madonna Porzia now advised me to open a shop
of my own. This I did; and I never stopped work-

1 Innocenzio Cibo Malaspina, Archbishop of Genoa, and nephew of Lorenzo de" Me-
dici. He e was a prelate of vast wealth and a great patron of arts and letters.

2 Marco Cornaro 'was a brother of Caterina, the %ueen of Cyprus. He obtained the
hat in 1492. Niccolb Ridolfi 'was a nephew of Leo X. Giovanni Salviati , the son
of Jacopo mentioned above, p. 84, <was also a nephevj of Leo X., 'who gave him
the hat in 1517.

[ 130 ]

SEBASTIANO DEL

T VII
PIOMBO I

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

ing for that excellent and gentle lady, who paid me
exceedingly well, and by whose means perhaps it
was that I came to make a figure in the world.

I contracted close friendship with Signer Gab-
briello Ceserino, at that time Gonfalonier of Rome,
and executed many pieces for him. One, among the
rest, is worthy of mention. It was a large golden
medal to wear in the hat. I engraved upon it Leda
with her swan; and being very well pleased with
the workmanship, he said he should like to have it
valued, in order that I might be properly paid. Now,
since the medal was executed with consummate
skill, the valuers of the trade set a far higher price
on it than he had thought of. I therefore kept the
medal, and got nothing for my pains. The same
sort of adventures happened in this case as in that
of Salamanca's vase. But I shall pass such matters
briefly by, lest they hinder me from telling things
of greater importance.

XXVI

Since I am writing my life, I must from time to
time diverge from my profession in order to de-
scribe with brevity, if not in detail, some incidents
which have no bearing on my career as artist. On
the morning of St. John's Day I happened to be
dining with several men of our nation, painters,
sculptors, goldsmiths, amongst the most notable of
whom was Rosso and Gianfrancesco, the pupil of
Raflfaello. 1 I had invited them without restraint or

1 St. Johns Day c was the great Florentine Festival, on which all the Guilds iuent
in procession 'with pageants through the city. Of the Florentine painter, II Rosso,

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

ceremony to the place of our meeting; and they
were all laughing and joking, as is natural when
a crowd of men come together to make merry on
so great a festival. It chanced that a light-brained
swaggering young fellow passed by ; he was a sol-
dier of Rienzo da Ceri, who, when he heard the
noise that we were making, gave vent to a string
of opprobrious sarcasms upon the folk of Florence. 1
I, who was the host of those great artists and men
of worth, taking the insult to myself, slipped out
quietly without being observed, and went up to him.
I ought to say that he had a punk of his there, and
was going on with his stupid ribaldries to amuse
her. When I met him, I asked if he was the rash
fellow who was speaking evil of the Florentines.
He answered at once: "I am that man." On this I
raised my hand, struck him in the face, and said:
"And I am this man." Then we each of us drew
our swords with spirit; but the fray had hardly be-
gun when a crowd of persons intervened, who rather
took my part than not, hearing and seeing that I was
in the right.

On the following day a challenge to fight with him
was brought me, which I accepted very gladly, say-
ing that I expected to complete this job far quicker
than those of the other art I practised. So I went at
once to confer with a fine old man called Bevilacqua,

or Maitre Roux, this is the first mention by Cellini. He went to France in 1534,
and died an obscure death there in 1541.

1 This Rienzo, Renzo, or Lorenzo da Ceri, was a captain of adventurers or Con-
dottiere, nvho hired his mercenary forces to paymasters. He defended Crema for
the Venetians in 1514, and conquered Urbinofor the Pope in 1515. Afterwards he
fought for the French in the Italian 'wars. We shall hear more of him again
during the sack of Rome.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

who was reputed to have been the first sword of
Italy, because he had fought more than twenty seri-
ous duels and had always come off with honour.
This excellent man was a great friend of mine ; he
knew me as an artist, and had also been concerned
as intermediary in certain ugly quarrels between
me and others. Accordingly, when he had learned
my business, he answered with a smile : " My Ben-
venuto, if you had an affair with Mars, I am sure
you would come out with honour, because through
all the years that I have known you, I have never
seen you wrongfully take up a quarrel." So he con-
sented to be my second, and we repaired with sword
in hand to the appointed place; but no blood was
shed, for my opponent made the matter up, and I
came with much credit out of the affair. 1 I will not
add further particulars; for though they would be
very interesting in their own way, I wish to keep
both space and words for my art, which has been
my chief inducement to write as I am doing, and
about which I shall have only too much to say.

The spirit of honourable rivalry impelled me to
attempt some other masterpiece, which should equal,
or even surpass, the productions of that able crafts-
man, Lucagnolo, whom I have mentioned. Still I did
not on this account neglect my own fine art of jew-
ellery; and so both the one and the other wrought
me much profit and more credit, and in both of them
I continued to produce things of marked originality.
There was at that time in Rome a very able artist

1 The Italian, restando dal mio airuersario, seems to mean that Cellini 'j opponent
proposed an accommodation, apologised, or stayed the duel at a certain point.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

of Perugia named Lautizio, who worked only in
one department, where he was sole and unrivalled
throughout the world. 1 You must know that at Rome
every cardinal has a seal, upon which his title is en-
graved, and these seals are made just as large as
a child's hand of about twelve years of age; and, as
I have already said, the cardinal's title is engraved
upon the seal together with a great many ornamen-
tal figures. A well-made article of the kind fetches
a hundred, or more than a hundred crowns. This ex-
cellent workman, like Lucagnolo, roused in me some
honest rivalry, although the art he practised is far re-
mote from the other branches of goldsmithery, and
consequently Lautizio was not skilled in making any-
thing but seals. I gave my mind to acquiring his craft
also, although I found it very difficult; and, unre-
pelled by the trouble which it gave me, I went on
zealously upon the path of profit and improvement.
There was in Rome another most excellent crafts-
man of ability, who was a Milanese named Messer
Caradosso." He dealt in nothing but little chiselled
medals, made of plates of metal, and such-like things.
I have seen of his some paxes in half relief, and some
Christs a palm in length wrought of the thinnest
golden plates, so exquisitely done that I esteemed
him the greatest master in that kind I had ever seen,
and envied him more than all the rest together.
There were also other masters who worked at med-

l Ste Cellini i Treatise Oreficeria, cap. <ui.,for more particulars about this artist.
8 His real name 'was Ambrogio Foppa. The nickname Caradosso is said to have
stuck to him in consequence of a Spaniard calling him Beards-face in his o : wn tongue.
He struck Leo A'.'j coins ; and <we possess some excellent medallion portraits by his
hand.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

als carved in steel, which may be called the models
and true guides for those who aim at striking coins
in the most perfect style. All these divers arts I set
myself with unflagging industry to learn.

I must not omit the exquisite art of enamelling,
in which I have never known any one excel save a
Florentine, our countryman, called Amerigo. 1 I did
not know him, but was well acquainted with his
incomparable masterpieces. Nothing in any part of
the world or by any craftsman that. I have seen, ap-
proached the divine beauty of their workmanship.
To this branch too I devoted myself with all my
strength, although it is extremely difficult, chiefly
because of the fire, which, after long time and trouble
spent in other processes, has to be applied at last, and
not unfrequently brings the whole to ruin. In spite of
its great difficulties, it gave me so much pleasure that
I looked upon them as recreation ; and this came from
the special gift which the God of nature bestowed
on me, that is to say, a temperament so happy and
of such excellent parts that I was freely able to ac-
complish whatever it pleased me to take in hand. The
various departments of art which I have described
are very different one from the other, so that a man
who excels in one of them, if he undertakes the others,
hardly ever achieves the same success; whereas I
strove with all my power to become equally versed
in all of them: and in the proper place I shall demon-
strate that I attained my object.

'For Aim, consult Cellini s Oreficeria.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

XXVII

At that time, while I was still a young man of about
twenty-three, there raged a plague of such extraor-
dinary 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 sug-
gested, 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 fowling-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 fowling-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 will give but one partic-
ular, 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 hun-
dred paces point-blank. It is true that the great de-
light I took in this exercise bid fair to withdraw me
from my art and studies ; yet in another way it gave

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

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 con-
stitution. 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 bet-
ter 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 1 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, cor-
nelians, 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 a mere trifle; and I very often, when I
met them, paid the latter several times as many
golden crowns as they had given giulios 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 car-
dinals of Rome. I will only touch upon a few of the
most notable and 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 sur-

1 Stcrvano alle <velette. Perhaps lay in wait for.

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

passed 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 equalled nature ; it was as large as a big hazel-
nut, with the head of Minerva in a style of incon-
ceivable beauty. I remember yet another precious
stone, different from these; it was a cameo, engraved
with Hercules binding Cerberus of the triple throat ;
such was its beauty and the skill of its workman-
ship, that our great Michel Agnolo 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 prolix.

XXVIII

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. There arrived in Rome a sur-
geon of the highest renown, who was called Maes-
tro Giacomo da Carpi. 1 This able man, in the course
of his other practice, undertook the most desperate

1 Giacomo Berengario da Carpi was, in fafl, a great physician, surgeon, and stu-
dent of anatomy. He is said to have been the first to use mercury in the cure of
syphilis, a disease 'which was devastating Italy after the year 1495. He amassed

I 138 ^

cases of the so-called French disease. In Rome this
kind of illness is very partial to the priests, and es-
pecially 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 coun-
ter, 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 differ-
ent 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 hun-
dred times as much; for the best craftsmen in the
goldsmith's trade declared they had never seen any-
thing 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 fain have had him
in his service, but he replied that he would not take
service with anybody in the world, and that whoso

a large fortune, 'which, nvhen he died at Ferrara about 1 530, he bequeathed to the
Duke there.

C *S9 3

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

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 per-
sons of quality ; amongst others, to the most excel-
lent Duke of Ferrara, and pretended that he had
got them from a great 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 Bendedio in
Ferrara, who with great ostentation showed me some
earthenware copies he possessed of them. 1 There-
upon I laughed, and as I said nothing, Messer Al-
berto Bendedio, 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 de-
prive them of so eminent a 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

1 See Book II. Chap. <viii.,for a full account of this incident at Ferrara.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

have been speaking was, in their opinion, of marvel-
lous 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 draw-
ings of the vases ; for my word alone was not enough,
inasmuch as Maestro Giacomo had cunningly in-
sisted upon carrying off the old drawings with him.
By this little job I earned a fair amount of money.

XXIX

The plague went dragging on for many months,
but I had as yet managed to keep it at bay; for
though several of my comrades were dead, I sur-
vived in health and freedom. Now it chanced one
evening that an intimate comrade of mine brought
home to supper a Bolognese prostitute named Faus-
tina. 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 crush-

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

ing headache seized me; several boils appeared on
my left arm, together with a carbuncle 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 certain I was a dead man.

Just then the father of the lad went by, who was
physician to the Cardinal lacoacci,' and lived as
member of that prelate's household. 2 The boy called
out: "Come, father, and see Benvenuto; he is in
bed with some trifling indisposition/' Without think-
ing what my complaint might be, the do6lor 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 an-
swer: "Why, father, this man my master is worth
far more than all the cardinals in Rome." Then the
do6lor 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?" 3 1 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, con-

1 Probably Domenico lacobacci, nuho obtained the hat in 151 7.

a A sua prwisione starva, i.e., he was in the Cardinal's regular pay.

J Quanta. Perhaps vve ought to read quando nuhen?

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

sidering the sores are so new, and have not yet be-
gun to stink, and that the remedies will be taken in
time, you need 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 com-
miserating 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 be-
sought 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 re-
move 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. 1 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 improve-
ment, 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 fin-

1 Come ancora io a<ve c vo fatto secondo Vusanza che promettava quelT arrabbiata
stagione. I am not sure that I have given the right sense in the text above. Le-
clanche interprets the words thus : " that I too had fared according to the ivont of
that appalling season" i.e., had died of the plague. But I think the version in my
sense is more true both to Italian and to Cellini" s special style. .

C 143 ]

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

gers long, and was exa&ly as big as a well-grown
bear; indeed he looked just like a bear. I rode out
on him to visit the painter Rosso, who was then liv-
ing in the country, toward Civita Vecchia, at a place
of Count Anguillara's, called Cervetera. 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 laugh-
ing, 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, en-
joying 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 sea shells 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 Moor-
ish privateer. When they thought that they had run
me into a certain passage, where it seemed impossi-
ble that I should escape from their hands, I suddenly
mounted my pony, resolved to be roasted or boiled
alive at that pass 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

1 i.e., to escape either being drowned or shot.

C 144 ]

GIULIO ROMANO
(BY HIMSELF)

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

following I went back sound and with good cheer
to Rome.

XXX

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
Agnolo. 1 He was a Sienese and a man of great ability,
who could hold his own against any other workman
in that art; but, above all, he was the most amusing
comrade and the heartiest good fellow in the uni-
verse. Of all the members of the club, he was the
eldest, and yet the youngest from the strength and
vigour of his body. We often came together; at the
very least twice a week. I must not omit to mention
that our society counted Giulio Romano, the painter,
and Gian Francesco, both of them celebrated pupils
of the mighty Raffaello da Urbino.

After many and many merry meetings, it seemed
good to our worthy president that for the follow-
ing 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
Agnolo gave to women in the club ) , and that whoso
did not bring one should be sconced by paying a
supper to the whole company. Those of us who had

1 This sculptor came to Rome 'with his compatriot Baldassare Peruzzi, and nuas
employed upon the monument of Pope Adrian 71., 'which he executed 'with some
help from Tribolo.

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

no familiarity with women of the town, were forced
to purvey themselves at no small trouble and ex-
pense, in order to appear without disgrace at that
distinguished feast of artists. I had reckoned upon
being well provided with a young woman of consid-
erable beauty, called Pantasilea, who was very much
in love with me ; but I was obliged to give her up to
one of my dearest friends, called II Bachiacca, who
on his side had been, and still was, over head and
ears in love with her. 1 This exchange excited a cer-
tain amount of lover's anger, because the lady, see-
ing I had abandoned her at Bachiacca 's first entreaty,
imagined that I held in slight esteem the great affec-
tion 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 hereafter
in the proper place.

Well, then, the hour was drawing nigh when we
had to present ourselves before that company of men
of genius, each with his own crow ; and I was still un-
provided; and yet I thought it would be stupid to
fail of such a madcap bagatelle ; 3 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

1 There 'were two artists at this epoch sur named Bachiacca, the tnuin sons ofUber-
tino Verdi, called respectively Francesco and Antonio. Francesco <was an excellent
painter of miniature oil-piclures ; Antonio the first embroiderer of his age. The one
alluded to here is probably Francesco.

2 Mancare di una si pazza cosa. The pazza cosa may be the supper-party or the
cornacchia.

146 3

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

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 mar-
vellous 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 stud-
ies 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. After-
wards 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

C 147 D

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

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 Rome a summer-cloth ; and when
we reached the place of meeting, the company had
already assembled, and everybody came forward to
greet me. Michel Agnolo had placed himself between
Giulio and Giovan Francesco. I lifted the veil from
the head of my beauty ; and then Michel Agnolo, who,
as I have already said, was the most humorous and
amusing fellow in the world, laid his two hands, the
one on Giulio's and the other on Gian 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 ye see that they are not all of the male gender."
Then with a loud voice he added:

" Angel beauteous, angel best,
Save me thou, make thou me blest"

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 Ag-

148

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

nolo 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 Agnolo. My lad be-
gan to read them, and read them all aloud so grace-
fully, that his infinite charms were heightened be-
yond the powers of language to describe. Then fol-
lowed conversation and witty sayings, 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
Agnolo and said:" My dear Michel Agnolo, your nick-
name of crow very well suits those ladies to-day,
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 fair 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 deserts. As a background to the women, there
was spread an espalier of natural jasmines in full

1 Virtuosamente. Cellini uses the word 'virtuoso in many senses, but akways more
ivitA reference to intellectual than moral qualities. It denotes genius, artistic abil-
ity, masculine force, Sfr .

[ 149 H

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

beauty, 1 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 oy a short concert of
delightful music, voices joining in harmony with in-
struments ; and forasmuch as they were singing and
playing from the book, my beauty begged to be al-
lowed to sing his part. He performed the music bet-
ter than almost all the rest, which so astonished the
company that Giulio and Michel Agnolo dropped their
earlier tone of banter, exchanging it for well- weighed
terms of sober heartfelt admiration.

After the music was over, a certain Aurelio As-
colano, 2 remarkable for his gift as an improvisatory
poet, began to extol the women in choice phrases
of exquisite compliment. While 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 Pantasilea'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

1 Un tessuto di gelsumini naturali e bellissimi. Tessuto is properly something woven,
a fabric ; and I am not sure 'whether Cellini does not mean that the ladies had
behind their backs a tapestry representing jasmines in a natural manner.
3 Probably Eurialo d'Ascoli, a friend ofCaro, Molza, Aretino.

C 150 ]

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

Pomona for the nonce; and 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 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 gibing 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 Agnolo, assuming a
fierce aspecl, called out for leave to inflicl: 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 punish-
ment 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.

XXXI

It would take too long to describe in detail all the
many and divers pieces of work which I executed for
a great variety of men. At present I need only say
that I devoted mysellf with sustained diligence and
industry to acquiring mastery in the 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

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

for describing my most notable performances, I shall
wait to report them in their proper place before very
long. The Sienese sculptor, Michel Agnolo,of whom
I have recently been speaking, was at that time mak-
ing the monument of the late Pope Adrian. Giulio
Romano went to paint for the Marquis 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 poniards; 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 im-
plements 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 try my own
skill in that branch, so different from the others which
I practised ; and finding that I succeeded to my sat-
isfaction, I executed several pieces. Mine were far
more beautiful and more durable than the Turkish,
and this for divers 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 arum leaves with a few small sunflowers; 1 and
though 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

1 Gichero, arum maculatum, and clizia, the sunflower.

152

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

leaves of briony 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
divers 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 wild
flowers, as, for instance, in snapdragons and some
few other plants, which must be combined and devel-
oped 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 stu-
dents 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 com-
monly called grottoes ), 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 chimeri-
cal hybrids by the name of monsters ; and the mod-
ern artificers of whom I spoke, fashioned from the
foliage which they copied monsters of like nature;
for these the proper name is therefore monsters, and

C 153 D

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

not grotesques. Well, then, I designed patterns of
this kind, and filled them in with gold, as I have men-
tioned ; and they were far more pleasing to the eye
than the Turkish.

It chanced at that time that I lighted upon some
jars or 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 at that epoch to wear little
golden medals, upon which every nobleman or man
of quality had some device or fancy of his own en-
graved ; 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 ad-
mirable craftsman Caradosso, 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, be-
cause his prices were so high, but because he worked
so slowly I began to be employed by certain no-
li *54 3

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

blemen, 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 in-
finity of labour. These men of quality, when they
compared my piece with that of the famous Cara-
dosso, declared that mine was by far the better exe-
cuted and more beautiful, and bade me ask what
I liked as the reward of my trouble ; for since I had
given them such perfe6l satisfaction, they wished
to do the like by me. I replied that my greatest re-
ward and what I most desired was to have rivalled 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
present, that I was well content ; indeed there grew
in me so great a spirit to do well, that to this event
I attribute what will afterwards be related of my
progress.

XXXII

I shall be obliged to digress a little from the history
of my art, unless I were to omit some annoying in-
cidents 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 artists' club, and
of the farcical adventures which happened owing to
the woman whom I mentioned, Pantasilea, 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

C 155 ]

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

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 Pulcis, who had been beheaded for incest
with his daughter ; and the youth possessed extraor-
dinary gifts for poetry together with sound Latin
scholarship ; he wrote well, was graceful in manners,
and of surprising personal beauty; he had just left
the service 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 improvisator!, sang there. His recitations were
so admirable, that the divine Michel Agnolo Buonar-
roti, 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 Piloto,agoldsmith,very ablein his art, who,
together with myself, joined Buonarroti upon these
occasions. 1 Thus acquaintance sprang up between
me and Luigi Pulci; and so, 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 ten-

1 Piloto, of 'whom we shall hear more hereafter, <was a prominent figure in the
Florentine society of artists, and a celebrated practical joker. Vasari says that a
young man of 'whom he had spoken ill murdered him. Lascars Novellf, Le Cene,
should be studied by those who seek an insight into this curious Bohemia of the
sixteenth century.

C 156 ]

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

derness 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,
recognising the great benefits he had received from
me, oftentimes with words and tears returned me
thanks, protesting that if God should ever put good
fortune in his way, he would recompense me for my
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 should repay
the service I had rendered him by doing likewise to
some one who might have the same need of him as
he had 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 Gurgensis. 1
This bishop had a nephew called Messer Giovanni:
he was a nobleman of Venice ; and the said Messer
Giovanni made show of marvellous attachment to
Luigi Pulci's talents; and under the pretence of
these talents, he brought him as familiar to himself
as his own flesh and blood. Luigi having talked of
me, and of his great obligations to me, with Messer
Giovanni, the latter expressed a wish to make my
acquaintance. Thus then it came to pass, that when
I had upon a certain evening invited that woman

1 Girolamo Balbo, of the noble Venetian family, Bishop of Gurck, in Carinthia.

C 1573

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

Pantasilea to supper, and had assembled a company
of men of parts who were my friends, just at the
moment of our sitting down to table, Messer Gio-
vanni and Luigi Pulci arrived, and after some com-
plimentary speeches, they both remained to sup
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 sup-
per 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. Messer
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 neglecled 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.

[ 158 ]

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

XXXIII

Now Messer Giovanni bought his favourite a very
fine black horse, for which he paid 150 crowns.
The beast was admirably trained to hand, so that
Luigi could go daily to caracole around the lodg-
ings of that prostitute Pantasilea. Though I took
notice of this, I paid it no attention, only remarking
that all things a<5ted 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 the Sienese sculptor,
Michel Agnolo, and the time of the year was sum-
mer. Bachiacca, of whom I have already spoken,
was present at the party ; and he had brought with
him his old flame, Pantasilea. When we were at
table, she sat between me and Bachiacca; but in the
very middle of the banquet she rose, and excused
herself upon the pretext of a natural need, saying
she would speedily return. We, meanwhile, con-
tinued 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 be-
low. 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 Pantasilea; and I
heard Luigi saying: " Oh, if that devil Benvenuto
only saw us, should n't we just catch it ! " She an-
swered: "Have no fear; only listen to the noise
they're making; we are the last thing they're

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

thinking of." At these words, having made them
both well out, I leaped from the window, and took
Luigi by the cape ; and certainly I should then have
killed him with the knife I held, 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. Pantasilea 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 ac-
count, 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 remon-
strances of those ingenious and worthy men, but
took my sword, and went alone toward Prati: the
house where we were supping, I should say, stood
close to the Castello gate, which led to Prati. 1 Walk-
ing thus upon the road to Prati, 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.

Toward two hours after sunset, I walked along
Pantasilea'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 Canida was in the house, I went

1 The Porta Castello 'was the gate called after the Castle of S. Angela. Prati, so
far as I can make out, 'was an open space bet'ween the Borgo and the Bridge of
S. Angela. In order to get inside Rome itself, Cellini had to pass a second gate. His
wan lodging and Pantasilea s house nvere in the quarter of the Bianchi, 'where are
now the Via Giulia and Via de* Bane hi Vecchl.

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

to put away my cloak and the scabbard of my sword,
and then returned to the house, which stood behind
the Banchi 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 Bachiacca 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 erred in no wise in this
matter no, not at all." When I heard what he was
saying, I replied : " If you don't take yourself offnow,
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 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 the one side and
the other. It turned out to be Luigi and Pantasilea,
attended by a certain Messer Benvegnato of Perugia,
who was chamberlain to Pope Clement, and followed
by four doughty 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,

[ 161 1

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

I did my best to crouch into the hedge. But the thorns
pricked and hurt me, goading me to madness like a
bull ; and I had half resolved to take a leap and hazard
my escape. Just then Luigi, with his arm round Pan-
tasilea's neck, was heard crying: "I must kiss you
once again, if only to insult that traitor Benvenuto."
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 satyrs
who doted on him, had steeled his person round with
coats of mail and such-like villainous defences ; still
the stroke fell with crushing force. Swerving aside,
the sword hit Pantasilea full in nose and mouth. Both
she and Luigi grovelled on the ground, while Bachi-
acca, with his breeches down to heels, screamed
out and ran away. Then I turned upon the others
boldly with my sword; and those valiant fellows,
hearing a 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 this hurly-burly,
some of the soldiers and captains wounded themselves
with their own arms ; and Messer Benvegnato, the
Pope's chamberlain, was kicked and trampled by his

[ 162 J

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

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 Peru-
gian jargon, crying out: " By the body of God, I will
take care that Benvegnato teaches Benvenuto how
to live." He afterwards commissioned one of the cap-
tains 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 my retirement; that was the palace of
a great Neapolitan nobleman, who had become ac-
quainted with me in my art, and had 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 strumpet, and the rest were healing,
this great Neapolitan nobleman received overtures
from Messer Benvegnato; for the prelate's anger
had cooled, and he proposed to ratify a peace be-
tween me and Luigi and the soldiers, who had per-
sonally no quarrel with me, and only wished to make
my acquaintance. Accordingly my friend the noble-
man 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 bandied about on either side, seeing that
would be little to their credit; it was enough to go

C 16 3 3

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

through the form of drinking together and exchan-
ging kisses ; he for his part undertook to do the talk-
ing, and promised to settle the matter to their hon-
our. This arrangement was carried out. On Thurs-
day evening my protestor took me to the house of
Messer Benvegnato, where all the soldiers who had
been present at that discomfiture were assembled,
and already seated at table. My nobleman was at-
tended by thirty brave fellows, all well armed; a
circumstance which Messer Benvegnato had not an-
ticipated. When we came into the hall, he walking
first, I following, he spake to this effect: "God save
you, gentlemen; we have come to see you, I and
Benvenuto, whom I love like my own brother ; and
we are ready to do whatever you propose." Messer
Benvegnato, seeing the hall fill 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 and his catchpoles should
give me no trouble. Then we made peace, and I re-
turned 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 heel and bridle. One day,
among others, after it had rained a little, and he was
making his horse curvet just before Pantasilea'sdoor,
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 Pantasilea's lodgings,
discharging thus the vow he registered so heartily

164 H

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

to Heaven. Even so may it be seen that God keeps
account of the good and the bad, and gives to each
one what he merits.

xxxiv

The whole world was now in warfare. 1 Pope Cle-
ment 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. 2 On this account I retired to a good snug house
behind the Banchi, 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 Gio-
vanni de' Medici in Lombardy, the Pope, at the ad-
vice of Messer Jacopo Salviati, dismissed the five
bands he had engaged; and when the Constable of
Bourbon knew 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 the time when the Colon-
nesi entered Rome, had requested me to guard his
palace. 3 On this more serious occasion, therefore, he

1 War had broken out in 1 521 between Charles V. and Francis I., 'which disturbed
all Europe and involved the States of Italy in serious complications. At the moment
'when this chapter opens, the Imperialist army under the Constable of ftourbon 'was
marching upon Rome in 1527.

* These troops entered Rome in Oflober 1526. They 'were disbanded in March 1527.
3 Cellini here refers to the attack made upon Rome by the great Ghibelline house of
Colonna, led by their chief captain, Pompeo, in September 1 526. They took possession
of the city and drove Clement into the Castle of S. Angela, 'where they forced him
to agree to terms favouring the Imperial cause. It 'was customary for Roman gentle-

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

prayed me to enlist fifty comrades for the protection
of the said house, appointing me their captain, as I had
been when the Colonnesi came. So I collected fifty
young men of the highest courage, and we took up
our quarters in his palace, with good pay and excel-
lent appointments.

Bourbon's army had now arrived before the walls
of Rome, and Alessandro begged me to go with him
to reconnoitre. So we went with one of the stoutest
fellows in our company ; and on the way a youth called
Cecchino della Casa joined himself to us. On reach-
ing the walls by the Campo Santo, we could see that
famous army, which was making every effort to en-
ter 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 mad-
dest 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 arquebuse where I saw the thickest and
most serried 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

men to hire bra'vifor the defence of their palaces 'when any extraordinary disturb-
ance 'was expefted, as , for example, upon the 'vacation of the Papal Chair.

CASTELLO SANT ANGELO
ROME

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

Alessandro and Cecchino, and bade them discharge
their arquebuses, 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 observ-
ing among the enemy a most extraordinary confu-
sion, 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. 1

Quitting our position on the ramparts, we crossed
the Campo Santo, and entered the city by St. Pe-
ter's ; then coming out exactly at the church of Santo
Agnolo, we got with the greatest difficulty to the
great gate of the castle; for the* generals Renzo di
Ceri and Orazio Baglioni were wounding and slaugh-
tering everybody who abandoned the defence of the
walls. 2 By the time we had reached the great gate,
part of the foemen 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 cap-
tain Pallone de' Medici claimed me as being of the
Papal household, and forced me to abandon Ales-
sandro, which I had to do, much against my will. I

1 All historians of the sack of Rome agree in saying that Bourbon 'was shot dead
'while placing ladders against the outworks near the shop Cellini mentions. But the
honour of firing the arquebuse 'which brought him down cannot be assigned to any
one in particular. Very different stories 'were current on the subjefl. See Gregoro-
vius, Stadt Rom, 'vol. e uiii. p. 522.

8 For Renzo di Ceri see above, p. 132. Orazio Baglioni, of the semi-princely Perugian
family, 'was a distinguished Condottiere. He subsequently obtained the captaincy of
the Bande Nere, and died fighting near Naples in 1528. Orazio murdered several
of his cousins in order to acquire the lords hip of Perugia. His brother Malatesta under-
took to defend Florence in the siege 0/^1530, and sold the city by treason to Clement.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

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. Pe-
ter earlier, being unable to believe that his enemies
would effect their entrance into Rome. 1 Having got
into the castle in this way, I attached myself to cer-
tain pieces of artillery, which were under the com-
mand 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 fling-
ing the burning fuse upon the ground, he wept as
though his heart would break, and tore his cheeks
with both his hands. 2 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 falconets 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 pos-
sibly have entered it with ease, because the artillery
was doing them no damage. I went on firing under

1 Giovio, in his Life of the Cardinal Prospero Colonna, relates how he accom-
panied Clement in his flight from the Vatican to the castle. While passing some open
portions of the gallery, he threw his violet mantle and cap of a Monsignore over
the 'white stole of the Pontiff, for fear he might be shot at by the soldiers in the
streets below.

2 The short autobiography of Raffaello da Montelupo, a man in many respeSs re-
sembling Cellini, confirms this part of our author's narrative. It is one of the most
interesting pieces of evidence regarding what went on inside the castle during the
sack of Rome. Montelupo was also a gunner, and commanded two pieces.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

the eyes of several cardinals and lords, who kept bless-
ing me and giving me the heartiest encouragement.
In my enthusiasm I strove to achieve the impossi-
ble ; let it suffice that it was I who saved the castle
that morning, and brought the other bombardiers
back to their duty. 1 1 worked hard the whole of that
day ; and when the evening came, while the army
was marching into Rome through the Trastevere,
Pope Clement appointed a great Roman nobleman
named Antonio Santacroce to be captain of all the
gunners. The first thing this man did was to come
to me, and having greeted me with the utmost kind-
ness, he stationed me with five fine pieces of artil-
lery 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
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 I 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 extraor-
dinary sights) stayed gazing on the indescribable
scene of tumult and conflagration in the streets be-
low. People who were anywhere else but where we

1 This is an instance of Cellini's exaggeration. He did more t han yeoman 's service, no
doubt. But f we cannot belie<ve that, 'without him, the castle 'would ha-ve been taken.

C 1(? 9 3

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

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 cir-
cumstances which properly belong to it.

xxxv

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 my self outside the sphere of my profes-
sion, I will omit the larger part of them, only touch-
ing 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
Santacroce had made me come down from the Angel,
in order to fire on some houses in the neighbourhood,
where certain of our besiegers had been seen to enter.
While I was firing, a cannon shot reached me, which
hit 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 say-
ing. Among them all, Messer Antonio Santacroce
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
Gianfrancesco, and was a bandsman, but was far more
naturally given to medicine than to music. On the

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

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 worm-
wood was well soaked, he laid it on my breast, just
where the bruise was visible to all. Such was the vir-
tue 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 so doing 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 doing
me more mischief than the blow. However, I escaped
that danger, and returned to the rage and fury of
the guns, pursuing my work there with all the abil-
ity and eagerness that I could summon.

Pope Clement, by this, had sent to demand assist-
ance 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 sum-
mit, 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 bea-
cons and firing the guns for this purpose; and all this
while I pointed my artillery by day upon the places
where mischief could be done. The Pope, in conse-
quence, began to regard me with still greater favour,
because he saw that I discharged my functions as in-
telligently as the task demanded. Aid from the Duke

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

of Urbino never came ; on which, as it is not my busi-
ness, I will make no further comment. 1

xxxvi

While I was at work upon that diabolical task of
mine, there came from time to time to watch me
some of the cardinals who were invested in the cas-
tle ; and most frequently the Cardinal of Ravenna and
the Cardinal de' Gaddi. 2 1 often told them not to show
themselves, since their nasty red caps gave a fair
mark to our enemies. From 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 Bagli-
oni, 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
di Castello, which bore the name of Baccanello. This
tavern had for sign a sun painted between two win-
dows, of a bright red colour. The windows being
closed, Signor Orazio concluded that a band of sol-
diers were carousing at table just between them and

1 Francesco Maria della Rovere, Duke of Urbino, commanded a considerable army
as general of the Church, and 'was now aflingfor Venice. Why he effected no di-
version while the Imperial troops 'were marching upon Rome, and 'why he delayed
to relieve the city, was never properly explained. Folk attributed his impotent con-
duff partly to a natural sluggishness in warfare, and partly to his hatred for the
house of Medici. Leo X. had deprived him of his dukedom, and given it to a Medi-
cean prince. It is to this that Cellini probably refers in the cautious phrase ivhich
ends the chapter.

* Benedetto Accolti of Arezzo, Archbishop of Ravenna in 1 524, obtained the hat in
1527, three days before the sack of Rome. He was a distinguished man of letters.
Niccolo Gaddi was created Cardinal on the same day as Accolti. We shall hear
more of him in Cellini's pages.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

behind the sun. So he said to me: " Benvenuto, if you
think that you could hit that wall an ell's breadth
from the sun with your demi-cannon 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 be-
tween Cardinal Farnese and Messer Jacopo Salviati. 1
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 opprobrious remarks, my
gabion fell without destroying them. When he heard
the uproar in the court below, good Signor Orazio
dashed off in a hurry; and I, thrusting my neck for-
ward where the cask had fallen, heard some people
saying: "It would not be a bad job to kill that gun-

1 Alessandro Farnese, Dean of the Sacred College, and afterwards Pope Paul HI.
OfGiacopo Safoiati <we ha<ve already heard, p. 84.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

ner ! " 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. Recog-
nising some who were approaching, I called out:
" You lazy lubbers, if you don't pack off from there,
and if but a man's child among you dares to touch
the staircase, I have got two cannon loaded, which
will blow you into powder. Go and tell the Cardi-
nal that I was acting at the order of superior officers,
and that what we have done and are doing is in de-
fence of them priests, 1 and not to hurt them." They
made away; and then came Signor Orazio Baglioni,
running. I bade 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 neighbours, 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 askance. Upon this he

1 Loro preti. Perhaps their priests.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

began to laugh, and the colour 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 revenging my father on
Messer Jacopo Salviati, who had grievously injured
him, according to my father's frequent 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 been if I had killed him.

XXXVII

I pursued my business of artilleryman, and every
day performed some extraordinary feat, whereby
the credit and the favour I acquired with the Pope
was something indescribable. There never passed
a day but what I killed one or another of our ene-
mies in the besieging army. On one occasion the
Pope was walking round the circular keep, 1 when

1 'the Mast'io or main body of Hadrian s Mausoleum, which 'was converted into a
fortress during the Middle Ages.

c ns :

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

he observed a Spanish Colonel in the Prati ; he rec-
ognised 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
all this, but spied a fellow down there, busying
himself about the trenches with a javelin in his
hand; he was dressed entirely in rose-colour; and
so, studying the worst that I could do against him,
I selected a gerfalcon which I had at hand ; it is a
piece of ordnance larger and longer than a swivel,
and about the size of a demi-culverin. This I emp-
tied, 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 calibre could hardly be ex-
peeled to carry true at such a distance. I fired, and
hit my man exactly in the middle. He had trussed
his sword in front, 1 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 expect-
ing 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
halves, neither he nor I could know. Upon my

1 S*a<VFua messo la spada dinanzi. Perhaps was tearing his siuord in front of him.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

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. Thereat 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 per-
petrated, or should ever perpetrate, in the service
of the Apostolic Church. When I left 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 stud-
ies in my craft, and my charming art of music, all
were swallowed up in the din 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 them over. 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 defence of Holy
Church, and having noticed that the enemy changed
guard and marched past through 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 bet-

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

ter thought than I had done of the whole situation,
I now turned all my five pieces of artillery direclly
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. 1
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 conse-
quence of this manoeuvre, which I repeated twice,
the soldiers were thrown into such disorder, that be-
ing, moreover, encumbered with the spoils of that
great sack, and some of them desirous of enjoying
the fruits of their labour, they oftentimes showed a
mind to mutiny and take themselves away from Rome.
However, after coming to terms with their valiant
captain, Gian di Urbino, 2 they were ultimately com-
pelled, at their excessive inconvenience, to take an-
other 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 favours by all the men of quality who
were invested in the castle. This incident was so im-
portant that I thought it well to relate it, before fin-
ishing the history of things outside my art, the which
is the real obje<5l of my writing: forsooth, if I wanted
to ornament my biography with such matters, I should
have far too much to tell. There is only one more

1 Sqffioni, the cannon being like tubes to blow afire up.

2 This captain 'was a Spaniard, 'who played a 'very considerable figure in the 'war,
distinguishing himself at the capture of Genoa and the battle of Lodi in 1522, and
afterwards afiing as Lieutenant-General to the Prince of Orange. He held Naples
against Orazio Baglioni in 1528, and died before Spcllo in 1529.

C '78 II

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

circumstance which, now that the occasion offers, I
propose to record.

XXXVIII

I shall skip over some intervening circumstances, and
tell how Pope Clement, wishing to save the tiaras
and the whole collection of the great jewels of the
Apostolic Camera, had me called, and shut himself
up together with me and the Cavalierino in a room
alone. 1 This Cavalierino had been a groom in the
stable of Filippo Strozzi ; he was French, and a per-
son of the lowest birth ; but being a most faithful ser-
vant, the Pope had made him very rich, and confided
in him like himself. So the Pope, the Cavaliere, and
I, being shut up together, they laid before me the
tiaras 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 wrapt
them separately up in bits of paper, and we sewed
them into the linings of the Pope's and the Cava-
liere '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 draught-furnace of bricks, with a largish
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

1 This personage cannot be identified. The Filippo Strozzi mentioned as having been
his master 'was the great opponent of the Medicean despotism, ivho killed himself
in prison after the defeat of Montemurlo in 1 539. He married in early life a daugh-
ter of Piero de" Medici.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

was working, I never left 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 infli6l
considerable damage on them with some useless
missiles, 1 of which there were several piles, forming
the old munition of the castle. I chose a swivel and
a falconet, 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 mis-
chief in the trenches. Accordingly I kept these pieces
always going at the same time that the gold was be-
ing melted down ; and a little before vespers I noticed
some one coming along the margin of the trench on
muleback. 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 immediately opposite ; and so, making
a good calculation, I hit my mark. One of the frag-
ments struck him in the face ; the rest were scattered
on the mule, which fell dead. A tremendous uproar
rose up from the trench ; I opened fire with my other
piece, doing them great hurt. The man turned out
to be the Prince of Orange, who was carried through
the trenches to a certain tavern in the neighbourhood,
whither in a short while all the chief folk of the army
came together.

When Pope Clement heard what I had done, he
sent at once to call for me, and inquired into the
circumstance. I related the whole, and added that
the man must have been of the greatest consequence,

1 Passatojacci.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

because the inn 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 Santacroce, the
nobleman who, as I have said, was chief and com-
mander 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 dis-
charge them all together upon the signal of an ar-
quebuse being fired. He judged that if we killed the
generals, the army, which was" already almost on
the point of breaking up, would take to flight. God
perhaps had heard the prayers they kept continually
making, and meant to rid them in this manner of
those impious scoundrels.

We put our cannon in order at the command of
Santacroce, and waited for the signal. But when
Cardinal Orsini 1 became aware of what was going
forward, he began to expostulate with the Pope, pro-
testing that the thing by no means ought to happen,
seeing they were on the point of concluding an ac-
commodation, 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 with-
out, said that he left them to arrange it. On this,
our orders were countermanded; but I, who chafed

1 Franciotto Orsini 'was educated in the household of his kinsman Lorenzo de"
Medici. He followed the profession of arms, and married \ but after losing his 'wife
took orders, and received the hat in 1517.

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

against the leash, 1 when I knew that they were com-
ing round to bid me stop from firing, let blaze one
of my demi-cannons, and struck a pillar in the court-
yard 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 up
my cause with spirit. The high words that passed
between them, though I well know what they were,
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.

XXXIX

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, apologising 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 Signor Orazio Baglioni toward Peru-
gia; 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. Signor Orazio told me that he had been ap-
pointed general of the Florentines ; and Sir Pier Maria
del Lotto, the envoy from Florence, was with him, to
whom he specially recommended me as his man.*

1 Io che non potevo stare alle mosse.

'Pier Maria dl Lotto of S. Miniato was notary to the Florentine Signoria. He

C l82 3

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

In course of time I came to Florence in the com-
pany 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,
and 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, rely-
ing on the favour which Orazio Baglioni showed me.

Matters standing thus, I told my father how Si-
gnor Orazio 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 dis-
turbed, 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 busi-

cotteRed the remnants of the Eande Here, and gave them over to Orazio Baglioni,
who contrived to escape from S. Angela in safety to Perugia.

I 183 ]

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

ness, 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 laboured so
many years and with such diligence of study. Al-
though I promised to obey him, he reflected, like a
man of sense, that if Signer Orazio came to Flor-
ence, 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 immitigable violence, and
I am always fancying you will come home infe6led
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 com-
mand 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/'

I had always taken pleasure in seeing the world ; and
having never been in Mantua, I went there very
willingly. Of the money I had brought to Florence,
I left the greater part with my good father, promis-
ing 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 Bartolommeo, a surgeon. So then,

[ 184 ]

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

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 jour-
ney in detail. The whole world being darkened
over with plague and war, I had the greatest diffi-
culty in reaching Mantua. However, in the end, I
got there, and looked about for work to do, which
I obtained from a Maestro Niccolo of Milan, gold-
smith to the Duke of Mantua. Having thus settled
down to work, I went after two days to visit
Messer Giulio Romano, that most excellent painter,
of whom I have already spoken, and my very good
friend. He received me with the 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 Del Te. It was a vast and prodi-
gious undertaking, as may still, I suppose, be seen
by those who go there. 1

Messer Giulio 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 was brought them by Longi-
nus. Then he turned to Giulio, bidding him supply
me with a design for it. To this Giulio 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

1 This is the famous Palazzo del Te, outside the 'walls of Mantua. It still remains
the chief monument of Giulio Romano's 'versatile genius.

2 Federigo Gonzago e was at this time Marquis of Mantua. Charles V. erecled his
fief into a duchy in 1 530.

C 185 3

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

model/' I set hand to the work, and made a draw-
ing for the reliquary, well adapted to contain the
sacred phial. 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 that 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 seal of his most reverend lordship. 1 This
I began; but while I was working at it I caught a
quartan 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 Mi-
lanese 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 pas-
sion against me ; and I being out of temper with Man-
tua, -our bad feeling was reciprocal. The seal was fin-
ished 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 bade

1 Ercole Gonzaga, created Cardinal in 1527. After the death of his brother, Duke
Federigo, he governed Mantua for sixteen yean as regent for his nephews, and be-
came famous as a patron of arts and letters. He died at Trento in 1563 Awhile pre-
siding over the Council there, in the pontificate of Pius IV.

[ 186 3

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

me return to Rome, to that marvellous city where
we had made acquaintance.

I quitted Mantua with a good sum of crowns, and
reached Governo, where the most valiant general
Giovanni had been killed. 1 Here I had a slight re-
lapse 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: "Ho! tell me,
cross-grained hunchback, is there no other face to
see here but your ugly visage?" "No, and bad luck
to you." Whereto I answered in a loud voice: "In
less than two hours may it 2 never vex us more ! " At-
tracted by this dispute, a neighbour put her head out,
from whom I learned that my father and all the peo-
ple 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 Liperata had
escaped, and that she had taken refuge with a pious
lady named Mona Andrea de' Bellacci. 3

I took my way from thence to the inn, and met by
accident a very dear friend of mine, Giovanni Rigo-
gli. Dismounting at his house, we proceeded to the
piazza, where I received intelligence that my brother

1 Giovanni di Medici, surnamed Delle Bande Nere.
*i.e.,your ugly 'visage.

3 Carpani states that between May and November 1 527 about 40,000 persons died
of plague in Florence.

c is? :

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

was alive, and went to find him at the house of a
friend of his called Bertino Aldobrandini. On meet-
ing, 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 'm sure you 'd never guess !
You must know that I have given our sister Liperata
away again in marriage, and she holds it for abso-
lutely 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 sis-
ter 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 some one different from a brother
as indeed at first it did. Cecchino, 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. Thus, then, with gladness and
great enjoyment we brought our supper-party to an

end.

XLI

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

188

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

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, Signer
Ippolito and Signor Alessandro, who were after-
wards respectively Cardinal and Duke of Florence;
and he judged it would be well for me to wait and
see what happened. 1

At that time there arrived in Florence a Sienese,
called Girolamo Marretti, who had lived long in Tur-
key 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, Michel Agnolo Buonarroti
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 craftsman
who had hitherto attempted such groups. This, to-
gether with the fact that the special branch of art
was totally unknown to Michel Agnolo, 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

1 1 may remind my readers that the three Medici of the ruling house <wzre now il-
legitimate. Clement VII. 'was the bastard son of Giuliano, brother of Lorenzo the
Magnificent. Ippolito, the Cardinal, 'was the bastard of Giuliano, Duke of Nemours,
son of Lorenzo the Magnificent. Alessandro nvas the reputed bastard of Lorenzo,
Duke of Urbino, grandson of Lorenzo the Magnificent. Alessandro became Duke
of Florence, and after poisoning his cousin Cardinal Ippolito, nvas murdered by a
distant cousin, Lorenzino de" Medici. In this 'way the male line of Lorenzo the Mag-
nificent nuas extinguished.

C 189 H

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

dissatisfied, for I would fain have been employed
upon some higher task than that of setting precious
stones.

Just then I met with Federigo 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 Nea-
politan princess. He wanted to have a medal made,
with Atlas bearing the world upon his shoulders,
and applied to Michel Agnolo for a design. Michel
Agnolo made this answer: " Go and find out a young
goldsmith named Benvenuto ; he will serve you ad-
mirably, 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 Benvenuto, and let him also make
a model ; he can then execute the better of the two
designs." Federigo Ginori came to me, and told
me what he wanted, adding thereto how Michel Ag-
nolo had praised me, and how he had suggested I
should make a waxen 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 Michel Agnolo,
called Giuliano Bugiardini, brought me the drawing
of Atlas. 1 On the same occasion I showed Giuliano
my little model in wax, which was very different from

1 This painter 'was the pupil of Bertoldo, a man of simple manners and of some ex-
cellence in his art. The gallery at Bologna has a fine specimen cf his painting. Michel
Agnolo delighted in his society.

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

Michel Agnolo's drawing ; and Federigo, in concert
with Bugiardini, agreed that I should work upon my
model. So I took it in hand, and when Michel Ag-
nolo saw it, he praised me to the skies. This was a
figure, as I have said, chiselled on a plate of gold;
Atlas had the heaven upon his back, made out of a
crystal ball, engraved with the zodiac upon a field
of lapis-lazuli. The whole composition produced an
indescribably fine eflFecl: ; and under it ran the legend
Summa tulisse juvat. 1 Federigo was so thoroughly
well pleased that he paid me very liberally. Aluigi
Alamanni was at that time in Florence. Federigo
Ginori,who enjoyed his friendship, brought him often
to my workshop, and through this introduction we
became very intimate together. 8

XLII

Pope Clement had now declared war upon the city
of Florence, which thereupon was put in a state of
defence; and the militia being organised 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 de-
fence of our liberties. Meanwhile the speeches which
are usual upon such occasions were made in every
quarter; 1 the young men met together more than

' Cellini says Summam.

* This 'was the agreeable didaflic poet Luigi Alamanni, 'who had to fly from Flor-
ence after a conspiracy against Cardinal Giulio de* Medici in 1522. He could never
reconcile himself to the Medicean tyranny, and finally took refuge in France, where
he 'was honoured by Francois I. He died at Amboise in 1556.

* Fecesi quclle orazioni. It may mean "the prayers 'were offered up."

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

was their wont, 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 Giacopino della Barca. His real
name was Giacopo della Sciorina, but they called
him della Barca in Rome, because he kept a ferry
boat upon the Tiber between Ponte Sisto and Ponte
Santo Agnolo. He was a person of considerable tal-
ent, distinguished by his pleasantries and 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
defence 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 write
and tell me to return to him. The letter I have men-
tioned was to the effect that I should do well if I re-
sumed 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 con-
cealed 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

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

me another letter, so extravagantly worded, that if it
had been seen, I should have got into serious trou-
ble. The substance of it was that the Pope required
me to come at once, wanting to employ me on work
of the greatest consequence ; also that if I wished to
at aright, I ought to throw up everything, and not
to stand against a Pope in the party of those hare-
brained Radicals. This letter, when I read it, put me
in such a fright, that I went to seek my dear friend
Piero Landi. Dire6lly he set 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 ex-
plain what lay upon my mind, and what was caus-
ing 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 memoran-
dum-book ; next, I begged him to pack up the fur-
niture 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, guess-
ing perhaps pretty nearly how the matter stood, re-
plied: " My brother, go your ways 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 dis-
creet, the most affectionate that I have ever known.
I left Florence and went to Rome, and from there I
wrote to him. 1

1 Cellini has been severely taxed for leaving Florence at this juncture and taking
service under Pope Clement, the oppressor of her liberties. His own narrative ad-
mits some sense of shame. Yet <we should remember that he never took any decided

C 193 ]

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

XLIII

Upon my arrival in 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 pro-
fit, but were not notable enough to be described.
There was a fine old man, a goldsmith, called Raf-
faello 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, say-
ing he had some commissions of importance to ex-
ecute, 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 pre-
sented myself to Maestro Giacopino della Barca.
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 had 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 the 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

part in politics, and belonged to a family of Medicean sympathies. His father served
Lorenzo and Piero ; his brother 'was a soldier of Giovanni delle Bande Nere and
Duke Alessandro. Many most excellent Florentines 'were convinced that the Me-
dicean government vjas beneficial; and an artist had certainly more to expecJ from
it than from the Republic.

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LCOX.GIULIO OE MEDICI AND L.DE ROSSI
( RAPHAEL i

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

any time would do for him ; and I, that I was always
ready. So we took our way toward the palace. It
was a Maundy Thursday; and when we reached the
apartments of the Pope, he being known there and
I expe6led, we were at once admitted.

The Pope was in bed, suffering from a slight in-
disposition, and he had with him Messer Jacopo Sal-
viati and the Archbishop of Capua. 1 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, and 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
refuse me absolution. The case is this. When I
melted down the gold and worked at the unsetting
of those jewels, your Holiness ordered the Cava-
lierino 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-
asmuch as I had not money enough to take me home
respectably, 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

* Nicolas Schomberg, a learned Dominican and disciple of Savonarola, made Arch-
bishop of Capua in 1520. He was a faithful and able minister of Clement. Paul III.
ga-ve him the hat in 1535, and he died in 1537.

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

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 fol-
lows : " Benvenuto, I thoroughly believe what you
tell me ; it is in my power to absolve you of any un-
becoming deed you may have done, and, what is
more, I have the will. So, then, speak out with frank-
ness 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 140 ducats, 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 Giacopo
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

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

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 Giaco-
pino, he asked me very inquisitively what was the
close and lengthy conversation I had 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 no-
thing 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
a God the Father in half-relief, and in the middle
to set that magnificent big diamond, which you re-
member, together with several other gems of the
greatest value. Caradosso 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

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

jewels shown me, and then I went off like a shot 1 to
set myself to work.

XLIV

During the time when Florence was besieged,
Federigo Ginori, for whom I made that medal of
Atlas, died of consumption, and the medal came into
the hands of Messer Luigi Alamanni, 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 de-
lighted with the gift ; whereupon Messer Luigi told
his. Majesty so much about my personal qualities,
as well as my art, and spoke so favourably, that the
King expressed a wish to know me.

Meanwhile I pushed my model for the button for-
ward 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 that
they were capable of matching it. A certain Miche-
letto had just come to Rome; 2 he was very clever at
engraving cornelians, and was, moreover, a most
intelligent jeweller, an old man and of great cele-
brity. 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

1 Affusolato. Lit., straight as a spindle.

* Vasari calls this eminent engraver of gems Michelino.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

about. "What the Pope has ordered me/' I an-
swered. 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 mat-
ter, and charged Michele with the conduct of 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 piece
the Pope had commissioned.

Having already access to his Holiness's ear, he
took into his counsel another jeweller, named Pom-
peo, a Milanese, who was in favour with the Pope,
and related to Messer Traiano, the first chamber-
lain of the court; 1 these two together, then, began
to insinuate that 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 ex-
cellent 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 com-
pleted 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 Traiano

1 Messer Traiano Alicorno.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

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 draughts-
men who had been employed were not in the jew-
eller's trade, and therefore knew nothing about
giving their right place to precious stones ; and the
jewellers, on their side, had not shown them how;
for I ought to say that a jeweller, when he has to
work with figures, must of necessity understand de-
sign, else he cannot produce anything worth look-
ing 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, ap-
proved 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 those fellows." I
came forward, and opened a little round box ; where-
upon 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 them-
selves !" A crowd of great lords pressing round, the
Pope pointed out the difference between my model
and the drawings. When he had sufficiently com-
mended it, the others standing terrified and stupid
before him, he turned to me and said: "I am only

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

afraid of one thing, and that is of the utmost con-
sequence. Friend Benvenuto, wax is easy to work
in; the real difficulty is to execute this in gold/' To
those words I answered without a moment's hesita-
tion: "Most blessed Father, if I do not work it ten
times better than the model, let it be agreed before-
hand 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 observe in this young man, I predi6l 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 cham-
berlain, Messer Traiano, and bade him bring five
hundred golden ducats of the Camera.

While we were waiting for the money, the Pope
turned once more to gaze at leisure on the dexter-
ous device I had employed for combining the dia-
mond 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, 1 which made a perfect
composition, and did not interfere with the stone's
effect. Lifting his right hand, he was in the acl of
giving the benedi<5lion. Below the diamond I had
placed three children, who, with their arms upraised,
were supporting the jewel. One of them, in the mid-
dle, was in full relief, the other two in half-relief.
All round I set a crowd of cherubs, in divers atti-

1 In un certo bel modo s*volto. That means : turned aside, not fronting the spectator.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

tudes, adapted to the other gems. A mantle undu-
lated to the wind around the figure of the Father,
from the folds of which cherubs peeped out; and
there were other ornaments besides which made a
very beautiful effedl. The work was executed in
white stucco on a black stone. When the money
came, the Pope gave it 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.

XLV

I took the money and 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 cham-
berlain, 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 intrust me with another task of the highest con-
sequence, which was, in fa6l, to furnish dies for the
money of the Mint; and bade me arm myself be-
forehand 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 waxen model. The
Pope regarded it with stupefaction, and exclaimed:

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

"From this moment forward I will believe every-
thing 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 dies for the coinage of his realm, and asked
me 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 dies were made, but that I had not
ever made any. There was in the presence a certain
Messer Tommaso, of Prato, his Holiness's Datary ;'
and this man, being a friend of my enemies, put in:
" Most blessed Father, the favours you are shower-
ing upon this young man ( and he by nature so ex-
tremely overbold ) 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
like 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 Ecce Homo; the reverse was to have
a Pope and Emperor in the act together of propping
up a cross which seemed to fall, and this legend:
Unus spiritus et una fides erat in eis.
After the Pope had ordered this handsome coin,

1 His full name was Tommaso Cortese. The Papal Datario was the chief secretary
of the office for requests, petitions, and patents. His title 'was derived from its being
his duty to affix the Datum Rom<e to documents. The fees of this office, nuhich was
also called Datario, brought in a large revenue to the Papacy.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

Bandinello the sculptor came up; he had not yet
been made a knight; and, with his wonted presump-
tion muffled up in ignorance, said : " For these gold-
smiths 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 Sun-
day 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 ra-
pidity with which I had performed it. For the fur-
ther satisfaction and amazement of his Holiness, I
had brought with me all the old coins which in for-
mer times had been made by those able men who
served Popes Giulio and Leo; and when I noticed
that mine pleased him far better, I drew forth from
my bosom a patent, 1 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 ducat for three by
the Master of the Mint. The Pope took my patent

1 Motopropio. Cellini confuses his petition 'with the instrument, which he had prob-
ably drawn up ready for signature.
* Maestro delle stampe della zecca, i. e., the artist 'who made the dies.

204

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

and handed it to the Datary, telling him to lose no
time in dispatching the business. The Datary began
to put it in his pocket, saying: " Most blessed Father,
your Holiness ought not to go so fast ; these are mat-
ters which deserve some reflection /'To this the Pope
replied: "I have heard what you have got to say;
give me here 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 more than the eyes of
all those other blockheads/' So, having thanked his
Holiness, I went back, rejoicing above measure, to
my work.

XLVI

I was still working in the shop of Raffaello del
Moro. This worthy man had a very beautiful young
daughter, with regard to whom he had designs on
me; and I, becoming partly aware of his intentions,
was very willing ; but, while indulging such desires,
I made no show of them: on the contrary,! was so
discreet in my behaviour that I made him wonder.
It so happened that the poor girl was attacked by a
disorder in her right hand, which ate into the two
bones belonging to the little finger and the next/
Owing to her father's carelessness, she had been
treated by an ignorant quack-do<5lor, who predicted
that the poor child would be crippled in the whole
of her right arm, if even nothing worse should hap-
pen. When I noticed the dismay of her father, I

1 Ossicina che seguitano il dito, &c. Probably metacarpal bones.

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

begged him not to believe all that this ignorant
do6lor had said. He replied that he had no acquaint-
ance with physicians or with surgeons, and entreated
me, if I knew of one, to bring him to the house. 1 I
sent at once for a certain Maestro Giacomo of Peru-
gia, a man of great skill in surgery, who examined
the poor girl. 2 She was dreadfully frightened, through
having gained some inkling of the quack's predic-
tions; whereas, my intelligent do6lor declared that
she would suffer nothing of consequence, and would
be very well able to use her right hand ; also that
though the two last fingers must remain somewhat
weaker than the others, this would be of no incon-
venience at all to her. So he began his treatment;
and after a few days, when he was going to extract
a portion of the diseased bones, her father called for
me, and begged me to be present at the operation.
Maestro Giacomo was using some coarse steel in-
struments; and when I observed that he was mak-
ing little way and at the same time was inflicting
severe pain on the patient, I begged him to stop and
wait half a quarter of an hour for me. I ran into the
shop, and made a little scalping-iron of steel, ex-
tremely thin and curved ; it cut like a razor. On my
return, the surgeon used it, and began to work with
so gentle a hand that she felt no pain, and in a short
while the operation was over. In consequence of this
service, and for other reasons, the worthy man con-
ceived for me as much love, or more, as he had for

1 Che gnene awiasse,

3 Giacomo Rastelli 'was a native of Rimini, but was popularly known as of Perugia,
since he had resided long in that city. He was a famous surgeon under several Popes
until the year 1566, when he died at Rome, aged seventy-five.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

two male children; and in the meanwhile he at-
tended to the cure of his beautiful young daughter.

I was on terms of the closest intimacy with one
Messer Giovanni Gaddi, who was a clerk of the Ca-
mera, and a great connoisseur of the arts, although
he had no practical acquaintance with any. 1 In his
household were a certain Messer Giovanni, a Greek
of eminent learning, Messer Lodovico of Fano, no
less distinguished as a man of letters, Messer Antonio
Allegretti, and Messer Annibale Caro, 2 at that time
in his early manhood. Messer Bastiano of Venice, a
most excellent painter, and I were admitted to their
society ; and almost every day we met together in
Messer Giovanni's company. 3

Being aware of this intimacy, the worthy gold-
smith Raflfaello said to Messer Giovanni : " Good sir,
you know me; now I want to marry my daughter
to Benvenuto, and can think of no better interme-
diary than your worship. So I am come to crave your
assistance, and to beg you to name for her such
dowry from my estate as you may think suitable/'
The light-headed man hardly let my good friend
finish what he had to say, before he put in quite at

1 Giovanni Gaddi of the Florentine family 'was passionately attached to men of art
and letters. Yet he seems to have been somewhat disagreeable in personal inter-
course 5 for even Annibale Caro, who owed much to his patronage, and lived for
many years in his house, never became attached to him. We shall see how he treated
Cellini during a fever.

3 Some poems of Allegretti" s survive. He was a man of mark in the literary society
of the age. Giovanni Greco may have been a Giovanni Fergezio, who presented
Duke Cosimo with some Greek characters of exquisite finish. Lodovico da Fano is
mentioned as an excellent Latin scholar. Annibale Caro was one of the most distin-
guished writers of Italian prose and verse in the later Renaissance. He spent the
latter portion of his life in the service of the Fame si.

3 Messer Bastiano is the celebrated painter Sebastian del Piombo, born 1485, died
IS47-

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

random: "Talk no more about it, Raflfaello; you are
farther from your objecl than January from mulber-
ries/' The poor man, utterly discouraged, looked
about at once for another husband for his girl ; while
she and the mother and all the family lived on in a
bad humour with me. Since I did not know the real
cause of this I imagined they were paying me with
bastard coin for the many kindnesses I had shown
them I conceived the thought of opening a work-
shop of my own in their neighbourhood. Messer
Giovanni told me nothing till the girl was married,
which happened in a few months.

Meanwhile, I laboured assiduously at the work I
was doing for the Pope, and also in the service of
the Mint; for his Holiness had ordered another coin,
of the value of two carlins, on which his own por-
trait was stamped, while the reverse bore a figure
of Christ upon the waters, holding out his hand to
S. Peter, with this inscription, Quare dubitasti? My
design won such applause that a certain secretary
of the Pope, a man of the greatest talent, called II
Sanga, 1 was moved to this remark: " Your Holiness
can boast of having a currency superior to any of
the ancients in all their glory." The Pope replied:
"Benvenuto, for his part, can boast of serving an
emperor like me, who is able to discern his merit/'
I went on at my great piece in gold, showing it fre-
quently to the Pope, who was very eager to see it,
and each time expressed greater admiration.

1 Battista Sanga, a Roman, secretary to Gianmatteo Giberti, the good Archbishop
of Verona, and afterwards to Clement VII. He nvas a great Latinist, and one of
those ecclesiastics 'who earnestly desired a reform of the Church. He died, poisoned,
at an early age.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

XL VI I

My brother, at this period, was also in Rome, serv-
ing Duke Alessandro, on whom the Pope had re-
cently conferred the Duchy of Penna. This prince
kept in his service a multitude of soldiers, worthy
fellows, brought up to valour in the school of that
famous general Giovanni de* Medici; and among
these was my brother, whom the Duke esteemed as
highly as the bravest of them. One day my brother
went after dinner to the shop of a man called Bac-
cino della Croce in the Banchi> which all those men-
at-arms frequented. He had flung himself upon a
settee, and was sleeping. Just then the guard of the
Bargello passed by; 1 they were taking to prison a
certain Captain Cisti,a Lombard, who had also been
a member of Giovanni's troop, but was not in the
service of the Duke. The captain, Cattivanza degli
Strozzi, chanced to be in the same shop; 2 and when
Cisti caught sight of him, he whispered: "I was
bringing you those crowns I owed ; if you want them,
come for them before they go with me to prison."
Now Cattivanza had a way of putting his neigh-
bours to the push, not caring to hazard his own per-

1 The Bargello was the chief constable or sheriff in Italian towns. I shall call him
Bargello always in my translation, since any English equivalent would be mislead-
ing. He did the rough work of policing the city, and was consequently a mark for
all the men of spirit who disliked being kept in order. Gio<vio, in his Life of Cardinal
Pompeo Colonna, quite gravely relates how it 'was the highest ambition of young
Romans of spirit to murder the Bargello. He mentions, in particular, a certain Pietro
Margano, who had acquired great fame and popularity by killing the Bargello of his
day, one Cencio, in the Campo di Fiore. This man became an outlaw, and was favour-
ably received by Cardinal Colonna, then at war with Clement 711.
a Hi: baptismal name was Bernardo. Cattivanza was a nickname. He fought
bravely for Florence in the siege.

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

son. So, finding there around him several young
fellows of the highest daring, more eager than apt
for so serious an enterprise, he bade them catch up
Captain Cisti and get the money from him, and if
the guard resisted, overpower the men, provided
they had pluck enough to do so.

The young men were but four, and all four of
them without a beard. The first was called Bertino
Aldobrandi, another Anguillotto of Lucca; I cannot
recall the names of the rest. Bertino had been trained
like a pupil by my brother; and my brother felt the
most unbounded love for him. So then, off dashed
the four brave lads, and came up with the guard of
the Bargello upwards of fifty constables, counting
pikes, arquebuses, and two-handed swords. After a
few words they drew their weapons, and the four
boys so harried the guard, that if Captain Cattivanza
had but shown his face, without so much as draw-
ing, they would certainly have put the whole pack
to flight. But delay spoiled all ; for Bertino received
some ugly wounds and fell; at the same time, An-
guillotto was also hit in the right arm, and being
unable to use his sword, got out of the fray as well
as he was able. The others did the same. Bertino
Aldobrandi was lifted from the ground seriously
injured.

XLVIII

While these things were happening, we were all at
table; for that morning we 'had dined more than an
hour later than usual. On hearing the commotion,
one of the old man's sons, the elder, rose from table

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

to go and look at the scuffle. He was called Gio-
vanni; and I said to him: "For Heaven's sake, don't
go! In such matters one is always certain to lose,
while there is nothing to be gained." His father
spoke to like purpose: "Pray, my son, don't go!'"
But the lad, without heeding any one, ran down the
stairs. Reaching the Banchi, where the great scrim-
mage was, and seeing Bertino lifted from the ground,
he ran towards home, and met my brother Cecchino
on the way, who asked what was the matter. Though
some of the bystanders signed to Giovanni not to
tell Cecchino, he cried out like a madman how it
was that Bertino Aldobrandi had been killed by the
guard. My poor brother gave vent to a bellow which
might have been heard ten miles away. Then he
turned to Giovanni: "Ah me! but could you tell me
which of those men killed him for me?" 1 Giovanni
said, yes, that it was a man who had a big two-handed
sword, with a blue feather in his bonnet. My poor
brother rushed ahead, and having recognised the
homicide by those signs, he threw himself with all
his dash and spirit into the middle of the band, and
before his man could turn on guard, ran him right
through the guts, and with the sword's hilt thrust
him to the ground. Then he turned upon the rest
with such energy and daring, that his one arm was
on the point of putting the whole band to flight, had
it not been that, while wheeling round to strike an
arquebusier, this man fired in self-defence, and hit
the brave unfortunate young fellow above the knee

1 Oime, saprestimi tu dire che di quelli me Vha morto ? The me is so emphatic, that,
though it makes poor English, I ha've preserved it in my version.

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

of his right leg. While he lay stretched upon the
ground, the constables scrambled off in disorder as
fast as they were able, lest a pair to my brother
should arrive upon the scene.

Noticing that the tumult was not subsiding, I too
rose from table, and girding on my sword for
everybody wore one then I went to the bridge of
Sant' Agnolo, where I saw a group of several men
assembled. On my coming up and being recognised
by some of them, they gave way before me, and
showed me what I least of all things wished to see,
albeit I made mighty haste to view the sight. On
the instant I did not know Cecchino, since he was
wearing a different suit of clothes from that in which
I had lately seen him. Accordingly, he recognised
me first, and said : " Dearest brother, do not be up-
set by my grave accident ; it is only what might be
expected in my profession: get me removed from
here at once, for I have but few hours to live."
They had acquainted me with the whole event while
he was speaking, in brief words befitting such occa-
sion. So I answered: "Brother, this is the greatest
sorrow and the greatest trial that could happen to
me in the whole course of my life. But be of good
cheer ; for before you lose sight of him who did the
mischief, you shall see yourself revenged by my
hand/' Our words on both sides were to the purport,
but of the shortest.

XLIX

The guard was now about fifty paces from us; for
Maffio, their officer, had made some of them turn

C 212 3

ALESSANDRO D E MEDICI
( VASARI )

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

back to take up the corporal my brother killed.
Accordingly, I quickly traversed that short space,
wrapped in my cape, which I had tightened round
me, and came up with Maffio, whom I should most
certainly have murdered, for there were plenty of
people round, and I had wound my way among them.
With the rapidity of lightning, I had half drawn my
sword from the sheath, when Berlinghier Berlinghi-
eri, a young man of the greatest daring and my
good friend, threw himself from behind upon my
arms ; he had four other fellows of like kidney with
him, who cried out to Maffio: "Away with you, for
this man here alone was killing you!" He asked:
"Who is he?" and they answered: "Own brother
to the man you see there." Without waiting to hear
more, he made haste for Torre di Nona; 1 and they
said: "Benvenuto, we prevented you against your
will, but did it for your good; now let us go to suc-
cour him who must die shortly." Accordingly, we
turned and went back to my brother, whom I had
at once conveyed into a house. The do6lors who
were called in consultation, treated him with medi-
caments, but could not decide to amputate the leg,
which might perhaps have saved him.

As soon as his wound had been dressed, Duke
Alessandro appeared and most affectionately greeted
him. My brother had not as yet lost consciousness;
so he said to the Duke: " My lord, this only grieves
me, that your Excellency is losing a servant than
whom you may perchance find men more valiant in

1 The Torre di Nona 'was one of the principal prisons in Rome, used especially for
criminals condemned to death.

213

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

the profession of arms, but none more lovingly and
loyally devoted to your service than I have been."
The Duke bade him do all he could to keep alive;
for the rest, he well knew him to be a man of worth
and courage. He then turned to his attendants, order-
ing them to see that the brave young fellow wanted
for nothing.

When he was gone, my brother lost blood so copi-
ously, for nothing could be done to stop it, that he
went off his head, and kept raving all the following
night, with the exception that once, when they wanted
to give him the communion, he said: "You would
have done well to confess me before ; now it is im-
possible that I should receive the divine sacrament
in this already ruined frame ; it will be enough if I
partake of it by the divine virtue of the eyesight,
whereby it shall be transmitted into my immortal
soul, which only prays to Him for mercy and for-
giveness/' Having spoken thus, the host was ele-
vated; but he straightway relapsed into the same
delirious ravings as before, pouring forth a torrent
of the most terrible frenzies and horrible impreca-
tions that the mind of man could imagine ; nor did
he cease once all that night until the day broke.

When the sun appeared above our horizon, he
turned to me and said: "Brother, I do not wish to
stay here longer, for these fellows will end by mak-
ing me do something tremendous, which may cause
them to repent of the annoyance they have given
me." Then he kicked out both his legs the injured
limb we had enclosed in a very heavy box and
made as though he would fling it across a horse's

C 214 ]

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

back. Turning his face round to me, he called out
thrice, " Farewell, farewell! " and with the last word
that most valiant spirit passed away.

At the proper hour, toward nightfall, I had him
buried with due ceremony in the church of the Floren-
tines ; and afterwards I eredled to his memory a very
handsome monument of marble, upon which I caused
trophies and banners to be carved. I must not omit
to mention that one of his friends had asked him who
the man was that had killed him, and if he could re-
cognise him; to which he answered that he could,
and gave his description. My brother, indeed, at-
tempted to prevent this coming to my ears; but I
got it very well impressed upon my mind, as will
appear in the -sequel. 1

Returning to the monument, I should relate that cer-
tain famous men of letters, who knew my brother,
composed for me an epitaph, telling me that the noble
young man deserved it. The inscription ran thus :

"Francisco Cellino Florentine, qui quod in teneris annis ad
loannem Medicem ducem plures viftorias retulit et signifer
fuit y facile documentum dedit quanta fortitudinis et consilii
vir futurus erat y ni crudelis fati archibuso transfossus, quinto
<etatis lustro jaceret, Benvenutus f rater posuit. Obiit die xxvn
Matt MD. XXIX."

He was twenty-five years of age; and since the
soldiers called him Cecchino del Piflfero, 2 his real

1 V arc hi, in his Storia Fiorentina, lib. xi., gives a short account of Cecchino Cel-
lini's death in Rome, mentioning also Bertino Aldobrandi, in the attempt to revenge
'whom he lost his life.

2 That is, Frank, the Fifer's son.

c 215 n

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

name being Giovanfrancesco Cellini, I wanted to
engrave the former, by which he was commonly
known, under the armorial bearings of our family.
This name then I had cut in fine antique characters,
all of which were broken save the first and last. I
was asked by the learned men who had composed
that beautiful epitaph, wherefore I used these broken
letters ; and my answer was, because the marvellous
framework of his body was spoiled and dead; and
the reason why the first and last remained entire
was, that the first should symbolise the great gift
God had given him, namely, of a human soul, in-
flamed with his divinity, the which hath never broken,
while the second represented the glorious renown
of his brave actions. The thought gave satisfaction,
and several persons have since availed themselves of
my device. Close to the name I had the coat of us Cel-
lini carved upon the stone, altering it in some par-
ticulars. In Ravenna, which is a most ancient city,
there exist Cellini of our name in the quality of very
honourable gentry, who bear a lion rampant or upon
a field of azure, holding a lily gules in his dexter
paw, with a label in chief and three little lilies or. 1
These are the true arms of the Cellini. My father
showed me a shield as ours which had the paw only,
together with the other bearings ; but I should pre-
fer to follow those of the Cellini of Ravenna, which
I have described above. Now to return to what I
caused to be engraved upon my brother's tomb : it

1 / believe Cellini meant here to write "on a chief argent a label of four points , and
three lilies gules." He has tricked the arms thus in a MS. of the Palatine Library.
See Leclanche t p. 103, see also Piatti, 'vol. i.p. 233, and Plan, p. ^.

216

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

was the lion's paw, but instead of a lily, I made the
lion hold an axe, with the field of the scutcheon quar-
tered ; and I put the axe in solely that I might not
be unmindful to revenge him.

I went on applying myself with the utmost diligence
upon the gold- work for Pope Clement's button. He
was very eager to have it, and used to send for me
two or three times a week, in order to inspe6l it;
and his delight in the work always increased. Often
would he rebuke and scold me, as it were, for the
great grief in which my brother's loss had plunged
me; and one day, observing me more downcast and
out of trim than was proper, he cried aloud : " Ben-
venuto, oh! I did not know that you were mad.
Have you only just learned that there is no remedy
against death ? One would think that you were try-
ing to run after him." When I left the presence, I
continued working at the jewel and the dies 1 for the
Mint; but I also took to watching the arquebusier
who shot my brother, as though he had been a girl
I was in love with. The man had formerly been
in the light cavalry, but afterwards had joined the
arquebusiers as one of the Bargello's corporals ; and
what increased my rage was that he had used these
boastful words: "If it had not been for me, who
killed that brave young man, the least trifle of delay
would have resulted in his putting us all to flight
with great disaster." When I saw that the fever

1 tern. I have translated this 'word dies $ but it seems to mean all the coining in-
struments, stampe or conii being the dies proper.

C 2'7 1

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

caused by always seeing him about was depriving
me of sleep and appetite, and was bringing me by
degrees to sorry plight, I overcame my repugnance
to so low and not quite praiseworthy an enterprise,
and made my mind up one evening to rid myself of
the torment. The fellow lived in a house near a place
called Torre Sanguigua, next door to the lodging
of one of the most fashionable courtesans in Rome,
named Signora Antea. It had just struck twenty-four,
and he was standing at the house-door, with his
sword in hand, having risen from supper. With great
address I stole up to him, holding a large Pistojan
dagger/ and dealt him a back-handed stroke, with
which I meant to cut his head clean off'; but as he
turned round very suddenly, the blow fell upon the
point of his left shoulder and broke the bone. He
sprang up, dropped his sword, half-stunned with the
great pain, and took to flight. I followed after, and
in four steps caught him up, when I lifted my dag-
ger above his head, which he was holding very low,
and hit him in the back exactly at the juncture of the
nape-bone and the neck. The poniard entered this
point so deep into the bone, that, though I used all my
strength to pull it out, I was not able. For just at that
moment four soldiers with drawn swords sprang out
from Antea's lodging, and obliged me to set hand to
my own sword to defend my life. Leaving the pon-
iard then, I made off, and fearing I might be recog-
nised, took refuge in the palace of Duke Alessandro,
which was between Piazza Navona and the Rotunda. 2

1 Pugnal pistolese : it came in time to mean a cutlass.
That is, the Pantheon.

I 218 3

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

On my arrival, I asked to see the Duke; who told
me that, if I was alone, I need only keep quiet
and have no further anxiety, but go on working at
the jewel which the Pope had set his heart on, and
stay eight days indoors. He gave this advice the
more securely, because the soldiers had now arrived
who interrupted the completion of my deed; they
held the dagger in their hand, and were relating how
the matter happened, and the great trouble they had
to pull the weapon from the neck and head-bone of
the man, whose name they did not know. Just then
Giovan Bandini came up, and said to them: 1 "That
poniard is mine, and I lent it to Benvenuto, who
was bent on revenging his brother." The soldiers
were profuse in their expressions of regret at having
interrupted me, although my vengeance had been
amply satisfied.

More than eight days elapsed, and the Pope did
not send for me according to his custom. Afterwards
he summoned me through his chamberlain, the Bo-
lognese nobleman I have already mentioned, who
let me, in his own modest manner, understand that
his Holiness knew all, but was very well inclined
toward me, and that I had only to mind my work
and keep quiet. When we reached the presence, the
Pope cast so menacing a glance towards me, that
the mere look of his eyes made me tremble. After-

1 Bandini bears a distinguished name in Florentine annals. He served Duke Ales-
sandro in affairs of much importance , but afterwards he betrayed the interests of
his master ; Duke Cosimo, in an embassy to Charles 7. in 1 543. // seems that he had
then been playing into the hands of Filippo Strozzi, for 'which offence he passed fif-
teen years in a dungeon. See Varchi and Segni ; also Mofitazio's Prigionieri del
Mastio di folterra, cap. <tjii.

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

wards, upon examining my work, his countenance
cleared, and he began to praise me beyond measure,
saying that I had done a vast amount in a short
time. Then, looking me straight in the face, he
added: "Now that you are cured, Benvenuto, take
heed how you live/' 1 I, who understood his mean-
ing, promised that I would. Immediately upon this,
I opened a very fine shop in the Banchi, opposite
Raflfaello, and there I finished the jewel after the
lapse of a few months.

LII

The Pope had sent me all those precious stones,
except the diamond, which was pawned to certain
Genoese bankers for some pressing need he had of
money. The rest were in my custody, together with
a model of the diamond. I had five excellent jour-
neymen, and in addition to the great piece, I was
engaged on several jobs ; so that my shop contained
property of much value in jewels, gems, and gold
and silver. I kept a shaggy dog, very big and hand-
some, which Duke Alessandro gave me ; the beast
was capital as a retriever, since he brought me every
sort of birds and game I shot, but he also served
most admirably for a watchdog. It happened, as was
natural at the age of twenty-nine, that I had taken
into my service a girl of great beauty and grace,
whom I used as a model in my art, and who was
also complaisant of her personal favours to me. Such
being the case, I occupied an apartment far away

1 This 'was the Pope's hint to Cellini that he 'was aware of the murder he had just
committed.

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

from my workmen's rooms, as well as from the
shop; and this communicated by a little dark passage
with the maid's bedroom. I used frequently to pass
the night with her; and though I sleep as lightly as
ever yet did man upon this earth, yet, after indul-
gence in sexual pleasure, my slumber is sometimes
very deep and heavy.

So it chanced one night: for I must say that a thief,
under the pretext of being a goldsmith, had spied
on me, and cast his eyes upon the precious stones,
and made a plan to steal them. Well, then, this fel-
low broke into the shop, where he found a quantity
of little things in gold and silver. He was engaged
in bursting open certain boxes to get at the jewels
he had noticed, when my dog jumped upon him, and
put him to much trouble to defend himself with his
sword. The dog, unable to grapple with an armed
man, ran several times through the house, and rushed
into the rooms of the journeymen, which had been
left open because of the great heat. When he found
they paid no heed to his loud barking, he dragged
their bed-clothes off; and when they still heard no-
thing, he pulled first one and then another by the
arm till he roused them, and, barking furiously, ran
before to show them where he wanted them to go.
At last it became clear that they refused to follow ;
for the traitors, cross at being disturbed, threw stones
and sticks at him; and this they could well do, for
I had ordered them to keep all night a lamp alight
there; and in the end they shut their rooms tight;
so the dog, abandoning all hope of aid from such
rascals, set out alone again on his adventure. He

C 221 H

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

ran down, and not finding the thief in the shop, flew
after him. When he got at him, he tore the cape off
his back. It would have gone hard with the fellow
had he not called for help to certain tailors, praying
them for God's sake to save him from a mad dog;
and they, believing what he said, jumped out and
drove the dog off with much trouble.

After sunrise my workmen went into the shop,
and saw that it had been broken open and all the
boxes smashed. They began to scream at the top of
their voices: " Ah, woe is me ! Ah, woe is me ! " The
clamour woke me, and I rushed out in a panic. Ap-
pearing thus before them, they cried out: "Alas to
us ! for we have been robbed by some one, who has
broken and borne everything away ! " These words
wrought so forcibly upon my mind that I dared not
go to my big chest and look if it still held the jewels
of the Pope. So intense was the anxiety, that I seemed
to lose my eyesight, and told them they themselves
must unlock the chest, and see how many of the
Pope's gems were missing. The fellows were all of
them in their shirts ; and when, on opening the chest,
they saw the precious stones and my work with them,
they took heart of joy and shouted : " There is no
harm done; your piece and all the stones are here;
but the thief has left us naked to the shirt, because
last night, by reason of the burning heat, we took
our clothes off in the shop and left them here." Re-
covering my senses, I thanked God, and said: "Go
and get yourselves new suits of clothes ; I will pay
when I hear at leisure how the whole thing hap-
pened." What caused me the most pain, and made

222

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

me lose my senses, and take fright so contrary to
my real nature was the dread lest perad venture
folk should fancy I had trumped a story of the rob-
ber up to steal the jewels. It had already been said
to Pope Clement by one of his most trusted servants,
and by others, that is, by Francesco del Nero, Zana
de' Biliotti his accountant, the Bishop of Vasona, and
several such men: 1 "Why, most blessed Father, do
you confide gems of that vast value to a young fel-
low, who is all fire, more passionate for arms than
for his art, and not yet thirty years of age?" The
Pope asked in answer if any one of them knew that
I had done aught to justify such suspicions. Whereto
Francesco del Nero, his treasurer, replied: 3 "No,
most blessed Father, because he has not as yet had
an opportunity/' Whereto the Pope rejoined: "I
regard him as a thoroughly honest man; and if I
saw with my own eyes some crime he had com-
mitted, I should not believe it." This was the man
who 3 caused me the greatest torment, and who sud-
denly came up before my mind.

After telling the young men to provide themselves
with fresh clothes, I took my piece, together with
the gems, setting them as well as I could in their
proper places, and went off at once with them to the

1 Of these people, vue can trace the Bishop of Vasona. He 'was Girolamo Schio or
Schedo, a native of Vicenxa, the confidential agent and confessor of Clement VII.,
who obtained the See of Vaison in the county of Avignon in 1523, and died at
Rome in 1533. His successor in the bishopric 'was Tommaso Cortesi, the Datary,
mentioned above.

8 Varc hi give s a very ugly account of this man, Francesco del Nero, f who'was nick-
named the Cra del Piccadiglio, in his History of Florence, book Hi. " In the whole
city of Florence there never 'was born, in my belief, a man of such irreligion or of such
sordid avarice" Giovio confirms the statement.

3 Questofu quello che. This may be neuter: This 'was the circumstance which.

223

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

Pope. Francesco del Nero had already told him
something of the trouble in my shop, and had put
suspicions in his head. So then, taking the thing
rather ill than otherwise, he shot a furious glance
upon me, and cried haughtily: "What have you
come to do here? What is up?" "Here are all your
precious stones, and not one of them is missing/'
At this the Pope's face cleared, and he said: "So
then, you're welcome." I showed him the piece, and
while he was inspecting it, I related to him the whole
story of the thief and of my agony, and what had
been my greatest trouble in the matter. During this
speech, he oftentimes turned round to look me sharply
in the eyes ; and Francesco del Nero being also in the
presence, this seemed to make him half sorry that
he had not guessed the truth. At last, breaking into
laughter at the long tale I was telling, he sent me
off with these words: "Go, and take heed to be an
honest man, as indeed I know that you are."

LIII

I went on working assiduously at the button, and at
the same time laboured for the Mint, when certain
pieces of false money got abroad in Rome, stamped
with my own dies. They were brought at once to
the Pope, who, hearing things against me, said to
Giacopo Balducci, the Master of the Mint, "Take
every means in your power to find the criminal ; for
we are sure that Benvenuto is an honest fellow."
That traitor of a master, being in fa6l my enemy, re-
plied : " Would God, most blessed Father, that it may
turn out as you say; for we have some proofs against

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

him." Upon this the Pope turned to the Governor
of Rome, and bade him see he found the malefactor.
During those days the Pope sent for me, and leading
cautiously hi conversation to the topic of the coins,
asked me at the fitting moment: "Benvenuto,
should you have the heart to coin false money?"
To this I replied that I thought I could do so better
than all the rascals who gave their minds to such
vile work ; for fellows who practise lewd trades of
that sort are not capable of earning money, nor are
they men of much ability. I, on the contrary, with
my poor wits could gain enough to keep me com-
fortably; for when I set dies for the Mint, each morn-
ing before dinner I put at least three crowns into
my pocket ; this was the customary payment for the
dies, and the Master of the Mint bore me a grudge,
because he would have liked to have them cheaper;
so then, what I earned with God's grace and the
world's, sufficed me, and by coining false money I
should not have made so much. The Pope very well
perceived my drift; and whereas he had formerly
given orders that they should see I did not fly from
Rome, he now told them to look well about and
have no heed of me, seeing he was ill-disposed to
anger me, and in this way run the risk of losing me.
The officials who received these orders were certain
clerks of the Camera, who made the proper search,
as was their duty, and soon found the rogue. He was
a stamper in the service of the Mint, named Cesare
Macherone, and a Roman citizen. Together with this
man they detecled a metal-founder of the Mint. 1

1 The word in Cellini is ovolatore di zecca.

225

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

LIV

On that very day, as I was passing through the
Piazza. Navona, and had my fine retriever with me,
just when we came opposite the gate of the Bargello,
my dog flew barking loudly inside the door upon a
youth, who had been arrested at the suit of a man
called Donnino (a goldsmith from Parma, and a
former pupil of Caradosso ) , on the charge of hav-
ing robbed him. The dog strove so violently to tear
the fellow to pieces, that the constables were moved
to pity. It so happened that he was pleading his own
cause with boldness, and Donnino had not evidence
enough to support the accusation; and what was
more, one of the corporals of the guard, a Genoese,
was a friend of the young man's father. The upshot
was that, what with the dog and with those other
circumstances, they were on the point of releasing
their prisoner. When I came up, the dog had lost all
fear of sword or staves, and was flying once more
at the young man ; so they told me if I did not call
the brute off they would kill him. I held him back
as well as I was able; but just then the fellow, in
the a6l of readjusting his cape, let fall some paper
packets from the hood, which Donnino recognised
as his property. I too recognised a little ring; where-
upon I called out: "This is the thief who broke into
my shop and robbed it; and therefore my dog knows
him;" then I loosed the dog, who flew again upon
the robber. On this the fellow craved for mercy,
promising to give back whatever he possessed of
mine. When I had secured the dog, he proceeded

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

to restore the gold and silver and the rings which
he had stolen from me, and twenty-five crowns in
addition. Then he cried once more to me for pity. I
told him to make his peace with God, for I should
do him neither good nor evil. So I returned to my
business ; and a few days afterwards, Cesare Mache-
rone, the false coiner, was hanged in the Banchi op-
posite the Mint; his accomplice was sent to the gal-
leys ; the Genoese thief was hanged in the Campo
di Fiore, while I remained in better repute as an
honest man than I had enjoyed before.

When I had nearly finished my piece, there hap-
pened that terrible inundation which flooded the
whole of Rome. 1 I waited to see what would hap-
pen; the day was well-nigh spent, for the clocks
struck twenty-two, and the water went on rising
formidably. Now the front of my house and shop
faced the Banchi, but the back was several yards
higher, because it turned toward Monte Giordano;
accordingly, bethinking me first of my own safety
and in the next place of my honour, I filled my
pockets with the jewels, and gave the gold-piece
into the custody of my workmen, and then descended
barefoot from the back- windows, and waded as well
as I could until I reached Monte Cavallo. There
I sought out Messer Giovanni Gaddi, clerk of the
Camera, and Bastiano Veneziano, the painter. To the
former I confided the precious stones, to keep in
safety : he had the same regard for me as though I

1 This took place on the 1th and <)th Odober 1530.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

had been his brother. A few days later, when the
rage of the river was spent, I returned to my work-
shop, and finished the piece with such good fortune,
through God's grace and my own great industry,
that it was held to be the finest masterpiece which
had been ever seen in Rome. 1

When then I took it to the Pope, he was insatia-
ble in praising me, and said: " Were I but a wealthy
emperor, I would give my Benvenuto as much land
as his eyes could survey ; yet being nowadays but
needy bankrupt potentates, we will at any rate give
him bread enough to satisfy his modest wishes." I
let the Pope run on to the end of his rhodomontade/
and then asked him for a mace-bearer's place which
happened to be vacant. He replied that he would
grant me something of far greater consequence. I
begged his Holiness to bestow this little thing on me
meanwhile by way of earnest. He began to laugh,
and said he was willing, but that he did not wish me
to serve, and that I must make some arrangement
with the other mace-bearers to' be exempted. He
would allow them through me a certain favour, for
which they had already petitioned, namely, the right
of recovering their fees at law. This was accordingly
done; and that mace-bearer's office brought me in
little less than 200 crowns a year. 3

1 This famous masterpiece 'was preserved in the Castle ofS. Angela during the Papal
Government of Rome. It <vjas brought out on Christmas, Easter, and S, Peter s days.

2 Quella sua smania di parole.

3 Cellini received this post among the Mazzieri ('who walked like beadles before
the Pope) on April 14, 1531. He resigned it in favour of Pictro Cornaro of Venice
in 1535.

228

BACCIO BANDINELLO
( BY H I MSELF)

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

LVI

I continued to work for the Pope, executing now one
trifle and now another, when he commissioned me
to design a chalice of exceeding richness. So I made
both drawing and model for the piece. The latter
was constructed of wood and wax. Instead of the
usual top, I fashioned three figures of a fair size in
the round ; they represented Faith, Hope, and Char-
ity. Corresponding to these, at the base of the cup,
were three circular histories in bas-relief. One was
the Nativity of Christ, the second the Resurrection,
and the third S. Peter crucified head downwards;
for thus I had received commission. While I had this
work in hand, the Pope was often pleased to look at
it; wherefore, observing that his Holiness had never
thought again of giving me anything, and knowing
that a post in the Piombo was vacant, I asked for
this one evening. The good Pope, quite oblivious
of his extravagances at the termination of the last
piece, said to me: "That post in the Piombo is worth
more than 800 crowns a year, so that if I gave it
you, you would spend your time in scratching your
paunch, 1 and your magnificent handicraft would be
lost, and I should bear the blame/' I replied at once
as thus : " Cats of a good breed mouse better when
they are fat than starving; and likewise honest men
who possess some talent, exercise it to far nobler
purport when they have the wherewithal to live
abundantly ; wherefore princes who provide such folk

1 Gr 'at tare ilcorpo, 'which I ha<ve translated scratch your paunchy is equivalent to
t'wirlyour thumbs.

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

with competences, let your Holiness take notice, are
watering the roots of genius ; for genius and talent,
at their birth, come into this world lean and scabby;
and your Holiness should also know that I never
asked for the place with the hope of getting it. Only
too happy I to have that miserable post of mace-
bearer. On the other I built but castles in the air.
Your Holiness will do well, since you do not care
to give it me, to bestow it on a man of talent who
deserves it, and not upon some fat ignoramus who
will spend his time scratching his paunch, if I may
quote your Holiness's own words. Follow the ex-
ample of Pope Giulio's illustrious memory, who con-
ferred an office of the same kind upon Bramante,
that most admirable architect. "

Immediately on finishing this speech, I made my
bow, and went off in a fury. Then Bastiano Venezi-
ano the painter approached, and said: " Most blessed
Father, may your Holiness be willing to grant it to
one who works assiduously in the exercise of some
talent; and as your Holiness knows that I am dili-
gent in my art, I beg that I may be thought worthy
of it." The Pope replied: "That devil Benvenuto
will not brook rebuke. I was inclined to give it him,
but it is not right to be so haughty with a Pope.
Therefore I do not well know what I am to do."
The Bishop of Vasona then came up, and put in a
word for Bastiano, saying: "Most blessed Father,
Benvenuto is but young ; and a sword becomes him
better than a friar's frock. Let your Holiness give
the place to this ingenious person Bastiano. Some
time or other you will be able to bestow on Benve-

C 230 ]

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

nuto a good thing, perhaps more suitable to him than
this would be/' Then the Pope, turning to Messer
Bartolommeo Valori, told him: "When next you
meet Benvenuto, let him know from me that it was
he who got that office in the Piombo for Bastiano the
painter, and add that he may reckon on obtaining
the next considerable place that falls ; meanwhile let
him look to his behaviour, and finish my commis-

sions." '

The following evening, two hours after sundown,
I met Messer Bartolommeo Valori 2 at the corner of
the Mint; he was preceded by two torches, and was
going in haste to the Pope, who had sent for him.
On my taking off my hat, he stopped and called me,
and reported in the most friendly manner all themes-
sages the Pope had sent me. I replied that I should
complete my work with greater diligence and ap-
plication than any I had yet attempted, but without
the least hope of having any reward whatever from
the Pope. Messer Bartolommeo reproved me, saying
that this was not the way in which one ought to re-
ply to the advances of a Pope. I answered that I
should be mad to reply otherwise mad if I based
my hopes on such promises, being certain to get
nothing. So I departed, and went off to my business.

1 The office of the Piombo in Rome 'was a bureau in which leaden seals were ap-
pended to Bulls and instruments of state. It remained for a long time in the hands of
the Cistercians; but it used also to be conferred on laymen, among whom 'were Bra-
mante and Sebastiano del Piombo. When the latter obtained it, he neglefted his art
and gave himself up to "scratching his paunch," as Cellini predicted.
* Bartolommeo or Baccio Palori, a devoted adherent of the Medici, played an im-
portant part in Florentine history. He 'was Clement' 's commissary to the Prince of
Orange during the siege. Afterwards , feeling himself ill repaid jor his services, he
joined Filippo Stroxzi in his opposition to the Medicean rule, and was beheaded in
1537, together with his son and a nephew.

I 231 ]

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

Messer Bartolommeo must have reported my
audacious speeches to the Pope, and more perhaps
than I had really said ; for his Holiness waited above
two months before he sent to me, and during that
while nothing would have induced me to go uncalled
for to the palace. Yet he was dying with impatience
to see the chalice, and commissioned Messer Ru-
berto Pucci to give heed to what I was about. 1 That
right worthy fellow came daily to visit me, and al-
ways gave me some kindly word, which I returned.
The time was drawing nigh now for the Pope to
travel toward Bologna; 2 so at last, perceiving that
I did not mean to come to him, he made Messer
Ruberto bid me bring my work, that he might see
how I was getting on. Accordingly, I took it; and
having shown, as the piece itself proved, that the
most important part was finished, I begged him to
advance me five hundred crowns, partly on account,
and partly because I wanted gold to complete the
chalice. The Pope said: "Go on, go on at work till
it is finished." I answered, as I took my leave, that
I would finish it if he paid me the money. And so
I went away.

LVII

When the Pope took his journey to Bologna, he left
Cardinal Salviati as Legate of Rome, and gave him
commission to push the work that I was doing for-

1 Roberto Pucci 'was another of the devoted Medicean partisans <who remained true
to his colours. He sat among the forty-eight senators of Alessandro, and 'was made
a Cardinal by Paul III. in 1534.

8 On November 18, 1532, Clement 'went to meet Charles V. at Bologna, 'where, in
>5 2 9> he had already given him the Imperial crown.

C 232 ]

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

ward, adding: "Benvenuto is a fellow who esteems
his own great talents but slightly, and us less; look
to it then that you keep him always going, so that
I may find the chalice finished on my return."

That beast of a Cardinal sent for me after eight
days, bidding me bring the piece up. On this I went
to him without the piece. No sooner had I shown
my face, than he called out: "Where is that onion-
stew of yours ? ' Have you got it ready ? " I answered :
" O most reverend Monsignor, I have not got my
onion-stew ready, nor shall I make it ready, unless
you give me onions to concocl: it with/' At these
words, the Cardinal, who looked more like a donkey
than a man, turned uglier by half than he was natu-
rally ; and wanting at once to cut the matter short,
cried out: "I'll send you to a galley, and then per-
haps you '11 have the grace 2 to go on with your labour."
The bestial manners of the man made me a beast too ;
and I retorted: " Monsignor, send me to the galleys
when I 've done deeds worthy of them ; but for my
present laches, I snap my fingers at your galleys:
and what is more, I tell you that, just because of
you, I will not set hand further to my piece. Don't
send for me again, for I won't appear, no, not if you
summon me by the police."

After this, the good Cardinal tried several times
to let me know that I ought to go on working, and
to bring him what I was doing to look at. I only told
his messengers: "Say to Monsignor that he must

1 Cipollata. Literally, a sho-~w of onions and pumpkins ; metaphorically ', a mess, gal-
limaufry,

8 Arai dl grazia di. I am not sure whether I have given the right shade of
meaning in the text above. It may mean : You. <will be permitted.

C 233 ]

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

send me onions, if he wants me to get my stew
ready." Nor gave I ever any other answer; so that
he threw up the commission in despair.

LVIII

The Pope came back from Bologna, and sent at once
for me, because the Cardinal had written the worst
he could of my affairs in his despatches. He was in
the hottest rage imaginable, and bade me come upon
the instant with my piece. I obeyed. Now, while the
Pope was staying at Bologna, I had suffered from
an attack of inflammation in the eyes, so painful that
I scarce could go on living for the torment; and this
was the chief reason why I had not carried out my
work. The trouble was so serious that I expected
for certain to be left without my eyesight ; and I had
reckoned up the sum on which I could subsist, if I
were blind for life. Upon the way to the Pope, I
turned over in my mind what I should put forward
to excuse myself for not having been able to ad-
vance his work. I thought that while he was inspect-
ing the chalice, I might tell him of my personal em-
barrassments. However, I was unable to do so ; for
when I arrived in the presence, he broke out coarsely
at me: "Come here with your work ; is it finished?"
I displayed it; and his temper rising, he exclaimed:
"In God's truth I tell thee, thou that makest it thy
business to hold no man in regard, that, were it not
for decency and order, I would have thee chucked
together with thy work there out of windows." Ac-
cordingly, when I perceived that the Pope had be-
come no. better than a vicious beast, my chief anxi-

[ 234 3

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

ety was how I could manage to withdraw from his
presence. So, while he went on bullying, I tucked
the piece beneath my cape, and muttered under my
breath: "The whole world could not compel a blind
man to execute such things as these/' Raising his
voice still higher, the Pope shouted: "Come here;
what say'st thou?" I stayed in two minds, whether
or not to dash at full speed down the staircase ; then
I took my decision and threw myself upon my knees,
shouting as loudly as I could, for he too had not
ceased from shouting: "If an infirmity has blinded
me, am I bound to go on working?" He retorted:
"You saw well enough to make your way hither,
and I don't believe one word of what you say." I
answered, for I noticed he had dropped his voice a
little: "Let your Holiness inquire of your physician,
and you will find the truth out." He said: "So ho!
softly ; at leisure we shall hear if what you say is
so." Then, perceiving that he was willing to give me
hearing, I added: "I am convinced that the only
cause of this great trouble which has happened to
me is Cardinal Salviati; for he sent to me immedi-
ately after your Holiness's departure, and when I
presented myself, he called my work a stew of onions,
and told me he would send me to complete it in
a galley; and such was the effecl; upon me of his
knavish words, that in my passion I felt my face in
flame, and so intolerable a heat attacked my eyes
that I could not find my own way home. Two days
afterwards, cataracts fell on both my eyes; I quite
lost my sight, and after your Holiness's departure
I have been unable to work at all."

C 235 ]

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

Rising from my knees, I left the presence without
further license. It was afterwards reported to me
that the Pope had said: " One can give commissions,
but not the prudence to perform them. I did not tell
the Cardinal to go so brutally about this business. 1
If it is true that he is suffering from his eyes, of which
I shall get information through my do6lor, one ought
to make allowance for him." A great gentleman, inti-
mate with the Pope, and a man of very distinguished
parts, happened to be present. He asked who I was,
using terms like these: "Most blessed Father, par-
don if I put a question. I have seen you yield at one
and the same time to the hottest anger I ever ob-
served, and then to the warmest compassion; so I
beg your Holiness to tell me who the man is ; for if
he is a person worthy to be helped, I can teach him
a secret which may cure him of that infirmity." The
Pope replied: "He is the greatest artist who was
ever born in his own craft; one day, when we are
together, I will show you some of his marvellous
works, and the man himself to boot; and I shall be
pleased if we can see our way toward doing some-
thing to assist him." Three days after this, the Pope
sent for me after dinner-time, and I found that
great noble in the presence. On my arrival, the Pope
had my cope-button brought, and I in the meantime
drew forth my chalice. The nobleman said, on look-
ing at it, that he had never seen a more stupendous
piece of work. When the button came, he was still
more struck with wonder: and looking me straight
in the face, he added: "The man is young, I trow,

1 Che mettesil tanta maxxa.

236

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

to be so able in his art, and still apt enough to learn
much." He then asked me what my name was. I
answered: "My name is Benvenuto." He replied:
"And Benvenuto shall I be this day to you. Take
flower-de-luces, stalk, blossom, root, together; then
decocl: them over a slack fire; and with the liquid
bathe your eyes several times a day ; you will most
certainly be cured of that weakness; but see that
you purge first, and then go forward with the lotion/'
The Pope gave me some kind words, and so I went
away half satisfied.

LIX

It was true indeed that I had got the sickness ; but I
believe I caught it from that fine young servant-girl
whom I was keeping when my house was robbed.
The French disease, for it was that, remained in me
more than four months dormant before it showed it-
self, and then it broke out over my whole body at
one instant. It was not like what one commonly ob-
serves, but covered my flesh with certain blisters,
of the size of sixpences, and rose-coloured. The doc-
tors would not call it the French disease, albeit I told
them why I thought it was that. I went on treating
myself according to their methods, but derived no
benefit. At last, then, I resolved on taking the wood,
against the advice of the first physicians in Rome; 1
and I took it with the most scrupulous discipline and
rules of abstinence that could be thought of; and af-
ter a few days, I perceived in me a great amend-
ment. The result was that at the end of fifty days

1 That is, Guiacum, called by the Italians legno santo.

I 237 3

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

I was cured and as sound as a fish in the water.

Some time afterwards I sought to mend my shat-
tered health, and with this view I betook myself to
shooting when the winter came in. That amusement,
however, led me to expose myself to wind and water,
and to staying out in marsh-lands ; so that, after a
few days, I fell a hundred times more ill than I had
been before. I put myself once more under doctors'
orders, and attended to their dire&ions, but grew
always worse. When the fever fell upon me, I re-
solved on having recourse again to the wood; but
the doctors forbade it, saying that if I took it with
the fever on me, I should not have a week to live.
However, I made my mind up to disobey their or-
ders, observed the same diet as I had formerly
adopted, and after drinking the deco6lion four days,
was wholly rid of fever. My health improved enor-
mously; and while I was following this cure, I went
on always working at the models of the chalice. I
may add that, during the time of that stri6l absti-
nence, I produced finer things and of more exquisite
invention than at any other period of my life. After
fifty days my health was re-established, and I con-
tinued with the utmost care to keep it and confirm
it. When at last I ventured to relax my rigid diet,
I found myself as wholly free from those infirmities
as though I had been born again. Although I took
pleasure in fortifying the health I so much longed
for, yet I never left off working ; both the chalice and
the Mint had certainly as much of my attention as
was due to them and to myself.

C 238 i

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

It happened that Cardinal Salviati, who, as I have
related, entertained an old hostility against me, had
been appointed Legate to Parma. In that city a cer-
tain Milanese goldsmith, named Tobbia, was taken
up for false coining, and condemned to the gallows
and the stake. Representations in his favour, as be-
ing a man of great ability, were made to the Cardi-
nal, who suspended the execution of the sentence,
and wrote to the Pope, saying the best goldsmith
in the world had come into his hands, sentenced to
death for coining false money, but that he was a
good simple fellow, who could plead in his excuse
that he had taken counsel with his confessor, and
had received, as he said, from him permission to do
this. Thereto he added: "If you send for this great
artist to Rome, your Holiness will bring down the
overweening arrogance of your favourite Benve-
nuto, and I am quite certain that Tobbia's work will
please you far more than his." The Pope accordingly
sent for him at once; and when the man arrived, he
made us both appear before him, and commissioned
each of us to furnish a design for mounting an uni-
corn's horn, the finest which had ever been seen,
and which had been sold for 17,000 ducats of the
Camera. The Pope meant to give it to King Francis ;
but first he wished it richly set in gold, and ordered
us to make sketches for this purpose. When they
were finished, we took them to the Pope. That of
Tobbia was in the form of a candlestick, the horn
being stuck in it like a candle, and at the base of the

[ 239 ]

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

piece he had introduced four little unicorns' heads
of a very poor design. When I saw the thing, I could
not refrain from laughing gently in my sleeve. The
Pope noticed this, and cried: " Here, show me your
sketch ! " It was a single unicorn's head, proportioned
in size to the horn. I had designed the finest head
imaginable; for I took it partly from the horse and
partly from the stag, enriching it with fantastic mane
and other ornaments. Accordingly, no sooner was it
seen, than every one decided in my favour. There
were, however, present at the competition certain
Milanese gentlemen of the first consequence, who
said : " Most blessed Father, your Holiness is send-
ing this magnificent present into France ; please to
reflect that the French are people of no culture, and
will not understand the excellence of Benvenuto's
work ; pyxes like this one of Tobbia's will suit their
taste well, and these too can be finished quicker.'
Benvenuto will devote himself to completing your
chalice, and you will get two pieces done in the same
time; moreover, this poor man, whom you have
brought to Rome, will have the chance to be em-
ployed." The Pope, who was anxious to obtain his
chalice, very willingly adopted the advice of the Mi-
lanese gentlefolk.

Next day, therefore, he commissioned Tobbia to
mount the unicorn's horn, and sent his Master of the
Wardrobe to bid me finish the chalice. 2 1 replied that

1 The 'word I have translated pyxes is ciborii, vessels for holding the Eucharist.
3 The Master of the Wardrobe 'was at that time Giovanni Aleotti. I need hardly re-
mind my readers that Guardaroba or wardrobe 'was the apartment in a palace where
arms, plate, furniture, and clothes 'were stored. We shall find, 'when 'we come to Cel-
lini's service under Duke Cosimo, that princes spent much of their time in this place.

C 240 ]

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

I desired nothing in the world more than to com-
plete the beautiful work I had begun: and if the mate-
rial had been anything but gold, I could very easily
have done so by myself; but it being gold, his Holi-
ness must give me some of the metal if he wanted
me to get through with my work. To this the vul-
gar courtier answered: " Zounds! don't ask the Pope
for gold, unless you mean to drive him into such a
fury as will ruin you." I said: "Oh, my good lord,
will your lordship please to tell me how one can
make bread without flour? Even so without gold
this piece of mine cannot be finished." The Master
of the Wardrobe, having an inkling that I had made
a fool of him, told me he should report all I had
spoken to his Holiness; and this he did. The Pope
flew into a bestial passion, and swore he would wait
to see if I was so mad as not to finish it. More than
two months passed thus ; and though I had declared
I would not give a stroke to the chalice, I did not
do so, but always went on working with the great-
est interest. When he perceived I was not going to
bring it, he began to display real displeasure, and
protested he would punish me in one way or another.
A jeweller from Milan in the Papal service hap-
pened to be present when these words were spoken.
He was called Pompeo, and was closely related to
Messer Trajano, the most favoured servant of Pope
Clement. The two men came, upon a common un-
derstanding, to him and said : " If your Holiness were
to deprive Benvenuto of the Mint, perhaps he would
take it into his head to complete the chalice/' To
this the Pope answered : " No ; two evil things would

C 241 3

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

happen: first, I should be ill served in the Mint,
which concerns me greatly; and secondly, I should
certainly not get the chalice." The two Milanese,
observing the Pope indisposed towards me, at last
so far prevailed that he deprived me of the Mint,
and gave it to a young Perugian, commonly known
as Fagiuolo. 1 Pompeo came to inform me that his
Holiness had taken my place in the Mint away, and
that if I did not finish the chalice, he would deprive
me of other things besides. I retorted: "Tell his
Holiness that he has deprived himself and not me
of the Mint, and that he will be doing the same with
regard to those other things of which he speaks;
and that if he wants to confer the post on me again,
nothing will induce me to accept it." The graceless
and unlucky fellow went off like an arrow to find
the Pope and report this conversation ; he added also
something of his own invention. Eight days later, the
Pope sent the same man to tell me that he did not
mean me to finish the chalice, and wanted to have
it back precisely at the point to which I had already
brought it. I told Pompeo: "This thing is not like
the Mint, which it was in his power to take away;
but five hundred crowns which I received belong to
his Holiness, and I am ready to return them; the
piece itself is mine, and with it I shall do what I think
best." Pompeo ran off to report my speech, together
with some biting words which in my righteous anger
I had let fly at himself.

1 Vasari mentions a Girolamo Fagiuoli, who flourished at this period, but calls him
a Bolognese.

242

LXI

After the lapse of three days, on a Thursday, there
came to me two favourite Chamberlains of his Holi-
ness; one of them is alive now, and a bishop; he
was called Messer Pier Giovanni, and was an offi-
cer of the wardrobe ; the other could claim nobler
birth, but his name has escaped me. On arriving they
spoke as follows: "The Pope hath sent us, Ben-
venuto; and since you have not chosen to comply
with his request on easy terms, his commands now
are that either you should give us up his piece, or
that we should take you to prison." Thereupon I
looked them very cheerfully in the face, replying:
" My lords, if I were to give the work to his Holi-
ness, I should be giving what is mine and not his,
and at present I have no intention to make him this
gift. I have brought it far forward with great labour,
and do not want it to go into the hands of some ig-
norant beast who will destroy it with no trouble/'
While I spoke thus, the goldsmith Tobbia was stand-
ing by, who even presumptuously asked me for the
models also of my work. What I retorted, in words
worthy of such a rascal, need not here be repeated.
Then, when those gentlemen, the Chamberlains, kept
urging me to do quickly what I meant to do, I told
them I was ready. So I took my cape up, and before
I left the shop, I turned to an image of Christ, with
solemn reverence and cap in hand, praying as thus:
"O gracious and undying, just and holy our Lord,
all the things thou doest are according to thy jus-
tice, which hath no peer on earth. Thou knowest

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

that I have exa6lly reached the age of thirty, and
that up to this hour I was never threatened with a
prison for any of my a6tions. Now that it is thy will
that I should go to prison, with all my heart I thank
thee for this dispensation/' Thereat I turned round
to the two Chamberlains, and addressed them with
a certain lowering look I have: "A man of my qual-
ity deserved no meaner catchpoles than your lord-
ships : place me between you, and take me as your
prisoner where you like/' Those two gentlemen,
with the most perfect manners, burst out laughing,
and put me between them ; and so we went off, talk-
ing pleasantly, until they brought me to the Gov-
ernor of Rome, who was called II Magalotto. 1 When
I reached him (and the Procurator-Fiscal was with
him, both waiting for me), the Pope's Chamberlains,
still laughing, said to the Governor: "We give up
to you this prisoner; now see you take good care
of him. We are very glad to have acled in the place
of your agents ; for Benvenuto has told us that this
being his first arrest, he deserved no catchpoles of
inferior station than we are." Immediately on leav-
ing us, they sought the Pope; and when they had
minutely related the whole matter, he made at first
as though he would give way to passion, but after-
wards he put control upon himself and laughed, be-
cause there were then in the presence certain lords
and cardinals, my friends, who had warmly espoused
my cause.

1 Gregorio Magalotti 'was a Roman. 'The Procurator-Fiscal 'was then Benedetto
Valenti. Magalotti is said to have discharged his office 'with extreme severity, and
to have run great risks of his life in consequence.

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

Meanwhile, the Governor and the Fiscal were at
me, partly bullying, partly expostulating, partly giv-
ing advice, and saying it was only reason that a
man who ordered work from another should be able
to withdraw it at his choice, and in any way which
he thought best. To this I replied that such proceed-
ings were not warranted by justice, neither could a
Pope a6l thus; for that a Pope is not of the same
kind as certain petty tyrant princes, who treat their
folk as badly as they can, without regard to law or
justice ; and so a Vicar of Christ may not commit any
of these a6ls of violence. Thereat the Governor,
assuming his police-court style of threatening and
bullying, began to say: "Benvenuto, Benvenuto,
you are going about to make me treat you as you
deserve. " " You will treat me with honour and cour-
tesy, if you wish to a6l as I deserve." Taking me
up again, he cried: "Send for the work at once, and
don't wait for a second order." I responded: "My
lords, grant me the favour of being allowed to say
four more words jn my defence." The Fiscal, who
was a far more reasonable agent of police than the
Governor, turned to him and said : " Monsignor, sup-
pose we let him say a hundred words, if he likes:
so long as he gives up the work, that is enough for
us." I spoke: " If any man you like to name had or-
dered a palace or a house to be built, he could with
justice tell the master-mason: 'I do not want you to
go on working at my house or palace;' and after
paying him his labour, he would have the right to
dismiss him. Likewise, if a nobleman gave commis-
sion for a jewel of a thousand crowns' value to be

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

set, when he saw that the jeweller was not serving
him according to his desire, he could say : * Give me
back my stone, for I do not want your work/ But in
a case of this kind none of those considerations ap-
ply; there is neither house nor jewel here; nobody
can command me further than that I should return
the five hundred crowns which I have had. There-
fore, monsignori, do everything you can do; for you
will get nothing from me beyond the five hundred
crowns. Go and say this to the Pope. Your threats
do not frighten me at all; for I am an honest man,
and stand in no fear of my sins." The Governor
and Fiscal rose, and said they were going to the
Pope, and should return with orders which I should
soon learn to my cost. So I remained there under
guard. I walked up and down a large hall, and they
were about three hours away before they came back
from the Pope. In that while the flower of our na-
tion among the merchants came to visit me, implor-
ing me not to persist in contending with a Pope, for
this might be the ruin of me. I answered them that I
had made my mind up quite well what I wished to do.

LXII

No sooner had the Governor returned, together with
the Procurator, from the palace, than he sent for me,
and spoke to this eflfe<5l: " Benvenuto, I am certainly
sorry to come back from the Pope with such com-
mands as I have received; you must either produce
the chalice on the instant, or look to your affairs/'
Then I replied that " inasmuch as I had never to that
hour believed a holy Vicar of Christ could commit

246

( M I LAN l

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

an unjust a6l, so I should like to see it before I did
believe it; therefore do the utmost that you can."
The Governor rejoined: "I have to report a couple
of words more from the Pope to you, and then I will
execute the orders given me. He says that you must
bring your work to me here, and that after I have
seen it put into a box and sealed, I must take it to
him. He engages his word not to break the seal,
and to return the piece to you untouched. But this
much he wants to have done, in order to preserve his
own honour in the affair." In return to this speech, I
answered, laughing, that I would very willingly give
up my work in the way he mentioned, because I
should be glad to know for certain what a Pope's
word was really worth.

Accordingly, I sent for my piece, and having had
it sealed as described, gave it up to him. The Gov-
ernor repaired again to the Pope, who took the box,
according to what the Governor himself told me,
and turned it several times about. Then he asked
the Governor if he had seen the work ; and he re-
plied that he had, and that it had been sealed up in
his presence, and added that it had struck him as
a very admirable piece. Thereupon the Pope said:
" You shall tell Benvenuto that Popes have authority
to bind and loose things of far greater consequence
than this;" and while thus speaking he opened the
box with some show of anger, taking off the string
and seals with which it was done up. Afterwards he
paid it prolonged attention ; and , as I subsequently
heard, showed it to Tobbia the goldsmith, who be-
stowed much praise upon it. Then the Pope asked

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

him if he felt equal to producing a piece in that style.
On his saying yes, the Pope told him to follow it
out exadtly ; then turned to the Governor and said:
"See whether Benvenuto will give it up; for if he
does, he shall be paid the value fixed on it by men
of knowledge in this art ; but if he is really bent on
finishing it himself, let him name a certain time; and
if you are convinced that he means to do it, let him
have all the reasonable accommodations he may ask
for." The Governor replied: " Most blessed Father,
I know the violent temper of this young man ; so let
me have authority to give him a sound rating af-
ter my own fashion/' The Pope told him to do what
he liked with words, though he was sure he would
make matters worse ; and if at last he could do no-
thing else, he must order me to take the five hundred
crowns to his jeweller, Pompeo.

The Governor returned, sent for me into his cabi-
net, and casting one of his catchpole's glances, be-
gan to speak as follows: "Popes have authority to
loose and bind the whole world, and what they do
is immediately ratified in heaven. Behold your box,
then, which has been opened and inspected by his
Holiness/' I lifted up my voice at once, and said: "I
thank God that now I have learned and can report
what the faith of Popes is made of/' Then the Gov-
ernor launched out into brutal bullying words and
gestures ; but perceiving that they came to nothing,
he gave up his attempt as desperate, and spoke in
somewhat milder tones after this wise : "Benvenuto,
I am very sorry that you are so blind to your own
interest; but since it is so, go and take the five hun-

C 248 i

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

dred crowns, when you think fit, to Pompeo." I took
my piece up, went away, and carried the crowns to
Pompeo on the instant. It is most likely that the
Pope had counted on some want of money or other
opportunity preventing me from bringing so con-
siderable a sum at once, and was anxious in this way
to repiece the broken thread of my obedience. When
then he saw Pompeo coming to him with a smile
upon his lips and the money in his hand, he soundly
rated him, and lamented that the affair had turned
out so. Then he said: "Go find Benvenuto in his
shop, and treat him with all the courtesies of which
your ignorant and brutal nature is capable, and tell
him that if he is willing to finish that piece for a
reliquary to hold the Corpus Domini when I walk
in procession, I will allow him the conveniences he
wants in order to complete it ; provided only that he
goes on working." Pompeo came to me, called me
outside the shop, and heaped on me the most mawk-
ish caresses of a donkey, 1 reporting everything the
Pope had ordered. I lost no time in answering that
" the greatest treasure I could wish for in the world
was to regain the favour of so great a Pope, which
had been lost to me, not indeed by my fault, but by
the fault of my overwhelming illness and the wick-
edness of those envious men who take pleasure in
making mischief; and since the Pope has plenty of
servants, do not let him send you round again, if
you value your life . . . nay, look well to your safety.
I shall not fail, by night or day, to think and do
everything I can in the Pope's service ; and bear this

1 Lt piu ii<vene<vole carezze cTasino.

C 249 ]

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

well in mind, that when you have reported these
words to his Holiness, you never in any way what-
ever meddle with the least of my affairs, for I will
make you recognise your errors by the punishment
they merit." The fellow related everything to the
Pope, but in far more brutal terms than I had used;
and thus the matter rested for a time while I again
attended to my shop and business.

LXIII

Tobbia the goldsmith meanwhile worked at the set-
ting and the decoration of the unicorn's horn. The
Pope, moreover, commissioned him to begin the chal-
ice upon the model he had seen in mine. But when
Tobbia came to show him what he had done, he was
very discontented, and greatly regretted that he had
broken with me, blaming all the other man's works
and the people who had introduced them to him ; and
several times Baccino della Croce came from him to
tell me that I must not negle6l the reliquary. I an-
swered that I begged his Holiness to let me breathe
a little after the great illness I had suffered, and
from which I was not as yet wholly free, adding that
I would make it clear to him that all the hours in
which I could work should be spent in his service. I
had indeed begun to make his portrait, and was exe-
cuting a medal in secret. I fashioned the steel dies
for stamping this medal in my own house; while I
kept a partner in my workshop, who had been my
prentice and was called Felice.

At that time, as is the wont of young men, I had
fallen in love with a Sicilian girl, who was exceed-

C 250 1

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

ingly beautiful. On it becoming clear that she re- ,
turned my affection, her mother perceived how the
matter stood, and grew suspicious of what might
happen. The truth is that I had arranged to elope
with the girl for a year to Florence, unknown to
her mother; but she, getting wind of this, left Rome
secretly one night, and went off in the direction of
Naples. She gave out that she was gone by Civita
Vecchia,but she really went by Ostia.I followed them
to Civita Vecchia, and did a multitude of mad things
to discover her. It would be too long to narrate them
all in detail ; enough that I was on the point of losing
my wits or dying. After two months she wrote to
me that she was in Sicily, extremely unhappy. I
meanwhile was indulging myself in all the pleasures
man can think of, and had engaged in another love
affair, merely to drown the memory of my real
passion.

LXIV

It happened through a variety of singular accidents
that I became intimate with a Sicilian priest, who was
a man of very elevated genius and well instructed
in both Latin and Greek letters. In the course of con-
versation one day we were led to talk about the art
of necromancy; apropos of which I said : " Through-
out my whole life I have had the most intense de-
sire to see or learn something of this art." Thereto
the priest replied: "A stout soul and a steadfast must
the man have who sets himself to such an enter-
prise." I answered that of strength and steadfastness
of soul I should have enough and to spare, provided I

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

, found the opportunity. Then the priest said: "If you
have the heart to dare it, I will amply satisfy your
curiosity/' Accordingly we agreed upon attempting
the adventure.

The priest one evening made his preparations, and
bade me find a comrade, or not more than two. I
invited Vincenzio Romoli, a very dear friend of mine,
and the priest took with him a native of Pistoja, who
also cultivated the black art. We went together to
the Coliseum ; and there the priest, having arrayed
himself in necromancer's robes, began to describe
circles on the earth with the finest ceremonies that
can be imagined. I must say that he had made us
bring precious perfumes and fire, and also drugs of
fetid odour. When the preliminaries were completed,
he made the entrance into the circle; and taking
us by the hand, introduced us one by one inside
it. Then he assigned our several functions; to the
necromancer, his comrade, he gave the pentacle to
hold ; the other two of us had to look after the fire
and the perfumes ; and then he began his incanta-
tions. This lasted more than an hour and a half;
when several legions appeared, and the Coliseum
was all full of devils. I was occupied ,with the pre-
cious perfumes, and when the priest perceived in
what numbers they were present, he turned to me
and said: " Benvenuto,ask them something." I called
on them to reunite me with my Sicilian Angelica.
That night we obtained no answer; but I enjoyed
the greatest satisfaction of my curiosity in such mat-
ters. The necromancer said that we should have to
go a second time, and that I should obtain the full

[ 252 ]]

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

accomplishment of my request; but he wished me
to bring with me a little boy of pure virginity.

I chose one of my shop-lads, who was about twelve
years old, and invited Vincenzio Romoli again; and
we also took a certain Agnolino Gaddi, who was a
very intimate friend of both. When we came once
more to the place appointed, the necromancer made
just the same preparations, attended by the same
and even more impressive details. Then he intro-
duced us into the circle, which he had reconstructed
with art more admirable and yet more wondrous
ceremonies. Afterwards he appointed my friend Vin-
cenzio to the ordering of the perfumes and the fire,
and with him Agnolino Gaddi. He next placed in
my hand the pentacle^ which he bid me turn toward
the points he indicated, and under the pentacle I
held the little boy, my workman. Now the necro-
mancer began to utter those awful invocations, call-
ing by name on multitudes of demons who are cap-
tains of their legions, and these he summoned by
the virtue and potency of God, the Uncreated, Liv-
ing, and Eternal, in phrases of the Hebrew, and also
of the Greek and Latin tongues ; insomuch that in
a short space of time the whole Coliseum was full
of a hundredfold as many as had appeared upon
the first occasion. Vincenzio Romoli, together with
Agnolino, tended the fire and heaped on quantities
of precious perfumes. At the advice of the necro-
mancer, I again demanded to be reunited with An-
gelica. The sorcerer turned to me and said : " Hear
you what they have replied ; that in the space of one
month you will be where she is ? " Then once more

C 253 ]

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

he prayed me to stand firm by him, because the
legions were a thousandfold more than he had sum-
moned, and were the most dangerous of all the
denizens of hell ; and now that they had settled what
I asked, it behoved us to be civil to them and dis-
miss them gently. On the other side, the boy, who
was beneath the pentacle, shrieked out in terror that
a million of the fiercest men were swarming round
and threatening us. He said, moreover, that four
huge giants had appeared, who were striving to force
their way inside the circle. Meanwhile the necro-
mancer, trembling with fear, kept doing his best
with mild and soft persuasions to dismiss them. Vin-
cenzio Romoli,who quaked like an aspen leaf,looked
after the perfumes. Though I was quite as frightened
as the rest of them, I tried to show it less, and in-
spired them all with marvellous courage; but the
truth is that I had given myself up for dead when
I saw the terror of the necromancer. The boy had
stuck his head between his knees, exclaiming: "This
is how I will meet death, for we are certainly dead
men/' Again I said to him: "These creatures are
all inferior to us, and what you see is only smoke
and shadow ; so then raise your eyes.'' When he had
raised them he cried out: "The whole Coliseum is
in flames, and the fire is advancing on us;" then
covering his face with his hands, he groaned again
that he was dead, and that he could not endure the
sight longer. The necromancer appealed for my
support, entreating me to stand firm by him, and to
have assafetida flung upon the coals ; so I turned to
Vincenzio Romoli, and told him to make the fumi-

C 254 3

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

gation at once. While uttering these words I looked
at Agnolino Gaddi, whose eyes were starting from
their sockets in his terror, and who was more than
half dead, and said to him: "Agnolo, in time and
place like this we must not yield to fright, but do
the utmost to bestir ourselves ; therefore, up at once,
and fling a handful of that assafetida upon the fire."
Agnolo, at the moment when he moved to do this,
let fly such a volley from his breech, that it was far
more effectual than the assafetida. 1 The boy, roused
by that great stench and noise, lifted his face a little,
and hearing me laugh, he plucked up courage, and
said the devils were taking to flight tempestuously.
So we abode thus until the matin-bells began to sound.
Then the boy told us -again that but few remained,
and those were at a distance. When the necro-
mancer had concluded his ceremonies, he put off his
wizard's robe, and packed up a great bundle of books
which he had brought with him; then, all together,
we issued with him from the circle, huddling as close
as we could to one another, especially the boy, who
had got into the middle, and taken the necromancer
by his gown and me by the cloak. All the while that
we were going toward our houses in the Banchi, he
kept saying that two of the devils he had seen in the
Coliseum were gambolling in front of us, skipping
now along the roofs and now upon the ground. The
necromancer assured me that, often as he had en-
tered magic circles, he had never met with such a
serious affair as this. He also tried to persuade me
to assist him in consecrating a book, by means of

1 fcce una istrombazzata di coregge con tanta abundanxia di merda.

C 255 H

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

which we should extract immeasurable wealth, since
we could call up fiends to show us where treasures
were, whereof the earth is full ; and after this wise we
should become the richest of mankind : love affairs
like mine were nothing but vanities and follies with-
out consequence. I replied that if I were a Latin
scholar I should be very willing to do what he sug-
gested. He continued to persuade me by arguing
that Latin scholarship was of no importance, and that,
if he wanted, he could have found plenty of good
Latinists ; but that he had never met with a man of
soul so firm as mine, and that I ought to follow his
counsel. Engaged in this conversation, we reached
our homes, and each one of us dreamed all that night
of devils.

LXV

As we were in the habit of meeting daily, the necro-
mancer kept urging me to join in his adventure. Ac-
cordingly, I asked him how long it would take, and
where we should have to go. To this he answered
that we might get through with it in less than a
month, and that the most suitable locality for the pur-
pose was the hill country of Norcia ;' a master of his
in the art had indeed consecrated such a book quite
close to Rome, at a place called the Badia di Farfa;
but he had met with some difficulties there, which
would not occur in the mountains of Norcia; the
peasants also of that district are people to be trusted,
and have some practice in these matters, so that at

1 'This distrifi of the Central Apennines was always famous for witches, poisoners,
and so forth. The Farfa mentioned below is a 'village of the Sabine hills,

256

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

a pinch they are able to render valuable assistance.

This priestly sorcerer moved me so by his persua-
sions that I was well disposed to comply with his re-
quest; but I said I wanted first to finish the medals
I was making for the Pope. I had confided what I
was doing about them to him alone, begging him to
keep my secret. At the same time I never stopped ask-
ing him if he believed that I should be reunited to my
Sicilian Angelica at the time appointed; for the date
was drawing near, and I thought it singular that I
heard nothing about her. The necromancer told me
that it was quite certain I should find myself where
she was, since the devils never break their word when
they promise, as they did on that occasion; but he
bade me keep my eyes open, and be on the lookout
against some accident which might happen to me in
that conneclion, and put restraint upon myself to en-
dure somewhat against my inclination, for he could
discern a great and imminent danger in it: well would
it be for me if I went with him to consecrate the book,
since this would avert the peril that menaced me,
and would make us both most fortunate.

I was beginning to hanker after the adventure more
than he did; but I said that a certain Maestro Gio-
vanni of Castel Bolognese had just come to Rome,
very ingenious in the art of making medals of the
sort I made in steel, and that I thirsted for nothing
more than to compete with him and take the world
by storm with some great masterpiece, which I hoped
would annihilate all those enemies of mine by the
force of genius and not the sword. 1 The sorcerer on

1 Gio. Eernardi had been in the Duke of Ferraras service. Giovio brought him to

C 2 57 3

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

his side went on urging: "Nay, prithee, Benvenuto,
come with me and shun a great disaster which I see
impending over you." However, I had made my
mind up, come what would, to finish my medal, and
we were now approaching the end of the month. I
was so absorbed and enamoured by my work that I
thought no more about Angelica or anything of that
kind, but gave my whole self up to it.

LXVI

It happened one day, close on the hours of vespers,
that I had to go at an unusual time for me from my
house to my workshop; for I ought to say that the
latter was in the Banchi, while I lived behind the
Banchi, and went rarely to the shop; all my business
there I left in the hands of my partner, Felice. Hav-
ing stayed a short while in the workshop, I remem-
bered that I had to say something to Alessandro del
Bene. So I arose, and when I reached the Banchi,
I met a man called Ser Benedetto, who was a great
friend of mine. He was a notary, born in Florence,
son of a blind man who said prayers about the streets
for alms, and a Sienese by race. This Ser Benedetto
had been very many years at Naples ; afterwards he
had settled in Rome, where he transacted businessfor
some Sienese merchants of the Chigi. 1 My partner
had over and over again asked him for some moneys
which were due for certain little rings confided to
Ser Benedetto. That very day, meeting him in the

Rome, where he 'was patronised by the Cardinals Safoiati and De* Medici. He
made a famous medal of Clement VII., and 'was a Pontifical mace-bearer. He died
at Faenza in 1555.
1 The MS. has Figi ; but this is probably a mistake of the amanuensis.

258 ]

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

Banchi, he demanded his money rather roughly, as
his wont was. Benedetto was walking with his mas-
ters, and they, annoyed by the interruption, scolded
him sharply, saying they would be served by some-
body else, in order not to have to listen to such
barking. Ser Benedetto did the best he could to ex-
cuse himself, swore that he had paid the goldsmith,
and said he had no power to curb the rage of mad-
men. The Sienese took his words ill, and dismissed
him on the spot. Leaving them, he ran like an arrow
to my shop, probably to take revenge upon Felice.
It chanced that just in the middle of the street we
met. I, who had heard nothing of the matter, greeted
him most kindly, according to my custom, to which
courtesy he replied with insults. Then what the sor-
cerer had said flashed all at once upon my mind ; and
bridling myself as well as I was able, in the way
he bade me, I answered : " Good brother Benedetto,
don't fly into a rage with me, for I have done you
no harm, nor do I know anything about these affairs
of yours. Please go and finish what you have to do
with Felice. He is quite capable of giving you a pro-
per answer; but inasmuch as I know nothing about
it, you are wrong to abuse me in this way, espe-
cially as you are well aware that I am not the man
to put up with insults/' He retorted that I knew ev-
erything, and that he was the man to make me bear
a heavier load than that, and that Felice and I were
two great rascals. By this time a crowd had gathered
round to hear the quarrel. Provoked by his ugly
words, I stooped and took up a lump of mud for
it had rained and hurled it with a quick and un-

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

premeditated movement at his face. He ducked his
head, so that the mud hit him in the middle of the
skull. There was a stone in it with several sharp
angles, one of which striking him, he fell stunned
like a dead man: whereupon all the bystanders, see-
ing the great quantity of blood, judged that he was
really dead.

LXVII

While he was still lying on the ground, and people
were preparing to carry him away, Pompeo the
jeweller passed by. The Pope had sent for him to
give orders about some jewels. Seeing the fellow in
such a miserable plight, he asked who had struck
him; on which they told him: " Benvenuto did it, but
the stupid creature brought it down upon himself/'
No sooner had Pompeo reached the Pope than he
began to speak : " Most blessed Father, Benvenuto
has this very moment murdered Tobbia; I saw it
with my own eyes." On this the Pope in a fury or-
dered the Governor, who was in the presence, to take
and hang me at once in the place where the homi-
cide had been committed, adding that he must do all
he could to catch me, and not appear again before
him until he had hanged me.

When I saw the unfortunate Benedetto stretched
upon the ground, I thought at once of the peril I
was in, considering the power of my enemies, and
what might ensue from this disaster. Making off, I
took refuge in the house of Messer Giovanni Gaddi,
clerk of the Camera, with the intention of preparing
as soon as possible to escape from Rome. He, how-

C 26 3

IPPOLITO DE MEDICI
( PONTORMO )

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

ever, advised me not to be in such a hurry, for it
might turn out perhaps that the evil was not so
great as I imagined; and calling Messer Annibal
Caro, who lived with him, bade him go for infor-
mation.

While these arrangements were being made, a
Roman gentleman appeared, who belonged to the
household of Cardinal de' Medici, and had been sent
by him. 1 Taking Messer Giovanni and me apart, he
told us that the Cardinal had reported to him what
the Pope said, and that there was no way of helping
me out of the scrape ; it would be best for me to shun
the first fury of the storm by flight, and not to risk
myself in any house in Rome. Upon this gentleman's
departure, Messer Giovanni looked me in the face
as though he were about to cry, and said: "Ah me!
Ah woe is me ! There is nothing I can do to aid you ! "
I replied : " By God's means, I shall aid myself alone ;
only I request you to put one of your horses at my
disposition." They had already saddled a black Turk-
ish horse, the finest and the best in Rome. I mounted
with an arquebuse upon the saddle-bow, wound up
in readiness to fire, if need were. 2 When I reached
Ponte Sisto,I found the whole of the Bargello's guard
there, both horse and foot. So, making a virtue of
necessity, I put my horse boldly to a sharp trot, and
with God's grace, being somehow unperceived by
them, passed freely through. Then, with all the speed

1 Ippolito de' Medici was a Cardinal, much against his natural inclination. When
he 'went as Papal Legate to Hungary in 1532, he assumed the airs and style of a
Condottiere. His jealousy of his cousin Alessandro led to his untimely death by poison
in *535-

2 The gun e was an arquebuso a ruota, 'which had a 'wheel to cock it.

261 3

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

I could, I took the road to Palombara, a fief of my
lord Giovanbatista Savello, whence I sent the horse
back to Messer Giovanni, without, however, think-
ing it well to inform him where I was. 1 Lord Gio-
vanbatista, after very kindly entertaining me two
days, advised me to remove and go toward Naples
till the storm blew over. So, providing me with com-
pany, he set me on the way to Naples.

While travelling, I met a sculptor of my acquaint-
ance, who was going to San Germane to finish the
tomb of Piero de' Medici at Monte Cassino. 3 His
name was Solosmeo, and he gave me the news that
on the very evening of the fray, Pope Clement sent
one of his chamberlains to inquire how Tobbia was
getting on. Finding him at work, unharmed, and
without even knowing anything about the matter,
the messenger went back and told the Pope, who
turned round to Pompeo and said : " You are a good-
for-nothing rascal ; but I promise you well that you
have stirred a snake up which will sting you, and
serve you right ! " Then he addressed himself to
Cardinal de' Medici, and commissioned him to look
after me, adding that he should be very sorry to let
me slip through his fingers. And so Solosmeo and
I went on our way singing toward Monte Cassino,

1 A 'village in the Sabina, north of Tivoli. Gio-v. Battista Savelli, of a great Ro-
man house, <was a captain of cavalry in the Papal service after 1530. In 1540 he
entered the service of Duke Cosimo, and died in 1553.

8 This sculptor 'was Antonio Solosmeo of Settignano. The monument ere fled to Piero
de* Medici (drowned in the Garigliano, 1 504^) at Monte Cassino is by no means a
brilliant piece of Florentine art. Piero ivas the exiled son of Lorenzo the Magnificent;
and the Medici, ivhen they regained their principality, ere fled this monument to his
memory, employing Antonio da San Gallo, Francesco da San Gallo, and a Neapoli-
tan, Matteo de"" Sjiaranta. The work ivas begun in 1532. Solosmeo appears from
this passage in Cellini to have taken the execution of it over.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

intending to pursue our journey thence in company
toward Naples.

LXVIII

When Solosmeo had inspected his affairs at Monte
Cassino, we resumed our journey ; and having come
within a mile of Naples, we were met by an inn-
keeper, who invited us to his house, and said he had
been at Florence many years with Carlo Ginori; 1
adding, that if we put up at his inn, he would treat
us most kindly, for the reason that we both were
Florentines. We told him frequently that we did not
want to go to him. However, he kept passing, some-
times in front and sometimes behind, perpetually re-
peating that he would have us stop at his hostelry.
When this began to bore me, I asked if he could tell
me anything about a certain Sicilian woman called
Beatrice, who had a beautiful daughter named Ange-
lica, and both were courtesans. Taking it into his head
that I was jeering him, he cried out: " God send mis-
chief to all courtesans and such as favour them ! "
Then he set spurs to his horse, and made off as
though he was resolved to leave us. I felt some plea-
sure at having rid myself in so fair a manner of
that ass of an innkeeper; and yet I was rather the
loser than the gainer ; for the great love I bore An-
gelica had come back to my mind, and while I was
con versing, not without some lover's sighs, upon this
subje6l with Solosmeo, we saw the man returning to
us at a gallop. When he drew up, he said: "Two
or perhaps three days ago a woman and a girl came

1 A Gonfalonier of the Republic in 1 5^57.

[ 263 ]

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

back to a house in my neighbourhood ; they had the
names you mentioned, but whether they are Sicil-
ians I cannot say." I answered: "Such power over
me has that name of Angelica, that I am now de-
termined to put up at your inn."

We rode on all together with mine host into the
town of Naples, and descended at his house. Minutes
seemed years to me till I had put my things in order,
which I did in the twinkling of an eye ; then I went
to the house, which was not far from our inn, and
found there my Angelica, who greeted me with in-
finite demonstrations of the most unbounded passion.
I stayed with her from evenfall until the following
morning, and enjoyed such pleasure as I never had
before or since ; but while drinking deep of this de-
light, it occurred to my mind how exactly on that day
the month expired, which had been prophesied within
the necromantic circle by the devils. So then let every
man who enters into relation with those spirits weigh
well the inestimable perils I have passed through!

LXIX

I happened to have in my purse a diamond, which I
showed about among the goldsmiths; and though I
was but young, my reputation as an able artist was
so well known even at Naples that they welcomed
me most warmly. Among others, I made acquaint-
ance with a most excellent companion, a jeweller,
Messer Domenico Fontana by name. This worthy
man left his shop for the three days that I spent in
Naples, nor ever quitted my company , but showed me
many admirable monuments of antiquity in the city

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LIFE -OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

and its neighbourhood. Moreover, he took me to pay
my respects to the Viceroy of Naples, who had let
him know that he should like to see me. When I
presented myself to his Excellency, he received me
with much honour ; * and while we were exchanging
compliments, the diamond which I have mentioned
caught his eye. He made me show it him, and prayed
me, if I parted with it, to give him the refusal. Hav-
ing taken back the stone, I offered it again to his Ex-
cellency, adding that the diamond and I were at his
service. Then he said that the diamond pleased him
well, but that he should be much better pleased if I
were to stay with him; he would make such terms with
me as would cause me to feel satisfied. We spoke
many words of courtesy on both sides ; and then com-
ing to the merits of the diamond, his Excellency bade
me without hesitation name the price at which I val-
ued it. Accordingly I said that it was worth exactly
two hundred crowns. He rejoined that in his opinion
I had not overvalued it ; but that since I had set it,
and he knew me for the first artist in the world, it
would not make the same effe<5l when mounted by
another hand. To this I said that I had not set the
stone, and that it was not well set ; its brilliancy was
due to its own excellence ; and that if I were to mount
it afresh, I could make it show far better than it did.
Then I put my thumb-nail to the angles of its facets,
took it from the ring, cleaned it up a little, and handed
it to the Viceroy. Delighted and astonished, he wrote

1 The Spams h Viceroy was at this time Pietro Alvarez de Toledo <, Marquis of Villa-
franca, and uncle of the famous Duke ofAlva. He governed Naples for twenty years,
from 1532 onwards.

L 265 3

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

me out a cheque ' for the two hundred crowns I had
demanded.

When I returned to my lodging, I found letters
from the Cardinal de' Medici, in which he told me to
come back post-haste to Rome, and to dismount with-
out delay at the palace of his most reverend lordship.
I read the letter to my Angelica, who begged me
with tears of aflfe6tion either to remain in Naples or
to take her with me. I replied that if she was disposed
to come with me, I would give up to her keeping the
two hundred ducats I had received from the Vice-
roy. Her mother perceiving us in this close conver-
sation, drew nigh and said : " Benvenuto, if you want
to take my daughter to Rome, leave me a sum of
fifteen ducats, to pay for my lying-in, and then I will
travel after you/' I told the old harridan that I would
very gladly leave her thirty if she would give me
my Angelica. We made the bargain, and Angelica
entreated me to buy her a gown of black velvet, be-
cause the stuff was cheap at Naples. I consented to
everything, sent for the velvet, settled its price and
paid for it ; then the old woman, who thought me over
head and ears in love, begged for a gown of fine
cloth for herself, as well as other outlays for her sons,
and a good bit more money than I had offered. I
turned to her with a pleasant air and said: " My dear
Beatrice, are you satisfied with what I offered ? " She
answered that she was not; thereupon I said that
what was not enough for her would be quite enough
for me; and having kissed Angelica, we parted, she

1 Mifece una folizxa. A polizza --was an order for money, pratiically identical with
our cheque.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

with tears, and I with laughter, and off at once I set
for Rome.

LXX

I left Naples by night with my money in my pocket,
and this I did to prevent being set upon or murdered,
as is the way there; but when I came to Selciata, 1 I
had to defend myself with great address and bodily
prowess from several horsemen who came out to
assassinate me. During the following days, after
leaving Solosmeo at his work in Monte Cassino, I
came one morning to breakfast at the inn of Ada-
nagni; 2 and when I was near the house, I shot some
birds with my arquebuse. An iron spike, which was
in the lock of my musket, tore my right hand.
Though the wound was not of any consequence, it
seemed to be so, because it bled abundantly. Going
into the inn, I put my horse up, and ascended to a
large gallery, where I found a party of Neapolitan
gentlemen just upon the point of sitting down to
table; they had with them a young woman of qual-
ity, the loveliest I ever saw. At the moment when I
entered the room, I was followed by a very brave
young serving-man of mine holding a big partisan
in his hand. The sight of us, our arms, and the blood,
inspired those poor gentlemen with such terror, par-
ticularly as the place was known to be a nest of
murderers, that they rose from table and called on
God in a panic to protect them. I began to laugh,

1 Ponte a Selice, between Capua and Aversa.

* Anagni, nvhere Boniface VIII. <was outraged to the death by the French partisans

of Philip le Bel.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

and said that God had prote6led them already, for
that I was a man to defend them against whoever
tried to do them harm. Then I asked them for some-
thing to bind up my wounded hand ; and the charm-
ing lady took out a handkerchief richly embroidered
with gold, wishing to make a bandage with it. I re-
fused ; but she tore the piece in half, and in the gen-
tlest manner wrapt my hand up with her fingers.
The company thus having regained confidence, we
dined together very gaily ; and when the meal was
over, we all mounted and went off together. The
gentlemen, however, were not as yet quite at their
ease; so they left me in their cunning to entertain
the lady, while they kept at a short distance behind.
I rode at her side upon a pretty little horse of mine,
making signs to my servant that he should keep
somewhat apart, which gave us the opportunity of .
discussing things that are not sold by the apothe-
cary. 1 In this way I journeyed to Rome with the great-
est enjoyment I have ever had.

When I got to Rome, I dismounted at the palace
of Cardinal de' Medici, and having obtained an au-
dience of his most reverend lordship, paid my re-
spects, and thanked him warmly for my recall. I then
entreated him to secure me from imprisonment, and
even from a fine if that were possible. The Cardinal
was very glad to see me; told me to stand in no
fear; then turned to one of his gentlemen, called
Messer Pier Antonio Pecci of Siena, ordering him
to tell the Bargello not to touch me. a He then asked

1 i.e., private and sentimental.

*This Pecci passed into the service of Cater ina de'' Medici. In 1551 he schemed to

268

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

him how the man was going on whose head I had
broken with the stone. Messer Pier Antonio replied
that he was very ill, and that he would probably
be even worse ; for when he heard that I was com-
ing back to Rome, he swore he would die to serve
me an ill turn. When the Cardinal heard that, he
burst into a fit of laughter, and cried: "The fellow
could not have taken a better way than this to make
us know that he was born a Sienese." After that
he turned to me and said : " For our reputation and
your own, refrain these four or five days from going
about in the Banchi ; after that go where you like,
and let fools die at their own pleasure/'

I went home and set myself to finishing the medal
which I had begun, with the head of Pope Clement
and a figure of Peace on the reverse. The figure
was a slender woman, dressed in very thin drapery,
gathered at the waist, with a little torch in her hand,
which was burning a heap of arms bound together
like a trophy. In the background I had shown part
of a temple, where was Discord chained with a load
of fetters. Round about it ran a legend in these
words: Clauduntur belli portte. 1

During the time that I was finishing this medal,
the man whom I had wounded recovered, and the
Pope kept incessantly asking for me. I, however,
avoided visiting Cardinal de' Medici; for whenever
I showed my face before him, his lordship gave me
some commission of importance, which hindered me

withdraw Siena from the Spanish to the French cause, and was declared a rebel.
1 The medal 'was struck to celebrate the peace in Christendom between 1530 and
1536.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

from working at my medal to the end. Consequently
Messer Pier Carnesecchi, who was a great favour-
ite of the Pope's, undertook to keep me in sight,
and let me adroitly understand how much the Pope
desired my services. 1 I told him that in a few days
I would prove to his Holiness that his service had
never been neglected by me.

LXXI

Not many days had passed before, my medal be-
ing finished, I stamped it in gold, silver, and cop-
per. After I had shown it to Messer Pietro, he im-
mediately introduced me to the Pope. It was on a
day in April after dinner, and the weather very fine ;
the Pope was in the Belvedere. After entering the
presence, I put my medals 'together with the dies
of steel into his hand. He took them, and recognis-
ing at once their mastery of art, looked Messer Piero
in the face and said : " The ancients never had such
medals made for them as these."

While he and the others were inspecting them,
taking up now the dies and now the medals in their
hands, I began to speak as submissively as I was
able: "If a greater power had not controlled the
working of my inauspicious stars, and hindered that
with which they violently menaced me, your Holi-
ness, without your fault or mine, would have lost
a faithful and loving servant. It must, most blessed
Father, be allowed that in those cases where men
are risking all upon one throw, it is not wrong to

1 Piero Carnesecchi was one of the martyrs of free-thought in Italy. He adopted
Protestant opinions, and ivas beheaded and burned in Rome, August 1567.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

do as certain poor and simple men are wont to say,
who tell us we must mark seven times and cut once. 1
Your Holiness will remember how the malicious and
lying tongue of my bitter enemy so easily aroused
your anger, that you ordered the Governor to have
me taken on the spot and hanged; but I have no
doubt that when you had become aware of the ir-
reparable a<5t by which you would have wronged
yourself, in cutting off from you a servant such as
even now your Holiness hath said he is, I am sure,
I repeat, that, before God and the world, you would
have felt no trifling twinges of remorse. Excellent
and virtuous fathers, and masters of like quality,
ought not to let their arm in wrath descend upon
their sons and servants with such inconsiderate haste,
seeing that subsequent repentance will avail them
nothing. But now that God has overruled the malign
influences of the stars and saved me for your Holi-
ness, I humbly beg you another time not to let your-
self so easily be stirred to rage against me."

The Pope had stopped from looking at the medals
and was now listening attentively to what I said.
There were many noblemen of the greatest conse-
quence present, which made him blush a little, as it
were for shame ; and not knowing how else to ex-
tricate himself from this entanglement, he said that
he could not remember having given such an order.
I changed the conversation in order to cover his em-
barrassment. His Holiness then began to speak again

1 Segnar sette e tagliar uno. A proverb derived possibly from felling trees \ or, as some
commentators interpret, from the points made by sculptors on their marble before they
block the statue out.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

about the medals, and asked what method I had used
to stamp them so marvellously, large as they were;
for he had never met with ancient pieces of that size.
We talked a little on this subje6l ; but being not
quite easy that I might not begin another leclure
sharper than the last, he praised my medals, and
said they gave him the greatest satisfaction, but that
he should like another reverse made according to a
fancy of his own, if it were possible to stamp them
with two different patterns. I said that it was pos-
sible to do so. Then his Holiness commissioned me
to design the history of Moses when he strikes the
rock and water issues from it, with this motto: Ut
bibat populus. 1 At last he added: "Go, Benvenuto;
you will not have finished it before I have provided
for your fortune." After I had taken leave, the Pope
proclaimed before the whole company that he would
give me enough to live on wealthily without the
need of labouring for any one but him'. So I devoted
myself entirely to working out this reverse with the
Moses on it.

LXXII

In the meantime the Pope was taken ill, and his
physicians thought the case was dangerous. Accord-
ingly my enemy began to be afraid of me, and en-
gaged some Neapolitan soldiers to do to me what
he was dreading I might do to him. 2 I had therefore
much trouble to defend my poor life. In course of

1 The medal commemorated a deep 'well sunk by Clement at Orvieto.
3 The meaning of this is, that if Clement died, Cellini 'would have had his oppor-
tunity of vengeance during the anarchy 'which followed a vacancy of the Papal
See.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

time, however, I completed the reverse; and when
I took it to the Pope, I found him in bed in a most
deplorable condition. Nevertheless, he received me
with the greatest kindness, and wished to inspe6l
the medals and the dies. He sent for spe6tacles and
lights, but was unable to see anything clearly. Then
he began to fumble with his fingers at them, and
having felt them a short while, he fetched a deep
sigh, and said to his attendants that he was much
concerned about me, but that if God gave him back
his health he would make it all right.

Three days afterwards the Pope died, and I was
left with all my labour lost ; yet I plucked up cour-
age, and told myself that these medals had won me
so much celebrity, that any Pope who was elecled
would give me work to do, and peradventure bring
me better fortune. Thus I encouraged and put heart
into myself, and buried in oblivion all the injuries
which Pompeo had done me. Then putting on my
arms and girding my sword, I went to San Piero,
and kissed the feet of the dead Pope, not without
shedding tears. Afterwards I returned to the Banchi
to look on at the great commotion which always
happens on such occasions.

While I was sitting in the street with several of
my friends, Pompeo went by, attended by ten men
very well armed; and when he came just opposite, he
stopped, as though about to pick a quarrel with my-
self. My companions, brave and adventurous young
men, made signs to me to draw my sword; but it
flashed through my mind that if I drew, some terrible
mischief might result for persons who were wholly

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

innocent. Therefore I considered that it would be
better if I put my life to risk alone. When Pompeo
had stood there time enough to say two Ave Maries,
he laughed derisively in my direction ; and going off,
his fellows also laughed and wagged their heads,
with many other insolent gestures. My companions
wanted to begin the fray at once; but I told them
hotly that I was quite able to conduct my quarrels to
an end by myself, and that I had no need of stouter
fighters than I was ; so that each of them might mind
his business. My friends were angry and went off
muttering. Now there was among them my dearest
comrade, named Albertaccio del Bene, own brother
to Alessandro and Albizzo, who is now a very rich
man in Lyons. He was the most redoubtable young
man I ever knew, and the most high-spirited, and
loved me like himself; and insomuch as he was well
aware that my forbearance had not been inspired
by want of courage, but by the most daring bravery,
for he knew me down to the bottom of my nature,
he took my words up and begged me to favour him
so far as to associate him with myself in all I meant
to do. I replied: "Dear Albertaccio, dearest to me
above all men that live, the time will very likely
come when you shall give me aid ; but in this case,
if you love me, do not attend to me, but look to your
own business, and go at once like our other friends,
for now there is no time to lose." These words were
spoken in one breath.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

LXXIII

In the meanwhile my enemies had proceeded slowly
toward Chiavica, as the place was called, and had
arrived at the crossing of several roads, going in
different directions ; but the street in which Pompeo's
house stood was the one which leads straight to the
Campo di Fiore. Some business or other made him
enter the apothecary's shop which stood at the cor-
ner of Chiavica, and there he stayed a while trans-
acting it. I had just been told that he had boasted
of the insult which he fancied he had put upon me;
but be that as it may, it was to his misfortune ; for
precisely when I came up to the corner, he was leav-
ing the shop, and his bravi had opened their ranks
and received him in their midst. I drew a little dag-
ger with a sharpened edge, and breaking the line
of his defenders, laid my hands upon his breast so
quickly and coolly, that none of them were able to
prevent me. Then I aimed to strike him in the face ;
but fright made him turn his head round; and I
stabbed him just beneath the ear. I only gave two
blows, for he fell stone dead at the second. I had not
meant to kill him; but as the saying goes, knocks
are not dealt by measure. With my left hand I plucked
back the dagger, and with my right hand drew my
sword to defend my life. However, all those bravi
ran up to the corpse and took no a6lion against me ;
so I went back alone through Strada Giulia, consid-
ering how best to put myself in safety. '

I had walked about three hundred paces, when
Piloto the goldsmith, my very good friend, came up

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

and said: "Brother, now that the mischief's done,
we must see to saving you." I replied: "Let us go
to Albertaccio del Bene's house; it is only a few
minutes since I told him I should soon have need of
him/' When we arrived there, Alhertaccio and I em-
braced with measureless affection; and soon the whole
flower of the young men of the Banchi, of all na-
tions except the Milanese, came crowding in; and
each and all made proffer of their own life to save
mine. Messer Luigi Rucellai also sent with marvel-
lous promptitude and courtesy to put his services at
my disposal, as did many other great folk of his sta-
tion; for they all agreed in blessing my hands, 1
judging that Pompeo had done me too great and
unforgivable an injury, and marvelling that I had
put up with him so long.

LXXIV

Cardinal Cornaro,on hearing of the affair, despatched
thirty soldiers, with as many partisans, pikes, and
arquebuses, to bring me with all due respect: to his
quarters. 2 This he did unasked; whereupon I ac-
cepted the invitation, and went off with them, while
more than as many of the young men bore me com-
pany. Meanwhile, Messer Traiano, Pompeo 's rela-
tive and first chamberlain to the Pope, sent a Mi-
lanese of high rank to Cardinal de' Medici, giving
him news of the great crime I had committed, and
calling on his most reverend lordship to chastise me.

1 Tutti tfaccorJo mi benedissono le mam. This is tantamount to approving Cellini s
handiwork in murdering Pompeo.

* This 'was Francesco, brother to Cardinal Marco Cornaro. He received the hat in
1 528, while yet a layman, and the Bishopric of Brescia in 1531.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

The Cardinal retorted on the spot: " His crime would
indeed have been great if he had not committed this
lesser one ; thank Messer Traiano from me for giv-
ing me this information of a fact of which I had not
heard before." Then he turned and in presence of
the nobleman said to the Bishop of Frulli, 1 his gentle-
man and intimate acquaintance:" Search diligently af-
ter my friend Benvenuto ; I want to help and defend
him ; and whoso acts against him acts against my-
self/' The Milanese nobleman went back, much dis-
concerted, while the Bishop of Frulli came to visit
me at Cardinal Cornaro's palace. Presenting himself
to the Cardinal, he related how Cardinal de' Medici
had sent for -Benvenuto, and wanted to be his pro-
tector. Now Cardinal Cornaro, who had the touchy
temper of a bear, flew into a rage, and told the
Bishop he was quite as well able to defend me as
Cardinal de* Medici. The Bishop, in reply, entreated
to be allowed to speak with me on some matters of
his patron which had nothing to do with the affair.
Cornaro bade him for that day make as though he
had already talked with me.

Cardinal de' Medici was very angry. However, I
went the following night, without Cornaro's know-
ledge, and under good escort,to pay him my respects.
Then I begged him to grant me the favour of leav-
ing me where I was, and told him of the great cour-
tesy which Cornaro had shown me; adding that if
his most reverend lordship suffered me to stay, I
should gain one friend the more in my hour of need ;
otherwise his lordship might dispose of me exactly

1 Forli. The Bishop was Bernardo de* Medici.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

as he thought best. He told me to do as I liked ; so
I returned to Cornaro's palace, and a few days after-
wards the Cardinal Farnese was elected Pope. 1

After he had put affairs of greater consequence in
order, the new Pope sent for me, saying that he did
not wish any one else to strike his coins. To these
words of his Holiness a gentleman very privately
acquainted with him, named Messer Latino Juvinale,
made answer that I was in hiding for a murder com-
mitted on the person of one Pompeo of Milan, and
set forth what could be argued for my justification
in the most favourable terms. 3 The Pope replied:
"I knew nothing of Pompeo's death, but plenty of
Benvenuto's provocation ; so let a safe-condu6l be at
once made out for him, in order that he may be
placed in perfect security/' A great friend of Pom-
peo's, who was also intimate with the Pope, hap-
pened to be there ; he was a Milanese, called Messer
Ambrogio. 3 This man said: " In the first days of your
papacy it were not well to grant pardons of this
kind." The Pope turned to him and answered: " You
know less about such matters than I do. Know then
that men like Benvenuto, unique in their profession,
stand above the law; and how far more 'he, then,
who received the provocation I have heard of?"
When my safe-condu6l had been drawn out, I began
at once to serve him, and was treated with the utmost
favour.

1 Paul III., elefled Ofiober 13, 1534.

8 Latino Giffvenale de" Manetti 'was a Latin poet and a man of humane learning^

much esteemed by his contemporaries.

3 Ambrogio Recalcati. He c was for many years the trusted secretary and diplomatic

agent of Paul IIL

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

LXXV

Messer Latino Juvinale came to call on me, and gave
me orders to strike the coins of the Pope. This roused
up all my enemies, who began to look about how
they should hinder me ; but the Pope, perceiving their
drift, scolded them, and insisted that I should go on
working. I took the dies in hand, designing a S. Paul,
surrounded with this inscription: Vas eleSlionis. This
piece of money gave far more satisfaction than the
models of my competitors; so that the Pope forbade
any one else to speak to him of coins, since he wished
me only to have to do with them. This encouraged
me to apply myself with untroubled spirit to the task ;
and Messer Latino Juvinale, who had received such
orders from the Pope, used to introduce me to his
Holiness. I had it much at heart to recover the post
of stamper to the Mint ; but on this point the Pope
took advice, and then told me I must first obtain par-
don for the homicide, and this I should get at the
holy Maries' day in August through the Caporioni of
Rome. 1 I may say that it is usual every year on this
solemn festival to grant the freedom of twelve out-
laws to these officers. Meanwhile he promised to
give me another safe-conduct, which should keep
me in security until that time.

When my enemies perceived that they were quite
unable to devise the means of keeping me out of the
Mint, they resorted to another expedient. The de-

1 Le Sante Marie. So the feast of the Assumption is called at Florence, because de-
votion is paid on that day to the various images of the Virgin scattered through the
town. The Caporioni of Rome 'were, like aldermen, -wardens of the districts into
wAicA the city iuas divided.

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

ceased Pompeo had left three thousand ducats as
dowry to an illegitimate daughter of his ; and they
contrived that a certain favourite of Signor Pier
Luigi, the Pope's son, should ask her hand in mar-
riage through the medium of his master. 1 Accord-
ingly the match came off; but this fellow was an
insignificant country lad, who had been brought up
by his lordship; and, as folk said, he got but little
of the money, since his lordship laid his hands on it
and had the mind to use it. Now the husband of the
girl, to please his wife, begged the prince to have me
taken up; and he promised to do so when the first
flush of my favour with the Pope had passed away.
Things stood so about two months, the servant al-
ways suing for his wife's dower, the master putting
him oflfwith pretexts, but assuring the woman that
he would certainly revenge her father's murder. I
obtained an inkling of these designs ; yet I did not
omit to present myself pretty frequently to his lord-
ship, who made show of treating me with great dis-
tinction. He had, however, decided to do one or other
of two things either to have me assassinated, or to
have me taken up by the Bargello. Accordingly he
commissioned a certain little devil of a Corsican sol-
dier in his service to do the trick as cleverly as he
could ; 2 and my other enemies, with Messer Traiano
at the head of them, promised the fellow a reward
of one hundred crowns. He assured them that the

1 Pier Luigi Farnese, Paul III."s bastard, nvas successively created Gonfaloniere of
the Church, Duke of Castro, Marquis of No*vara, and finally Duke of Parma and
Piacenza in 1 54.5. He ivas murdered at Parma by his (nun courtiers in 1 547. He
'was a man of infamous habits, quite unfit for the high dignities conferred on him.
* Che la faces ii piu netta che poteva.

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job would be as easy as sucking a fresh egg. Seeing
into their plot, I went about with my eyes open and
with good attendance, wearing an under-coat and
armlets of mail, for which I had obtained permission.
The Corsican, influenced by avarice, hoped to gain
the whole sum of money without risk, and imagined
himself capable of carrying the matter through alone.
Consequently, one day after dinner, he had me sent
for in the name of Signor Pier Luigi. I went off at
once, because his lordship had spoken of wanting to
order several big silver vases. Leaving my home in
a hurry, armed however as usual, I walked rapidly
through Strada Giulia toward the Palazzo Farnese,
not expe6ting to meet anybody at that hour of day.
I had reached the end of the street and was making
toward the palace, when, my habit being always to
turn the corners wide, I observed the Corsican get
up and take his station in the middle of the road.
Being prepared,! was not in the least disconcerted;
but kept upon my guard, and slackening pace a lit-
tle, drew nearer toward the wall, in order to give
the fellow a wide berth. He on his side came closer
to the wall, and when we were now within a short
distance of each other, I perceived by his gestures
that he had it in his mind to do me a mischief, and
seeing me alone thus, thought he should succeed.
Accordingly, I began to speak and said: "Brave
soldier, if it had been night, you might have said
you had mistaken me, but since it is full day, you
know well enough who I am. I never had anything
to do with you, and never injured you, but should
be well disposed to do you service/' He replied in

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

a high-spirited way, without, however, making room
for me to pass, that he did not know what I was
saying. Then I answered : " I know very well indeed
what you want, and what you are saying ; but the
job which you have taken in hand is more danger-
ous and difficult than you imagine, and may perad-
venture turn out the wrong way for you. Remem-
ber that you have to do with a man who would de-
fend himself against a hundred ; and the adventure
you are on is not esteemed by men of courage like
yourself/' Meanwhile I also was looking black as
thunder, and each of us had changed colour. Folk
too gathered round us, for it had become clear that
our words meant swords and daggers. He then, not
having the spirit to lay hands on me, cried out:
"We shall meet another time." I answered: "I am
always glad to meet honest men and those who
show themselves as such."

When we parted, I went to his lordship's palace,
and found he had not sent for me. When I returned
to my shop, the Corsican informed me, through an
intimate friend of his and mine, that I need not be
on my guard against him, since he wished to be my
good brother ; but that I ought to be much upon my
guard against others, seeing I was in the greatest
peril, for folk of much consequence had sworn to
have my life. I sent to thank him, and kept the best
lookout I could. Not many days after, a friend of
mine informed me that Signor Pier Luigi had given
stri<5l orders that I should be taken that very even-
ing. They told me this at twenty; whereupon I spoke
with some of my friends, who advised me to be off

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

at once. The order had been given for one hour
after sunset; accordingly at twenty-three I left in
the post for Florence. It seems that when the Cor-
sican showed that he had not pluck enough to do
the business as he promised, Signor Pier Luigi on
his own authority gave orders to have me taken,
merely to stop the mouth of Pompeo's daughter,
who was always clamouring to know where her
dower had gone to. When he was unable to gratify
her in this matter of revenge on either of the two
plans he had formed, he bethought him of another,
which shall be related in its proper place.

LXXVI

I reached Florence in due course, and paid my re-
spects to the Duke Alessandro, who greeted me with
extraordinary kindness and pressed me to remain in
his service. There was then at Florence a sculptor
called II Tribolino, and we were gossips, for I had
stood godfather to his son. 1 In course of conversation
he told me that a certain Giacopo del Sansovino, his
first master, had sent for him ; and whereas he had
never seen Venice, and because of the gains he ex-
pected, he was very glad to go there. 2 On his asking

1 Niccolo de Pericoli, a Florentine, 'who got the nickname of Tribolo in his boyhood,
<was a sculptor of some distinction. He worked on the bas-reliefs of San Petronio at
Bologna, and helped Michel Agnolo da Siena to execute the tomb of Adrian 71. at
Rome. Afterwards he ivas employed upon the sculpture of the Santa Casa at Lo-
reto. He also made some excellent bronze-work for the Medicean 'villas at Cestello
and Petraja. All through his life Tribolo served the Medici, and during the siege of
Florence in 1530 he constructed a cork model of the town for Clement VII. Born
1485, died 1550.

a This is the famous Giacopo Tatti, who took his artist's surname from his master,
Andrea da Monte a Sansovino. His 'works at Florence, Rome, and Venice are justly
famous. He died in 1570, aged ninety-three.

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me if I had ever been at Venice, I said no; this made
him invite me to accompany him, and I agreed. So
then I told Duke Alessandro that I wanted first to
go to Venice, and that afterwards I would return to
serve him. He exa6led a formal promise to this ef-
fect, and bade me present myself before I left the
city. Next day, having made my preparations, I went
to take leave of the Duke, whom I found in the pal-
ace of the Pazzi, at that time inhabited by the wife
and daughters of Signer Lorenzo Cibo. 1 Having sent
word to his Excellency that I wished to set off for
Venice with his good leave, Signor Cosimino de' Me-
dici, now Duke of Florence, returned with the answer
that I must go to Niccolo da Monte Aguto, who would
give me fifty golden crowns, which his Excellency
bestowed on me in sign of his good- will, and after-
wards I must return to serve him.

I got the money from Niccolo, and then went to
fetch Tribolo, whom I found ready to start; and he
asked me whether I had bound my sword. I an-
swered that a man on horseback about to take a jour-
ney ought not to bind his sword. He said that the
custom was so in Florence, since a certain Ser Mau-
rizio then held office, who was capable of putting
S. John the Baptist to the rack for any trifling pec-
cadillo. 2 Accordingly one had to carry one's sword
bound till the gates were passed. I laughed at this,
and so we set off, joining the courier to Venice, who
was nicknamed II Lamentone. In his company we

1 A brother of the Cardinal, and himself Marquis of Massa.
2 Ser Maurizio <was entitled Chancellor , but really superintended the criminal magis-
tracy of Florence. Varchi and Segni both speak of him as harsh and cruel in the dis-
charge of his office.

284

GIACOPO TATTI. CALLED SANSOVINO
(TINTORETTO)

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

travelled through Bologna, and arrived one evening
at Ferrara. There we halted at the inn of the Piazza,
while Lamentone went in search of some Florentine
exiles, to take them letters and messages from their
wives. The Duke had given orders that only the
courier might talk to them, and no one else, under
penalty of incurring the same banishment as they
had. Meanwhile, since it was a little past the hour
of twenty-two, Tribolo and I went to see the Duke
of Ferrara come back from Belfiore, where he had
been at a jousting match. There we met a number
of exiles, who stared at us as though they wished
to make us speak with them. Tribolo, who was the
most timorous man that I have ever known, kept
on saying: "Do not look at them or talk to them,
if you care to go back to Florence." So we stayed,
and saw the Duke return ; afterwards, when we re-
gained our inn, we found Lamentone there. After
nightfall there appeared Niccolo Benintendi, and his
brother Piero, and another old man, whom I believe
to have been Jacopo Nardi, 1 together with some
young fellows, who began immediately to ask the
courier news, each man of his own family in Flor-
ence. 2 Tribolo and I kept at a distance, in order to
avoid speaking with them. After they had talked a
while with Lamentone, Niccolo Benintendi 3 said: "I
know those two men there very well; what's the

1 Jacopo Nardi ivas the excellent historian of Florence, a strong anti-Medicean par-
tisan, iv ho 'was exiled in 1530.

a / have translated the 'word brigata by family above, because I find Cellini in one
of his letters alluding to his family as la mia brigatina.

3 Niccolo Benintendi, <who had been a member of the Eight in 1529, was exiled by
the Medici in 1530.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

reason they give themselves such beastly airs, and
will not talk to us?" Tribolo kept begging me to
hold my tongue, while Lamentone told them that
we had not the same permission as he had. Benin-
tendi retorted it was idiotic nonsense, adding " Pox
take them," and other pretty flowers of speech. Then
I raised my head as gently as I could, and said:
" Dear gentlemen, you are able to do us serious in-
jury, while we cannot render you any assistance;
and though you have flung words at us which we
are far from deserving, we do not mean on that ac-
count to get into a rage with you." Thereupon old
Nardi said that I had spoken like a worthy young man
as I was. But Niccolo Benintendi shouted : " I snap my
fingers at them and the Duke." 1 I replied that he
was in the wrong toward us, since we had nothing
to do with him or his affairs. Old Nardi took our
part, telling Benintendi plainly that he was in the
wrong, which made him go on muttering insults.
On this I bade him know that I could say and do
things to him which he would not like, and there-
fore he had better mind his business, and let us
alone. Once more he cried out that he snapped his
fingers at the Duke and us, and that we were all
of us a heap of donkeys. 2 1 replied by giving him the
lie dire<5t and drawing my sword. The old man want-
ing to be first upon the staircase, tumbled down some
steps, and all the rest of them came huddling after him.
I rushed onward, brandishing my sword along the
walls with fury, and shouting: "I will kill you all!"
but I took good care not to do them any harm, as I

1 The Florentine slang is lo ho in culo loro e il duca. * Un monte di asini.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

might too easily have done. In the midst of this tu-
mult the innkeeper screamed out; Lamentone cried,
"For God's sake, hold!" some of them exclaimed,
"Oh me, my head!" others, "Let me get out from
here." In short, it was an indescribable confusion;
they looked like a herd of swine. Then the host came
with a light, while I withdrew upstairs and put my
sword back in its scabbard. Lamentone told Niccolo
Benintendi that he had behaved very ill. The host
said to him : " It is as much as one's life is worth to
draw swords here; and if the Duke were to know
of your brawling, he would have you hanged. I will
not do to you what you deserve; but take care you
never show yourself again in my inn, or it will be
the worse for you." Our host then came up to me,
and when I began to make him my excuses, he would
not suffer me to say a word, but told me that he
knew I was entirely in the right, and bade me be
upon my guard against those men upon my journey.

LXXVII

After we had supped, a barge-man appeared, and
offered to take us to Venice. I asked if he would let
us have the boat to ourselves; he was willing, and
so we made our bargain. In the morning we rose
early, and mounted our horses for the port, which is
a few miles distant from Ferrara. On arriving there,
we found Niccolo Benintendi's brother, with three
comrades, waiting for me. They had among them
two lances, and I had bought a stout pike in Fer-
rara. Being very well armed to boot, I was not at
all frightened, as Tribolo was, who cried: " God help

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

us! those fellows are waiting here to murder us."
Lamentone turned to me and said : " The best that
you can do is to go back to Ferrara, for I see that
the affair is likely to be ugly; for Heaven's sake,
Benvenuto, do not risk the fury of these mad beasts."
To which I replied: "Let us go forward, for God
helps those who have the right on their side; and
you shall see how I will help myself. Is not this
boat engaged for us?" "Yes," said Lamentone.
"Then we will stay in it without them, unless my
manhood has deserted me." I put spurs to my horse,
and when I was within fifty paces, dismounted and
marched boldly forward with my pike. Tribolo stopped
behind, all huddled up upon his horse, looking the
very image of frost. Lamentone, the courier, mean-
while, was swelling and snorting like the wind. That
was his usual habit; but now he did so more than
he was wont, being in doubt how this devilish affair
would terminate. When I reached the boat, the mas-
ter presented himself and said that those Florentine
gentlemen wanted to embark in it with us, if I was
willing. I answered: "The boat is engaged for us
and no one else, and it grieves me to the heart that
I am not able to have their company." At these words
a brave young man of the Magalotti family spoke
out: " Benvenuto, we will make you able to have it."
To which I answered: "If God and my good cause,
together with my own strength of body and mind,
possess the will and the power, you shall not make
me able to have what you say. So saying I leapt into
the boat, and turning my pike's point against them,
added: "I'll show you with this weapon that I am

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

not able/' Wishing to prove he was in earnest,
Magalotti then seized his own and came toward me.
I sprang upon the gunwale and hit him such a blow,
that, if he had not tumbled backward, I must have
pierced his body. His comrades, in lieu of helping
him, turned to fly ; and when I saw that I could kill
him, instead of striking, I said: "Get up, brother;
take your arms and go away. I have shown you that
I cannot do what I do not want, and what I had the
power to do I have not chosen to do/' Then I called
for Tribolo, the boatman, and Lamentone to embark ;
and so we got under way for Venice. When we had
gone ten miles on the Po, we sighted those young
men, who had got into a skiff and caught us up; and
when they were alongside, that idiot Piero Benin-
tendi sang out to me: " Go thy ways this time, Ben-
venuto; we shall meet in Venice/' "Set out betimes
then," I shouted, "for I am coming, and any man
can meet me where he lists." In due course "we ar-
rived at Venice, when I applied to a brother of Car-
dinal Cornaro, begging him to procure for me the
favour of being allowed to carry arms. He advised
me to do so without hesitation, saying that the worst
risk I ran was that I might lose my sword.

LXXVIII

Accordingly I girded on my sword, and went to
visit Jacopo del Sansovino, the sculptor, who had sent
for Tribolo. He received me most kindly, and in-
vited us to dinner, and we stayed with him. In course
of conversation with Tribolo, he told him that he had
no work to give him at the moment, but that he

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

might call again. Hearing this, I burst out laughing,
and said pleasantly to Sansovino: "Your house is
too far off from his, if he must call again/' Poor
Tribolo, all in dismay, exclaimed: "I have got your
letter here, which you wrote to bid me come." San-
sovino rejoined that men of his sort, men of worth
and genius, were free to do that and greater things
besides. Tribolo shrugged up his shoulders and mut-
tered: "Patience, patience," several times. There-
upon, without regarding the copious dinner which
Sansovino had given me, I took the part of my com-
rade Tribolo, for he was in the right. All the while
at table Sansovino had never stopped chattering
about his great achievements, abusing Michel Ag-
nolo and the rest of his fellow-sculptors, while he
bragged and vaunted himself to the skies. This had
so annoyed me that not a single mouthful which
I ate had tasted well ; but I refrained from saying
more than these two words: "Messer Jacopo, men
of worth a6l like men of worth, and men of genius,
who produce things beautiful and excellent, shine
forth far better when other people praise them than
when they boast so confidently of their own achieve-
ments." Upon this he and I rose from table blow-
ing off the steam of our choler. The same day, hap-
pening to pass near the Rialto, I met Piero Benin-
tendi in the company of some men ; and perceiving
that they were going to pick a quarrel with me, I
turned into an apothecary's shop till the storm blew
over. Afterwards I learned that the young Maga-
lotti, to whom I showed that courtesy, had scolded
them roundly; and thus the affair ended.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

LXXIX

A few days afterwards we set out on our return to
Florence. We lay one night at a place on this side
Chioggia, on the left hand as you go toward Fer-
rara. Here the host insisted upon being paid before
we went to bed, and in his own way; and when I
observed that it was the custom everywhere else to
pay in the morning, he answered : " I insist on being
paid overnight, and in my own way." I retorted that
men who wanted everything their own way ought
to make a world after their own fashion, since things
were differently managed here. Our host told me
not to go on bothering his brains, because he was
determined to do as he had said. Tribolo stood trem-
bling with fear, and nudged me to keep quiet, lest
they should do something worse to us; so we paid
them in the way they wanted, and afterwards we
retired to rest. We had, I must admit, the most capi-
tal beds, new in every particular, and as clean as
they could be. Nevertheless I did not get one wink
of sleep, because I kept on thinking how I could re-
venge myself. At one time it came into my head to
set fire to his house; at another to cut the throats
of four fine horses which he had in the stable ; I saw
well enough that it was easy for me to do all this ;
but I could not see how it was easy to secure my-
self and my companion. At last I resolved to put my
things and my comrade's on board the boat; and so
I did. When the towing-horses had been harnessed
to the cable, I ordered the people not to stir before
I returned, for I had left a pair of slippers in my bed-

291

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

room. Accordingly I went back to the inn and called
our host, who told me he had nothing to do with
us, and that we might go to Jericho. 1 There was a
ragged stable-boy about, half asleep, who cried out
to me: "The master would not move to please the
Pope, because he has got a wench in bed with him,
whom he has been wanting this long while." Then
he asked me for a tip, and I gave him a few Vene-
tian coppers, and told him to make the barge-man
wait till I had found my slippers and returned. I went
upstairs, took out a little knife as sharp as a razor,
and cut the four beds that I found there into ribbons.
I had the satisfaction of knowing I had done a dam-
age of more than fifty crowns. Then I ran down to
the boat with some pieces of the bed-covers 2 in my
pouch, and bade the bargee start at once without
delay. We had not gone far before my gossip Tri-
bolo said that he had left behind some little straps
belonging to his carpet-bag, and that he must be al-
lowed to go back for them. I answered that he need
not take thought for a pair of little straps, since I
could make him as many big ones as he liked. 3 He
told me I was always joking, but that he must really
go back for his straps. Then he began ordering the
bargee to stop, while I kept ordering him to go on.
Meanwhile I informed my friend what kind of trick
I had played our host, and showed him specimens
of the bed-covers and other things, which threw
him into such a quaking fright that he roared out to

1 E che noi andassimo al bordello.

2 Sarge. Sargia is interpreted sopraccoperta del letto.

3 The Italian for straps, coregge, has a double meaning, upon nuhich Cellini plays.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

the bargee: "On with you, on with you, as quick as
you can ! " and never thought himself quite safe un-
til we reached the gates of Florence.

When we arrived there, Tribolo said : " Let us bind
our swords up, for the love of God ; and play me no
more of your games, I beg; for all this while I've
felt as though my guts were in the saucepan/' I
made answer: "Gossip Tribolo, you need not tie
your sword up, for you have never loosed it;" and
this I said at random, because I never once had seen
him a6l the man upon that journey. When he heard
the remark, he looked at his sword and cried out:
" In God's name, you speak true ! Here it is tied, just
as I arranged it before I left my house." My gossip
deemed that I had been a bad travelling companion
to him, because I resented affronts and defended my-
self against folk who would have done us injury. But
I deemed that he had a6led a far worse part with
regard to me by never coming to my assistance at
such pinches. Let him judge between us who stands
by and has no personal interest in our adventures.

LXXX

No sooner had I dismounted than I went to visit
Duke Alessandro, and thanked him greatly for his
present of the fifty crowns, celling his Excellency
that I was always ready to serve him according to
my abilities. He gave me orders at once to strike
dies for his coinage ; and the first I made was a piece
of forty soldi, with the Duke's head on one side and
San Cosimo and San Damiano on the other. 1 This

1 These 'were the special patrons of the Medicean family, being physician-saints.

[ 293

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

was in silver, and it gave so much satisfaction that
the Duke did not hesitate to say they were the best
pieces of money in Christendom. The same said all
Florence and every one who saw them. Conse-
quently I asked his Excellency to make me appoint-
ments, 1 and to grant me the lodgings of the Mint.
He bade me remain in his service, and promised he
would give me more than I demanded. Meanwhile
he said he had commissioned the Master of the Mint,
a certain Carlo Acciaiuoli, and that I might go to him
for all the money that I wanted. This I found to be
true ; but I drew my moneys so discreetly, that I had
always something to my credit, according to my ac-
count.

I then made dies for a giulio, 3 it had San Giovanni
in profile, seated with a book in his hand, finer in
my judgment than anything which I had done ; and
on the other side were the armorial bearings of Duke
Alessandro. Next I made dies for half-giulios, on
which I struck the full face of San Giovanni in small.
This was the first coin with a head in full face on
so thin a piece of silver that had yet been seen. The
difficulty of executing it is apparent only to the eyes
of such as are past-masters in these crafts. After-
wards I made dies for the golden crowns ; this crown
had a cross upon one side with some little cherubim ,
and on the other side his Excellency's arms.

When I had struck these four sorts, I begged the
Duke to make out my appointments and to assign me

1 Che mifermassi unapr<n><visione.

2 The giulio was a coin of $6 Italian centimes or 8 Tuscan crazie, which in Flor-
ence ivas also called barile or gabellotto, because the sum had to be paid as duty on
a barrel of wine.

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

the lodgings I have mentioned, if he was contented
with my service. He told me very graciously that he
was quite satisfied, and that he would grant me my
request. While we were thus talking, his Excellency
was in his wardrobe, looking at a remarkable little
gun that had been sent him out of Germany. 1 When
he noticed that I too paid particular attention to this
pretty instrument, he put it in my hands, saying that
he knew how much pleasure I took in such things,
and adding that I might choose for earnest of his
promises an arquebuse to my own liking from the
armoury, excepting only this one piece; he was well
aware that I should find things of greater beauty,
and not less excellent, there. Upon this invitation,
I accepted with thanks ; and when he saw me look-
ing round, he ordered his Master of the Wardrobe,
a certain Pretino of Lucca, to let me take whatever
I liked. 2 Then he went aw r ay with the most pleasant
words at parting, while I remained, and chose the
finest and best arquebuse I ever saw, or ever had,
and took it back with me to home.

Two days afterward I brought some drawings
which his Excellency had commissioned for gold-
work he wanted to give his wife, who was at that
time still in Naples. 3 I again asked him to settle my
affairs. Then his Excellency told me that he should
like me first to execute the die of his portrait in fine
style, as I had done for Pope Clement. I began it in
wax ; and the Duke gave orders, while I was at work

1 See above, p. 240, ./or the right meaning of 'wardrobe.

* Mesier Francesco of Lucca, surnamed II Pretino.

3 Margaret of Austria, natural daughter to Charles V., 'was eventually married in

1536 to Alessandro de Medici.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

upon it, that whenever I went to take his portrait,
I should be admitted. Perceiving that I had a lengthy
piece of business on my hands, I sent for a certain
Pietro Pagolo from Monte Ritondo, in the Roman
district, who had been with me from his boyhood in
Rome. 1 1 found him with one Bernardonaccio, 2 a gold-
smith, who did not treat him well; so I brought him
away from there, and taught him minutely how to
strike coins from those dies. Meanwhile, I went on
making the Duke's portrait; and oftentimes I found
him napping after dinner with that Lorenzino of his,
who afterwards murdered him, and no other com-
pany ; and much I marvelled that a Duke of that sort
showed such confidence about his safety. 3

LXXXI

It happened at this time that Ottaviano de' Medici, 4
who to all appearances had got the government
of everything in his own hands, favoured the old
Master of the Mint against the Duke's will. This
man was called Bastiano Cennini, an artist of the an-
tiquated school, and of little skill in his craft. 5 Otta-
viano mixed his stupid dies with mine in the coinage
of crown-pieces. I complained of this to the Duke,

1 Pietro Pagolo Galleotti, much praised by Vasarifor his artistic skill.
1 Perhaps Bernardo Sabatini.

3 This is the famous Tuscan Brutus <who murdered Alessandro. He 'was descended
from Lorenzo de* Medici, the brother of Cosimo, Pater Patria, and the uncle of
Lorenzo the Magnificent.

4 This Ottawiano 'was not descended from either Cosimo or Lorenzo de* Medici, but
from an elder, though less illustrious, branch of the great family. He married
Francesco Salviati, the aunt of Duke Cosimo. Though a great patron of the arts
and an intimate friend of M. A. Buonarroti, he c was not popular, ofwing to his
pride of place.

* Cellini praises this man, honuever, in the preface to the Oreficeria.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

who, when he saw how the matter stood, took it
very ill, and said to me: "Go, tell this to Ottaviano
de' Medici, and show him how it is/' 1 1 lost no time;
and when I had pointed out the injury that had been
done to my fine coins, he answered, like the donkey
that he was: "We choose to have it so." I replied
that it ought not to be so, and that I did not choose
to have it so. He said : " And if the Duke likes to
have it so?" I answered: "It would not suit me, for
the thing is neither just nor reasonable." He told
me to take myself off, and that I should have to
swallow it in this way, even if I burst. Then I re-
turned to the Duke, and related the whole unplea-
sant conversation between Ottaviano de' Medici and
me, entreating his Excellency not to allow the fine
coins which I had made for him to be spoiled, and
begging for permission to leave Florence. He re-
plied: "Ottaviano is too presuming: you shall have
what you want; for this is an injury offered to my-
self."'

That very day, which was a Thursday, I received
from Rome a full safe-condu6l from the Pope, with
advice to go there at once and get the pardon of
Our Lady's feast in mid- August, in order that I
might clear myself from the penalties attaching to
my homicide. I went to the Duke, whom I found in
bed, for they told me he was suffering the conse-
quence of a debauch. In little more than two hours
I finished what was wanted for his waxen medal;
and when I showed it him, it pleased him extremely.
Then I exhibited the safe-condu6l sent me at the

1 Mostragnene, This is perhaps equivalent to mostragliek.

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order of the Pope, and told him how his Holiness
had recalled me to execute certain pieces of work ;
on this account I should like to regain my footing
in the fair city of Rome, which would not prevent
my attending to his medal. The Duke made answer
half in anger: "Benvenuto, do as I desire: stay here;
I will provide for your appointments, and will give
you the lodgings in the Mint, with much more than
you could ask for, because your requests are only
just and reasonable. And who do you think will be
able to strike the beautiful dies which you have made
for me?" Then I said: "My Lord, I have thought
of everything, for I have here a pupil of mine, a
young Roman whom I have taught the art; he will
serve your Excellency very well till I return with
your medal finished, to remain forever in your ser-
vice. I have in Rome a shop open, with journeymen
and a pretty business ; as soon as I have got my par-
don, I will leave all the devotion of Rome 1 to a pupil
of mine there, and will come back, with your Ex-
cellency's good permission, to you." During this
conversation, the Lorenzino de' Medici whom I have
above mentioned was present, and no one else. The
Duke frequently signed to him that he should join
in pressing me to stay; but Lorenzino never said
anything except: "Benvenuto, you would do better
to remain where you are." I answered that I wanted
by all means to regain my hold on Rome. He made
no reply, but continued eyeing the Duke with very

1 Tutta la divozione di Roma. It is not 'very clear <what this exactly means. Per-
haps "all the affeflion and reverence I have for the city of Rome^ or merely "all
my ties in Rome."

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evil glances. When I had finished the medal to my
liking, and shut it in its little box, I said to the Duke :
"My lord, pray let me have your good-will, for I
will make you a much finer medal than the one I
made for Pope Clement. It is only reasonable that
I should, since that was the first I ever made. Messer
Lorenzo here will give me some exquisite reverse,
as he is a person learned and of the greatest genius."
To these words Lorenzo suddenly made answer:
" I have been thinking of nothing else but how to
give you a reverse worthy of his Excellency/' The
Duke laughed a little, and looking at Lorenzo, said :
" Lorenzo, you shall give him the reverse, and he
shall do it here and shall not go away." Lorenzo
took him up at once, saying: "I will do it as quickly
as I can, and I hope to do something that shall make
the whole world wonder." The Duke, who held him
sometimes for a fool and sometimes for a coward,
turned about in bed, and laughed at his bragging
words. I took my leave without further ceremony,
and left them alone together. The Duke, who did
not believe that I was really going, said nothing
further. Afterwards, when he knew that I was gone,
he sent one of his servants, who caught me up at
Siena, and gave me fifty golden ducats with a mes-
sage from the Duke that I should take and use them
for his sake, and should return as soon as possible ;
" and from Messer Lorenzo I have to tell you that
he is preparing an admirable reverse for that medal
which you want to make." I had left full directions
to Petro Pagolo, the Roman above mentioned, how
he had to use the dies ; but as it was a very delicate

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

affair, he never quite succeeded in employing them.
I remained creditor to the Mint in a matter of more
than seventy crowns on account of dies supplied
by me.

LXXXII

On the journey to Rome I carried with me that hand-
some arquebuse which the Duke gave me ; and very
much to my own pleasure, I used it several times
by the way, performing incredible feats by means
of it. The little house I had in Strada Giulia was not
ready; so I dismounted at the house of Messer Gio-
vanni Gaddi, clerk of the Camera, to whose keeping
I had committed, on leaving Rome, many of my arms
and other things I cared for. So I did not choose to
alight at my shop, but sent for Felice, my partner,
and got him to put my little dwelling forthwith into
excellent order. The day following, I went to sleep
there, after well providing myself with clothes and
all things requisite, since I intended to go and thank
the Pope next morning.

I had two young serving-lads, and beneath my
lodgings lived a laundress who cooked extremely
nicely for me. That evening I entertained several
friends at supper, and having passed the time with
great enjoyment, betook myself to bed. The night
had hardly ended, indeed it was more than an hour
before daybreak, when I heard a furious knocking
at the house-door, stroke succeeding stroke without
a moment's pause. Accordingly I called my elder
servant, Cencio ' ( he was the man I took into the nec-

1 /. e., Vincenxio Romoli.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

romantic circle ) , and bade him go and see who the
madman was that knocked so brutally at that hour
of the night. While Cencio was on this errand, I
lighted another lamp, for I always keep one by me
at night ; then I made haste to pass an excellent coat
of mail over my shirt, and above that some clothes
which I caught up at random. Cencio returned, ex-
claiming: "Heavens, master! it is the Bargello and
all his guard ; and he says that if you do not open
at once, he will knock the door down. They have
torches, and a thousand things besides with them ! " I
answered : " Tell them that I am huddling my clothes
on, and will come out to them in my shirt." Supposing
it was a trap laid to murder me, as had before been
done by Signor Pier Luigi, I seized an excellent dag-
ger with my right hand, and with the left I took the
safe-condu6l ; then I ran to the back-window, which
looked out on gardens, and there I saw more than
thirty constables ; wherefore I knew that I could not
escape upon that side. I made the two lads go in
front, and told them to open the door exactly when
I gave the word to do so. Then taking up an atti-
tude of defence, with the dagger in my right hand
and the safe-conducl in my left, I cried to the lads :
" Have no fear, but open ! " The Bargello, Vittorio,
and the officers sprang inside at once, thinking they
could easily lay hands upon me ; but when they saw
me prepared in that way to receive them, they fell
back, exclaiming: "We have a serious job on hand
here! "Then I threw the safe-condu6l to them, and
said: "Read that! and since you cannot seize me,
I do not mean that you shall touch me." The Bar-

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

gello upon this ordered some of his men to arrest
me, saying he would look to the safe-condu<5l later.
Thereat I presented my arms boldly, calling aloud:
"Let God defend the right! Either I shall escape
your hands alive, or be taken a dead corpse!" The
room was crammed with men ; they made as though
they would resort to violence; I stood upon my guard
against them ; so that the Bargello saw he would not
be able to have me except in the way I said. Accord-
ingly he called his clerk, and while the safe-conduct
was being read, he showed by signs two or three
times that he meant to have me secured by his offi-
cers; but this had no effect of shaking my determi-
nation. At last they gave up the attempt, threw my
safe-conduct on the ground, and went away without
their prize.

LXXXIII

When I returned to bed, I felt so agitated that I
could not get to sleep again. My mind was made up
to let blood as soon as day broke. However, I asked
advice of Messer Gaddi , and he referred to a wretched
doctor-fellow he employed, 1 who asked me if I had
been frightened. Now, just consider what a judicious
doctor this was, after I had narrated an occurrence
of that gravity, to ask me such a question! He was
an empty fribbler, who kept perpetually laughing
about nothing at all. Simpering and sniggering, then,
he bade me drink a good cup of Greek wine, keep
my spirits up, and not be frightened. Messer Gio-
vanni, however, said: " Master, a man of bronze or

1 Possibly Bernardino Lilii of Todi.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

marble might be frightened in such circumstances.
How much more one of flesh and blood ! " The quack
responded: "Monsignor, we are not all made after
the same pattern; this fellow is no man of bronze or
marble, but of pure iron/' Then he gave one of his
meaningless laughs, and putting his fingers on my
wrist, said: " Feel here ; this is not a man's pulse, but
a lion's or a dragon's." At this, I, whose blood was
thumping in my veins, probably far beyond anything
which that fool of a do6lor had learned from his Hip-
pocrates or Galen, knew at once how serious was my
situation ; yet, wishing not to add to my uneasiness
and to the harm I had already taken, I made show of
being in good spirits. While this was happening, Mes-
ser Giovanni had ordered dinner, and we all of us sat
down to eat in company. I remembered that Messer
Lodovico da Fano, Messer Antonio Allegretti, Mes-
ser Giovanni Greco, all of them men of the finest
scholarship, and Messer Annibal Caro, who was then
quite young, were present. At table the conversation
turned entirely upon my a6l of daring. They insisted
on hearing the whole story over and over again from
my apprentice Cencio, who was a youth of superla-
tive talent, bravery, and extreme personal beauty.
Each time that he described my truculent behaviour,
throwing himself into the attitudes I had assumed, and
repeating the words which I had used, he called up
some fresh detail to my memory. They kept asking
him if he had been afraid ; to which he answered that
they ought to ask me if I had been afraid, because he
felt precisely the same as I had.
All this chattering grew irksome to me; and since

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

I still felt strongly agitated, I rose at last from table,
saying that I wanted to go and get new clothes of
blue silk and stuff for him and me ; adding that I
meant to walk in procession after four days at the
feast of Our Lady, and meant Cencio to carry a white
lighted torch on the occasion. Accordingly I took
my leave, and had the blue cloth cut, together with
a handsome jacket of blue sarcenet and a little doub-
let of the same; and I had a similar jacket and waist-
coat made for Cencio.

When these things had been cut out, I went to see
the Pope, who told me to speak with Messer Am-
bruogio ; for he had given orders that I should exe-
cute a large piece of golden plate. So I went to find
Messer Ambruogio, who had heard the whole of
the affair of the Bargello, and had been in concert
with my enemies to bring me back to Rome, and had
scolded the Bargello for not laying hands on me.
The man excused himself by saying that he could
not do so in the face of the safe-condu6l which I
held. Messer Ambruogio now began to talk about
the Pope's commission, and bade me make draw-
ings for it, saying that the business should be put at
once in train. Meanwhile the feast of Our Lady came
round. Now it is the custom for those who get a
pardon upon this occasion to give themselves up to
prison ; in order to avoid doing which I returned to
the Pope, and told his Holiness that I was very un-
willing to go to prison, and that I begged him to
grant me the favour of a dispensation. The Pope
answered that such was the custom, and that I must
follow it. Thereupon I fell again upon my knees, and

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

thanked him for the safe-condu6l he had given me,
saying at the same time that I should go back with
it to serve my Duke in Florence, who was waiting
for me so impatiently. On hearing this, the Pope
turned to one of his confidential servants and said :
"Let Benvenuto get his grace without the prison,
and see that his moto proprio is made out in due
form." As soon as the document had been drawn up,
his Holiness signed it; it was then registered at the
Capitol ; afterwards, upon the day appointed, I walked
in procession very honourably between two gentle-
men, and so got clear at last.

LXXXIV

Four days had passed when I was attacked with
violent fever attended, by extreme cold ; and taking
to my bed, I made my mind up that I was sure to
die. I had the first dodtors of Rome called in, among
whom was Francesco da Norcia, a physician of great
age, and of the best repute in Rome. 1 I told them
what I believed to be the cause of my illness, and
said that I had wished to let blood, but that I had
been advised against it; and if it was not too late, I
begged them to bleed me now. Maestro Francesco
answered that it would not be well for me to let
blood then, but that if I had done so before, I should
have escaped without mischief; at present they would
have to treat the case with other remedies. So they
began to doclor me as energetically as they were
able, while I grew daily worse and worse so rapidly,
that after eight days the physicians despaired of my

1 Francesco Fusconi, physician to Popes Adrian PL, Clement fll., and Paul III.

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life, and said that I might be indulged in any whim
I had to make me comfortable. Maestro Francesco
added: "As long as there is breath in him, call me
at all hours ; for no one can divine what Nature is
able to work in a young man of this kind ; moreover,
if he should lose consciousness, administer these five
remedies one after the other, and send for me, for I
will come at any hour of the night; I would rather
save him than any of the cardinals in Rome/'

Every day Messer Giovanni Gaddi came to see me
two or three times, and each time he took up one or
other of my handsome fowling-pieces, coats of, mail,
or swords, using words like these: "That is a hand-
some thing, that other is still handsomer;" and like-
wise with my models and other trifles, so that at last
he drove me wild with annoyance. In his company
came a certain Mattio Franzesi ; x and this man also
appeared to be waiting impatiently for my death, not
indeed because he would inherit anything from me,
but because he wished for what his master seemed
to have so much at heart.

Felice, my partner, was always at my side, ren-
dering the greatest services which it is possible for
one man to give another. Nature in me was utterly
debilitated and undone; I had not strength enough
to fetch my breath back if it left me; and yet my
brain remained as clear and strong as it had been
before my illness. Nevertheless, although I kept my
consciousness, a terrible old man used to come to my
bedside, and make as though he would drag me by

1 Franzesi 'was a clever Italian poet. His burlesque Capitoli are printed 'with those
of Berni and others.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

force into a huge boat he had with him. This made
me call out to my Felice to draw near and chase
that malignant old man away. Felice, who loved me
most affectionately, ran weeping and crying: "Away
with you, old traitor ; you are robbing me of all the
good I have in this world/' Messer Giovanni Gaddi,
who was present, then began to say : " The poor fel-
low is delirious, and has only a few hours to live."
His fellow, Mattio Franzesi, remarked : " He has read
Dante, and in the prostration of his sickness this ap-
parition has appeared to him ;" ' then he added laugh-
ingly: "Away with you, old rascal, and don't bother
our friend Benvenuto." When I saw that they were
making fun of me, I turned to Messer Gaddi and
said: "My dear master, know that I am not raving,
and that it is true that this old man is really giving
me annoyance ; but the best that you can do for me
would be to drive that miserable Mattio from my
side, who is laughing at my affliction ;" afterwards if
your lordship deigns to visit me again, let me beg
you to come with Messer Antonio Allegretti, or with
Messer Annibal Caro, or with some other of your
accomplished friends, who are persons of quite dif-
ferent intelligence and discretion from that beast."
Thereupon Messer Giovanni told Mattio in jest to
take himself out of his sight forever; but because
Mattio went on laughing, the joke turned to earnest,
for Messer Giovanni would not look upon him again,
but sent for Messer Antonio Allegretti, Messer Lu-
dovico, and Messer Annibal Caro. On the arrival of
these worthy men, I was greatly comforted, and

1 Inferno, Hi., the verses about Charon.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

talked reasonably with them awhile, not however
without frequently urging Felice to drive the old
man away. Messer Ludovico asked me what it was I
seemed to see, and how the man was shaped. While
I portrayed him accurately in words, the old man took
me by the arm and dragged me violently towards him.
This made me cry out for aid, because he was going
to fling me under hatches in his hideous boat. On
saying that last word, I fell into a terrible swoon,
and seemed to be sinking down into the boat. They
say that during that fainting-fit I flung myself about
and cast bad words at Messer Giovanni Gaddi, to
wit, that he came to rob me, and not from any mo-
tive of charity, and other insults of the kind, which
caused him to be much ashamed. Later on, they say
I lay still like one dead ; and after waiting by me more
than an hour, thinking I was growing cold, they left
me for dead. When they returned home, Mattio
Franzesi was informed, who wrote to Florence to
Messer Benedetto Varchi,my very dear friend, that
they had seen me die at such and such an hour of
the night. When he heard the news, that most ac-
complished man and my dear friend composed an
admirable sonnet upon my supposed but not real
death, which shall be reported in its proper place.
More than three long hours passed, and yet I did
not regain consciousness. Felice having used all the
remedies prescribed by Maestro Francesco, and see-
ing that I did not come to, ran post-haste to the
physician's door, and knocked so loudly that he woke
him up, and made him rise, and begged him with
tears to come to the house, for he thought that I was

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dead. Whereto Maestro Francesco, who was a very
choleric man, replied : " My son, of what use do you
think I should be if I came? If he is dead, I am more
sorry than you are. Do you imagine that if I were
to come with my medicine I could blow breath up
through his guts' and bring him back to life for you?"
But when he saw that the poor young fellow was
going away weeping, he called him back and gave
him an oil with which to anoint my pulses and my
heart, telling him to pinch my little fingers and toes
very tightly, and to send at once to call him if I
should revive. Felice took his way, and did as Maes-
tro Francesco had ordered. It was almost bright day
when, thinking they would have to abandon hope,
they gave orders to have my shroud made and to
wash me. Suddenly I regained consciousness, and
called out to Felice to drive away the old man on
the moment, who kept tormenting me. He wanted
to send for Maestro Francesco, but I told him not
to do so, but to come close up to me, because that
old man was afraid of him and went away at once.
So Felice drew near to the bed ; I touched him, and
it seemed to me that the infuriated old man with-
drew; so I prayed him not to leave me for a second.
When Maestro Francesco appeared, he said it was
his dearest wish to save my life, and that he had
never in all his days seen greater force in a young
man than I had. Then he sat down to write, and pre-
scribed for me perfumes, lotions, unctions, plasters,
and a heap of other precious things. Meanwhile I
came to life again by the means of more than twenty

* Io gli fossa soffiare in culo.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

leeches applied to my buttocks, but with my body
bored through, bound, and ground to powder. Many
of my friends crowded in to behold the miracle of
the resuscitated dead man, and among them people
of the first importance.

In their presence I declared that the small amount
of gold and money I possessed, perhaps some eight
hundred crowns, what with gold, silver, jewels, and
cash, should be given by my will to my poor sister
in Florence, called Mona Liperata; all the remainder
of my property, armour and everything besides, I
left to my dearest Felice, together with fifty golden
ducats, in order that he might buy mourning. At
those words Felice flung his arms around my neck,
protesting that he wanted nothing but to have me
as he wished alive with him. Then I said: "If you
want me alive, touch me as you did before, and
threaten the old man, for he is afraid of you." At
these words some of the folk were terrified, know-
ing that I was not raving, but talking to the purpose
and with all my wits. Thus my wretched malady
went dragging on, and I got but little better. Maes-
tro Francesco, that most excellent man, came four
or five times a day ; Messer Giovanni Gaddi, who
felt ashamed, did not visit me again. My brother-in-
law, the husband of my sister, arrived ; he came from
Florence for the inheritance; but as he was a very
worthy man, he rejoiced exceedingly to have found
me alive. The sight of him did me a world of good,
and he began to caress me at once, saying he had
only come to take care of me in*person ; and this he
did for several days. Afterwards I sent him away,

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

having almost certain hope of my recovery. On this
occasion he left the sonnet of Messer Benedetto
Varchi, which runs as follows : *

" Who shall, Mattio, yield our -pain relief?
Who shall forbid the sad expense of tears?
Alas! 'tis true that in his youthful years
Our friend hath flown, and left us here to grief.

He hath gone up to heaven, who was the chief
Of men renowned in art's immortal spheres;
Among the mighty dead he had no peers y

Nor shall earth see his like, in my belief.

O gentle sprite! if love still sway the blest,

Look down on him thou here didst love, and view
'These tears that mourn my loss, not thy great good.

There dost thou gaze on His beatitude
Who made our universe, and jindest true
'The form of Him thy skill for men expressed"

LXXXV

My sickness had been of such a very serious nature
that it seemed impossible for me to fling it off. That
worthy man Maestro Francesco da Norcia redoubled
his efforts, and brought me every day fresh reme-
dies, trying to restore strength to my miserable un-
strung frame. Yet all these endeavours were appar-
ently insufficient to overcome the obstinacy of my

1 Thit sonnet is so insipid, so untrue to Cellini's real place in art, so false to the far
from saintly character of the man, that I would rather ha<ve declined translating it,
had I not observed it to be a good example of that technical and conventional insin-
cerity 'which c was invading Italy at this epoch. Varchi vjas really sorry to hear the
nevjs of Cellini s death j but for his genuine emotion he found spurious vehicles of
utterance. Cellini, meanwhile, had a right to prize it, since it revealed to him vjhat
friendship vjas prepared to utter after his decease.

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

malady, so that the physicians were in despair and
at their wits' ends what to do. I was tormented by
thirst, but had abstained from drinking for many
days according to the doclors' orders. Felice, who
thought he had done wonders in restoring me, never
left my side. That old man ceased to give so much
annoyance, yet sometimes he appeared to me in
dreams.

One day Felice had gone out of doors, leaving me
under the care of a young apprentice and a servant-
maid called Beatrice. I asked the apprentice what
had become of my lad Cencio, and what was the rea-
son why I had never seen him in attendance on me.
The boy replied that Cencio had been far more ill
than I was, and that he was even at death's door.
Felice had given them orders not to speak to me of
this. On hearing the news, I was exceedingly dis-
tressed; then I called the maid Beatrice, a Pistojan
girl, and asked her to bring me a great crystal wa-
ter-cooler which stood near, full of clear and fresh
water. She ran at once, and brought it to me full; I
told her to put it to my lips, adding that if she let
me take a draught according to my heart's content,
I would give her a new gown. This maid had stolen
from me certain little things of some importance, and
in her fear of being detected, she would have been
very glad if I had died. Accordingly she allowed me
twice to take as much as I could of the water, so
that in good earnest I swallowed more than a flask
full. 1 1 then covered myself, and began to sweat, and
fell into a deep sleep. After I had slept about an

1 Un fiasco, holding more than a quart.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

hour, Felice came home and asked the boy how I
was getting on. He answered: " I do not know. Bea-
trice brought him that cooler full of water, and he
has drunk almost the whole of it. I don't know now
whether he is alive or dead." They say that my poor
friend was on the point of falling to the ground, so
grieved was he to hear this. Afterwards he took an
ugly stick and began to beat the serving-girl with
all his might, shouting out: " Ah! traitress, you have
killed him for me then ? " While Felice was cudgel-
ling and she screaming, I was in a dream ; I thought
the old man held ropes in his hand, and while he
was preparing to bind me, Felice had arrived and
struck him with an axe, so that the old man fled ex-
claiming: "Let me go, and I promise not to return
for a long while." Beatrice in the meantime had run
into my bedroom shrieking loudly. This woke me
up, and I called out: "Leave her alone; perhaps,
when she meant to do me harm, she did me more
good than you were able to do with all your efforts.
She may indeed have saved my life; so lend me a
helping hand, for I have sweated; and be quick about
it." Felice recovered his spirits, dried and made
me comfortable; and I, being conscious of a great
improvement in my state, began to reckon on re-
covery.

When Maestro Francesco appeared and saw my
great improvement, and the servant-girl in tears, and
the prentice running to and fro, and Felice laughing,
all this disturbance made him think that something
extraordinary must have happened, which had been
the cause of my amendment. Just then the other

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

doclor, Bernardino, put in his appearance, who at
the beginning of my illness had refused to bleed me.
Maestro Francesco, that most able man, exclaimed:
" Oh, power of Nature ! She knows what she requires,
and the physicians know nothing." That simpleton,
Maestro Bernardino, made answer, saying: "If he
had drunk another bottle he would have been cured
upon the spot." Maestro Francesco da Norcia, a man
of age and great authority, said: "That would have
been a terrible misfortune, and would to God that
it may fall on you!" Afterwards he turned to me
and asked if I could have drunk more water. I an-
swered: "No, because I had entirely quenched my
thirst." Then he turned to Maestro Bernardino, and
said: "Look you how Nature has taken precisely
what she wanted, neither more nor less. In like man-
ner she was asking for what she wanted when the
poor young man begged you to bleed him. If you
knew that his recovery depended upon his drinking
two flasks of water, why did you not say so before?
You might then have boasted of his cure." At these
words the wretched quack sulkily departed, and never
showed his face again.

Maestro Francesco then gave orders that I should
be removed from my room and carried to one of the
hills there are in Rome. Cardinal Cornaro, when he
heard of my improvement, had me transported to a
place of his on Monte Cavallo. That very evening
I was taken with great precautions in a chair, well
wrapped up and protected from the cold. No sooner
had I reached the place than I began to vomit, dur-
ing which there came from my stomach a hairy

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

worm about a quarter of a cubit in length : the hairs
were long, and the worm was very ugly, speckled
of divers colours, green, black, and red. They kept
and showed it to the doctor, who said he had never
seen anything of the sort before, and afterwards
remarked to Felice : " Now take care of your Ben-
venuto, for he is cured. Do not permit him any ir-
regularities; for though he has escaped this time,
another disorder now would be the death of him.
You see his malady has been so grave, that if we
had brought him the extreme un6lion, we might not
have been in time. Now I know that with a little
patience and time he will live to execute more of his
fine works." Then he turned to me and said: "My
Benvenuto, be prudent, commit no excesses, and
when you are quite recovered, I beg you to make
me a Madonna with your own hand, and I will al-
ways pay my devotions to it for your sake." This I
promised to do, and then asked him whether it would
be safe for me to travel so far as to Florence. He
advised me to wait till I was stronger, and till we
could observe how Nature worked in me.

LXXXVI

When eight days had come and gone, my amend-
ment was so slight that life itself became almost a
burden to me; indeed I had been more than fifty
days in that great suffering. So I made my mind up,
and prepared to travel. My dear Felice and I went
toward Florence in a pair of baskets; 1 and as I had

1 Un paio di ceste, a kind of litter, here described in the plural, because two of
them 'were perhaps put together. I ha<ve thought it best to translate the phrase

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

not written, when I reached my sister's house, she
wept and laughed over me all in one breath. That
day many of my friends came to see me; among
others Pier Landi, who was the best and dearest
friend I ever had. Next day there came a certain
Niccolo da Monte Aguto, who was also a very great
friend of mine. Now he had heard the Duke say:
"Benvenuto would have done much better to die,
because he is come to put his head into a noose, and
I will never pardon him." Accordingly when Nic-
colo arrived, he said to me in desperation: " Alas! my
dear Benvenuto, what have you come to do here?
Did you not know what you have done to displease
the Duke? I have heard him swear that you were
thrusting your head into a halter/' Then I replied:
"Niccolo, remind his Excellency that Pope Clement
wanted to do as much to me before, and quite as un-
justly; tell him to keep his eye on me, and give me
time to recover; then I will show his Excellency that
I have been the most faithful servant he will ever
have in all his life; and forasmuch as some enemy
must have served me this bad turn through envy, let
him wait till I get well ; for I shall then be able to give
such an account of myself as will make him marvel."
This bad turn had been done me by Giorgetto
Vassellario of Arezzo, 1 the painter; perchance in re-
compense for many benefits conferred on him. I had
harboured him in Rome and provided for his costs,
while he had turned my whole house upside down ;

liter ally. From a Utter of Pare hi to Bembo, iue learn that Cellini reached Florence,
November 9, 1535.

1 This is the famous Giorgio Pasari, a bad painter and nvorse architect, but dear
to all lovers of the arts for his anecdotic ivork upon Italian artists.

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GIORGIO VASARI
(BY H I MS ELF)

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

for the man was subject to a species of dry scab,
which he was always in the habit of scratching with
his hands. It happened, then, that sleeping in the
same bed as an excellent workman, named Manno,
who was in my service, when he meant to scratch
himself, he tore the skin from one of Manno's legs
with his filthy claws, the nails of which he never
used to cut. The said Manno left my service, and
was resolutely bent on killing him. I made the quar-
rel up, and afterwards got Giorgio into Cardinal
de' Medici's household, and continually helped him.
For these deserts, then, he told Duke Alessandro
that I had abused his Excellency, and had bragged
I meant to be the first to leap upon the walls of
Florence with his foes the exiles. These words, as
I afterwards learned, had been put into Vasari's lips
by that excellent fellow 1 Ottaviano de' Medici, who
wanted to revenge himself for the Duke's irritation
against him, on account of the coinage and my de-
parture from Florence. I, being innocent of the crime
falsely ascribed to me, felt no fear whatever. Mean-
while that able physician Francesco da Monte Varchi
attended to my cure with great skill. He had been
brought by my very dear friend Luca Martini, who
passed the larger portion of the day with me. 2

LXXXVII

During this while I had sent my devoted comrade
Felice back to Rome, to look after our business there.

1 Galantuomo, used ironically.

* Luca Martini <was a member of the best literary society in his days, and the author
of some famous burlesque pieces.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

When I could raise my head a little from the bolster,
which was at the end of fifteen days, although I was
unable to walk upon my feet, I had myself carried
to the palace of the Medici, and placed upon the lit-
tle upper terrace. There they seated me to wait un-
til the Duke went by. Many of my friends at court
came up to greet me, and expressed surprise that I
had undergone the inconvenience of being carried
in that way, while so shattered by illness; they said
that I ought to have waited till I was well, and then
to have visited the Duke. A crowd of them collected,
all looking at me as a sort of miracle ; not merely
because they had heard that I was dead, but far more
because I had the look of a dead man. Then publicly,
before them all, I said how some wicked scoundrel
had told my lord the Duke that I had bragged I
meant to be the first to scale his Excellency's walls,
and also that I had abused him personally ; where-
fore I had not the heart to live or 'die till I had purged
myself of that infamy, and found out who the au-
dacious rascal was who had uttered such calumnies
against me. At these words a large number of those
gentlemen came round, expressing great compas-
sion for me; one said one thing, one another, and I
told them I would never go thence before I knew
who had accused me. At these words Maestro Agos-
tino, the Duke's tailor, made his way through all
those gentlemen, and said: "If that is all you want
to know, you shall know it at this very moment."
Giorgio the painter, whom I have mentioned, hap-
pened just then to pass, and Maestro Agostino ex-
claimed: "There is the man who accused you; now

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

you know yourself if it be true or not." As fiercely
as I could, not being able to leave my seat, I asked
Giorgio if it was true that he had accused me. He
denied that it was so, and that he had ever said any-
thing of the sort. Maestro Agostino retorted: "You
gallows-bird ! don't you know that I know it for most
certain?" Giorgio made off as quickly as he could,
repeating that he had not accused me. Then, after
a short while, the Duke came by ; whereupon I had
myself raised up before his Excellency, and he halted.
I told him that I had come there in that way solely
in order to clear my character. The Duke gazed at
me, and marvelled I was still alive; afterwards he
bade me take heed to be an honest man and regain
my health.

When I reached home, Niccolo da Monte Aguto
came to visit me, and told me that I had escaped one
of the most dreadful perils in the world, quite con-
trary to all his expectations, for he had seen my
ruin written with indelible ink ; now I must make
haste to get well, and afterwards take French leave,
because my jeopardy came from a quarter and a man
who was able to destroy me. He then said," Beware,"
and added: "What displeasure have you given to
that rascal Ottaviano de' Medici ? " I answered that
I had done nothing to displease him, but that he had
injured me; and told him all the affair about the
Mint. He repeated : " Get hence as quickly as you
can, and be of good courage, for you will see your
vengeance executed sooner than you expe6t." I paid
the best attention to my health, gave Pietro Pagolo
advice about stamping the coins, and then went off

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

upon my way to Rome without saying a word to the
Duke or anybody else.

LXXXVIII

When I reached Rome, and had enjoyed the com-
pany of my friends awhile,! began the Duke's medal.
In a few days I finished the head in steel, arid it was
the finest work of the kind which I had ever pro-
duced. At least once every day there came to visit
me a sort of blockhead named Messer Francesco
Soderini. 1 When he saw what I was doing, he used
frequently to exclaim: "Barbarous wretch! you want
then to immortalise that ferocious tyrant ! You have
never made anything so exquisite, which proves you
our inveterate foe and their devoted friend ; and yet
the Pope and he have had it twice in mind to hang
you without any fault of yours. That was the Father
and the Son ; now beware of the Holy Ghost/' It was
firmly believed that Duke Alessandro was the son of
Pope Clement. Messer Francesco used also to say
and swear by all his saints that, if he could, he would
have robbed me of the dies for that medal. I re-
sponded that he had done well to tell me so, and
that I would take such care of them that he should
never see them more.

I now sent to Florence to request Lorenzino that
he would send me the reverse of the medal. Nic-
colo da Monte Aguto, to whom I had written, wrote
back, saying that he had spoken to that mad melan-
choly philosopher Lorenzino for it; he had replied
that he was thinking night and day of nothing else,

1 He had been banished in 1 5 30 as a foe to the Me dice an house.

[ 320 ]

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

and that he would finish it as soon as he was able.
Nevertheless, I was not to set my hopes upon his
reverse, but I had better invent one out of my own
head, and when I had finished it, I might bring it
without hesitation to the Duke, for this would be to
my advantage.

I composed the design of a reverse which seemed
to me appropriate, and pressed the work forward to
my best ability. Not being, however, yet recovered
from that terrible illness, I gave my self frequent re-
laxation by going out on fowling expeditions with my
friend Felice. This man had no skill in my art; but
since we were perpetually day and night together,
everybody thought he was a first-rate craftsman. This
being so, as he was a fellow of much humour, we
used often to laugh together about the great credit
he had gained. His name was Felice Guadagni
(Gain), which made him say in jest: "I should be
called Felice Gain-little if you had not enabled me
to acquire such credit that I can call myself Gain-
much." I replied that there are two ways of gaining:
the first is that by which one gains for one's self,
the second that by which one gains for others ; so I
praised him much more for the second than the first,
since he had gained for me my life.

We often held such conversations ; but I remember
one in particular on the day of Epiphany, when we
were together near La Magliana. It was close upon
nightfall, and during the day I had shot a good num-
ber of ducks and geese; then, as I had almost made
my mind up to shoot no more that time, we were
returning briskly toward Rome. Calling to my dog

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

by his name, Barucco, and not seeing him in front of
me, I turned round and noticed that the well-trained
animal was pointing at some geese which had set-
tled in a ditch. I therefore dismounted at once, got
my fowling-piece ready, and at a very long range
brought two of them down with a single ball. I never
used to shoot with more than one ball, and was usu-
ally able to hit my mark at two hundred cubits, which
cannot be done by other ways of loading. Of the two
geese, one was almost dead, and the other, though
badly wounded, was flying lamely. My dog retrieved
the one and brought it to me ; but noticing that the
other was diving down into the ditch, I sprang for-
ward to catch it. Trusting to my boots, which came
high up the leg, I put one foot forward ; it sank in
the oozy ground ; and so, although I got the goose,
the boot of my right leg was full of water. I lifted
my foot and let the water run out; then, when I had
mounted, we made haste for Rome. The cold, how-
ever, was very great, and I felt my leg freeze, so
that I said to Felice : " We must do something to help
this leg, for I don't know how to bear it longer/'
The good Felice, without a word, leapt from his
horse, and gathering some thistles and bits of stick,
began to build a fire. I meanwhile was waiting, and
put my hands among the breast-feathers of the geese,
and felt them very warm. So I told him not to make
the fire, but filled my boot with the feathers of the
goose, and was immediately so much comforted that
I regained vitality.

322

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

LXXXIX

We mounted, and rode rapidly toward Rome; and
when we had reached a certain gently rising ground
night had already fallen looking in the direction
of Florence, both with one breath exclaimed in the
utmost astonishment: "O God of heaven! what is
that great thing one sees there over Florence?" It
resembled a huge beam of fire, which sparkled and
gave out extraordinary lustre.

I said to Felice: " Assuredly we shall hear to-mor-
row that something of vast importance has happened
in Florence/' As we rode into Rome, the darkness
was extreme; and when we came near the Banchi
and our own house, my little horse was going in an
amble at a furious speed. Now that day they had
thrown a heap of plaster and broken tiles in the mid-
dle of the road, which neither my horse nor myself
perceived. In his fiery pace the beast ran up it; but
on coming down upon the other side he turned a
complete somersault. He had his head between his
legs, and it was only through the power of God
himself that I escaped unhurt. The noise we made
brought the neighbours out with lights ; but I had al-
ready jumped to my feet; and so, without remount-
ing, I ran home, laughing to have come unhurt out
of an accident enough to break my neck.

On entering the house, I found some friends of
mine there, to whom, while we were supping to-
gether, I related the adventures of the day's chase
and the diabolical apparition of the fiery beam which
we had seen. They exclaimed : " What shall we hear

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

to-morrow which this portent has announced?" I
answered : " Some revolution must certainly have oc-
curred in Florence." So we supped agreeably; and
late the next day there came the news to Rome of
Duke Alessandro's death. 1 Upon this many of my ac-
quaintances came to me and said : " You were right
in conjecturing that something of great importance
had happened at Florence/' Just then Francesco
Soderini appeared jogging along upon a wretched
mule he had, and laughing all the way like a mad-
man. He said to me: "This is the reverse of that
vile tyrant's medal which your Lorenzino de' Medici
promised you." Then he added: "You wanted to
immortalise the dukes for us ; but we mean to have
no more dukes:" and thereupon he jeered me, as
though I had been the captain of the factions which
make dukes. Meanwhile a certain Baccio Bettini, 2
who had an ugly big head like a bushel, came up and
began to banter me in the same way about dukes,
calling out: "We have dis-duked them, and won't
have any more of them ; and you were for making
them immortal for us!" with many other tiresome
quips of the same kind. I lost my patience at this non-
sense, and said to them: "You blockheads! I am a
poor goldsmith, who serve whoever pays me ; and
you are jeering me as though I were a party-leader.
However, this shall not make me cast in your teeth
the insatiable greediness, idiotcy, and good-for-no-
thingness of your predecessors. But this one answer

1 Alessandro was murdered by his cousin Lorenzino at Florence on the $th of Jan-
uary 1537.
* Bettini was an intimate friend of Buonarroti and a considerable patron of the arts.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

I will make to all your silly railleries; that before
two or three days at the longest have passed by, you
will have another duke, much worse perhaps than
he who now has left you/"

The following day Bettini came to my shop and
said : "There is no need to spend money in couriers,
for you know things before they happen. What spirit
tells them to you?" Then he informed me that Co-
simo de' Medici, the son of Signer Giovanni, was
made Duke; but that certain conditions had been
imposed at his election, which would hold him back
from kicking up his heels at his own pleasure. I now
had my opportunity for laughing at them, and say-
ing: " Those men of Florence have set a young man
upon a mettlesome horse ; next they have buckled
spurs upon his heels, and put the bridle freely in his
hands, and turned him out upon a magnificent field,
full of flowers and fruits and all delightful things;
next they have bidden him not to cross certain in-
dicated limits : now tell me, you, who there is that
can hold him back, whenever he has but the mind
to cross them ? Laws cannot be imposed on him who
is the master of the law." So they left me alone,
and gave me no further annoyance. 2

I now began to attend to my shop, and did some
business, not however of much moment, because I

1 This exchange of ironical compliments testifies to Cellini's strong Medicean leanings,
and also to the sagacity with which he judged the political situation.
9 Cellini only spoke the truth on this occasion ; for Cosimo soon kicked down the lad-
der which had lifted him to sovereignty, and showed himself the absolute master of
Florence. Cosimo was elecJed Duke upon the yth of January 1537.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

had still to think about my health, which was not
yet established after that grave illness I had under-
gone. About this time the Emperor returned vi6lo-
rious from his expedition against Tunis, and the Pope
sent forme to take my advice concerning the present
of honour it was fit to give him. 1 1 answered that it
seemed to me most appropriate to present his Impe-
rial Majesty with a golden crucifix, for which I had
almost finished an ornament quite to the purpose,
and which would confer the highest honour upon
his Holiness and me. I had already made three little
figures of gold in the round, about a palm high ; they
were those which I had begun for the chalice of Pope
Clement, representing Faith, Hope, and Charity. To
these I added in wax what was wanting for the base-
ment of the cross. I carried the whole to the Pope,
with the Christ in wax, and many other exquisite
decorations which gave him complete satisfaction.
Before I took leave of his Holiness, we had agreed
on every detail, and calculated the price of the work.
This was one evening four hours after nightfall,
and the Pope had ordered Messer Latino Juvenale
to see that I had money paid to me next morning.
This Messer Latino, who had a pretty big dash of
the fool in his composition, bethought him of fur-
nishing the Pope with a new idea, which was, how-
ever, wholly of his own invention. So he altered ev-
erything which had been arranged ; and next morn-
ing, when I went for the money, he said with his
usual brutal arrogance : " It is our part to invent, and

1 Cellini returns to the year 1535, when Charles V. arrived in November from
Tunis.

326

CHARLES V
( T I Tl AN )

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

yours to execute; before I left the Pope last night
we thought of something far superior/' To these
first words I answered, without allowing him to pro-
ceed farther: "Neither you nor the Pope can think
of anything better than a piece in which Christ plays
a part ; so you may go on with your courtier's non-
sense till you have no more to say."

Without uttering one word, he left me in a rage,
and tried to get the work given to another goldsmith.
The Pope, however, refused, and sent for me at once,
and told me I had spoken well, but that they wanted
to make use of a Book of Hours of Our Lady, which
was marvellously illuminated, and had cost the Car-
dinal de' Medici more than two thousand crowns.
They thought that this would be an appropriate pre-
sent to the Empress, and that for the Emperor they
would afterwards make what I had suggested, which
was indeed a present worthy of him ; but now there
was no time to lose, since the Emperor was expe6led
in Rome in about a month and a half. He wanted the
book to be enclosed in a case of massive gold, richly
worked, and adorned with jewels valued at about
six thousand crowns. Accordingly, when the jewels
and the gold were given me, I began the work, and
driving it briskly forward, in a few days brought
it to such beauty that the Pope was astonished, and
showed me the most distinguished signs of favour,
conceding at the same time that that beast Juvenale
should have nothing more to do with me.

I had nearly brought my work to its completion
when the Emperor arrived, and numerous triumphal
arches of great magnificence were ere<5led in his

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

honour. He entered Rome with extraordinary pomp,
the description of which I leave to others, since I
mean to treat of those things only which concern
myself. 1 Immediately after his arrival, he gave the
Pope a diamond which he had bought for twelve
thousand crowns. This diamond the Pope committed
to my care, ordering me to make a ring to the mea-
sure of his Holiness's finger ; but first he wished me
to bring the book in the state to which I had advanced
it. I took it accordingly, and he was highly pleased
with it; then he asked my advice concerning the
apology which could be reasonably made to the Em-
peror for the unfinished condition of my work. I said
that my indisposition would furnish a sound excuse,
since his Majesty, seeing how thin and pale I was,
would very readily believe and accept it. To this the
Pope replied that he approved of the suggestion, but
that I should add on the part of his Holiness, when
I presented the book to the Emperor, that I made
him the present of myself. Then he told me in detail
how I had to behave, and the words I had to say.
These words I repeated to the Pope, asking him if
he wished me to deliver them in that way. He re-
plied : " You would acquit yourself to admiration if
you had the courage to address the Emperor as you
are addressing me/' Then I said that I had the cour-
age to speak with far greater ease and freedom to
the Emperor, seeing that the Emperor was clothed
as I was, and that I should seem to be speaking to a
man formed like myself; this was not the case when
I addressed his Holiness,in whom I beheld a far supe-

1 The entry Into Rome took place April 6, 1536.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

rior deity, both by reason of his ecclesiastical adorn-
ments, which shed a certain aureole about him, and at
the same time because of his Holiness's dignity of
venerable age ; all these things inspired in me more
awe than the Imperial Majesty. To these words the
Pope responded : " Go, my Benvenuto ; you are a man
of ability ; do us honour, and it will be well for you."

xci

The Pope ordered out two Turkish horses, which
had belonged to Pope Clement, and were the most
beautiful that ever came to Christendom. Messer
Durante, 1 his chamberlain, was bidden to bring them
through the lower galleries of the palace, and there
to give them to the Emperor, repeating certain words
which his Holiness dictated to him. We both went
down together, and when we reached the presence
of the Emperor, the horses made their entrance
through those halls with so much spirit and such a
noble carriage that the Emperor and every one were
struck with wonder. Thereupon Messer Durante
advanced in so graceless a manner, and delivered
his speech with so much of Brescian lingo, mumbling
his words over in his mouth, that one never saw or
heard anything worse; indeed the Emperor could
not refrain from smiling at him. I meanwhile had
already uncovered my piece ; and observing that the
Emperor had turned his eyes towards me with a
very gracious look, I advanced at once and said:
" Sacred Majesty, our most holy Father, Pope Paolo,

1 Messer Durante Duranti, Prefefl of the Camera under Paul III., <who ga<ve him
the hat in 1 544, and the Bishopric of Brescia afterwards.

329

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

sends this book of the Virgin as a present to your
Majesty, the which is written in a fair clerk's hand,
and illuminated by the greatest master who ever pro-
fessed that art ; and this rich cover of gold and jewels
is unfinished, as you here behold it, by reason of my
illness: wherefore his Holiness, together with the
book, presents me also, and attaches me to your
Majesty in order that I may complete the work; nor
this alone, but everything which you may have it in
your mind to execute so long as life is left me, will
I perform at your service." Thereto the Emperor
responded: "The book is acceptable to me, and so
are you; but I desire you to complete it for me in
Rome; when it is finished, and you are restored to
health, bring it me and come to see me." Afterwards,
in course of conversation, he called me by my name,
which made me wonder, because no words had been
dropped in which my name occurred; and he said
that he had seen that fastening of Pope Clement's
cope, on which I had wrought so many wonderful
figures. We continued talking in this way a whole
half hour, > touching on divers topics artistic and
agreeable ; then, since it seemed to me that I had ac-
quitted myself with more honour than I had ex-
pected, I took the occasion of a slight lull in the con-
versation to make my bow and to retire. The Em-
peror was heard to say: "Let five hundred golden
crowns be given at once to Benvenuto." The person
who brought them up asked who the Pope's man
was who had spoken to the Emperor. Messer Du-
rante came forward and robbed me of my five hun-
dred crowns. I complained to the Pope, who told me

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not to be uneasy, for he knew how everything had
happened, and how well I had conducted myself in
addressing the Emperor, and of the money I should
certainly obtain my share.

xcn

When I returned to my shop, I set my hand with
diligence to finishing the diamond ring, concerning
which the four first jewellers of Rome were sent to
consult with me. This was because the Pope had
been informed that the diamond had been set by the
first jeweller of the world in Venice; he was called
Maestro Miliano Targhetta ; and the diamond being
somewhat thin, the job of setting it was too difficult
to be attempted without great deliberation. I was
well pleased to receive these four jewellers, among
whom was a man of Milan called Gaio. He was the
most presumptuous donkey in the world, the one
who knew least and who thought he knew most;
the others were very modest and able craftsmen. In
the presence of us all this Gaio began to talk, and
said: " Miliano's foil should be preserved, and to do
that, Benvenuto, you shall doff your cap; 1 for just
as giving diamonds a tint is the most delicate and
difficult thing in the jeweller's art, so is Miliano the
greatest jeweller that ever lived, and this is the most
difficult diamond to tint." I replied that it was all
the greater glory for me to compete with so able a
master in such an excellent profession. Afterwards

1 In the Oreficeria Cellini gives an account of honu these foils nuere made and ap-
plied. They 'were composed of paste, and coloured so as to enhance the effeft of precious
stones, particularly diamonds.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

I turned to the other jewellers and said: "Look here!
I am keeping Miliano's foil, and I will see whether
I can improve on it with some of my own manufac-
ture; if not, we will tint it with the same you see
here/' That ass Gaio exclaimed that if I made a foil
like that he would gladly doff his cap to it. To which
I replied: "Supposing then I make it better, it will
deserve two bows." "Certainly so," said he; and I
began to compose my foils.

I took the very greatest pains in mixing the tints,
the method of doing which I will explain in the
proper place. 1 It is certain that the diamond in ques-
tion offered more difficulties than any others which
before or afterwards have come into my hands, and
Miliano's foil was made with true artistic skill. How-
ever, that did not dismay me ; but having sharpened
my wits up, I succeeded not only in making some-
thing quite as good, but in exceeding it by far. Then,
when I saw that I had surpassed him, I went about
to surpass myself, and produced a foil by new pro-
cesses which was a long way better than what I had
previously made. Thereupon I sent for the jewellers ;
and first I tinted the diamond with Miliano's foil;
then I cleaned it well and tinted it afresh with my
own. When I showed it to the jewellers, one of the
best among them, who was called Raffael del Moro,
took the diamond in his hand and said to Gaio: " Ben-
venuto has outdone the foil of Miliano." Gaio, un-
willing to believe it, took the diamond and said:
"Benvenuto, this diamond is worth two thousand
ducats more than with the foil of Miliano." I rejoined:

1 Oreficeria, cap. i.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

"Now that I have surpassed Miliano, let us see if I
can surpass myself." Then I begged them to wait for
me a while, went up into a little cabinet, and having
tinted the diamond anew unseen by them, returned
and showed it to the jewellers. Gaio broke out at
once: "This is the most marvellous thing that I
have ever seen in the course of my whole lifetime.
The stone is worth upwards of eighteen thousand
crowns, whereas we valued it at barely twelve thou-
sand/' The other jewellers turned to him and said:
" Benvenuto is the glory of our art, and it is only
due that we should doff our caps to him and to his
foils/' Then Gaio said: " I shall go and tell the Pope,
and I mean to procure for him one thousand golden
crowns for the setting of this diamond/' Accordingly
he hurried to the Pope and told him the whole story;
whereupon his Holiness sent three times on that day
to see if the ring was finished.

At twenty-three o'clock I took the ring to the pal-
ace ; and since the doors were always open to me,
I lifted the curtain gently, and saw the Pope in pri-
vate audience with the Marchese del Guasto/ The
Marquis must have been pressing something on the
Pope which he was unwilling to perform ; for I heard
him say: "I tell you, no; it is my business to remain
neutral, and nothing else." I was retiring as quickly
as I could, when the Pope himself called me back; so
I entered the room, and presented the diamond ring,
upon which he drew me aside, and the Marquis re-
tired to a distance. While looking at the diamond,

1 Alfonson d'A-uahs, successor and heir to the famous Ferdinando d^Avalos, Marquis
of Pescara. He afledfor many years as Spanish Viceroy of Milan.

333

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

the Pope whispered to me: "Benvenuto, begin
some conversation with me on a subject which shall
seem important, and do not stop talking so long as
the Marquis remains in this room." Then he took
to walking up and down ; and the occasion making
for my advantage, I was very glad to discourse with
him upon the methods I had used to tint the stone.
The Marquis remained standing apart, leaning against
a piece of tapestry; and now he balanced himself
about on one foot, now on the other. The subje6l I
had chosen to discourse upon was of such importance,
if fully treated, that I could have talked about it at
least three hours. The Pope was entertained to such
a degree that he forgot the annoyance of the Mar-
quis standing there. I seasoned what I had to say with
that part of natural philosophy which belongs to
our profession ; and so having spoken for near upon
an hour, the Marquis grew tired of waiting, and
went off fuming. Then the Pope bestowed on me the
most familiar caresses which can be imagined, and
exclaimed: " Have patience, my dear Benvenuto, for
I will give you a better reward for your virtues than
the thousand crowns which Gaio tells me your work
is worth/'

On this I took my leave ; and the Pope praised me
in the presence of his household, among whom was
the fellow Latino Juvenale, whom I have previously
mentioned. This man, having become my enemy,
assiduously strove to do me hurt; and noticing that
the Pope talked of me with so much affeclion and
warmth, he put in his word: "There is no doubt at
all that Benvenuto is a person of very remarkable

334

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

genius ; but while everyone is naturally bound to feel
more good-will for his own countrymen than for
others, still one ought to consider maturely what lan-
guage it is right and proper to use when speaking
of a Pope. He has had the audacity to say that Pope
Clement indeed was the handsomest sovereign that
ever reigned, and no less gifted; only that luck was
always against him : and he says that your Holiness
is quite the opposite ; that the tiara seems to weep for
rage upon your head ; that you look like a truss of
straw with clothes on, and that there is nothing in
you except good luck." These words, reported by
a man who knew most excellently how to say them,
had such force that they gained credit with the Pope.
Far from having uttered them, such things had never
come into my head. If the Pope could have done so
without losing credit, he would certainly have taken
fierce revenge upon me ; but being a man of great
tacl and talent, he made a show of turning it off with
a laugh. Nevertheless he harboured in his heart a
deep vindictive feeling against me, of which I was
not slow to be aware, since I had no longer the same
easy access to his apartments as formerly, but found
the greatest difficulty in procuring audience. As I
had now for many years been familiar with the man-
ners of the Roman court, I conceived that some one
had done me a bad turn ; and on making dexterous
inquiries, I was told the whole, but not the name of
my calumniator. I could not imagine who the man
was ; had I but found him out, my vengeance would
not have been measured by troy weight. 1

1 Io ne aret fatte vendette a misura di carbotu.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

XCIII

I went on working at my book, and when I had
finished it I took it to the Pope, who was in good
truth unable to refrain from commending it greatly.
I begged him to send me with it to the Emperor, as
he had promised. He replied that he would do what
he thought fit, and that I had performed my part
of the business. So he gave orders that I should be
well paid. These two pieces of work, on which I had
spent upwards of two months, brought me in five
hundred crowns: for the diamond I was paid one
hundred and fifty crowns and no more; the rest was
given me for the cover of the book, which, however,
was worth more than a thousand, being enriched with
multitudes of figures, arabesques, enamellings, and
jewels. I took what I could get, and made my mind
up to leave Rome without permission. The Pope
meanwhile sent my book to the Emperor by the
hand of his grandson, Signor Sforza. 1 Upon accept-
ing it, the Emperor expressed great satisfaction, and
immediately asked for me. Young Signor Sforza,
who had received his instructions, said that I had
been prevented by illness from coming. All this was
reported to me.

My preparations for the journey into France were
made; and I wished to go alone, but was unable on
account of a lad in my service called Ascanio. He was
of very tender age, and the most admirable servant
in the world. When I took him he had left a former

1 Sforza Sforza, son of Bosio, Count of Santa Fiore, and of Costanza Farnese, the
Popes natural daughter. He ivas a youth of sixteen at this epoch.

[ 336 J

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

master, named Francesco, a Spaniard and a gold-
smith. I did not much like to take him, lest I should
get into a quarrel with the Spaniard, and said to
Ascanio: "I do not want to have you, for fear of
offending your master/' He contrived that his master
should write me a note informing me that I was free
to take him. So he had been with me some months;
and since he came to us both thin and pale of face,
we called him "the little old man;" indeed I almost
thought he was one, partly because he was so good
a servant, and partly because he was so clever that
it seemed unlikely he should have such talent at
thirteen years, which he affirmed his age to be. Now
to go back to the point from which I started, he im-
proved in person during those few months, and gain-
ing in flesh, became the handsomest youth in Rome.
Being the excellent servant which I have described,
and showing marvellous aptitude for our art, I felt
a warm and fatherly affection for him, and kept him
clothed as if he had been my own son. When the
boy perceived the improvement he had made, he
esteemed it a good piece of luck that he had come
into my hands ; and he used frequently to go and
thank his former master, who had been the cause of
his prosperity. Now this man had a handsome young
woman to wife, who said to him: "Surgetto" (that
was what they called him when he lived with them),
"what have you been doing to become so hand-
some?" Ascanio answered: "Madonna Francesca,
it is my master who has made me so handsome, and
far more good to boot." In her petty spiteful way
she took it very ill that Ascanio should speak so;

[ 337 ]

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

and having no reputation for chastity, she contrived
to caress the lad more perhaps than was quite seemly,
which made me notice that he began to visit her
more frequently than his wont had been.

One day Ascanio took to beating one of our lit-
tle shopboys, who, when I came home from out of
doors, complained to me with tears that Ascanio had
knocked him about without any cause. Hearing this,
I said to Ascanio: "With cause or without cause,
see you never strike any one of my family, or else
I'll make you feel how I can strike myself/' He
bandied words with me, which made me jump on
him and give him the severest drubbing with both
fists and feet that he had ever felt. As soon as he
escaped my clutches, he ran away without cape or
cap, and for two days I did not know where he was,
and took no care to find him. After that time a Span-
ish gentleman, called Don Diego, came to speak to
me. He was the most generous man in the world.
I had made, and was making, some things for him,
which had brought us well acquainted. He told me
that Ascanio had gone back to his old master, and
asked me, if I thought it proper, to send him the
cape and cap which I had given him. Thereupon I
said that Francesco had behaved badly, and like a
low-bred fellow ; for if he had told me, when Asca-
nio first came back to him, that he was in his house,
I should very willingly have given him leave; but
now that he had kept him two days without inform-
ing me, I was resolved he should not have him; and
let him take care that I do not set eyes upon the
lad in his house. This message was reported by Don

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

Diego, but it only made Francesco laugh. The next
morning I saw Ascanio working at some trifles in
wire at his master's side. As I was passing he bowed
to me, and his master almost laughed me in the face.
He sent again to ask through Don Diego whether
I would not give Ascanio back the clothes he had
received from me; but if not, he did not mind, and
Ascanio should not want for clothes. When I heard
this, I turned to Don Diego and said: " Don Diego,
sir, in all your dealings you are the most liberal and
worthy man I ever knew; but that Francesco is quite
the opposite of you; he is nothing better than a
worthless and dishonoured renegade. Tell him from
me that if he does not bring Ascanio here himself
to my shop before the bell for vespers, I will as-
suredly kill him ; and tell Ascanio that if he does not
quit that house at the hour appointed for his master,
I will treat him much in the same way." Don Diego
made no answer, but went and inspired such terror
in Francesco that he knew not what to do with him-
self. Ascanio meanwhile had gone to find his father,
who had come to Rome from Tagliacozzo, his birth-
place ; and this man also, when he heard about the
row, advised Francesco to bring Ascanio back to
me. Francesco said to Ascanio: "Go on your own
account, and your father shall go with you." Don
Diego put in : " Francesco, I foresee that something
very serious will happen ; you know better than I do
what a man Benvenuto is ; take the lad back cour-
ageously, and I will come with you/' I had prepared
myself, and was pacing up and down the shop wait-
ing for the bell to vespers ; my mind was made up

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

to do one of the bloodiest deeds which I had ever
attempted in my life. Just then arrived Don Diego,
Francesco, Ascanio, and his father, whom I did not
know. When Ascanio entered, I gazed at the whole
company with eyes of rage, and Francesco, pale as
death, began as follows: "See here, I have brought
back Ascanio, whom I kept with me, not thinking
that I should offend you." Ascanio added humbly:
" Master, pardon me; I am at your disposal here, to
do whatever you shall order. "Then I said: "Have
you come to work out the time you promised me?"
He answered yes, and that he meant never to leave
me. Then I turned and told the shopboy he had
beaten to hand him the bundle of clothes, and said
to him: "Here are all the clothes I gave you; take
with them your discharge, and go where you like."
Don Diego stood astonished at this, which was quite
the contrary of what he had expecled ; while Ascanio
with his father besought me to pardon and take him
back. On my asking who it was who spoke for him,
he said it was his father; to whom, after many en-
treaties, I replied : " Because you are his father, for
your sake I will take him back."

xciv

I had formed the resolution, as I said a short while
back, to go toward France; partly because I saw
that the Pope did not hold me in the same esteem
as formerly, my faithful service having been be-
smirched by lying tongues; and also because I feared
lest those who had the power might play me some
worse trick. So I was determined to seek better for-

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

tune in a foreign land, and wished to leave Rome
without company or license. On the eve of my pro-
jected departure, I told my faithful friend Felice to
make free use of all my effects during my absence;
and in the case of my not returning, left him every-
thing I possessed. Now there was a Perugian work-
man in my employ, who had helped me on those
commissions from the Pope; and after paying his
wages, I told him he must leave my service. He
begged me in reply to let him go with me, and said
he would come at his own charges ; if I stopped to
work for the King of France, it would certainly be
better for me to have Italians by me, and in particu-
lar such persons as I knew to be capable of giving
me assistance. His entreaties and arguments per-
suaded me to take him on the journey in the manner
he proposed. Ascanio, who was present at this de-
bate, said, half in tears: "When you took me back,
I said I wished to remain with you my lifetime, and
so I have it in my mind to do." I told him that no-
thing in the world would make me consent; but when
I saw that the poor lad was preparing to follow on
foot, I engaged a horse for him too, put a small va-
lise upon the crupper, and loaded myself with far
more useless baggage than I should otherwise have
taken. 1

From home I travelled to Florence, from Florence
to Bologna, from Bologna to Venice, and from Venice
to Padua. There my dear friend Albertaccio del Bene
made me leave the inn for his house ; and next day
I went to kiss the hand of Messer Pietro Bembo,

1 He left Rome, April i, 1537.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

who was not yet a Cardinal. 1 He received me with
marks of the warmest affection which could be be-
stowed on any man ; then turning to Albertaccio, he
said: "I want Benvenuto to stay here, with all his
followers, even though they be a hundred men; make
then your mind up, if you want Benvenuto also, to
stay here with me, for I do not mean elsewise to let
you have him." Accordingly I spent a very pleasant
visit at the house of that most accomplished gentle-
man. He had a room prepared for me which would
have been too grand for a cardinal, and always in-
sisted on my taking my meals beside him. Later on,
he began to hint in very modest terms that he should
greatly like me to take his portrait. I, who desired
nothing in the world more, prepared some snow-
white plaster in a little box, and set to work at once.
The first day I spent two hours on end at my mod-
elling, and blocked out the fine head of that eminent
man with so much grace of manner that his lordship
was fairly astounded. Now, though he was a man
of profound erudition and without a rival in poetry,
he understood nothing at all about my art; this made
him think that I had finished when I had hardly be-
gun, so that I could not make him comprehend what
a long time it took to execute a thing of that sort
thoroughly. At last I resolved to do it as well as I
was able, and to spend the requisite time upon it;
but since he wore his beard short after the Venetian
fashion, I had great trouble in modelling a head to

1 / need hardly say that this is the Bembo 'who ruled wer Italian literature like
a dictator from the reign of Leo X. onwards. He <was of a noble Venetian house;
Paul III. made him Cardinal in 1539. He died, aged seventy-seven, in 1547.

C 342 j

SHIELD ATTRIBUTED TO CELLINI
(TU RIN )

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

my own satisfaction. However, I finished it, and
judged it about the finest specimen I had produced
in all the points pertaining to my art. Great was the
astonishment of Messer Pietro, who conceived that
I should have completed the waxen model in two
hours and the steel in ten, when he found that I em-
ployed two hundred on the wax, and then was beg-
ging for leave to pursue my journey toward France.
This threw him into much concern, and he implored
me at least to design the reverse for his medal, which
was to be a Pegasus encircled with a wreath of
myrtle. I performed my task in the space of some
three hours, and gave it a fine air of elegance. He
was exceedingly delighted, and said: "This horse
seems to me ten times more difficult to do than the
little portrait on which you have bestowed so much
pains. I cannot understand what made it such a la-
bour." All the same, he kept entreating me to exe-
cute the piece in steel, exclaiming: "For Heaven's
sake, do it; I know that, if you choose, you will get
it quickly finished." I told him that I was not willing
to make it there, but promised without fail to take it
in hand wherever I might stop to work.

While this debate was being carried on I went
to bargain for three horses which I wanted on my
travels ; and he took care that a secret watch should
be kept over my proceedings, for he had vast au-
thority in Padua ; wherefore, when I proposed to pay
for the horses, which were to cost five hundred
ducats, their owner answered : " Illustrious artist, I
make you a present of the three horses." I replied:
" It is not you who give them me ; and from the gen-
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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

erous donor I cannot accept them, seeing I have
been unable to present him with any specimen of my
craft." The good fellow said that, if I did not take
them, I should get no other horses in Padua, and
should have to make my journey on foot. Upon that
I returned to the magnificent Messer Pietro, who
affected to be ignorant of the affair, and only begged
me with marks of kindness to remain in Padua. This
was contrary to my intention, for I had quite re-
solved to set out; therefore I had to accept the three
horses, and with them we began our journey.

xcv

I chose the route through the Grisons, all other
passes being unsafe on account of war. We crossed
the mountains of the Alba and Berlina ; it was the
8th of May, and the snow upon them lay in masses. 1
At the utmost hazard of our lives we succeeded in
surmounting those two Alpine ridges; and when
they had been traversed, we stopped at a place which,
if I remember rightly, is called Valdista. There we
took up quarters, and at nightfall there arrived a
Florentine courier named Busbacca. I had heard him
mentioned as a man of character and able in his pro-
fession, but I did not know that he had forfeited that
reputation by his rogueries. When he saw me in the
hostelry, he addressed me by my name, said he was
going on business of importance to Lyons, and en-
treated me to lend him money for the journey. I said

1 / ha've retained Cellini's spelling of names upon this journey. He passed the Ber-
nina and Albula mountains, descended the 'valley of the Rhine to Wallenstadt, trow-
elled by Wtesen and probably Glarus to Lachen and Zurich, thence to Solothurn,
Lausanne, Geneva, Lyons.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

I had no money to lend, but that if he liked to join
me, I would pay his expenses as far as Lyons. The
rascal wept, and wheedled me with a long story,
saying : " If a poor courier employed on affairs of na-
tional consequence has fallen short of money, it is
the duty of a man like you to assist him." Then he
added that he was carrying things of the utmost im-
portance from Messer Filippo Strozzi; 1 and showing
me a leather case for a cup he had with him, whis-
pered in my ear that it held a goblet of silver which
contained jewels to the value of many thousands of
ducats, together with letters of vast consequence,
sent by Messer Filippo Strozzi. I told him that he
ought to let me conceal the jewels about his own
person, which would be much less dangerous than
carrying them in the goblet; he might give that up
to me, and, its value being probably about ten crowns,
I would supply him with twenty-five on the security.
To these words the courier replied that he would
go with me, since he could not do otherwise, for to
give up the goblet would not be to his honour.

Accordingly we struck the bargain so ; and taking
horse next morning, came to a lake between Val-
distate and Vessa ; it is fifteen miles long when one
reaches Vessa. On beholding the boats upon that
lake I took fright; because they are of pine, of no
great size and no great thickness, loosely put togeth-
er, and not even pitched. If I had not seen four
German gentlemen, with their four horses, embark-
ing in one of the same sort as ours, I should never

1 Filippo Strozzi c wai leader of the anti-Medicean party, nviu in exile. He fell into
the hands of Duke Coiimo on the ist of August in this year, 1537.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

have set my foot in it; indeed I should far more likely
have turned tail ; but when I saw their hare-brained
recklessness, I took it into my head that those Ger-
man waters would not drown folk, as ours do in Italy.
However, my two young men kept saying to me:
"Benvenuto, it is surely dangerous to embark in this
craft with four horses." I replied: "You cowards,
do you not observe how those four gentlemen have
taken boat before us, and are going on their way
with laughter? If this were wine, as indeed 'tis water,
I should say that they were going gladly to drown
themselves in it; but as it is but water, I know well
that they have no more pleasure than we have in
drowning there/' The lake was fifteen miles long
and about three broad ; on one side rose a mountain
very tall and cavernous, on the other some flat land
and grassy. When we had gone about four miles,
it began to storm upon the lake, and our oarsmen
asked us to help in rowing; this we did awhile. I
made gestures and directed them to land us on the
farther shore ; they said it was not possible, because
there was not depth of water for the boat, and there
were shoals there, which would make it go to pieces
and drown us all ; and still they kept on urging us to
help them. The boatmen shouted one to the other,
calling for assistance. When I saw them thus dis-
mayed, my horse being an intelligent animal, I ar-
ranged the bridle on his neck and took the end of
the halter with my left hand. The horse, like most
of his kind, being not devoid of reason, seemed to
have an instinct of my intention ; for having turned
his face towards the fresh grass, I meant that he

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

should swim and draw me after him. Just at that mo-
ment a great wave broke over the boat. Ascanio
shrieked out: "Mercy, my father; save me/' and
wanted to throw himself upon my neck. Accordingly,
I laid hand to my little dagger, and told them to do
as I had shown them, seeing that the horses would
save their lives as well as I too hoped to escape with
mine by the same means ; but that if he tried to jump
on me, I should kill him. So we went forward sev-
eral miles in this great peril of our lives.

xcvi

When we had reached the middle of the lake, we
found a little bit of level ground where we could
land, and I saw that those four German gentlemen
had already come to shore there ; but on our wish-
ing to disembark, the boatmen would hear nothing
of it. Then I said to my young men : " Now is the
time to show what stuff we are made of; so draw
your swords, and force these fellows to put us on
shore." This we did, not however without difficulty,
for they offered a stubborn resistance. When at last
we got to land, we had to climb that mountain for
two miles, and it was more troublesome than getting
up a ladder. I was completely clothed in mail, with
big boots, and a gun in my hand ; and it was rain-
ing as though the fountains of the heavens were
opened. Those devils, the German gentlemen, lead-
ing their little horses by the bridle, accomplished
miracles of agility; but our animals were not up
to the business, and we burst with the fatigue of
making them ascend that hill of difficulty. We had

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

climbed a little way, when Ascanio's horse, an ex-
cellent beast of Hungarian race, made a false step.
He was going a few paces before the courier Bus-
bacca, to whom Ascanio had given his lance to carry
for him. Well, the path was so bad that the horse
stumbled, and went on scrambling backwards, with-
out being able to regain his footing, till he stuck upon
the point of the lance, which that rogue of a courier
had not the wit to keep out of his way. The weapon
passed right through his throat ; and when my other
workman went to help him, his horse also, a black-
coloured animal, slipped towards the lake, and held
on by some shrub which offered but a slight support.
This horse was carrying a pair of saddle-bags, which
contained all my money and other valuables. I cried
out to the young man to save his own life, and let
the horse go to the devil. The fall was more than
a mile of precipitous descent above the waters of the
lake. Just below the place our boatmen had taken
up their station; so that if the horse fell, he would
have come precisely on them. I was ahead of the
whole company, and we waited to see the horse
plunge headlong; it seemed certain that he must go
to perdition. During this I said to my young men :
"Be under no concern; let us save our lives, and
give thanks to God for all that happens. I am only
distressed for that poor fellow Busbacca, who tied
his goblet and his jewels to the value of several thou-
sands of ducats on the horse's saddle-bow, thinking
that the safest place. My things are but a few hun-
dred crowns, and I am in no fear whatever, if only
I get God's protection." Then Busbacca cried out:

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

"I am not sorry for my own loss, but for yours."
" Why/' said I to him, " are you sorry for my trifles,
and not for all that property of yours ? "He answered:
" I will tell you in God's name; in these circumstances
and at the point of peril we have reached, truth must
be spoken. I know that yours are crowns, and are
so in good sooth ; but that case in which I said I had
so many jewels and other lies, is all full of caviare."
On hearing this I could not hold from laughing ; my
young men laughed too ; and he began to cry. The
horse extricated itself by a great effort when we
had given it up for lost. So then, still laughing, we
summoned our forces, and bent ourselves to making
the ascent. The four German gentlemen, having
gained the top before us, sent down some folk who
gave us aid. Thus at length we reached our lodging
in the wilderness. Here, being wet to the skin, tired
out, and famished, we were most agreeably enter-
tained; we dried ourselves, took rest, and satisfied
our hunger, while certain wild herbs were applied
to the wounded horse. They pointed out to us the
plant in question, of which the hedges were full ; and
we were told that if the wound was kept continually
plugged with its leaves, the beast would not only
recover, but would serve us just as if it had sustained
no injury. We proceeded to do as they advised. Then
having thanked those gentlemen, and feeling our-
selves entirely refreshed, we quitted the place, and
travelled onwards, thanking God for saving us from
such great perils.

349

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

XCVII

We reached a town beyond Vessa, where we passed
the night, and heard a watchman through all the
hours singing very agreeably; for all the houses of
that city being built of pine wood, it was the watch-
man's only business to warn folk against fire. Bus-
bacca's nerves had been quite shaken by the day's
adventures ; accordingly, each hour when the watch-
man sang, he called out in his sleep : " Ah God, I am
drowning!" That was because of the fright he had
had; and besides, he had got drunk in the evening,
because he would sit boozing with all the Germans
who were there; and sometimes he cried: "I am
burning," and sometimes: "I am drowning;" and
at other times he thought he was in hell, and tor-
tured with that caviare suspended round his throat.
This night was so amusing, that it turned all our
troubles into laughter. In the morning we rose with
very fine weather, and went to dine in a smiling
little place called Lacca. Here we obtained excellent
entertainment, and then engaged guides, who were
returning to a town called Surich. The guide who
attended us went along the dyked bank of a lake ;
there was no other road ; and the dyke itself was cov-
ered with water, so that the reckless fellow slipped,
and fell together with his horse beneath the water.
I, who was but a few steps behind him, stopped my
horse, and waited to see the donkey get out of the
water. Just as if nothing had happened, he began to
sing again, and made signs to me to follow. I broke
away upon the right hand, and got through some

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

hedges, making my young men and Busbacca take
that way. The guide shouted in German that if the
folk of those parts saw me they would put me to
death. However, we passed forward, and escaped
that other storm.

So we arrived at Surich, a marvellous city, bright
and polished like a little gem. There we rested a
whole day, then left betimes one morning, and reached
another fair city called Solutorno. Thence we came
to Usanna, from Usanna to Ginevra, from Ginevra
to Lione, always singing and laughing. At Lione I
rested four days, and had much pleasant intercourse
with some of my friends there; I was also repaid what
I had spent upon Busbacca ; afterwards I set out upon
the road to Paris. This was a delightful journey, ex-
cept that when we reached Palissa ' a band of ven-
turers tried to murder us, 2 and it was only by great
courage and address that we got free from them.
From that point onward we travelled to Paris with-
out the least trouble in the world. Always singing
and laughing, we arrived safely at our destination.

XCVIII

After taking some repose in Paris, I went to visit
the painter Rosso, who was in the King's service.
I thought to find in him one of the sincerest friends I
had in the world, seeing that in Rome I had done
him the greatest benefits which one man can confer
upon another. As these may be described briefly,

1 La Police,

* Cellini, in the narrative of his second French journey, explains that these ventu-

rieri 'were a notable crew of very daring brigands in the Lyonese province.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

I will not here omit their mention, in order to ex-
pose the shamelessness of such ingratitude. While
he was in Rome, then, being a man given to back-
biting, he spoke so ill of Raffaello da Urbino's works,
that the pupils of the latter were quite resolved to
murder him. From this peril I saved him by keeping
a close watch upon him day and night. Again, the
evil things said by Rosso against San Gallo, 1 that
excellent architect, caused the latter to get work
taken from him which he had previously procured
for him from Messer Agnolo da Cesi ; and after this
San Gallo used his influence so strenuously against
him that he must have been brought to the verge
of starvation, had not I pitied his condition and lent
him some scores of crowns to live upon. So, then,
not having been repaid, and knowing that he held
employment under the King, I went, as I have said,
to look him up. I did not merely expecl him to dis-
charge his debt, but also to show me favour and as-
sist in placing me in that great monarch's service.

When Rosso set eyes on me, his countenance
changed suddenly, and he exclaimed: "Benvenuto,
you have taken this long journey at great charges
to your loss; especially at this present time, when
all men's thoughts are occupied with war, and not
with the bagatelles of our profession." I replied that
I had brought money enough to take me back to
Rome as I had come to Paris, and that this was not
the proper return for the pains I had endured for
him, and that now I began to believe what Maestro
Antonio da San Gallo said of him. When he tried

1 Antonio da, San Gallo, one of the best arc/liters of the later Renaissance.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

to turn the matter into jest on this exposure of his
baseness, I showed him a letter of exchange for five
hundred crowns upon Ricciardo del Bene. Then the
rascal was ashamed, and wanted to detain me almost
by force; but I laughed at him, and took my leave
in the company of a painter whom I found there.
This man was called Sguazzella: 1 he too was a Flor-
entine ; and I went to lodge in his house, with three
horses and three servants, at so much per week. He
treated me very well, and was even better paid by
me in return.

Afterwards I sought audience of the King, through
the introduction of his treasurer, Messer Giuliano
Buonaccorti. 2 1 met, however, with considerable de-
lays, owing, as I did not then know, to the strenu-
ous exertions Rosso made against my admission to
his Majesty. When Messer Giuliano became aware
of this, he took me down at once to Fontana Bilio, 3
and brought me into the presence of the King, who
granted me a whole hour of very gracious audience.
Since he was then on the point of setting out for
Lyons, he told Messer Giuliano to take me with
him, adding that on the journey we could discuss
some works of art his Majesty had it in his head to
execute. Accordingly, I followed the court ; and on
the way I entered into close relations with the Car-
dinal of Ferrara, who had not at that period obtained
the hat. 4 Every evening I used to hold long conver-

1 A pupil of Andrea del Sarto, 'who *went with him to France and settled there.

2 A Florentine exile mentioned by Varchi.

3 Fontainebleau. Cellini always writes it as above.

4 Ippolito d^Este, son of Alfonso, Duke of Ferrara $ Archbishop of Milan at the age
of fifteen ; Cardinal in 1539; spent a large part of his life in France.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

sations with the Cardinal, in the course of which his
lordship advised me to remain at an abbey of his in
Lyons, and there to abide at ease until the King re-
turned from this campaign, adding that he was going
on to Grenoble, and that I should enjoy every con-
venience in the abbey.

When we reached Lyons I was already ill, and
my lad Ascanio had taken a quartan fever. The
French and their court were both grown irksome to
me, and I counted the hours till I could find myself
again in Rome. On seeing my anxiety to return
home, the Cardinal gave me money sufficient for
making him a silver bason and jug. So we took good
horses, and set our faces in the direction of Rome,
passing the Simplon, and travelling for some while
in the company of certain Frenchmen; Ascanio
troubled by his quartan, and I by a slow fever which
I found it quite impossible to throw off. I had, more-
over, got my stomach out of order to such an extent,
that for the space of four months, as I verily believe,
I hardly ate one whole loaf of bread in the week ;
and great was my longing to reach Italy, being de-
sirous to die there rather than in France.

xcix

When we had crossed the mountains of the Simplon,
we came to a river near a place called Indevedro. 1
It was broad and very deep, spanned by a long nar-
row bridge without ramparts. That morning a thick
white frost had fallen; and when I reached the bridge,
riding before the rest, I recognised how dangerous

1 Probably the Dweria in the Valdi*vedro.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

it was, and bade my servants and young men dis-
mount and lead their horses. So I got across without
accident, and rode on talking with one of the French-
men, whose condition was that of a gentleman. The
other, who was a scrivener, lagged a little way be-
hind, jeering the French gentleman and me because
we had been so frightened by nothing at all as to
give ourselves the trouble of walking. I turned round,
and seeing him upon the middle of the bridge,
begged him to come gently, since the place was very
dangerous. The fellow, true to his French nature,
cried out in French that I was a man of poor spirit,
and that there was no danger whatsoever. While
he spoke these words and urged his horse forward,
the animal suddenly slipped over the bridge, and
fell with legs in air close to a huge rock there was
there. Now God is very often merciful to madmen ;
so the two beasts, human and equine, plunged to-
gether into a deep wide pool, where both of them
went down below the water. On seeing what had
happened, I set off running at full speed, scrambled
with much difficulty on to the rock, and dangling
over from it, seized the skirt of the scrivener's gown
and pulled him up, for he was still submerged be-
neath the surface. He had drunk his bellyful of wa-
ter, and was within an ace of being drowned. I then,
beholding him out of danger, congratulated the man
upon my having been the means of rescuing his life.
The fellow to this answered me in French, that I
had done nothing; the important things to save were
his writings, worth many scores of crowns ; and these
words he seemed to say in anger, dripping wet and

[ 355 ]

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

spluttering the while. Thereupon, I turned round to
our guides, and ordered them to help the brute,
adding that I would see them paid. One of them with
great address and trouble set himself to the business,
and picked up all the fellow's writings, so that he
lost not one of them ; the other guide refused to trou-
ble himself by rendering any assistance.

I ought here to say that we had made a purse up, and
that I performed the part of paymaster. So, when we
reached the place I mentioned, and had dined,! drew
some coins from the common purse and gave them
to the guide who helped to draw him from the water.
Thereupon the fellow called out that I might pay
them out of my own pocket ; he had no intention of
giving the man more than what had been agreed
on for his services as guide. Upon this I retorted
with insulting language. Then the other guide, who
had done nothing, came up and demanded to be re-
warded also. I told him that the one who had borne
the cross deserved the recompense. He cried out
that he would presently show me a cross which
should make me repent. I replied that I would light
a candle at that cross, which should, I hoped, make
him to be the first to weep his folly. The village
we were in lay on the frontier between Venice and
the Germans. So the guide ran off to bring the folk
together, and came, followed by a crowd, with a
boar-spear in his hand. Mounted on my good steed,
I lowered the barrel of my arquebuse, and turning
to my comrades, cried: "At the first shot I shall
bring that fellow down ; do you likewise your duty,
for these are highway robbers, who have used this

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

little incident to contrive our murder." The inn-
keeper at whose house we had dined called one of
the leaders, an imposing old man, and begged him
to put a stop to the disorder, saying: " This is a most
courageous young man; you may cut him to pieces,
but he will certainly kill a lot of you, and perhaps
will escape your hands after doing all the mischief
he is able." So matters calmed down: and the old
man, their leader, said to me : "Go in peace; you
would not have much to boast of against us, even
if you had a hundred men to back you." I recog-
nised the truth of his words, and had indeed made
up my mind to die among them ; therefore, when
no further insults were cast at me, I shook my head
and exclaimed: "I should certainly have done my
utmost to prove I am no statue, but a man of flesh
and spirit." Then we resumed our journey; and that
evening, at the first lodging we came to, settled our
accounts together. There I parted forever from that
beast of a Frenchman, remaining on very friendly
terms with the other, who was a gentleman. After-
wards I reached Ferrara, with my three horses and
no other company.

Having dismounted, I went to court in order to
pay my reverence to the Duke, and gain permission
to depart next morning for Loreto. When I had
waited until two hours after nightfall, his Excellency
appeared. I kissed his hands; he received me with
much courtesy, and ordered that water should be
brought for me to wash my hands before eating. To
this compliment I made a pleasant answer: "Most
excellent lord, it is now more than four months

C 357 ]

LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

that I have eaten only just enough to keep life to-
gether ; knowing therefore that I could not enjoy the
delicacies of your royal table, I will stay and talk
with you while your Excellency is supping ; in this
way we shall both have more pleasure than if I were
to sup with you." Accordingly, we entered into con-
versation, and prolonged it for the next three hours.
At that time I took my leave, and when I got back to
the inn, found a most excellent meal ready; for the
Duke had sent me the plates from his own banquet,
together with some famous wine. Having now fasted
two full hours beyond my usual hour for supping, I
fell to with hearty appetite ; and this was the first time
since four months that I felt the power or will to eat.

Leaving Ferrara in the morning, I went to Santa
Maria at Loreto; and thence, having performed my
devotions, pursued the journey to Rome. There I
found my most faithful Felice, to whom I abandoned
my old shop with all its furniture and appurtenances,
and opened another, much larger and roomier, next
to Sugherello, the perfumer. I thought for certain
that the great King Francis would not have re-
membered me. Therefore I accepted commissions
from several noblemen; and in the meanwhile began
the bason and jug ordered by the Cardinal of Fer-
rara. I had a crowd of workmen, and many large
affairs on hand in gold and silver.

Now the arrangement I had made with that Peru-
gian workman 1 was that he should write down all

1 In his Ricordi Cellini calls the man Girolamo Paseucci.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

the moneys which had been disbursed on his account,
chiefly for clothes and divers other sundries; and
these, together with the costs of travelling, amounted
to about seventy crowns. We agreed that he should
discharge the debt by monthly payments of three
crowns; and this he was well able to do, since he
gained more than eight through me. At the end of
two months the rascal decamped from my shop, leav-
ing me in the lurch with a mass of business on my
hands, and saying that he did not mean to pay me
a farthing more. I was resolved to seek redress, but
allowed myself to be persuaded to do so by the way
of justice. At first I thought of lopping off an arm
of his ; and assuredly I should have done so, if my
friends had not told me that it was a mistake, seeing
I should lose my money and perhaps Rome too a sec-
ond time, forasmuch as blows cannot be measured,
and that with the agreement I held of his I could at
any moment have him taken up. I listened to their
advice, though I should have liked to conduct the
affair more freely. As a matter of fab, I sued him be-
fore the auditor of the Camera, and gained my suit;
in consequence of that decree, for which I waited
several months, I had him thrown into prison. At
the same time I was overwhelmed with large com-
missions; among others, I had to supply all the or-
naments of gold and jewels for the wife of Signor
Gierolimo Orsino, father of Signor Paolo, who is now
the son-in-law of our Duke Cosimo. 1 These things
/

1 He luas Duke of Bracctano, father of Duke Paolo, iuho married Isabella de" 1 Medici,
and murdered her before his second marriage 'with Pittoria Accoramboni. See my
Renaissance in Italy, vol. wi.

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LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI

I had nearly finished ; yet others of the greatest con-
sequence were always coming in. I employed eight
work-people, and worked day and night together
with them, for the sake alike of honour and of gain.

UCLA-Art Library

NB 623 C3S9 1906 v.1

L 006 226 481 7

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