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Book FirstPart XXX
Part 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 universe. 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.
[Footnote 1: This sculptor came to Rome with his compatriot Baldassare
Peruzzi, and was employed upon the monument of Pope Adrian VI., which he
executed with some help from Tribolo.]
After many and many merry meetings, it seemed good to our worthy
president that for the following Sunday we should repair to supper in his
house, and that each one of us should be obliged to bring with him his crow
(such was the nickname Michel 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 no familiarity with women of the town, were
forced to purvey themselves at no small trouble and expense, in order to
appear without disgrace at that distinguished feast of artists. I had reckoned
upon being well provided with a young woman of considerable 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 Il Bachiacca, who on his side had
been, and still was, over head and ears in love with her. ^2 This exchange
excited a certain amount of lover`s anger, because the lady, seeing I had
abandoned her at Bachiacca`s first entreaty, imagined that I held in slight
esteem the great affection which she bore me. In course of time a very serious
incident grew out of this misunderstanding, through her desire to take revenge
for the affront I had put upon her; whereof I shall speak hereafter in the
proper place.
[Footnote 2: There were two artisTSat this epoch surnamed Bachiacca, the twin
sons of Ubertino Verdi, called respectively Francesco and Antonio. Francesco
was an excellent painter of miniature oil-pictures; Antonio the first
embroiderer of his age. The one alluded to here is probably Francesco.]
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
unprovided; 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 trick, for the increase of merriment and the diffusion of mirth in
our society.
[Footnote 3: Mancare di una sipazza cosa. The pazza cosa may be the
supper-party or the cornacchia.]
Having taken this resolve, I sent for a stripling of sixteen years, who
lived in the next house to mine; he was the son of a Spanish coppersmith. This
young man gave his time to Latin studies, and was very diligent in their
pursuit. He bore the name of Diego, had a handsome figure, and a complexion of
marvellous brilliancy; the outlines of his head and face were far more
beautiful than those of the antique Antinous: I had often copied them, gaining
thereby much honour from the works in which I used them. The youth had no
acquaintances, and was therefore quite unknown; dressed very ill and
negligently; all his affections being set upon those wonderful studies of his.
After bringing him to my house, I begged him to let me array him in the
woman`s clothes which I had caused to be laid out. He readily complied, and
put them on at once, while I added new beauties to the beauty of his face by
the elaborate and studied way in which I dressed his hair. In his ears I
placed two little rings, set with two large and fair pearls; the rings were
broken; they only clipped his ears, which looked as though they had been
pierced. Afterwards I wreathed his throat with chains of gold and rich jewels,
and ornamented his fair hands with rings. Then I took him in a pleasant manner
by one ear, and drew him before a great looking-glass. The lad, when he
beheld himself, cried out with a burst of enthusiasm: "Heavens! is that
Diego?" I said: "That is Diego, from whom until this day I never asked for any
kind of favour; but now I only beseech Diego to do me pleasure in one harmless
thing; and it is this - I want him to come in those very clothes to supper
with the company of artists whereof he has often heard me speak." The young
man, who was honest, virtuous, and wise, checked his enthusiasm, bent his eyes
to the ground, and stood for a short while in silence. Then with a sudden move
he lifted up his face and said: "With Benvenuto I will go; now let us start."
I wrapped his head in a large kind of napkin, which is called in 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 Agnolo 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 began to read
them, and read them all aloud so gracefully, that his infinite charms were
heightened beyond the powers of language to describe. Then followed
conversation 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 ^4 in his eyes on
the bystanders, and fixing them particularly upon the women, turned to Michel
Agnolo and said: "My dear Michel Agnolo, your nickname 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"
[Footnote 4: Virtuosamente. Cellini uses the word virtuoso in many senses, but
always more with reference to intellectual than moral qualities. It denotes
genius, artistic ability, masculine force, &c.]
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
beauty, ^5 which set off their charms, and especially Diego`s, to such great
advantage, that words would fail to describe the effect. Then we all of us
fell to enjoying the abundance of our host`s well-furnished table. The
supper was followed by a short concert of delightful music, voices joining in
harmony with instruments; and forasmuch as they were singing and playing from
the book, my beauty begged to be allowed to sing his part. He performed the
music better than almost all the rest, which so astonished the company that
Giulio and Michel Agnolo dropped their earlier tone of banter, exchanging it
for well-weighed terms of sober heartfelt admiration.
[Footnote 5: 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.]
[See Ladies Going To The Hunt: Ladies going to the hunt. By Cellini.]
After the music was over, a certain Aurelio Ascolano, ^6 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 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
a child; this gave them the opportunity of feeling her body and discovering
the real sex of the supposed woman. Thereupon they quickly withdrew their
hands and rose from table, uttering such 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
aspect, called out for leave to inflict on me the penance he thought fit. When
this was granted, he lifted me aloft amid the clamour of the company, crying:
"Long live the gentleman! long live the gentleman!" and added that this was
the punishment I deserved for having played so fine a trick. Thus ended that
most agreeable supper-party, and each of us returned to his own dwelling at
the close of day.
[Footnote 6: Probably Eurialo d`Ascoli, a friend of Caro, Molza, Aretino.]
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