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Book FirstPart XXXIII
Part 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 lodgings of that prostitute
Pantasilea. Though I took notice of this, I paid it no attention, only
remarking that all things acted as their nature prompted; and meanwhile I gave
my whole mind to my studies. It came to pass one Sunday evening that we were
invited to sup together with the Sienese sculptor, Michel Agnolo, and the time
of the year was summer. 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, continued talking very
agreeably and supping; but she remained an unaccountably long time absent. It
chanced that, keeping my ears open, I thought I heard a sort of subdued
tittering in the street below. I had a knife in hand, which I was using for my
service at the table. The window was so close to where I sat, that, by merely
rising, I could see Luigi in the street, together with Pantasilea; and I heard
Luigi saying: "Oh, if that devil Benvenuto only saw us, shouldn`t we just
catch it!" She answered: "Have no fear; only listen to the noise they`re
making; we are the last thing they`re 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 account, but that I was bent on punishing the infamous young
man, who showed how little he regarded me. Accordingly I would not yield to
the remonstrances of those ingenious and worthy men, but took my sword, and
went alone toward Prati: - the house where we were supping, I should say,
stood close to the Castello gate, which led to Prati. ^1 Walking 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.
[See Castello Sant` Angelo: Castello Sant` Angelo Rome.]
[Footnote 1: The Porta Castello was the gate called after the Castle of S.
Angelo. Prati, so far as I can make out, was an open space between the Borgo
and the Bridge of S. Angelo. In order to get inside Rome itself, Cellini had
to pass a second gate. His own lodging and Pantasilea`s house were in the
quarter of the Bianchi, where are now the Via Giulia and Via de` Banchi
Vecchi.]
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 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 off now, at
this first word I utter, I will bring my sword here down upon your head."
Overwhelmed with fright, my poor gossip was suddenly taken ill with the colic,
and withdrew to ease himself apart; indeed, he could not buy 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,
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 Pantasilea`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 coasts 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
Bachiacca, 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 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 Perugian 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 captains who were with him (braver perhaps than the
others, but with less aplomb, as being but a youth) to seek me out. The fellow
came to visit me in the place of by retirement; that was the palace of a great
Neapolitan nobleman, who had become acquainted with me in my art, and 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 between me and Luigi and the soldiers, who had
personally no quarrel with me, and only wished to make my acquaintance.
Accordingly my friend the nobleman replied that he would bring me where they
chose to appoint, and that he was very willing to effect a reconciliation. He
stipulated that no words should be bandied about on either side, seeing that
would be little to their credit; it was enough to go through the form of
drinking together and exchanging kisses; he for his part undertook to do the
talking, and promised to settle the matter to their honour. This arrangement
was carried out. On Thursday evening my protector took me to the house of
Messer Benvegnato, where all the soldiers who had been present at that
discomfiture were assembled, and already seated at table. My nobleman was
attended by thirty brave fellows, all well armed; a circumstance which Messer
Benvegnato had not anticipated. When we came into the hall, he walking first,
I following, he speak to this effect: "God save you, gentlemen; we have come
to see you, I and Benvenuto, whom I love like my own brother; and we are ready
to do whatever you propose." Messer Benvegnato, seeing the hall filled with
such a crowd of men, called out: "It is only peace, and nothing else, we ask
of you." Accordingly he promised that the governor of Rome and his catchpoles
should give me no trouble. Then we made peace, and I returned to my shop,
where I could not stay an hour without that Neapolitan nobleman either coming
to see me or sending for me.
Meanwhile Luigi Pulci, having recovered from his wound, rode every day
upon the black horse which was so well trained to heel and bridle. One day,
among others, after it had rained a little, and he was making his horse curvet
just before Pantasilea`s door, he slipped and fell, with the horse upon him.
His right leg was broken short off in the thigh; and after a few days he died
there in Pantisilea`s lodgings, discharging thus the vow he registered so
heartily 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.
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