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Book FirstPart III
Part III
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
contending factions. They were all men devoted to 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 Cristofano took wife in Florence, and had sons and
daughters; 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
architecture, as it was then practised, and lived by it as his trade.
Giovanni, who was my father, paid more attention 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, and
together with the theory learned to play most excellently on the viol and the
flute; and being a person 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 arranged his
affairs. First of all the two good old men agreed upon the marriage; then they
began to discuss 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 earlier 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 possibly 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
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 longings 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 delivered on a night of All
Saints, following the feast-day, at half-past four precisely, in the year
1500. ^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 present, such as you did
not anticipate." My father, who was a true philosopher, was walking up and
down, and answered: "What God gives me is always 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;" ^3 and so they resolved, and this name
was given me at Holy Baptism, and by it I still am living with the grace of
God.
[Footnote 1: Cosa is Florentine for Niccolosa.]
[Footnote 2: The hour is reckoned, according to the old Italian fashion, from
sunset of one day to sunset of the next - twenty-four hours.]
[Footnote 3: Benvenuto means "Welcome".]
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