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Book FirstPart XC
Part XC
I now began to attend to my shop, and did some business, not however of
much moment, because I had still to think about my health, which was not yet
established after that grave illness I had undergone. About this time the
Emperor returned victorious from his expedition against Tunis, and the Pope
sent for me to take my advice concerning the present of honour it was fit to
give him. ^1 I answered that it seemed to me most appropriate to present his
Imperial 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 basement 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.
[Footnote 1: Cellini returns to the year 1535, when Charles V arrived in
November from Tunis.]
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 furnishing the Pope with a new idea, which was, however,
wholly of his own invention. So he altered everything which had been arranged;
and next morning, when I went for the money, he said with his usual brutal
arrogance: "It is our part to invent, and 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 proceed farther: "Neither you nor the Pope
can think of anything better than a piece of which Christ plays a part; so you
may go on with your courtier`s nonsense 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 Cardinal de` Medici more than two thousand crowns. They thought that this
would be an appropriate present 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 expected 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 Juveoale 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 erected in his
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. ^2 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 measure of his holiness` 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 Emperor
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 replied: "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 courage 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 superior deity, both by reason
of his ecclesiastical adornments, which shed a certain aureole about him, and
at the same time because of his holiness` 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."
[Footnote 2: The entry into Rome took place April 6, 1536.]
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