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Book FirstPart XCV
Part 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 profession, 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
entreated met to lend him money for the journey. I said 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 national 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 importance from Messer Filippo Strozzi; ^2 and
showing me a leather case for a cup he had with him, whispered 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.
[Footnote 1: I have retained Cellini`s spelling of names upon this journey. He
passed the Bernina and Albula mountains, descended the valley of the Rhine to
Wallenstadt, travelled by Weesen and probably Glarus to Lachen and Zurich,
thence to Solothurn, Lausanne, Geneva, Lyons.]
[Footnote 2: Filippo Strozzi was leader of the anti-Medicean party, now in
exile. He fell into the hands of Duke Cosimo on the 1st of August in this
year, 1537.]
Accordingly we struck the bargain so; and taking horse next morning, came
to a lake between Valdistate 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
together, and not even pitched. If I had not seen four German gentlemen, with
their four horses, embarking in one of the same sort as ours, I should never
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 German 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 dismayed, my horse being an intelligent animal, I arranged 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
should swim and draw me after him. Just at that moment 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 several miles
in this great peril of our lives.
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