DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.32873#0213
CH. vii] LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI 131
tion where I saw the thickest and most serried crowd in
the combat, I took aim into the midst of it, precisely at a
man whom I noticed as conspicuous above the rest (on
account of the fog I was not able to distinguish whether
this man was on horseback or on foot). Turning im-
mediately to Lessandro and Cechino I told them to fire
off their arquebuses; and I showed them the way where-
by the fire of the besiegers should not injure them.
When we had each done this twice, I looked carefully
over the wall, and saw an extraordinary tumult among
them, which arose from the fact Borbone himself had
been slain by those shots of ours;* for from what I
have heard since, he was that chief whom I saw con-
spicuous above the rest. Departing thence, we went by
the Campo Santo and entered the City near San Piero;
and having passed out thence at the church of Santo
Agniolo, we arrived at the principal gate of the Castello
* GUICCIARDINI also informs us that Bourbon met his death at the
very beginning of the conflict from a shot fired from an arquebuse.
Other writers relate that in order to be easily distinguished he clad
himself in a white mantle, and that he went in the van of his troops
carrying a scaling-ladder. He was slain on the morning of May 6th
and was buried in the church of San Giacomo degli Spagnuoli.
CELLINI does not claim for himself the distinction of having
killed Bourbon, as so many people have wrongly understood;
although Giovanni da Udine and others VzV lay claim to having
done so: whilst TORRIGGIO states that the real hero was Valentini,
a Roman. CELLINI only states that Bourbon met his death in
combat with the band of defenders amongst whom he happened to
be. Nevertheless the dense fog described by all the historians of
the period, and the fact that Bourbon was conspicuous both from
his attire and his action in the field, lend a reasonable amount of
probability to CELLINI'S account of what took place. In any case,
GREGOROVius (VhzVz* 7?rwz, Vol. VIII, p. $22) is unjustly severe on
our hero, dubbing him a braggart or worse.
tion where I saw the thickest and most serried crowd in
the combat, I took aim into the midst of it, precisely at a
man whom I noticed as conspicuous above the rest (on
account of the fog I was not able to distinguish whether
this man was on horseback or on foot). Turning im-
mediately to Lessandro and Cechino I told them to fire
off their arquebuses; and I showed them the way where-
by the fire of the besiegers should not injure them.
When we had each done this twice, I looked carefully
over the wall, and saw an extraordinary tumult among
them, which arose from the fact Borbone himself had
been slain by those shots of ours;* for from what I
have heard since, he was that chief whom I saw con-
spicuous above the rest. Departing thence, we went by
the Campo Santo and entered the City near San Piero;
and having passed out thence at the church of Santo
Agniolo, we arrived at the principal gate of the Castello
* GUICCIARDINI also informs us that Bourbon met his death at the
very beginning of the conflict from a shot fired from an arquebuse.
Other writers relate that in order to be easily distinguished he clad
himself in a white mantle, and that he went in the van of his troops
carrying a scaling-ladder. He was slain on the morning of May 6th
and was buried in the church of San Giacomo degli Spagnuoli.
CELLINI does not claim for himself the distinction of having
killed Bourbon, as so many people have wrongly understood;
although Giovanni da Udine and others VzV lay claim to having
done so: whilst TORRIGGIO states that the real hero was Valentini,
a Roman. CELLINI only states that Bourbon met his death in
combat with the band of defenders amongst whom he happened to
be. Nevertheless the dense fog described by all the historians of
the period, and the fact that Bourbon was conspicuous both from
his attire and his action in the field, lend a reasonable amount of
probability to CELLINI'S account of what took place. In any case,
GREGOROVius (VhzVz* 7?rwz, Vol. VIII, p. $22) is unjustly severe on
our hero, dubbing him a braggart or worse.