DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.32873#0495
CH. xxij LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI 381
of every one—and recognizing that it was very danger-
ous, I ordered my young men and my servants to dis-
mount, and lead their horses by hand. Thus I crossed
the said bridge very comfortably, and I went along talk-
ing about it with one of those Frenchmen, who was a
nobleman; the other was a notary, who had remained
somewhat behind, and he laughed at that French noble-
man and me, who out of fear of nothing at all had been
willing to suffer the inconvenience of going on foot. To
whom I turned on seeing that he was in the middle of the
bridge, and begged him to go cautiously for he was in a
very dangerous place. This man, who could not be false
to his French nature,said to me in French, that I wasa man
of little courage, and that here there was no danger at
all. Whilst he was saying these words he wanted to
urge on his horse a little, whereat the horse immediately
stumbled off the bridge, and with his legs towards heaven
fell beside a very large rock. And since God many times
is merciful to mad folks, this animal (the man) together
with the other animal (his horse) fell into a very great
whirlpool/ wherein both he and his horse sank. Directly
I saw this, with a very great speed I set myself to gallop,
and with great difficulty leapt upon that stone and hang-
ing over from it, seized a fold of a gown that this man
wore; and by that fold I drew him up, so that though he
was still under water, and therefore had swallowed a great
deal of water and had been within a little of being
drowned, I saw that he was out of danger, and rejoiced
with him that I had saved his life. Whereat he replied
to me in French, and told me that I had done nothing;
i a point in the river (says BiANCHi) where the water had
hollowed out a great hole.
of every one—and recognizing that it was very danger-
ous, I ordered my young men and my servants to dis-
mount, and lead their horses by hand. Thus I crossed
the said bridge very comfortably, and I went along talk-
ing about it with one of those Frenchmen, who was a
nobleman; the other was a notary, who had remained
somewhat behind, and he laughed at that French noble-
man and me, who out of fear of nothing at all had been
willing to suffer the inconvenience of going on foot. To
whom I turned on seeing that he was in the middle of the
bridge, and begged him to go cautiously for he was in a
very dangerous place. This man, who could not be false
to his French nature,said to me in French, that I wasa man
of little courage, and that here there was no danger at
all. Whilst he was saying these words he wanted to
urge on his horse a little, whereat the horse immediately
stumbled off the bridge, and with his legs towards heaven
fell beside a very large rock. And since God many times
is merciful to mad folks, this animal (the man) together
with the other animal (his horse) fell into a very great
whirlpool/ wherein both he and his horse sank. Directly
I saw this, with a very great speed I set myself to gallop,
and with great difficulty leapt upon that stone and hang-
ing over from it, seized a fold of a gown that this man
wore; and by that fold I drew him up, so that though he
was still under water, and therefore had swallowed a great
deal of water and had been within a little of being
drowned, I saw that he was out of danger, and rejoiced
with him that I had saved his life. Whereat he replied
to me in French, and told me that I had done nothing;
i a point in the river (says BiANCHi) where the water had
hollowed out a great hole.