DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.32874#0040
12 LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI [BK. i
that I would more gladly lose my life, than be wanting in
my pledged word to that honest man the Castellan, bore
this extreme discomfort together with a friar, a very great
preacher, of the Palavisina family/ This man had been
arrested as a Lutheran: he was a most excellent intimate
companion, but as a friar he was the biggest scoundrel
that ever was in the world, and indulged in all sorts of
vicious habits. His fine talents I admired, and his ugly
vices I greatly abhorred, and freely rebuked him for
them. This friar never did anything else but remind me
that I was not obliged to keep faith with the Castellan,
because I was in prison. To which argument I replied
that although as a friar he was speaking the truth, as a
man he was not speaking the truth; for one who was a
man and not a friar was obliged to keep his word in
every sort of chance, in which he might find himself:
therefore, since I was a man and not a friar, I was never
going to be false to that simple and honourable word of
mine. When the said friar saw that he was unable to
obtain the corruption of me by means of the very subtle
and clever arguments so wonderfully set forth by him,
he thought to try me by another method; and so he let
many days pass by, whilst he read to me the sermons of
i /.<?., Pallavicino. BERTOLOTTi (AHh rzY., Vol. I, p. 268)
finds documents referring to this friar in the Registers of the
jfhwzh, 1538-39, f. 87. We learn from thence that he was a most able
speaker, imprisoned for Lutheran leanings, and that his imprison-
ment lasted seven months and eighteen days. CARO in a letter to
Guidiccioni, dated June 25th 1540, says : " Your Lordship will have
heard from Bernardi of the arrest of Brother Pallavicino, and of
the flight of Messer Cosimo his brother." From this passage (sup-
posing that CARO is referring to the same person) we may gather
that the friar was imprisoned a second time.
that I would more gladly lose my life, than be wanting in
my pledged word to that honest man the Castellan, bore
this extreme discomfort together with a friar, a very great
preacher, of the Palavisina family/ This man had been
arrested as a Lutheran: he was a most excellent intimate
companion, but as a friar he was the biggest scoundrel
that ever was in the world, and indulged in all sorts of
vicious habits. His fine talents I admired, and his ugly
vices I greatly abhorred, and freely rebuked him for
them. This friar never did anything else but remind me
that I was not obliged to keep faith with the Castellan,
because I was in prison. To which argument I replied
that although as a friar he was speaking the truth, as a
man he was not speaking the truth; for one who was a
man and not a friar was obliged to keep his word in
every sort of chance, in which he might find himself:
therefore, since I was a man and not a friar, I was never
going to be false to that simple and honourable word of
mine. When the said friar saw that he was unable to
obtain the corruption of me by means of the very subtle
and clever arguments so wonderfully set forth by him,
he thought to try me by another method; and so he let
many days pass by, whilst he read to me the sermons of
i /.<?., Pallavicino. BERTOLOTTi (AHh rzY., Vol. I, p. 268)
finds documents referring to this friar in the Registers of the
jfhwzh, 1538-39, f. 87. We learn from thence that he was a most able
speaker, imprisoned for Lutheran leanings, and that his imprison-
ment lasted seven months and eighteen days. CARO in a letter to
Guidiccioni, dated June 25th 1540, says : " Your Lordship will have
heard from Bernardi of the arrest of Brother Pallavicino, and of
the flight of Messer Cosimo his brother." From this passage (sup-
posing that CARO is referring to the same person) we may gather
that the friar was imprisoned a second time.