DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.32874#0436
364 LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI [BK. 11
humbly to His Most Illustrious Excellency: "Know,
My Lord! that it will show half as well again. Oh! how
is it that Your Most Illustrious Excellency does not
remember having seen it in the kitchen-garden of my
house, wherein it showed so well in such a wide space
that from the kitchen garden of the Innocenti Bandinello'
came to see it; and in spite of all his bad and very evil
nature he was compelled to, and has spoken highly of it
in such a way as he has never spoken well of any one in
his life? I perceive that Your Most Illustrious Excellency
believes too much in him." At these words of mine, sneer-
ing with a little irritability, with many kindly words he
said: "Do it, Benvenuto! if merely to give me a small
satisfaction." And when he had departed I began to give
directions for uncovering it. And since it was lacking in
a little gold and certain varnishes and other such trifles,
that belong to the completion of the work, I kept murmur-
ing angrily and complaining, cursing that unlucky day
which was the occasion of bringing me back to Florence;
for I had already seen the very great and certain loss
that I had made by my departure from France, and I
did not see nor know besides in what way I could hope
for prosperity with this Lord of mine in Florence. Since
^ In CELLiNi's own dated September 25th 1557
(TASSI, ry5. A?., Vol. Ill, p. 75), he writes as foHows: "Since it
pleased His Excellency, after that the said work was completed, to
have it valued, saying that at whatever sum it should be valued,
so much did he wish to pay me, he therefore caused it to be valued
by men who were the most skilled professors in that art, who valued
it for me at 16,000 gold .sv7A%' in gold. And the valuers of it . . .
since they were my rivals, somewhat wished me ill out of envy;
but the force of the excellence of the work compelled them to say
and to judge the truth."
humbly to His Most Illustrious Excellency: "Know,
My Lord! that it will show half as well again. Oh! how
is it that Your Most Illustrious Excellency does not
remember having seen it in the kitchen-garden of my
house, wherein it showed so well in such a wide space
that from the kitchen garden of the Innocenti Bandinello'
came to see it; and in spite of all his bad and very evil
nature he was compelled to, and has spoken highly of it
in such a way as he has never spoken well of any one in
his life? I perceive that Your Most Illustrious Excellency
believes too much in him." At these words of mine, sneer-
ing with a little irritability, with many kindly words he
said: "Do it, Benvenuto! if merely to give me a small
satisfaction." And when he had departed I began to give
directions for uncovering it. And since it was lacking in
a little gold and certain varnishes and other such trifles,
that belong to the completion of the work, I kept murmur-
ing angrily and complaining, cursing that unlucky day
which was the occasion of bringing me back to Florence;
for I had already seen the very great and certain loss
that I had made by my departure from France, and I
did not see nor know besides in what way I could hope
for prosperity with this Lord of mine in Florence. Since
^ In CELLiNi's own dated September 25th 1557
(TASSI, ry5. A?., Vol. Ill, p. 75), he writes as foHows: "Since it
pleased His Excellency, after that the said work was completed, to
have it valued, saying that at whatever sum it should be valued,
so much did he wish to pay me, he therefore caused it to be valued
by men who were the most skilled professors in that art, who valued
it for me at 16,000 gold .sv7A%' in gold. And the valuers of it . . .
since they were my rivals, somewhat wished me ill out of envy;
but the force of the excellence of the work compelled them to say
and to judge the truth."