TRUE STORY

BENVENUTO CELLINI — AN EPISODE

Himself

The plague had by this time almost died out, so that the survivors when they met together alive, rejoiced with much delight in one anoth- er's company. This led to the formation of a club of painters, sculptors, and goldsmiths, the best that were in Rome; and the founder of it was a sculptor with the name of Michel Agnolo. He was a Sienese and a man of great ability, who could hold his own against any other work- man in that art; but, above all, he was the most amusing comrade and the heartiest good fellow in the universe. Of all the members of the club, he was the eldest, and yet the youngest from the strength and vigor of his body. We often came together; at the very least twice a week. I must not omit to mention that our society counted Giulio Romano, the painter, and Gian Francesco, both of them celebrated pupils of the mighty Raffaello da Urbino.

After many and many merry meetings, it seemed good to our worthy president that for the following Sunday we should repair to supper in his house, and that each one of us should be obliged to bring with him his crow (such was the nickname Michel Agnolo gave to women in the club), and that whosoever did not bring one should be sconced by paying a supper to the whole company. Those of us who had no familiar- ity with women of the town, were forced to purvey themselves at no small trouble and expense, in order to appear without disgrace at that dis- tinguished feast of artists. I had reckoned upon being well provided with a young woman of considerable beauty, called Pantasilea, who was very much in love with me; but I was obliged to give her up to one of my dearest friends, called Il Bachiacca, who on his side had been, and still was, over head and ears in love with her. This exchange excited a certain amount of lover's anger, because the lady, seeing I had aban- doned her at Bachiacca's first entreaty, imagined that I held in slight

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