Part 13 (2/2)
”And he thought, 'This devil of mine is not quite so clever as I supposed.' And it is a fact that it was only a _diavolino_-a small devil who had thought the young man was a fool-in which he was mistaken. A man may have _un ramo di pazzo come l'olmo di Fiesole_-'be a bit of a fool,'
but 'a fool and a sage together can beat a clever man,' as the saying is, and both were in this boy's brain, for he came of wizard blood. So he reflected, 'Perhaps I can cheat this devil after all.' And he did it.
”Moreover, this devil being foolish, had begun to be too officious and consequential. He was continually annoying the Signore by asking for more work, even when he did not want it, as if to make a show of his immense ability and insatiable activity. Finally, beginning to believe in his own power, he began to appear far too frequently, uncalled, rising up from behind chairs abruptly in his own diabolical form, in order to inspire fear; but the young lad had not been born in Carnival to be afraid of a mask, as the saying is, and all this only made him resolve to send his attendant packing.
”'Chi ha pazienza, cugino, Ha i tordi gra.s.si a un quattrino.'
”'He who hath patience, mind me, cousin, May buy fat larks a farthing a dozen.'
”Now, amid all these dealings, the young signore had contrived to fall in love with the daughter of his guardian, Alessandro Strozzi, and also to win her affections; but he observed one day when he went to see her, having the _diavolino_ invisible by his side, the attendant spirit suddenly jibbed or balked, like a horse which stops before the door, and refused to go farther. For there was a Madonna painted on the outside, and the devil said:
”'I see a virgin form divine, And virgins are not in my line; I'm not especially devout: Go thou within-I'll wait without!'
”And the young man observing that his devil was devilishly afraid of holy water, made a note of it for future use. And having asked the Signore Alessandro Strozzi for the hand of his daughter, the great lord consented, but made it a condition that the youth should build for his bride a palace on the corner of the Via del Proconsolo and the Borgo degli Albizzi, and it must be ready within a year. This he said because in his heart he did not like the match, yet for his daughter's love he put this form upon it, and he hoped that ere the time would be out something might happen to prevent the marriage. _In fin che v'e fiato v'e speranza_-while there is breath, Signore, there is hope.
”Now the young man having resolved to finish with his devil for good and all, began to give him great hope in divers ways. And one day he said to the imp:
”'Truly thou hast great power, but I have a mind to make a great final game with thee. _Ogni bel giuoco vuol durar poco_-no good game should last long, and let us play this compact of ours out. If thou canst build for me a palace at the corner of the Via del Proconsolo and the Borgo degli Albizzi, and finish it in every detail exactly as I shall order it, then will I be thine, and thou need'st do no more work for me. And if thou canst not complete it to my taste, then our compact will be all smoke, and we two past acquaintances.'
”Now it is said that to cook an egg to a turn, make a dog's bed to suit him exactly, or teach a Florentine a trick, _sono tre cose difficile_-are three very difficult things to do, and this contract for building the palace on time with indefinite ornaments made the devil shake in his shoes. However, he knew that 'Pippo found out how to stand an egg on its end,' {94} and where there's a will there's a way, especially when you have 'all h.e.l.l to back you up'-_tutto l'inferno a spalleggiarvi_.
”So he built and built away, with one gang of devils disguised as workmen by day, and another, invisible, by night, and everybody was amazed to see how the palace rose like weeds after a rain; for, as the saying is, _mala herba presto cresce_-'ill weeds grow apace,' and this had the devil to water it.
”Till at last one day, when the six months were nearly up, the imp said to the master:
”'_Ebbene_, Signore, it is getting to the time for you to tell me how you would like to have the palace decorated. Thus far everything has been done exactly as you directed.'
”'Ah yes, I see-all done but the finis.h.i.+ng. Well, it may be a little hard, but I promise you, on the word of a gentleman (_tra galant' uomini una parola e un instrumento_), that I will not ask you to do anything which cannot be executed even by the artists of this city.'
”Now the devil was delighted to hear this (for he was afraid he might be called on to work miracles unheard of), and so replied:
”'_Top_! what man has done the devil can do. I'll risk the trick if you swear that men can work it.'
”'I swear!'
”'And what is the finish?'
”'Oh, very easy. My wife who is to be is of a very pious turn, and I want to please her. Firstly, all the work must be equal in execution to the best by the greatest masters-painting, sculpture, and gilding.'
”'Agreed.'
”'Secondly, the subjects. Over the front door-_bisogna mettermi Gesu Cristo onnipotente unitamente a Maria e il suo divin figlio_, _Padre_, _Figlio e Spirito Santo_-that is, the Holy Family and Trinity, the Virgin and Child.'
”'Wha-wha-what's that?' stammered the devil, aghast. 'It isn't fair play-not according to the game.'
”'On every door,' continued the young man, raising his voice, and looking severely at the devil, 'the same subject is to be repeated on a thick gold ground, all the ultramarine to be of the very best quality, washed in holy water.'
<script>