Messer e maestro dipintore, venendo di , l’uno la sparuta apparenza dell’altro motteggiando morde.
[Author]Come tacque, avendo molto le donne preso di piacere della risposta di , cosí per voler della disse:
[Panfilo]Carissime donne, egli avviene spesso che, sí come la fortuna sotto vili arti alcuna volta grandissimi tesori di vertú nasconde, come poco avanti per fu mostrato, cosí ancora sotto turpissime forme d’uomini si truovano maravigliosi ingegni dalla natura essere stati riposti.
La qual cosa assai apparve in due nostri cittadini de’ quali io intendo brievemente di ragionarvi; per ciò che l’uno, il quale messer fu chiamato, essendo di persona piccolo e isformato, con viso piatto e ricagnato che a qualunque de’ Baronci piú trasformato l’ebbe sarebbe stato sozzo, fu di tanto sentimento nelle leggi, che da molti valenti uomini uno armario di ragione civile fu reputato; e l’altro, il cui nome fu , ebbe uno ingegno di tanta eccellenzia, che niuna cosa dà la natura, madre di tutte le cose e operatrice col continuo girar de’ cieli, che egli con lo stile e con la penna o col pennello non dipignesse sí simile a quella, che non simile, anzi piú tosto dessa paresse, in tanto che molte volte nelle cose da lui fatte si truova che il visivo senso degli uomini vi prese errore, quello credendo esser vero che era dipinto. E per ciò, avendo egli quella arte ritornata in luce, che molti secoli sotto gli error d’alcuni, che piú a dilettar gli occhi degl’ignoranti che a compiacere allo ‘ntelletto de’ savi dipignendo, era stata sepulta, meritamente una delle luci della fiorentina gloria dir si puote; e tanto piú, quanto con maggiore umiltà, maestro degli altri in ciò, vivendo quella acquistò, sempre rifiutando d’esser chiamato maestro.Il quale titolo rifiutato da lui tanto piú in lui risplendeva, quanto con maggior disidero da quegli che men sapevan di lui o dà suoi discepoli era cupidamente usurpato.Ma quantunque la sua arte fosse grandissima, non era egli per ciò né di persona né d’aspetto in niuna cosa piú bello che fosse . Ma, alla novella venendo, dico.
Avevano in e lor possessioni; e essendo le sue andate a vedere, in quegli tempi di state che le ferie si celebran per le corti, e per avventura in su un cattivo ronzin da vettura venendosene, trovò il già detto , il qual similmente avendo le sue vedute se ne tornava a ; il quale né in cavallo né in arnese essendo in cosa alcuna meglio di lui, sí come vecchi a pian passo venendosene insieme s’accompagnarono. Avvenne, come spesso di state veggiamo avvenire, che una subita piova gli soprapprese: la quale essi, come piú tosto poterono, fuggirono in casa d’un lavoratore amico e conoscente di ciascheduno di loro. Ma dopo alquanto, non faccendo l’acqua alcuna vista di dover ristare, e costoro volendo essere il dí a , presi dal lavoratore in prestanza due mantellacci vecchi di romagnuolo e due cappelli tutti rosi dalla vecchiezza, per ciò che migliori non v’erano, cominciarono a camminare.
Ora, essendo essi alquanto andati e tutti molli veggendosi e per gli schizzi che i ronzini fanno co’ piedi in quantità zaccherosi, le quali cose non sogliono altrui accrescer punto d’orrevolezza, rischiarandosi alquanto il tempo, essi, che lungamente erano venuti taciti, cominciarono a ragionare. E , cavalcando e ascoltando , il quale bellissimo favellatore era, cominciò a considerarlo e da lato e da capo e per tutto, e veggendo ogni cosa cosí disorrevole e cosí disparuto, senza avere a sé niuna considerazione, cominciò a ridere e disse: , a che ora venendo di qua allo ‘ncontro di noi un forestiere che mai veduto non t’avesse, credi tu che egli credesse che tu fossi il miglior dipintor del mondo, come tu se’?
A cui prestamente rispose: Messere, credo che egli il crederebbe allora che, guardando voi, egli crederebbe che voi sapeste l’abicí.
Il che udendo il suo error riconobbe, e videsi di tal moneta pagato, quali erano state le derrate vendute.
Messer Forese da Rabatta and Master Giotto, the painter, journeying together from Mugello, deride one another’s scurvy appearance.
[Author]Neifile being silent, and the ladies having made very merry over Chichibio’s retort, Pamfilo at the queen’s command thus spoke:
[Panfilo]Dearest ladies, if Fortune, as Pampinea has shewn us, does sometimes hide treasures most rich of native worth in the obscurity of base occupations, so in like manner ’tis not seldom found that Nature has enshrined prodigies of wit in the most ignoble of human forms.
Whereof a notable example is afforded by two of our citizens, of whom I purpose for a brief while to discourse. The one, Messer Forese da Rabatta by name, was short and deformed of person and withal flat-cheeked and flat-nosed, insomuch that never a Baroncio had a visage so misshapen but his would have shewed as hideous beside it; yet so conversant was this man with the laws, that by not a few of those well able to form an opinion he was reputed a veritable storehouse of civil jurisprudence. The other, whose name was Giotto, was of so excellent a wit that, let Nature, mother of all, operant ever by continual revolution of the heavens, fashion what she would, he with his style and pen and pencil would depict its like on such wise that it shewed not as its like, but rather as the thing itself, insomuch that the visual sense of men did often err in regard thereof, mistaking for real that which was but painted. Wherefore, having brought back to light that art which had for many ages lain buried beneath the blunders of those who painted rather to delight the eyes of the ignorant than to satisfy the intelligence of the wise, he may deservedly be called one of the lights that compose the glory of Florence, and the more so, the more lowly was the spirit in which he won that glory, who, albeit he was, while he yet lived, the master of others, yet did ever refuse to be called their master. And this title that he rejected adorned him with a lustre the more splendid in proportion to the avidity with which it was usurped by those who were less knowing than he, or were his pupils. But for all the exceeding greatness of his art, yet in no particular had he the advantage of Messer Forese either in form or in feature. But to come to the story: ‘Twas in Mugello that Messer Forese, as likewise Giotto, had his country-seat, whence returning from a sojourn that he had made there during the summer vacation of the courts, and being, as it chanced, mounted on a poor jade of a draught horse, he fell in with the said Giotto, who was also on his way back to Florence after a like sojourn on his own estate, and was neither better mounted, nor in any other wise better equipped, than Messer Forese. And so, being both old men, they jogged on together at a slow pace: and being surprised by a sudden shower, such as we frequently see fall in summer, they presently sought shelter in the house of a husbandman that was known to each of them, and was their friend. But after a while, as the rain gave no sign of ceasing, and they had a mind to be at Florence that same day, they borrowed of the husbandman two old cloaks of Romagnole cloth, and two hats much the worse for age (there being no better to be had), and resumed their journey. Whereon they had not proceeded far, when, taking note that they were soaked through and through, and liberally splashed with the mud cast up by their nags’ hooves (circumstances which are not of a kind to add to one’s dignity), they, after long silence, the sky beginning to brighten a little, began to converse. And Messer Forese, as he rode and hearkened to Giotto, who was an excellent talker, surveyed him sideways, and from head to foot, and all over, and seeing him in all points in so sorry and scurvy a trim, and recking nought of his own appearance, broke into a laugh and said: Giotto, would e’er a stranger that met us, and had not seen thee before, believe, thinkst thou, that thou wert, as thou art, the greatest painter in the world. Whereto Giotto answered promptly: Methinks, Sir, he might, if, scanning you, he gave you credit for knowing the A B C. Which hearing, Messer Forese recognized his error, and perceived that he had gotten as good as he brought.