ON the journey to Rome I carried with me that handsome arquebuse which
the Duke gave me; and very much to my own pleasure, I used it several
times by the way, performing incredible feats by means of it. The little
house I had in Strada Giulia was not ready; so I dismounted at the house
of Messer Giovanni Gaddi, clerk of the Camera, to whose keeping I had
committed, on leaving Rome, many of my arms and other things I cared
for. So I did not choose to alight at my shop, but sent for Felice, my
partner, and got him to put my little dwelling forthwith into excellent
order. The day following, I went to sleep there, after well providing
myself with clothes and all things requisite, since I intended to go and
thank the Pope next morning.
I had two young serving-lads, and beneath my lodgings lived a laundress
who cooked extremely nicely for me. That evening I entertained several
friends at supper, and having passed the time with great enjoyment,
betook myself to bed. The night had hardly ended, indeed it was more
than an hour before daybreak, when I heard a furious knocking at the
house-door, stroke succeeding stroke without a moment’s pause.
Accordingly I called my elder servant, Cencio [1] (he was the man I took
into the necromantic circle), and bade him to go and see who the madman
was that knocked so brutally at that hour of the night. While Cencio was
on this errand, I lighted another lamp, for I always keep one by me at
night; then I made haste to pass an excellent coat of mail over my
shirt, and above that some clothes which I caught up at random. Cencio
returned, exclaiming: “Heavens, master! it is the Bargello and all his
guard; and he says that if you do not open at once, he will knock the
door down. They have torches, and a thousand things besides with them!”
I answered: “Tell them that I am huddling my clothes on, and will come
out to them in my shirt.” Supposing it was a trap laid to murder me, as
had before been done by Signor Pier Luigi, I seized an excellent dagger
with my right hand, and with the left I took the safe-conduct; then I
ran to the back-window, which looked out on gardens, and there I saw
more than thirty constables; wherefore I knew that I could not escape
upon that side. I made the two lads go in front, and told them to open
the door exactly when I gave the word to do so. Then taking up an
attitude of defence, with the dagger in my right hand and the
safe-conduct in my left, I cried to the lads: “Have no fear, but open!”
The Bargello, Vittorio, and the officers sprang inside at once, thinking
they could easily lay hands upon me; but when they saw me prepared in
that way to receive them, they fell back, exclaiming: “We have a serious
job on hand here!” Then I threw the safe-conduct to them, and said:
“Read that! and since you cannot seize me, I do not mean that you shall
touch me.” The Bargello upon this ordered some of his men to arrest me,
saying he would look to the safe-conduct later. Thereat I presented my
arms boldly, calling aloud: “Let God defend the right! Either I shall
escape your hands alive, or be taken a dead corpse!” The room was
crammed with men; they made as though they would resort to violence; I
stood upon my guard against them; so that the Bargello saw he would not
be able to have me except in the way I said. Accordingly he called his
clerk, and while the safe-conduct as being read, he showed by signs two
or three times that he meant to have me secured by his officers; but
this had no effect of shaking my determination. At last they gave up the
attempt, threw my safe-conduct on the ground, and went away without
their prize.
Note 1. 'I. e.,' Vincenzio Romoli.