BEING very well satisfied with what he had seen, the King returned to
his palace, after bestowing on me too many marks of favour to be here
recorded. On the following day he sent for me at his dinner-hour. The
Cardinal of Ferrara was there at meat with him. When I arrived, the King
had reached his second course; he began at once to speak to me, saying,
with a pleasant cheer, that having now so fine a basin and jug of my
workmanship, he wanted an equally handsome salt-cellar to match them;
and begged me to make a design, and to lose no time about it. I replied:
“Your Majesty shall see a model of the sort even sooner than you have
commanded; for while I was making the basin, I thought there ought to be
a saltcellar to match it; therefore I have already designed one, and if
it is your pleasure, I will at once exhibit my conception.” The King
turned with a lively movement of surprise and pleasure to the lords in
his company--they were the King of Navarre, the Cardinal of Lorraine,
and the Cardinal of Ferrara--exclaiming as he did so: “Upon my word,
this is a man to be loved and cherished by every one who knows him.”
Then he told me that he would very gladly see my model.
I set off, and returned in a few minutes; for I had only to cross the
river, that is, the Seine. I carried with me the wax model which I had
made in Rome at the Cardinal of Ferrara’s request. When I appeared again
before the King and uncovered my piece, he cried out in astonishment:
“This is a hundred times more divine a thing that I had ever dreamed of.
What a miracle of a man! He ought never to stop working.” Then he turned
to me with a beaming countenance, and told me that he greatly liked the
piece, and wished me to execute it in gold. The Cardinal of Ferrara
looked me in the face, and let me understand that he recognised the
model as the same which I had made for him in Rome. I replied that I had
already told him I should carry it out for one who was worthy of it. The
Cardinal, remembering my words, and nettled by the revenge he thought
that I was taking on him, remarked to the King: “Sire, this is an
enormous undertaking; I am only afraid that we shall never see it
finished. These able artists who have great conceptions in their brain
are ready enough to put the same in execution without duly considering
when they are to be accomplished. I therefore, if I gave commission for
things of such magnitude, should like to know when I was likely to get
them.” The King replied that if a man was so scrupulous about the
termination of a work, he would never begin anything at all; these words
he uttered with a certain look, which implied that such enterprises were
not for folk of little spirit. I then began to say my say: “Princes who
put heart and courage in their servants, as your Majesty does by deed
and word, render undertakings of the greatest magnitude quite easy. Now
that God has sent me so magnificent a patron, I hope to perform for him
a multitude of great and splendid master-pieces.” “I believe it, “ said
the King, and rose from table. Then he called me into his chamber, and
asked me how much gold was wanted for the salt-cellar. “A thousand
crowns,” I answered. He called his treasurer at once, who was the
Viscount of Orbec, and ordered him that very day to disburse to me a
thousand crowns of good weight and old gold.
When I left his Majesty, I went for the two notaries who had helped me
in procuring silver for the Jupiter and many other things. Crossing the
Seine, I then took a small hand-basket, which one of my cousins, a nun,
had given me on my journey through Florence. It made for my good fortune
that I took this basket and not a bag. So then, thinking I could do the
business by daylight, for it was still early, and not caring to
interrupt my workmen, and being indisposed to take a servant with me, I
set off alone. When I reached the house of the treasurer, I found that
he had the money laid out before him, and was selecting the best pieces
as the King had ordered. It seemed to me, however, that that thief of a
treasurer was doing all he could to postpone the payment of the money;
nor were the pieces counted out until three hours after nightfall.
I meanwhile was not wanting in despatch, for I sent word to several of
my journeymen that they should come and attend me, since the matter was
one of serious importance. When I found that they did not arrive, I
asked the messenger if he had done my errand. The rascal of a groom whom
I had sent replied that he had done so, but that they had answered that
they could not come; he, however, would gladly carry the money for me. I
answered that I meant to carry the money myself. But this time the
contract was drawn up and signed. On the money being counted, I put it
all into my little basket, and then thrust my arm through the two
handles. Since I did this with some difficulty, the gold was well shut
in, and I carried it more conveniently than if the vehicle had been a
bag. I was well armed with shirt and sleeves of mail, and having my
sword and dagger at my side, made off along the street as quick as my
two legs would carry me.