WELL, then, to return to my affairs. When certain decisions of the court
were sent me by those lawyers, and I perceived that my cause had been
unjustly lost, I had recourse for my defence to a great dagger which I
carried; for I have always taken pleasure in keeping fine weapons. The
first man I attacked was the plaintiff who had sued me; and one evening
I wounded him in the legs and arms so severely, taking care, however,
not to kill him, that I deprived him of the use of both his legs. Then I
sought out the other fellow who had brought the suit, and used him also
in such wise that he dropped it.
Returning thanks to God for this and every other dispensation, and
hoping to be left awhile without worries, I bade the young men of my
household, especially the Italians, for God’s sake to attend each
diligently to the work I set him, and to help me till such time as I
could finish the things I had in hand. I thought they might soon be
completed, and then I meant to return to Italy, being no longer able to
put up with the rogueries of those Frenchmen; the good King too, if he
once grew angry, might bring me into mischief for many of my acts in
self-defence. I will describe who these Italians were; the first, and
the one I liked best, was Ascanio, from Tagliacozzo in the kingdom of
Naples; the second was Pagolo, a Roman of such humble origin that he did
now know his own father. These were the two men who had been with me in
Rome, and whom I had taken with me on the journey. Another Roman had
also come on purpose to enter my service; he too bore the name of
Pagolo, and was the son of a poor nobleman of the family of the
Macaroni; he had small acquirements in our art, but was an excellent and
courageous swordsman. I had another from Ferrara called Bartolommeo
Chioccia. There was also another from Florence named Pagolo Micceri; his
brother, nicknamed “Il Gatta,” was a clever clerk, but had spent too
much money in managing the property of Tommaso Guadagni, a very wealthy
merchant. This Gatta put in order for me the books in which I wrote the
accounts of his most Christian Majesty and my other employers. Now
Pagolo Micceri, having learned how to keep them from his brother, went
on doing this work for me in return for a liberal salary. He appeared,
so far as I could judge, to be a very honest lad, for I noticed him to
be devout, and when I heard him sometimes muttering psalms, and
sometimes telling his beads, I reckoned much upon his feigned virtue.
Accordingly I called the fellow apart and said to him, “Pagolo, my
dearest brother, you know what a good place you have with me, and how
you had formerly nothing to depend on; besides, you are a Florentine. I
have also the greater confidence in you because I observe that you are
pious and religious, which is a thing that pleases me. I beg you
therefore to assist me, for I cannot put the same trust in any of your
companions: so then I shall ask you to keep watch over two matters of
the highest importance, which might prove a source of much annoyance to
me. In the first place, I want you to guard my property from being
stolen, and not touch it yourself. In the next place, you know that poor
young girl, Caterina; I keep her principally for my art’s sake, since I
cannot do without a model; but being a man also, I have used her for my
pleasures, and it is possible that she may bear me a child. Now I do not
want to maintain another man’s bastards, nor will I sit down under such
an insult. If any one in this house had the audacity to attempt anything
of the sort, and I were to become aware of it, I verily believe that I
should kill both her and him. Accordingly, dear brother, I entreat you
to be my helper; should you notice anything, tell it me at once; for I
am sure to send her and her mother and her fellow to the gallows. Be you
the first upon your watch against falling into this snare.” The rascal
made a sign of the cross from his head to his feet and cried out: “O
blessed Jesus! God preserve me from ever thinking of such a thing! In
the first place, I am not given to those evil ways; in the next place,
do you imagine I am ignorant of your great benefits toward me?” When I
heard these words, which he uttered with all appearance of simplicity
and affection for me, I believed that matters stood precisely as he
asserted.