BY labouring incessantly I had now got my various works well forward;
the Jupiter was nearly finished, and the vase also; the door began to
reveal its beauties. At that time the King came to Paris; and though I
gave the right date of the year 1544 for my daughter’s birth, we were
still in 1543; but an opportunity of mentioning my daughter having
arisen, I availed myself of it, so as not to interrupt the narrative of
more important things. Well, the King, as I have said, came to Paris,
and paid me a visit soon after his arrival. The magnificent show of
works brought well-nigh to completion was enough to satisfy anybody’s
eye; and indeed it gave that glorious monarch no less contentment than
the artist who had worked so hard upon them desired. While inspecting
these things, it came into his head that the Cardinal of Ferrara had
fulfilled none of his promises to me, either as regarded a pension or
anything else. Whispering with his Admiral, he said that the Cardinal of
Ferrara had behaved very badly in the matter; and that he intended to
make it up to me himself, because he saw I was a man of few words, who
in the twinkling of an eye might decamp without complaining or asking
leave.
On returning home, his Majesty, after dinner, told the Cardinal to give
orders to his treasurer of the Exchequer that he should pay me at an
early date seven thousand crowns of gold, in three or four instalments,
according to his own convenience, provided only that he executed the
commission faithfully. At the same time he repeated words to this
effect: “I gave Benvenuto into your charge, and you have forgotten all
about him.” The Cardinal said that he would punctually perform his
Majesty’s commands; but his own bad nature made him wait till the King’s
fit of generosity was over. Meanwhile wars and rumours of wars were on
the increase; it was the moment when the Emperor with a huge army was
marching upon Paris. [1] Seeing the realm of France to be in great need
of money, the Cardinal one day began to talk of me, and said: “Sacred
Majesty, acting for the best, I have not had that money given to
Benvenuto. First, it is sorely wanted now for public uses. Secondly, so
great a donation would have exposed you to the risk of losing Benvenuto
altogether; for if he found himself a rich man, he might have invested
his money in Italy, and the moment some caprice took of him, he would
have decamped without hesitation. I therefore consider that your
Majesty’s best course will be to present him with something in your
kingdom, if you want to keep him in your service for any length of
time.” The King, being really in want of money, approved of these
arguments; nevertheless, like the noble soul he was, and truly worthy of
his royal station, he judged rightly that the Cardinal had acted thus in
order to curry favour rather than from any clear prevision of distressed
finances in so vast a realm.
Note 1. In 1544 Charles V. advanced toward Champagne and threatened
Paris, while the English were besieging Boulogne.