"There was a man, _tanto buono_, as good as could be, who lived in
squalid misery. He had a wife and two children, one blind and another
_storpia_ or crippled, and so ugly, both--_non si dice_--beyond telling!
"This poor man in despair often wept, and then he would repeat:
"'The wheel of Fortune turns, they say,
But for me it turns the other way;
I work with good-will, but do what I may,
I have only bad luck from day to day.'
"'Yes, little to eat and less to wear, and two poor girls, one blind and
one lame. People say that Fortune is blind herself, and cannot walk, but
she does not bless those who are like her, that is sure!' And so he
wailed and wept, till it was time to go forth to seek work to gain their
daily bread. And a hard time he had of it.
"Now it happened that very late one night, or very early one morning, as
one may say, between dark and dawn, he went to the forest to cut wood.
When having called to Fortune as was his wont--_Ai_! what was his
surprise to see--_tutta ad un tratto_--all at once, before his eyes, a
gleam of light, and raising his head, he beheld a lady of enchanting
beauty passing along rapidly, and yet not walking--on a rolling ball--_e
ciondolava le gambe_--moving her limbs--I cannot say feet, for she had
none. In place of them were two wheels, and these wheels, as they
turned, threw off flowers from which there came delicious perfume.
"The poor man uttered a sigh of relief seeing this, and said:
"'Beautiful lady, believe me when I say that I have invoked thee every
day. Thou art the Lady of the Wheels of Fortune, and had I known how
beautiful thou art, I would have worshipped thee for thy beauty alone.
Even thy very name is beautiful to utter, though I have never been able
to couple it with mine, for one may see that I am not one of the
fortunate. Yet, though thou art mine enemy, give me, I pray, just a
little of the luck which flies from thy wheel!
"'Yet do not believe, I pray, that I am envious of those who are thy
favourites, nor that because thou art my enemy that I am thine, for if
thou dost not deem that I am worthy, assuredly I do not deserve thy
grace, nor will I, like many, say that Fortune is not beautiful, for
having seen thee, I can now praise thee more than ever.'
"'I do not cast my favours always on those who deserve them,' replied
Fortune, 'yet this time my wheel shall assist thee. But tell me, thou
man of honesty and without envy, which wouldst thou prefer--to be
fortunate in all things thyself alone, or to give instead as much good
luck to _two_ men as miserable as thou art? If thou wilt gain the prize
for thyself alone, turn and pluck one of these flowers! If for others,
then take two.'
"The poor man replied: 'It is far better, lady, to raise two families to
prosperity than one. As for me, I can work, and I thank God and thee
that I can do so much good to so many, although I do not profit by it
myself;' and saying this, he advanced and plucked two flowers.
"Fortune smiled. 'Thou must have heard,' she said, 'that where I spend,
I am lavish and extravagant, and assuredly thou knowest the saying that
"Three is the lucky number," or nine. Now I make it a rule that when I
relieve families, I always do it by threes--_la spando a tre
famiglie_--so do thou go and pluck a flower for thyself!'
"Then the poor man, hearing this, went to the wheels, and let them turn
till a very large fine flower came forth, and seized it, whereat Fortune
smiled, and said:
"'I always favour the bold. Now go and sit on yonder bench till some one
comes.' And saying this, she vanished.
"There came two very poor woodcutters whom he knew well. One had two
sons, another a son and a daughter, and one and all were as poor and
miserable as could be.
"'What has come over thee, that thou art looking so handsome and young,'
said one amazed, as he came up.
"'And what fine clothes!' remarked the second.
"'It shall be so anon for ye both,' replied the favourite of Fortune;
'only take these flowers and guard them well.'
"Si, Signore, they sat down on the bench three beggars, and they rose
three fine cavaliers, in velvet and satin, with gold-mounted swords, and
found their horses and attendants waiting. And when they got home, they
did not know their wives or children, nor were they known unto them, and
it was an hour before all was got right. Then all went with them as if
it were oiled. The first man found a great treasure the very first day
in his cellar--in fine, they all grew rich, and the three sons married
the three girls, and they all put the three wheels on their _scudi_. One
of the wheels is the ball on which Fortune rolled along, and the other
two are her feet; or else the three men each took a wheel to himself.
Anyhow, there they are, pick and choose, Signore--_chi ha piu cervello_,
_l'usi_!--let him who has brains, brain!
"Now, it is a saying that _ogni fior non fa frutto_--every blossom doth
not bear a fruit--but the flowers of Fortune bear fruit enough to make up
for the short crop elsewhere.
"But there is some sense and use in such stories as these, Signore, after
all; for a poor devil who half believes--and very often quite believes in
them--gets a great deal of hope and comfort out of them. They make him
trust that luck or fairies or something will give him a good turn yet
some day--_chi sa_?--and so he hopes, and truly, as they say that no
pretty girl is ever quite poor, so no man who hopes is ever really
broken--_grazie_, _Signore_! I hope to tell you another story before
long."
* * * * *
There is something in the making Fortune with _two_ heels for feet which
suggests a memory of skate-rollers.
I once published an article in the _Ethnologische Monatsheft_ of
Budapest, which set forth more fully the idea expressed in this tale,
that the popular or fairy tale is a source of comfort, or a Bible to the
poor, for it always teaches the frequently delusive, but always cheering
lesson that good-luck or fortune may turn up some day, even for the most
unfortunate. The Scripture promises happiness for the poorest, or indeed
specially for the poorest in the next life; the fairy tale teaches that
Cinderella, the despised, and the youngest, humblest of the three, will
win fortune while here on earth. It inspires hope, which is a great
secret of happiness and success.
To which the learned Flaxius annotates:
"It hath escaped the author--as it hath indeed all mankind--that as the
first syllable of Fortuna is _fort_ (Latin _fortis_), so the true
beginning of luck is strength; and if we are to understand by _una_,
'one' or 'only,' we may even believe that the name means strength alone
or vigorous will, in accordance with which the ancients declared that
'Fortune favours the bold,' and also _Fortuna contentionis studiosa
est_--'Fortune delights in strife.' Therefore she is ever fleeting in
this world. _Fortuna simul cum moribus immutatur_, as Boethius hath it."
THE STORY OF THE UNFINISHED PALACE
A LEGEND OF THE VIA DEL PROCONSOLO
"'Yes, you have cheated me,' howled the devil to the architect. 'But
I lay a curse upon your work. It shall never be finished.'"--_Snow
and Planche's_ "_Legends of the Rhine_."
All great and ancient buildings which were never finished have a legend
referring to their incompleteness. There was one relative to the
Cathedral of Cologne, which may be found in Planche's "Legends of the
Rhine," and as there is a _palazzo non finito_ in Florence, I at once
scented an old story; nor was I disappointed, it being unearthed in due
time, and written out for me as follows: