"The Signore Pietro, who afterwards received the name Feroni, was a very
rich man, and yet hated by the poor, on whom he bestowed nothing, and not
much liked by his equals, though he gave them costly entertainments; for
there was in all the man and in his character something inconsistent and
contradictory, or of _corna contra croce_--'the horns against the cross,'
as the proverb hath it, which made it so that one never knew where to
have him:
"'Un, al monte, e l'altro al pian,
Quel che, e oggi, non e doman.'
"'On the hill in joy, in the dale in sorrow--
One thing to-day, and another to-morrow.'
"For to take him at every point, there was something to count off. Thus
in all the city there was no one--according to his own declaration--who
was
Richer or more prosperous,
Or who had enjoyed a better education,
Or who had such remarkable general knowledge of everything taking place,
Or more of a distinguished courtier,
Or one with such a train of dependants, and people of all kinds running
after him,
Or more generally accomplished,