e but represent saints on walls and tables, in order to
render men more devout or better in despite of the devils. For this
cause the devils are enraged with us, and as they have more power at
night than during the day, they come and play these pranks, and will
do worse if this practice of early rising is not entirely abandoned."
With these words, and many others, Buffalmacco succeeded in settling
the matter, as the priest supported his arguments, so that Tafi left
off his early rising and the devils ceased to go through the house at
night with lights. But not many months afterwards, when Tafi, induced
by desire of gain, and crushing every fear, began once more to rise
and work at night and to call Buffalmacco, the beetles also began to
make their rounds, so that the master was compelled by fear to give
it up entirely, being strongly advised to this by the priest.

When this thing became known through the city, it for a while
prevented other painters as well as Tafi from rising to work at
night. When, shortly afterwards, Buffalmacco himself became a fairly
good master he left Tafi, as the same Franco relates, and began to
work by himself, and he never lacked employment. Accordingly he took
a house to serve equally as a workshop and a dwelling-house, next
door to a worker of wool in easy circumstances, who, being a raw
simpleton, was called Goosehead. This man's wife rose early every
night, when Buffalmacco, who had worked up to that time, was going to
rest, and setting herself at her spinning wheel, which she
unfortunately placed over against Buffalmacco's bed, she spent all
the night in spinning thread. Buonamico was unable to sleep a moment,
and began to devise a means whereby to rid himself of this nuisance.
It was not long before he perceived that, behind the brick wall which
separated him from Goosehead, was the fire of his objectionable
neighbour, and by means of a crack he could see everything that she
did at the fire. Accordingly he devised a new trick, and provided
himself with a long tube. When he found that the wife of Goosehead
was not at the fire, he every now and again put through that hole in
the wall into his neighbour's pot as much salt as he wished. When
Goosehead returned either to dine or to sup he could, as a rule,
neither eat nor drink or taste either soup or meat, as everything was
made bitter by too much salt. For a little while he had patience, and
only spoke of it or grumbled; but when he found