bel blocco
che hai sciupato!"--"Ammanato, what a fine block of marble thou hast
spoiled!"

The Italians say that the satyr at the corner of the Palazzo Vecchio is a
copy, because the original was stolen one night in January in 1821, "and
is now one of the finest bronzes in the British Museum of London." It
may be so; there was a great deal of fine stealing in those days. I
suspect, however, that the truth is that as these images return to life
now and then, the satyr availed himself of his revivification to set
forth on his travels, and coming to London and finding good company in
the British Museum, settled down there. But truly, when I think of the
wanton and heartless destruction of beautiful and valuable old relics
which has gone on of late years in Florence, to no earthly purpose, and
to no profit whatever, I feel as if all the tales of such things being
stolen or sold away to foreign museums were supremely silly, and as if it
were all just so much saved from ruin--in case the tales are true.

"_Haec fabula docet_," wrote Flaxius, "a strange lesson. For as it
was anciently forbidden to make images, because it was an imitation
of God's work; and secondly, because men believed that spirits would
enter into them--even so doth it become all novel-writers, romancers,
and poets, to take good heed how they portray satyrs, free-love
nymphs, and all such deviltry, because they may be sure that into
these models or types there will enter many a youthful soul, who will
be led away thereby to madness and ruin. Which is, I take it, the
most practical explanation for commandment, which hath been as yet
set _coram populo_."

THE RED GOBLIN OF THE BARGELLO

"Lord Foulis in his castle sat,
And beside him old Red-cap sly;
'Now tell me, thou sprite, who art mickle of might,
The death which I shall die?'"

--SCOTT'S _Border Minstrelsy_.

The Bargello has been truly described as one of the most interesting
historical monuments of Florence, and it is a very picturesque type of a
towered mediaeval palace. It was partly burned down in 1322, and rebuilt
in its present form by Neri di Fioravanti, after which it served as a
prison. Restored, or modernised, it is now a museum. As I conjectured,
there was some strange legend connected with it, and this was given to me
as follows:

IL FOLLETTO