re thy _cappa e cotta_?'

"'Excellenza, behold them!' said the good man, uncovering the dish.
'And though I say it, no better _capponi cotte_ can be had in all our
country.'

"The Bishop and all round him gazed with breathless admiration on the
fowls, so plump, so delicious, so exquisitely roasted, with lemons
ranged round them. It was just the hungry time of day, and, in
short, the priest had made a blessed happy blunder, and one which was
greatly admired. There was general applause.

"'_Figlio mio_!' said the Bishop with a smile, 'take my blessing!
Thou alone of all the ministers of our diocese didst rightly
understand the spirit and meaning of an episcopal edict.'"

THE LANTERNS OF THE STROZZI PALACE

"And what this man did was, as the proverb says, _mostrare altrui
lucciole per laterne_--made him believe that fire-flies were
lanterns--which means to deceive any one."--_Italian Proverbs_.

As all visitors to Florence will have their attention called to the
Strozzi Palace, and its rings and lanterns, the following will probably
prove to them to be of interest:

"The _campanelle_, or great iron rings, which are on the Strozzi
Palace, were the result of rivalry with the Pitti family.

"The Strozzi built their palace first, and then the Pitti said that
it would only fill a corner of their own far greater building. And
when the latter was finished, the Strozzi, to be even with them,
placed those magnificent _campanelle_ at the four corners, and then
the great lanterns which are so exquisitely worked, and these were
made by Niccolo il Grosso, a very ingenious but also very poor man,
who, having begun the work, could not finish it for want of money.

"One morning when this Niccolo was sitting on the stone bench of the
palace, there came by an old man who was carrying some onions, and
the artist begged a few of these to eat with his bread, telling him
he had no money. But the old man said, 'Take them, and welcome, for
a free gift, Niccolo. Truly, it pains me to see an excellent artist
like thee starving for want of proper patronage. Now I will lend
thee a round sum, which thou canst repay me when thou art in better
luck.'

"'But tell me,' inquired Niccolo, greatly amazed, 'how dost thou know
who I am?'

"The old man replied, 'I know thee, and that thou hast great ge