d favour that he
enjoyed than of any profit or need that the building had of it.

This torment lasted before the eyes of Filippo until 1426, the friends
of Lorenzo calling him the inventor equally with Filippo; and this
annoyance disturbed the mind of Filippo so greatly that he was living in
the utmost restlessness. Now, having thought of various new devices, he
determined to rid himself entirely of Lorenzo, recognizing that he was
of little account in the work. Filippo had already raised the cupola
right round, what with the one vault and the other, to the height of
twelve braccia, and he had now to place upon them the ties both of stone
and of wood; and as this was a difficult matter, he wished to discuss it
with Lorenzo, in order to see if he had considered this difficulty. And
he found Lorenzo so far from having thought of such a matter, that he
replied that he referred it to Filippo as the inventor. Lorenzo's answer
pleased Filippo, since it appeared to him that this was the way to get
him removed from the work, and to prove that he did not possess that
intelligence which was claimed for him by his friends, and to expose the
favour that had placed him in that position. Now the masons engaged on
the work were at a standstill, waiting to be told to begin the part
above the twelve braccia, and to make the vaults and bind them with
ties. Having begun the drawing in of the cupola towards the top, it was
necessary for them to make the scaffoldings, to the end that the masons
and their labourers might be able to work without danger, seeing that
the height was such that merely looking down brought fear and terror
into the stoutest heart. The masons and the other master-builders were
standing waiting for directions as to the ties and the scaffoldings;
and since no decision was made either by Lorenzo or by Filippo, there
arose a murmuring among the masons and the other master-builders, who
saw no signs of the solicitude that had been shown before; and because,
being poor people, they lived by the work of their hands, and suspected
that neither one nor the other of the architects had enough courage to
carry the work any further, they went about the building occupying
themselves, to the best of their knowledge and power, with filling up
and finishing all that had as yet been built.

One morning Filippo did not appear at the work, but bound up his head
and went to bed, and caused plates and cloths to be heated with great
solic