." Then the Wardens answered, "He will do naught
without thee"; and Filippo retorted, "But I could do well without him."
This retort, so acute and double-edged, was enough for them, and they
went their way, convinced that Filippo was ill from nothing but the
desire to work alone. They sent his friends, therefore, to get him out
of bed, with the intention of removing Lorenzo from the work. Wherefore
Filippo returned to the building, but, seeing that Lorenzo was still
strongly favoured and that he would have his salary without any labour
whatsoever, he thought of another method whereby he might disgrace him
and demonstrate conclusively his little knowledge in that profession;
and he made the following discourse to the Wardens in the presence of
Lorenzo: "My Lords the Wardens of Works, if the time that is lent to us
to live were as surely ours as the certainty of dying, there is no doubt
whatsoever that many things which are begun would be completed instead
of remaining unfinished. The accident of this sickness from which I have
suffered might have cut short my life and put a stop to the work;
wherefore I have thought of a plan whereby, if I should ever fall sick
again, or Lorenzo, which God forbid, one or the other may be able to
pursue his part of the work. Even as your Lordships have divided the
salary between us, let the work also be divided, to the end that each of
us, being spurred to show his knowledge, may be confident of acquiring
honour and profit from our Republic. Now there are two most difficult
things which have to be put into execution at the present time: one
is the making of the scaffoldings to enable the masons to do their work,
which have to be used both within and without the building, where they
must support men, stones, and lime, and sustain the crane for lifting
weights, with other instruments of that kind; the other is the chain of
ties which has to be placed above the twelve braccia, surrounding and
binding together the eight sides of the cupola, and clamping the fabric
together, so that it may bind and secure all the weight that is laid
above, in such a manner that the weight may not force it out or stretch
it, and that the whole structure may rest firmly on its own basis. Let
Lorenzo, then, take one of these two works, whichever he may think
himself best able to execute; and I will undertake to accomplish the
other without difficulty, to the end that no more time may be lost."
Hearing this, Lorenzo