ompanied to
the grave by all the painters, architects, sculptors, and goldsmiths,
and by almost all the people of that city, which continued for a long
time to compose in his honour various kinds of verses in diverse
tongues, whereof it must suffice us to cite the few that are to be read
below.

But before I come to the epitaphs, it will not be amiss to relate the
following story of him as well. When he had fallen sick, and only a
little before his death, certain of his relatives went to visit him; and
after they had greeted him, as is customary, and condoled with him, they
said that it was his duty to leave them a farm that he had in the
district of Prato, although it was small and produced a very meagre
income; and they prayed him straitly to do it. Hearing this, Donato, who
showed something of the good in all that he did, said to them, "I cannot
satisfy you, my kinsmen, because I intend to leave it--as it appears to
me reasonable--to the peasant, who has always worked it and endured
great labour thereby, and not to you, who, without having bestowed upon
it anything more profitable than the thought of possessing it, expect me
to leave it to you because of this your visit! Go, and may God bless
you!" Of a truth such relatives, who have no love unconnected with
advantage or with the hope of it, should be ever treated in this
fashion. Sending therefore for a notary, he left the said farm to the
labourer who had always worked it, and who perchance had behaved better
to him in his need than those relatives had done. His art-possessions he
left to his pupils, namely, Bertoldo, a sculptor of Florence, who
imitated him closely enough, as may be seen from a very beautiful battle
between men on horseback, wrought in bronze, which is now in the
guardaroba of the Lord Duke Cosimo; Nanni d'Antonio di Banco, who died
before him; and Rossellino, Desiderio, and Vellano da Padova. In short,
it may be said that every man who has sought to do good work in relief
since the death of Donato, has been his disciple. He was resolute in
draughtsmanship, and he made his drawings with such mastery and boldness
that they have no equals, as may be seen in my book, wherein I have
figures drawn by his hand, both clothed and nude, animals that make all
who see them marvel, and other most beautiful things of that kind. His
portrait was made by Paolo Uccello, as it has been said in his Life. The
epitaphs are as follows:

SCULTURA H.M. A FLORENTINI