gh for them to imitate,
without in any way racking their brains, as Aristotile has done. And if
you, Perino, had executed it, as you say, with more scenes and
ornaments, perhaps you might not have done it with that grace which has
been achieved by Aristotile, who in that kind of painting has been
esteemed with much judgment by the Cardinal to be a better master than
you. Remember that in the end, by giving a wrong and unjust estimate,
you do harm not so much to Aristotile as to art and excellence in
general, and even more to your own soul, if you depart from what is
right for the sake of some private grievance; not to mention that all
who recognize the work as a good one, will censure not it but our weak
judgment, and may even put it down to envy and malice in our natures.
And whoever seeks to ingratiate himself with another, to glorify his own
works, or to avenge himself for any injury by censuring or estimating at
less than their true value the good works of others, is finally
recognized by God and man as what he is, namely, as malignant, ignorant,
and wicked. Consider, you who do all the work in Rome, how it would
appear to you if others were to value your labours as you do theirs? Put
yourself, I beg you, in the shoes of this poor old man, and you will see
how far you are from reason and justice."

Of such force were these and other words that Giorgio spoke lovingly to
Perino, that they arrived at a just estimate, and satisfaction was given
to Aristotile, who, with that money, with the payment for the picture
sent, as was related at the beginning, to France, and with the savings
from his salaries, returned joyously to Florence, notwithstanding that
Michelagnolo, who was his friend, had intended to make use of him in the
building that the Romans were proposing to erect on the Campidoglio.
Having thus returned to Florence in the year 1547, Aristotile went to
kiss the hands of the Lord Duke Cosimo, and besought his Excellency,
since he had set his hand to many buildings, that he should assist him
and make use of his services. And that lord, having received him
graciously, as he has always received men of excellence, ordained that
an allowance of ten crowns a month should be given to him, and said to
him that he would be employed according as occasion might arise. With
that allowance Aristotile lived peacefully for some years, without doing
anything more, and then died at the age of seventy, on the last day of
May in th