s, both
male and female; arms and helmet-crests, and other suchlike things. Very
beautiful is a peasant who is having a tooth drawn, and is feeling such
pain, that he does not notice that meanwhile a woman is robbing his
purse. All these works of Albrecht and Lucas have brought it about that
many other Flemings and Germans after them have printed similar sheets
of great beauty.

But returning to Marc' Antonio: having arrived in Rome, he engraved on
copper a most lovely drawing by Raffaello da Urbino, wherein was the
Roman Lucretia killing herself, which he executed with such diligence
and in so beautiful a manner, that Raffaello, to whom it was straightway
carried by some friends, began to think of publishing in engravings some
designs of works by his hand, and then a drawing that he had formerly
made of the Judgment of Paris, wherein, to please himself, he had drawn
the Chariot of the Sun, the nymphs of the woods, those of the fountains,
and those of the rivers, with vases, the helms of ships, and other
beautiful things of fancy all around; and when he had made up his mind,
these were engraved by Marc' Antonio in such a manner as amazed all
Rome. After them was engraved the drawing of the Massacre of the
Innocents, with most beautiful nudes, women and children, which was a
rare work; and then the Neptune, with little stories of AEneas around it,
the beautiful Rape of Helen, also after a drawing by Raffaello, and
another design in which may be seen the death of S. Felicita, who is
being boiled in oil, while her sons are beheaded. These works acquired
such fame for Marc' Antonio, that his engravings were held in much
higher estimation, on account of their good design, than those of the
Flemings; and the merchants made very large profits out of them.

Raffaello had kept an assistant called Baviera for many years to grind
his colours; and since this Baviera had a certain ability, Raffaello
ordained that he should attend to the printing of the engravings
executed by Marc' Antonio, to the end that all his compositions might
thus be finished, and then sold in gross and in detail to all who
desired them. And so, having set to work, they printed a vast number,
which brought very great profit to Raffaello; and all the plates were
signed by Marc' Antonio with the following signatures, "R.S." for the
name of Raffaello Sanzio of Urbino, and "M.F." for that of Marc'
Antonio. Among these works were a Venus embraced by Love, after a