for him. ‘How?’ said one of them,
’do you not know what his intentions are?’
‘Yes,’ replied Lorenzo, ’but I would
not do anything without him.’” This he
said by way of excusing himself; for as he had not
seen the model of Filippo, and had never asked him
what method he meant to pursue, that he might not appear
ignorant, so he now felt completely out of his depth,
being thus referred to his own judgment, and the more
so as he knew that he was employed in that undertaking
against the will of Filippo. The illness of the
latter having already lasted more than two days, the
purveyor of the works, with many of the master-builders,
went to see him, and repeatedly asked him to tell
them what they should do; but he constantly replied,
‘You have Lorenzo, let him begin to do something
for once.’ Nor could they obtain from him
any other reply. When this became known, it caused
much discussion: great blame was thrown upon the
undertaking, and many adverse judgments were uttered.
Some said that Filippo had taken to his bed from grief,
at finding that he had not power to accomplish the
erection of the Cupola, and that he was now repenting
of having meddled with the matter; but his friends
defended him, declaring that his vexation might arise
from the wrong he had suffered in having Lorenzo given
to him as a colleague, but that his disorder was pleurisy,
brought on by his excessive labors for the work.
In the midst of all this tumult of tongues, the building
was suspended, and almost all the operations of the
masons and stone-cutters came to a stand. These
men murmured against Lorenzo, and said, ’He
is good enough at drawing the salary, but when it
comes to directing the manner in which we are to proceed,
he does nothing; if Filippo were not here, or if he
should remain long disabled, what can Lorenzo do?
and if Filippo be ill, is that his fault?’ The
wardens, perceiving the discredit that accrued to
them from this state of things, resolved to make Filippo
a visit, and having reached his house, they first
condoled with him on his illness, told him into what
disorder the building had fallen, and described the
troubles which this malady had brought on them.
Whereupon Filippo, speaking with much heat, partly
to keep up the feint of illness, but also in part
from his interest in the work, exclaimed, ’What!
is not Lorenzo there? why does not he do something?
I cannot but wonder at your complaints.’
To this the wardens replied, ’He will not do
anything without you.’ Whereunto Filippo
made answer, ’But I could do it well enough
without him.’ This acute and doubly significant
reply sufficed to the wardens, and they departed,
having convinced themselves that Filippo was sick
of the desire to work alone; they therefore sent certain
of his friends to draw him from his bed, with the
intention of removing Lorenzo from the work.
Filippo then returned to the building, but seeing
the power that Lorenzo possessed by means of the favor
he enjoyed, and that he desired to receive the salary