Girolamo

“ Tito looked at Girolamo, and sat down.
“You have been well advised,” said Girolamo, “and you have set up an effective barrier.”
“Pooh!” said Tito. “A woman's vanity is an instrument upon which the merest fool may play any tune he pleases. But I shall set up a more effective barrier still—the barrier of a tombstone—ere I've done. This insolent upstart shall be punished. To dare—to dare!” he cried.
Girolamo shrugged. “We have done enough,” said he. “Be content with that. More might be dangerous to ourselves. This knave of Isola stands well in the esteem of Cesare Borgia. ”

“ If I were discovered I should be murdered, and that would be better than to starve in Rome.”
“Your name?” interrupted Frà Girolamo. “Are you one whom I know?”
“You know me,” was the haughty response; “but my name is not pleasing to your ears. You I hate, ay, and all your works; but there is a day soon when all hates shall be satisfied.”
Girolamo Savonarola made quiet answer.
“If you are a follower of Piero de’ Medici, I warn you to quit Florence, for I cannot and would not save one of the tyrant’s tools from the just anger of the People–the People! ”

“ At length, on the 21st of August, 1482, Girolamo at the head of the Papal troops, and the celebrated "condottiere," Robert Malatesta, at the head of the Venetians, gave battle to the Neapolitans near Velletri, and won a victory over them. The success, such as it was, produced no very important or decisive consequences; but of course the utmost was made of it at Rome. Girolamo marched into the city in triumph, and prisoners and standards were paraded and presented to his lady Countess, who must have felt, thinks Burriel, that this was the happiest day in her life. ”

“ By these works Girolamo came into very great credit in Rome, and in the year 1550 he was introduced by the above-named Cardinal, his lord, who loved him dearly, into the service of Pope Julius III, who made him architect over the works of the Belvedere, giving him rooms in that place and a good salary. ”

“ The youth was now a young man—eighteen summers lay behind—when he disappeared from home.
Soon came a letter from Bologna in which Girolamo explained at length to his mother that the world's wickedness was to him intolerable, its ambition ashes, and its hopes not worth striving for. He had entered the monastery of Saint Dominico, and to save his family the pain of parting he had stolen quietly away. "I have harkened to the Voice," he said. ”

“ In like manner and with equal truth Starnina has pourtrayed the circumstances connected with the death-bed of San Girolamo. The saint, who is on the point of death, is dictating his testament; many monks, painted with admirable force and beauty, are around him, some of whom Gherardo represents writing, while others, fixedly regarding and earnestly listening to their master, seem to be storing up all his words with the utmost reverence and affection. ”

“ It was but the back of a figure in the long white Dominican tunic and scapulary, kneeling with bowed head before a crucifix. It might have been any ordinary Fra Girolamo, who had nothing worse to confess than thinking of wrong things when he was singing in coro, or feeling a spiteful joy when Fra Benedetto dropped the ink over his own miniatures in the breviary he was illuminating—who had no higher thought than that of climbing safely into Paradise up the narrow ladder of prayer, fasting, and obedience. ”

“ And the purer the government of Florence would become—the more secure from the designs of men who saw their own advantage in the moral debasement of their fellows—the nearer would the Florentine people approach the character of a pure community, worthy to lead the way in the renovation of the Church and the world. And Fra Girolamo’s mind never stopped short of that sublimest end: the objects towards which he felt himself working had always the same moral magnificence. ”

“ I have presented three petitions before, and to none of them have you paid attention. Now I am getting desperate, and can wait no longer. Look at my tattered clothes. Give me my money!'
'Let me go, I tell you,' said Girolamo, furiously, and he gave him a sweeping blow, so that the man fell on his back to the ground. 'How dare you come and insult me here in the public place! By God! I cannot keep my patience much longer.'
He brought out these words with such violence of passion that it seemed as if in them exploded the anger which had been gathering up through this time of humiliation. ”

“ Having been carried from that place to Urbino, he was buried with honour in the Vescovado, in front of the Chapel of S. Martino formerly painted by him; and his death caused extraordinary sorrow to his relatives and to all the citizens.
Girolamo was always an excellent man, insomuch that nothing was ever heard of any bad action committed by him. He was not only a painter, sculptor, and architect, but also a good musician and a fine talker, and his society was very agreeable. ”

“ They are men of small discernment who would be glad to see the people slipping the Frate’s leash just now. And if the Most Christian King is obstinate about the treaty to-day, and will not sign what is fair and honourable to Florence, Fra Girolamo is the man we must trust in to bring him to reason. ”

“ Frà Girolamo regarded him steadily.
“Are not you also,” he asked gently, “pleased to see this city brought a little way to repentance?”
“Friar,” answered the stranger vehe [193] mently, “I am your enemy. I stand for all you would destroy–the lust of the world, the pride of the beautiful, the power of the devil. I am also a ruined, outcast, beggared man, one of those your rule has banished from Florence. ”

“ You have braved him publicly; you have crossed the streets in triumph, amid the acclamation of the people, and they have accompanied you to your house with shouts of joy. Girolamo sees in you a rival—and from a rival there is only one safeguard.'
'And that—?' asked Checco.
'Is death!'
We were all silent for a moment; then Bartolomeo spoke again.
'He cannot allow you to live. He has threatened you before, but now he must carry his threats into effect. Take care!'
'I know,' said Checco, 'the sword is hanging over my head. But he dare not arrest me.'
'Perhaps he will try assassination. ”

“ She is eating her heart out for this quarrel with Rome—which no man may help, and it is but foolishness for women to meddle with; and she hath ever been too much under priestly sway. Why earnest thou hither this night?"
"For this cause and for no other," said Piero solemnly, "that thou mightest find me, if need should be for any service to her. And to swear to thee, by the Madonna and every saint of Venice, that I would give my life for her!"
But old Girolamo grew the angrier for Piero's professions of loyalty. "Shall her father do less than thou?" ”

“ Frà Girolamo fell back a step and raised a shuddering hand to shut out the awful fire.
The other flung back his mantle, and the great glow of the fire caught the embroideries on the gay dress hitherto concealed beneath.
[199]
“You dethroned the Medici,” he said; “these,”–he pointed to the crowd–“will dethrone you.”
Soft blackness rose up, choking the bright flames, blotting out the shouting people, the dim outline of the buildings swirling round the feet of Frà Girolamo and mounting to his eyes. He cast himself on his knees and seemed to sink forward on nothingness ”

“ Girolamo, the brother of this spendthrift monk, and equally a favourite of his uncle, was a layman; and the process of enriching and aggrandising him was necessarily a somewhat slower one. Not even a fifteenth-century pope could accomplish so monstrous an iniquity and insult to humanity as the promotion of Peter Riario in any other branch or department of human affairs save the Church! Girolamo, however, who was, we are told, "not literate," was at once made Captain-General of the pontifical troops, and Governor of the Castle of St. ”

“ Girolamo at Venice, where, in competition with Giovanni Bellini, whom he equals, and with Vittore Carpaccia, whom he surpasses, he represented the Saint caressing a Lion, and some monks who fly in terror at the sight. Composition, expression, colour, for felicity, energy, [342] and mellowness, if not above every work of the times, surpass all else produced by the family of the Vivarini. ”

“ Her views regarding Messer Ferrante must be corrected.
“Fool,” said he contemptuously, “do you conceive that this adventurer is taken by your white face and baby eyes?”
“With what else, then, pray?” quoth she, her brows arched upwards.
“With the name of Genelleschi and the portion that is yours. What else have you that shall draw a needy adventurer?”
A flush overspread the pretty, foolish face. “Is it so?” she asked, turning to Girolamo. “Is it indeed so?” Her tone quivered a little.
Girolamo flung out his hands and shrugged. “Beyond all doubt,” he assured her. “We have sound knowledge.” ”

“ The theatre itself is small, being something under the size of our old Haymarket little theatre, but is very neatly and tastefully fitted up. The puppets are about half of the natural size of man, and Girolamo, aided by one or two others, works them and gives them gesture, by means of strings, which are, however, so well contrived as to be scarcely visible; and Girolamo himself speaks for all, as, besides being a ventriloquist, he has a most astonishing faculty of varying his voice, and adapting it to the rôle of each puppet, so that the illusion is complete. ”

“ Tito, the elder, heard and frowned, read the letter and laughed between contempt and anger, then passed it to Girolamo, who swore unpleasant oaths and lastly bade Leocadia call their sister.
“Who is this man Ferrante?” inquired Girolamo, when the woman departed on her errand.
Tito, who was pacing the chamber, stopped short and snorted contemptuously. “A by-blow of the Sicilian Lord of Isola by a peasant woman—a base knave of no fortune, an adventurer, who likely seeks to use our house and an alliance with it as a means to his ends.” ”

“ People also spoke of the cordiality of Girolamo towards our Checco; he walked up and down the room with him, arm in arm, talking affectionately; it reminded the onlookers of the time when they had been as brothers together. Caterina occasionally gave them a glance and a little smile of approval; she was evidently well pleased with the reconciliation.
I was making my way through the crowd, watching the various people, giving a word here and there or a nod, and I thought that life was really a very amusing thing. ”

“ The church, indeed, is a rich gallery, containing numerous masterpieces of the art; among which the S. Giorgio of Paolo (Veronese) too far transcends the rest; but the painting of Girolamo shines almost like a precious jewel, surprising the spectator by an indescribable union of what is graceful, bright, and lucid, which it presents to the eye. He survived many years after the production of this piece, highly esteemed, and in particular for his miniatures, in which he was accounted the first artist in Italy ”

“ When he wakes his adventure at the Palazzo Genelleschi will seem a dream to him. Besides, he'll be in haste to redeem the time he has lost, and he'll ride like the wind for Imola. He may be stirring again before dawn.”
“Start enough for me,” said Girolamo, and took the letter. “There will be a surprise in store for Messer Ramiro de Lorqua when he marches upon Tigliano. If Caserta knows anything of the art of war he should annihilate the Borgia captain.”
On that they parted, Girolamo to ride to San Ciascano, and Tito to dispose of Ferrante against his waking. ”

“ And as Girolamo could not give it up, she confided her distress to his guardians, speaking--for by reason of her boy's great wealth she thought to make, as it were, an orange-tree out of a bramble--on this wise:--"This boy of ours, who is now scarce fourteen years old, is so in love with a daughter of one of our neighbours, a tailor-- Salvestra is the girl's name--that, if we part them not, he will, peradventure, none else witting, take her to wife some day, and I shall never be happy again; or, if he see her married to another, he will pine away ”

“ As he grew up, consorting more frequently with the neighbours' children than any others of the quarter, he made friends with a girl of his own age that was the daughter of a tailor; and in course of time this friendship ripened into a love so great and vehement, that Girolamo was ever ill at ease when he saw her not; nor was her love for him a whit less strong than his for her. Which his mother perceiving would not seldom chide him therefor and chastise him. ”

“ There is now living in Rome, and certainly a very able artist in his vocation, the painter Girolamo Sicciolante of Sermoneta, of whom, although we have already named him in the Life of Perino del Vaga, whose disciple he was, [1] and whom he assisted greatly in his works at the Castel Sant’ Angelo and elsewhere, it will yet be well to say here also what his merits so amply deserve. Among the first works of Girolamo was a picture twelve palms high, which he painted in oil at the age of twenty, and which is now in the Abbey of San Stefano near Sermoneta, his native place. ”

“ In the same monastery, and at the upper end of the Refectory, there is a picture in oil by the hand of a certain Fra Girolamo, a lay brother of San Domenico, [91] of whom there has before been mention made; there is a picture in oil, I say, which Fra Girolamo copied from that most beautiful Supper of Our Lord, painted in the Monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie, at Milan, by Leonardo da Vinci, and which he has imitated so exactly, that I was much amazed by the beauty and fidelity of the work. ”