A Florentine Tragedy | Page 7

art, Cellini never made a
fairer thing To please the great Lorenzo. You must wear it. There is
none worthier in our city here, And it will suit you well. Upon one side
A slim and horned satyr leaps in gold To catch some nymph of silver.
Upon the other Stands Silence with a crystal in her hand, No bigger
than the smallest ear of corn, That wavers at the passing of a bird, And
yet so cunningly wrought that one would say, It breathed, or held its
breath.
Worthy Bianca, Would not this noble and most costly robe Suit young
Lord Guido well?
Nay, but entreat him; He will refuse you nothing, though the price Be
as a prince's ransom. And your profit Shall not be less than mine.
BIANCA. Am I your prentice? Why should I chaffer for your velvet
robe?
GUIDO. Nay, fair Bianca, I will buy the robe, And all things that the
honest merchant has I will buy also. Princes must be ransomed, And
fortunate are all high lords who fall Into the white hands of so fair a
foe.
SIMONE. I stand rebuked. But you will buy my wares? Will you not
buy them? Fifty thousand crowns Would scarce repay me. But you, my
Lord, shall have them For forty thousand. Is that price too high? Name
your own price. I have a curious fancy To see you in this wonder of the
loom Amidst the noble ladies of the court, A flower among flowers.
They say, my lord, These highborn dames do so affect your Grace That
where you go they throng like flies around you, Each seeking for your
favour.
I have heard also Of husbands that wear horns, and wear them bravely,
A fashion most fantastical.
GUIDO. Simone, Your reckless tongue needs curbing; and besides,
You do forget this gracious lady here Whose delicate ears are surely
not attuned To such coarse music.
SIMONE. True: I had forgotten, Nor will offend again. Yet, my sweet

Lord, You'll buy the robe of state. Will you not buy it? But forty
thousand crowns--'tis but a trifle, To one who is Giovanni Bardi's heir.
GUIDO. Settle this thing to-morrow with my steward, Antonio Costa.
He will come to you. And you shall have a hundred thousand crowns If
that will serve your purpose.
SIMONE. A hundred thousand! Said you a hundred thousand? Oh! be
sure That will for all time and in everything Make me your debtor. Ay!
from this time forth My house, with everything my house contains Is
yours, and only yours.
A hundred thousand! My brain is dazed. I shall be richer far Than all
the other merchants. I will buy Vineyards and lands and gardens. Every
loom From Milan down to Sicily shall be mine, And mine the pearls
that the Arabian seas Store in their silent caverns.
Generous Prince, This night shall prove the herald of my love, Which is
so great that whatsoe'er you ask It will not be denied you.
GUIDO. What if I asked For white Bianca here?
SIMONE. You jest, my Lord; She is not worthy of so great a Prince.
She is but made to keep the house and spin. Is it not so, good wife? It is
so. Look! Your distaff waits for you. Sit down and spin. Women should
not be idle in their homes, For idle fingers make a thoughtless heart. Sit
down, I say.
BIANCA. What shall I spin?
SIMONE. Oh! spin Some robe which, dyed in purple, sorrow might
wear For her own comforting: or some long-fringed cloth In which a
new-born and unwelcome babe Might wail unheeded; or a dainty sheet
Which, delicately perfumed with sweet herbs, Might serve to wrap a
dead man. Spin what you will; I care not, I.
BIANCA. The brittle thread is broken, The dull wheel wearies of its
ceaseless round, The duller distaff sickens of its load; I will not spin
to-night.
SIMONE. It matters not. To-morrow you shall spin, and every day
Shall find you at your distaff. So Lucretia Was found by Tarquin. So,
perchance, Lucretia Waited for Tarquin. Who knows? I have heard
Strange things about men's wives. And now, my lord, What news
abroad? I heard to-day at Pisa That certain of the English merchants
there Would sell their woollens at a lower rate Than the just laws allow,
and have entreated The Signory to hear them.

Is this well? Should merchant be to merchant as a wolf? And should the
stranger living in our land Seek by enforced privilege or craft To rob us
of our profits?
GUIDO. What should I do With merchants or their profits? Shall I go
And wrangle with the Signory on your count? And wear the gown in
which you buy from fools, Or