Page:The Life of Benvenuto Cellini Vol 1.djvu/94

Rh This quality of vivid vision makes itself peculiarly felt in the narrative of his dangerous passage across the Lake of Wallenstadt. Here every detail contributes to the presentation of a specifically Swiss landscape—the steep and cavernous cliffs of the Churfirsten, the dreary rain beating upon precipitous lawns and hanging fir-woods, the night-watchman in the town of Glarus, the sudden breaking of a glorious day upon the Lake of Zurich, and then the little city of Zürich itself—città maravigliosa pulita quanto un gioiello.

Having already touched upon his power of portrait-painting with the pen, I need not return to that topic. It should, however, be remarked that his method of sketching men resembles his treatment of things and places. There is very little of description. The characters present themselves so vividly before our eyes because they were so clearly visible to Cellini's mind while writing, because he so firmly seized what was to him essential in their personalities, and so powerfully communicated the impression made upon his sensibilities by contact with them.

Cellini's autobiography might also be studied from the side of humour. Many passages remind us of the Florentine Novelle, notably of the old tale entitled Il Grasso Legnaiuolo, and of Lasca's stories about Pilucca and his mischievous companions. Take, for example, the episode of his quarrel with