Page:The Life of Benvenuto Cellini Vol 1.djvu/95

Rh, and the burlesque revenge with which he chastised that fellow's coarseness. The same note of Florentine bizarrerie distinguishes the less agreeable incident in the tavern near Chioggia. Again, how racy, how native to the soil, is that altercation between Cellini and the old hag in a deserted street of the plague-stricken city! While posing as a hero, he was able to see the humorous side of himself also. This is shown in the passage where he relates how his good-natured housekeeper bantered him. But it is enough to have indicated these aspects of the Memoirs. The charm of the whole book very largely consists in a vivacity and elasticity of narrative style, which passes from grave to gay, from passion to mirth, from the serious occupations of the artist to the light amusements of the man of pleasure, without perceptible transitions, the author's own intense individuality pervading and connecting each successive mood.

After reviewing Cellini's autobiography, it should be mentioned that he appeared in his own lifetime as an author. He published two treatises: one upon the goldsmith's art, describing its several processes in detail; another upon sculpture, with special reference to bronze-foundry. These dissertations are