Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 1.djvu/143

Rh within its bed, and to confine it there by trenches, and other effective barriers. By this, they not only acquired great fame, but their services were further acknowledged by the lords of Mantua, and the house of Este, with most honourable rewards.

In the year 1338, they returned to Siena, where the, near the old cathedral, and towards , was built after their designs, and by their direction ; and no long time after, the people of Siena, being highly satisfied with all the works executed by these masters, resolved to take that occasion for carrying into effect a purpose, of which they had previously spoken frequently, but hitherto without doing more : this was the construction of a purpose on the principal piazza of their city, and opposite to. Whereupon, the care of the work being entrusted to Agostino and Agnolo, they conducted the water, by means of pipes formed of lead and earth—a work of great difficulty—to the fountain, which began to pour forth its waters on the first day of June 1343, to the great joy of the whole city, which gratefully acknowledged its obligation to the talent of these two citizens for so great a benefit. At the same time, the hall of the great council in the townhouse was constructed, as was of the same edifice, by the designs and under the direction of these architects, in the year 1344. Two large bells (one of which the Sienese had from Grossetto, while the other was made in their own city) were placed in that tower. Agnolo ultimately proceeded to the city of Assisi, where he constructed a in the, with a marble tomb for the brother of , a cardinal, and brother of the order of St. Francis, who had died there. Agostino, who had remained at Siena, in the service of the state, expired in that city, while he was preparing the designs for adorning the fountain on the piazza above described, when an honourable interment in the cathedral was accorded to his remains. I have not been able to discover how or where Agnolo died, and can therefore say nothing more of that matter, or of other works of importance by these artists ; wherefore I will here close this notice of their life.

And now, it would without doubt be an error, if, following the order of time, I should fail to make mention of some