Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 5.djvu/84

72 perfect obedience, that he was thereby permitted to live without cares as regarded his domestics. He had a room constructed almost in the manner of a fishpond, and in this he kept numerous snakes and serpents of various kinds, which could not get out; and here he found the greatest amusement, more particularly in the summer, from standing to look at these creatures; observing their fierce gambols, and the strange contortions they made, with indescribable pleasure and interest.

In his rooms at the Sapienza, Giovan-Francesco E-ustici was accustomed to assemble a company of gentlemen, who called themselves the Brotherhood or Society of the Paiuolo, their numbers were limited to twelve, and these were Eustici himself, Andrea del Sarto, the painter Spillo, Domenico Puligo, the goldsmith Robetta, Aristotile da Sangallo, Prancesco di Pellegrino, Niccolb Buoni, Domenico Baccelli, who played and sang most admirably, and the sculptor Solosmeo; Lorenzo’ called Guazzetto, the painter, was also of the number, as was Roberto di Filippo Lippi, who was their steward. Each of these members was permitted to bring four of his friends to their suppers and amusements of different kinds, but not more.

Now the order observed in these suppers was this (and I describe it the more willingly, because the custom of forming such companies is now almost wholly abandoned and laid down): every member was enjoined to contribute one dish to the repast, and in this dish it was always expected that he should display some new or ingenious invention; having brought his contribution, each member presented the same to the lord of the feast, who was always one of the members,