A Jay of Italy

th a suite of tentmen, pages, falconers, bed-carriers, and other personnel of a migratory lord on his way from the cooling hills to the Indian summer of the plains. The chief of the little party, h

s, conscious of their exclusive caste, swore by God prescript

y languidly beside him. She was a slumberous, ivory-faced creature warm and insolent and lazy

a bully and profligate-which he was; but, for his times, with some redeeming features. His thigh, in its close violet hose, and the long blade which hung at it seemed somehow i

e great mountains to the north, had a little bush of juniper thrust out on a staff above its door. It looked like a dry tongue protruded in deri

uriously. But the boy had scarcely reached the ground when t

hundered: 'did you

trious

r ears? Nailed

the utterances of the litt

like, in another moment, to have addressed thee out of a burning bush. What! I would drink, swine! And, harkee, some

y, took solace of a private curse as h

the Sforzas! limbs

ck as he muttered, making him roar out; and the

oking, scoring limbs! ha-h

g to him toe and claw. Slewing his gross head, he saw, squatted upon his

ng all the time to stagger with his burden out of earshot)-'prithee spare to da

s a frog a pike, hooked its small

n by his grandness to a guts! If I fail to bas

the landlord, stag

thing. At what

his blindness at the po

st in m

best,

esser Cicada, there is a fat cold capo

at wine

ou wilt,

rred him with

ge, titubate, and evanish

I canno

nd stoppered jars innumerable; shelves of deep blue flasks; lolling amphor?, and festoons of cobwebs drunk with must. Cicada leapt with one spring to a barrel, on which he squatted, rather now like a

d. 'Thy wit is less a

ongue roll on that,' he said, 'and call me grateful. As to the ca

ask at his mouth. The wine sa

d bubbling-'go, and damn thy capon;

remote jar, and armed with it and some vessels of twisted glass, mounted to da

'the sweetest wine, like the s

of the cellars, me

draught, and tu

e; it is, indeed, near th

icately, and nodded. The ca

asia,

feet of prettiest contadina, and much favoured

in a great flat basin among hills, on one of the lowest of which,

mpanion with a grin; 'hast heard of Giuseppe de

e Parablist, Madonna,' put in t

'who the devil is this Parab

they say, in the year of the great fall. He was found at the feet of Mary's statue; and, certes, he is

faith, to be caro

orning, to Milan, whither he vouches he has had a call. And for his carous

stopped at the

bly; 'nay, not even the rebuking by his parables of o

guff

ason, dog. What i

cent? Set a saint, I

r laughe

nt for that, I trow, f

he Lord Abbot himself

of a niche for myself. I too am the son of my father, dear Messer Ciacco, as this Parablist is, I'l

himself between de

I am no expert to prove the common au

ly him, chuckled loudly, and then, rising, brought his whip with a b

et son of the Church!

lass, still laughing into it, and, handi

y whelp of a saint is on his wa

among visions and voices; and at the last, it seems, they've spelled him out Galeazzo-though what the devil the need is there? as your Magni

e. 'This is a very good foo

rd, and wagging his sage head. 'I'm not the most pious of m

lord, like

my lady. 'Wouldst like to add him to Cicada

ve enough of monstrosities. Will

ns, 'it puzzles me only how the Abbot

than love. A' must out or kill. And so he had to let Messer Bembo go his gaits with a letter only to this monastery and that, i

ng apart. Messer Lanti stared

his strong teeth, 'this Giuseppe p

mpany adoring and obsequious, had come out by the door, and stood regarding her quietly. She had expected some apparition of austerity,

first motion of her heart towards him was like the leap of motherhood. Then she laughed, with

d into the

grave young voice, 'and fair as your face b

uth, pouting as a child's, something combative, and with lips like tinted wax. Like a girl's his jaw was round and beardless, and his hair a golden fleece, cut square at the neck, and its ends brittle as if they had been singed in fire. His doublet and hose were of palest pi

hed rudel

cried. 'It will please us, hearing of you

im a little, swung his

have, gracious

phesy us our ca

your name

I am Carlo Lanti, gentleman of the Duke, and this fair

rings. And all in a moment he was improvising the strang

ttle else pos

tate incompara

ing on a j

committed

h you I pledge

ove, that I re

as gone, thinking

exact fellow

d's gem to one w

-haunted, wasted

joyment, lest he sho

ng, she gave h

ommended her; and,

precious jewel

where the residu

this lady ver

ole value, as she

's dearest

honour is a

shrug of abandonment, and dropped the lute from his fingers. His voice had been small and low, bu

supposing it aims at our case, why-Casa Caprona

atrice, who was frown

f?' she said. 'Will you co

suddenly i

course!' he ejacu

gue!' cried th

head went into a

re his means to convert the Duke! By Saint Ambrose, 't

y consent,'

, looked at her, then doffed

ve us the honour of your company thither. I am in good standing with the Duke, I say, and you would lose nothing by having a friend at

ne Master,' said the boy boldly,

is spirit; 'but a gospel that goes in silken doublet and

of its gloom. The kingdom of man shall be love, and the government thereof. Preach heresy in rags. 'Twas the Lord Abbot equipped me thus, my own stout heart prevailing. "Well, they will encounter a

ic, an amazing child. The rough li

id he; 'for with a cracked skull it might go

reap the harvest where

serene severity

outed Lanti. 'Up, pretty troubadour, an

he shall not,'

all, I

and rake him w

s come not often in such a guise as this. Up,

s, the fool Cicada sprang from the tavern door, and, lurching with wild, glazed eyes, leapt, hooting, upon the crupper of the bea

idden over the writhing body, had not Bemb

'Hast never thyself been drunk, and without the e

rasshopper took advantage of the diversion to rise and slink