Искусства и ремесла Средневековья

70 Arts and Crafts in the Middle Ages

colour, nor mix them with ruЬies, emeralds, or other precious stones, except as а cгystal simply without mounting or dyeing." Опе day Cellini had foнnd а ruby ,vhich he believed to Ье set dishunestly, that is, а vегу pale stone ,vith а thick coating of dragon's Ыооd sшeared on its back. \Vhen he took it to some of his favourite" dunderheads," they ,vеге sше that l1e ,vas mistaken, saying tЬat it had Ьееп set Ьу а uoted jewelleг, апd couJd not Ье an iшposi­ tion. So Benvenuto immediately гешоvеd tl1e stone from its setting, thereby exposing the fraud. "Then might that гнЬу have been likened to the c1·ow which tricked itself out iп thc featheгs of tl1c peacock," observes Cellini, adding that he advised these "olcl fossils in the агt" to pгovide themselves ,vith better eyes than they then шоrе. " I could not гesist saying this," chuckles Benvenнto, "because all three of thcш wo1·e great gig­ laшps on thci1· noses; ,vhereupon they all three gasped at each other, sl1rugged their shoнldeщ and with God's Ыessiнg, made off." Cellini tells of а Milanese je,veller who concocted а great emerald, Ьу applying а very thin layer of the real stone upon а laгge Ьit of green glass: he says that the Кing of England bought it, and that the fгaud ,vas not discovered for many years. А commission was once giYen Ccllini to шаkе а magnificent crucifix for а gift f1·ош the Роре to Emperor Charles V., but, as he expгesses it, "I ,vas hindered froш finishing it Ьу certain beasts who had the vantage of the Pope's ear," but ,Yhen these evil whisperers had so