“The Bishop and all round him gazed with breathless admiration on the fowls, so plump, so delicious, so exquisitely roasted, with lemons ranged round them. It was just the hungry time of day, and, in short, the priest had made a blessed happy blunder, and one which was greatly admired. There was general applause. “‘_Figlio mio_!’ said the Bishop with a smile, ‘take my blessing! Thou alone of all the ministers of our diocese didst rightly understand the spirit and meaning of an episcopal edict.’” THE LANTERNS OF THE STROZZI PALACE “And what this man did was, as the proverb says, _mostrare altrui lucciole per laterne_—made him believe that fire-flies were lanterns—which means to deceive any one.”—_Italian Proverbs_. As all visitors to Florence will have their attention called to the Strozzi Palace, and its rings and lanterns, the following will probably prove to them to be of interest: “The _campanelle_, or great iron rings, which are on the Strozzi Palace, were the result of rivalry with the Pitti family. “The Strozzi built their palace first, and then the Pitti said that it would only fill a corner of their own far greater building. And when the latter was finished, the Strozzi, to be even with them, placed those magnificent _campanelle_ at the four corners, and then the great lanterns which are so exquisitely worked, and these were made by Niccolò il Grosso, a very ingenious but also very poor man, who, having begun the work, could not finish it for want of money. “One morning when this Niccolo was sitting on the stone bench of the palace, there came by an old man who was carrying some onions, and the artist begged a few of these to eat with his bread, telling him he had no money. But the old man said, ‘Take them, and welcome, for a free gift, Niccolò. Truly, it pains me to see an excellent artist like thee starving for want of proper patronage. Now I will lend thee a round sum, which thou canst repay me when thou art in better luck.’ “‘But tell me,’ inquired Niccolò, greatly amazed, ‘how dost thou know who I am?’ “The old man replied, ‘I know thee, and that thou hast great genius (_una gran testa_), and I find thee utterly poor and unable to finish the Strozzi lanterns. “‘Now I wish to do thee a service. Go, with these onions in thine hand, and stand there in the street till the Lords Strozzi go forth, and see thee with the vegetables, and then they will ask thee why thou dost not finish the lanterns. And then thou shalt reply, “Signori, because I must sell onions, not being able otherwise to finish the lanterns, for truly all my art does not give me bread.” Then they will give thee money, and after that return to me.’