He who buys in time buys cheaply
He who fears not is in danger He who sows virtue harvests fame
And in the third space:
BEWARE
Of a poor Alchemist
Of a sick Physician
Of sudden wrath
Of a Madman provoked
Of the hatred of Lords
Of the company of Traitors
Of the Dog that barks
Of the Man who speaks not
Of dealings with Thieves
Of a new hostelry
Of an old Whore
Of problems by night
Of Judges' opinions
Of Physicians' doubts
Of Spice Vendors' recipes
Of Notaries' et ceteras
Of Women's diseases
Of Strumpets' tears
Of Merchants' lies
Of Thieves within the household
Of a Maidservant corrupted
Of the fury of the Populace
'One must beware of old strumpets and judges' opinions, why, that's for sure,' Atto assented with a little smile.
Finally, in the fourth embrasure, another set of wise maxims was inscribed:
THREE KINDS OF PERSONS ARE ODIOUS
The proud Pauper
The Rich and Avaricious
The mad Dotard
THREE KINDS OF MEN TO FLEE FROM
Singers
Old Men
The Lovelorn
THREE THINGS DIRTY THE HOUSE
Chickens
Dogs
Women
THREE THINGS MAKE A MAN SHREWD
The transports of love
A question
A quarrel
THREE THINGS ARE DESIRABLE
Health
A good reputation
Wealth
THREE THINGS ARE VERY FIRM
Suspicion which, once it has entered, will never depart
The wind, which will not enter where it sees no exit Loyalty which, once it has gone, never returns
THREE THINGS TO DIE OF
Waiting, when no one comes
Being in bed, and not sleeping Serving, without enjoyment
THREE THINGS ARE SATISFIED
The Miller's Cock
The Butcher's Cat
The Host's Prentice
'Bah, these are not on the same level as the rest,' muttered Atto, who probably had not appreciated the saying that singers and old men, categories to which he belonged, were best avoided.
'But,' I asked, with my mind cluttered up by so many sayings, 'in your opinion, what are all these inscriptions here for?'
He did not reply. Obviously, he was asking himself the same question and did not want to admit to being in the same ignorance as I, whom he regarded as inexpert in the things of this world.
The wind, which had already been rising for some time, suddenly grew stronger; then, after a few moments, almost violent. Capricious eddies rose gaily, stirring bushes, earth, insects. A cloud of dust buffeted my face, blinding me. I leaned against the trunk of a tree, rubbing my eyes. Only long moments later did I recover my vision. When I could see again, the scene had changed sharply. Atto too was wiping his eyelids with a handkerchief to remove the dirt which had likewise deprived him of his sight. My head was spinning; for a few instants, the world, and with it the villa, had been taken away from us by that tremendous gust, the like of which I had never in all these years come across on the Janiculum.
I raised my eyes. The clouds, which had hitherto been lazily trailing behind one another in a sky furrowed with the orange, rose and lilac of the approaching sunset had now become the powerful, livid masters of the heavenly vault. The horizon, grown opaque and milky, shone limpid and strangely formless. The music seemed now to be coming from the great open space at the entrance to the park.
Then all became clean and clear again. As suddenly as it had vanished, the diurnal luminary reappeared, projecting a fine, golden ray onto the facade of the Vessel. For a few instants, a light breeze wafted the notes of the folia across to us.
'Curious,' said Atto, dusting down his badly soiled shoes. 'This music comes and goes, comes and goes. 'Tis as though it were nowhere and everywhere. In the palaces of great lords there sometimes exist rooms constructed using stonemasons' artifices deliberately conceived so as to multiply the points at which music can be heard, thus creating the illusion that the musicians are somewhere other than the place where they really are. But I have never heard of a garden endowed with the same qualities.'
'You are right,' I assented, 'it is as though the melody were simply, how can one put it… in the air.'
Suddenly, we heard two voices and silvery feminine laughter. These must have been the same voices as we had already heard, which had strangely been accompanied by no human presence.
The view was blocked by a tall hedge. Atto arranged the pleats of his justaucorps, making himself presentable and ready to answer to any question. At one point, the hedge was thinner and through it we at last discovered, two almost transparent figures, and with them, two faces.
The first was a gentleman no longer in the first flower of youth, yet vigorous, and — although the apparition was fleeting — I was struck by his open expression, his gentle lineaments, and his decisive yet courteous manners. He was conversing amiably with a young girl, to whom he seemed to be proffering reassurance. Was hers the woman's laugh we had heard when we made our entry to the Vessel?
'… I shall be grateful to you for the rest of my life. You are my truest friend,' said she.
They were dressed in the French manner, and yet (I would not have known how to explain exactly why) there was something singular about them. They remained so unaware of our presence that it seemed as though, protected by the barrier, we were spying on them.
They turned slightly, and then I could see the girl's face well. Her complexion was smoother than a crystal;
