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The Three Horns of Messer Guicciardini [1]
The Pills of the Medici [6]
Furicchia, or the Egg-Woman of the Mercato Vecchio [11]
The Lanterns of the Strozzi Palace [17]
The Goblin of La Via Del Corno [21]
Frate Giocondo, the Monk of Santa Maria Novella [26]
The Legend of the Croce al Trebbio [31]
The Two Fairies of the Well [36]
The Story of the Via Delle Serve Smarrite [41]
The Bronze Boar of the Mercato Nuovo [47]
The Fairy of the Campanile, or the Tower of Giotto [51]
The Goblin of the Tower Della Trinita, or the Porta San Niccolo [54]
The Ghost of Michel Angelo [59]
The Apparition of Dante [62]
Legends of La Certosa [66]
Legends of the Bridges in Florence [74]
The Bashful Lover [85]
La Fortuna [87]
The Story of the Unfinished Palace [91]
The Devil of the Mercato Vecchio [98]
Seeing that All was Right [107]
The Enchanted Cow of La Via Vacchereccia [109]
The Witch of the Porta Alla Croce [114]
The Column of Cosimo, or Della Santa Trinita [118]
Legends of Or’ San Michele [122]
The Witch of the Arno [132]
Stories of San Miniato [141]
The Frair’s Head of Santa Maria Maggiore—The Lady who Confessed for Everybody—Holy Relics [149]
Biancone, the Giant Statue in the Signoria [152]
The Red Goblin of the Bargello [160]
Legends of San Lorenzo [167]
Legends of the Piazza San Biagio [174]
The Spirit of the Porta San Gallo [176]
Story of the Podestà who was Long on his Journey [179]
Legends of the Boboli Gardens: the Old Gardener, and the Two Statues and the Fairy [184]
How La Via Della Mosca got its Name [188]
The Roman Vase [194]
The Unfortunate Priest [201]
The Mysterious Fig-Tree [205]
Il Palazzo Feroni [211]
La Via Delle Belle Donne [219]
The Wizard with Red Teeth [221]
Orpheus and Eurydice [225]
Intialo: the Spirit of the Haunting Shadow [237]
Cain and his Worshippers [254]

THE THREE HORNS OF MESSER GUICCIARDINI

“More plenty than the fabled horn
Thrice emptied could pour forth at banqueting.”

—Keats, The Earlier Version of “Hyperion.”

“Prosperity is often our worst enemy, making us vicious, frivolous, and insolent, so that to bear it well is a better test of a man than to endure adversity.”—Gicciardini, Maxims, No. 64.

I did not know when I first read and translated the following story, which was obtained for me and written out by Maddalena, that it had any reference to the celebrated historian and moralist, Guicciardini. How I did so forms the subject of a somewhat singular little incident, which I will subsequently relate.

Le Tre Corne.

“There was an elderly man, a very good, kind-hearted, wise person, who was gentle and gay with every one, and much beloved by his servants, because they always found him buono ed allegro—pleasant and jolly. And often when with them while they were at their work, he would say, ‘Felice voi poveri!’—‘Oh, how lucky you are to be poor!’ And they would reply to him, singing in the old Tuscan fashion, because they knew it pleased him:

“‘O caro Signor, you have gold in store,
With all to divert yourself;
Your bees make honey, you’ve plenty of money,
And victuals upon the shelf:
A palace you have, and rich attire,
And everything to your heart’s desire.’

“Then he would reply merrily:

“‘My dear good folk, because you are poor
You are my friends, and all the more,
For the poor are polite to all they see,
And therefore blessed be Poverty!’

“Then a second servant sang: