THE CHRONICLE OF CLEMENDY
you and your company were ever with us our mistresses would never have to call us to account for hearts tender and soft no more.' Then he himself served us with wine and sweetmeats and we drank a health to those beautiful ladies, whose comeliness is more perfect than that of Tuscan maidens, for our girls are burnt up by the sun. And when the servant led us away he gave me a purseful of gold, and so we shall think often of that garden of Uske and pray for the good success of the noble lovers in love and in all other their concernments." "And whither are you now bound?" said I. "We are never bound," answered the young man, Giacomo Corelli, "but wander hither and thither as the fancy takes us, setting smooth times against rough, and warm sunshine against the bitter wind and sky of lead. For our chief delight is to have no fixed time⟨s⟩ or places but to go where we list, and to be ready for any adventure that may befall us, since if our affairs are unprosperous and our hearts sad, we have our musick and our songs of Tuscany; and he that has art, whether of sweet colour, or sweetly measured words, or sweet closes of melody, should deem himself blessed and be very thankful to God, though his cup be dry, his platter empty and his journey through life grievous." "You speak with reason, I think," said the little fellow called Mosca, "but yet meat and wine are good creatures and make the skin smooth and comfortable; wherefore let us sup, and afterwards these gentlemen shall hear how we fulfil all our bragging of our art." Nor did they delay but opened their
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