, who had just returned from
Tunis, against many calumnies that had been laid upon him by some of
his citizens; and, having not only defended himself, but also obtained
from his Majesty his daughter Signora Margherita of Austria for wife,
he wrote to Florence that four men should be appointed who might cause
vast and splendid decorations to be prepared throughout the city, in
order to receive the Emperor, who was coming to Florence, with proper
magnificence. And I, having to distribute the various works at the
commission of his Excellency--who ordained that I should act in
company with the said four men, who were Giovanni Corsi, Luigi
Guicciardini, Palla Rucellai, and Alessandro Corsini--gave the
greatest and most difficult labours for that festival to Tribolo to
execute, which were four large statues. The first was a Hercules that
has just killed the Hydra, six braccia in height, in the round and
overlaid with silver, which was placed at that corner of the Piazza di
S. Felice that is at the end of the Via Maggio, with the following
inscription in letters of silver on the base: UT HERCULES LABORE ET
AERUMNIS MONSTRA EDOMUIT, ITA CAESAR VIRTUTE ET CLEMENTIA, HOSTIBUS
VICTIS SEU PLACATIS, PACEM ORBI TERRARUM ET QUIETEM RESTITUIT. Two
others were colossal figures eight braccia high, one representing the
River Bagrada, which was resting upon the skin of the serpent that was
brought to Rome, and the other representing the Ebro, with the horn of
Amaltheia in one hand and in the other the helm of a ship; both
coloured in imitation of bronze, with inscriptions on the bases; below
the Ebro, HIBERUS EX HISPANIA, and below the other, BAGRADAS EX
AFRICA. The fourth was a statue five braccia in height, on the Canto
de' Medici, representing Peace, who had in one hand an olive branch
and in the other a lighted torch, with which she was setting fire to a
pile of arms heaped up on the base on which she was placed; with the
following words: FIAT PAX IN VIRTUTE TUA. He did not finish, as he had
hoped to do, the horse seven braccia in length that was set up on the
Piazza di S. Trinita, upon which was to be placed the statue of the
Emperor in armour, because Tasso the wood-carver, who was much his
friend, did not show any promptitude in executing the base and the
other things in the way of wood-carving that were to be included in
the work, being a man who let time slip through his fingers in arguing
and jesting; and there was only just time