eyes upwards to get even the
smallest gift. Salvator had given free rein to his embittered mood, and
the animals' heads bore the closest resemblance to the features of
various eminent persons. It is easy to imagine, therefore, how the tide
of hatred against him rose, and that he was more bitterly persecuted
than ever.

Dame Caterina warned him, with tears in her eyes, that as soon as it
began to be dark she had observed suspicious characters lurking about
the house and apparently dogging his every footstep. Salvator saw that
it was time to leave Rome; and Dame Caterina and her beloved daughters
were the only people whom it caused him pain to part from. In response
to the repeated invitations of the Duke of Tuscany,[6.1] he went to
Florence; and here at length he was richly indemnified for all the
mortification and worry which he had had to struggle against in Rome,
and here all the honour and all the fame which he so truly deserved
were freely conferred upon him. The Duke's presents and the high prices
which he received for his pictures soon enabled him to remove into a
large house and to furnish it in the most magnificent style. There he
was wont to gather round him the most illustrious authors and scholars
of the day, amongst whom it will be sufficient to mention Evangelista
Toricelli,[6.2] Valerio Chimentelli, Battista Ricciardi, Andrea
Cavalcanti, Pietro Salvati, Filippo Apolloni, Volumnio Bandelli,
Francesco Rovai. They formed an association for the prosecution of
artistic and scientific pursuits, whilst Salvator was able to
contribute an element of whimsicality to the meetings, which had a
singular effect in animating and enlivening the mind. The
banqueting-hall was like a beautiful grove with fragrant bushes and
flowers and splashing fountains; and the dishes even, which were served
up by pages in eccentric costumes, were very wonderful to look at, as
if they came from some distant land of magic. These meetings of writers
and savans in Salvator Rosa's house were called at that time the
Accademia de' Percossi.

Though Salvator's mind was in this way devoted to science and art, yet
his real true nature came to life again when he was with his friend
Antonio Scacciati, who, along with his lovely Marianna, led the
pleasant _sans souci_ life of an artist. They often recalled poor old
Signor Pasquale whom they had deceived, and all that had taken place in
Nicolo Musso's theatre. Antonio asked Salvator how he had contr