thing from their dishes, and every man partook of everything; and
whoever had hit on the same invention for his dish as another, and had
produced the same thing, was condemned to pay a penalty.

[Footnote 10: Cooking-pot or cauldron.]

One evening, then, when Giovan Francesco gave a supper to that Company
of the Paiuolo, he arranged that there should serve as a table an
immense cauldron made with a vat, within which they all sat, and it
appeared as if they were in the water of the cauldron, in the centre of
which came the viands arranged in a circle; and the handle of the
cauldron, which curved like a crescent above them, gave out a most
beautiful light from the centre, so that, looking round, they all saw
each other face to face. Now, when they were all seated at table in the
cauldron, which was most beautifully contrived, there issued from the
centre a tree with many branches, which set before them the supper, that
is, the first course of viands, two to each plate. This done, it
descended once more below, where there were persons who played music,
and in a short time came up again and presented the second course, and
then the third, and so on in due order, while all around were servants
who poured out the choicest wines. The invention of the cauldron, which
was beautifully adorned with hangings and pictures, was much extolled by
the men of that company. For that evening the contribution of Rustici
was a cauldron in the form of a pie, in which was Ulysses dipping his
father in order to make him young again; which two figures were boiled
capons that had the form of men, so well were the limbs arranged, and
all with various things good to eat. Andrea del Sarto presented an
octagonal temple, similar to that of S. Giovanni, but raised upon
columns. The pavement was a vast plate of jelly, with a pattern of
mosaic in various colours; the columns, which had the appearance of
porphyry, were sausages, long and thick; the socles and capitals were of
Parmesan cheese; the cornices of sugar, and the tribune was made of
sections of marchpane. In the centre was a choir-desk made of cold veal,
with a book of lasagne[11] that had the letters and notes of the music
made of pepper-corns; and the singers at the desk were cooked thrushes
standing with their beaks open, and with certain little shirts after the
manner of surplices, made of fine cauls of pigs, and behind them, for
the basses, were two fat young pigeons, with six orto