r Giovanni Cavalcanti, likewise, he executed
another, which went to England, of Jacob receiving water from the women
at the well; this was held to be a divine work, seeing that it contained
nudes and women wrought with supreme grace. For women, indeed, he always
delighted to paint transparent pieces of drapery, head-dresses with
intertwined tresses, and ornaments for their persons.

While Rosso was engaged on this work, he was living in the Borgo de'
Tintori, the rooms of which look out on the gardens of the Friars of S.
Croce; and he took much pleasure in a great ape, which had the
intelligence rather of a man than of a beast. For this reason he held it
very dear, and loved it like his own self; and since it had a marvellous
understanding, he made use of it for many kinds of service. It happened
that this beast took a fancy to one of his assistants, by name
Battistino, who was a young man of great beauty; and from the signs that
his Battistino made to him he understood all that he wished to say. Now
against the wall of the rooms at the back, which looked out upon the
garden of the friars, was a pergola belonging to the Guardian, loaded
with great Sancolombane grapes; and the young men used to let the ape
down with a rope to the pergola, which was some distance from their
window, and pull the beast up again with his hands full of grapes. The
Guardian, finding his pergola stripped, but not knowing the culprit,
suspected that it must be mice, and lay in hiding; and seeing Rosso's
ape descending, he flew into a rage, seized a long pole, and rushed at
him with hands uplifted in order to beat him. The ape, seeing that
whether he went up or stayed where he was, the Guardian could reach him,
began to spring about and destroy the pergola, and then, making as
though to throw himself on the friar's back, seized with both his hands
the outermost crossbeams which enclosed the pergola. Meanwhile the friar
made play with his pole, and the ape, in his terror, shook the pergola
to such purpose, and with such force, that he tore the stakes and rods
out of their places, so that both pergola and ape fell headlong on the
back of the friar, who shrieked for mercy. The rope was pulled up by
Battistino and the others, who brought the ape back into the room safe
and sound. Thereupon the Guardian, drawing off and planting himself on a
terrace that he had there, said things not to be found in the Mass; and
full of anger and resentment he went to