ot, because he had kept his eyes closed, and was marvelling that he
had not been called to night-work. "To night-work!" said Tafo, "I have
had something else to think of besides painting, and I am resolved at
all costs to go and live in another house." The following night,
although Buonamico put only three of them into the said room of Tafo,
none the less, what with terror of the past night and of those few
devils that he saw, he slept not a wink; nay, no sooner was it daylight
than he rushed from the house, meaning never to return, and a great
business it was to make him change his mind. At last Buonamico brought
the parish priest, who consoled him the best that he could. Later, Tafo
and Buonamico discoursing over the affair, Buonamico said: "I have ever
heard tell that the greatest enemies of God are the demons, and that in
consequence they must also be the most capital adversaries of painters;
because, besides that we make them ever most hideous, what is worse, we
never attend to aught else than to making saints, male and female, on
walls and panels, and to making men more devout and more upright
thereby, to the despite of the demons; wherefore, these demons having a
grudge against us for this, as beings that have greater power by night
than by day they come and play us these tricks, and worse tricks will
they play if this use of rising for night-work is not given up
completely." With these and many other speeches Buffalmacco knew so well
how to manage the business, being borne out by what Sir Priest kept
saying, that Tafo gave over rising for night-work, and the devils ceased
going through the house at night with little lights. But Tafo beginning
again, for the love of gain, not many months afterwards, having almost
forgotten all fear, to rise once more to work in the night and to call
Buffalmacco, the cockroaches too began again to wander about; wherefore
he was forced by fear to give up the habit entirely, being above all
advised to do this by the priest. Afterwards this affair, spreading
throughout the city, brought it about that for a time neither Tafo nor
other painters made a practice of rising to work at night. Later, and no
long time after this, Buffalmacco, having become a passing good master,
took leave of Tafo, as the same Franco relates, and began to work for
himself; and he never lacked for something to do.

Now, Buffalmacco having taken a house, to work in and to live in as
well, that had next door a pa