ing
him that he will repose on her bosom in Pisa; and all these figures have
vivacity and a beautiful air in the heads. In the third Simone painted
the scene when, having returned after seven years from beyond the seas,
he is showing that he has spent thrice forty days in the Holy Land, and
when, standing in the choir to hear the Divine offices, he is tempted by
the Devil, who is seen driven away by a firm determination that is
perceived in Ranieri not to consent to offend God, assisted by a figure
made by Simone to represent Constancy, who is chasing away the ancient
adversary not only all in confusion but also (with beautiful and
fanciful invention) all in terror, holding his hands to his head in his
flight, and walking with his face downcast and his shoulders shrunk as
close together as could be, and saying, as it is seen from the writing
that is issuing from his mouth: "I can no more." And finally, there is
also in this picture the scene when Ranieri, kneeling on Mount Tabor,
is miraculously seeing Christ in air with Moses and Elias; and all the
features of this work, with others that are not mentioned, show that
Simone was very fanciful and understood the good method of grouping
figures gracefully in the manner of those times. These scenes finished,
he made two panels in distemper in the same city, assisted by Lippo
Memmi, his brother, who had also assisted him to paint the Chapter-house
of S. Maria Novella and other works.

He, although he had not the excellence of Simone, none the less followed
his manner as well as he could, and made many works in fresco in his
company for S. Croce in Florence; the panel of the high-altar in S.
Caterina at Pisa, for the Preaching Friars; and in S. Paolo a Ripa d'
Arno, besides many very beautiful scenes in fresco, the panel in
distemper that is to-day over the high-altar, containing a Madonna, S.
Peter, S. Paul, S. John the Baptist, and other Saints; and on this Lippo
put his name. After these works he wrought by himself a panel in
distemper for the Friars of S. Augustine in San Gimignano, and thereby
acquired so great a name that he was forced to send to Arezzo, to Bishop
Guido de' Tarlati, a panel with three half-length figures which is
to-day in the Chapel of S. Gregorio in the Vescovado.

While Simone was at work in Florence, one his cousin, an ingenious
architect called Neroccio, undertook in the year 1332 to make to ring
the great bell of the Commune of Florence, which, f