l against which sick
people had been for a long time discharging their spittle, and from
this he would picture to himself battles of horsemen, and the most
fantastic cities and widest landscapes that were ever seen; and he
did the same with the clouds in the sky.

He gave his attention to colouring in oils, having seen some works
of Leonardo's, executed with that gradation of colour, and finished
with that extraordinary diligence, which Leonardo used to employ
when he wished to display his art. And so Piero, being pleased with
his method, sought to imitate it, although he was afterwards very
distant from Leonardo, and worlds away from any other manner. It may
be said, in truth, that he changed his manner almost for every work
that he executed.

If Piero had not been so solitary, and had taken more care of
himself in his way of living than he did, he would have made known
the greatness of his intellect in such a way that he would have been
revered, whereas, by reason of his uncouth ways, he was rather held
to be a madman, although in the end he did no harm save to himself
alone, while his works were beneficial and useful to his art. For
which reason every good intellect and every excellent craftsman
should always be taught, from such an example, to keep his eyes on
the end of life.

Nor will I refrain from saying that Piero, in his youth, being
fanciful and extravagant in invention, was much employed for the
masquerades that are held during the Carnival; and he became very
dear to the young noblemen of Florence, having improved their
festivals much in invention, adornment, grandeur, and pomp. As to
that kind of pastime, it is said that he was one of the first to
contrive to marshal them in the form of triumphal processions; at
least, he improved them greatly, by accompanying the invention of
the story represented, not only with music and with words suited to
the subject, but also with a train of incredible pomp, formed of
men on foot and on horseback, with habits and ornaments in keeping
with the story; which produced a very rich and beautiful effect, and
had in it something both grand and ingenious. And it was certainly a
very beautiful thing to see, by night, twenty-five or thirty pairs
of horses, most richly caparisoned, with their riders in costume,
according to the subject of the invention, and six or eight grooms
to each rider, with torches in their hands, and all clothed in one
and the same livery, sometimes