not
likely to redound to the honor of the citizens, seeing, that if any
accident should happen, they would incur blame, as persons who had
conferred too great a charge on one man, without considering the losses
and disgrace that might result to the public. All this considered, it
would be well to give Filippo a colleague, who might restrain his
impetuosity (furore).

"Lorenzo Ghiberti had at that time attained to high credit by the
evidence of his genius, which he had given in the doors of San Giovanni;
and that he was much beloved by certain persons who were very powerful
in the government was now proved with sufficient clearness, since,
perceiving the glory of Filippo to increase so greatly, they labored in
such a manner with the syndics and wardens, under the pretext of care
and anxiety for the building, that Ghiberti was united with Filippo in
the work. The bitter vexation of Filippo, the despair into which he
fell, when he heard what the wardens had done, may be understood by the
fact that he was on the point of flying from Florence; and had it not
been that Donato and Luca della Robbia comforted and encouraged him, he
would have gone out of his senses. A truly wicked and cruel rage is that
of those men, who, blinded by envy, endanger the honors and noble works
of others in the base strife of ambition: it was not the fault of these
men that Filippo did not break in pieces the models, set fire to the
designs, and in one half hour destroy all the labors so long endured,
and ruin the hopes of so many years. The wardens excused themselves at
first to Filippo, encouraging him to proceed, reminding him that the
inventor and author of so noble a fabric was still himself, and no
other; but they, nevertheless, gave Lorenzo a stipend equal to that of
Filippo. The work was then continued with but little pleasure on the
part of Filippo, who knew that he must endure all the labors connected
therewith, and would then have to divide the honor and fame equally with
Lorenzo. Taking courage, nevertheless, from the thought that he should
find a method of preventing the latter from remaining very long attached
to that undertaking, he continued to proceed after the manner laid down
in the writing given to the wardens. Meanwhile the thought occurred to
the mind of Filippo of constructing a complete model, which, as yet, had
never been done. This he commenced forthwith, causing the parts to be
made by a certain Bartolomeo, a joiner, who