Epicurus and his disciples."

You must know Messer Guido was of the sect of the Epicureans and loved
to marshal well-arranged arguments against the existence of God. He was
used to declare the death of men is precisely the same as that of
beasts.

"Buffalmacco," added the young nobleman, "this purse I have given you is
for payment of the very instructive, complete and profitable experiment
you made, when you sent old Tafi to Heaven--who, seeing his carcass
taking the road to the Empyrean, began to squeal like a pig being
killed. This proves plainly he had no real assurance in the promised
joys of Paradise--which are, it must be allowed, far from certain. In
the same way as nurses tell children fairy-tales, vague things are
talked concerning the immortality of mortal men. The vulgar herd thinks
it believes these tales, but it does not really and truly. Hard fact
comes and shivers the poets' fables. There is nothing assured but the
sad life of this world. Horace, the Roman poet, is of my opinion when he
says: _Serus in cælum redeas_."[1]

[Footnote 1: "_May it be long ere you return to heaven your home._"--Ode
2 of Book I, addressed to Augustus.]


III

THE MASTER

Having learned the art of preparing and using the proper coats and
colours, as well as the secret of painting figures in the good manner of