276 ARIADNE FLORENTINA. 



years 1300, 1400, and 1500 running through them, holding 

 the names of nearly all the men I want you to study in easily 

 remembered groups of five, five, and seven. And these three 

 groups I shall hereafter call the 1300 group, 1400 group, and 

 1500 group. 



53. But why should four unfortunate masters be dropped 

 out? 



Well, I want to drop them out, at any rate ; but not in dis- 

 respect. In hope, on the contrary, to make you remember 

 them very separately indeed ; for this following reason. 



We are in the careless habit of speaking of men who form 

 a great number of pupils, and have a host of inferior satellites 

 round them, as masters of great schools. 



But before you call a man a master, you should ask, Are 

 his pupils greater or less than himself ? If they are greater 

 than himself, he is a master indeed ; he has been a true 

 teacher. But if all his pupils are less than himself, he may 

 have been a great man, but in all probability has been a bad 

 master, or no master. 



Now these men, whom I have signally left out of my groups, 

 are true Masters. 



Niccola Pisano taught all Italy ; but chiefly his own son, 

 who succeeded, and in some things very much surpassed 

 him. 



Orcagna taught all Italy, after him, down to Michael An- 

 gelo. And these two Lippi, the religious schools, Verrocchio, 

 the artist schools, of their century. 



Lippi taught Sandro Botticelli ; and Verrocchio taught 

 Leonardo cla Vinci, Lorenzo di Credi, and Perugino. Have I 

 not good reason to separate the masters of such pupils from 

 the schools they created ? 



54. But how is it that I can drop just the cards I want out 

 of my pack ? 



Well certainly I force and fit matters a little : I leave some 

 men out of my list whom I should like to have in it ; 

 Benozzo, Gozzoli, for instance, and Mino da Fiesole ; but I 

 can do without them, and so can you also, for the present. I 

 catch Luca by a hair's-breadth only, with my 1400 rod ; but 



