I 

 THE CERTOSA OF FLORENCE 



face is singularly noble, the serene brow, which had 

 met so many perils in life unmoved, seems to have 

 won a new majesty in the repose of death. Below, 

 the lion rampant of the Acciaiuoli holds between his 

 paws the Angevin fleur-de-lys, which Niccol6 was 

 privileged to wear, and a long inscription records his 

 titles and great deeds, while on either side we read 

 Zanobi's motto, " Contemsit omnia ille qui mortem 

 prius," and that other saying with which the Grand 

 Seneschal was wont to console himself in dark days, 

 " Nescimus quia petamus, omnia pro meliori." 



On the floor of the same chapel are three monu- 

 mental slabs, which, although different in form, are 

 almost equal to the former in beauty ; they are those 

 of Acciaiuolo, his father, of his son Lorenzo, and of 

 Lapa, his sister, the only woman to whom, by special 

 favour, the right of burial in Niccolo's sepulchre was 

 granted. All three are remarkable for the rich cos- 

 tumes and embroidery of the recumbent figures, in 

 all three we see the same slender spiral columns 

 and pointed arches. The effigy of Lorenzo is 

 especially beautiful. The young knight sleeps in his 

 coat of mail with his sword at his side, and his grace- 

 ful head bent a little forward over his clasped hands. 

 His flowing locks fall on his shoulders, and the intricate 

 tracery of the armour is a marvel of delicate workman- 

 ship, as if the sculptor had lavished all the wealth of 



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