Piacenza is a land of passage, like Florence. Venerable and magnificent overseers of works: understanding that Your Magnificences have resolved to make certain great works of bronze, concerning which I shall give you some counsel, before you be so swift and so hasty in making the award that by such haste the way is taken from you of being able to make a good choice of work and of master, [beware of] some man who by his insufficiency may, before your successors, bring disgrace upon himself and upon your age, for Italy is running short of good talents. [You would be] judging this age to be ill provided rather with men of good judgment than with good masters, seeing that in other cities, and above all in the city of the Florentines, at almost the same time it is endowed with such beautiful and great works of bronze, among them the doors of their baptistery. Which Florence, like Piacenza, is a land of passage, where many foreigners resort, who, seeing beautiful or good works, form for themselves the impression that that city is furnished with worthy inhabitants, seeing the works as witnesses of that opinion; and on the contrary, seeing so great an expense of metal so wretchedly wrought, it would be less shame to the city if those doors were of plain timber, because the small cost of the material would not seem to deserve so great an expense of workmanship; whence it is that...

The principal parts sought out in cities are their cathedrals, and on approaching these the first things that appear to the eye are the doors by which one may pass into those churches.

Take heed, Lords Overseers, that the too great haste of your wishing with such speed to dispatch the awarding of so great a work, such as I hear has been ordered by you, be not the cause that what is done for the honour of God and of men turn into great dishonour of your judgment and of your city, where, being a worthy land and one of passage, there is a concourse of innumerable foreigners. And this dishonour would come about when, through your negligence, you gave credence to some boaster who, by his bragging or by favour granted him here, should obtain from you such a work, by which he would bring upon himself and upon you a long and very great infamy; for I cannot help but grieve to think what men these are who have conferred with me about wishing to enter upon such an undertaking, without thinking of their competence, to say no more: one is a master of jugs, one of cuirasses, one a bell-founder, another a maker of little bells, and even a bombardier; among whom one of the Lord's men has boasted that, being a crony of Messer Ambrosio Ferrere who holds some commission, from whom he has good promises, and if that should not suffice, he will mount his horse and go to the Lord and obtain such letters that such a work shall never be denied him by you. Now see to what the poor students, fit for such works, are reduced, when they have to compete with such men! With what hope can they await the reward of their virtue? Open your eyes and see well that your money is not spent in buying your own shame.

I can announce to you that from this land you will draw nothing but works of common, base and coarse workmanship. There is no man here of worth, believe me, save Lonar the Florentine, who is making the bronze horse of Duke Francesco, of whom there is no need to make account, because he has enough to occupy his whole lifetime; and I doubt that, it being so great a work, he will never finish it.