“But it’s such a waste!” Antonio says. “The books, the paintings, all this cloth!” “It’s a sacrifice to God,” he says. “Five thousand florins,” Antonio says. “No.” “I thought Dominicans cared for learning. How do you know there aren’t valuable unique books being destroyed there?” “Because we do care for learning and I have checked them all,” he says, angry now. “Ten thousand florins.” “No. It’s not for sale.” “What do you care if we look at paintings and statues of naked women far away in Venice?” “You are all God’s children,” he says. The merchant sighs. “I’m robbing my own children, but
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I thought this, if fictional, was also brilliant.
