Jomelli Stops to Watch a Horse

Travel was slow, and a composer on the road had time to observe everything. Jomelli once hurried through the streets of Milan on urgent business, only to find his path blocked by a crowd: a runaway horse had been caught at last.

Jomelli disliked being delayed and tried to force his way through. The people stopped him: ‘Wait a moment—you’ll see something extraordinary.’

He waited. The captured horse suddenly leapt over a high wall—straight into the next street.

Jomelli smiled and said, dryly, ‘Well, that’s the first extraordinary thing I’ve ever seen in Milan.’