35. Taking a Prank to a Higher Level
Brunelleschi’s assertion that he was Manetto so confused his mark, that he retreated to a nearby piazza. There he met an acquaintance, Donatello, who addressed him not by his given name, but as Matteo. Then a bailiff passed by, addressed Manetto as Matteo, and despite his protestations that he had the wrong man, promptly arrested the cabinet maker for debt.
The now thoroughly bewildered Manetto was taken to prison, where his name was entered into the register as Matteo. Thrown into lockup, his fellow prisoners – all of whom were also in on the prank – addressed him as Matteo. Discombobulated, the cabinet maker spent a sleepless night in jail, solacing himself with the notion that it was all a case of mistaken identity, that would soon get cleared up. The following day, things got worse.