nds of men; adding
that he had painted for the Palace of the same Pontiff, without being
paid, an altar-piece of Christ calling Peter and Andrew from their nets
on the Sea of Tiberias (which had been taken away by Pope Paul IV from a
chapel that Julius had built over the corridor of the Belvedere, and
which was to be sent to Milan), and that his Holiness should cause it to
be either paid for or restored to him. To which the Pope said in
answer--and whether it was true or not, I do not know--that he knew
nothing of that altar-piece, but wished to see it; whereupon it was sent
for, and, after his Holiness had seen it, but in a bad light, he was
content that it should be restored.

The discussion about the Hall being then resumed, Giorgio told the Pope
frankly that Francesco was the first and best painter in Rome, that his
Holiness would do well to employ him, since no one could serve him
better, and that, although Buonarroti and the Cardinal of Carpi favoured
Daniello, they did so more from the motive of friendship, and perhaps
out of animosity, than for any other reason. But to return to the
altar-piece; Giorgio had no sooner left the Pope than he sent it to the
house of Francesco, who afterwards had it taken to Arezzo, where, as we
have related in another place, it has been deposited by Vasari with a
rich, costly, and handsome ornament, in the Pieve of that city. The
affairs of the Hall of Kings remaining in the condition that has been
described above, when Duke Cosimo departed from Siena in order to go to
Rome, Vasari, who had gone as far as that with his Excellency,
recommended Salviati warmly to him, beseeching him to make interest on
his behalf with the Pope, and to Francesco he wrote as to all that he
was to do when the Duke had arrived in Rome. In all which Francesco
departed in no way from the advice given him by Giorgio, for he went to
do reverence to the Duke, and was welcomed by his Excellency with an
aspect full of kindness, and shortly afterwards so much was said to his
Holiness on his behalf, that the half of the above-mentioned Hall was
allotted to him. Setting his hand to the work, before doing any other
thing he threw to the ground a scene that had been begun by Daniello; on
which account there were afterwards many contentions between them. The
Pontiff was served in matters of architecture, as has been already
related, by Pirro Ligorio, who at first had much favoured Francesco, and
would have continued t