self again he bought a large piece of marble, that had for
many years been exposed to the wind and rain, and carved a Hercules out of
it, four braccia high, that was ultimately sent into France.(17)

XI. Whilst he was working at this statue there was a great snowstorm in
Florence, and Pier de' Medici, the eldest son of Lorenzo, who occupied the
same position as his father, wished childishly to have a statue of snow
made in the middle of the court-yard, so he remembered Michael Angelo, and
had him found and made him carve the statue.(18) He desired him to live in
his house as he had done in his father's time, and gave him the same
apartment and a place at the table as before; where the same customs
obtained as when the father was living, that is, that after they had sat
down at the beginning of a meal no one should change his place however
great might be the personage who came in afterwards.

XII. Lodovico, the father of Michael Angelo, now became more friendly to
his son, seeing that he was almost always in the society of great
personages, and he dressed him in finer clothes. The youth lived with
Piero some months and was much caressed by him. Piero used to say,
boastingly, that he had two remarkable men in his establishment: one was
Michael Angelo, and the other a certain Spanish groom who, besides being
marvellously beautiful to look upon, was so nimble and strong and so
long-winded that, let Piero ride as fast as he could, he was not able to
pass the runner by a finger.

XIII. At this time, Michael Angelo, to please the Prior of Santo Spirito,
a church much venerated in Florence, carved a crucifix in wood, a little
under life size, which to this day may be seen over the high altar of that
church.(19) He had much familiar intercourse with the Prior, and received
many kindnesses from him, amongst others the use of a room and subjects to
enable him to study anatomy. Nothing could have given him more pleasure,
and this was the beginning of his study of the science of anatomy, which
he followed until fortune had made him a master of it.(20)

XIV. There was living in the house of Piero a certain man named Cardiere,
who had been very acceptable to the Magnifico, he improvised songs to the
lyre most marvellously; in fact, he made a profession of it, and practised
his art nearly every evening after supper. This man was friendly with
Michael Angelo and imparted to him a vision, which was this: That Lorenzo
de' Medici had app