eared to him with nothing but a black cloak, all torn,
over his naked body, and had commanded him to speak to his son, and tell
him that shortly he would be hunted out of his house and never return to
it again. Piero de' Medici was so proud and insolent that neither the
generosity of his brother, Giovanni the Cardinal, nor the courtesy and
kindness of Giuliano, were so powerful to keep him in Florence as those
vices were to hunt him out. Michael Angelo exhorted Cardiere to inform
Piero of the vision and carry out the will of Lorenzo, but he, fearing
Piero's nature, kept all to himself. One other morning Michael Angelo was
in the court-yard of the Palace, and beheld Cardiere all terrified and
weeping: that night, he said, Lorenzo had appeared to him again in the
same form as at first, and looking him through and through had given him a
terrible box on the ears, because he had not reported what he had seen to
Piero. Michael Angelo scolded him to such purpose that Cardiere plucked up
his spirit and set out on foot for Careggi, a country house of the Medici,
about three miles from the city, where his master was staying. But when he
was half-way there he met Piero on the road returning home to Florence;
Cardiere stopped him and told him all he had seen and heard. Piero only
laughed at him, and made even his grooms jeer at him. The Chancellor, who
was afterwards the Cardinal Bibbiena, said to him: "_You must be mad! Do
you think Lorenzo would rather appear to you or to his own son? Would he
not rather appear to him than to any one else?_" They ridiculed him and
let him go. He went home and bemoaned himself to Michael Angelo, and he
spoke so effectually of the vision, holding that the thing was true, that
two days afterwards with two companions they left Florence together for
Bologna, and from there went to Venice, fearful lest that which Cardiere
prophesied should come to pass, and Florence not be safe for them!

XV. In a few days lack of funds (his companions having spent all his
money) made Michael Angelo think of returning to Florence; but coming to
Bologna a curious chance hindered them. Now there was a law in that land
in the time of Messer Giovanni Bentivogli that every stranger who entered
into Bologna should be obliged to have a great seal of red wax impressed
upon his nail. Michael Angelo inadvertently entered without being sealed,
so he was conducted, together with his companions, to the office of the
Bullette, and co