FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47  
48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   >>   >|  
o go to war with him on your __account and risk the State, so prepare yourself to return_."(37) Michael Angelo, seeing it had come to this, and fearing the wrath of the Pope, thought of going to the Levant, principally because he had been sought after by the Turk with rich promises, through the agency of certain Franciscan Friars, to throw a bridge from Constantinople to Pera, and for other works. But the Gonfaloniere, hearing of this, sent for him and dissuaded him, saying: "_That it was better to die with the Pope than to live with the Turk; nevertheless, there was nothing to fear, for the Pope was kind, and sent for him because he loved him well, not because he wished him harm; and if he was still afraid, the Signoria would send him as ambassador, because violence was not offered to public persons without it being offered to those who sent them._" By reason of these and other arguments Michael Angelo prepared to return. XXXI. Whilst he was still in Florence two things happened. One was that he finished the marvellous cartoon he had begun for the Sala del Consiglio, which represented the war between Florence and Pisa, and the many and various events that occurred in it, which cartoon of consummate art was a light to all those who afterwards took pencil in hand. I cannot tell what evil fortune happened to it afterwards, it was left by Michael Angelo in the Sala del Papa (a place so called in Florence) at Santa Maria Novella. Fragments of it can be seen in the various places, preserved with greatest care like something sacred.(38) The other thing was, that Pope Julius had taken Bologna and had gone there; he was delighted with the acquisition, and this gave courage to Michael Angelo to appear before him more hopefully. CHAPTER V THE COLOSSAL BRONZE FOR THE FACADE OF SAN PETRONIO XXXII. So he arrived at Bologna one morning, and going to San Petronio to hear mass,(39) behold, the grooms of the Pope, who recognised him and conducted him to his Holiness, who was at table in the Palazzo de' Sedici. When he saw Michael Angelo in his presence, Julius, with an angry look, said to him, "_You ought to have come to us, and you have waited for us to come to you_." Meaning to say, that his Holiness being come to Bologna, a place much nearer to Florence than Rome is, it was as if he (the Pope) had come to him. Michael Angelo with a loud voice and on his knees craved pardon, pleading that he had not erred
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47  
48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Michael

 

Angelo

 

Florence

 
Bologna
 

happened

 

offered

 

Julius

 
cartoon
 

Holiness

 

return


CHAPTER

 

courage

 

acquisition

 

delighted

 

Novella

 

Fragments

 

called

 

places

 
sacred
 

preserved


greatest

 
Petronio
 

waited

 
Meaning
 

presence

 

craved

 
pardon
 
pleading
 

nearer

 

Sedici


arrived
 
PETRONIO
 

BRONZE

 

FACADE

 
morning
 

recognised

 

conducted

 
Palazzo
 

grooms

 

behold


fortune

 

COLOSSAL

 

Gonfaloniere

 
Constantinople
 

Franciscan

 

Friars

 
bridge
 
hearing
 
dissuaded
 

agency