maliciously but through
indignation, for he could not bear to be hunted away as he had been. The
Pope kept his head lowered and replied nothing, to all appearances much
troubled, when a certain monsignore, sent by the Cardinal Soderini to
excuse and intercede for Michael Angelo, broke in, saying: "_Your
Holiness, do not remember his fault, for he has erred through ignorance;
these painters in things outside their art are all like this._" The Pope
indignantly replied: "_You __abuse him, whilst we say nothing; you are the
ignorant one, and he is not the culprit; take yourself off in an evil
hour._" But as he was not going, he was, as Michael Angelo used to tell,
hustled out of the room with blows by the servants of the Pope. Thus the
Pope having spent his fury on the bishop, called Michael Angelo closer to
him, and pardoned him, ordering him not to leave Bologna until another
commission had been given to him. Nor was he long before he sent for him
and said that he wished Michael Angelo to make a great portrait statue of
him in bronze, which he wished to place on the front of the Church of San
Petronio. And he left a thousand ducats in the bank of Messer Antommaria
da Lignano to carry out the work when he departed for Rome. It is true
that before he left Michael Angelo had already modelled it in clay, but he
was doubtful as to what the statue should hold in the left hand, the right
was raised as if giving a benediction. He asked the Pope, who had come to
see the statue, if it pleased him that he should be made holding a book.
"_What! a book?_" he replied, "_a sword! As for me, I am no scholar._" And
jesting about the right hand, which was in vigorous action, he said,
smiling the while, to Michael Angelo, "_Does this statue of yours give a
blessing or a curse?_" Michael Angelo replied to him: "_It threatens this
people, Holy Father, lest they be foolish._" But, as I have said, Pope
Julius returned to Rome and Michael Angelo remained behind at Bologna, and
spent sixteen months in completing the statue and erecting it where the
Pope had directed. Afterwards, on the return of the Bentivogli to Bologna,
this statue was thrown to earth in the fury of the populace and destroyed.
Its height was more than three times that of life.

CHAPTER VI

THE VAULT OF THE SISTINE CHAPEL

XXXIII. After he had finished this work he went to Rome, where Pope Julius
wished to employ him, keeping still to his purpose