ime, that consumes all things. And in order that his
idea might be better understood, he gave to the Night, who was made in the
form of a woman of a marvellous beauty, an owl and other symbols suitable
to her; similarly to the Day, his signs; and for the signification of Time
he intended to carve a rat, because this little animal gnaws and consumes,
just as Time devours, all things. He left a piece of marble on the work
for it, which he did not carve, as he was afterwards prevented. There were
besides other statues, which represented those for whom the tombs were
erected. All, in conclusion, were more divine than human; but above all,
the Madonna, with her little child straddling across her thigh, of this I
judge it better to be silent than to say but little, and so I pass it
by.(51) We owe thanks to Pope Clement for these masterpieces; and if he
had done no other praiseworthy act in his life (but, of course, he did
many), this one was enough to cancel all his faults, for through him the
world possesses these noble statues. And much more we owe him in that he
did not fail to respect the virtue of this man when Florence fell, just as
in olden times Marcellus respected the virtue of Archimedes when he
entered Syracuse, although in that case it was of no effect; in this case,
thanks be to God, it availed much.

XLVI. For all that Michael Angelo lived in great fear, because he was
greatly disliked by the Duke Alessandro, a young man, as every one knows,
very fierce and vindictive. There is no doubt that, if it had not been for
the fear of the Pope, he would have had him put away long ago; the more
so, as this Duke of Florence, when erecting those fortresses of his, sent
for Michael Angelo, by Signor Alessandro Vitelli, to ride out with him and
indicate where they would most usefully be placed, and he would not,
replying that he had received no such commission from Pope Clement. The
Duke was much angered; so that for this reason, as well as for the old
ill-will he bore him, and on account of the nature of the Duke, Michael
Angelo had good reason to fear him. And truly it was a blessing of God
that he was not in Florence at the time of the death of Clement; he was
called to Rome by the Pontiff before he had quite finished the tombs at
San Lorenzo. He was received gladly. Clement respected this man like one
sacred, and talked with him familiarly, both on grave and trivial
subjects, as he would have done with his equals. He sough