men, is it
possible that you have done this in the greatest temple of God, above
the highest altar of Christ, in the most sacred chapel in the world,
where the great hinges of the church, the venerable pontiffs, the Vicars
of Christ, by the Catholic ceremonies and holy prayers confess,
contemplate and adore His body and blood? In so lofty a representation
you draw saints and angels, the first without any terrestrial decency
and the others deprived of all celestial honours. Remember the Pagans,
who, when they made statues of Diana, clothed her and even made the
naked Venus cover with her hands those parts which should not be shown,
and behold here a Christian, who, placing art above faith, holds it a
royal spectacle not to observe equal decency toward the martyrs and the
virgins, and shows gestures so coarse that even women of the street
would shut their eyes so as not to see them. Such a style belongs only
in a voluptuous bagnio and not in the most holy chapel. It would be a
lesser crime not to believe than to attack in such a way the faith of
others. Already the excellence of these indiscreet wonders has been
punished, since they have accomplished the miracle of killing your
glory. Therefore regain your honour by placing flames of fire over the
shameful parts of the damned, and rays of sunlight over those of the
saved, or, still better, imitate the modesty of the Florentines, who hid
under golden leaves the belly of your beautiful colossal David, even
though that stood in a public square and not in a sacred place. May God
forgive you. I do not say this to you through resentment at not having
received what I asked you for, although you should have sent me what you
agreed, and you would have done well to have taken the greatest possible
trouble about it, for you would in that way put an end to the rumours
which say that no one can get anything from you but Gherardi and
Tomai.[70] But if the treasure which Julius II left you so that his
remains should be placed in a monument carved by you, has not been
enough to make you keep your promises, what could I expect? Anyway, it
is a fact that your failure to redeem that debt is considered as a
theft.... But since our souls have more need of faith than of
lifelikeness of drawing, may God inspire his Holiness, Paul III, as He
inspired the blessed Gregory who decided to strip Rome of the superb
statues of the idols rather than to do harm through them to the respect
due to the humbl