rain. And at
the request of Cardinal Farnese he built two little temples on the
island of Visentina in the Lake of Bolsena, one of which was constructed
as an octagon without and round within, and the other was square on the
outer side and octagonal on the inner, with four niches in the walls at
the corners, one to each; which two little temples, executed in so
beautiful a manner, bore testimony to the skill with which Antonio was
able to give variety to the details of architecture. While these temples
were building, Antonio returned to Rome, where he made a beginning with
the Palace of the Bishop of Cervia, which was afterwards left
unfinished, on the Canto di S. Lucia, where the new Mint stands. He
built the Church of S. Maria di Monferrato, which is held to be very
beautiful, near the Corte Savella, and likewise the house of one
Marrano, which is behind the Cibo Palace, near the houses of the
Massimi.

Meanwhile Leo died, and with him all the fine and noble arts, which had
been restored to life by him and by his predecessor, Julius II; and his
successor was Adrian VI, in whose pontificate all arts and talents were
so crushed down, that, if the government of the Apostolic Seat had
remained long in his hands, that fate would have come upon Rome under
his rule which fell upon her on another occasion, when all the statues
saved from the destruction of the Goths, both the good and the bad, were
condemned to be burned. Adrian, perhaps in imitation of the Pontiffs of
those former times, had already begun to speak of intending to throw to
the ground the Chapel of the divine Michelagnolo, saying that it was a
bagnio of nudes; and he despised all good pictures and statues, calling
them vanities of the world, and shameful and abominable things, which
circumstance was the reason that not only Antonio, but all the other
beautiful intellects were kept idle, insomuch that, not to mention other
works, scarcely anything was done in the time of that Pontiff on the
building of S. Pietro, to which at least he should have been friendly,
since he wished to prove himself so much the enemy of worldly things.

For that reason, therefore, attending under that Pontiff to works of no
great importance, Antonio restored the aisles of the Church of S. Jacopo
degli Spagnuoli, and furnished the facade with most beautiful windows.
He also caused a tabernacle of travertine to be constructed for the
Imagine di Ponte, which, although small, is yet very