mph which, as you write, you witnessed in the birth
of another Buonarroto; for which intelligence I thank you with all my
heart and soul. But so much pomp does not please me, for man should
not be laughing when all the world is weeping. It seems to me that
Leonardo should not make so much rejoicing over a new birth, with all
that gladness which should be reserved for the death of one who has
lived well. Do not marvel if I delay to answer; I do it so as not to
appear a merchant. As for the many praises that you send me in your
letter, I tell you that if I deserved a single one of them, it would
appear to me that in giving myself to you body and soul, I had truly
given you something, and had discharged some infinitesimal part of the
debt that I owe you; whereas I recognize you every hour as my creditor
for more than I can repay, and, since I am an old man, I can now never
hope to be able to square the account in this life, but perhaps in the
next. Wherefore I pray you have patience, and remain wholly yours.
Things here are much as usual."

Already, in the time of Paul III, Duke Cosimo had sent Tribolo to
Rome to see if he might be able to persuade Michelagnolo to return to
Florence, in order to give completion to the Sacristy of S. Lorenzo.
But Michelagnolo excused himself because, having grown old, he could
not support the burden of such fatigues, and demonstrated to him with
many reasons that he could not leave Rome. Whereupon Tribolo finally
asked him about the staircase of the library of S. Lorenzo, for which
Michelagnolo had caused many stones to be prepared, but there was no
model of it nor any certainty as to the exact form, and, although
there were some marks on a pavement and some other sketches in clay,
the true and final design could not be found. However, no matter how
much Tribolo might beseech him and invoke the name of the Duke,
Michelagnolo would never answer a word save that he remembered nothing
of it. Orders were given to Vasari by Duke Cosimo that he should write
to Michelagnolo, requesting him to write saying what final form that
staircase was to have; in the hope that through the friendship and
love that he bore to Vasari, he would say something that might lead to
some solution and to the completion of the work. Vasari wrote to
Michelagnolo the mind of the Duke, saying that the execution of all
that was to be done would fall to him; which he would do with that
fidelity and care with which, as Michela