Florentine territory, and
therefore safe, he stopped; and almost immediately five couriers
arrived with letters from the Pope to bring him back. Despite their
entreaties and also the letters, which ordered him to return to Rome
under threat of punishment, he would not listen to a word; but
finally the prayers of the couriers induced him to write a few
words in reply to his Holiness, asking for pardon, but saying that he
would never again return to his presence, since he had caused him to
be driven away like a criminal, that his faithful service had not
deserved such treatment, and that his Holiness should look elsewhere
for someone to serve him.

[Illustration: TOMB OF POPE JULIUS II

(_After =Michelagnolo=. Rome: S. Pietro in Vincoli_)

_Alinari_]

After arriving at Florence, Michelagnolo devoted himself during the
three months that he stayed there to finishing the cartoon for the
Great Hall, which Piero Soderini, the Gonfalonier, desired that he
should carry into execution. During that time there came to the
Signoria three Briefs commanding them to send Michelagnolo back to
Rome: wherefore he, perceiving this vehemence on the part of the Pope,
and not trusting him, conceived the idea, so it is said, of going to
Constantinople to serve the Grand Turk, who desired to secure him, by
means of certain Friars of S. Francis, to build a bridge crossing from
Constantinople to Pera. However, he was persuaded by Piero Soderini,
although very unwilling, to go to meet the Pope as a person of public
importance with the title of Ambassador of the city, to reassure him;
and finally the Gonfalonier recommended him to his brother Cardinal
Soderini for presentation to the Pope, and sent him off to Bologna,
where his Holiness had already arrived from Rome. His departure from
Rome is also explained in another way--namely, that the Pope became
angered against Michelagnolo, who would not allow any of his works to
be seen; that Michelagnolo suspected his own men, doubting (as
happened more than once) that the Pope disguised himself and saw what
he was doing on certain occasions when he himself was not at home or
at work; and that on one occasion, when the Pope had bribed his
assistants to admit him to see the chapel of his uncle Sixtus, which,
as was related a little time back, he caused Buonarroti to paint,
Michelagnolo, having waited in hiding because he suspected the
treachery of his assistants, threw planks down at the Pope when he