832 
wrapped in a black tattered robe, 
and commanded him to tell his sen, 
that shortly he would be driven 
from his house never again to return. 
Michel Angelo exhorted Cardiere 
to obey ; but from his knowledge 
of Piero’s disposition he was afraid, 
and kept it to himself. Another 
morning Michel Angelo being in the 
cortile of the palace, observed Car- 
diere terrified and sorrowful: he 
then told him Lorenzo had again 
appeared to him that night in the 
same habit as before, and suddenly 
awoke him by a slap in the face, 
demanding the reason why he had 
not told Piero what he had before 
seen. Michel Angelo then reprov- 
ed him for not having made the 
communication, and said so much 
that he took courage, and, with 
that view, set out on foot for Ca. 
reggi, a villa belonging to the Me- 
dici family, about three miles from 
Florence ; but before he was quite 
half way, -he met Piero returning. 
He stopped him, and related what 
he had seen and heard, Piero 
laughed, and telling his attendants 
Cardiere’s story, they made a thou- 
sand jokes at his expence ; and his 
chancellor; who was afterward car- 
dinal di Bibbiena, said to him, 
© You are out of yourmind. Whom 
do you think Lorenzo wills best, 
his'son or you? If his son, would 
he not rather have appeared to him 
than to any other person, if it had 
been necessary to appear at all ?’ 
Cardiere, having thus diseharged 
what he considered his duty, return - 
ed home, and so feelingly deplored 
the consequences, that Michel An. 
gelo became persuaded the predic- 
tion would take place, and in a few 
days, with two companions, left 
Florence, and went to Bologna,” 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1806. 
id 
If there had been no other sign” 
of coming calamity than Cardiere’s 
dream, it is not very likely that — 
Michel Angelo would have retired 
from Florence in consequence of it. 
But the signs of the times justified 
his retreat. He remained some- 
thing more than a year at Bologna, 
during which time the Medici were 
expelled, and then, when the affairs 
of Florence were tranquillized, re- 
turned to his father’s house. At 
this time that passionate admiration 
of the remains of antiquity, was 
beginning to shew itself, which — 
admires things because they are an- 
tique, and refuses all approbation to 
productions of equal or greater 
merit, if they are produced by a 
contemporary. Michel Angelo had 
produced the statue of a sleeping 
Cupid ; it was sent to a proper 
person in Rome, who buried it in 
his vineyard, then dug it up, and 
reported the discovery. This man 
however carried ‘the trick too far : 
he sold it to cardinal St. Giorgio, 
for two hundred ducats, like a 
rogue, and remitted thirty to the 
sculptor as the price of his statue. 
The truth was soon discovered, and 
the money recovered from the sel- 
ler; but Michel Angelo’s merit was 
acknowledged, and he was invited 
to Rome, as the proper theatre for 
talents such as his, At Rome he 
met with some encouragement ; it 
happened, however, that Soderini 
was now chosen Gonfaloniere of 
Florence, and he returned to his 
native city under the patronage of 
this good man, who loved the arts 
as well as Lorenzo had done, but 
with better motives, for he loved 
liberty also. For him he executed © 
his colossal statue of David, and 
made that famous cartoon, which » 
the — 
