CHARACTERS. 
where cardinal Soderini, the Gonfa- 
Joniere’s brother, undertook to in- 
troduce him. The cardinal was ill 
at the time, and obliged to deputize 
monsignore, who performed his of- 
fice awkwardly : ‘The interview was 
honourable to both parties. 
« As Michel Angelo entered the 
presence-chamber the pope gave 
him an askance look of displeasure, 
and after a short pause, saluted 
him, ‘ In the stead of your coming 
- to us, you seem to have expected 
that we should wait upon you.’ 
Michet Angelo replied with sub- 
mission, that his érror arose from 
too hastily feeling a disgrace that he 
was unconscious of meriting, and 
hoped his holiness would pardon 
what was past. The monsignore* 
standing by, not thinking this a 
sufficient apology, endeavoured to 
extenuate his conduct, by saying 
that great allowance was to be made 
for such men who were ignorant of 
every thing but their art ; on which 
the pope hastily replied, with 
warmth, ¢ Thou hast vilified him, 
which I have not, thou art an igno- 
rant fellow and no man of genius, 
get out of my sight ;’ and one of 
‘the attendants immiediately pushed 
him out of the room. ‘The pope 
then gave Michel Angelo his bene- 
diction, and restored him to his 
friendship ; and before he withdrew 
desired him not to quit Bologna till 
he had given him a commission for 
some work of art. In a few days 
he ordered a colossal statue of him- 
self to be made in bronze.” 
Within five years this statue was _ 
broken in pieces by the mob, and 
the fragments cast into a piece of 
cannon ! 
8355 
When Michel Angelo returned to 
Rome, it was his wish to proceed — 
without delay upon the mausoleum, 
which, as he coneeived, was to be 
the noblest monument both of Juli- 
us and himself ; but the pope had 
now changed his mind, and ordered 
him to paint the walls and cieliug of 
the Sistine chapel in fresco. It has 
been villainously said, that this was 
the work of-Bramante, who being 
jealous of Michel Angelo, persuaded 
the pope to employ him ina branch 
of art, in which he expected that 
he would fail. Of this meanness 
there is not the slightest proof : 
Bramante and Michel Angelo were 
not friends, but the former had too 
much genius himself, to be capable 
of such pitiful envy. If the dosire 
of advancing the reputation of his 
nephew Raffacllo, be imputed to 
him as a motive, surely he must have 
seen that Raffaello would have de- 
rived far more from executing the 
picture well himself, than from any 
failure on the part of Michel An- 
gelo. It is wicked to talk of rivalry 
in such men as these, men so truly 
great, are above all such base feel- 
ings. Michel Angelo’s own Con- 
duct evinces this; fresco-painting, 
he said, was not his profession, and 
he recommended his holiness to give 
the commission to Raffaello, in 
whose hands, he said, it would do 
honour to them both. This could 
not have been said from any distrust 
of his own powers, no man of such 
mighty powers ever distrusted him- 
self. ; 
‘“¢ It being now decided that he 
must make an attempt to execute 
this great undertaking, he com- 
menced the cartoons, and the archi- 
3H2 tect 
* Vasari calls this dignitary a bishop (il Voscoya,) but I have preferred the appele 
‘Prion of Monsignore, on the authority of Coadivi. 
