CHARACTERS. 
he knew of no justice to extenuate, 
nor mercy to forgive: he therefore 
imprisoned, banished, and put to 
‘death at his own discretion!” Mi- 
chel Angelo secreted himself in the 
pell tower of the church of St. Ni- 
cholas. His house was eagerly 
searched, and not a trunk left uno- 
pened that could be supposed capa- 
‘ble of containing him. After some 
days, when all search had proved 
ineffectual, the pope publicly pro- 
mised that if he would discover him- 
self he should not be molested—on 
condition of his finishing the mo- 
numents of Giuliano de Medici, and 
his nephew Lorenzo, which he had 
begun. Michel Angelo accepted the 
terms, and as Mr. Duppa with his 
usual good feeling expresses himself, 
—<¢ with little respect for the per- 
sons his genius was to commemorate, 
and with less affection for his em- 
ployer, he hastened to complete his 
Jabeur.”’. 
There was no work upon which 
he would so willingly have pro- 
ceeded, as upon the monument of 
Julius ; butia this he was by va- 
rious circumstances so often inter- 
rupted, that it became a cause of 
continual vexation to him. The 
‘plan for this monument was now a 
secénd time contracted on the score 
Of expence, and an arrangement for 
its execution concluded, by which he 
was to be permitted to work for the 
pope in Florence four months in 
the year. Having worked there 
four months, he returned to Rome 
to fulfil his engagement with the 
‘duke of Urbino, whe was now the 
representative of Julius. ‘ But 
Clement, who was not in the habit 
of keeping promises, nor of per- ~ 
mitting others to do so when it in- 
terfered with his inclination or his 
interest,” ordered him to paint the 
839 
two end walls of the Sistine chapef. 
He had formerly made several stw- 
dies for the west end, where he de- 
signed to have painted the Fall of 
Satan : why this design was not now 
carried inte_effect does not appear, 
but he began the cartoon of the 
Last Judgment. It is almost sinful 
to regret any circumstances which 
occasioned that wonderful picture, 
yet as the same genius would have 
been exerted on either subject, we 
are almost tempted to wish that the 
one had been preferred which was 
wholly mythological, and in which 
the superstitions of the Romish church 
could not have found a place. He 
procrastinated this work as much as 
he could, and secretly proceeded 
with the monument. Clement died- 
Paul LI]. who succeeded, wished to 
engage Michel Angelo in his service, 
who resolutely protested that he 
must devote himself to the fulfilment 
of his prior engagement. The duke 
of Urbino, however, was unwilling 
to offend the pope.—The plan of 
the monnment was once more 
changed, and three statues only ine 
stead of six were required from him, 
and thus it was at last completed. - 
He then finished the Last Judgment, 
for which the pope with becoming 
liberality rewarded him with a pen- 
‘sion for life, equal to 60O0I. 
At this time San Gallo died, and 
Michel Angelo was appointed archi- 
tect of St. Peter’s, a situation which, 
however honourable, proved to 
him a source of vexation as long as 
he lived. He was not only a man 
of genius, and therefore the certain 
object of envy and malice, but also 
a man of integrity; and therefore 
hated by all the numerous persons 
employed about the building, who 
till his time had been accustomed to 
cheat the government with impu- 
3H4 nity. 
