- Julius IIL. was indeed one of the 
truest friends of Michel Angelo ; 
he desired Condivi to write his life, 
and, as appears by Condivi’sjdedica~ 
tion, recommended him to imitate 
his virtue and his excellence. He 
said also that if it were possible he 
would gladly take upon himself his 
years, that the world might have a 
better chance of not being deprived 
so soon ofa great man. Unfortu- 
nately for Michel Angelo, Julius 
died after a short reign of five years, 
leaving him an old man of eighty 
one. Cardinal Marcello, one of 
his enemies, was elected in_ his 
stead ; he died within the month, 
and was succeeded by Paul IV. ; 
whose two main objects were to be 
revenged on his enemies by the 
sword, and to root out heresy by 
means of the inquisition, of which 
he had long been the main patron. 
This man’s religious feelings were 
offended at the naked figures in the 
Last Judgment, and he determined 
that the picture should be reformed. 
When Michel Angelo heard this, 
he desired that the pope might be 
told from him that what he wished 
was very little and might be easily 
effected ; for if his holiness would 
only reform the opinions of mankind, 
_the picture would be reformed of 
itself. Paul at last determined to 
destroy the picture altogether,— 
Tuckily his cardinals persuaded him 
that it would be a sin to whitewash 
the wall, and he contented himself 
with ordering the figures to be dress- 
ed: thereby it is to be presumed 
expressing his opinion that when 
the trumpet sounds, the dead are not 
to rise till they have made them- 
selves decent, for which purpose 
there will be a _ resurrection of 
shrouds and winding sheets also. 
CHARACTERS. 
841 
This was the barbarian who en- 
couraged or instigated our bloody 
Mary in all her cruelties. Pius LV. 
made some little amends to him for 
the insults and injustices he had re- 
ceived from his predecessor, but 
Michel Angelo was now going to 
receive the reward of a Jong life of 
integrity and virtue. He died on 
the 17th of February, 1563, in his 
eighty-ninth year. Public obsequies 
were decreed him at Florence ; the 
work of envy was over; from that 
day the excellence of Michel An- 
gelo has been acknowledged, and 
it will continue to be so, as long as 
stone and marble can endure, and 
as long as the engraver can pre- 
serve the conceptions of the painter, 
‘¢ In the early part of his life, 
Michel Angelo uot only applied him- 
self to sculpture and painting, but 
to every branch of knowledge con- 
nected in any way with those arts, 
and gave himself up so much to ap- 
plication, that he in a great degree 
withdrew from society. From this 
ruling passion to cultivate his mind 
he became habituated to solitude, 
and happy in his pursuits, he was 
more contented to be alone than in 
company ; by which he obtained 
the character of being a proud and 
anodd man, distinctions that never 
fail to be given to those with whom 
we wish to find fault for not resem- 
bling ourselves. When his mind 
was matured he attached himself to 
men of learning and judgment, and 
in the number of his most intimate 
friends were ranked the highest dig« 
nitaries in the church, and the 
most eminent literary characters of 
his time. ‘That princely cardinal, 
Ippolito de Medici, and the cardi- 
nals Bembo, Ridolfi, and Maffeo, 
were distinguished for their friend« 
ship 
