MICHAEL ANGELO. 259 



Cosmo I., Grand Duke of Tuscany, to visit Florence 

 and spend his days there in such vocations as he 

 might elect. The old Florentine replied feelingly, re- 

 counting the love he hore for the city and its charming 

 suburbs. He would once more enjoy bathing in the 

 beautiful Arno, and again would he climb Miniato r 

 and gaze on the many lovely landscapes the elevated 

 view commands. 



It was, however, impossible for him to leave St. 

 Peters in the hands of incompetent architects, and re- 

 tain the hope that his plans would be carried out ; so 

 he adhered to his purpose of standing by his cherished 

 work. While engaged in forwarding the great labor 

 of his life, though without the expectation of seeing 

 it completed, Michael Angelo, at the advanced age of 

 89, after a short illness, succumbed to the inevitable. 

 In the presence of his physician and a few friends he 

 made the following nuncupative will : "My soul I re- 

 sign to God ; my body to the earth ; and my worldly 

 possessions to my nearest of kin." He died on the 

 17th of February, 1563. His remains were tempo- 

 rarily entombed in Home, but afterward were buried 

 in Florence, in a crypt of the church of St. Croce the 

 hallowed resting place being suitably inscribed and 

 ornamented. There his remains are with those of 

 Dante, Galileo, and other renowned Florentines. 



Michael Angelo was rather delicate in his youth r 

 but fairly athletic in early manhood, engaging eagerly 

 in gymnastic sports. In a display of physical prowess 

 he received an unlucky blow on the nose, which 

 disfigured the organ for life. This nasal defect 

 was ever a source of regret to him, and is al- 

 leged to have made him morose at times. His head 

 was large, his shoulders broad, and his general phys- 



