you bear us, to promise him from us, that if he pleases to return, he shall meet with no bad treatment, and that he shall receive that same apostolic favour which we showed him before he fled from our presence. "Given at Rome this eighth day of July 1506, in the third year of our Pontifi cate." A WRITING OF LEONARDO BUONAROTTI, CONTAINING THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN HIM AND DOMINICO GHIRLANDAJO AND DAVID DI TOMMASO DI CORRADO, FOR THE INSTRUCTION OF YOUNG MICHAEL IN THEIR ART BY ADMITTING HIM AS ONE OF THEIR PUPILS. MICHAEL ANGELO WAS THEN ABOUT FOURTEEN. The agreement, preserved by the descendants of Ghirlandajo, is as follows: "1488.—I acknowledge, this first day of April, how I, Louis di Leonardo di Bonarotta, place my son Michael Angelo with Dominic and David di Tommaso di Corrado, for the three next years, upon the understanding and agreement that the said Michael Angelo is to live with the aforesaid Dominic, &c. during the aforesaid time, to learn to paint, to study, and to do what his masters bid him. The said Dominic and David are to give him, during the three years, twenty-four florins salary: that is to say, for the first year six florins, for the second, eight; and for the third, ten; making in all ninety-six livres." Under this agreement is written in the hand of Leonardo, "The aforesaid Michael Angelo has received, this sixteenth day of April, two florins in gold of his masters; and I, Ludovico di Leonardo, have received of him twelve livres in ready money.' "TO OUR DEAR SON MICHAEL ANGELO BUONAROTTI, CITIZEN OF FLORENCE. "OUR DEAR SON, WE SALUTE YOU! "Our love for your person and extraordinary talents is undiminished. One of our wishes is, that you may preserve your health and enjoy a long life, which may enable you to continue to aggrandize the city of Rome, your family, and yourself, as you deserve. As we are as anxious that you should enjoy good health as that you should live long, and knowing that your labours increase daily on account of your science and that they might easily cause your death, we * It is a remarkable thing that these masters paid their pupils a salary; and it renders it probable that Michael Angelo had made some proficiency in painting before he entered the school of Ghirlandajo. order you, under pain of excommunication læta sententiæ, by these presents, that on receipt of them, you engage in no work, either of painting or sculpture, except our tomb, for which we have given you a commission. You will show your obedience to our orders by taking care of your health. "Given at Rome, under the sinner's seal (that is, ring-seal) the twenty-first of "EVANGELISTA." 66 LETTER OR BRIEF OF PAUL THE THIRD то MICHAEL ANGELO BUONAROTTI. 66 Rome, near St Mark, 1st September 1535, the 1st year of our Pontificate. "From regard to the memory of our predecessor Clement the Seventh, and also myself wishing to give you a satisfactory recompense for the picture you are to paint for the altar of our chapel, representing the Last Judgment; considering your labour and your talents, with which you so amply ornament our age, we promise you by this brief a pension of twelve hundred golden crowns a-year for your life: and in order that you may apply your whole attention to finishing the aforesaid work, which you have com menced with our apostolic authority, in force by this our present brief, we also, during your life, grant you the ferry of the Po, near Placenza, which John Francis Burla enjoyed while alive; with all the customary emoluments, the jurisdiction, honours, and tolls on merchandise; this will liquidate part of your salary, that is to say, six hundred golden crowns, which is the annual return of this ferry: our promise remaining always fixed as to the other six hundred crowns for your life. We command our present vicelegate of Cispadan Gaul and his successors, our dear sons the magistrates and inhabitants of the said town of Placenza, and all whom it may concern, to let it be known that we give you or your deputy the possession of the said ferry, and the trade of it, &c. We command that, it being given to you, the inhabitants protect you and let you peaceably enjoy our grant during your life, any thing to the contrary notwithstanding. (Signed) "BLOSIO." 66 TO THE DIVINE MICHAEL ANGELO. "VENERABLE MAN! As it shows little care of one's reputation not to remember God, so it also argues a con tempt for wisdom and a want of judgment not to feel for you that veneration which you so highly deserve, since heaven has pleased to shower on you all its graces and gifts. It is on that account that the idea of a new and perfect nature breathes, though concealed in your hands, and that the difficulty of outlines (that great mystery of painting) is so easy to you, that you reduce the extremities of the body within the bounds of art; a thing hitherto looked upon by artists themselves, as impossible to be brought to perfection; because the extremity ought, you know, to bound itself, and to terminate in such a manner as while it makes itself quite apparent, it should set off other objects, as in the figures in the chapel of St Lorenzo,* which exercise the judgment no less than they call forth admiration. "Now I, who by praise or abuse have distributed the greatest quantity of merit or demerit, in order not to change in any respect the little that I am, salute you. I should not dare to do this if my name, which has reached the ears of all the princes of the earth, had not acquired a certain degree of celebrity. I ought indeed to regard you with the greatest respect, since the world has many princes, but only one Michael Angelo. * At Florence. |