them, whereupon they made an agreement that
the tomb should be executed, and Vinci sent Francesco del Tadda, an
able master of marble-carving, to have the marble quarried at Carrara.
And when that master had sent him a block of marble, Vinci began a
statue, and carved out of the stone a figure blocked out in such a
manner that one who knew not the circumstances would have said that
it was certainly blocked out by Michelagnolo.

The name of Vinci was now very great, and his genius was admired by
all, being much more perfect than could have been expected in one so
young, and it was likely to grow even more and to become greater, and
to equal that of any other man in his art, as his own works bear
witness, without any other testimony; when the term prescribed for him
by Heaven, being now close at hand, interrupted all his plans, and
caused his rapid progress to cease at one blow, not suffering that he
should climb any higher, and depriving the world of many excellent
works of art with which, had Vinci lived, it would have been adorned.
It happened at this time, while Vinci was intent on the tomb of
another, not knowing that his own was preparing, that the Duke had to
send Luca Martini to Genoa on affairs of importance; and Luca, both
because he loved Vinci and wished to have him in his company, and also
in order to give him some diversion and recreation, and to enable him
to see Genoa, took him with him on his journey. There, while Martini
was transacting his business, at his suggestion Messer Adamo
Centurioni commissioned Vinci to execute a figure of S. John the
Baptist, of which he made the model. But soon he was attacked by
fever, and, to increase his distress, at the same time his friend was
also taken away from him; perchance to provide a way in which fate
might be fulfilled in the life of Vinci. For it became necessary that
Luca, in the interests of the business entrusted to him, should go to
Florence to find the Duke; wherefore he parted from his sick friend,
to the great grief of both the one and the other, leaving him in the
house of the Abate Nero, to whom he straitly recommended him, although
Piero was very unwilling to remain in Genoa. But Vinci, feeling
himself growing worse every day, resolved to have himself removed from
Genoa; and, having caused an assistant of his own, called Tiberio
Cavalieri, to come from Pisa, with his help he had himself carried to
Livorno by water, and from Livorno to Pisa in a litter