the house again, but spent the next
four days partly reclining in an arm-chair, partly in bed. Upon the
15th following, Diomede Leoni wrote to Lionardo, enclosing a letter by
the hand of Daniele da Volterra, which Michelangelo had signed. The
old man felt his end approaching, and wished to see his nephew. "You
will learn from the enclosure how ill he is, and that he wants you to
come to Rome. He was taken ill yesterday. I therefore exhort you to
come at once, but do so with sufficient prudence. The roads are bad
now, and you are not used to travel by post. This being so, you would
run some risk if you came post-haste. Taking your own time upon the
way, you may feel at ease when you remember that Messer Tommaso dei
Cavalieri, Messer Daniele, and I are here to render every possible
assistance in your absence. Beside us, Antonio, the old and faithful
servant of your uncle, will be helpful in any service that may be
expected from him." Diomede reiterates his advice that Lionardo should
run no risks by travelling too fast. "If the illness portends
mischief, which God forbid, you could not with the utmost haste arrive
in time.... I left him just now, a little after 8 P.M., in full
possession of his faculties and quiet in his mind, but oppressed with
a continued sleepiness. This has annoyed him so much that, between
three and four this afternoon, he tried to go out riding, as his wont
is every evening in good weather. The coldness of the weather and the
weakness of his head and legs prevented him; so he returned to the
fire-side, and settled down into an easy chair, which he greatly
prefers to the bed." No improvement gave a ray of hope to
Michelangelo's friends, and two days later, on the 17th, Tiberio
Calcagni took up the correspondence with Lionardo: "This is to beg you
to hasten your coming as much as possible, even though the weather be
unfavourable. It is certain now that our dear Messer Michelangelo must
leave us for good and all, and he ought to have the consolation of
seeing you." Next day, on the 18th, Diomede Leoni wrote again: "He
died without making a will, but in the attitude of a perfect
Christian, this evening, about the Ave Maria. I was present, together
with Messer Tommaso dei Cavalieri and Messer Daniele da Volterra, and
we put everything in such order that you may rest with a tranquil
mind. Yesterday Michelangelo sent for our friend Messer Daniele, and
besought him to take up his abode in the house until su