but "his Medusa,"
as he called the Pope, commanded the presence of his artist in Rome as
soon as he heard that the work at Bologna was finished. Michael Angelo
obeyed at once this time. We have a good account by his own hand of what
happened when he arrived in Rome, his famous letter to Fattucci, written
sixteen years later.

"_To_ SER GIOVAN FRANCESCO FATTUCCI, _in Rome_.

"_From_ FLORENCE (_January_ 1524).

"MESSER GIOVAN FRANCESCO,--You ask of me in your letter how my
affairs stood with Pope Julius. I tell you that I estimate that I
could demand payment and interest on it, to receive money rather
than give it. For when he sent for me to Florence, I believe it
was in the second year of his Pontificate, I had begun to decorate
the half of the Sala del Consiglio of Florence, that is to paint
it. I was to have had three thousand ducats for it, and the
cartoon was already completed, as was well known to all Florence,
so that they seemed to me half earned. And of the Twelve Apostles,
which I had still to do for Santa Maria del Fiore, one was
sketched out, as may still be seen; and I had carried thither the
greater part of the marbles. Pope Julius calling me away, I
received nothing for either undertaking. Afterwards, I being in
Rome with the said Pope Julius, he commissioned me to make his
tomb, into which was to go a thousand ducats' worth of marbles. He
paid me the money, and sent me to Carrara for them; there I stayed
eight months having them blocked out, and brought them almost all
to the piazza of St. Peter's; a part remained at the Ripa. After I
had paid the freightage of these said marbles the money received
for this work came to an end. I furnished the house I had on the
piazza of St. Peter's with beds and furniture with my own money,
on my hopes of the tomb, and sent for workmen from Florence (some
of whom are still living), and paid them with my own in advance.
By this time Pope Julius had changed his mind, and no longer
wished to have it done. I, not knowing this and going to him for
money, was chased from the room; and for this insult I immediately
left Rome, and everything I had in my house went to the bad; and
these marbles which I had bought lay on the piazza of St. Peter's
until the creation of Pope Leo; and on every side things went
wrong. Among other things that I can prove,