nxiety preyed
upon the master and injured his health. Paolo Mini, the father of Antonio,
Michael Angelo's assistant, wrote to Baccio Valori on September 29(142):
"Michael Angelo will not live long unless some measures are taken for his
benefit. He works very hard, eats little and poorly, and sleeps less. In
fact, he is afflicted with two kinds of disorder: the one in his head, the
other in his heart. Neither is incurable, since he has a robust
constitution; but, for the good of his head, he ought to be restrained by
our Lord the Pope from working through the winter in the sacristy, the air
of which is bad for him;(143) and for his heart, the best remedy would be
if his Holiness could accommodate matters with the Duke of Urbino." On
November 21 Clement addressed a brief to his sculptor, whereby Buonarroti
was ordered, under pain of excommunication, to lay aside all work, except
what was strictly necessary for the Medician monuments, and to take better
care of his health. On the 26th Benvenuto Valpaio added that his Holiness
desired Michael Angelo to select some workshop more convenient than the
cold and cheerless sacristy.

Sebastiano's letters during 1533 often refer to an edition of some
madrigals written by Michael Angelo and set to music by Bartolomeo
Tromboncino, Giacomo Arcadelt, and Constanzo Festa.(144) Gottif(145)
publishes an essay by Leto Puliti on this music with the score of three of
the madrigals. Many of Michael Angelo's poetical compositions may be
referred to this period of comparative inaction as to painting and
sculpture. All through his life he wrote sonnets and poems when his other
work did not proceed quickly.

In 1535 Michael Angelo finally left Florence. His father and his favourite
brother were dead, and so he left the shadow of the great Duomo, all
Florentines love, for ever. At Rome he dreamed a dream of another Dome,
that has given to that city the feature by which we know it best, and to
Romans a possession not less beloved than Bruneleschi's gift to the
Florentines.

[Image #40]

THE HEAD OF THE NIGHT

THE NEW SACRISTY OF SAN LORENZO, FLORENCE
(_By permission of the Fratelli Alinari, Florence_)

When Michael Angelo left, the works at San Lorenzo were all unfinished;
the facade was not begun, the Sagrestia Nuova, the ground plan of which is
similar to Bruneleschi's Sagrestia Vecchia, was left i