t whether because Raphael was kept in Rome by his post
of superintendent of the construction of St. Peter's in which he had
lately succeeded the old Giuliano da San Gallo in August, 1515, or
whether Leo X wished to attach to himself Michelangelo--whose family
pride he had already flattered by naming his brother Buonarroto _Comes
Palatinus_ and by giving the Buonarroti the right to place in their arms
the "palla" of the Medici with their lilies and the monogram of the
pope--at any rate it was to him that Leo X turned. Michelangelo,
stirred by the growing fame of Raphael, allowed himself to be drawn into
this new task which it was physically impossible for him to accomplish
without neglecting the old one and which was to cause him endless worry
and vexation. His correspondence with Domenico Buoninsegni shows plainly
that he tried to deceive himself into thinking that he could carry on
the two undertakings simultaneously.

[Illustration: THE PROPHET JEREMIAH

Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (1508-1512).]

The heirs of Julius II, however, were more clear-sighted and in order to
fight fire with fire they tried to bind him by a third contract on July
8, 1516. By this agreement the monument of the pope was to be diminished
by one-half and the number of the statues reduced from thirty-two to
twenty. They gave Michelangelo nine years more in which to complete the
work, with full liberty to execute it in Florence, Pisa or Carrara. In
return they forced from him the formal agreement that he would not
undertake any other important work "opus saltim magni momenti." That
clause was aimed directly at the plans of Leo X. Michelangelo signed
this in good faith, for he thought that it would not prevent his making
some statues for the facade of S. Lorenzo. His imagination carried him
away. He was more and more attracted by Leo's project and he let himself
go so far as to write that he would undertake the work and he sent a
design for the facade. Then, almost at once, he was seized with
scruples and wanted to rid himself of the greater part of the task by
turning it over to the architect Baccio d'Agnolo and only reserving for
himself the principal statues. The pope agreed to everything, sure of
what would happen, for it was no secret that Michelangelo was incapable
of collaborating with anyone, no matter who he might be. As a matter of
fact Michelangelo was not satisfied with the model of the facade which
Baccio made according to his plan.