ed into
execution in the Church of the Trinita at Rome by a Sicilian painter,
who stayed many months with Michelagnolo, to serve him and to grind
his colours. This work, painted in fresco, is in the Chapel of S.
Gregorio, in the cross of the church, and, although it is executed
badly, there is a certain variety and terrible force in the attitudes
and groups of those nudes that are raining down from Heaven, and of
the others who, having fallen into the centre of the earth, are
changed into various forms of Devils, very horrible and bizarre; and
it is certainly an extraordinary fantasy. While Michelagnolo was
directing the preparation of the designs and cartoons of the Last
Judgment on the first wall, he never ceased for a single day to be at
strife with the agents of the Duke of Urbino, by whom he was accused
of having received sixteen thousand crowns from Julius II for the
tomb. This accusation was more than he could bear, and he desired to
finish the work some day, although he was already an old man, and he
would have willingly stayed in Rome to finish it, now that he had
found, without seeking it, such a pretext for not returning any more
to Florence, since he had a great fear of Duke Alessandro de' Medici,
whom he regarded as little his friend; for, when the Duke had given
him to understand through Signor Alessandro Vitelli that he should
select the best site for the building of the castle and citadel of
Florence, he answered that he would not go save at the command of Pope
Clement.

Finally an agreement was formed in the matter of the tomb, that it
should be finished in the following manner: there was no longer to be
an isolated tomb in a rectangular shape, but only one of the original
facades, in the manner that best pleased Michelagnolo, and he was to
be obliged to place in it six statues by his own hand. In this
contract that was made with the Duke of Urbino, his Excellency
consented that Michelagnolo should be at the disposal of Pope Clement
for four months in the year, either in Florence or wherever he might
think fit to employ him. But, although it seemed to Michelagnolo that
at last he had obtained some peace, he was not to be quit of it so
easily, for Pope Clement, desiring to see the final proof of the force
of his art, kept him occupied with the cartoon of the Judgment.
However, contriving to convince the Pope that he was thus engaged, at
the same time he kept working in secret, never relaxing his efforts