omb of Julius
II, and he was content, rather, that they should be entrusted to
Bartolommeo Ammanati, whom Vasari had proposed, although Buonarroti
had something of a private grievance against him, as also against
Nanni di Baccio Bigio, caused by a reason which, if one considers it
well, seems slight enough; for when they were very young, moved rather
by love of art than by a desire to do wrong, they had entered with
great pains into his house, and had taken from Antonio Mini, the
disciple of Michelagnolo, many sheets with drawings; but these were
afterwards all restored to him by order of the Tribunal of Eight, and,
at the intercession of his friend Messer Giovanni Norchiati, Canon of
S. Lorenzo, he would not have any other punishment inflicted on them.
Vasari, when Michelagnolo spoke to him of this matter, said to him,
laughing, that it did not seem to him that they deserved any blame,
and that he himself, if he had ever been able, would have not taken a
few drawings only, but robbed him of everything by his hand that he
might have been able to seize, merely for the sake of learning art.
One must look kindly, he said, on those who seek after excellence, and
also reward them, and therefore such men must not be treated like
those who go about stealing money, household property, and other
things of value; and so the matter was turned into a jest. This was
the reason that a beginning was made with the work of the Montorio,
and that in the same year Vasari and Ammanati went to have the marble
conveyed from Carrara to Rome for the execution of that work.

At that time Vasari was with Michelagnolo every day; and one morning
the Pope in his kindness gave them both leave that they might visit
the Seven Churches on horseback (for it was Holy Year), and receive
the Pardon in company. Whereupon, while going from one church to
another, they had many useful and beautiful conversations on art and
every industry, and out of these Vasari composed a dialogue, which
will be published at some more favourable opportunity, together with
other things concerning art. In that year Pope Julius III confirmed
the Motu-proprio of Pope Paul III with regard to the building of S.
Pietro; and although much evil was spoken to him of Michelagnolo by
the friends of the San Gallo faction, in the matter of that fabric of
S. Pietro, at that time the Pope would not listen to a word, for
Vasari had demonstrated to him (as was the truth) that Michelagnolo
had