JULIUS THE SECOND.

THIS Pope appears to have poffeffed more of the Imperator than of the Pontifex Maximus in his character. He was almoft continually engaged in wars, and at the head of his troops, yet when he was at peace he patronized men of learning, and encouraged artists of eminence. He ufed to fay, "Learning is filver to plebeians, gold "to the nobility, and a diamond to princes." To this Pope the world is indebted for that wonder of architecture, St. Peter's church at Rome. The vanity of Julius had prompted him to order Michael Angelo to give him a defign for his tomb, which that great artist made upon fo grand a fcale," that the choir of old St. Peter's (a moft miferable fabric) could not contain it. "Well, then," replied the Pope, "enlarge the choir." "Aye, "Holy Father, but we must then build a new "church, to keep up the due proportion between "the different parts of the edifice." << That we "will then do," replied the Pope; and gave orders for the fale of Indulgences to carry on the conftruction of the fabric, which afterwards in his fucceffors time undermined the whole fabric of papal authority.

Some

Some of the figures intended for the Pope's Maufoleum remain ; the famous figure of Mofes fitting, in St. Pietro del Vinculi at Rome, and two or three of the Slaves at the Hotel de Richelieu at Paris, from which cafts have been fince made. The original defign of the tomb is engraved in Vafari; it has much of stately Gothic grandeur in it, and was to have been decorated with thirty-two whole-length figures of Prophets and of Apoftles.

Julius was accufed by his contemporaries of being a drunkard and a fwearer; he never appeared to fo much advantage as at the head of an army. When Michael Angelo asked him whether he fhould put a fword or a book in the hand of the coloffal ftatue that he made of him for the great fquare of Bologna*; "Put a fword," faid the Pope, "you know I am no fcholar." Yet Julius thought the attitude of this ftatue rather too fevere, and faid, "Michael Angelo, 66 my ftatue rather appears to curfe than to bless "the good people of Bologna.” "Holy Fa"ther," replied the artift, "as they have not

* This statue, which was faid to be one of Michael Angelo's greatest works, was deftroyed by the populace of Bologna, on the death of Julius.

"always

"always been the moft obedient of your fubjects "it will teach them to be afraid of you, and to “ behave better in future.”

The pictures of this Pope reprefent him as a man of naturally a very stern aspect, which did not require the additional fierté and feverity that Michael Angelo's coloffal ftatue most probably gave to him.

Julius was the firft Prince of his time in Europe who let his beard grow, to infpire respect to his perfon. In this he was foon followed by Francis the First, and the other Sovereigns of that age.

MICHAEL ANGELO.

THIS wonderful genius poffeffed in a peculiar manner that enthufiafm of his art, without which nothing great can ever be produced. He faid that Painting should be practised only by Gentlemen, and would not receive as pupils any young perfons who were not either nobly born, or had been liberally educated.

Michael Angelo was a Painter, a Statuary, and an Architect, and in each of thefe arts aimed always

at

at the grand and the fublime. He had a design of executing a coloffal ftatue of Neptune in the marble quarries of Maffa Carara, that fhould front the Mediterranean sea, and be seen from the veffels that were paffing at a great diftance.

Dante was the favourite poet of Michael Angelo, and he appears to have transfufed into his works, many of his magnificent and fublime images. Angelo himself wrote verses very well. When some person put the following lines upon his celebrated figure of Night reclining upon the tomb of one of the family of Medicis, in the chapel at Florence that bears the name of that illuftrious family:

La notte che tu vedi in fe dolci atti
Dormir, fu da un Angelo fcolpita

In quefio fasso, & ben che dormé, ha vita.
Defta la fé no'l credi & parleratti :

NIGHT's marble figure, ftranger, which you fee
Recline with fo much grace and majefty,
No mortal's feeble art will deign to own,
But boasts an Angel's hand divine alone:
Death's awful semblance though fhe counterfeits,
Her pulse still quivers, and her heart ftill beats.
Doubt'ft thou this, ftranger? Then with accents meek
Accost the fleeping fair, and straight she'll speak :

VOL. I.

D

Michael

Michael Angelo the next evening replied in the following lines:

Grato mi é il fonno, & piu l'effer di fafo,
Mentre ch'il danno, & la vergogna dura.
Non veder, non fentir m' é grand ventura
Pero non mi deftar. Deb! parla basso!

To me how pleasant is this death-like sleep,
And dull cold marble's fenfeless state to keep
Whilft civil broils my native land confound,
And Rapine, Fury, Murder, stalk around,
How grateful not to see these horrid woes!
Huh, Stranger, leave me to my lov'd repofe * !

Michael was in love with the celebrated Marchioness of Pescara, yet he never suffered his pleasures to interfere materially with his more ferious pursuits. He was one day preffed to marriage by a friend of his, who, amongst other topics, told him that he might then have children, to whom he might leave his great works in art, "I have already," replied he, "a Wife that har"raffes me, that is, my Art, and my works are my Children.'

Michael Angelo faid one day to his Biographer Giorgio Vafari, "Giorgio, thank God that "Duke Cofmo has reared thee to be the fervant "of his whims, his architect and painter;

Florence at that time was diftracted with civil diffenfions.

" whilft