The church
was in the form of a cross. At the head Pope Nicolas V. had begun to
rebuild the tribune; the walls were already three braccia above the ground
when he died. It seemed to Michael Angelo that this place was very
suitable. When he returned to the Pope he told him what he thought, and
added, that if it seemed good to his Holiness, it would be necessary to go
on with the building and roof it in. The Pope asked him, "_What would be
the cost of this?_" Michael Angelo replied, "_One hundred thousand
scudi._" "_Let it be two hundred thousand_," said Julius. And sending San
Gallo, the architect, and Bramante to see the place, by their suggestion
it came into the mind of the Pope to rebuild the church altogether. He
directed them to prepare designs, and that of Bramante was approved, as
being more graceful and better understood than the others. Thus, Michael
Angelo was the cause, both that those parts of the building already begun
were completed, which otherwise might have remained as they were to this
day, and that it came into the mind of the Pope to rebuild the rest of the
church on a more magnificent scale.
XXVIII. Returning to our story, Michael Angelo became acquainted with the
change in the wishes of Julius in the following manner: The Pope
instructed Michael Angelo that if he needed money he was to come direct to
him and not to others, so that he might not have to go from one to another
for it. It happened one day that the rest of the marbles that had been
left at Carrara arrived at the Ripa; Michael Angelo had them disembarked
and carried to Saint Peter's, and desiring at once to pay the freight, the
landing, and the porterage, he went to ask the Pope for money, but found
access to the palace more difficult than usual, and his Holiness occupied.
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