"MESSER GIOVAN FRANCESCO,--You ask of me in your letter how my
affairs stood with Pope Julius. I tell you that I estimate that I
could demand payment and interest on it, to receive money rather
than give it. For when he sent for me to Florence, I believe it
was in the second year of his Pontificate, I had begun to decorate
the half of the Sala del Consiglio of Florence, that is to paint
it. I was to have had three thousand ducats for it, and the
cartoon was already completed, as was well known to all Florence,
so that they seemed to me half earned. And of the Twelve Apostles,
which I had still to do for Santa Maria del Fiore, one was
sketched out, as may still be seen; and I had carried thither the
greater part of the marbles. Pope Julius calling me away, I
received nothing for either undertaking. Afterwards, I being in
Rome with the said Pope Julius, he commissioned me to make his
tomb, into which was to go a thousand ducats' worth of marbles. He
paid me the money, and sent me to Carrara for them; there I stayed
eight months having them blocked out, and brought them almost all
to the piazza of St. Peter's; a part remained at the Ripa. After I
had paid the freightage of these said marbles the money received
for this work came to an end. I furnished the house I had on the
piazza of St. Peter's with beds and furniture with my own money,
on my hopes of the tomb, and sent for workmen from Florence (some
of whom are still living), and paid them with my own in advance.
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