Besides, I have no friend here to trust to, and I
could not attend to such things. It seems to me, when you desire
to attend to it, that you should go by the usual way, as reason
demands, and you must defend yourself as well as you are able and
know how; and for the money that is necessary to spend I will not
fail as long as I have any. Have as little fear as you can, for it
is not a case of life and death. No more. Let me know, as I told
you above.
"From MICHAEL ANGELO, in Rome."(107)
[Image #18]
THE DELUGE
A DETAIL, SISTINE CHAPEL, ROME
(_Reproduced by permission from a photograph by Sig. D. Anderson, Rome_)
Truly his family did all they could to disturb his mind during this
important period of the development of his greatest work. The mind that
wrote the following letter to Giovan Simone cannot have been in a good
state for work; but as he never lets a thought about his art appear in his
letters, so, no doubt, when once the mood of work was upon him, all other
thoughts were left without the workshop door:
"ROME, _July_ 1508.
"GIOVAN SIMONE,--It is said that when one does good to a good man
it makes him become better, but a bad man becomes worse. I have
tried now many years with words and deeds of kindness to bring you
to live honestly and in peace with your father and the rest of us.
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