Page:The Life of Michael Angelo.djvu/58

 had begun to deteriorate. Poor food, cold, damp and overwork had begun to ruin him. He suffered in his head and had a swollen side. His father reproached him for the manner in which he lived: he did not mention that he was responsible for it.

"All the hardships which I have endured, I have endured for you," wrote Michael Angelo to him later. ". . . All my cares, all of them, I have suffered through my love for you."

In the spring of 1501 he returned to Florence. Forty years before, a gigantic block of marble had been entrusted by the Opera del Duomo to Agostino di Duccio to make the figure of a prophet. The work—hardly commenced—had been interrupted and no one dare continue it. Michael Angelo took it in hand and transformed the ill-shapen block into a colossal statue of David.

It is related that the gonfaloniere Pier Soderini, on coming to see this statue, which he had ordered from Michael Angelo, addressed a few critical remarks to him, in order to show his taste: he pretended to discover that the nose was a little too large. Whereupon Michael Angelo mounted the scaffolding, took a chisel and a little marble dust, and, whilst lightly moving the chisel, allowed the dust to fall, little by little. But he took very good care not to touch the nose and left it as it was. Then, turning towards the gonfaloniere, he said: