Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 4.djvu/30

22 which the Pontiff might then choose that which best pleased him,but intending, nevertheless, that Sangallo should carry the design chosen into execution. Thus it happened one morning, while the Pontiff was at breakfast in the Belvidere, that these collected designs were laid before his Holiness in the presence of Antonio, the masters proposing these plans being Perino del Yaga, Fra Bastiano del Piombo, Michelagnolo Buonarroti, and Giorgio Vasari, who was then very young and in the service of the Cardinal Farnese, by commission from whom and from the Pope, he had prepared not one only but two designs of different character for that work. It is true, that Buonarroti did not take his own design himself, but sent it by the above-named Giorgio Vasari, who had gone to him to show the designs which he had made, to the end that Michelagnolo as a friend might give him his opinion respecting them. To Vasari, therefore, Michelagnolo gave his design, desiring that he would present it to the Pope, and would at the same time make an excuse for that he, being indisposed, had not brought it in person.

The designs being all laid before the Pontiff accordingly, his Holiness examined them all attentively and for a long time, commending all as ingenious and beautiful, but extolling that of the divine Michelagnolo above all. Now all this did not take place without some vexation to Antonio, whom that mode of proceeding on the part of the Pope could not much gratify, since he would fain have done every thing by himself: but the thing which displeased him more than all the rest was to see that Pope Paul made great account of a certain Jacopo Meligliino of Ferrara, and even availed himself of his services as an architect in the building of San Pietro; nay, although Meligliino possessed no ability in design and showed no judgment in his proceedings, the Pope had conferred on him a stipend equal to that of Antonio, on whom all the labours devolved. And this happened because this Melighino, having been a faithful follower of the Pope for many years without any reward, his Holiness was pleased to make it up to him in that manner. He had besides the care of the Belvidere, and of some other buildings belonging to the Pope.

When his Holiness, therefore, had sufficiently examined all the designs presented to him by the above-named masters,