Page:Vasari - Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, volume 4.djvu/452

444 the good woman freely confessed to him that the maiden was not Michele’s daughter, yet, as the latter had commanded him, he paid her the money, which was as welcome to that poor creature as five hundred crowns might have been to some others.

San Michele was indeed more kindly and friendly than any man that ever lived, insomuch that he was scarcely made aware of the wants or desires of his friends, before he would instantly set about labouring to fulfil the same, though it were to the spending of his life; nor did any one ever do him a service without having it many times and doubly repaid. Giorgio Vasari once made him a large drawing in Venice, and this the Aretine artist completed with his best diligence, the subject being Lucifer in his pride overwhelmed by the Archangel Michael, and cast shamefully from heaven into the horrible deeps of hell. For this San Michele thanked Giorgio courteously when the latter went to take leave of him, but said nothing further, nor was it until after Vasari had been some days returned to Arezzo, that he knew what San Michele had done: the architect, namely, had long before sent to the mother of Giorgio, who was then dwelling in Arezzo, a large number of magnificent and beautiful presents, as might have been done by one of our richest nobles; with a letter wherein he expressed his attachment for her son in terms of the utmost respect to herself.

The Signori of Venice were many times on the point of increasing the stipend of San Michele, but he always refused to accept these additions, desiring that they would give the sums which they proposed to add to his appointments, to his nephews rather than to himself. At a word, San Michele was most courteous, friendly, and benevolent, in all his actions; he was esteemed and beloved accordingly by many great nobles, among others, and while our artist was in Rome, by the Cardinal de’ Medici, who was afterwards Pope Clement VII., by the Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, subsequently Pope Paul III., by the divine Michelagnolo, by the Signor Francesco Maria, Duke of Urbino, and by vast numbers of the nobles and senators of Venice. In Verona his most intimate friend was Fra Marco de’ Medici, a man of great learning, and of infinite goodness, he had besides many