Even Wadsworth's translations, fine as they are, have lost a large portion of their interest since the publication of the autographs by Cesare Guasti in 1863.

It is certain that the younger Michelangelo meant well to his illustrious ancestor.

He was anxious to give his rugged compositions the elegance and suavity of academical versification.

He wished also to defend his character from the imputation of immorality.

Therefore he rearranged the order of stanzas in the longer poems, pieced fragments together, changed whole lines, ideas, images, amplified and mutilated, altered phrases which seemed to him suspicious.