News came to Florence that he was dying; and Lionardo, not intimidated by his experience on the last occasion, set out to visit him.

His _ricordo_ of the journey was as follows: "I note how on the 15th of January 1545 (Flor.

style, _i.e._ 1546) I went to Rome by post to see Michelangelo, who was ill, and returned to-day, the 26th." It is not quite easy to separate the records of these two acute illnesses of Michelangelo, falling between the summer of 1544 and the early spring of 1546.

Still, there is no doubt that they signalised his passage from robust old age into a period of physical decline.
Much of life survived in the hero yet; he had still to mould S.
Peter's after his own mind, and to invent the cupola.

Intellectually he suffered no diminution, but he became subject to a chronic disease of the bladder, and adopted habits suited to decaying faculty.
II We have seen that Michelangelo regarded Luigi del Riccio as his most trusty friend and adviser.