The history of the popes, from the close of the middle ages : drawn ...

112 HISTORY OF THE POPES.
senate and people of Rome at once took steps to take possession
of this precious gift, and ordered that a mass of thanksgiving
should be celebrated at the Minerva on St. Antony's day.^
They first received 17 statues and statuettes, a small group
with putti, and 12 busts, which did not include any works of
great importance, and which came for the most part from the
stairs leading to the Belvedere, and from one of the rooms
in the Vatican. In the meantime the Cardinals of Pius IV.
were successful in dissuading the Pope from sending the
remaining statues. The Romans, however, did not give up
hopes of acquiring them, and in February, 1570, they made
a claim for them, though without immediate success.^
The news that the Pope intended to purge his palace of
antiques aroused in the mind of so great a connoisseur as the
Emperor Maximilian II. the desire to obtain possession of
some pieces for his own collection. Since, however, Pius V.
had in the meantime made a present of some of the statues
to the Cardinals, it was not easy to find any which would
suit the Emperor's purpose. In July, 1569, two more than
life-size statues were sent to him, a Hercules and an Aphrodite,
which were followed some years later by three statues from
^ *Le statue del Belvedere gia si levano e le conducono iii
Campidoglio per haver 11 Papa fattone gratia al popolo Romano,
et percio s'obligano in perpetuo far celebrar una messa nella
Minerva nella capella di S. Tommaso d 'Aquino il giorno di S.
Antonio e dare un calice con 4 torcie bianche ogn'anno, e mercordi
cominciorno, eve furono tutti i cardinali Rom." (Avviso di Roma
of February 16, 1566, Urb. 1040, p. 182. Vatican Library ; cf.
FiRMANUS, *Diarium, in Miscell., Arm. XII., 31, p. 56b, Papal
Secret Archives). On March 2, 1566, Cusano *reports that the
deputies of the city of Rome had been during the whole week
transporting statues from the Belvedere to the Capitol (State
Archives, Vienna). Of the inscriptions of thanks at the Capitol,
one mentions no definite number, and the other mentions 30 ;
see FoRCELLA, I., 61-62.
^ *" Li conservatori hanno dimandato in gratia al Papa le
statue di Belvedere per metterle nella bella fabrica di Campidog-
lio," the Pope has postponed " il levarle." *Avviso di Roma o(
February 4, 1570, Urb. 104 1, p. 231b, Vatican Library.