“I can’t forget the Papal wars, the crusades, the Savonarola fanaticisms.
“When did robe and aspergillum exorcise evil?
“I’m still searching...but, in this world of ambiguity, I think there is no answer.”
Today...only these words, as I sat by his bed. Visitors annoyed him. Several times he asked for his mother.
Cloux
April 9, 1519
It is afternoon. The sun is low. Da Vinci speaks:
“When the old French King saw my Last Supper he was determined to remove the entire wall of the refectory, and have it transported to Paris. He discussed it with engineers and architects who said it was impossible.
“What a study...the King is scarlet, pompous, in a very bad humor, his syphilitic face grey. Flailing his arms, as he stood before my mural, he roared at the men around him, kicked a dog that had wandered in.