[62] He belonged to a family of 5 brothers, 4
of whom never married, and so far as is known left no offspring; the fifth
only left 1 male heir. His biographer describes Michelangelo as "a man of
peculiar, not altogether healthy, nervous temperament." He was indifferent
to women; only in one case, indeed, during his long life is there evidence
even of friendship with a woman, while he was very sensitive to the beauty
of men, and his friendships were very tender and enthusiastic. At the
same time there is no reason to suppose that he formed any physically
passionate relationships with men, and even his enemies seldom or never
made this accusation against him. We may probably accept the estimate of
his character given by Symonds:--
Michelangelo Buonarotti was one of those exceptional, but not
uncommon men who are born with sensibilities abnormally deflected
from the ordinary channel. He showed no partiality for women, and
a notable enthusiasm for the beauty of young men.... He was a man
of physically frigid temperament, extremely sensitive to beauty
of the male type, who habitually philosophized his emotions, and
contemplated the living objects of his admiration as amiable, not
only for their personal qualities, but also for their esthetical
attractiveness.
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