history of florence-第13节

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which　kept　the　church　weak　and　in　disrepute。　The　city　of　Constance；　in

Germany；　was　appointed　for　the　holding　of　the　council；　contrary　to　the

expectation　of　Pope　John。　And　although　the　death　of　Ladislaus　had

removed　the　cause　which　induced　the　pope　to　call　the　council；　still；

having　promised　to　attend；　he　could　not　refuse　to　go　there。　In　a　few

months　after　his　arrival　at　Constance　he　discovered　his　error；　but　it

was　too　late；　endeavoring　to　escape；　he　was　taken；　put　into　prison；

and　compelled　to　renounce　the　papacy。　Gregory；　one　of　the　anti…popes；

sent　his　renunciation；　Benedict；　the　other；　refusing　to　do　the　same；

was　condemned　as　a　heretic；　but；　being　abandoned　by　his　cardinals；　he

complied；　and　the　council　elected　Oddo；　of　the　Colonnesi　family；　pope；

by　the　title　of　Martin　V。　Thus　the　church　was　united　under　one　head；

after　having　been　divided　by　many　pontiffs。



Filippo　Visconti　was；　as　we　have　said；　in　the　fortress　of　Pavia。　But

Fazino　Cane；　who　in　the　affairs　of　Lombardy　had　become　lord　of

Vercelli；　Alessandria；　Novara；　and　Tortona；　and　had　amassed　great

riches；　finding　his　end　approach；　and　having　no　children；　left　his

wife　Beatrice　heiress　of　his　estates；　and　arranged　with　his　friends

that　a　marriage　should　be　effected　between　her　and　Filippo。　By　this

union　Filippo　became　powerful；　and　reacquired　Milan　and　the　whole　of

Lombardy。　By　way　of　being　grateful　for　these　numerous　favors；　as

princes　commonly　are；　he　accused　Beatrice　of　adultery　and　caused　her

to　be　put　to　death。　Finding　himself　now　possessed　of　greater　power；　he

began　to　think　of　warring　with　Tuscany　and　of　prosecuting　the　designs

of　Giovanni　Galeazzo；　his　father。



Ladislaus；　king　of　Naples；　at　his　death；　left　to　his　sister　Giovanna

the　kingdom　and　a　large　army；　under　the　command　of　the　principal

leaders　of　Italy；　among　the　first　of　whom　was　Sforza　of　Cotignuola；

reputed　by　the　soldiery　of　that　period　to　be　a　very　valiant　man。　The

queen；　to　shun　the　disgrace　of　having　kept　about　her　person　a　certain

Pandolfello；　whom　she　had　brought　up；　took　for　her　husband　Giacopo

della　Marca；　a　Frenchman　of　the　royal　line；　on　the　condition　that　he

should　be　content　to　be　called　Prince　of　Tarento；　and　leave　to　her　the

title　and　government　of　the　kingdom。　But　the　soldiery；　upon　his

arrival　in　Naples；　proclaimed　him　king；　so　that　between　the　husband

and　the　wife　wars　ensued；　and　although　they　contended　with　varying

success；　the　queen　at　length　obtained　the　superiority；　and　became　an

enemy　of　the　pope。　Upon　this；　in　order　to　reduce　her　to　necessity；　and

that　she　might　be　compelled　to　throw　herself　into　his　lap；　Sforza

suddenly　withdrew　from　her　service　without　giving　her　any　pervious

notice　of　his　intention　to　do　so。　She　thus　found　herself　at　once

unarmed；　and　not　having　any　other　source；　sought　the　assistance　of

Alfonzo；　king　of　Aragon　and　Sicily；　adopted　him　as　her　son；　and

engaged　Braccio　of　Montone　as　her　captain；　who　was　of　equal　reputation

in　arms　with　Sforza；　and　inimical　to　the　pope；　on　account　of　his

having　taken　possession　of　Perugia　and　some　other　places　belonging　to

the　church。　After　this；　peace　was　made　between　the　queen　and　the

pontiff；　but　King　Alfonzo；　expecting　she　would　treat　him　as　she　had

her　husband；　endeavored　secretly　to　make　himself　master　of　the

strongholds；　but；　possessing　acute　observation；　she　was　beforehand

with　him；　and　fortified　herself　in　the　castle　of　Naples。　Suspicions

increasing　between　them；　they　had　recourse　to　arms；　and　the　queen；

with　the　assistance　of　Sforza；　who　again　resumed　her　service；　drove

Alfonzo　out　of　Naples；　deprived　him　of　his　succession；　and　adopted

Louis　of　Anjou　in　his　stead。　Hence　arose　new　contests　between　Braccio；

who　took　the　part　of　Alfonzo；　and　Sforza；　who　defended　the　cause　of

the　queen。　In　the　course　of　the　war；　Sforza　was　drowned　in　endeavoring

to　pass　the　river　Pescara；　the　queen　was　thus　again　unarmed；　and　would

have　been　driven　out　of　the　kingdom；　but　for　the　assistance　of　Filippo

Visconti；　the　duke　of　Milan；　who　compelled　Alfonzo　to　return　to

Aragon。　Braccio；　undaunted　at　the　departure　of　Alfonzo；　continued　the

enterprise　against　the　queen；　and　besieged　L'Aquilla；　but　the　pope；

thinking　the　greatness　of　Braccio　injurious　to　the　church；　received

into　his　pay　Francesco；　the　son　of　Sforza；　who　went　in　pursuit　of

Braccio　to　L'Aquilla；　where　he　routed　and　slew　him。　Of　Braccio

remained　Oddo；　his　son；　from　whom　the　pope　took　Perugia；　and　left　him

the　state　of　Montone　alone；　but　he　was　shortly　afterward　slain　in

Romagna；　in　the　service　of　the　Florentines；　so　that　of　those　who　had

fought　under　Braccio；　Niccolo　Piccinino　remained　of　greatest

reputation。



Having　continued　our　general　narration　nearly　to　the　period　which　we

at　first　proposed　to　reach；　what　remains　is　of　little　importance；

except　the　war　which　the　Florentines　and　Venetians　carried　on　against

Filippo　duke　of　Milan；　of　which　an　account　will　be　given　when　we　speak

particularly　of　Florence。　I　shall；　therefore；　continue　it　no　further；

briefly　explaining　the　condition　of　Italy　in　respect　of　her　princes

and　her　arms；　at　the　period　to　which　we　have　now　come。　Joan　II。　held

Naples；　La　Marca；　the　Patrimony　and　Romagna；　some　of　these　places

obeyed　the　church；　while　others　were　held　by　vicars　or　tyrants；　as

Ferrara；　Modena；　and　Reggio；　by　those　of　the　House　of　Este；　Faenza　by

the　Manfredi；　Imola　by　the　Alidossi；　Furli　by　the　Ordelaffi；　Rimini

and　Psaro　by　the　Malatesti；　and　Camerino　by　those　of　Varano。　Part　of

Lombardy　was　subject　to　the　Duke　Filippo；　part　to　the　Venetians；　for

all　those　who　had　held　single　states　were　set　aside；　except　the　House

of　Gonzaga；　which　ruled　in　Mantua。　The　greater　part　of　Tuscany　was

subject　to　the　Florentines。　Lucca　and　Sienna　alone　were　governed　by

their　own　laws；　Lucca　was　under　the　Guinigi；　Sienna　was　free。　The

Genoese；　being　sometimes　free；　at　others；　subject　to　the　kings　of

France　or　the　Visconti；　lived　unrespected；　and　may　be　enumerated　among

the　minor　powers。



None　of　the　principal　states　were　armed　with　their　own　proper　forces。

Duke　Filippo　kept　himself　shut　up　in　his　apartments；　and　would　not

allow　himself　to　be　seen；　his　wars　were　managed　by　commissaries。　The

Venetians；　when　they　directed　their　attention　to　terra　firma；　threw

off　those　arms　which　had　made　them　terrible　upon　the　seas；　and　falling

into　the　customs　of　Italy；　submitted　their　forces　to　the　direction　of

others。　The　practice　of　arms　being　unsuitable　to　priests　or　women；　the

pope　and　Queen　Joan　of　Naples　were　compelled　by　necessity　to　submit　to

the　same　system　which　others　practiced　from　defect　of　judgment。　The

Florentines　also　adopted　the　same　custom；　for　having；　by　their

frequent　divisions；　destroyed　the　nobility；　and　their　republic　being

wholly　in　the　hands　of　men　brought　up　to　trade；　they　followed　the

usages　and　example　of　others。



Thus　the　arms　of　Italy　were　either　in　the　hands　of　the　lesser　princes；

or　of　men　who　possessed　no　state；　for　the　minor　princes　did　not　adopt

the　practice　of　arms　from　any　desire　of　glory；　but　for　the　acquisition

of　either　property　or　safety。　The　others　（those　who　possessed　no

state）　being　bred　to　arms　from　their　infancy；　were　acquainted　with　no

other　art；　and　pursued　war　for　emolument；　or　to　confer　honor　upon

themselves。　The　most　noticed　among　the　latter　were　Carmignola；

Francesco　Sforza；　Niccolo　Piccinino　the　pupil　of　Braccio；　Agnolo　della

Pergola；　Lorenzo　di　Micheletto　Attenduli；　il　Tartaglia；　Giacopaccio；

Cecolini　da　Perugia；　Niccolo　da　Tolentino；　Guido　Torello；　Antonia　dal

Ponte　ad　Era；　and　many　others。　With　these；　were　those　lords　of　whom　I

have　before　spoken；　to　which　may　be　added　the　barons　of　Rome；　the

Colonnesi　and　the　Orsini；　with　other　lords　and　gentlemen　of　the

kingdoms　of　Naples　and　Lombardy；　who；　being　constantly　in　arms；　had

such　an　understanding　among　themselves；　and　so　contrived　to

accommodate　things　to　their　own　convenience；　that　of　those　who　were　at

war；　most　commonly　both　sides　were　losers；　and　they　had　made　the

practice　of　arms　so　totally　ridiculous；　that　the　most　ordinary　leader；

possessed　of　true　valor；　would　have　covered　these　men　with　disgrace；

whom；　with　so　little　prudence；　Italy　honored。



With　these　idle　princes　and　such　contemptible　arms；　my　history　must；

therefore；　be　filled；　to　which；　before　I　descend；　it　will　be

necessary；　as　was　at　first　proposed；　to　speak　of　the　origin　of

Florence；　that　it　may　be　clearly　understood　what　was　the　state　of　the

city　in　those　times；　and　by　what　means；　through　the　labours　of　a

thousand　years；　she　became　so　imbecile。









BOOK　II







CHAPTER　I



　　The　custom　of　ancient　republics　to　plant　colonies；　and　the

　　advantage　of　itIncreased　population　tends　to　make　countries　more

　　healthyOrigin　of　FlorenceAggrandizement　of　FlorenceOrigin　of

　　the　name　of　FlorenceDestruction　of　Florence　by　TotilaThe

　　Florentines　take　FiesoleThe　first　division　in　Florence；　and　the