had deliuered to the King they determined to send word thereof to the Turke by one of their Secretaries And bicause they knew well that he should be highly rewarded that first brought this newes to the Turke they commanded that no ship should passe that night betweene the two castles which make the very entrie into the gulfe of Venice 16 where also they caused watch and ward to be kept bicause they feared the departure of some of the small boates as gripes and such like whereof there were a great number of the ports of Albany and of their Iles adioining to Greece But the selfe same night this poore Archbishop would needes depart to this enterprise of the Lord Constantine who taried his comming conueighing with him great store of swords bucklers and iauelins to furnish those with whom he had intelligence for they are not permitted to haue weapons in those countries but as he passed betweene the two castels aboue mentioned he was taken and put into one of them both he and his men notwithstanding the ship that caried him was suffred to passe Letters were found about him which discouered the enterprise the L. Constantine hath told me since that the Venetians aduertised thereof both the Turkes garrisons that lay in those parts the Turke himselfe also had it not been for the gripe that was permitted to passe the patron wherof was an Albanois who informed him of all that was hapned he had himselfe been taken but he escaped by sea and fled into Pouille The Notes 1 He meaneth Castelnouo for there are in Naples fower castels The castell of Capoana where the King lodged Castel nouo situate partly in the sea partly on the land with a citadelle by it Castel del ouo situate on a rock in the sea with a great tower called of the French Prince faulay and betweene the castels Nouo and Del ouo is a fort vpon a rocke in the sea with a strong tower The fourth is castel S. Ermo and aboue Naples is an abbey that looketh into the towne called S. Martin in maner of a castell 2 Guicciar saith he desired Calabria for his nephew without title of King 3 The King sent to Iscle but the Frenchmen finding the towne desolate through negligence neuer assaulted the castell 4 He meaneth bicause all Ferrandes partie was retired thither 5 The French Corrector supposeth that this should be en mantean Imperial bicause some write that he was crowned Emperor of Constantinople at Rome but I thinke rather he meaneth Mont de la Crote or the hill Vesuuius whither the King often walked for recreation and per aduenture bicause of the singularities which he sawe there named one of these hils Mont Imperial 6 He meaneth Castel nouo 7 The Almaines yeelded the castell vnder condition that they might haue King Ferrandes mooueables that were within it 8 This castell was so named bicause it was built in forme of an egge 9 For Island and Norway the vnskilfull corrector had chopped in Holland and Auuergne making the author report a meere vntruth 10 Oricum in Latine as some write as others Apollonia 11 Others write but 55. 12 Dyrrachium 13 But the Turke held them from him 14 Troy in times past the strongest towne in Epirus 15 His fathers name was Commenus 16 He meaneth two castels standing at the entrie into the calme sea which is within the naturall banke that defendeth the towne from the rage of the sea without the banke the said castels be hard by Venice A discourse somewhat out of the course of the historie wherein Philip de Commines author of this present worke treateth amply of the estate and gouernment of the Seniorie of Venice and of those things that he saw there and were done there during the time of his ambassage to the said Seniorie for the King Chap. 15. I Will now leaue the King in Naples hauing atchieued his enterprise and will speake somewhat of the Venetians and the cause of mine ambassage thither My departure from Ast to Venice was partly to thanke them for the good answers they had made to two of the Kings ambassadors sent thither and partly to keepe them still his friends if it were possible by any meanes for bicause of their great forces wisedome and good gouernment they might easily haue mated his enterprise in Italie but they being his friends none in the countrie were to be feared The Duke of Milan helped to dispatch me and wrote to his ambassador there resident for he hath one there continually to accompanie me and to giue me instructions to whom I should addresse my selfe His said ambassador receiued monethly of the Seniorie an hundred ducats and had his house well furnished and three barges at their charge to conuay him vp and downe the towne Their ambassador hath the like allowance at Milan saue that he hath no barge for at Milan men ride altogither on horsebacke but at Venice they are caried by bote In my iournie thitherward I passed through their cities namely Bresse Veronne Vincense and Padua with diuers others at euery one of the which I was very honorably entertained bicause of the personage I represented for alwaies either the potestate or the captaine came to receiue me accompanied with a goodly traine but they both issued neuer foorth of the towne for the captaine vsed to come no further than the gate After I was entred the towne they conuaied me to my lodging commanding the host that I should be plentifully serued and all my charges they defraied entertaining me with very honorable words But if a man consider what he must bestowe vpon drums and trumpets he saueth not much though he lie vpon free cost notwithstanding the entertainment is very honorable The same day I entred into Venice they sent as far as Chafousine 1 to receiue me which is a place fiue miles from the towne where men leaue the botes that conuay them downe the riuer from Padua 2 and enter into other little botes very proper and neate couered with tapestrie and furnished within with goodly hangings and veluet cushions to sit vpon Thus far the sea floweth and this is the neerest passage from the firme land to Venice but their sea is maruellous calme vnles a tempest happen to arise which is the cause that so great plenty of all kinde of fish is taken there I woondred to behold the seate of this citie so many steeples so many religious houses and so much building and all in the water but especially that the people had none other passage to fro in the town but by botes wherof I thinke there are to the number of 30000. but they be very small Further about the citie I meane within the compas round about of lesse than halfe a French league are 70. houses of religion as well of men as women all in Ilands sumptuously built richly furnished within and hauing goodly gardens belonging to them Those within the citie I
vse often when money faileth them to leuy an armie and make shewe as though they would inuade Scotland or Fraunce But after they haue receiued money for a yeere they lie abroad in campe three moneths and then returne home and dismisse their army which practise King Edward was well acquainted with and vsed often It was at the least a yeere before this English army could be in a readines but when it was furnished of all things necessarie the King of England aduertised the Duke of Burgundie die thereof who in the beginning of the sommer went before Nuz trusting in short space to put his Bishop in possession and to retaine certaine places as Nuz and others in his owne hands to what purpose you haue heard before I thinke verily that this proceeded of God who beheld with a pitifull eie this realme of Fraunce which vndoubtedly the Duke might shrewdly haue shaken considering that his army was mightie and all of olde soldiers accustomed by the space of many yeeres to enter and spoile this realme without any resistance saue onely by defence of the strong townes True it is that this proceeded of the King who would hazard nothing partly for feare of the Dukes force and partly for doubt of rebellion in his realme if he should receiue an ouerthrow for he knew himselfe not to be beloued of all his subiects especially the nobilitie And if I may vtter all he hath eftsoons told me that he knew his subiects well ynough and should finde them rebellious if his assaires happened to haue hard successe wherefore when the Duke of Burgundie entred into the realme he manned the townes well by the which he passed whereby in short space the Dukes army brake it selfe and the King neuer endangered his estate which vndoubtedly proceeded of great wisedome But all this notwithstanding the Dukes force being so great as it was if the King of Englands army had also entred in the beginning of sommer as assuredly it would had not the Duke so obstinately line before Nuz vndoubtedly the realme had stood in great danger for neuer King of England passed at once with so great force nor so well disposed to fight All the great Lords of England were there none excepted Their men of armes were 1500. at the least which was much for the English men all wel appointed and well accompanied and 14000. archers on horseback besides a great number of foote men that serued in the army and in all their campe was not one Page Further the King of England had in a readines three thousand men to land in Britaine to ioine there with the Duke of Britaines forces I saw my selfe two letters written with the Lord of Vrfés owne hands then seruant to the Duke of Britaine but afterward Master of the horse to King Charles the one addressed to the King of England and the other to the Lord Hastings Lord great Chamberlaine of England 12 The contents whereof among diuers other things were that the Duke of Britaine would do more in Fraunce by intelligence in a moneth than the King of England and the Duke of Burgundie notwithstanding their great forces in halfe a yeere which words I thinke would haue prooued true if the matter had come to execution But God who hath alwaies loued this realme disposed of these affaires as heereafter you shall heare These letters aboue mentioned the King bought of one of the King of Englands Secretaries for three score marks of siluer The Notes 1 This Duke Adolph maried Katherine daughter to Charles Duke of Bourbon and Agnes sister to Philip Duke of Burgundy Meyer 2 Duke Arnold lay in prison sixe yeeres Meyer but he misseth the cushion for other approoued authors and namely Guicciardin agree with Commines 3 The French hath Mambourg or Membourg which is as much as captaine or gouernor looke more heerof in the pedegree of the Dukes of Gueldres 4 Least it seeme strange that this yoong Duke whom our author in this very Chapter reporteth to haue beene well fauored of the Duke of Burgundy should be staied and imprisoned in his dominions you shall vnderstand that the Duke of Burgundy vpon hope to be Duke Arnolds heire himselfe altered his minde and of the yoong Dukes friend became his foe 5 The Emperor stirred not against the Duke of Burgundy for taking by force the Duchy of Gueldres which was held of the Empire bicause the Dukes of Gueldres by the space of thirty yeeres had done no homage to the Empire The Duke subdued Gueldres anno 1473. Meyer 6 It was our author himselfe that gaue the King this aduise Meyer 7 This quarrell began anno 1473. Meyer 8 The Palzgraues name was Robert his Chapter and he were at variance in such sort that they had gotten him excommunicated chosen Harman the Lantzgraue of Hesses brother to gouerne the charge Then the Duke of Burgundy tooke vpon him to place him againe in his Sea which appertained not to him but to the Emperor and the Pope in the end this Robert was taken and died in prison 9 The league betweene the Duke and the Bishop was that these places heere mentioned belonging to the Church of Coulon should haue remained to the Duke for his charges Nuz was besieged the 28. of Iuly 1474. 10 Nuz is beneath Coulon so that if the Duke had held that and three or fower places aboue Coulon the said city of Coulon being on al sides inuironed by him must perforce haue been at his commandement 11 This Lantzgraue was Lodouicus grandfather to Philip that last died 12 The Lord Hastings was indeed but Chamberlaine of the King house How the towne of Nuz was succoured by the Emperor and the Almains against the Duke of Burgundy and of other enimies that the King procured the Duke Chap. 2. THe Duke of Burgundy as you haue heard was now busied before Nuz and found the enterprise of more difficulty than he supposed The city of Coulon situate vpon the riuer of Rhene fower leagues aboue Nuz spent monethly 1 in the wars 100000. golde gildons for feare of the Duke And they and certaine other townes aboue them had already put fifteene or sixteene thousand footemen into the fielde who encamped on the other side of the riuer directly ouer against the Duke and planted great force of artillery vpon the banke thinking thereby to cut off his victuals that came vp the streame out of Guelderland and to sinke the botes by canon shot Moreouer the Emperor and the Princes Electors of the Empire assembled togither about this busines and concluded to leuy an army wherunto the King sent diuers messengers to sollicite them to whom also they sent a Chanon of Coulon of the house of Bauiere accompanied with another ambassador who brought him a roll of the army the Emperor was resolued to leuy if he for his part would ioine in the enterprise It is not to be doubted but that they receiued a good answer with promise of all they demanded
to diuorce himselfe from the Ladie Iane the Kings sister as forced vpon him against his will by King Levvis the 11. and to marrie with Anne the Duke of Britains eldest daughter and heire the hope wherof was the cause of this his voiage into Britaine but the selfesame hope entertained also Monseur d' Alebret and drew him to the Duke of Britains part the rather bicause he had receiued assurance of the marriage in writing vnder the hands of all the noble men that were about the said D. of Britaine saue of the D. of Orleans alone Of the war the King made in Britaine and of the Earle of Dunois ambassage to the King for peace Chap. 4. THe onely care of the banished nobles of Britaine was to returne and remaine in safetie in their countrie and the Kings onely desire was to be reuenged of the Duke of Britaine for receiuing the Duke of Orleans Wherefore the King as before is said entred into league with these nobles and in their fauour leuied an armie and began war vpon the Duke of Britaine in the yeere 1486. This armie inuaded Britaine three seuerall waies for the 1486 Lord of Saint André with fower hundred launces and fiue or sixe thousand footemen entred on one side the Earle of Montpensier with a great band vpon another side and Lewis of Trimouille Vicount of Touars who had married Gabriell of Bourbon the said Earle of Montpensiers sister vpon the third in such sort that the countrie of Britaine was couered with French soldiers with whom also the barons of Britaine aboue mentioned were ioined who caused diuers castels in Britaine to be yeelded to the Kings armie by those that were of their faction whereat the Duke of Britaine was greatly astonied But the Duke of Orleans the Earle of Dunois and the Earle of Comminges being with him comforted him and vnder colour of a marriage to be made betweene the Lady Anne the Duke of Britaines eldest daughter and the Lord of Alebret who had a hundred launces vnder his charge and was able to leuie great forces of footemen in Gascoine and Guienne where he was mightie and of goodly reuenues the Earle of Dunois wan the said Lord of Alebret to ioine with them who presently forsooke the Kings seruice and tooke part with them accordingly yet that notwithstanding the Duke of Britaine leauing Nantes in the hands of his cosin the Prince of Orenge retired himselfe to the castell of Malestroit being a strong place where he leuied an armie of sixe hundred launces and 16000. footemen to succour Ploermel distant three or fower leagues from Malestroit which the Kings armie then besieged But as this Britaine armie marched thitherward one of the company brake foorth into these speeches and asked what this war meant and what was the end thereof alleaging that their Duke was wholy gouerned by the French and that the French made the Britaines at their pleasure to reuenge French quarrels vpon the French wherefore he perswaded them to returne home to their wiues and children and not to spend their liues for other mens quarrels Whereupon all the armie disparkled and returned home by meanes whereof Ploermel seeing no hope of succours yeelded by composition and yet notwithstanding was spoiled and the rich men taken prisoners and put to raunsome The Dukes of Britaine and Orleans and the other Lords that were with them at Malestroit being aduertised of the departure of their armie and of the taking of Ploermel went to Vennes vpon Whitson euen being the yeere 1487. whither the Kings armie so speedily followed them that hardly they escaped by sea and went to Croisick and from thence by the riuer of Loire to Nantes being constrained to leaue part of their carriage 1487 in the said towne of Vennes which presently after their departure yeelded without any resistance Further not long after the taking of this towne the French in a skirmish at a place called Ioue betweene Chasteaubrian and Nantes defeated a great band of Britaines led by Amaulry of la Mossay towards Nantes at the which time the King in person lay at Ancenix After the taking of Vennes the Kings armie marched to Nantes and laid the siege before the towne the 19. day of Iune in the said yeere 1487. Within the towne were the Duke of Britaine and his two daughters Anne and Isabell the Duke of Orleans the Prince of Orenge the Lady of Lauall and of Chasteaubrian the Bishop of Nantes called du Chaffault a man of holy life the Earle of Comminges and diuers other Lords all the which dislodged out of the castell and lodged in the towne And bicause the companie had some ielousie of the said bishop of Nantes and the Lady of Lauall that they were not thoroughly to be trusted they were put in garde into certaine of the townes mens hands At this siege were ten thousand French men and great store of artillerie wherewith the wals towers and vaumures of the castell and towne were throughly battered but they without were as well plied by them within both with shot and with salies of valiant men where many a goodly feate of armes was done both on the one side and the other Further you shall vnderstand that the Earle of Dunois being in base Britaine there to embarke towards England to haue aide from thence and perceiuing that the winde would not suffer him so to do brought with him to succour the towne of Nantes aboue fiftie thousand of the commons of Britaine which the French suffered to passe supposing them not to be men of seruice But the King seeing the extreme heate of the weather and perceiuing that he could do no good before the towne leuied his siege the sixt day of August and departed Then marched the Kings armie before the towne of Dolle which they tooke without resistance and spoiled and all the Britaines and soldiers that were within it were taken prisoners Further the Kings armie spoiled all the countrie slue the people and draue away their cattell But the Marshall of Rieux and the greatest part of the banished nobles of Britaine that were in the Kings seruice lamenting the miserable estate of their country waxed wearie of the wars and alleaged that their league with the King was onely to this end that they might recouer their countrie and the French that liued in Britaine be constrained to returne home into theirs Wherfore seeing the French nobles being in Britaine protested that they would willingly returne home if the King would pardon their departure to the Duke and that the Duke on the other side with the consent of all his subiects had offered these banished nobles of Britaine pardon and restitution to all their goods and lands they sawe no cause why the wars should endure but that each partie should returne home in peace but the French and diuers also of the Britaines themselues were little mooued with these allegations Wherefore the said Marshal being Lord of Ancenix a towne very
England and how the King of England passed the sea and besieged Bolloin and of the peace betweene the King and him and of the surprising of Arras and Saint Omers by the King of Romains men Chap. 7. KIng Edvvard the fourth the same that met with King Levvis the eleuenth at Picquigny dying in the yeere 1483 left behinde him two sonnes being very yoong and diuers daughters the gouernment of the which sonnes togither with the realme was committed to the Duke of Glocester King Edvvaras brother but he most â—nnaturally murthered his two nephewes slewe those of the nobilitie that he thought would impugne his proceeding and vsurped the crowne In the end the Duke of Buckingham who had takerpart with the Duke of Glocester who intituled himselfe King Richard in all his actions fell at variance with him and sollicited Henry Earle of Richmond that had liued many yeeres in Britaine as a banished man to passe ouer into England promising him a great armie to ioine with him so soone as he should be landed The Earle communicated this matter with Peter Landois who wholie at that time gouerned the Duke of Britaine The said Landois hoping that the Earle if by his meanes he obtained the realme of England would giue him aide to reuenge him of his enimies perswaded the Duke of Britaine to succour him in his enterprise who furnished him of three great ships well manned with soldiers which tooke sea and sailed towards England but when they were readie to land the Earle was aduertised that the Duke of Buckingham was beheaded his army defeated and all his faction ouerthrowen and that King Richard lay with a great army vpon the sea coast attending his landing Vpon which news the Earle of Richmond returned thinking to recouer the coast of Britaine from whence he was departed but tempest draue him vpon the coast of Normandy where he was forced to take land The Ladie of Beauieu being aduertised thereof sent vnto him desiring him to come to speake with the King and so he did The King curteously receiued him and entertained him well Afterward he returned to Vannes in Britaine there to remaine as before attending some better opportunitie But Peter Laudois seeing himselfe disappointed of his purpose altered his minde and practised with King Richard to deliuer the Earle of Richmond into his hands who being aduertised thereof vnder colour of going a hauking one morning with ten or twelue horses fled into France to King Charles who not long after furnished the Earle of ships and a good number of soldiers to accompany him into England where by the helpe of the French and of diuers of his owne kinsmen who had called him into England and tooke part with him he slew King Richard in the field was himselfe crowned King in his place This good turne of King Charles togither with the desire the King of England had to liue quietly at home in his countrey and to gather wealth was the cause that King Henry during al the wars and troubles in Britain aboue mentioned had not passed his forces into Fraunce notwithstanding that he had been often earnestly sollicited thereunto both by the Duke of Britaine and the Earle of Dunois and others of that faction For ordinarily when any troubles arise in Fraunce our neighbors especially the Englishmen within a yeere are bidden to the banquet and so was King Henry inuited and had come long ago if the reasons aboue rehearsed togither with some other respects namely feare of domesticall troubles had not staied him at home But notwithstanding the K. of EnglaÌ„ds backwardnes heertofore to inuade France yet in the yeere 1490. partly by the earnest sollicitation of Maximilian who promised 1490. him great aide in his wars and yet performed nothing partly to content his owne people who began to account him as too much affectionate to the French in that he had suffered them to the great preiudice of the realme of England to vnite to the crowne of Fraunce the Duchie of Britaine he passed ouer his armie to Calice and from thence marched and laide his siege before Boloyne whither the Lord of Cordes and the bastard of Cardonne Captaine of Arras with a small army went to make resistance Further the King leuied his forces to succour the place but bicause his armie proceeded but slowlie forward the saide de Cordes and Cardonne tooke vpon them the defence of the tovne The siege was nothing whot for the which cause a heraultsent into the English came to treat of peace from the which King Henry seemed nothing strange as well for the affection that he bare to the King who had aided him to obtaine the realme of England as also for that he feared sedition at home durst not long be absent out of his râ—alme bicause Maximilian had broken promise with him and lastly bicause he hoped by this peace to receiue of the King a great summe of money which he loued as well as any Prince in his time De Cordes finding the King of Englands inclination to peace went and communed with him in his campe his demands were first a great summe of money that he said he had lent the late Duke of Britaine and secondarily that the King should desraie al the charges that he had been at in these wars All the which the King yeelded vnto and order was giuen that the King of England should yeerely receiue a certaine summe of money till all the summes by him demanded were cleerely paid and discharged and thus returned the King of England home In the meane time while de Cordes and Cardonne were at Bolloin treating with the K. of England the citizens of Arras knowing the garrison within the town to be but weake practised to yeeld it into Maximilians hands who sent certaine bands thither the which in great diligence approched neere to the towne When all things were in a readines and the gates being so negligently guarded that the traitors with their counterfaited keies had opened them they began a song whereby they willed the enimies to make haste who presently repaired to the gates and were receiued into the towne Paul Carqueleuant a Briton gouernor of the townein the absence of the bastard of Cardonne at the enimies first entrie retired himselfe with his soldiers into the castel but fearing least it should be taken by assault he soone abandoned it greatly to his reproch for if he had held it but till the next day diuers French bands had come thither to his reliefe The towne was spoiled and many slaine neither were the churches spared nor the traitors houses The author of this treason was a poore smith that dwelled vpon the towne wall and had beene the onely man that was suffered to remaine in the towne by Levvis the eleuenth when he transported the townes men as a colonie into Fraunce Carqueleuant the gouernor when the towne was surprised lay fast a sleepe drowned in drinke and good cheere as it is
many cities which he had wrongfully vsurped 7 and seeing the image of him and his horse being of fine marble stood higher than the altar and yet his body lay vnder his horse feete He answered me softly Sir in this countrey we call all those Saints that haue done vs any good and he built this goodly charterhouse church which in very deed is the fairest that euer I saw for it is all of fine marble But to proceede the said Master Galeas sought to make himselfe great and so I thinke did the Duke of Milan also bicause he had married his base daughter for he manifestly declared that he would aduance him as his owne sonne bicause at that time his owne children were all very yoong The said Pisans were I confesse cruelly handled by the Florentines for they vsed them like slaues They had subdued them about a hundred yeeres before euen in the selfe same yeere that the Venetians conquered Padua which was the first victory that they obtained vpon the firme land And the fortune of these two cities was almost alike for they had been ancient enimies to those whom now they serued many yeeres before they were conquered and almost of equall force with them These Pisans consulted togither about this motion and seeing themselues counselled by so great a personage and being also of themselues desirous of libertie a great number of them both men and women came crying to the King as he went to masse Libertie libertie desiring him with weeping eies to graunt it them One of the Masters of the requests who was a counsellor of the parliament in Daulphine named Robot going before the King or executing his office said vnto him were it bicause he had promised the Pisans so to do or bicause he vnderstood not what they demanded that it was a lamemtable case and that of right he ought to graunt them their petition adding that neuer men were so cruelly handled The King not vnderstanding well what this word meant but bewailing in his minde the miserable estate of the Italian nation and the cruelty that both Princes commonalties vse towards their subiects notwithstanding that in reason he could not graunt them their liberty seeing the towne was none of his but lent him vpon friendship at his great need answered that he was contented to grant their request so the counsellor aboue named declared vnto them wherupon the people incontinent began to proclaim holiday in token of ioy and went to their bridge which is a very goodly one built ouer the riuer of Arne threw down to the ground afterward into the riuer a great lion standing vpon a strong pillar of marble called maior representing the Seniorie of Florence vpon the which pillar they caused to be erected the image of a K. of Fraunce holding a naked sword in his hand treading the maior or lion vnder his horse feet But after when the K. of Romains entred the town they did with the Kings image as now with the lion for such is the nature of the Italian nation to turne euer with the strongest Notwithstanding these Pisans were then yet are so cruelly handled that they are to be holden for excused The Notes 1 It was Fodormi in the French but corruptly 2 He meaneth that the Duke of Milan found delaies to cause the King to stay all the winter in the Florentines territories hoping that their townes would yeeld vnto him as indeede they did and that then he might obtaine of the King such as he would 3 The factions of the Guelphes and Gibellines began in Italie vnder the Emperor Frederike the second anno 1240. The Gibellines held for the Emperor the Guelphes for the Pope 4 This composition he speaketh of afterward in this chapter 5 It was sold to this Iohn Galeas and he sold it ouer to the Florentines 6 This parke was made by the said Iohn Galeas after he had conquered Pauia it was twenty miles in circuit walled round about and stored with all kinde of beasts but now by meanes of the wars it is destroied by this parke he built also the castell In this parke was Francis the French King taken prisoner 7 This Duke conquered in Italy 29. cities among the which were Pauie Bolonia Verona Senes Perouse Luques Verceil c. How the King departed from Pisa to Florence and of the flight and ruine of Peter de Medices Chap. 8. AFter the King had soiourned at Pisa certaine daies he departed to Florence where they declared vnto him the great wrong he had done their estate by restoring the Pisans to libertie against his promise Those that were appointed to make answer heereunto excused the fact saying that the King had not well vnderstood with what conditions Pisa was deliuered vnto him neither vnderstood he another treatie he made with the Florentines 1 whereof you shall heare after I haue spoken somewhat of Peter de Medicis ruine and shewed how the King entered into Florence leauing a garrison in Pisa and the other places lent him The said Peter after he had yeelded to the King the places aboue mentioned with the consent of certaine of the towne returned to the citie supposing that the King would not hold them still but restore them at his departute from Pisa where he would but repose himselfe three or fower daies Yet am I of opinion that if it had pleased him to winter there they would willingly haue agreed thereunto notwithstanding that Pisa be of greater importance to them than Florence it selfe saue that their persons and goods be resident in Florence 2 At the said Peters returne to Florence euery man frowned vpon him and not without cause for he had dispossessed them of their whole force and of all that they had conquered in a hundred yeeres so that their mindes seemed already to foretell them the euils that afterward fell vpon them Wherefore partly for this cause which I suppose to be the principall though they neuer vttered it partly for the great hatred before rehearsed which they bare him and partly also to recouer their libertie wherof they thought themselues bereaued by him they determined to banish him the towne forgetting all the benefits of Cosmus and Laurence de Medicis his ancestors The said Peter hauing no certaine intelligence of this their determination yet doubting it went to the palace with his ordinarie garde to aduertise them of the Kings comming who was about three miles from the towne but when he came to the palace gate and knocked one of the house of Nerly being the father and many sonnes whom my selfe knew well all of great wealth refused to let him in saying that if he would enter alone he should otherwise not and he that made him this refusall was armed The said Peter returned incontinent to his house and armed both himselfe and his seruants determining to make resistance against his enimies in the towne Whereof he also aduertised one Paule Vrsin who was in pay