he did not with sword in hand rather die honourably then among his victorious enemies liue dishonored These that were banished sought by sundrie meanes to recouer the Citie they had lost Yet Agnolo Acciaiuoli being at Naples before hee attempted any thing thought good to feele the disposition of Piero and what hope remained of reconciliation writing vnto him as followeth I smile to see what sports fortune doth make her self and how at her pleasure she frameth of foes friends and of friends foes You can remember that at the banishment of your father esteeming more his iniury then mine own danger I lost my country was like to haue also lost my life Neither in al his time did I euer omit to honor and fauour your house nor after his death haue had any intent to offend you True it is that your own vnhealthie disposition the tender yeares of your children brought me into such feare as I thought it behoued me to take order that after your death our countrey should not be ruined For which cōsideratiō I haue done diuers things not against you but for the good of my country Wherein if I haue committed error the same ought be for my good intent and passed seruice pardoned Neither can I beleeue other but that in respect of ancient loue to your house I shal at this occasiō find mercy my manifold merits shal not be by one onely fault cancelled Piero hauing perused this letter aunswered thus Your laughing there you are is the occasion that I weep not here where I am for if you had laughed at Florence I should haue wept at Naples I denie not your well deseruing of my father sith your self wil confesse to haue tasted his liberalitie and by how much that deedes be esteemed aboue words by so much your obligation is more thē ours You then recompenced for your good may not maruell though for your euil you receiue deserued punishmēt Let not the loue of your country excuse you sith there is no man beleeueth that this citie hath bin lesse loued profitted by the Medici thē the Acciaiuoli I do therfore wish you with dishonor to remain there sith here in honor you knew not how to lead your life Agnolo thus dispairing of pardon went to Rome there conferred with the Archbishop other banished men of the mean wherby they might take reputation frō the house of Medici which Piero with difficultie notwithstanding the aide of his friendes could preuent Diotisalui and Nicholo Soderini likewise practised to make the Senate of Venice enemie to their countrey thinking thereby that if with anie new warre the Florentines were assailed the gouernment being new and hated they should not be able to defend themselues In those daies Giouan Francesco the sonne of Palla Strozzi liued in Farrara and had bene togither with his father banished in the alteration of the state the yeare 34. This Giouanni had great credit and was holden amongst other merchants a man of great riches The newe Rebelles declared vnto him the great facilitie they found to recouer their countrey if the Venetians would take the enterprise in hand which he thought they would be easily perswaded vnto if part of their charges might be borne Giouan Francesco who desired to reuenge himselfe of the iniuries receiued easily gaue credite to their counsaile and promised with all his wealth to furnish the enterprise Then went they all togither vnto the Duke complaining of the exile whereinto they saide themselues were fallen not for anie other fault but because they desired that their countrey might be gouerned with the lawes thereof and that the Magistrates and not a fewe others should be honoured For Piero de Medici with others his followers accustomed to liue tyrannically had by deceit taken armes and by deceit caused them to disarme themselues and afterwards by deceit expulsed them out of their Citie Neither were they so content but they would also therein pretend deuotion to God and by that colour oppresse others For at the assemblie of the Citizens and at publike and sacred ceremonies to the intent God should be partaker of their treasons they apprehended imprisoned and slewe manie Cittizens which was an example of great impietie and wickednesse For reuenge wherof they knew not whither to resort with more hope then to that Senate which hauing euer liued free could not but take compassion of those who had lost their liberties Then they perswaded all men that loued libertie to detest tirants those that were godly to abhorre impious people Putting them in mind that the house of Medici had taken from them the dominiō of Lombardy at such time as Cosimo without consent of the other citizens the Senate fauoured aided Francesco So that though they had no compassion of the Florentines yet the reuēge of the iniuries done to the Venetiās ought to moue thē These last words moued all the Senat to determine that Bartolomeo Coglione their General shuld assault the dominiō of Florence He with all speed possible assembled the army with him ioyned Hercole Este sent by Borso Marquesse of Farrara They at the first entrie the Florentines not being prepared burnt the Towne of Dauadola and spoyled some other places in the countrey thereabout But the Florentines hauing driuen out all the enemies to Piero made league with Galiazzo Duke of Milan and with the King Ferrando Then they enterteined Federigo Earle of Vrbino for their Generall and founde themselues so friended as they feared little the force of their enemies For Ferrando sent thither Alfonso his eldest sonne and Duke Galiazzo came in person either of them leading a conuenient number and they altogither made head at Castracaro a Castle belonging to the Florentines builded at the foot of those Alpes wherby men passe from Toscana to Romagna In the meane time the enemies were retired towards Imola and so between the one and the other army according to the custome of those daies some light skirmishes happened but no townes by either of them besieged nor any disposition in either of them to fight with their enemie but euerie man remaining within his Tent continued the wars with great cowardice This maner of proceedings greatly offended the Gouernors in Florence finding themselues charged by a warre wherein they spent much and could hope for litle And the Magistrates complained of those Cittizens who were made Commissaries in that enterprise They answered that Duke Galiazzo was occasion thereof for hee hauing most authoritie and least experience knewe not what was profitable nor would not beleeue others of more skill and that it was impossible so long as hee remained in the armie that anie thing should be done with honour and commoditie Wherefore the Florentines saide vnto the Duke albeit for their profit it was best he should be personally in their aide because the reputation of his presence was the fittest meane to terrifie the enemie notwithstanding for that they
Italy he should finde some of them poore and some others his enemies Neither were the Florentines alone as hee had often sayd of force sufficient to mainteine him So as on euery side it appeared that for him it was necessarie to mainteine the Venetians mightie vppon the land These perswasions ioyned with the hate which the Earle had conceiued of the Duke for being mocked in the marriage caused him consent to the composition yet would hee not at that time be bound to passe the Riuer of Po. These compositions were made in the moneth of February the yeare 1438. Wherein the Venetians did couenaunt to defraie two thirds and the Florentines one third of the charge And both of them togither at their common charge entred obligation to defend the lands which the Earle had woon in La Marca Neither was this League contented with these forces but vnto them they ioyned the Lord of Faenza the sonnes of Pandolfo Malatesta of Rimini and Pietro Giampagolo Orsino And although with great promises they had perswaded the Marquesse of Mantoua yet could they not remoue him from the friendship and paie of the Duke Also the Lord of Faenza after that the League was setled finding a better bargaine reuolted to the Duke which depriued the League of hope to be able to performe the enterprises entended in Romagna In these dayes Lombardy remained thus troubled Brescia was besieged with the Dukes forces so straightly as euerie day was feared that for famine it should be forced to yeeld And Verona became so inuironed with enemies that it doubted the like end and if any of these two Cities were lost euery man iudged all the other preparation for the wars would be to no effect and the charges till that time made vtterly lost Neither was there found any other certaine remedy then to procure that the Earle Francesco might passe into Lombardy Wherein were three difficulties the one in perswading the Earle to passe the Riuer of Po and make warre in all places The second that the Florentines seemed to be at the discretion of the Duke if the Earle should goe from them The third was what way the Earle with his forces should take to conuey himselfe into the country of Padoa where the rest of the Venetians forces remained Of these three difficulties the second which apperteined to the Florentines was most to be doubted Notwithstanding they knowing the necessitie and being weary of the Venetians who with all importunitie desired the Earle saying that without him they should be abandoned they preferred the necessitie of others before the suspition of themselues There remained also one other doubt which way they should go and how the same might be made assured by the Venetians Moreouer because the handling of this contract with the Earle and the perswading him to passe the Riuer Po was appointed to Neri the sonne of Gino Capponi the Senate thought good to send him expresly to Venice to make that fauoure the more acceptable there and to take order for the way and safe passage of the Earle Then was Neri dispatched from Cesena and in a Boate conueyed to Venice where by the Senate hee was receiued with more honour then euer any Prince before that time had bene For vpon his comming and that which by him should be determined they thought the welfare of their dominion depended Neri then being brought to presence of the Senate spake as followeth Most Noble Prince my Lords who haue sent mee were hitherto euer of opinion that the greatnesse of the Duke would be the ruine both of this state and of their own Common-weale So that the well doing of these states must be your greatnesse and ours also If this had bene by your Lordships beleeued we should be now in better condition and your state assured from those perils which presently do threaten it But because that in time conuenient you haue neither giuen vs ayd nor countenance we could not readily procure remedie for your harmes nor you speedily demaund it as men which both in aduersitie and prosperitie knew not how to behaue your selues forgetting that we are of such disposition as whom we once loue we will loue euer and whom we hate we will hate euer The good will which we haue euer borne to this most Noble Senate your selues do know and haue oftentimes seene by the aide we haue giuen you both in mony and men The displeasure which we haue borne to Philippo is such as we will alwaies beare towards his house and so the world knoweth Neither is it possible that auncient hatred can be either by new desertes or new displeasures cancelled We were and are assured that in this war we might with great honour haue stood indifferent to the Duke and with no great daunger to our selues For though he had bene by your ruine become Lord of Lombardy yet had there remained so much force in Italy as we need not to haue dispaired of our well doing because he encreasing in state and power the enmitie enuie towards him would haue also encreased Of which two things warre and displeasure be engendred We knew also how great charges by eschuing this war we should haue auoyded how eminent perils we should haue escaped and how this warre by our meanes might be remoued from Lombardy into Toscana Notwithstanding all these suspitions haue bene by our auncient affection borne to your state cancelled and we haue determined to aide you with the same readie good will wherewith we will defend our own if the same should be assaulted Wherfore my Lords iudging it before all other things most necessarie to succour Verona and Brescia and thinking also that without the Earle the same could not be they haue sent me hither first to perswade him to come into Lombardy and make war in all places he being heretofore as you know bound not to passe the Riuer of Po. Therefore I vsed with him those reasons wherwith we our selues be moued And he as he seemeth by Armes inuincible wil not be ouercome with curtesie And that liberallitie which he sawe vs vse towards you he hath bene pleased to surpasse the same For knowing well in how great perils after his departure Toscana remained and seeing that we haue more regarded your perill then our owne well doing is also content to preferre the same before his owne I am therfore now come here to offer you the Earle with seuen thousand horse and two thousand foote men readie to assault the enemie in what place soeuer he may finde him I beseech you then and my Lords also do intreate you that as the number of his souldiers is greater then his obligation wherby he bound himself to serue so it may please you that your liberallitie towards him may be likewise enlarged To the end that neither he shall repent his comming to your seruice nor we be sorie to haue perswaded him thereunto This speech pronounced by Neri was with no lesse attention heard of the
were so pursued that of their Camp which was twelue thousand horse not one thousand was saued All their goods were spoyled and their carriages taken So as neuer before that time the Venetians receiued any ouerthrow greater or more terrible Among the spoyles and prisoners taken in this conflict was the Venetian Proueditor who before that skirmish and after during the wars had vsed diuerse opprobrious words of the Earle calling him Bastard and Coward But being become prisoner remembring what hee had deserued and brought to the Earles presence according to the nature of proud cowardly men which is to be in prosperitie insolent and in aduersitie abiect vile kneeled down before him weeping desiring pardon of his offences The Earle tooke him vp by the arme comforted him and willed him to be of good cheare And afterwards said that he maruelled much how a man of his wisdom grauitie could commit so great an error as to speake euill of them that had not so deserued And touching the matter of slaunder he knew not in what sort Sforza his father had vsed his mother Maddonna Lucia because he was not there present So as of that which was done by them he could receiue neither blame nor commendation But for his owne doings he knew well that nothing was by any man to be reprooued and thereof both he and his Senate could fully and truly witnesse with him Whereof hee wished him afterwards to be more modest in speech and in his proceedings more discreet After this victorie the Earle with his tryumphant Campe marched to the territorie of Brescia and possessing all that country setled his Campe within two myles of the Citie The Venetians on the other side hauing receiued this ouerthrow feared as it came to passe that Brescia would be first assaulted speedily as they might made prouision and with all diligence leuied forces ioyning them to those that remained of the old Campe. Therewith also by vertue of the League desired aid of the Florentines Who being free from the warre of King Alfonso sent vnto them one thousand footemen and two thousand horse The Venetians by hauing these souldiers gained time to entreate of peace It hath bene long time a thing fatall to the Venetian state to lose by warre and recouer the losse by composition And those things which by the warres are taken from them by the peace many times be restored double The Venetians knew well that the Milanesi mistrusted the Earle and that he desired not to be their Captaine but aspired to the principallitie of Milan Also that it was in their choise to make peace with either of them the one desiring it for ambitiō the other for feare Then they chose to make peace with the Earle and deferred their aide for that enterprise being perswaded that if the Milanesi found themselues deceiued by the Earle they might grow so offended as they would giue themselues rather to anie other then to him Being then brought to this passe that they could not defende themselues nor would trust vnto the Earle they should be enforced not hauing other refuge to trust vnto the Venetians This resolution made they sounded the disposition of the Earle and found him greatly disposed to the peace as desirous that the victorie of Carrauaggio might be his and not the Milanieses Then was there a composition concluded wherein the Venetians bound themselues to paie vnto the Earle so long as he deferred the taking of Milan thirteene thousand Florines for euerie moneth and during the rest of the warre to aide him with foure thousand horse and two thousand footemen And the Earle for his part did binde himselfe to restore to the Venetians all Townes prisoners and euerie other thing by him taken and rest contented with those Townes onely which the Duke Philippo at his death possessed This agreement being knowne in Milan did bring much more sorrow to that Citie then the victorie of Carrauaggio had giuen gladnesse The chiefe Magistrates lamented the people were sorrowfull the women and children wept and all with one voyce called the Earle disloyall and traytour For although they beleeued not either by intreatie or promises to diuert him from his vnthankful intent yet sent they Embassadors to see with what face and with what words hee would maintaine his wickednesse Who being come to the presence of the Earle one of them spake to this effect Those that desire to obtaine any thing of others were wont by entreatie gifts or threatnings to perswade them So that either by compassion by profit or feare they might compasse the thing which they desired But of cruell men couetous being in their owne opinion mightie those three means not preuailing nothing is obteined so as whosoeuer doth trust by entreatie to make them pittifull or by gifts to winne them or by threatnings to feare them deceiueth himselfe We therefore now knowing though all too late thy crueltie thy ambition and thy pride are come vnto thee not requiring any thing nor hoping though we had such desire to obteine it but to put thee in remembrance what benefites thou hast receiued of the Milanesi and laie before thee with what ingratitude thou doest requite them To the end that among so many iniuries by vs endured wee may take this only pleasure to reproue thee Thou oughtst to remember wel what thy state and condition was after the death of Duke Philippo Thou wert enemie to the Pope and the King Thou wert abandoned by the Florentines and Venetians who either iustly offended with thee or hauing no more neede of thee wert become as their enemy Thou wert weary of the war which thou hadst made with the church Thou hadst fewe men fewe friends litle money and bereft of all hope to be able to hold thine owne countrey and thy auncient reputation which should easily haue bene taken from thee had not our simplicitie helped For we onely receiued thee perswaded with the reuerence we bare to the happie memorie of our Duke vnto whom thou being allied didst make vs belieue that his loue would haue continued in his heires And sith to his benefits we ioyned ours that fauour and friendship ought to haue bene not onely firme but also inseparable In respect whereof to the auncient composition we ioyned Verona Brescia What could we more giue thee or promise thee And what couldst thou either of vs or any others in those dayes either haue or desire more Thou hast receiued of vs a pleasure vnlooked for and we for recompence haue receiued of thee a displeasure not deserued Neither hast thou deferred thus long to shew thy pride For thou wert no sooner General of our Armie but contrary to iustice thou didst receiue Pauia which ought to haue warned vs to what end thy friendship tended Which iniurie we bare supposing that victorie with the greatnesse thereof would haue satisfied thy ambition But alasse those who desire all cannot with inough be contented Thou didst
and within a few daies after his arriuall the Castle was yeelded The winter now come the Captaines liked not to proceed further in the warre but attend the Spring and the rather bicause the Autumne past by meanes of euill aires sicknes was brought into the Camp wherewith many of the Captaines and leaders were diseased Among whome Antonio Pucci and Bongianni Gianfigliazzi were not onely sick but also dead to the great griefe of all the army so great was the honor and loue that Pucci had wonne in the exploite of Pietrasanta After the taking of Pietrasanta the Lucchesi sent Embassadors to Florence to demaund that towne as a thing belonging to their common-weale For they alleaged that among other things it was contracted betwixt them that the towne first wonne by any of them should be restored to the auncient owner The Florentines directlie denied not that couenant but answered that they doubted whether in the peace made betwixt them and the Genouesi it was meant the towne to be deliuered and therefore they could not till then determine and if it were restored then the Lucchesi ought of necessitie to pay the charge and make satisfaction for the losse of so many great Citizens which if they would do they might hope to haue it againe All that winter was spent in the communication of this peace betwixt the Genouesi and the Florentines And by reason the Pope was a doer therein the matter was handled at Rome but not being concluded the Florentines would the next Spring haue assaulted Serezana had they not bene by the sicknesse of Lorenzo di Medici and the warre which grew betwixt the Pope and the King Ferrando impeached For Lorenzo was not onely diseased of the gowt which infirmitie seemed to discend from his father but was also so grieuouslie tormented with griefe of the stomack that he went vnto the Bathes to be cured but the warre was the chiefe occasion of his sicknesse and the originall thereof The Citie of Aquila was subiect to the King of Naples yet the people therein liued as free In this Citie the Earle Montorio had great reputation The Duke of Calauria with his men of armes being neare vnto Tronto pretending to pacifie certaine tumults among the people of that countrey and intending to reduce Aquila wholie vnder the Kings obedience sent for the Earle Montorio as though he would imploy him in those matters he made shew of The Earle without suspition came and was presently by the Duke sent to Naples prisoner These newes being aduertised to Aquila altered the minde of the Cittie and the people populerly tooke armes and slewe Antonio Concinello Commissarie for the King and with him certaine other Citizens who were knowne affectionate to the King Also to the end the Aquilani might haue some friend to defend them in their rebellion they displaied the Ensigne of the Church and sent Embassadors to giue the Cittie to the Pope desiring him as his owne subiects to defend them from the tyrannie of the King The Pope manfully tooke in hand their defence as one that both for priuate and publique occasion hated the King And Roberto da Sanseuerino enemy to the State of Milan hapning to be out of pay the Pope enterteined him for Generall and caused him with great expedition to come vnto Rome and besides that sollicited all the friends and kinsmen of the Earle Montorio to become Rebels to the King in so much as the Princes of Altemura Salerno Bisignano tooke armes against him The King seeing himselfe by so sodeine a warre assaulted prayed aide of the Florentines and the Duke of Milan The Florentines stood doubtfull what to do bicause it seemed hard to leaue their owne enterprise for others and to take armes against the Church was perilous Notwithstanding being in league they preferred fidelitie before commoditie or perill and enterteined the Orsini and sent all their owne men towards Rome to the aide of the King vnder conduct of the Earle of Pitigliano Then the King made two camps and sent the one towards Rome vnder the Duke of Calauria who with the Florentines should incounter the Popes army The other camp himselfe did leade and marched toward the Barons that rebelled This warre with variable fortune was mannaged and at the end the King in all places hauing aduantage by mediation of the Embassadors of Spayne a peace was concluded in the moneth of August 1486. whereunto the Pope being beaten with euill fortune and loth to aduenture more consented Also all the Potentates of Italy were included onely the Genouesi as rebels to the State of Milan and vsurpers of the Florentines lands were left out Roberto da Sanseuerino the peace made hauing bene in this warre no faithfull friend to the Pope and nothing terrible to the enemy departed from Rome as driuen out by the Pope and being followed by the Dukes and Florentines souldiers so soone as he had passed Cesena seeing himselfe not followed fled away and with lesse then one hundred horse came to Rauenna Of the rest of his men some were receiued by the Duke and some by the countrey people were cut in pieces The King hauing made peace and reconciled his Barons put to death Giouanni Coppola and Antonello de Anuersa with his sonnes and those which had in the warre reuealed his secrets vnto the Pope By meanes of this warre the Pope knew what readinesse and care the Florentines had to keepe friendship and therefore albeit that for the loue of the Genouesi and the aiding of the King he before hated them yet now he began to loue them and shew more fauour vnto their Embassadors then he was wont Which disposition knowne to Lorenzo de Medici was by all honorable meanes increased for he thought it much for his reputation if to the fauour which the King bare him he might also ioyne the Popes friendship This Pope had one sonne called Francesco and being desirous to honor him with lands and friends wherewith he might after his death mainteine himselfe he knewe not any in Italy with whome he could more safely be matched then with Lorenzo and therefore so handled the matter that Lorenzo married a daughter of his vnto Francesco This marriage being made the Pope desired that the Genouesi might by composition deliuer Serezana to the Florentines perswading them that they should not hold that which Agostino had sold nor Agostino could giue vnto S. George that which was not his Notwithstanding this perswasion tooke no effect But the Genouesi while these matters were practising at Rome armed certaine of their Ships and before the Florentines knew any thing thereof set three thousand footmen a land and assaulted the Castle of Serezanello neare vnto Serezana belonging to the Florentines spoyling and burning the Towne which done they planted their Artillarie against the Castle and with all diligence battered the same This new assault was vnlooked for of the Florentines neuerthelesse presently they assaulted their