n of the Pontiff, there came to Michele
a desire, after all those years, to revisit his native city and his
relatives and friends, and even more to see the fortresses of the
Venetians. Wherefore, after he had been a few days in Verona, he went
to Treviso to see the fortress there, and then to Padua for the same
purpose; but the Signori of Venice, having been warned of this, became
suspicious that San Michele might be going about inspecting those
fortresses with a hostile intent. Having therefore been arrested at
Padua at their command and thrown into prison, he was examined at
great length; but, when it was found that he was an honest man, he was
not only liberated by them, but also entreated that he should consent
to enter the service of those same Signori of Venice, with honourable
rank and salary. He excused himself by saying that he was not able to
do that for the present, being engaged to his Holiness; but he gave
them fair promises, and then took his leave of them. Now he had not
been away long, when he was forced to depart from Rome--to such
purpose did those Signori go to work in order to secure him--and to
go, with the gracious leave of the Pope, whom he first satisfied in
full, to serve those most illustrious noblemen, his natural lords.
Abiding with them, he gave soon enough a proof of his judgment and
knowledge by making at Verona (after many difficulties which the work
appeared to present) a very strong and beautiful bastion, which gave
infinite satisfaction to those Signori and to the Lord Duke of Urbino,
their Captain General. After these things, the same Signori, having
determined to fortify Legnago and Porto, places most important to
their dominion, and situated upon the River Adige, one on one side and
the other on the opposite side, but joined by a bridge, commissioned
San Michele to show them by means of a model how it appeared to him
that those places could and should be fortified. Which having been
done by him, his design gave infinite satisfaction to the Signori and
to the Duke of Urbino. Whereupon, arrangements having been made for
all that had to be done, San Michele executed the fortifications of
those two places in such a manner, that among works of that kind there
is nothing better to be seen, or more beautiful, or more carefully
considered, or stronger, as whoever has seen them well knows.

This done, he fortified in the Bresciano, almost from the foundations,
Orzinuovo, a fortress and port