nds of the people, and give himself time to make some arrangement, he
ordered that one Nuto, who had been appointed bargello, or sheriff,
by Lapo da Castiglionchio, should be sought. The greater part of his
followers went to execute this commission; and, to commence with justice
the government he had acquired by favor, he commanded that no one should
either burn or steal anything; while, to strike terror into all, he
caused a gallows to be erected in the court of the palace. He began
the reform of government by deposing the Syndics of the trades, and
appointing new ones; he deprived the Signory and the Colleagues of their
magistracy, and burned the balloting purses containing the names of
those eligible to office under the former government.

In the meantime, Ser Nuto, being brought by the mob into the court, was
suspended from the gallows by one foot; and those around having torn him
to pieces, in little more than a moment nothing remained of him but the
foot by which he had been tied.

The Eight Commissioners of War, on the other hand, thinking themselves,
after the departure of the Signors, left sole masters of the city, had
already formed a new Signory; but Michael, on hearing this, sent them
an order to quit the palace immediately; for he wished to show that he
could govern Florence without their assistance. He then assembled the
Syndics of the trades, and created as a Signory, four from the lowest
plebeians; two from the major, and two from the minor trades. Besides
this, he made a new selection of names for the balloting purses, and
divided the state into three parts; one composed of the new trades,
another of the minor, and the third of the major trades. He gave to
Salvestro de' Medici the revenue of the shops upon the Old Bridge; for
himself he took the provostry of Empoli, and conferred benefits upon
many other citizens, friends of the plebeians; not so much for the
purpose of rewarding their labors, as that they might serve to screen
him from envy.

It seemed to the plebeians that Michael, in his reformation of the
state, had too much favored the higher ranks of the people, and that
themselves had not a sufficient share in the government to enable them
to preserve it; and hence, prompted by their usual audacity, they again
took arms, and coming tumultuously into the court of the palace, each
body under their particular ensigns, insisted that the Signory
should immediately descend and consider new means for