the recovery of Verona. During the consultation, he
turned to the Venetian commissaries and to Bernardo de' Medici, who was
there as commissary for the Florentines, and promised them the recovery
of the place if one of the fortresses should hold out. Having collected
his forces, he proceeded with the utmost speed to Verona. Observing his
approach, Niccolo thought he designed, according to the advice he had
received, to go to Vicenza, but finding him continue to draw near, and
taking the direction of San Felice, he prepared for its defense--though
too late; for the barricades were not completed; his men were dispersed
in quest of plunder, or extorting money from the inhabitants by way of
ransom; and he could not collect them in time to prevent the count's
troops from entering the fortress. They then descended into the city,
which they happily recovered, to Niccolo's disgrace, and with the loss
of great numbers of his men. He himself, with the marquis of Mantua,
first took refuge in the citadel, and thence escaping into the country,
fled to Mantua, where, having assembled the relics of their army, they
hastened to join those who were at the siege of Brescia. Thus in four
days Verona was lost and again recovered from the duke. The count, after
this victory, it being now winter and the weather very severe, having
first with considerable difficulty thrown provisions into Brescia,
went into quarters at Verona, and ordered, that during the cold season,
galleys should be provided at Torboli, that upon the return of spring,
they might be in a condition to proceed vigorously to effect the
permanent relief of Brescia.

The duke, finding the war suspended for a time, the hope he had
entertained of occupying Brescia and Verona annihilated, and the money
and counsels of the Florentines the cause of this, and seeing that
neither the injuries they had received from the Venetians could alienate
them, nor all the promises he had made attach them to himself, he
determined, in order to make them feel more closely the effects of the
course they had adopted, to attack Tuscany; to which he was strenuously
advised by the Florentine exiles and Niccolo. The latter advocated this
from his desire to recover the states of Braccio, and expel the count
from La Marca; the former, from their wish to return home, and each
by suitable arguments endeavored to induce the duke to follow the plan
congenial to their own views. Niccolo argued that he might be