ding him, and
the latter obeyed no one else. The cardinal's presence at Rome, when
the report came of Niccolo's design to march into Tuscany, redoubled the
fear of the Florentines; for, since Rinaldo was expelled, he had become
an enemy of the republic, from finding that the arrangements made by his
means were not only disregarded, but converted to Rinaldo's prejudice,
and caused the laying down of arms, which had given his enemies an
opportunity of banishing him. In consequence of this, the government
thought it would be advisable to restore and indemnify Rinaldo, in case
Niccolo came into Tuscany and were joined by him. Their apprehensions
were increased by their being unable to account for Niccolo's departure
from Lombardy, and his leaving one enterprise almost completed, to
undertake another so entirely doubtful; which they could not reconcile
with their ideas of consistency, except by supposing some new design had
been adopted, or some hidden treachery intended. They communicated their
fears to the pope, who was now sensible of his error in having endowed
the cardinal with too much authority.

CHAPTER VI

The pope imprisons the cardinal and assists the Florentines--Difference
of opinion between the count and the Venetians respecting the management
of the war. The Florentines reconcile them--The count wishes to go into
Tuscany to oppose Piccinino, but is prevented by the Venetians--Niccolo
Piccinino in Tuscany--He takes Marradi, and plunders the neighborhood
of Florence--Description of Marradi--Cowardice of Bartolomeo
Orlandini--Brave resistance of Castel San Niccolo--San Niccolo
surrenders--Piccinino attempts to take Cortona, but fails.

While the Florentines were thus anxious, fortune disclosed the means of
securing themselves against the patriarch's malevolence. The republic
everywhere exercised the very closest espionage over epistolary
communication, in order to discover if any persons were plotting against
the state. It happened that letters were intercepted at Monte Pulciano,
which had been written by the patriarch to Niccolo without the pope's
knowledge; and although they were written in an unusual character, and
the sense so involved that no distinct idea could be extracted, the
obscurity itself, and the whole aspect of the matter so alarmed the
pontiff, that he resolved to seize the person of the cardinal, a duty he
committed to Antonio Rido, of Padua, who had the command of the castle
of St. Angelo