t."

The Venetians, who were sometimes needlessly jealous of their soldiery,
became greatly alarmed at these proceedings; and not without reason.
The count was aware of this, and wishing to remove their apprehensions,
pursued the war with unusual vigor; but his mind had become so unsettled
by ambition, and the Venetians' by jealousy, that little further
progress was made during the remainder of the summer, and upon the
return of Niccolo into Lombardy, winter having already commenced, the
armies withdrew into quarters, the count to Verona, the Florentine
forces to Tuscany, the duke's to Cremona, and those of the pope to
Romagna. The latter, after having been victorious at Anghiari, made an
unsuccessful attack upon Furli and Bologna, with a view to wrest them
from Niccolo Piccinino; but they were gallantly defended by his son
Francesco. However, the arrival of the papal forces so alarmed the
people of Ravenna with the fear of becoming subject to the church, that,
by consent of Ostasio di Polenta their lord, they placed themselves
under the power of the Venetians; who, in return for the territory, and
that Ostasio might never retake by force what he had imprudently given
them, sent him and his son to Candia, where they died. In the course of
these affairs, the pope, notwithstanding the victory at Anghiari, became
so in want of money, that he sold the fortress of Borgo San Sepolcro to
the Florentines for 25,000 ducats.

Affairs being thus situated, each party supposed winter would protect
them from the evils of war, and thought no more of peace. This was
particularly the case with the duke, who, being rendered doubly secure
by the season and by the presence of Niccolo, broke off all attempts to
effect a reconciliation with the count, reorganized Niccolo's forces,
and made every requisite preparation for the future struggle. The count
being informed of this, went to Venice to consult with the senate on the
course to be pursued during the next year. Niccolo, on the other hand,
being quite prepared, and seeing the enemy unprovided, did not await the
return of spring, but crossed the Adda during severe weather, occupied
the whole Brescian territory, except Oddula and Acri, and made
prisoners two thousand horse belonging to Francesco's forces, who had
no apprehension of an attack. But the greatest source of anxiety to the
count, and alarm to the Venetians, was the desertion of his service by
Ciarpellone, one of his principal of