s of doing
something worthy of memory, he made war upon the Siennese, alleging
them to be indebted to him for services performed by his father in the
affairs of that republic, and attacked them with such impetuosity as to
threaten the total overthrow of their dominion. The Siennese, ever ready
to suspect the Florentines, persuaded themselves that this outrage had
been committed with their cognizance, and made heavy complaints to the
pope and the king against them. They also sent ambassadors to Florence
to complain of the injuries they had suffered, and adroitly intimated,
that if Carlo had not been secretly supported he could not have made
war upon them with such perfect security. The Florentines denied all
participation in the proceedings of Carlo, expressed their most earnest
wish to do everything in their power to put a stop to them, and allowed
the ambassadors to use whatever terms they pleased in the name of
the Signory, to command him to desist. Carlo complained that the
Florentines, by their unwillingness to support him, had deprived
themselves of a most valuable acquisition and him of great glory; for he
could have insured them the possession of the whole territory in a
short time, from the want of courage in the people and the ineffectual
provision they had made for their defense. He then withdrew to his
engagement under the Venetians; but the Siennese, although delivered
from such imminent peril by the Florentines, were still very indignant
against them; considering themselves under no obligation to those who
had delivered them from an evil to which they had first exposed them.

While the transactions between the king and the pope were in progress,
and those in Tuscany in the manner we have related, an event of greater
importance occurred in Lombardy. Cola Montano, a learned and ambitious
man, taught the Latin language to the youth of the principal families in
Milan. Either out of hatred to the character and manners of the duke, or
from some other cause, he constantly deprecated the condition of those
who live under a bad prince; calling those glorious and happy who had
the good fortune to be born and live in a republic. He endeavored to
show that the most celebrated men had been produced in republics, and
not reared under princes; that the former cherish virtue, while the
latter destroy it; the one deriving advantage from virtuous men,
while the latter naturally fear them. The youths with whom he was most
int