herself in her fortress of Forli,
provisioning it to withstand a protracted siege and proceeding to
fortify it by throwing up outworks and causing all the gates but one to
be built up.

Whilst herself engaged upon military measures she sent her son Ottaviano
to Imola to exhort the Council to loyalty and the defence of the city.
But his mission met with no success. Labouring against him was a mighty
factor which in other future cases was to facilitate Cesare's subjection
of the Romagna. The Riarii--in common with so many other of the Romagna
tyrants--had so abused their rule, so ground the people with taxation,
so offended them by violence, and provoked such deep and bitter enmity
that in this hour of their need they found themselves deservedly
abandoned by their subjects. The latter were become eager to try a
change of rulers, in the hope of finding thus an improved condition of
things; a worse, they were convinced, would be impossible.

So detested were the Riarii and so abhorred the memory they left behind
them in Imola that for years afterwards the name of Cesare Borgia was
blessed there as that of a minister of divine justice ("tanquam minister
divina justitiae") who had lifted from them the harsh yoke by which they
had been oppressed.

And so it came to pass that, before ever Cesare had come in sight of
Imola, he was met by several of its gentlemen who came to offer him
the town, and he received a letter from the pedagogue Flaminio
with assurances that, if it should be at all possible to them, the
inhabitants would throw open the gates to him on his approach. And
Flaminio proceeded to implore the duke that should he, nevertheless, be
constrained to have recourse to arms to win admittance, he should not
blame the citizens nor do violence to the city by putting it to pillage,
assuring him that he would never have a more faithful, loving city than
Imola once this should be in his power.

The duke immediately sent forward Achille Tiberti with a squadron
of horse to demand the surrender of the town. And the captain of the
garrison of Imola replied that he was ready to capitulate, since that
was the will of the people. Three days later--on November 27--Cesare
rode in as conqueror.

The example of the town, however, was not followed by the citadel. Under
the command of Dionigio di Naldo the latter held out, and, as the
duke's army made its entrance into Imola, the castellan signified
his resentment by turning his ca