rs--Messer Ramiro de Lorqua, the Governor-General, was summoned
from Pesaro; whilst to avert the threatened famine Cesare ordered that
the cereals in the private granaries of Cesena should be sold at reduced
prices, and he further proceeded, at heavy expense, to procure grain
from without. Another, less far-seeing than Valentinois, might have
made capital out of Urbino's late rebellion, and pillaged the country to
provide for pressing needs. But that would have been opposed to Cesare's
policy, of fostering the goodwill of the people he subjected.

On December 20 three of the companies of French lances that had been
with Cesare took their leave of him and returned to Lombardy, so
that Cesare was left with only one company. There appears to be some
confusion as to the reasons for this, and it is stated by some
that those companies were recalled to Milan by the French governor.
Macchiavelli, ever inquisitive and inquiring, questioned one of the
French officers in the matter, to be told that the lances were returning
because the duke no longer needed them, the inference being that this
was in consequence of the return of the condottieri to their allegiance.
But the astute secretary did not at the time account this convincing,
arguing that the duke could not yet be said to be secure, nor could
he know for certain how far he might trust Vitelli and the Orsini.
Presumably, however, he afterwards obtained more certain information,
for he says later that Valentinois himself dismissed the French, and
that the dismissal was part of the stratagem he was preparing, and had
for object to reassure Vitelli and the other confederates, and to throw
them off their guard, by causing them to suppose him indifferently
supported.

But the departure of the French did not take place without much
discussion being provoked, and rumour making extremely busy, whilst
it was generally assumed that it would retard the Sinigaglia conquest.
Nevertheless, the duke calmly pursued his preparations, and proceeded
now to send forward his artillery. There was no real ground upon which
to assume that he would adopt any other course. Cesare was now in
considerable strength, apart from French lances, and even as these
left him he was joined by a thousand Swiss, and another six hundred
Romagnuoli from the Val di Lamone. Moreover, as far as the reduction of
Sinigaglia was concerned, no resistance was to be expected, for Cardinal
Giuliano della Rovere had written