the great city of Populonia, and Soana, and
Talamone, and Grosseto, and Civitaveglia, and Mascona, and Lansedonia,
which were with their troops at the siege of Troy; and in Campagna,
Baia, Pompeia, Cumina, and Laurenza, and Albania. And the cause why
to-day these cities of the coast are almost without inhabitants and
unhealthy, and also why Rome is less healthy, is said by the great
masters of astronomy to be because of the movement of the eighth
sphere of heaven, which in every hundred years moves one degree
towards the North Pole, and thus it will move 15 deg. in 1,500 years,
and afterwards will turn back in like manner, if it be the pleasure of
God that the world shall endure so long; and by the said change of the
heaven is changed the quality of the earth and of the air, and where
it was inhabited and healthy, it now is without inhabitants and
unhealthy, and also the converse. And furthermore, we see that in the
course of nature all things in the world change, and rise and
diminish, as Christ said with His mouth that nothing here abides.

Secs. 51-56.--_Of Viterbo, Orvieto, Cortona, Chiusi, Volterra, and
Siena._

Sec. 57.--_The story returns to the doings of the city of Florence, and
how S. Miniato there suffered martyrdom under Decius, the Emperor._

[Sidenote: 270 A.D.]

[Sidenote: 1013 A.D.]

[Sidenote: Purg. xii. 100-105.]

Now that we have briefly made some mention of our neighbouring cities
in Tuscany, we will return to our subject and tell of our city of
Florence. As we recounted before, the said city was ruled long time
under the government and lordship of the emperors of Rome, and
ofttimes the emperors came to sojourn in Florence when they were
journeying into Lombardy, and into Germany, and into France to conquer
provinces. And we find that Decius, the Emperor, in the first year of
his reign, which was in the year of Christ 270, was in Florence, the
treasure-house and chancelry of the Empire, sojourning there for his
pleasure; and the said Decius cruelly persecuted the Christians
wheresoever he could hear of them or find them, and he heard tell how
the blessed Saint Miniato was living as a hermit near to Florence,
with his disciples and companions, in a wood which was called
Arisbotto of Florence, behind the place where now stands his church,
above the city of Florence. This blessed Miniato was first-born son to
the king of Armenia, and having left his kingdom for the faith of
Christ, to do pe