ge by the Pope to the Order of the Hospitallers, but
they were required to recover and redeem it from the king of France
and the other princes and lords, and that with so great a sum that,
with the interest to be paid thereupon, the Order of the Hospitallers
was, and is, poorer than it was before in its property; or perhaps God
brought this about by miracle to show how things were. And the king of
France and his sons had afterwards much shame and adversity, both
because of this sin and of the capture of Pope Boniface, as hereafter
shall be related. And note, that the night after the said master and
his companion had been martyred, their ashes and bones were collected
as sacred relics by friars and other religious persons, and carried
away to holy places. In this manner was destroyed and brought to
nought the rich and powerful Order of the Temple at Jerusalem, in the
year of Christ 1310. We will now leave the doings in France and return
to our doings in Italy.

[Sidenote: 1307 A.D.]

[Sidenote: 1308 A.D.]

Sec. 93.--_Of events and defeats which came to pass in Romagna and in
Lombardy._ Sec. 94.--_Of the death of King Albert of Germany._ Sec.
95.--_How the Podesta of Florence fled with the Hercules seal of the
commonwealth._

Sec. 96.--_How Corso Donati, the great and noble citizen of Florence,
died._

[Sidenote: 1308 A.D.]

[Sidenote: Purg. xxiv. 81-87.]

In the said year 1308, there being in the city of Florence increasing
strife between the nobles and the powerful popolani of the Black party
which were ruling the city, by reason of rivalry for state and
lordship, which began at the time of the tumult when they demanded to
see the accounts, as we have before made mention; this jealous
disposition must needs bring forth sorrowful consequences, because
from the sins of pride and envy and avarice, and other vices which
reigned among them, they were divided into factions; and the leader of
one faction was M. Corso de' Donati, with a following of some nobles,
and of certain popolani, among others them of the house of Bordoni;
and of the other party were leaders M. Rosso della Tosa, M. Geri
Spini, and M. Pazzino dei Pazzi, and M. Betto Brunelleschi, with their
allies, and with the Cavicciuli, and with many houses of magnates and
popolani, and the greater part of the good people of the city, which
had the offices and the government of the city, and of the people. M.
Corso and his followers believed themselves to