Inside the New Sacristy it was discovered that Lorenzo’s wound was serious enough to call for immediate treatment, and one of his devoted pages, young Antonio de’ Ridolfi, sucked it for fear of poison.  The great heavy metal doors were incessantly battered from without, but no one dared to open them, and Lorenzo remained where he was until the hubbub in the Duomo appeared to be abating.  Then another page, Sismondo della Stufa, climbed up into the organ gallery, whence he could look into the church, and reported that none but friends of the Medici remained, and they were crying out for Lorenzo to accept their escort to the palace.  So the Magnifico departed.

All the while the great bell of the Palazzo Vecchio was booming out its dread summons for the city trained bands and the armed members of the Guilds to assemble for the defence of the city and the maintenance of their liberties.  Loud cries of “Liberta!” “Liberta!” rolled up the street, drowned by a great chorus of “Evviva le Palle!” “Abasso i Traditori!” The whole city was in an uproar and blood was being spilt on every side.

What had happened was tragically this.  Whilst one half of the conspirators was told off to strike the fatal blow, the other half was directed to rally round Archbishop Salviati, who, by the way, made some excuse for not assisting ministerially at the Mass, but took up his station close to the north door of the Duomo.  Directly they saw Giuliano struck to the ground, they made all haste to the Palazzo Vecchio, and demanded an interview with Messer Cesare de’ Petrucci, the Gonfaloniere di Giustizia, who had been detained by urgent matters in the Courts.

When Messer Petruccio enquired the nature of their business, the Archbishop replied:  “We are come, all the family of Salviati, to pay our respects to the Gonfaloniere, as in duty bound.”  Messer Cesare was at lunch, but, rising from table, he welcomed the Archbishop, who entered the apartment alone.  He asked him to be speedy, as he had to join the banquet to the Cardinal di San Giorgio almost immediately.

Salviati said he was the bearer of his family’s greetings to the Gonfaloniere, and also of a private Brief to him from the Pope.  His manner seemed so strange, and his errand so irregular, that Petruccio’s suspicions were aroused, and raising the arras, he saw the passage was filled with armed men.  At once he called the palace guard to arrest the intruders, and caused every door of exit to be locked.

The object, of course, of the Archbishop and those with him was to seize the person of the Gonfaloniere and possess themselves of the Banner of Justice—­that they might rouse the citizens to fight in its defence.

On the contrary, the people were for the Medici, and “Palle!” “Palle!” prevailed.  Noting that the Salviati did not leave the palace, and that the guards had been withdrawn from the gate and every door was bolted, the populace broke into the building, rescued the Gonfaloniere, and the Signori with him, and seized the persons of the intruders.