condition, a ‘sine qua non’, however, of his royal protection, that the magnificent republic should lend him the sum of 200,000 florins.  Piero found it no harder to dispose of money than of fortresses, and replied that his fellow-citizens would be happy to render this service to their new ally.  Then Charles viii set him on horseback, and ordered him to go on in front, so as to begin to carry out his promises by yielding up the four fortresses he had insisted on having.  Piero obeyed, and the French army, led by the grandson of Cosimo the Great and the son of Lorenzo the Magnificent, continued its triumphal march through Tuscany.

On his arrival at Lucca, Piero dei Medici learnt that his concessions to the King of France were making a terrible commotion at Florence.  The magnificent republic had supposed that what Charles viii wanted was simply a passage through her territory, so when the news came there was a general feeling of discontent, which was augmented by the return of the other ambassadors, whom Piero had not even consulted when he took action as he did.  Piero considered it necessary that he should return, so he asked Charles’s permission to precede him to the capital.  As he had fulfilled all his promises, except the matter of the loan, which could not be settled anywhere but at Florence, the king saw no objection, and the very evening after he quitted the French army Piero returned incognito to his palace in the Via Largo.

The next day he proposed to present himself before the Signoria, but when he arrived at the Piazza del Palazzo Vecchio, he perceived the gonfaloniere Jacopo de Nerli coming towards him, signalling to him that it was useless to attempt to go farther, and pointing out to him the figure of Luca Corsini standing at the gate, sword in hand:  behind him stood guards, ordered, if need-were, to dispute his passage.  Piero dei Medici, amazed by an opposition that he was experiencing for the first time in his life, did not attempt resistance.  He went home, and wrote to his brother-in-law, Paolo Orsini, to come and help him with his gendarmes.  Unluckily for him, his letter was intercepted.  The Signoria considered that it was an attempt at rebellion.  They summoned the citizens to their aid; they armed hastily, sallied forth in crowds, and thronged about the piazza of the palace.  Meanwhile Cardinal Gian dei Medici had mounted on horseback, and under the impression that the Orsini were coming to the rescue, was riding about the streets of Florence, accompanied by his servants and uttering his battle cry, “Palle, Palle.”  But times had changed:  there was no echo to the cry, and when the cardinal reached the Via dei Calizaioli, a threatening murmur was the only response, and he understood that instead of trying to arouse Florence he had much better get away before the excitement ran too high.  He promptly retired to his own palace, expecting to find there his two brothers, Piero and Giuliano.  But they, under