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STORIA DELLA REPUBBLICA DI FIRENZE

SECONDA EDIZIONE RIVISTA DALL'AUTORE.

TOMO SECONDO.

FIRENZE, G. BARB?RA, EDITORE. 1876.

Depositata al Ministero d'Agricoltura, Industria e Commercio per godere i diritti accordati dalla legge sulla propriet? letteraria.

G. BARB?RA.

SOMMARI DEL TOMO SECONDO.

LIBRO QUARTO.

Tirannia del magistrato di Parte guelfa. -- Delle prestanze, e modi creati a ripartirle. -- Monte comune, e sue vicende; giochi di Borsa. -- Grasso vivere e scioperato. -- Dissidio tra le Arti maggiori e le minori: Arte della lana. -- Salvestro dei Medici gonfaloniere . -- Disegni audaci dei Capitani della Parte. Bettino da Ricasoli. -- Benedetto Alberti leva il rumore: le Arti con le loro insegne vengono in Piazza; arsioni di case; Lapo da Castiglionchio: ruberie; congiure nella pi? minuta plebe. Gli Otto rimasti in ufficio soffiano in quell'incendio. Rivelazioni d'un congiurato. -- La plebe in arme; nuove arsioni: espugnano il palazzo del Potest?; strage d'un bargello. -- Petizioni sovvertitrici vinte per forza: la plebe a furia entra in Palagio . -- Michele di Lando gonfaloniere. -- Gli Otto rimasti in Palagio, ne sono poi cacciati dalla plebe: Giorgio Scali. -- Bandi e provvigioni della nuova Signoria. -- L'infima plebe viene in Piazza e fa eleggere a suo modo la Signoria nuova. Poi si raduna in Santa Maria Novella, e torna in Piazza con petizioni che alcuni di loro, salendo le scale, vogliono imporre alla Signoria. Michele di Lando, presa una spada, gli assale e persegue gi? per la scala. Poi monta a cavallo, e percorre la citt? gridando morte ai traditori. Si combatte intorno al Palagio, ma i Ciompi sono vinti e dispersi. -- Michele di Lando finisce l'ufizio: gastighi ai Ciompi.

Stato della citt?. -- Congiure, trame, sospetti, condannagioni: sono tratti a morte Piero degli Albizzi, Donato Barbadori ed altri chiari cittadini. -- Alberico da Barbiano forma la prima Compagnia Italiana di ventura. -- Carlo di Durazzo piglia la signoria d'Arezzo. -- Provvedimenti e leggi tiranniche in Firenze. -- Giorgio Scali e Tommaso Strozzi, seguiti da minuti artefici, si pongono sopra alle leggi. -- Le Arti si levano, e Giorgio ? preso e decapitato . -- L'Arte della lana e le altre maggiori vengono in Piazza: si fa Parlamento e bal?a numerosa per la riforma dello Stato. -- Abolizione delle due Arti nuovamente aggiunte: le maggiori ottengono il maggior numero negli uffici: le Arti minute insieme coi Grandi invano cercano opporsi. -- I malcontenti di tutte le parti, uniti insieme, destano altri tumulti. -- Arezzo viene alle mani d'Alberico da Barbiano, poi di Enguerramo di Coucy francese che la vende ai Fiorentini; altri acquisti, e ordinamento del governo in quella Provincia. -- Esilio di Benedetto Alberti, e bando a tutta quella famiglia. -- Nuovi ordinamenti a pi? ristringere il Governo.

Giovanni Galeazzo Visconti si fa signore di Milano. -- conquiste oltre Po. -- Manda soccorsi ai Senesi, i quali insieme co' Perugini erano in guerra con Firenze per le cose di Val di Chiana. -- Dichiara guerra ai Fiorentini, i quali mandano Giovanni Aguto al soccorso di Bologna e poi di Padova. L'Aguto si avanza di l? fino all'Adda. -- Discesa in Lombardia del Conte d'Armagnac assoldato dai Fiorentini: questi muore sotto alle mura d'Alessandria, rotto e disfatto da Iacopo del Verme capitano del Visconti . -- L'Aguto per grande maestria perviene in Toscana, dov'era gi? entrato Iacopo del Verme. Dopo lunga scherma tra' due eserciti, una pace si conchiude. -- Iacopo d'Appiano uccide Piero Gambacorti e occupa la signoria di Pisa. -- 1393. Maso degli Albizzi gonfaloniere. -- Nuova riforma in modo pi? stretto. -- Bando a tutta la famiglia degli Alberti. -- Fanti genovesi assoldati e messi a guardia della Piazza. -- Gli artefici fanno capo a Vieri de' Medici, il quale rifiuta stare con loro. -- Rinaldo Gianfigliazzi umiliato, Donato Acciaiuoli messo in accusa e sbandito . -- Due congiure successive per uccidere Maso degli Albizzi. -- Gastighi e molte famiglie battute; finale proscrizione contro a tutta quella degli Alberti. -- Negoziati con Roma, con Napoli, con Francia e Germania contro al Duca di Milano. -- Roberto re dei Romani scende in Italia . -- Processioni dei Penitenti bianchi. -- Giovanni Galeazzo per battaglia entra in Bologna e stringe con le armi da ogni parte la Toscana. -- Morte di Giovanni Galeazzo .

Morto Giovanni Galeazzo, lo Stato di Milano viene a disfarsi. -- Gabriele Maria, figlio non legittimo, ha in eredit? Pisa, ma costretto mettersi in protezione dei Francesi che erano in Genova. -- Vari negoziati del Maresciallo di Bouciquaut governatore di questa citt? co' Fiorentini per la signoria di Pisa. -- Questi poi l'hanno in vendita dal Visconti; ma i Pisani si levano e cacciano i Francesi, dopo di che il Maresciallo cede la Cittadella ai Fiorentini. -- Tosto il popolo di Pisa invade anche questa, e vi si rafforza: comincia la guerra tra Pisa e Firenze in pi? luoghi combattuta con grande passione: virt? di Sforza Attendolo, condottiero che stava coi Fiorentini. -- Questi cercano avere Pisa per fame. -- I Pisani si danno al Duca di Borgogna, ma non perci? hanno soccorso dai Francesi. -- Giovanni Gambacorti, che era come signore in Pisa, ottiene accordo a lui molto largo: i Fiorentini, a' 9 d'ottobre 1406, entrano nella citt? affamata e ne pigliano la possessione. -- Diceria di Gino Capponi ai notabili di Pisa. -- Allegrezza e feste a Firenze, dove portano il volume delle Pandette. -- Crudeli provvedimenti per vuotare Pisa d'abitatori. -- Condizione disperata di quella citt?. -- Effetti venuti da quell'acquisto alla Repubblica di Firenze.

Qualit? di quello Stato: persecuzione contro la famiglia degli Alberti. -- Arti per mantenere lo Stato piuttosto con la virt? degli uomini che delle leggi. -- Venezia ad essi era esemplare, ma non potevano agguagliarlo. -- Maso degli Albizzi. -- Niccol? da Uzzano. -- Giovanni de' Medici. -- Lagnanze, accuse. -- Creazione del Consiglio dei Dugento. -- Filippo Maria Visconti signore in Milano. -- Trattato da lui proposto ai Fiorentini. -- Questi per accomandigie e protezioni tengono la media Italia. -- Entrano in guerra col Visconti e sono rotti a Zagonara . -- Grande malcontento per le gravezze. -- Fanno chiudere le Confraternite, nelle quali erano spiriti popolari. -- Radunanza in Santo Stefano; discorso attribuito a Rinaldo degli Albizzi. -- La parte dei Medici comincia a mostrarsi; consigli di Niccol? da Uzzano. -- Altre sciagure in Romagna. -- Pratiche in Italia; circospezione dei Veneziani; Lorenzo Ridolfi. -- Grande Lega contro al Visconti . -- Firenze soccorre i fuorusciti Genovesi; virt? di Tommaso Frescobaldi. -- Fatti gloriosi del Carmagnola per i Veneziani in Lombardia. Battaglia di Maclodio, dove le armi del Duca sono rotte dai Veneziani e Fiorentini. -- Pace conchiusa . Venezia distende il suo dominio fino all'Adda.

Formazione del Catasto ; come fosse popolarmente chiesto, come passasse nei Consigli. -- Regole minute per fare il Catasto. -- I Volterrani, come distrettuali, negano esservi assoggettati. -- Durezze dei Fiorentini; ribellione di Volterra presto gastigata. -- Niccol? Fortebracci promuove le occasioni ad una guerra contro Paolo Guinigi signore di Lucca. -- Morte di Giovanni de' Medici. -- Neri Capponi, poi l'Albizzi e tutta la parte dei Medici stanno per quella guerra. -- Rinaldo, che era uno dei Commissari, per disgusti avuti si parte dal campo . -- Disegno del Brunelleschi per allagare Lucca, male riuscito. -- Antonio Petrucci senese, restaura la difesa di Lucca. -- Francesco Sforza, entrato in Lucca, s'impadronisce della persona di Paolo Guinigi e delle ricchezze, mandatolo a morire prigione in Pavia. -- Niccol? Piccinino viene in soccorso dei Lucchesi; assale il campo Fiorentino, che ? messo in rotta . -- Congiura in Pisa d'un Gualandi. -- I Fiorentini fanno intorno a Lucca grande difesa contro al Piccinino, il quale, scorrendo la Toscana, reca ad essi grandi mali; guerra mossa contro al Duca dai Veneziani e Fiorentini. -- Battaglia navale a Portofino; prodezza di Raimondo Mannelli: fatti di arme in Lombardia. -- Battaglia di Maclodio; Niccol? da Tolentino sostiene la guerra pei Fiorentini felicemente. -- Passaggio per la Toscana dell'Imperatore Sigismondo. -- Pace col Visconti .

The next stop was Lake City,--a name illustrative of Californian megalomania; for the lake, long since gone dry, was merely an artificial reservoir to supply a neighboring mine, and the city was a collection of half a dozen buildings including a store and a hotel. Through the open door of the store a huge safe was visible, for here was one of those depositories for gold dust locally known as a bank. As the stage pulled up, the banker and a lady stepped out to greet Will Cummins, who alighted and cordially shook hands. Miss Slocum, apparently, was somewhat piqued because she was not introduced.

"I was hoping you would accompany us to Nevada City," Cummins said, addressing the lady, who regarded him with affection, as Mamie thought.

"You must remember, Will," said the banker, "that Mary hasn't been up to Moore's Flat yet to see her old flames."

"Too late!" said Cummins. "The Keystone Club gave a dinner last night, to wish me a pleasant journey. Eighteen of the twenty-one were present. But by this time they have scattered to the four winds."

"Never fear," cried the lady; "I shall find some of our boys at Moore's Flat. You are the only one travelling in this direction; and the four winds combined could not blow them over the ca?on of the Middle Yuba."

"I remember you think that ca?on deep and terrible, Mary," Will replied; "but it is not wide, you know. Remember our walk to Chipp's Flat, the last time you were here? Nothing left there but the old cannon. As the boys say, everything else has been fired."

"All aboard!" shouted Mat, who felt that he was wasting time in Lake City. And so Mary Francis, sister of Henry Francis, bade adieu to Will Cummins, little knowing that they would never meet again, either in California or "back home" in Pennsylvania. The stage rolled on, past a grove of live oaks hung with mistletoe. Cummins had passed this way many times before. He had even gathered mistletoe here to send to friends in the East. But to-day for the first time it made his heart yearn for the love he had missed. Mary Francis was thirty-five now. Twenty-five years ago he was twenty and she was a little bashful girl. Her father's house had been the rendezvous of Californians on their occasional visits in the East. His mind traveled back over old scenes; but soon the ca?on of the South Yuba burst upon his vision, thrilling him with its grandeur and challenging his fighting instincts. For after winding down three miles to the river, the road climbed three miles up the opposite side--three toiling miles through the ambushes of highwaymen. There was the scene of many a hold-up. And to-day, at his age, he simply must not be robbed. It would break his heart. In sheer desperation he drew his six-shooter, examined it carefully, glanced at his fellow-passengers and sat silent, alert and grim.

Except for the Chinaman, the passengers were feeble folk. At sight of the revolver the men began to fidget; and, except for Mamie Slocum, the romantic, the women turned pale.

Down the coach plunged into the deep ca?on! Little likelihood of a hold-up when travelling at such a pace. Down, down, safely down to the river, running clear and cold among the rocks. And then the slow ascent. Mat Bailey, perched on his high seat as lordly as Phbus Apollo, felt cold shivers run down his spine. From every bush, stump and rock he expected a masked man to step forth. Could he depend upon Cummins and the Chinaman? How slowly the horses labored up that fatal hill, haunted by the ghosts of murdered travelers! Why should he, Mat Bailey, get mixed up in other men's affairs? What was there in it for him? Of course, he would try to play a man's part; but he sincerely wished he were at the top of the hill.

At last they were safely out of the ca?on, and the horses were allowed to rest a few minutes. Cummins replaced his pistol and buttoned up his duster; and the passengers fell to talking. The store-keeper from North Bloomfield began to tell a humorous story of a lone highwayman who, with a double-barrelled shot gun waylaid the Wells Fargo Express near Downieville. As he waited, with gun pointed down the road, he heard a wagon approach behind him. Coolly facing about, he levelled his gun at the approaching travellers, three workmen, and remarked,

"Gentlemen, you have surprised me. Please deliver your guns, and stand upon that log," indicating a prostrate pine four feet in diameter. Needless to say, the men mounted the log and held up their hands. Then a load of hay approached, and the driver mounted the log with the others. Then came another wagon, with two men and a ten-year old boy, George Williams. The robber ordered these to stand upon the log, whereupon little George, in great trepidation, exclaimed,

"Good Mr. Robber, don't shoot, and I will do anything you tell me!"

About this time one barrel of the robber's gun was accidentally discharged into the log, and he remarked:

"That was damned careless," and immediately reloaded with buckshot.

At length the stage came along; and promptly holding it up, he tossed the driver a sack, directing him to put his gold dust therein. This done, he sent each separate vehicle upon its way as cool as a marshal on dress parade.

With Nevada City only four miles away, the ca?on of the South Yuba safely passed, and the stage bowling along over an easy road, it seemed a good story.

"Halt!"

Two masked men emerged from behind a stump by the roadside, and Charley Chu drew his revolver. The passengers in a panic took it away from him. Mat Bailey pulled up his horses.

While one robber covered Mat, the other covered the passengers, who at his command lined themselves up by the roadside with hands raised. Cummins got out on the side of the stage opposite the robber; and but for the duster, buttoned from chin to ankles, he would have had the dead wood on that robber. It was not to be; and Cummins, hands in air, joined his helpless companions. The robber then proceeded to rifle the baggage. Charley Chu lost his five hundred dollars. Mat Bailey gave up the leather bag from Moore's Flat.

"Whose is this?" demanded the robber, laying his hand on Cummins' old valise. As if hypnotized, Mamie Slocum answered,

"That is Mr. Cummins'."

The robber seized it. Cummins exclaimed: "It is all I have in the world, and I will defend it with my life." With that he seized the robber, overpowered him, and went down with him into the dust. If only there had been one brave man among those cowards!

"Is there no one to help me?" shouted Cummins; but no one stirred.

In the gold regions of California each man is for himself. To prevent trouble his fellow-passengers had disarmed the Chinaman. The other robber, seeing his partner overpowered, passed quickly along in front of the line of passengers, placed his gun at Cummins' head, and fired. The struggle had not lasted fifteen seconds when Will Cummins lay murdered by the roadside.

The Girl or the Gold

At You Bet, Gold Run and Dutch Flat they had taken the precaution to show themselves for several days past; so that no one should notice their reappearance. They were not unknown in this region, and there were men at You Bet who could have identified them as Nevada City jail-birds. There was O'Leary, for example, who had been in jail with them. But in a country filled with gamblers and sporting men, where the chief end of man is to get gold and to enjoy it forever, it is not deemed polite to enquire too closely into people's antecedents. These men, evidently native-born Americans, bore the good Anglo-Saxon names of Collins and Darcy. What more could you ask? They perspired freely, and their packs were evidently heavy; but men who collect specimens of quartz are likely to carry heavy packs, and the day was hot.

At You Bet the men separated, Darcy striking out for Gold Run with all the gold, and Collins making for Dutch Flat, which is farther up the railroad. This was to throw the railroad men off the scent, for news of the murder had probably been telegraphed to all railroad stations in the vicinity.

Incidentally, and unknown to his partner, this arrangement necessitated a momentous decision in the mind of Collins. As he formulated the question, it was, "The girl or the gold?" Like many young criminals, Collins was very much of a ladies' man. He associated with girls of the dance-hall class, but he aspired to shine in the eyes of those foolish women who admire a gay, bad man. He would have preferred to have his share of the plunder then and there in order to stay in California to win the hand of Mamie Slocum. But Darcy was determined to get out of the country as quickly as possible, and when they separated insisted upon taking all the gold. It would not do to quarrel with him, for both would be lost if either was suspected. To share in the plunder he would have to go East with Darcy, who was to board the same train at Gold Run that Collins would take at Dutch Flat.

The girl or the gold? Because of his infatuation for the girl he had become a highwayman. He had not expected her to come down from Graniteville that day. He had not counted on being nearly killed by Cummins, for it was he whom Cummins had overpowered. He had not supposed that anyone would be killed. Things had turned out in a strange and terrible way. To gain a few thousand dollars by highway robbery was no worse than to win it by a dozen other methods counted respectable. Among the youth of Nevada City with whom he had associated, it was commonly believed that every successful man in town had done something crooked at some time in his career--that life was nothing but a gamble anyhow, and that a little cheating might sometimes help a fellow.

When he had learned, some months before, how greatly Mamie admired Will Cummins, he had thought it good policy to pretend a like admiration. While the girl was in Graniteville, away from her parents, he had seen her as often as he could, and had, he was sure, acted the part of a chivalrous gentleman. He had referred to his jail record in such a magnanimous way as to win her admiration and sympathy. And he had been magnanimous toward Cummins. He had stoutly maintained that even gentlemen of the road are men of honor, incapable of petty meanness, merely taking by force from some money-shark what was rightfully theirs by virtue of their being gentlemen. Therefore, he argued, no self-respecting highwayman would rob a man like Will Cummins--the merest hint that property belonged to him would be sufficient to protect it. He had waxed eloquent over the matter.

He was now appalled to think how his argument, though insincere, had been refuted. That Mamie had spoken those fatal words was not a ruse of his but an inexplicable accident. How could he ever see the girl again? And yet, in this one respect he was innocent, and he wished she might know it. Besides, he was man enough to sympathize with her in her awful predicament. With what horror she must be thinking of her part in the tragedy! There was considerable generosity in his nature, and he actually debated, criminal though he was, whether he might not better let Darcy keep the loot and stand by Mamie.

The girl or the gold? Is it surprising that the decision of J. C. P. Collins was similar to that of other Californians? Similar to Cummins', for example? He decided to make sure of the gold first and to think about the girl later. With six or eight thousand dollars in the bank he would be a more valuable friend than a poor man could be. After this affair had blown over, and he recalled the fact that Doc Mason had performed eleven autopsies on murdered men in the last ten years, and not one murderer had been hanged so far,--he would rescue Mamie from the demoralization of the gold fields and take her to live in St. Louis or New Orleans. And now he saw with some satisfaction that her apparent complicity in the crime would make life hard for her in Nevada City and impel her to accept such a proposal.

It might have been just as well if the rattlesnake coiled in his path at that moment had ended his existence, but the snake was indeed an honorable highwayman, and sounded a gentlemanly warning in the nick of time. Collins would have killed it for its pains, but killing had upset his nerves that day. So he left the reptile to try its fangs on a better man. Besides, he reflected that he could not consistently advocate capital punishment, and he sincerely hoped that his humane sentiments would spread in California. He recalled the fact that there was a strong party among the good people of the State, represented by several ladies who had brought him bouquets and jellies when he was in jail, who were trying to abolish capital punishment. Judging from Doc Mason's experience in murder cases, the efforts of these good people were not called for. And yet the law as it stood had unpleasant possibilities for Collins.

He was really sorry about Cummins. Of course, Cummins was a fool. A man of such character would not miss a few thousand dollars in the long run. What a fool he had been to risk his life! Of course, he, Collins, had risked his life, too. But how different were the two cases! Cummins had rich friends who would help him; Collins had no friends, barring a few silly women. His long suit was women. He really regretted Cummins' death more on Mamie's account than for any other reason.

Poor Mamie! But it must be the gold and not the girl this trip. When he had invested his capital and made his pile, he would play the prince to his Cinderella. They would both be glad to flee this country. Bah! the very soil was red! Golden blossoms sprung from it, but the roots were fed with blood. Collins was a young fellow, by no means a hardened criminal, and the excitement of the day stimulated intellect and emotion like the drug of a Chinaman.

He reached Dutch Flat in due season, and found several old cronies at the railroad station, where people were discussing the death of Cummins. He succeeded in showing the due amount of interest and no more, and was diplomatic enough not to suggest that the murderers were now on their way to San Francisco. He took the train going East according to schedule, and found Darcy playing poker in the smoking car. Collins betook himself to his pipe at the other end of the car, glad that night had come, and that he would soon bid farewell to the Sierras. He felt the train swing round the horse-shoe curve through Blue Ca?on, and shortly afterward he noticed that they had entered the snow sheds, which for forty-five miles tunnel the snow drifts of winter, and which in summer lie like a huge serpent across the summit of the mountains. Once out of the sheds they would speed down the valley from Truckee into Nevada.

The fugitives were well over the line before they took any notice of each other. Except for themselves the smoker was now empty, and they had prepared to spend the night there like honest miners who were down on their luck.

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