Mario
Orsini how it was that Malatesta treated his artillery so carelessly.
The latter answered: 'You must know that the men of his house are all
traitors, and in time he too will betray this town.' These words
inspired him with such terror that he was obliged to fly, impelled by
dread lest the city should come to misfortune, and he together with
it. Having thus resolved, he found Rinaldo Corsini, to whom he
communicated his thought, and Corsini replied lightly: 'I will go with
you.' So they mounted horse with a sum of money, and road to the Gate
of Justice, where the guards would not let them pass. While waiting
there, some one sung out: 'Let him by, for he is of the Nine, and it
is Michelangelo.' So they went forth, three on horseback, he, Rinaldo,
and that man of his who never left him. They came to Castelnuovo (in
the Garfagnana), and heard that Tommaso Soderini and Niccolo Capponi
were staying there. Michelangelo refused to go and see them, but
Rinaldo went, and when he came back to Florence, as I shall relate, he
reported how Niccolo had said to him: 'O Rinaldo, I dreamed to-night
that Lorenzo Zampalochi had been made Gonfalonier;' alluding to
Lorenzo Giacomini, who had a swollen leg, and had been his adversary
in the Ten. Well, they took the road for Venice; but when they came to
Polesella, Rinaldo proposed to push on to Ferrara and have an
interview with Galeotto Giugni. This he did, and Michelangelo awaited
him, for so he promised. Messer Galeotto, who was spirited and sound
of heart, wrought so with Rinaldo that he persuaded him to turn back
to Florence. But Michelangelo pursued his journey to Venice, where he
took a house, intending in due season to travel into France."

Varchi follows this report pretty closely, except that he represents
Rinaldo Corsini as having strongly urged him to take flight,
"affirming that the city in a few hours, not to say days, would be in
the hands of the Medici." Varchi adds that Antonio Mini rode in
company with Michelangelo, and, according to his account of the
matter, the three men came together to Ferrara. There the Duke offered
hospitality to Michelangelo, who refused to exchange his inn for the
palace, but laid all the cash he carried with him at the disposition
of his Excellency.

Segni, alluding briefly to this flight of Michelangelo from Florence,
says that he arrived at Castelnuovo with Rinaldo Corsini, and that
what they communicated to Niccolo Capponi concerning the