nd bound
myself by an oath to stake it all upon revenge, and, rather than be
unsuccessful, to perish in the attempt.

"I soon arrived in Florence, where I kept myself as private as
possible; it was very difficult to put my plan in execution on account
of the situation which my enemy occupied. The old Florentine had
become governor, and thus had in his hand all the means of destroying
me, should he entertain the slightest suspicion. An accident came to
my assistance. One evening I saw a man in well-known livery, walking
through the streets: his uncertain gait, his gloomy appearance, and
the muttered 'Santo sacramento,' and 'Maledetto diavolo,' soon made me
recognise old Pietro, a servant of the Florentine, whom I had formerly
known in Alexandria. There was no doubt but that he was in a passion
with his master, and I resolved to turn his humor to my advantage. He
appeared much surprised to see me there, told me his grievances, that
he could do nothing aright for his master since he had become
governor, and my gold supported by his anger soon brought him over to
my side. Most of the difficulty was now removed: I had a man in my
pay, who would open to me at any hour the doors of my enemy, and from
this time my plan of vengeance advanced to maturity with still greater
rapidity. The life of the old Florentine seemed to me too pitiful a
thing, to be put into the balance with that of my whole family.
Murdered before him, he must see the dearest object of his love, and
this was his daughter Bianca. It was she that had so shamefully
wronged my brother, it was she that had been the author of our
misfortunes. My heart, thirsting for revenge, eagerly drank in the
intelligence, that Bianca was on the point of being married a second
time; it was settled--she must die. But as my soul recoiled at the
deed, and I attributed too little nerve to Pietro, we looked around
for a man to accomplish our fell design. I could hire no Florentine,
for there was none that would have undertaken such a thing against the
governor. Thereupon Pietro hit upon a plan, which I afterwards
adopted, and he thereupon proposed you, being a foreigner and a
physician, as the proper person. The result you know: only, through
your excessive foresight and honesty, my undertaking seemed, at one
time, to be tottering; hence the scene with the mantle.

"Pietro opened for us the little gate in the governor's palace; he
would have let us out, also, in the same secret man