lose the others. They are right who say that his craft was devilish; but
what else was to be expected of the times?

On the morrow--January 1, 1503--the duke issued dispatches to the Powers
of Italy giving his account of the deed. It set forth that the Orsini
and their confederates, notwithstanding the pardon accorded them for
their first betrayal and revolt, upon learning of the departure of the
French lances--and concluding that the duke was thereby weakened, and
left with only a few followers of no account--had plotted a fresh and
still greater treachery. Under pretence of assisting him in the
taking of Sinigaglia, whither it was known that he was going, they had
assembled there in their full strength, but displaying only one-third
of it, and concealing the remainder in the castles of the surrounding
country. They had then agreed with the castellan of Sinigaglia, that on
that night they should attack him on every side of the new town, which,
being small, could contain, as they knew, but few of his people. This
treachery coming to his knowledge, he had been able to forestall it,
and, entering Sinigaglia with all his troops, he had seized the
traitors and taken the forces of Oliverotto by surprise. He concluded by
exhorting all to render thanks unto God that an end was set to the many
calamities suffered in Italy in consequence of those malignant ones.(1)

1 See this letter in the documents appended to Alvisi's Cesare Borgia,
document 76.

For once Cesare Borgia is heard giving his own side of an affair. But
are the particulars of his version true? Who shall say positively? His
statement is not by any means contrary to the known facts, although it
sets upon them an explanation rather different to that afforded us by
Macchiavelli. But it is to be remembered that, after all, Macchiavelli
had to fall back upon the inferences which he drew from what he beheld,
and that there is no scrap of evidence directly to refute any one of
Cesare's statements. There is even confirmation of the statement that
the condottieri conceived that he was weakened by the departure of the
French lances and left with only a few followers of no account. For
Macchiavelli himself dwells upon the artifice with which Cesare broke up
his forces and disposed of them in comparatively small numbers here and
there to the end that his full strength should remain concealed; and he
admires the strategy of that proceeding.

Certainly the duke's narr