territory, being taken unawares, were speedily
disposed of. So, there being nothing more left to do in Sinigaglia,
Cesare once more marshalled his men and set out for Citta di
Castello--the tyranny of the Vitelli, which he found undefended and of
which he took possession in the name of the Church. Thence he rushed
on towards Perugia, for he had word that Guidobaldo of Urbino, Fabio
Orsini, Annibale and Venanzio Varano, and Vitelli's nephew were
assembled there under the wing of Gianpaolo Baglioni, who, with a
considerable condotta at his back, was making big talk of resisting
the Duke of Romagna and Valentinois. In this, Gianpaolo persevered most
bravely until he had news that the duke was as near as Gualdo, when
precipitately he fled--leaving his guests to shift for themselves. He
had remembered, perhaps, at the last moment how narrow an escape he
had had of it at Sinigaglia, and he repaired to Siena to join Pandolfo
Petrucci, who had been equally fortunate in that connection.

To meet the advancing and irresistible duke came ambassadors from
Perugia with smooth words of welcome, the offer of the city, and their
thanks for his having delivered them of the tyrants that oppressed
them; and there is not the slightest cause to suppose that this was mere
sycophancy, for a more bloody, murderous crew than these Baglioni--whose
feuds not only with the rival family of the Oddi, but among their
very selves, had more than once embrued the walls of that city in the
hills--it would be difficult to find in Italy, or anywhere in Europe.
The history of the Baglioni is one record of slaughter. Under their
rule in Perugia human blood seems commonly to have flowed anywhere more
freely than in human veins. It is no matter for wonder that the people
sent their ambassador to thank Cesare for having delivered them from the
yoke that had oppressed them.

Perugia having rendered him her oath of fealty, the duke left her
his secretary, Agabito Gherardi, as his commissioner, whilst sending
Vincenzo Calmeta to Fermo--Oliverotto's tyranny--another State which was
very fervent in the thanks it expressed for this deliverance.

Scarcely was Cesare gone from Perugia when into the hands of his people
fell the person of the Lady Panthasilea Baglioni d'Alviano--the wife of
the famous Venetian condottiero Bartolomeo d'Alviano--and they, aware of
the feelings prevailing between their lord and the Government of Venice,
bethought them that here was a valu