this of 1494.

PART THREE.

CHAPTER FORTY TWO.

ROMOLA IN HER PLACE.

It was the thirtieth of October 1496. The sky that morning was clear
enough, and there was a pleasant autumnal breeze. But the Florentines
just then thought very little about the land breezes: they were thinking
of the gales at sea, which seemed to be uniting with all other powers to
disprove the Frate's declaration that Heaven took special care of
Florence.

For those terrible gales had driven away from the coast of Leghorn
certain ships from Marseilles, freighted with soldiery and corn; and
Florence was in the direst need, first of food, and secondly of fighting
men. Pale Famine was in her streets, and her territory was threatened
on all its borders.

For the French king, that new Charlemagne, who had entered Italy in
anticipatory triumph, and had conquered Naples without the least
trouble, had gone away again fifteen months ago, and was even, it was
feared, in his grief for the loss of a new-born son, losing the languid
intention of coming back again to redress grievances and set the Church
in order. A league had been formed against him--a Holy League, with
Pope Borgia at its head--to "drive out the barbarians," who still
garrisoned the fortress of Naples. That had a patriotic sound; but,
looked at more closely, the Holy League seemed very much like an
agreement among certain wolves to drive away all other wolves, and then
to see which among themselves could snatch the largest share of the
prey. And there was a general disposition to regard Florence not as a
fellow-wolf, but rather as a desirable carcass. Florence, therefore, of
all the chief Italian States, had alone declined to join the League,
adhering still to the French alliance.

She had declined at her peril. At this moment Pisa, still righting
savagely for liberty, was being encouraged not only by strong forces
from Venice and Milan, but by the presence of the German Emperor
Maximilian, who had been invited by the League, and was joining the
Pisans with such troops as he had in the attempt to get possession of
Leghorn, while the coast was invested by Venetian and Genoese ships.
And if Leghorn should fall into the hands of the enemy, woe to Florence!
For if that one outlet towards the sea were closed, hedged in as she
was on the land by the bitter ill-will of the Pope and the jealousy of
smaller States, how could succours reach her?

The government of Florence had