mbled there on Sunday morning, and there
they solemnized marriages; and when the Ghibellines came to destroy
the towers of the Guelfs, there was one among them very great and
beautiful, which was upon the piazza of S. Giovanni, at the entrance
of the street of the Adimari, and it was called the tower of the
Guardamorto, forasmuch as of old all the good folk which died were
buried at S. Giovanni; and the Ghibellines, purposing to rase to the
ground the said tower, caused it to be propped up in such wise that
when the fire was applied to the props it should fall upon the church
of S. Giovanni; and this was done. But as it pleased God, by reverence
and miracle of the blessed John, the tower, which was 120 cubits high,
showed manifestly, when it came to fall, that it would avoid the holy
church, and turned and fell directly upon the piazza, wherefore all
the Florentines marvelled and the popolo rejoiced greatly. And note,
that since the city of Florence had been rebuilt, not one house had
been destroyed, and the said accursed destruction thereof was then
begun by the Ghibellines. And they ordained that of the Emperor
Frederick's followers there should remain 1,800 German horsemen in
their pay, whereof Count Giordano was captain. It came to pass that in
the same year when the Guelfs were driven from Florence, they which
were at Montevarchi were attacked by the German troops which were in
garrison in the fortress of Gangareta in the market place of the said
Montevarchi, and there was a fierce battle of but few people, as far
as the Arno, between the Guelf refugees from Florence, and the
Germans. In the end the Germans were discomfited, and a great part
thereof slain and taken prisoners, and this was in the year of Christ
1248.

Sec. 34.--_How the host of the Emperor Frederick was defeated by the
Parmesans, and by the Pope's legate._

[Sidenote: Epist. vi. (5) 127-135.]

[Sidenote: 1248 A.D.]

At this time the Emperor Frederick was laying siege to the city of
Parma in Lombardy, because they had rebelled against his lordship and
held with the Church; and within Parma was the Pope's legate with
mounted men-at-arms sent by the Church to aid them. Frederick was
without the city, with all his forces and with the Lombards, and abode
there many months, and had sworn never to depart thence until he
should have taken it; and for this reason he had made a camp over
against the said city of Parma, after the manner of another town,