d gracious, so
that he was much loved and in great favour; but all his way of life
was epicurean, caring neither for God nor the saints, but only for
bodily delights. An enemy he was to Holy Church, and to priests and
monks, occupying the churches as his father had done, and was a very
rich lord, alike from the treasure bequeathed to him by the Emperor
and by King Conrad, his brother, and from his kingdom, which was rich
and fruitful; and, for all the wars that he had with the Church, he
kept it in good state so long as he lived, so that he increased much
in riches and in power by sea and by land. For wife he took the
daughter of the despot of Romagna, by whom he had sons and daughters.
The arms which he took and bore were those of the Empire, save where
the Emperor, his father, bore the gold field and the black eagle, he
bore the silver field and the black eagle. This Manfred caused the
city of Sipanto in Apulia to be destroyed, forasmuch as through the
marshes around it was not healthy, and it had no harbour; and by its
citizens, at two miles distance upon the rock, and in a place where
there might be a good harbour, he caused a city to be founded, which
after his name was called Manfredonia, the which has now the best
harbour that there is between Venice and Brindisi. And of that city
was Manfred Bonetta, count chamberlain of the said King Manfred, a
delightsome man, a musician and singer, who caused the great bell of
Manfredonia to be made in his memory, the which is the largest that
can be found for size, and because of its size cannot be rung. We will
now leave speaking of Manfred until fit place and time, and will
return where we left off in our subject, namely to the doings of
Florence and of Tuscany and of Lombardy, albeit they were much mixed
up with the doings of the said King Manfred in many things.

[Sidenote: 1251 A.D.]

[Sidenote: 1252 A.D.]

Sec. 47.--_How the Florentines discomfited the Ubaldini in Mugello._ Sec.
48.--_How the Florentines took Montaia and routed the troops of the
Sienese and the Pisans._ Sec. 49.--_How the Florentines took Tizzano and
then routed the Pisans at Pontadera, the Pisans having routed the
Lucchese._

Sec. 50.--_How the bridge Santa Trinita was built._

In this time, the city of Florence being in happy state under the rule
of the Popolo, a bridge was built over the Arno from Santa Trinita to
the house of the Frescobaldi in Oltrarno, and in this the zeal of
Lamberto