sed God, albeit the two
hosts came very nigh one another at the place called . . . the French
passed through without any battle being fought and arrived at the city
of Parma. Truly it is said that one Master Buoso, of the house of da
Duera, of Cremona, for money which he received from the French, gave
counsel in such wise that the host of Manfred was not there to contest
the pass, as had been arranged, wherefor the people of Cremona
afterwards destroyed the said family of da Duera in fury. When the
French came to the city of Parma they were graciously received, and
the Guelf refugees from Florence and from the other cities of
Tuscany, with more than 400 horsemen (whereof they had made captain
Count Guido Guerra of the Counts Guidi) went out to meet them as far
as the city of Mantua. And when the French met with the Guelf refugees
from Florence and from Tuscany, they seemed to them such fine men, and
so rich in horses and in arms, that they marvelled greatly, that being
in banishment from their cities they could be so nobly accoutred, and
their company highly esteemed our exiles. And afterwards they took
them round by Lombardy to Bologna, and by Romagna and by the March,
and by the Duchy, for they could not pass through Tuscany, forasmuch
as it all pertained to the Ghibelline party, and was under the
lordship of Manfred; for the which thing they spent long time in their
journeying, so that it was not till the beginning of the month of
December, in the said year 1265, that they arrived in Rome; and when
they were come to the city of Rome, Count Charles was very joyful, and
received them with great gladness and honour.

Sec. 5.--_How King Charles was crowned in Rome king of Sicily, and how he
straightway departed with his host to go against King Manfred._

[Sidenote: 1265 A.D.]

[Sidenote: Cf. Inf. xxviii. 16.]

When the mounted troops of Count Charles had reached Rome, he purposed
to assume his crown; and on the day of the Epiphany in the said year
1265, by two cardinal legates, despatched by the Pope to Rome, he was
consecrated and crowned over the realm of Sicily and Apulia, he and
his lady with great honour; and so soon as the festival of his
coronation was ended, without any delay he set out with his host by
way of the Campagna, towards the kingdom of Apulia, and Campagna; and
very soon he had a large part thereof at his command without dispute.
King Manfred hearing of their coming, to wit, first of the said
Ch