the people returned in flight to the city, and the
men flew to arms, crying, "Death to the French." They gathered
together in the market place, as had been ordained by the leaders of
the plot; and the justiciary, which was for the king, fighting at the
castle, was taken and slain, and as many Frenchmen as were in the city
were slain in the houses and in the churches, without any mercy. And
this done, the said barons departed from Palermo, and each one in his
own city and country did the like, slaying all the Frenchmen which
were in the island, save that in Messina they delayed some days before
rebelling; but through tidings from those in Palermo giving account of
their miseries in a fair epistle, and exhorting them to love liberty
and freedom and fraternity with them, the men of Messina were so moved
to rebellion that they afterwards did the like of what they of Palermo
had done against the French, and yet more. And there were slain in
Sicily more than 4,000 of them, and no one could save another though
he were never so much his friend, no not if he would lay down his life
for him; and if he had concealed him, he must needs yield him up or
slay him. This plague spread through all the island, whence King
Charles and his people received great hurt both in person and in
goods. These adverse and evil tidings the Archbishop of Monreale
straightway made known to the Pope and to King Charles by his
messengers.

[Sidenote: 1282 A.D.]

[Sidenote: Purg. vii. 112, 114-116, 125, 129.]

[Sidenote: 1281 A.D.]

Sec. 62.--_How King Charles complained to the Church, and to the king
of France, and to all his friends, and the aid which he received from
them._ Sec. 63.--_How they of Palermo, and the other Sicilians, sent
their ambassadors to Pope Martin._ Sec. 64.--_Of the aid which the
commonwealth of Florence sent to King Charles._ Sec. 65.--_How King
Charles led an expedition against Messina by sea and by land._ Sec.
66.--_How the king's forces took Melazzo, and how the Messinese sent
for the legate to treat for peace with King Charles._ Sec. 67.--_How the
treaty of peace was broken which the legate had arranged between King
Charles and the Messinese._ Sec. 68.--_How Messina was attacked by King
Charles' forces, and how it was defended._ Sec. 69.--_How Peter, king of
Aragon, departed from Catalonia and came to Sicily, and how he was
made and crowned king by the Sicilians._ Sec. 70.--_Of the parliament
which the king of Aragon he