ld in Palermo, to succour the city of
Messina._ Sec. 71.--_The letter that the king of Aragon sent to King
Charles._ Sec. 72.--_How King Charles called his council and answered
the king of Aragon by his letter._ Sec. 73.--_What was King Charles'
answer in his letter to the king of Aragon._ Sec. 74.--_How the king of
Aragon sent his admiral to capture the fleet of King Charles._ Sec.
75.--_How King Charles must needs depart from the siege of Messina, and
how he returned into the Kingdom._ Sec. 76.--_Who was the first Christian
king of Aragon._ Sec. 77.--_How the Lucchese burnt and destroyed the city
of Pescia._ Sec. 78.--_How Rudolf, Emperor elect, sent his vicar into
Tuscany._

Sec. 79.--_How the Office of Priors was first created in Florence._

[Sidenote: 1282 A.D.]

In the year of Christ 1282, the city of Florence being under
government of the order of the fourteen good men as the Cardinal
Latino had left it, to wit eight Guelfs and six Ghibellines, as we
afore made mention, it seemed to the citizens that this government of
fourteen was too numerous and confused; and to the end so many divided
hearts might be at one, and, above all, because it was not pleasing to
the Guelfs to have the Ghibellines as partners in the government by
reason of the events which were come to pass (such as the loss which
King Charles had already sustained of the island of Sicily, and the
coming into Tuscany of the imperial vicar, and likewise the wars begun
in Romagna by the count of Montefeltro on the Ghibelline side), for
the safety and welfare of the city of Florence they annulled the said
office of the fourteen and created and made a new office and lordship
for the government of the said city of Florence, to wit, the Priors of
the Arts; the which name, Priors of the Arts, means to say "the
first," chosen over the others; and it was taken from the Holy Gospel,
where Christ says to His disciples, "Vos estis priores." And this
invention and movement began among the consuls and council of the art
of Calimala, to which pertained the wisest and most powerful citizens
of Florence, and the most numerous following, both magnates and
popolani, of those which pursued the calling of merchants, seeing the
most part of them greatly loved the Guelf party and Holy Church. And
the first priors of the Arts were three, whereof the names were these:
Bartolo di M. Jacopo de' Bardi, for the sesto of Oltrarno and for the
art of Calimala; Rosso Bacherelli,