Notaries,
which held themselves to be oppressed by him, as we before made
mention, and with other popolani grassi, friends and kinsmen of the
magnates, which loved not that Giano della Bella should be greater in
the commonwealth than they. And they determined to elect a body of
stalwart Priors. And this was done, and they were proclaimed earlier
than the wonted time. And this done, when they were in office they
conferred with the Captain of the People, and set forth a proclamation
and inquisition against the said Giano della Bella and his other
confederates and followers and those which had been leaders in setting
fire to the gates of the Palace, charging them with having set the
city in an uproar, and disturbed the peace of the State, and
assaulted the Podesta, against the Ordinances of Justice; for the
which thing the common people was much disturbed, and went to the
house of Giano della Bella, and offered to surround him with arms, to
defend him or to attack the city. And his brother bore to Orto San
Michele a standard with the arms of the people; but Giano was a wise
man, albeit somewhat presumptuous, and when he saw himself betrayed
and deceived by the very men which had been with him in making the
Popolo, and saw that their force together with that of the magnates
was very great, and that the Priors were already assembled under arms
at their house, he would not hazard the chances of civil war; and to
the end the city might not be ravaged, and for fear of his person, he
would not face the court, but withdrew, and departed from Florence on
the 5th day of March, hoping that the people might yet restore him to
his state; wherefore by the said accusation or notification he was for
contumacy condemned in person and banished, and he died in exile in
France (for he had affairs to attend to there, and was a partner of
the Pazzi); and all his goods were destroyed; and certain other
popolani were accused with him; and he was a great loss to our city,
and above all to the people, forasmuch as he was the most leal and
upright popolano, and lover of the common good, of any man in
Florence, and one who gave to the commonwealth and took nothing
therefrom. He was presumptuous and desired to avenge his wrongs, and
this he did somewhat against the Abati, his neighbours, with the arm
of the commonwealth, and, perhaps for the said sins, he was by his own
laws, wrongfully and without guilt, judged by the unjust. And note
that this is a