and of women, with sports and dances. But now it came
to pass that through envy there arose factions among the citizens; and
one of the chief and greatest began in the sesto of offence, to wit of
Porte San Piero, between the house of the Cerchi, and the Donati; on
the one side through envy, and on the other through rude
ungraciousness. The head of the family of the Cerchi was one M. Vieri
dei Cerchi, and he and those of his house were of great affairs, and
powerful, and with great kinsfolk, and were very rich merchants, so
that their company was among the largest in the world; these were
luxurious, inoffensive, uncultured and ungracious, like folk come in a
short time to great estate and power. The head of the family of the
Donati was M. Corso Donati, and he and those of his house were
gentlemen and warriors, and of no superabundant riches, but were
called by a gibe the Malefami. Neighbours they were in Florence and in
the country, and while the one set was envious the other stood on
their boorish dignity, so that there arose from the clash a fierce
scorn between them, which was greatly inflamed by the ill seed of the
White and Black parties from Pistoia, as we made mention in the last
chapter. And the said Cerchi were the heads of the White party in
Florence, and with them held almost all the house of the Adimari, save
the branch of the Cavicciuli; all the house of the Abati, which was
then very powerful, and part of them were Guelf and part were
Ghibelline; a great part of the Tosinghi, specially the branch of
Baschiera; part of the house of the Bardi, and part of the Rossi, and
likewise some of the Frescobaldi, and part of the Nerli and of the
Mannelli, and all the Mozzi, which then were very powerful in riches
and in estate; all those of the house of the Scali, and the greater
part of the Gherardini, all the Malispini, and a great part of the
Bostichi and Giandonati, of the Pigli, and of the Vecchietti and
Arrigucci, and almost all the Cavalcanti, which were a great and
powerful house, and all the Falconieri which were a powerful house of
the people. And with them took part many houses and families of
popolani, and lesser craftsmen, and all the Ghibelline magnates and
popolani; and by reason of the great following which the Cerchi had,
the government of the city was almost all in their power. On the side
of the Blacks were all they of the house of the Pazzi, who may be
counted with the Donati as the chiefs, and all t