through pride, or through envy, or through desire of
lordship, he made a new faction, leaguing himself with the Cavalcanti,
whereof the most part were Whites, saying that he desired that the
public accounts of those which had held office, and had administered
the monies of the commonwealth, should be examined; and they made
their head M. Lottieri, bishop of Florence, which was of the family of
the Tosa of the White branch, with certain magnates, against the
priors and the people; and there was fighting in the city in many
places and for many days, and they set engines in many towers and
strongholds of the city after the ancient manner, which should hurl
missiles and shoot at each other; and upon the towers of the Bishop's
Palace they raised a mangonel directed against his enemies hard by.
The priors strengthened themselves with people and men-at-arms of the
city and of the country, and boldly defended the palace, for many
assaults and attacks were made upon them; and the house of the
Gherardini held with the people, with a great following of their
friends from the country; and likewise the house of the Pazzi, and of
the Spini and M. Tegghiaio Frescobaldi with his branch of the family,
which were a great aid to the people; and M. Lotteringo de' Gherardini
was slain by an arrow in a battle which was fought in Porte Sante
Marie. Other houses of the magnates did not hold with the people, but
some were with the bishop and with M. Corso, and some which liked him
not stood apart from the strife. For the which dissension and civil
fighting much evil was committed in the city and in the country, of
murders, and burnings, and robberies, as in a city ungoverned and
disordered, without any rule from the government, save that each
should do all possible harm to the other; and the city was all full of
refugees, and strangers, and folk from the country, each house with
its own following; and the city would have utterly destroyed itself
had not the Lucchese come to Florence at the request of the
commonwealth, with great number of foot and horse; who took in hand
the matter, and the guardianship of the city, and general authority
was of necessity given to them, so that for sixteen days they freely
ruled the city, issuing a proclamation on their own authority. And
when the proclamation was made throughout the city in the name of the
commonwealth of Lucca, it seemed evil to many Florentines, and a great
outrage and wrong; wherefore one Po