have been ill-treated
with regard to offices and honours, whereof they held themselves to be
more worthy, forasmuch as they had been the principal restorers of the
Blacks to their estate, and had driven out the Whites; but by the
other party it was said that M. Corso desired to be lord over the city
with no equal. But whatever may have been the truth or the cause, his
aforesaid opponents and they which ruled the city had hated and
greatly feared him, ever since he had allied himself by marriage to
Uguccione della Faggiuola, a Ghibelline, and hostile to the
Florentines; and also they feared him because of his ambition and
power and following, being uncertain whether he would not take their
state from them, and drive them from the city, and above all, because
they found that the said M. Corso had made a league and covenant with
the said Uguccione della Faggiuola, his father-in-law, and had sent
for him and his aid. For the which thing, in great jealousy, the city
suddenly rose in an uproar, and the priors caused the bells to be
sounded, and the people and the nobles, on horse and on foot, flew to
arms, and the Catalan troops with the king's marshal, which were at
the service of them which ruled the city. And straightway, as had been
ordained by the aforesaid leaders, an inquisition or accusation was
given to the Podesta, to wit, to M. Piero della Branca d'Agobbio,
against the said M. Corso, charging him with wishing to betray the
people, and to overturn the city, by bringing thither Uguccione della
Faggiuola with the Ghibellines and enemies of the commonwealth. And he
was first cited to appear, and then proclamation was made against him,
and then he was condemned; in less than an hour, without giving any
longer time for his trial, M. Corso was condemned as a rebel and
traitor to his commonwealth, and straightway the priors set forth with
the standard of justice, and the Podesta, captain and executioner,
with their retainers and with the standard-bearers of the companies,
with the people in arms, and the troops on horse, amid the
acclamations of the people, to go to the house where dwelt M. Corso at
San Piero Maggiore, to carry out the sentence. When M. Corso, having
heard of the attack against him (or, as some said, in order to
strengthen himself to carry out his purpose, for he was expecting
Uguccione della Faggiuola with a great following which was already
come to Remole), had barricaded himself in the road of San Piero