enote: 1311 A.D.]

Sec. 13.--_How the relics of St. Barnabas came to Florence._

Sec. 14.--_How the Emperor besieged Cremona, and his people took
Vicenza._

[Sidenote: 1311 A.D.]

[Sidenote: Par. xvii. 76-93. Epistola x. Quest. de Acqua et Terra. Sec.
24.--Cf. Inf. i. 100-111. Purg. xxxiii. 40-45.]

In the said year, the 12th day of the month of April, the Emperor was
besieging Cremona with an host, and he sent the bishop of Geneva, his
cousin, with 300 horsemen from beyond the mountains, and with the
force of M. Cane della Scala of Verona, and suddenly took the city of
Vicenza from the Paduans, and they which were of Padua in the
fortress, through fear, without defending themselves, abandoned the
fortress, the which loss caused great dismay to the Paduans, and to
all their allies; for the which thing, a little while after, the
Paduans were reconciled to the Emperor, and gave him the lordship of
Padua, and 100,000 golden florins in divers payments, and they
received his vicar. The said bishop of Geneva went afterwards to
Venice, and craved aid for the Emperor of the Venetians. The Venetians
did him great honour, and gave him to buy precious stones for his
crown 1,000 pounds of Venetian grossi; and in Venice from these monies
and with others was made the crown, and the imperial throne, very rich
and magnificent, the throne of silver gilt, and the crown with many
precious stones.

Sec. 15.--_How the Emperor took the city of Cremona._

[Sidenote: 1311 A.D.]

In 1311, on the 20th of April, the Emperor being with his army at
Cremona, the city being much straitened, forasmuch as they were
ill-provided by reason of their sudden rebellion, they surrendered the
city to the Emperor's mercy, through the negotiations of the
archbishop of Ravenna; and he received them and pardoned them, and
caused the walls and all the fortresses of the city to be destroyed,
and laid a heavy fine upon them. And when he had taken Cremona,
immediately he went with his army against the city of Brescia on the
14th day of May, and there he found himself with larger forces, and
more numerous and better cavaliers than he had ever had, for of a
truth there were there more than 6,000 good horsemen; 4,000 and more
Germans, and Frenchmen, and Burgundians, and men of birth; and the
rest Italians. For after he had taken Milan and then Cremona, many
great lords of Germany and of France came into his service, some for
pay, and many for love. And ver