d the other Ghibellines from the
March and from Romagna departed from the host at Bonconvento, wherein
were great numbers of people, both on horse and on foot. His barons
and the Pisan cavalry, with their followers, without delay passed
through the Maremma with his body, and brought it to Pisa; there, with
great sorrow and also with great honour, they buried it in their
cathedral. This was the end of the Emperor Henry. And let not the
reader marvel, that his story has been continued by us without
recounting other things and events in Italy and in other provinces and
realms; for two reasons, one, because all Christians and also Greeks
and Saracens were intent upon his doings and fortunes, and therefore
but few notable things came to pass in any other place; the other,
that by reason of the divers and manifold great fortunes which he met
withal in the short time that he lived, it is verily believed by the
wise, that if death had not come so early to a lord of such valour and
of such great undertakings as he was, he would have conquered the
Kingdom, and taken it from King Robert, who had made but little
preparation for its defence. Rather was it said by many, that King
Robert would not have awaited him, but would have gone by sea to
Provence; and after he had conquered the Kingdom as he purposed, it
would have been very easy for him to conquer all Italy and many of the
other provinces.

Sec. 54.--_How Frederick, the said king of Sicily, came by sea to the
city of Pisa._ Sec. 55.--_How the Count Filipponi of Pavia was defeated
at Piacenza._

Sec. 56.--_How the Florentines gave the lordship of Florence to King
Robert for five years._

In the said year 1313, whilst the Emperor was yet alive, the
Florentines finding themselves in evil case, alike from the forces of
the Emperor and of their own exiles, and also having dissensions among
themselves from the factions which had arisen as to the filling of the
magistracies, they gave themselves to King Robert for five years, and
then afterwards they renewed it for three, and thus for eight years
King Robert had the lordship over them, sending them a vicar every six
months, and the first was M. Giacomo di Cantelmo of Provence, who came
to Florence in the month of June, 1313. And the Lucchese and the
Pistoians and the men of Prato did the like, in giving the lordship to
King Robert. And of a surety this was the salvation of the
Florentines, for by reason of the great divisions