stomed to the place and
therefore less superstitious about its sanctity.' This, however, spoiled
all. The priests, though more sacrilegious than the bravos, were less
used to the trade of assassination. They failed to strike home.
Giuliano, it is true, was stabbed to death by Bernardo Bandini and
Francesco de' Pazzi at the very moment of the elevation of Christ's
body. But Lorenzo escaped with a slight flesh-wound. The whole
conspiracy collapsed. In the retaliation which the infuriated people of
Florence took upon the murderers, the Archbishop Salviati, together with
Jacopo and Francesco de' Pazzi and some others among the principal
conspirators, were hung from the windows of the Palazzo Pubblico. For
this act of violence to the sacred person of a traitorous priest,
Sixtus, who had upon his own conscience the crime of mingled treason,
sacrilege, and murder, ex-communicated Florence, and carried on for
years a savage war with the Republic. It was not until 1481, when the
descent of the Turks upon Otranto made him tremble for his own safety,
that he chose to make peace with these enemies whom he had himself
provoked and plotted against.

[1] His 'Confession,' printed by Fabroni, _Lorenzi Medicis
Vita_, vol. ii. p. 168, gives an interesting account of the
hatching of the plot. It is fair to Sixtus to say that
Montesecco exculpates him of the design to murder the Medici.
He only wanted to ruin them.

[2] It is curious to note how many of the numerous Italian
tyrannicides took place in church. The Chiavelli of Fabriano
were murdered during a solemn service in 1435; the sentence of
the creed 'Et incarnatus est' was chosen for the signal. Gian
Maria Visconti was killed in San Gottardo (1412), Galeazzo
Maria Sforza in San Stefano (1484). Lodovico Moro only just
escaped assassination in Sant' Ambrogio (1484). Machiavelli
says that Lorenzo de' Medici's life was attempted by Batista
Frescobaldi in the Carmine (see _1st. Fior._ book viii. near
the end). The Bagliani of Perugia were to have been massacred
during the marriage festival of Astorre with Lavinia
Colonna(1500). Stefano Porcari intended to capture Nicholas V.
at the great gate of S. Peter's (1453). The only chance of
catching cautious princes off their guard was when they were
engaged in high solemnities. See above, p. 168.

Another peculiarity in the Pontificate of Sixtus deserves special