struccio having sent by sea from the country round Pisa
large quantities of corn, and thus removed the source of the trouble.
When he had chastised some of the Roman leaders, and admonished others,
voluntary obedience was rendered to Enrico. Castruccio received many
honours, and was made a Roman senator. This dignity was assumed with the
greatest pomp, Castruccio being clothed in a brocaded toga, which had
the following words embroidered on its front: "I am what God wills."
Whilst on the back was: "What God desires shall be."

During this time the Florentines, who were much enraged that Castruccio
should have seized Pistoia during the truce, considered how they could
tempt the city to rebel, to do which they thought would not be difficult
in his absence. Among the exiled Pistoians in Florence were Baldo Cecchi
and Jacopo Baldini, both men of leading and ready to face danger. These
men kept up communications with their friends in Pistoia, and with the
aid of the Florentines entered the city by night, and after driving out
some of Castruccio's officials and partisans, and killing others, they
restored the city to its freedom. The news of this greatly angered
Castruccio, and taking leave of Enrico, he pressed on in great haste to
Pistoia. When the Florentines heard of his return, knowing that he would
lose no time, they decided to intercept him with their forces in the
Val di Nievole, under the belief that by doing so they would cut off his
road to Pistoia. Assembling a great army of the supporters of the Guelph
cause, the Florentines entered the Pistoian territories. On the other
hand, Castruccio reached Montecarlo with his army; and having heard
where the Florentines' lay, he decided not to encounter it in the plains
of Pistoia, nor to await it in the plains of Pescia, but, as far as
he possibly could, to attack it boldly in the Pass of Serravalle. He
believed that if he succeeded in this design, victory was assured,
although he was informed that the Florentines had thirty thousand men,
whilst he had only twelve thousand. Although he had every confidence
in his own abilities and the valour of his troops, yet he hesitated to
attack his enemy in the open lest he should be overwhelmed by numbers.
Serravalle is a castle between Pescia and Pistoia, situated on a hill
which blocks the Val di Nievole, not in the exact pass, but about a
bowshot beyond; the pass itself is in places narrow and steep, whilst in
general it ascends ge