for all past
services are cancelled by a present loss. And so it happened with our
Antonio Giacomini, who not succeeding as the people had expected, and
as he had promised, in taking Pisa, fell into such discredit with the
people, that notwithstanding his countless past services, his life was
spared rather by the compassion of those in authority than through any
movement of the citizens in his behalf.

[Footnote 1: "Viva la sua morte e muoia la sua vita." The quotation does
_not_ seem to be from the "De Monarchia."]

CHAPTER LIV.--_Of the boundless Authority which a great Man may use to
restrain an excited Multitude_.

The next noteworthy point in the passage referred to in the foregoing
Chapter is, that nothing tends so much to restrain an excited multitude
as the reverence felt for some grave person, clothed with authority, who
stands forward to oppose them. For not without reason has Virgil said--

"If then, by chance, some reverend chief appear,
Known for his deeds and for his virtues dear,
Silent they wait his words and bend a listening ear."[1]

He therefore who commands an army or governs a city wherein tumult shall
have broken out, ought to assume the noblest and bravest bearing he can,
and clothe himself with all the ensigns of his station, that he may make
himself more revered. It is not many years since Florence was divided into
two factions, the _Frateschi_ and _Arrabbiati_, as they were named, and
these coming to open violence, the _Frateschi_, among whom was Pagolo
Antonio Soderini, a citizen of great reputation in these days, were
worsted. In the course of these disturbances the people coming with arms
in their hands to plunder the house of Soderini, his brother Messer
Francesco, then bishop of Volterra and now cardinal, who happened to be
dwelling there, so soon as he heard the uproar and saw the crowd, putting
on his best apparel and over it his episcopal robes, went forth to meet
the armed multitude, and by his words and mien brought them to a
stay; and for many days his behaviour was commended by the whole
city. The inference from all which is, that there is no surer or more
necessary restraint on the violence of an unruly multitude, than the
presence of some one whose character and bearing command respect.

But to return once more to the passage we are considering, we see how
stubbornly the people clung to this scheme of transplanting themselves
to Veii, thinking it for their advantage,