MEDICI. 



753 



gonfalonier Bernardo Guadagni in having the sentenc 

 of death, which was preparing for him by Rinald< 

 Albizzi, converted into banishment to Padua (1433) 

 Yet his friends were so numerous, that a year after 

 a signoria, which consisted wholly of them, recallec 

 Cosmo, and banished Rinaldo and his adherents. By 

 this victory, the party of the Medici acquired th 

 ascendency. Nevertheless, Cosmo scorned to use 

 force against his enemies ; but some suspected per 

 sons were banished in 1442. The worthy Neri Cap 

 poni endeavoured to oppose the policy of Cosmo 

 who was a friend of Francesco Sforza. But Cosmo 

 was contented with protecting himself against his 

 enemies by the number of his friends, and was able 

 to check the arrogance of the latter, which he mosi 

 feared, by inspiring them with a dread of the former 

 The ruling party in Florence was accustomed to 

 obtain for some of their number, from the people, the 

 grant of full powers (balia] to appoint the magistrates 

 for some years. Cosmo himself caused Neri to be 

 appointed one of these commissioners, and thus 

 attached him to his own party, which hazarded 

 nothing in receiving the weaker one of Neri. When, 

 after the death of Neri, the term of the balia was 

 expired, he did not make use of his power to effect a 

 prolongation of it, as heretofore some less sagacious 

 chiefs had done, but waited quietly, until the great 

 mass of those, who vainly expected honours from the 

 people, but might have hopes of receiving them from 

 him, effected the renewal of the former oligarchy for 

 eight years, in 1458. Indeed, it was always his policy 

 to let others work for his advantage, while he re- 

 mained in apparent indifference and inactivity him- 

 self As Puccio Pucci was formerly called the head 

 of his party, so, at present, Cosmo ruled the republic, 

 from 145S, through Luca Pitti, he himself remaining 

 in the back ground. From thence he observed his 

 friends and his enemies, and endeavoured to keep the 

 former within the bounds of moderation, which are 

 essential to the existence of a constitutional aristo- 

 cracy, and much more to that of an insecure oligar- 

 chy. He was less successful in this, in his Jater years, 

 particularly on account of the imperious character of 

 Luca Pitti. He therefore laid it down as a rule, 

 never to distinguish himself in his mode of living by 

 expense or by a splendour that would excite envy. 

 His superfluous wealth he expended upon public 

 buildings, with which he adorned Florence, and in a 

 splendid munificence, not only towards his adherents, 

 but especially towards artists and learned men; 

 among whom Argyropylus, Marcilius Ficinus, &c., 

 enjoyed a liberal share of his favours ; for he himself 

 was a cultivated and accomplished friend to science, 

 without being a less active merchant, or a less saga- 

 cious statesman. It would have been easy for him, 

 who in Europe was considered as the prince of Flor- 

 ence, to ally himself with princes ; but he married his 

 sons and his grand-daughters to the daughters 

 find sons of Florentine citizens. With equal wisdom 

 he managed the foreign affairs of the republic, in 

 its difficult relations with Naples, Milan, and Ven- 

 ice, in which his commercial connexions with all 

 countries and his vast credit firmly supported him. 

 (The learned Pignotti is more rigid and impartial 

 than Roscoe in his judgment upon Cosmo.) After 

 Cosmo had done everything which he could to esta- 

 blish his house in the popular favour, he died in 

 1464, with anxious thoughts respecting the future ; 

 for his kinsman, the sagacious Bernardo de' Medici, 

 who had gained so mnch honour in the war against 

 Milan and Naples, and his son Giovanni, had both 

 died before him ; his other son, Piero, on account of 

 his ill health, seemed little capable of being at the 

 head of the state; the sons of Piero, Gitiliano and 

 Lorenzo, were still minors. Piero, in the com- 



IV. 



mencement of his course, lost much of the favour' 

 which the Florentines would readily have trans- 

 ferred to him from his adored father, in consequence 

 of following the evil suggestion of a false friend, 

 Diotisalvi Neroni, who advised him, in order to 

 restore his finances, which had suffered from the 

 munificence of his father, to exact the payment of 

 many sums of money, which his father had lent to 

 citizens. The growing dislike of the people towards 

 him on account of this measure, and also the 

 betrothment of his son Lorenzo with Clarice (of the 

 noble house of Orsini), were eagerly taken advan- 

 tage of by Neroni and the ambitious Luca Pitti, in 

 conjunction with the true patriot Nicolo Soderini, 

 and Agnolo Acciajuoli, the personal enemy of the 

 Medici, to effect his downfall. They prepared a h st 

 of names personally subscribed by the enemies of 

 the Medici. Piero, to whom this was made known, 

 procured a similar list of the names of his friends 

 and partisans, which many subscribed under the 

 influence of fear, who had already enrolled them- 

 selves among his adversaries. After unsuccessful 

 attempts, by moderate measures, to change the 

 government, the malcontents resolved to put Piero 

 to death in his own house at Carreggi, and to take 

 possession of the government, with the assistance ot 

 the marquis of Ferrara. But the design was 

 revealed to Piero, whereupon, in August, 1466, 

 with a numerous body of armed men, he went to 

 Florence. Guarded by these, he kept quietly in his 

 own house. His enemies also armed themselves, 

 but were discouraged by the defection of Luca Pitt ; . 

 Piero having professed his moderation to a deputa- 

 tion of eminent citizens, and declared that he did 

 not desire the renewal of the expired balia, the 

 people would undertake nothing against him ; his 

 enemies therefore dispersed, and their leaders fled 

 from Florence. The balia was then renewed to the 

 party of the Medici, and they became from this time 

 supreme. But the other members of the balta 

 abused this power in the most arbitrary manner, 

 and Piero, being almost constantly confined to his 

 bed, was unable to prevent them ; he was, therefore, 

 on the point of recalling his banished enemies, in 

 order, by their means, to check the violence of his 

 friends, when death prevented him (1469). The 

 secret enemies of the Medici, on account of the 

 youth and inexperience of his sons, Lorenzo and 

 Giuliano, thought the time favourable for a new 

 attempt to overthrow that powerful house. In con- 

 junction with pope Sextus IV. and the archbishop 

 of Pisa, Francesco Salviati, the Pazzi, the family 

 next in consequence to the Medici, formed the plan 

 of an assault on Lorenzo and Giuliano, which, after 

 many disappointments, was carried into execution 

 April 26, 1478, in the church S. Reparata. They 

 'ailed, indeed, in their attempt on Lorenzo ; but 

 jiuliano was murdered. The people immediately 

 armed themselves in the cause of the beloved 

 Medici, his assassins were put to death, and the 

 louse of Pazzi was overthrown. Lorenzo, now the 

 only head of his house, and more than ever confirmed 

 n the government of the republic, ruled it in a 

 manner worthy of his grandfather, whom he sur- 

 passed in wisdom and moderation, as in magnani- 

 mity and munificence ; but particularly in his active 

 /eal for the arts and sciences. By alliances with 

 Venice and Milan, he protected Florence against 

 .he machinations of the pope and the king of 

 Naples. He then made a journey to Naples, ami 

 nduced the king, the bitterest enemy of himself and 

 lis country, to become his warmest friend, and an ally 

 against the attacks of the implacable pope and the 

 aithless Venetians. By his honourable and wise 

 )olicy, he placed the balance of power in Italy on 



