ITALIAN GARDENS OF THE RENAISSANCE 



rapacity, and of the Duke's refusal to hear the prayers 

 of the unhappy peasants who came to him for redress. 

 From Pesaro, from Rimini and Forli, from all parts of 

 the distracted land we hear the same cry. " The 

 Duke's soldiers have no money, and do all manner 

 of damage wherever they lodge. These men are given 

 over to the devil and to his work, and the Duke listens 

 to no complaint and does no justice." l Meanwhile 

 Caesar himself was spending his brief interval of leisure 

 in feasting and dancing, and in his favourite pastime 

 of patrolling the streets at the head of a troop of 

 masked men-at-arms. In January he was still at 

 Cesena, " giving himself to pleasure, and taking an 

 active part in hunting expeditions and masquerades." 

 In February he rose up suddenly like a lion from 

 his lair and stormed the Rocca of Ressi, and took 

 and sacked the prosperous little town of Solarolo 

 near Faenza. Early in March he was back at Imola. 

 There he summoned his chief captains together and 

 held a council of war to decide the fate of Faenza. 

 There were two parties in the camp, Soranzo heard 

 from his trusted knight at Imola. Some of the 

 leaders were in favour of an immediate assault, but 

 the more prudent advised delay until the expected 

 French reinforcements had arrived. "And on Sunday, 

 March 7, they held a festti and danced all night, 



1 Marino Sanudo Diarii, iii. 1064. 

 244 



