MY brother, at this period, was also in Rome, serving Duke Alessandro,
on whom the Pope had recently conferred the Duchy of Penna. This prince
kept in his service a multitude of soldiers, worthy fellows, brought up
to valour in the school of that famous general Giovanni de’ Medici; and
among these was my brother, whom the Duke esteemed as highly as the
bravest of them. One day my brother went after dinner to the shop of a
man called Baccino della Croce in the Banchi, which all those
men-at-arms frequented. He had flung himself upon a settee, and was
sleeping. Just then the guard of the Bargello passed by; [1] they were
taking to prison a certain Captain Cisti, a Lombard, who had also been a
member of Giovanni’s troop, but was not in the service of the Duke. The
captain, Cattivanza degli Strozzi, chanced to be in the same shop; [2]
and when Cisti caught sight of him, he whispered: “I was bringing you
those crowns I owed; if you want them, come for them before they go with
me to prison.” Now Cattivanza had a way of putting his neighbours to the
push, not caring to hazard his own person. So, finding there around him
several young fellows of the highest daring, more eager than apt for so
serious an enterprise, he bade them catch up Captain Cisti and get the
money from him, and if the guard resisted, overpower the men, provided
they had pluck enough to do so.
The young men were but four, and all four of them without a beard. The
first was called Bertino Aldobrandi, another Anguillotto of Lucca; I
cannot recall the names of the rest. Bertino had been trained like a
pupil by my brother; and my brother felt the most unbounded love for
him. So then, off dashed the four brave lads, and came up with the guard
of the Bargello-upwards of fifty constables, counting pikes, arquebuses,
and two-handed-swords. After a few words they drew their weapons, and
the four boys so harried the guard, that if Captain Cattivanza had but
shown his face, without so much as drawing, they would certainly have
put the whole pack to flight. But delay spoiled all; for Bertino
received some ugly wounds and fell; at the same time, Anguillotto was
also hit in the right arm, and being unable to use his sword, got out of
the fray as well as he was able. The others did the same. Bertino
Aldobrandi was lifted from the ground seriously injured.
Note 1. The Bargello was the chief constable or sheriff in Italian
towns. I shall call him Bargello always in my translation, since any
English equivalent would be misleading. He did the rough work of
policing the city, and was consequently a mark for all the men of spirit
who disliked being kept in order. Giovio, in his Life of Cardinal Pompeo
Colonna, quite gravely relates how it was the highest ambition of young
Romans of spirit to murder the Bargello. He mentions, in particular, a
certain Pietro Margano, who had acquired great fame and popularity by
killing the Bargello of his day, one Cencio, in the Campo di Fiore. This
man became an outlaw, and was favourably received by Cardinal Colonna,
then at war with Clement VII.
Note 2. His baptismal name was Bernardo. Cattivanza was a nickname. He
fought bravely for Florence in the siege.