We were up betimes. The town was ours, except the citadel. Checco had
gone to the fortress, which stood above the town, to one side, and had
summoned the Castellan to surrender. He had refused, as we expected; but
we were not much troubled, for we had Caterina and her children in our
power, and by their means thought we could get hold of the castle.
Checco had called a meeting of the Council to decide what should be done
with the town. It was purely a measure of politeness, for he had already
made up his mind and taken steps in accordance. With the town so
troubled, the citadel still in our opponent's hands, and the armies of
Lodovico Moro at Milan, it was hopeless to suggest standing alone; and
Checco had decided to offer Forli to the Pope. This would give a
protection against external enemies and would not greatly interfere with
the internal relations. The real power would belong to the chief
citizen, and Checco knew well enough whom that was. Further, the lax
grasp of the Pope would soon be loosed by death, and in the confusion of
a long conclave and a change of rulers, it would not be impossible to
change the state of dependence into real liberty, and for Checco to add
the rights and titles of lordship to the power. On the previous night he
had sent a messenger to the Protonotary Savello, the papal governor of
Cesena, with an account of what had happened and the offer of the town.
Checco had requested an immediate reply, and was expecting it every
minute.
The Council was called for ten o'clock. At nine Checco received
Savello's secret consent.
The President of the Council was Niccolo Tornielli, and he opened the
sitting by reminding his hearers of their object, and calling for their
opinions. At first no one would speak. They did not know what was in
Checco's mind, and they had no wish to say anything that might be
offensive to him. The Forlivesi are a cautious race! After a while an
old man got up and timidly expressed the thanks of the citizens for the
freedom which Checco had bestowed upon them, suggesting also that he
should speak first. The lead thus given, the worthies rose, one after
another, and said the same things with an air of profound originality.
Then Antonio Sassi stood up. It was he who had advised Girolamo to
impose the taxes on the town; and he was known to be a deadly enemy of
Checco. The others had been sufficiently astonished when they saw him
enter the Council chamber, for it was thought that he had left the town,
as Ercole Piacentini and others of the Count's favourites had done. When
he prepared to speak, the surprise was universal.
'Our good friend, Niccolo,' he said, 'has called upon us to decide what
shall be done with the town.
'Your thoughts seem to be inclining to one foreign master or another.
But my thoughts are inclining to the Liberty, in whose name the town has
been won.
'Let us maintain the Liberty which these men have conquered at the risk
of their lives....
'Why should we doubt our ability to preserve the Liberty of our
ancestors? Why should we think that we, who are descended from such
fathers, born from their blood, bred in their houses, should have
degenerated so far as to be incapable of seizing the opportunity which
is presented to us?
'Let us not fear that the Mighty Monarch, who defends and protects him
who walks the path of the Just, will fail to give us spirit and strength
to introduce and firmly to implant in this city the blessed state of
Liberty.'
At the end of the sentence Antonio Sassi paused to see the effect on his
auditors.