THE CARDINAL OF ST GEORGE IS DETAINED PRISONER AT FLORENCE, WHERE THE
ARCHBISHOP OF PISA IS STRANGLED, AND SEVERAL OTHERS PUT TO DEATH, FOR
HAVING MURDERED GIULIANO DE MEDICI.--RHODES BESIEGED BY THE TURKS.--OF
ST SYMON AND ANOTHER THAT WERE CRUCIFIED.--OF A DEVOUT HERMIT WHO
LIVED FIFTEEN YEARS ON THE HOLY WAFER.--OF A MONSTER, BORN IN THE TOWN
OF VERONA.--OF A MARVELLOUS COMET.--AND OTHER EXTRAORDINARY EVENTS.
About this time, and soon after the death of the duke of Milan, a
violent conspiracy was formed in the city of Florence, by the family
of Pazzi, of which Francesco di Pazzi was the leader, against the
family of the Medici. Francesco, accompanied by several of good family
in Florence, and other conspirators, assassinated, with a dagger,
Giuliano de Medici in the church of Santa Maria di Fuori, during the
celebration of the mass. His elder brother, Lorenzo de Medici, was
also wounded but recovered[81].
For this crime the reverend father in God Nicholas, cardinal of
Saint George, and nephew[82] to count Jerome, was detained in close
confinement; and Francesco Salviati, archbishop of Pisa, was publicly
hanged in his archiepiscopal robes at the gates of the Medici-palace.
Several of the conspirators, and their relatives, were hanged at the
same time and place, and others executed in divers manners.
Pope Sixtus IV. in revenge for these executions, fulminated, in the
name of the cardinals in consistory, an excommunication and interdict
against the city of Florence, and incited a cruel war against Tuscany,
in the name of the church,--in which war numbers lost their lives.
During this time, an ambassador from the republic of Venice obtained
the liberty of the cardinal of St George, who returned to Rome:
nevertheless, the war was still continued between the church and the
Florentines, but it was at length ended, and the excommunication and
interdict were taken off.
The Jews, about this time, stole a child of twelve years of age, called
Symon, in the city of Trent, whom they crucified, and caused to suffer
the mysteries of the passion, in ridicule of what our Saviour had
suffered,--for which they were most severely punished, according to
their deserts. The body of the child was carried in procession, as a
martyr, to the cathedral, whither great crowds of people flocked from
all parts; for through the devotion of this child many miracles were
performed in remembrance of the passion of our Lord.
A similar crime was committed by the Jews in the city of Opiterge[83],
within the principality of Venice, where they martyred a youth in
like manner. They were brought to Venice, and having confessed their
guiltiness of this abominable crime, were burnt alive between the two
marble columns in the place of St Marco.
At this time, a girl was born at Verona, which had one head, two
feet, and four arms: two were larger than the others, which she could
move,--but the others were smaller, and motionless. She had two bellies
joined to the stomach, and two openings through which she passed her
excrements, and other natural superfluities. In this state, she was
carried throughout Italy, begging money of all that were desirous to
see and examine her.
About this time, there were great inundations with very high winds,
that overthrew many buildings.
The grand Turk now led a numerous and puissant army by sea and land
to besiege the city of Rhodes, which he bombarded at several places,
and slew very many Christians. He surrounded the city on all sides,
and advanced even to the tower of St Nicholas, which was thought
impregnable; but he was on the point of taking it, and ready to shout,
'Town won!' when the grand master displayed from the walls a great
banner, painted with the representation of the blessed cross; which
banner was no sooner displayed than the Turks became blinded, and, by
the Divine aid of our blessed Saviour, were repulsed. They made no
further attempts on the city,--but there were numbers slain on both
sides.
The Turks, on their ill success at Rhodes, invaded part of the kingdom
of Sicily, and gained many towns. They put the inhabitants to death,
and seized their effects, so that they were become a cruel pestilence
to Christendom. They took the city of Otranto, and slew almost all the
inhabitants, on account of their religion, which they suffered with
singular patience for the honour of God,--and at length they seized the
archbishop, whom they put to death by sawing him in two.
A devout Hermit, who resided in Swisserland near Underwalden, subsisted
for the space of fifteen years on the holy wafer, which he received at
the monthly sacrament, without taking any other food. This has been
attested by many persons, witnesses of the fact.
I have forgotten to mention a marvellous comet that appeared in the
year 1477, on St Agnes-day, in the month of January,--and therefore the
bloody wars that took place between different princes, with the great
miseries that ensued, need not be wondered at. This comet was visible
at Cologne, in the opposite direction to the constellation Libra,
having an immense tail, thirty degrees in length. On St Blaise's day,
the 3d of February, it remained stationary in the constellation of
Aries, throwing its tail to the eastward, near the Pleiades. It was of
different colours,--sometimes white, at others all on fire, inclining
to a lemon colour. The astrologers considered it as indicative of
battle, epidemic disorders, and plagues: and in consequence, the
following summer was hotter than had been remembered by any then
living. In some parts, subterraneous fires broke forth, from the
vehemence of which may God preserve us!
We will now return to notice events that happened in France, Flanders,
Burgundy and England, at the period we quitted them to make mention of
the surprising circumstances contained in this chapter.