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16 - The Prince - Machiavelli · Logic Library

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The second part of the life of Castruccio Castracanti of Lucca. Whilst Castruccio made
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peace with the Florentines and strengthened his position in Lucca, he neglected no opportunity,
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short of open war, of increasing his importance elsewhere. It appeared to
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him that if he could get possession of Pistolia, he would have a foot
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in Florence, which was his great desire. He therefore, in various ways
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made friends with the mountaineers and worked matters so in Pistoia that both parties confided
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their secrets to him. Pistoia was divided, as it has always been,
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into the Bianchi and Neary parties. The head of the Bianchi was Bastino di
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Poscenti, and of the Neary Jacopoldighilla. Each of these men held secret communications
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with Castruccio, and each desired to drive the other out of the city,
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and after many things they came to blows. Jacobo fortified himself at his Florentine
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gate, Bastiano at that of the Lucchesi side of the city. Both trusted
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more in Castruccio than in the Florentines, because they believed that Castruccio was far
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more ready and willing to fight than the Florentines, and they both sent to
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him for assistance. He gave promises to both, saying to Bastiano that he
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would come in person, and that to Jacopo that he would send his pupil,
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Pagolo Gulini. At the appointed time, he set forward Pagolo by way
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of Pisa, and wet himself direct to Pistolia. At midnight, both of
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them met outside the city, and both were admitted as friends. Thus the
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two leaders entered, and at a signal given by Castruccio, one killed Jacopo
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Gregia, the other bastigianod Pocente, and both took prisoners or killed the partisans
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of either faction. Without further opposition, Pistola passed into the hands of Gastruccio,
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who, having forced the Senora to leave the palace, compelled the people
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to yield obedience to him, making them many promises and remitting their old debts.
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The country side flocked to the city to see the new prince, and
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all were filled with hope and quickly settled down, influenced in great measure by
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his great valor. About this time, Great disturbances arose in Rome owing to
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the dearness of living, which was caused by the absence of the pontiff at
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Avignon. The German governor, Enrico was much blamed for what happened, murders
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and tumults following each other daily without his being able to put an end to
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them. This caused Enrico much anxiety lest the Romans should call in Ruberto,
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the King of Naples, who would drive the Germans out of the city and
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bring back the Pope. Having no dearer friend to whom he could apply for
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help than Castruccio, he sent to him, making him not only to give
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him assistance, but also to come in person to Rome. Castruccio considered that
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he ought not to hesitate to render the Emperor this service, because he believed
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that he himself would not be safe if at any time the Emperor ceased to
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hold Rome. Leaving Pagolo Ginini in command at Lucca, Castruccio set out for
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Rome with six hundred horsemen, where he was received by Enrico with the greatest
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distinction. In short time, the presence of Castruccio obtained such respect for the
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Emperor that without bloodshed or violence. Good order was restored, chiefly by reason
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of Castruccio having sent by sea from the country round Pisa large quantities of corn,
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and thus removed the source of the trouble. When he had chastised some
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of the Roman leaders and admonished others, volunt terry, obedience was rendered to
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Enrico. Castruccio received many honors and was made a Roman senator. This dignity
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was assumed with the greatest pomp, Corstruccio being clothed in a brocaded toga,
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which had the following words embroidered on its front, I am what God wills,
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whilst on the back was what God desires shall be. During this time,
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the Florentines, who were much enraged that Castruccio should have seized Pistolia during
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the truce, considered how they could tempt the city to rebel, to do
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which they thought would not be difficult in his absence. Among the exiled Pistolians
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in Florence were Balducecki and Jocopo Baldini, both men of leading and ready to
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face danger. These men kept up communications with their friends in Pistolia, and
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with the aid of the florentineanes entered the city by night, and after driving
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out some of Castruccio's officials and partisans and killing others, they restored the city
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to its freedom. The news of this greatly angered Castruccio, and taking leave
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of Henrico, he pressed on in great haste to Pistoia. When the Florentines
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heard of his return, knowing that he would lose no time, they decided
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to intercept him with their forces in the Val de naviol under the belief that
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by doing so they would cut off his road to Pistoia. Assembling a great
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army of the supporters of the Gulf cause, the Florentines entered the Pistolian territories.
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On the other hand, Castruccio reached Monte Carlo with his army, and
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having heard where the Florentines lay, he decided not to encounter it in the
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plains of Pistoria, nor to await it in the plains of Pestia, but
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as far as he possibly could, to attack it boldly in the past of
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Saravalle. He believed that if he succeeded in this design, a victory was
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assured. Although he was informed that the Florentines had thirty thousand men, whilst
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he had only twelve thousand. Although he had every confidence in his own abilities
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and the valor of his troops, yet he hesitated to attack his enemy in
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the open, lest he should be overwhelmed by their numbers. Saraval Lay is
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a castle between Pestia and Pistoia, situated on a hill which blocks the Val
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de neviol not in the exact pass, but about a bowshot beyond. The
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pass. Itself is in places narrow and steep, whilst in general it ascends
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greatly but is still narrow, especially at the summit where the waters divide,
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so that twenty men side by side could hold it. The lord of Saravalais
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was Manfred, a German, who, before Castruccio became lord of Pistoia,
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had been allowed to remain in possession of the castle, it being common to
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the Lucchesi and the Pistolians and unclaimed by either, neither of them wishing to
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displace Manfred as long as he kept his promise of neutrality and came under obligations
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of no one. For these reasons, and also because the castle was well
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fortified, he had always been able to maintain his position. It was here
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that Castruccio had determined to fall upon his enemy, for here his few men
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would have the advantage, and there was no fear lest seeing the large masses
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of the hostile force before they became engaged, they should not stand. As
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soon as this trouble with Florence arose, Castruccio saw the immense advantage which possession
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of this castle would give him, and having an intimate relationship with a resident
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in the castle, he arranged matters so that with him that four hundred of
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his men were to be admitted to the castle the night before the attack on
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the Florentines, and the castellan put to death. Castruccio, having prepared everything,
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had now to encourage the Florentines to persist in their desire to carry the
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seat of war away from Pistoia into the Val de neviol Therefore, he did
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not move his army from Monte Carlo. Thus the Florentines hurried on until they
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reached their encampment under Sarvalle, intending to cross the hill on the following morning.
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In the meantime, Castruccio had seized the castle at night, and had
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also moved his army from Monte Carlo, and marching from thence at midnight and
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in dense silence, he had reached the foot of the Saravale. Thus he
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and the Florentines commenced the ascent of the hill at the same time. In
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the morning, Castruccio set forward his infantry by the main road, and a
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troop of four hundred horsemen by a path on the left toward the castle.
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The Florentines set forward four hundred cavalry ahead of their army, which was following,
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never expecting to find Castrutio in possession of the hill, nor were they
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aware of his having seized the castle. Thus it happened that the Florentine horsemen
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moving to the hill was completely taken by surprise when they discovered the infantry of
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Castruccio, and so close were they upon it that they scarcely had time to
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pull down their visors. It was a case of unready soldiers being attacked by
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ready and they were assailed with such vigor that with difficulty they could hold their
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own, although some few of them got through. When the noise of their
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fighting reached the Florentine camp below. It was filled with confusion. The cavalry
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and infantry became inextricably mixed. The captains were unable to get their men either
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backward or forward, owing to the narrowness of the pass, and admit all
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this tumult, no one knew what ought to be done or what could be
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done. In a short time. The cavalry who were engaged with the enemy's
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infantry were scattered or killed, without having made any effective defense because of their
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unfortunate position, Although in sheer desperation they had offered a stout resistance, retreat
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had been impossible with the mountains on both flanks whilst in front with their enemies,
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and to their rear their friends. When Castruccio saw that his men were
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unable to strike a decisive blow at the enemy and put them to flight,
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he sent one thousand infantrymen round by the castle with orders to join the four
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hundred horsemen he had previously despatched there, and commanded the whole force to fall
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upon the flank of the enemy. These orders they carried out with such fury
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that the Florentines could not sustain the attack, but gave way and were soon
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in full retreat. Conquered more by their unfortunate position than by the valor of
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their enemy, those in the rear returned towards Pistoia and spread throughout the plains,
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each man seeking only his own safety. The defeat was complete and very
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sanguinary. Many captains were taken prisoners. Among them were Bandini dei Rossi,
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Francesco Brulucelli, and Giovanni della Toozza, all Florentine noblemen, with many Tuscans
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and Neopolitans, who fought on the Florentine side, having been sent by King
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Ruberto to assist the gaps. Immediately the Pistolians heard of this defeat, they
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drove out the friends of the Ghops and surrendered to Castruccio. He was not
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content with occupying Prato and all the castles on the plains on both sides of
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the Arno, but marched his army onto the plain of Peritola, about two
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miles from Florence. Here he remained many days, dividing the spoils and celebrating
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his victory with feasts and games, holding horse races and foot races for men
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and women. He also struck medals in commemoration of the defeat of the Florentines,
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endeavored to corrupt the sum of the citizens of Florence, who were to
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open the city gates at night. But the conspiracy was discovered and the participators
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in it taken and beheaded, among whom were Tommaso Lupacci and lam Bertuccio Friscobaldi.
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This defeat caused the Florentines great anxiety and despairing of preserving their liberty,
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they sent envoys to King Roberto of Naples, offering him the dominion of their
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city, and he, knowing of what immense importance the maintenance of the Gulf
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cause was to him, accepted it. He agreed with the Florentines to receive
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from them a yearly tribute of two hundred thousand florins, and sent his son
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Carlo to Florence with four thousand horsemen. Shortly after this, the Florentines were
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relieved in some degree of the pressure of Castruccio's army, owing to his being
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compelled to leave his positions beflor Florence and march on Pisa in order to suppress
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a conspiracy that had been raised against him by Bandetto Lanfranchi, one of the
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first men of Pisa, who could not endure that his fatherland should be under
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the dominion of the Lucchesie. He had formed this conspiracy intending to seize the
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citadel, kill the partisans of Castruccio, and drive out the garrison. As
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However, in a conspiracy, paucity of numbers is essential to secrecy, so
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for its execution a few are not sufficient, and in seeking more adherents to
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his conspiracy, Lanfranchi encountered a person who revealed the design to Castruccio. This
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betrayal cannot be passed by without severe reproach to Bonifacio c Cerzi and Giovanni Guidi,
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two Florentine exiles who were suffering their banishment in Pisa. Therefore, Costruccio
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seized Benedetto and put him to death, and beheaded many other noble citizens,
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and drove their family into exile. It now appeared to Castruccio that both Pisa
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and Pistoia were thoroughly disaffected. He employed much thought and energy upon securing his
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position there, and this gave the Florentines their opportunity to reorganize their army and
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to await the coming of Carlo, the son of the King of Naples.
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When Carlo arrived, they decided to lose no more time and assembled a great
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army of more than thirty thousand infantry and ten thousand cavalry, Having called to
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their aid every gulf there was in Italy, they consulted whether they should attack
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Pistolia or Pisa first, and decided that it would be better to march on
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the latter, a course, owing to the recent conspiracy, more likely to
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succeed, and more advantage to them, because they believed that the surrender of
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Pistolia would follow the acquisition of Pisa. In the early part of May thirteen
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twenty eight, the Florentines put in motion this army and quickly occupied Lastra,
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Signa, Montelupo and Embulli, passing from Thence to San Miniato. When Castruccio
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heard of the enormous army which the Florentines were sending against him, he was
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in no degree alarmed, believing that the time had now arrived when fortune would
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deliver the Empire of Tuscany into his hands, for he had no reason to
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think that his enemy would make a better fight or had better prospects for success
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at Pisa or Ceravelle. He assembled twenty thousand foot soldiers and four thousand horsemen,
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and with this army went to Fuquechio, whilst he sent Pagolo Giulini to
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Pisa with five thousand infantry. Fuqueccio has a stronger position than any other town
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in the Peasan district, owing to its situation between the rivers Arno and Gusciana
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and its slight elevation above the surrounding plain. Moreover, the enemy could not
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hinder its being victualled unless they divided their forces. Nor could they approach it
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either from the direction of Lucca or Pizza. Nor could they get through Pizza
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or attack Castruccio's forces, except at a disadvantage. In one case, they
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would find themselves placed between his two armies, the one under his own command
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and the other under Pagolo, And in the other case they would have to
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cross the Arno to get to the close quarters with the enemy, an undertaking
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of great hazard. In order to tempt the Florentines to take this latter course,
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Castruccio withdrew his men from the banks of the river and placed them under
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the walls of Fucheccio, leaving a wide expanse of land between them and the
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river. The Florentines, having occupied San Miniotto, held a council of war
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to decide whether they should attack Pisa or the army of Castruccio, And having
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weighed the difficulties of both courses, they decided upon the latter. The river
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Nau was at that time low enough to be fordable, yet the water reached
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to the shoulders of the infantrymen and to the saddles of the horsemen. On
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the morning of the tenth of June thirteen twenty eight, the Florentines commenced the
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battle by ordering forward a number of cavalry and ten thousand infantry. Gastruccio,
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whose plan of action was fixed and who knew well what to do, at
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once, attacked the Florentines with five thousand infantry and three thousand horsemen, not
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allowing them to issue from the river before he charged them. He also set
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one thousand light infantry up the river bank and the same number down the Arno.
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The infantry of the Florentines were so much impeded by their arms and the
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water that they were not able to mount the banks of the river, whilst
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the cavalry had made passage of the river more difficult for the others by reason
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of the few who had crossed having broken up the bed of the river,
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and this being deep with mud. Many of the horses rolled over with their
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riders, and many of them stuck so fast that they could not move.
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When the Florentine captains saw the difficulties their men were meeting, they withdrew them
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and moved higher up the river, hoping to find the river less treacherous and
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the banks more adapted for landing. These men were met at the bank by
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the forces which Castruccio had already sent forward, who, being light armed with
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bucklers and javelins in their hands, let fly with tremendous shouts into the faces
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and bodies of the cavalry. The horses, alarmed by the noise and the
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wounds, would not move forward, and trampled each other in great confusion.
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The fight between the men of Castruccio and those of the enemy who succeeded in
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crossing was sharp and terrible. Both sides fought with the utmost desperation, and
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neither would yield. The soldiers of Castruccio fought to drive the others back into
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the river, whilst the Florentines strove to get a footing on the land to
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make room for the others pressing forward, who, if they could but get
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out of the water, would be able to fight. And in this obstinate
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conflict they were urged on by their captains. Castruccio shouted to his men that
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these were the same enemies whom they had before conquered at Saabella, while the
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Florentines reproached each other that the money should be overcome by the few. At
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length, Castruccio, seeing how long the battle had lasted, and that both
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his men and the enemy were utterly exhausted, and that both sides had many
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killed and wounded, pushed forward another body of infantry to take up position at
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the rear of those who were doing the fighting. He then commanded these latter
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to open their ranks as if they intended to retreat, and one part of
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them to turn to the right and another to the left. This cleared a
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space of which the Florentines at once took advantage and thus gained possession of a
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portion of the battlefield, but When these tired soldiers found themselves at close quarters
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with Castruccio's reserves, they could not stand against them, and at once fell
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back into the river. The cavalry of either side had not as yet gained
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any decisive advantage over the other, because Castruccio, knowing his inferiority in that
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arm had commanded his leaders only to stand on the defensive against the attacks of
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their adversaries, as he hoped that when he had overcome the infantry, he
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would be able to make short work of the cavalry. This fell out as
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he had hoped for. When he saw the Florentine army driven back across the
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river, he ordered the remainder of his infantry to attack the cavalry of the
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enemy. This they did with lance and chauvelin, and joined by their own
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cavalry, fell upon the enemy with the greatest fury, and soon put him
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to flight. The Florentine captains, having seen the difficulty their cavalry had met
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with in crossing the river, had attempted to make their infantry cross lower down
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the river in order to attack the flanks of Castruccio's army. But here also
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the banks were steep and already lined by the men of Castruccio, and this
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movement was quite useless. Thus, the Florentines were so completely defeated at all
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points that scarcely a third of them escaped, and Castruccio was again covered with
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glory. Many captains were taken prisoners, and Carlo, son of King Roberto,
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with Michelangelo Falconi and Tadeo Degli Albrizzi, the Florentine commissioners fled to Empoli.
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If the spoils were great, the slaughter was infinitely greater, as might
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be expected in such a battle of the Florentines. There fell twenty thousand,
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two hundred and thirty one men, while Castruccio lost one thousand, five hundred
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and seventy men. But fortune, growing envious of the glory of Castruccio,
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took away his life just at the time when she should have preserved it,
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and thus ruined all those plans which for so long a time had worked to
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carry into effect, and in the successful prosecution of which nothing but death could
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have stopped him. Castruccio was in the thick of battle the whole of the
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day, and when the end of it came although fatigued and overheated, he
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stood at the gate of Fuqueccio to welcome his men on their return from victory
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and personally to thank them. He was also on the watch for any attempt
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of the enemy to retrieve the fortunes of the day, he being of the
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opinion that it was the duty of a good general to be the first man
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in the saddle and the last out of it. Here Castruccio stood exposed to
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a wind which often rises at midday on the banks of the Arno, and
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which is often very unhealthy. From this he took a chill, of which
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he thought nothing, as he was accustomed to such troubles, but it was
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the cause of his death. On the following night, he was attacked with
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a high fever, which increased so rapidly that the doctors saw it must prove
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fatal. Castruccio therefore called Paolo Ginini to him and addressed him as follows.
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If I could have believed that fortune would have cut me off in the midst
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of the career which was leading to that glory which all my successes promised,
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I should have labored less, and I should have left thee. If a
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smaller state at least with fewer enemies and perols. Because I should have been
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content with the governorships of Lucca and Pisa. I should have neither subjucated the
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busins Stolians, nor outraged the Florentines with so many injuries. But I would
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have made both of these peoples my friends. And I should have lived,
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if no longer, at least more peacefully, and have left you a state,
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without a doubt smaller, but one more secure and established on a surer
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foundation. But fortune, who insists upon having the arbitrament of human affairs,
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did not endow me with sufficient judgment to recognize this from the first, nor
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time to surmount it. Thou hast heard, for many have told thee and
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I have never concealed it. How I entered the house of thy father whilst
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yet a boy, a stranger to all those ambitions which every generous soul should
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feel, And how I was brought up by him and loved as though I
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had been born of his blood. How under his govern vernance I learned to
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be valiant and capable of availing myself of all that fortune of which thou hast
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been witness When thy good father came to die, he committed THEE and all
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his possessions to my care. And I have brought THEE up with that love,
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and increased thy estate with that care which I was bound to show.
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And in order that thou shouldst not only possess the estate which thy father left,
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but also that which my fortune and abilities have gained, I have never
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married, so that the love of children should never deflect my mind from that
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gratitude which I owed the children of thy father. Thus I leave THEE a
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vast estate of which I am well content, but I am deeply concerned inasmuch
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as I leave it THEE unsettled and insecure. Thou hast the city of life
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Ucca on thy hands, which will never rest contented under thy government. Thou
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hast also Pisa, where the men are of nature changeable and unreliable, who,
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although they may sometimes be held in subjection, yet they will ever disdain
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to serve under Eleukchesi. Bestoia is also disloyal to THEE, she being eaten
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up with factions and deeply incensed against thy family by reason of the wrongs recently
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inflicted upon them. Thou hast for neighbors the offended Florentines, injured by us
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in a thousand ways, but not utterly destroyed, who will hail the news
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of my death with more delight than they would the acquisition of all Tuscany.
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In the Emperor and in the princes of Milan, thou canst place no reliance,
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for they are far distant, slow, and their help is very long
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in coming. Therefore thou hast no hope in anything but thine own abilities,
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and in the memory of my valor, and in the prestige which this latest
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victory has brought THEE, which, as thou knowest how to use it with
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prudence, will assist THEE to come to terms with the Florentines, who,
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as they are suffering under this great defeat, should be inclined to listen to
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THEE. And whereas I have sought to make them my enemies, because I
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believe that war with them would conduce to my power and glory, thou hast
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every inducement to make friends of them, because their alliance will bring THEE advantages
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and security. It is of the greatest import in this world that a man
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should know himself, and that the measure of his own strength and means be
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known and he who knows that he has not a genius for fighting, must
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learn how to govern by the arts of peace. And it will be well
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for THEE to rule thy conduct by my counsel, and to learn in this
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way to enjoy what my life, work and dangers have gained. And in
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this thou wilt easily succeed when thou hast learned to believe that what I have
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told THEE is true, and thou wilt be doubly indebted to me in that
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I have left THEE this realm and have taught THEE how to keep it.
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After this, there came to Gastruccio those citizens of Pisa, Pistolia, and
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Luca who had been fighting at his side, and whilst recommending Pagolo to them
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and making them swear obedience to him as his successor, he died. He
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left a happy memory to those who had known him, and no prince of
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those times was ever loved with such devotion as he was. His obsequies were
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celebrated with every sign of mourning, and he was buried in San Francesco at
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Lucca. Fortune was not so unfriendly to Pagolo Gunini as she had been to
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Castruccio, for he had not the abilities. Not long after the death of
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Castruccio, Pagolo lost Pisa, and then Pistolia, and then only with difficulty,
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held on to Lucca. This latter city continued in the family of Gunini
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until the time of the great grandson of Pagolo. From what has here been
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related, it will be seen that Castruccio was a man of exceptional abilities,
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not only measured by men of his own time, but also by those of
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an earlier date. In stature, he was above the ordinary height and perfectly
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proportioned. He was of a gracious presence, and he welcomed men with such
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urbanity that those who spoke with him rarely left him displeased. His hair was
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inclined to be red, and he wore it cut short above the ears,
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and whether it rained or snowed, he always went without a hat. He
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was delightful among friends, but terrible to his enemies, just to his subjects,
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ready to play false with the unfaithful, and willing to overcome by fraud
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those whom he desired to subdue, because he was wont to say that it
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was the victory that brought the glory, not the methods of achieving it.
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No one was bolder in facing danger, no one more prudent in extricating himself.
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He was accustomed to say that men ought to attempt everything and fear nothing,
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that God is a lover of strong men, because one always sees that
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the weak archestized by the strong. He was also wonderfully sharp or biting,
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though courteous in his answers, And as he did not look for any indulgence
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in this way of speaking from others, so he was not angered when others
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did not show it to him. It has often happened that he has listened
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quietly when others have spoken sharply to him, as on the following occasions.
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He caused a ducat to be given for a partridge, and was taken to
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task for doing so by a friend, to whom Castruccio had said, you
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would not have given more than a penny. That is true, answered the
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friend. Then Castruccio said to him, a ducat is much less to me,
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having about him a flatterer on whom he had spat to show that he
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scorned him. The flatterer said to him, fishermen are willing to let the
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waters of the sea saturate them in order that they may make a few little
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fishes. And I allow myself to be wetted by spittle that I may catch
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a wail. And this was not only heard by Castruccio with patience, but
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rewarded when told by a priest that it was wicked for him to live so
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sumptuously, Gastruccio said, if that be a vice, then you should not
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fare so splendidly at the feasts of our saints. Passing through a street,
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he saw a young man as he came out of a house of ill fame,
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blush at being seen by Castruccio, and said to him, thou shouldst
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not be ashamed when thou comest out, but when thou goest into such places.
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A friend gave him a very curiously tied not to undo, and was
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told, fool, do you think that I wish to untie a thing which
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gave you so much trouble to fasten? Castruccio said, to one who professed
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to be a philosopher, you are like the dogs who always run after those
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who will give them the best to eat, and was answered, we are
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rather like the doctors who go to the houses of those who had the greatest
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need of them. Going by water from Pisa to Leghorn, Castruccio was much
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disturbed by a dangerous storm that sprang up, and was reproached for cowardice by
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the one of those with him, who said that he did not fear anything.
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Gastruccio answered him that he did not wonder at that, since every man
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valued his soul for what it was worth. Being asked by one what he
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ought to do to gain estimation, he said, when thou goest to a
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banquet, take care that thou dost not seat one piece of wood upon another.
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To a person who is boasting that he had bread many things, Castruccio
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said, he knows better than to boast of remembering many things. Some one
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bragged that he could drink much without becoming intoxicated. Castruccio replied, an ox
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does the same. Castruccio was acquainted with a girl with whom he had had
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intimate relations and being blamed by a friend who told him it was undignified for
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him to be taken in by a woman. He said, she has not
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taken me in. I have taken her. Being also blamed for eating very
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dainty foods, He answered, thou dost not spend as much as I do,
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and, being told that it was true, he continued, then thou
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art more avaricious than I am gluttonous. Being invited by Todayo Bernardi, a
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very rich and splendid citizen of Lucca, to supper, he went to the
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house and was shown by to Dayo to a chamber hung with silk and paved
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with fine stones representing flowers and foliage of the most beautiful coloring. Castruccio gathered
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some saliva in his mouth and spit it out upon Todeo, and seeing him
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much disturbed by this, he said to him, I knew not where to
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spit in order to offend thee less. Being one knight in the house of
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one of his gentlemen, where many ladies were assembled, he was reproved by
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one of his friends for dancing and amusing himself with them, more than was
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usual in one of his station. So he said, he who is considered
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wise by day will not be considered a fool at night. A person came
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to demand the favor of Castruccio, and, thinking he was not listening to
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his plea, threw himself on his knees to the ground, and being sharply
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reproved by Castruccio, said, thou art the reason of my acting thus,
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for thou hast thy ears in thy feet. Whereupon he obtained double favor he
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had asked. Castruccio used to say that the way to Hell was an easy
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one, seeing that it was downward direction that you traveled blindfolded. Being asked
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a favor by one who used many superfluous words, he said to him,
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when you have another request to make, send someone else to make it.
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Having been wearied by a similar man with a long oration, who wound up
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saying, perhaps I have fatigued you by speaking so long, Castruccio said,
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you have not, for I have not listened to a word you said.
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He used to say of one who had been a beautiful child, and who
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had afterwards become a fine man, that he was dangerous because he first took
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the husbands from the wives, and now he took the wives from the husbands.
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To an envious man who laughed, he said, do you laugh because
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you are six cesspel or because another is unfortunate? Whilst he was still in
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the charge of Messer Francesco Guinnini, one of his companions said to him,
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what shall I give you if you will let me give you a blow on
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the nose. Castruccio answered a helmet. Having put to death the citizen of
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Lucca, who had been instrumental in raising him to power, and being told
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that he had done wrong to kill one of his old friends, he answered
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that people deceived themselves. He had only killed a new enemy. Gastruccio praised
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greatly those men who intended to take a wife and then did not do so,
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saying they were like the men who said they would go to sea and
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then refused when the time came. He said that it always struck him with
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surprise that whilst men, in buying an earthen or glass vase should sound it
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first to learn if it were good, yet in choosing a wife they were
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content with only looking at her. He was once asked in what manner he
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would wish to be buried when he died, and he answered with the face
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turned downwards, for I know when I am gone, this country will be
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turned upside down. On being asked if it had ever occurred to him to
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become a friar in order to save his soul, he answered that it had
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not, because it appeared strange to him that Fra Lazerone should go to Paradise
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and Uguccioni de la Fagiolo to the inferno. He was once asked when should
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a man eat to preserve his health, and replied, if the man be
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rich, let him eat when he is hungry. If he is poor,
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then let him eat when he can. Seeing one of his gentlemen make a
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member of his family lace him up, he said to him, I pray
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God that you will let him feed you. Also, seeing that someone had
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written upon his house in Latin, the words may God preserve this house from
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the wicked, he said the owner must never go in. Passing through one
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of the streets, he saw a small house with a very large door,
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and remarked, that house will fly through that door. He was having a
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discussion with the ambassador of the King of Naples concerning the property of some banished
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nobles, when a dispute arose between them, and the ambassador asked him if
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he had no fear of the king. Is this King of yours a bad
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man or a good one? Asked Castruccio, and was told that he was
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a good one. Whereupon he said, why would you suggest that I should
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be afraid of a good man? I could recount many other stories of his
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saying, both witty and weighty, but I think that the above will be
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sufficient testimony to his high qualities. He lived forty four years and was in
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every way a prince. He was surrounded by many evidences of his good fortune,
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so he also desired to have near him some memorials of his bad fortune.
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Therefore the manacles with which he was chained in prison are to be seen
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to this day fixed up on the tower of his residence, where they were
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placed by him, to testify forever to his days of adversity. As in
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his life he was inferior neither to Philip of Macedon, the father of Alexander,
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nor to Scipio of Rome. So he died in the same year of
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his age as they did, and he would doubtless have excelled both of them,
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had fortune decreed that he should be born not in Lucca, but in
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Macedonia or in Rome. And that was the end of the life of Castruccio
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Castracani of Lucca, written by Niccolo Machiavelli,