New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-07-02

"bis greatest error was In not having begun .
amend money earlier than be did" Florence w23
= city Of shopkecpcrs." The citizens me, him
half-way-nay they came at his duicot call
Had he roughly ordered them to 10 so. Th"y
would have revolted. But he lurcd them 20 thor
uudoing. His was the hand Of stool w.th.a
velvet glove What ne cutched h. held. bu, So
one knew how firm those fingers could be rrt
10 had felt their strength closing irreyycaty
around him.
We have indicated briefly The "boss' in Co
/ sino How we may be asked, was the Dos
merged in the statesman? In tn hrst pace
Cosimo did not rule the city simply 70 MAKE
money on the contrary, he used his own Tort
une for the public veal as freely as he uso' ne
funds Of state. II was power that he wanted
not cash Secondly. he used his power as o's'
70 ralga the foreign policy Of Fiorenc" % plane
on which the sordid elements 81 local a4m-ns-
tration and intrigue were either forgotten cr
transmogrifed. The Macch.avean ideas IN
deriving bis treatment q city factions and Oil
ciais were placed at the service of a really con-
str,ctiye external policy. The Italian states
vera small but for tina; very reason We're in
fear Of one another. Visc0nt at Milan fencoi
with Alfonso at Naples. and Cosmo defended
tho interests Of Florence against the Ten " Won
ice The Pope balanced the enmity Of one stale
against the friendship Of another. ana IN 'ha'
way str1ve 10 keep the Romagna 10 hh'S'''.
Sforza and ether mercenaries strengthened th'
hands Of one power until paid % attack Il Dy
another. and the whole peninsula was mus III
cessantIy embroed. Cosimo looked upon All
this with the liyeliest apprehension he 81"
that sooner or later the strongest power IN INC
italian group would absorb one or more Oh 'he
others. Unity for all Italy was beyond MS IN
~ginatior-the times were not even b ginning -
he ripe for it-but the balance or power "dS
thing of which he saw the advantages anu '''
which no was Drepared TO labor long as life
lasted. In nothing is Miss Ewart more "''
estjng than in her lucid exposition Of the vari-
Gus moves by which her hero little by H'u"
placed Florence in a position Of what seemed 10
be-and for a time was-abso'ute security
cfor1a was his friend and had been his ally IN
troublous times Accordingly he lent that ad-
verturer all the aid possible. He regarded with
annroval the marriage Of the trucuent captain
with the daughter Of ViscOnti, and reJoced over
his elevation TO the DukedOm of Milan. But ne
did everything in his power to retain at the Same
| time the friendship OF Venice, winch P'"'
locked with rage upon Sforza's trlumphai H'a''"'
and he was so far successful thal fio''n'' 20
caped from all dangers at the hands Oh poth par
| In tho came way he carried on his dplo-
m tcy with Naples and Rome lie spent money
| nropagated official lies worked under BFou"N'
intrigued exactly as he intrigued IN the couh-
ellis Of his city and managed to balance ''s
mowers against one another so well that r'"'-
ence gained something like peace ms Su'e'
was craftsmanship of sort. IL was ho'' P''"'P'
the highest craftsmanship. For ore thing its
fruits were not permanent. But cosimo 'ou'd
NOT after all. do more than was possible under
| nftSentn
italy had still to pass through the fire again ana
again before she could put her house III orue'
once for all and keep it intact Florence was to
srffer much before she achieved lasting peace.
But at least Cosmo de Medci gave his contem-
norarias cause TO thank him, and prepared the
way for the humane labors of future genera
tions Considered as the astute creator ana
manager of the foreign policy which he De-
oueathed to Florence at his death, he looms far
more nobly on the horizon than when ne Is re-
qarded as the local boss" He never sank me
! boss in the statesman. never abandoned MS
! unscrupulous ways never ceased TO use men
as checkers by appealing to their basest motives
But the political experience and facuities Oh me
boss we're used unselfshy and fruitiully "hef-
ever Cosimo had TO deal with foreign states
That is his redemption and his fame
He did not himself expect much posthumous
glory. He and his deeds would be forgotten. h.
told his son. and only the buildings he had
erected. the collections OF books and works OF
art ne had formed would remain TO perpetuate
his name To a certain extent this Is true. There
is nothing with which he had anything to do
which is so definitely impressed upon the mem
ory Of people in general the stately building
in the Via Larga which Cosimo erected from the
designs Of MicheloZzo because those submitted