Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-04-16

And yet that whlch-apart from their
genius for poetry. scholarship and art
more than all else DISTINGUISHED the
civilization Of the Florentines Is still
to be mentioned. In trade they were
but the rivals Of the Genoese and the
Venetians. In manufactures, though
superior to every other community In
the world, they nevertheless had rivals
of some sort or other, among the
Dutch. the Flemings. the Germans, the
French and the English-also among
the Moors and Saracens; also among
the Asiatics of the far east. But in
their genius for finance the Florentines
had no rivals. They became the bank
ers of the trading world. Their count
ing houses were found in every city of
Europe, and even in Asia and Africa
A part of their success in financial
matters arose from the fact that they
early became the bankers OF the popes
Herein. perhaps. Is one explanation
why they were in the main always sd
strongly Guelph, always so strongly
anti-imperial and propapal, in the
great conflicts of those times. But
whether this be so or not. the fact re-
mains that despite their civic turmoils
and their broils with other states their
revolutions within and their attacks
from without. the pecuniary fortunes OF
the Florentines were constantly pros
porous Their wealth was enormous.
Not king in Europe could go to war
without their aid. They were the
Rothschilds of the middle ages.
This prosperity was their ruin. AS
family after family rose to financial i'm
portance 1t abandoned its democratic
afiinitieS and rooted itself in oligarch-
ism. II ceased to be libertyloving, and
INDUCED i'll the aspirations OF tyranny.
And while thus the rich as they grew
iph Ino 30
of power. the poor as they grew poorer
became less careful of liberty. Individ-
ual equality and mutual cooperation
as principles of social democracy be-
came impossible.
1t was the Medci family that put the
finishing strokes to Florentine liberty
Cosmo de Medici Q3S9-146i) was not of
noble birth. He was simply one of the
great middle class. And yet he became
the FOUNDER of dynasty that main
tanned rule of absolute power over his
native state for many generations. n
dynasty that i'm Its various ramifica-
tons managed to seat itself with more
or less sinister influence OH almost
every throne in Europe. Cosmo was the
greatest. the most potent banker OF his
time. Even royal revolution in Eng
land could not take place without his
aid. But he was also an astute pnliti-
clan, the astutest in all Italy. For thirty
years the FlorentineS were under his
absolute rule, although they seemed to
know it not. At his death 1t was found
that the free state of Florence had
ceased to be. and this although his fell
low citizens had named him "the father
of his country"
There were. it is true. some faint at
tempts ut resuscitation. Nor was the
substitution of n formal tyranny for
formal democracy accomplished with
out much boodshed and crime. Even
Lorenzo the Magnificent O449-1492),
COsmo de Medicrs grandson, under
whose strong but wholly arbitrary rule
U469l492) learning, literature, art
manufactures and commerce flourshcd
as perhaps they never before had flour
shed in Florence, was still in name
only Florences first citizen. His usual
title. "most magnificent lord" was sim
| ply n title OF courtesy. But by 1882 the
| process OF substitution was complete
y Medicl sat upon the pontiiicial
throne. Clement VII. A Medici had
already sat upon it, Leo y. The in
| fluencc of the family in Italy was al
most omnipotent The parliament Of
| Florence sat that year for the last
| time. Thus came to an end what was,
practically. the last OF the Italian re-.
publics. Italian liberty had already
ceased to be. Charles V. Of Germany
| was lord of the whole holy Roman ems
ity. The sack of Rome by his troops
in 1927. the most wantonly cruel and
| barbarously atrocious piece of Vandal-
ism recorded in history. marked the
| melancholy and awful end.