New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-03-06
Brutal Episodes in the History OF
the Medici.


scribner's Sons
one who would sup full Of horrors viii find
n ample meal in this volume The Medici lam
-, In the later days Of is rule IA Florence oo-
erved few laws Of God or man There was
tile TO choose between is daughters and us
Aoyy. most Of them being clever and base Con
s erni:iE the tragedies thar arose out OF lhe-'
Felf- Indulgence and their evil pride Mr. Sl-ieE
srstes in often lurid fashion These incidents
81 Hfs In The fifteenth and sixteenth centuries
Re Sc picturesque that they undoubtedly tempt
&c historian 70 use the tone Of melo6rar'a' ana
F-. staley has not resisted the temptation We
4ave no respect for his style. but i must be
acknowledged that The reader who begins tAe
5sook VIII not put il aside unfinished Inc
utror has accomplished his object in setting
hit the whole truth and TIE decorative features
et;ch he ttIis Is he has added are TOO sigh 20
.neririon
The humble o5s-urit.- from which the snlen-
sid Medci rose is not often emphasized to-day
5-h.arissirno. 4 Tuscan bondsnla3 who taTInea
sn insignificant bit Of the SOL ny permission d
pcs lord. appears as their progenitor some UNI
e. the twelfth century. He knew something q
herbs. and used the products Of his little garden
Ga old-vornanish 5octoring Of his neighbors.
Grandson Of this sod but. no doubt, exceed
8nglv ignorant -easant who bore the same
aarne, made his way 70 Florence and set I'D 4
little sho7 for the sale OF the simple medicines
prepared after the grand -pateTnal fashion A
Sign composed Of seven golden pills he hung
tsp over his door. and his customers began TO
raj him I'll Nedico"-'the doctor And so the
Family which had not been important enough
10 have a surname became the Medlcl' anu
hoauired q coat Of arms of golden balls The
hpothecary.s son became a banker and that
was the beginning Of huge prosperity for the
descendants Of the little peasant farmer. Money
troperty. ecclesiastical patronage and political
honors combined to lift the Medici, until with
k-osirlo The Great Merchant Of Florence. ana
bis grandson Lorenzo. ii Nagnifico' the fam
s5v reached its apex Of ability culture, patriot
ksun. and nobility Of character. Those that came
after were powerful tyrants who went from
bne wickedness 10 another, and debased so
k,iery as they blackensd their own souls Lo-
reno. greatly loved both Of God and fortune,
As Nacchiaveln saEs was the first Of his line
10 give up commercial affairs altogether and
- devote himself exclusively t. the task OF
A-,,ling Florence and aggrand.zing her in all
WAYS imaginable to him. The first of the TRACE
dies described by MI Staley Is the murder 81
his brother. Giuliano. when the Pazzi con-
kspirators attempted. during mass in the Duonno'
a. do away with both brothers. The great
a,atnedra1 was turned into veritable shambles'
fs,lo sooner had. Giuliano reached the entrance
10 the choir an6 was about TO genunect lh@h
Francesca de Pazzi. who had followed hill
closely. whipped out his sword al me very
tnon,ent Of the Elevation, and ran the devout
3nrince through the back, At the same time
sps,6ino leaned upon him and stabbed him re-
snea+e5lv in the breast II was all the work OF
=, instant. and Giuliano fell over upon his side.
his crimson life's blood ebbing swiftly out OF
nineteen gaping wounds and dyeing his scarlet
rome deep purple. Francesco's frenzy was dia-
lholicaI for he leaped upon the still Quiverlng
ilos,- Of his victim. and stabbed him again and
again-z7ounding his own thigh in his fury
Lorenzo attacked and wounded at the same
moment was saved by his own Qulckness am
Dis friends efforts. Toll after toll. the great
hell Of the Palazzo Vecchio called TO the citizens
10 rise to the defence Of their beloved Medlel'
and within an hour most of the consplrators
were hanging head downward, through the
manifestations at the top Of the Campanlle
Francesca de Pazzi was found in bee. suiIefllS
from The wound he had administered TO hlrnsen
sn slaughtering Giuliano- He, too, was thrust
l,Ip the CamPanile stair and added to that fright
IL! group One of the men was Archplshop
8salviati. who was still in the gorgeous vest
.nents worn in the Duomo, and he, Mr. Staley
reminds US turned in fury as he hung head
downward in that CHASTITY company, and, Selling
his hendish confederate, fixed his teeth in MS
bare breast and so the guilty pair expiated their
sllelish rage-unlovely in their lives revolving n
,heir Deaths Such were the manners and Gus
toms Of the City Of the Lily on the 10Th OF April
l4TS-and such. may observe is the Wig
orous'' style Of Mr.. Staley. The FloreEtines
knew how to answer their Lorenzo when he
asked them in the parliament he uqickly sum
moned what they wished him TO do. 1t be-
hooves thee" they shouted. TO live and die for
the Republic" and they straightway provided
a bodyguard Of a dozen stout soldiers who stayed
about him continually-and very troublesome
must have been sometimes their Jealous atten-
lions
The first Medici Duke OF Florence, Alessandro.
son OF a Tartar woman. in truth the
'sTyrant' of the city. and IN many respects a
wild beast Probably nobody felt any pity for
him when he was assassinated by his vile cow
ardly. scholarly kinsman Lorenzaccio'-other-
wise Lorenzo. or Lorenzino. d Pierfrancesco di
Medici. This unpleasant person had gigantic
follower AIichaele. 10 help him. nevertheless he
preferred 10 thrust his sword through Ales-
sandro's back as he lay asleep
AesssnaT3 MADE as though s to defend . himself and
himself upon his murderer and they struggled on
the floor
might have slashed his master Alessandro. with
dying energz- seized the hand OF Lorenzino and
renzi-5o 10 hind 5p ifs brolen hores and AlzsssD-
At him. cried the radmsn. and Nichaele struck
al him with his sword. cutting of his right cheek
and his nose and then he got his degeer - his
throat. and turned round in the gaping wound
until he nesriy 6ecap-tated his unhappy victim
Again LcrenZino heaVed al hun with his Teeki1-
wesuon and foll CuCn him. covering himself with
blood and biz MS face Il savage rage AlessGndTo
fsli away, and lar. breathing heavily IN . fear
some hesE- Then Iorepzno. chucklinE with feua-
Ssh riee- roared out. See Nichaeie. my brothel,
The wretch is descf'
Raising the body 4 the SIN h-eathirg Dug-a his
-.allrderers threuv upon tie bed and covered II
-s-fh p. sheets Then Lo-enzino opered = window
ana looked on upon The Via Is9rga, - sc = any