Of   this    homicide  M. Bennucio   Salimbeni  was
alfo  accufed,  who,  befides  being  baniihed  together
with  M. Robba,  and  having  their  palaces  demolished
by  the  fury  of  the  people,  becaufe  Bencivenne,
father  of  Baroccino,  was  of  the  magiftracy  of  the
twenty-four,   who  then   governed    the   city,  and,
through  the  hatred  which  the  people  bore  to  the
nobles,  was  condemned   in   a  fine  of  twelve  thou-
fand  pounds,  and  rigoroufly  held  in  prifon  in  irons,
till  his  father  Salimbeni  was  obliged  to  pay  it. So
rigid  a  punifhment,  tranfgrefling  as  they  thought
all  bounds  of  juftice,  in  complaifance  to  the  peo-
ple, provoked  fome  of  the  nobles,  who  would  not
remain  expofed  to  the  difcretion  and  infolence  of

the


Malavolti,  &c. 299

the  multitude,  daily  excited  in  commotions  againft
them,  and   having  fuch  an  arbitrary  influence  in
the  judicial  department,  that  they  left  the  city,  and
retired  for  fafety  to  Radicofani,  a  place  by  its  fili-
ation fufficiently  ftrong. Upon  this  the  magif-
trates  declared  them  of  the  party  of  the  Guelphs,
which   provoked    them    to    over-run,  with    fome
troops  of  horfe,  attended  with  their  followers,  the
dominions  of  the   republic   in   the  country,  and
plunder  the  lands  of  their  enemies,  at  whofe  in-
itigation  they  knew  the  magiftrates  had  been  in-
duced to  pafs  a  decree  fo  pernicious  and  prejudicial,
not  only  to  them,  but  to  the  whole  city,  by  the
divifions  which  mull  arife  from  it  among  the  citi-
zens, reviving    the    hatred   of  factions,    both   of
Guelphs  and  Ghibellines,  nobles  and  people,  which
by  thefear  of  foreign  wars  all  parties  had  united  una-
nimoufly  to  bury  in  oblivion,  to  their  infinite  ad-
vantage in  the  late  war  againft  their  national  ene-
mies. From  this  difordcr,  arifing  from  that  lei-
fure,  idlenefs,  and  inlolence,  which,  having  over-
come their  external  enemies,  had  taken  pofTefiion
of  them  in  place  of  fear,  factions  and  parties  took
occafion  to  revive  their  enmities,  and  to  ftudy  to
offend,  provoke,  and  injure  one  another. 