and  finifhedj  in  the  midft  of  i^o  much  grandeur,
Vol.  II.  N  the


178  Florence,

the  legitimate  fuccefTion  of  the  houfe  of  Medici,
and  the  male  line  of  the  firft  Cofmo ;  who  by  a
public  decree  was  called  the  father  of  his  country,
and  who,  in  1434,  had  given  rife  to  the  greatnefs
of  his  family.
After  the  death  of  the  pope,  the  cardinal  fud-
denly  departed  from  Milan,  and  returned  to  Flo-
rence, where  he  found  that  the  fignori  had  given
good  orders  for  the  confervation  of  the  fhte,  and
that  Francefco  Vettori,  who  was  gonfalonier  of
juftice,  the  cardinal  di  Cortona,  and  the  prin-
cipal citizens  in  the  government,  had  made
every  provifion,  and  taken  every  precaution  which
occurred  for  the  benefit  and  fafety  of  the  ftate ;
and  he  found  too,  on  fo  great  an  oceafion,  of  a
fudden  and  unexpected  death  of  the  pope,  a  ready
inclination  in  all  the  principal  citizens,  and  an
univerfal  defire  among  the  people,  to  maintain
the  ftate  in  the  hands  of  the  cardinal  de  Medici :
and  all  this  felicity  arofe  from  his  good  govern-
ment, which,  fince  the  death  of  the  duke  Lorenzo,
had  been  fo  univerfally  agreeable.  Confulting
now  with  the  principal  citizens,  orders  were  given
for  defence  in  the  war  which  Renzo  da  Ceri,  by
the  favour  of  the  French,  had  excited  in  Siena,
with  a  view  to  change  the  government  in  Flo-
rence.
