OLIVEROTTODAFERMO, THESIGNORPAGOLO, ANDTHEDUKEDIGR**INAORSINI
byNiccolò Machiavelli
TheDukeValentinohadreturnedfromLombardy, wherehehadbeentoclearhimselfwiththeKingofFrancefromthecalumnieswhichhadbeenraisedagainsthimbytheFlorentinesconcerningtherebellionofArezzoandothertownsintheValdiChiana, andhadarrivedatImola, whenceheintendedwithhisarmytoenteruponthecampaignagainstGiovanniBentivogli, thetyrantofBologna: forheintendedtobringthatcityunderhisdomination, andtomakeittheheadofhisRomagnianduchy.
ThesematterscomingtotheknowledgeoftheVitelliandOrsiniandtheirfollowing, itappearedtothemthatthedukewouldbecometoopowerful, anditwasfearedthat, havingseizedBologna, , towhichcamethecardinal, Pagolo, andtheDukediGravinaOrsini, VitellozzoVitelli, OliverottodaFermo, GianpagoloBaglioni, thetyrantofPerugia, andMesserAntoniodaVenafro, sentbyPandolfoPetrucci, , , buttostrivetowinovertheFlorentines; andtheysendtheirmentooneplaceandanother, , andthosewhowerediscontentedundertheduke, amongwhomwerethepeopleofUrbino, tookhopeofeffectingarevolution.
Thusitarosethat, men'smindsbeingthusunsettled, itwasdecidedbycertainmenofUrbinotoseizethefortressofSanLeo, whichwasheldfortheduke, ; sotheconspiratorswatched, andwhencertainbeamswhichwerebeingcarriedtotherockwereuponthebridge, sothatitwaspreventedfrombeingdrawnupbythoseinside, , thewholestaterebelledandrecalledtheoldduke, beingencouragedinthis, notsomuchbythecaptureofthefort, asbytheDietatMagione, fromwhomtheyexpectedtogetassistance.
