Renaissance in Italy, Volumes 6 and 7 (of 7): The Catholic ReactionSymonds, John Addington
History
Renaissance in Italy, Volumes 6 and 7 (of 7): The Catholic Reaction
Symonds, John Addington
Catholic Church -- Italy -- History; Renaissance -- Italy
To any one who knows the Campo di San Polo, it will be apparent that
Lorenzino had crossed from the western side of the piazza and entered
the church by what is technically called its northern door. Bebo,
stationed at the southern door, could see him when he pushed the heavy
_stoia_ or leather curtain aside, and at the same time could observe
Bibboni's movements in the cobbler's shop. Meanwhile Lorenzino walked
across the church and came to the same door where Bebo had been
standing. 'I saw him issue from the church and take the main street;
then came Alessandro Soderini, and I walked last of all; and when we
reached the point we had determined on, I jumped in front of Alessandro
with the poignard in my hand, crying, "Hold hard, Alessandro, and get
along with you, in God's name, for we are not here for you!" He then
threw himself around my waist, and grasped my arms, and kept on calling
out. Seeing how wrong I had been to try to spare his life, I wrenched
myself as well as I could from his grip, and with my lifted poignard
struck him, as God willed, above the eyebrow, and a little blood
trickled from the wound. He, in high fury, gave me such a thrust that I
fell backward, and the ground besides was slippery from having rained a
little. Then Alessandro drew his sword, which he carried in its
scabbard, and thrust at me in front, and struck me on the corselet,
which for my good fortune was of double mail. Before I could get ready I
received three passes, which, had I worn a doublet instead of that
mailed corselet, would certainly have run me through. At the fourth pass
I had regained my strength and spirit, and closed with him, and stabbed
him four times in the head, and being so close he could not use his
sword, but tried to parry with his hand and hilt, and I, as God willed,
struck him at the wrist below the sleeve of mail, and cut his hand off
clean, and gave him then one last stroke on his head. Thereupon he
begged for God's sake spare his life, and I, in trouble about Bebo, left
him in the arms of a Venetian nobleman, who held him back from jumping
into the canal.'
Who this Venetian nobleman, found unexpectedly upon the scene, was, does
not appear. Nor, what is still more curious, do we hear anything of that
Martelli, the bravo, 'who kept his sword for the defense of Lorenzino's
person.' The one had arrived accidentally, it seems. The other must have
been a coward and escaped from the scuffle.
'When I turned,' proceeds Bibboni, 'I found Lorenzino on his knees. He
raised himself, and I in anger, gave him a great cut across the head,
which split it in two pieces, and laid him at my feet, and he never
rose again.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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