Count Gerolamo declines propositions of the governments--Intrigues of the imperial party and revolutionary tendencies of the populace--The Republic is induced by Andrea Doria to assault Montobbio--The count’s preparations for defence--Verrina and Assereto assigned to the command of the works--Andrea induces the government to decline negotiations with Fieschi--Agostino Spinola closely invests the castle--Mutiny of the mercenaries of the count--He offers to surrender the castle on condition of security for the lives and property of the beseiged--Opposition of Doria to this stipulation--The treason of his mercenaries compels Fieschi to surrender--Doria, notwithstanding the entreaties of the government, treats the defeated Fieschi with great cruelty--Punishment of the Count of Verrina and other accomplices--Raffaele Sacco and his letters--The castle of Montobbio razed to the foundations. THE castle of Montobbio was a beautiful and strong fortification, situated ten miles from Genoa, occupying the brow of a mountain, and looking down on a deep valley closed round with spurs of the Apennines. The Beriana papers assert that it once belonged to an Obizzo di Montobbio who sold it, in 1232, to Ansaldo Di Mari. We find no record of the transfer to the Fieschi family. The torrent of Scrivia on the south, and the wooded heights encircling it on every side, render the position naturally impregnable. The rough crests afford no convenient positions for placing batteries so as to enfilade the redoubts or batter the walls. In fact, it often held large armies in check. Gianluigi had greatly increased its power of resistance by employing in his works the science of fortifications which was just then invented. The use of bastions with angles dates from that period. Giuliano da San Gallo employed them in the fortress of Pisa and Andrea Bergauni at Nice. The count repaired the curtains and the walls, increasing the width to fifteen feet, sloped their sides and constructed new bastions. Portions of the walls which had been damaged by time were repaired, and new videttes and towers were erected on the flanks. The residence of the Count was situated on a mass of wall which commanded the whole rock and was protected against both internal and external assault. The senate saw at once that the obstinacy of the count rendered their task a very difficult one; and as the place was deemed impregnable to assault they set about plans for obtaining it by other means. They first sent Paolo Pansa to Montobbio to offer Gerolamo fifty thousand gold crowns of the sun to surrender the castle; but Fieschi, naturally distrustful of men who had already violated their solemn pledges of amnesty, refused to negotiate, replying to Pansa that he held Montobbio in the name of the king of France and would defend it to the last extremity.