willingly, and some by command of the commonwealth, the cardinal having pronounced sentence, with good securities and sureties; by which contracts of peace the said legate won much honour, and well-nigh all of them were observed, and the city of Florence abode thereafter long time in peaceful and good and tranquil state. And the said legate gave and ordained, for the general government of the city, fourteen good men, magnates and popolani, whereof eight were Guelfs and six Ghibellines, and their term of office endured for two months, and there was a certain order in their election; and they assembled in the house of the Badia of Florence, over the gate which goes to Santa Margherita, and returned to their homes to eat and to sleep. And this done, the said Cardinal Latino returned to Romagna to his legation with great honour. We will now leave the affairs of Florence for a while, and we will tell of other things which came to pass in those times, and especially of the revolt of the island of Sicily against King Charles, which was notable and great, and whence afterwards grew much ill; and it was a thing well-nigh marvellous and impossible, and therefore we will treat of it more at large. [Sidenote: 1279 A.D.] [Sidenote: 1281 A.D.] Sec. 57.--_How there was a treacherous plot to cause the island of Sicily to rebel against King Charles._ Sec. 58.--_How Pope Nicholas III., of the Orsini, died, and how Martin of Tours, in France, was made Pope._ Sec. 59.--_How Peter, king of Aragon, promised and vowed to Paleologus and to the Sicilians, to come into Sicily and take the lordship thereof._ Sec. 60.--_How the said king of Aragon set about preparing his armada, and how the Pope sent to him and forbade him._ Sec. 61.--_How and after what manner the island of Sicily rebelled against King Charles._ [Sidenote: 1282 A.D.] [Sidenote: Par. viii. 75.]