Sec. 73.--_How the Aretines recovered the castle of Laterino which the Florentines held._ Sec. 74.--_Of certain further things which came to pass in Florence in the said times._ Sec. 75.--_How the Florentines went out against and took the strongholds of the Stinche and Montecalvi which were held by the Whites._ Sec. 76.--_Returns back somewhat to tell of the story of the Flemings._ Sec. 77.--_How Guy of Flanders was routed and seized, with his armada, by the admiral of the king of France._ Sec. 78.--_How the king of France defeated the Flemings at Mons-en-Puelle._ Sec. 79.--_How, shortly after the defeat of Mons-en-Puelle, the Flemings returned to the conflict with the king of France and gained a favourable peace._ Sec. 80.--_How Pope Benedict died; and of the new election of Pope Clement V._ [Sidenote: 1304 A.D.] [Sidenote: Epistola viii.] [Sidenote: 1305 A.D.] [Sidenote: Inf. xix. 82-87. Par. xvii. 82. xxvii. 58, 9. xxx. 142-148.] In the year of Christ 1304, on the 27th day of the month July, Pope Benedict died in the city of Perugia, it was said by poison; for when he was eating at his table, there came to him a young man veiled and attired in the garb of a woman, as a serving sister of the nuns of S. Petronella, in Perugia, with a silver basin wherein were many fine ripe figs, and he presented them to the Pope from his devout servant, the abbess of that nunnery. The Pope received them with great pleasure, and forasmuch as he was fond of them, and without any one tasting thereof beforehand, seeing that they were presented by a woman, he ate many thereof, whereat he straightway fell ill, and in a few days died, and was buried with great honour at the Preaching Friars (for he was of that Order), in San Ercolano, of Perugia. This was a good man, and virtuous and just, and of holy and religious life, and desirous to do right in all things; and through the envy of certain of his brother cardinals, it was said, they compassed his death after the said manner; wherefore God recompensed them, if they were guilty thereof, in a short time, by a very just and open vengeance, as will be shown hereafter. For after the death of the said Pope there arose a schism and a great discord among the college of cardinals in electing the Pope; and by reason of their differences they were divided into two almost equal parties; the head of the one was M. Matteo Rosso, of the Orsini, with M. Francesco Guatani, nephew that was of Pope Boniface; and the leaders of the other were M. Napoleone, of the Orsini dal Monte, and the Cardinal da Prato, which hoped to restore their kinsfolk and friends, the Colonnesi, to their estate, and were friends of the king of France, and leaned towards the Ghibelline side. And when they had been shut up for a period of more than nine months, and were pressed by the Perugians to nominate a Pope, and could not come to an agreement, at last the Cardinal da Prato, finding himself in a secret place with the Cardinal Francesco,