It was long believed that Florence had had Consuls, and consequently an independent government, from the year 1102, since Consuls are mentioned in a treaty of that date, whereby the inhabitants of Pogna swore submission to the city. But it was difficult to reconcile this fact with the clearly proved dependence of Florence on Countess Matilda at the time. It was afterwards ascertained that the document in question bore a wrong date, and that the correct one was 1182, when the submission of Pogna really took place. Accordingly, the independence of the city was transferred to after 1115, the year of the countess's death. But it was still difficult to explain the wars previously carried on by the city on its own account, and other events of a like nature. The fact is that no fixed year can be assigned to the birth of the Florentine Commune, which took shape very slowly, and resulted from the conditions of Florence under the rule of the last dukes or marquises. We have already recorded the popular riots of 1063-68 against the bishop Mezzabarba, when accused of simony, and we have related how they ended with the ordeal of fire, braved by Pietro Igneo in 1068. On this head we have cited the letters of St. Pier Damiano addressed _civibus florentinis_. We also referred to a document[83] in which the _clerus et populus florentinus_ made appeal to the Pope, and, in narrating what had occurred, mentioned a _municipale praesidium_, a _praeses_ of the city, and a superior _potestas_. This proved, before all, that the civic body of the period was already conscious of its personality, and that there was already an embryo local government within the city walls. Doubtless the supreme _potestas_ was the Duke Goffredo, husband to Beatrice; the _praeses_, his representative in Florence. It was before him that, as we have seen, the bishop threatened to drag his adversaries, whose property was to be confiscated should they persist in disobedience. This _preside_ commanded the _praesidium_, designated _municipal_ even before the municipality had come into being, and at least the name shows that the majority of the _praesidium_ must have consisted of citizens. But all this makes it equally plain that, while Florence was still an integral part of the margraviate, Roman forms, traditions, and ideas already prevailed there to the extent of assigning Roman names to institutions of feudal origin. We must pause to consider this fact, since it gave rise to a question, not only of form, but of genuine historical importance. [Illustration: A ROMAN HYPO-CAUST, PARTLY CONSTRUCTED.] [Illustration: EXTERIOR VIEW OF CALIDARIUM AND FURNACE. [_To face page 85._]