The Prince

time the emperor ceased to hold Rome. Leaving Pagolo Guinigi in command
at Lucca, Castruccio set out for Rome with six hundred horsemen, where
he was received by Enrico with the greatest distinction. In a short time
the presence of Castruccio obtained such respect for the emperor that,
without bloodshed or violence, good order was restored, chiefly by
reason of Castruccio having sent by sea from the country round Pisa
large quantities of corn, and thus removed the source of the trouble.
When he had chastised some of the Roman leaders, and admonished others,
voluntary obedience was rendered to Enrico. Castruccio received many
honours, and was made a Roman senator. This dignity was assumed with the
greatest pomp, Castruccio being clothed in a brocaded toga, which had
the following words embroidered on its front: "I am what God wills."
Whilst on the back was: "What God desires shall be."

During this time the Florentines, who were much enraged that Castruccio
should have seized Pistoia during the truce, considered how they could
tempt the city to rebel, to do which they thought would not be difficult
in his absence. Among the exiled Pistoians in Florence were Baldo Cecchi
and Jacopo Baldini, both men of leading and ready to face danger. These
men kept up communications with their friends in Pistoia, and with the
aid of the Florentines entered the city by night, and after driving out
some of Castruccio's officials and partisans, and killing others, they
restored the city to its freedom. The news of this greatly angered
Castruccio, and taking leave of Enrico, he pressed on in great haste to
Pistoia. When the Florentines heard of his return, knowing that he would
lose no time, they decided to intercept him with their forces in the
Val di Nievole, under the belief that by doing so they would cut off his
road to Pistoia. Assembling a great army of the supporters of the Guelph
cause, the Florentines entered the Pistoian territories. On the other
hand, Castruccio reached Montecarlo with his army; and having heard
where the Florentines' lay, he decided not to encounter it in the plains
of Pistoia, nor to await it in the plains of Pescia, but, as far as
he possibly could, to attack it boldly in the Pass of Serravalle. He
believed that if he succeeded in this design, victory was assured,
although he was informed that the Florentines had thirty thousand men,
whilst he had only twelve thousand. Although he had every confidence
in his own abilities and the valour of his troops, yet he hesitated to
attack his enemy in the open lest he should be overwhelmed by numbers.
Serravalle is a castle between Pescia and Pistoia, situated on a hill
which blocks the Val di Nievole, not in the exact pass, but about a
bowshot beyond; the pass itself is in places narrow and steep, whilst in
general it ascends gently, but is still narrow, especially at the summit
where the waters divide, so that twenty men side by side could hold it.
The lord of Serravalle was Manfred, a German, who, before Castruccio
became lord of Pistoia, had been allowed to remain in possession of the
castle, it being common to the Lucchese and the Pistoians, and unclaimed
by either--neither of them wishing to displace Manfred as long as he
kept his promise of neutrality, and came under obligations to no one.
For these reasons, and also because the castle was well fortified,
he had always been able to maintain his position. It was here that
Castruccio had determined to fall upon his enemy, for here his few men
would have the advantage, and there was no fear lest, seeing the large
masses of the hostile force before they became engaged, they should not
stand. As soon as this trouble with Florence arose, Castruccio saw the
immense advantage which possession of this castle would give him, and
having an intimate friendship with a resident in the castle, he managed
matters so with him that four hundred of his men were to be admitted
into the castle the night before the attack on the Florentines, and the
castellan put to death.

Castruccio, having prepared everything, had now to encourage the
Florentines to persist in their desire to carry the seat of war away
from Pistoia into the Val di Nievole, therefore he did not move his
army from Montecarlo. Thus the Florentines hurried on until they reached
their encampment under Serravalle, intending to cross the hill on the
following morning. In the meantime, Castruccio had seized the castle at
night, had also moved his army from Montecarlo, and marching from thence
at midnight in dead silence, had reached the foot of Serravalle: thus he
and the Florentines commenced the ascent of the hill at the same time in
the morning. Castruccio sent forward his infantry by the main road,
and a troop of four hundred horsemen by a path on the left towards the
castle. The Florentines sent forward four hundred cavalry ahead of
their army which was following, never expecting to find Castruccio in
possession of the hill, nor were they aware of his having seized the
castle. Thus it happened that the Florentine horsemen mounting the hill
were completely taken by surprise when they discovered the infantry of
Castruccio, and so close were they upon it they had scarcely time to
pull down their visors. It was a case of unready soldiers being attacked
by ready, and they were assailed with such vigour that with difficulty
they could hold their own, although some few of them got through. When
the noise of the fighting reached the Florentine camp below, it was
filled with confusion. The cavalry and infantry became inextricably
mixed: the captains were unable to get their men either backward or
forward, owing to the narrowness of the pass, and amid all this tumult
no one knew what ought to be done or what could be done. In a short time
the cavalry who were engaged with the enemy's infantry were scattered
or killed without having made any effective defence because of their
unfortunate position, although in sheer desperation they had offered
a stout resistance. Retreat had been impossible, with the mountains on
both flanks, whilst in front were their enemies, and in the rear their
friends. When Castruccio saw that his men were unable to strike a
decisive blow at the enemy and put them to flight, he sent one thousand
infantrymen round by the castle, with orders to join the four hundred
horsemen he had previously dispatched there, and commanded the whole
force to fall upon the flank of the enemy. These orders they carried out
with such fury that the Florentines could not sustain the attack,
but gave way, and were soon in full retreat--conquered more by their
unfortunate position than by the valour of their enemy. Those in the
rear turned towards Pistoia, and spread through the plains, each
man seeking only his own safety. The defeat was complete and very