The essential writings of Machiavelli (49 page)

Gianmatteo arrived in Paris a miserable man. He informed the king that it was true enough that he had cured possessed women in the past, but that this did not mean that he could exorcise all demons, because some were so perfidious that they feared neither threat nor holy incantation. He promised to do his best, but if he did not succeed, he craved forgiveness and pardon. The king, vexed at these words, proclaimed that if Gianmatteo did not cure his daughter he would have him hanged. The poor man was distraught. Nevertheless he had the princess come to him, and, leaning down to her ear, humbly begged Roderigo to remember how he had helped him in his hour of need and how it would be great ingratitude on his part if he abandoned him now in such a dire circumstance. To this Roderigo replied: “Fie, cowardly traitor! You have the temerity to come before me again? Do you think you can boast of having made yourself rich at my hands? I will prove to you and to everyone else that just as I can give, I can also take away. Before you leave this place, I shall see you hang.”

Gianmatteo, in his distress, decided to try a different tactic. He had the possessed princess taken away and said to the king: “Sire, as I have informed you, there are many spirits that are so perfidious that one cannot hope for any good outcome. This spirit, unfortunately, is one of them. But I wish to try one final procedure. If it succeeds, Your Majesty and I will have achieved our aim. If it does not, I will be in Your Majesty’s hands, and will hope for the mercy that my innocence merits. I request that Your Majesty set up a platform on the Place Notre Dame that will be large and strong enough to hold all the barons and clergy of Paris. The platform must be bedecked with drapes of silk and gold, and must have an altar in the middle. On Sunday morning, Your Majesty, the clergy, and all your princes and barons must congregate in rich vestments and royal splendor on this platform. First a solemn Mass must be sung and the possessed princess brought out onto the platform. I also require at least twenty men with trumpets, horns, tambours, bagpipes, drums, and cymbals, along with any other instrument that can make a din. When I raise my hat, the men must begin striking their instruments and blowing their horns as they march toward the platform. I believe that all this and certain other secret remedies will force the demon to depart.”

The king had everything arranged. On Sunday morning, the noble personages crowded onto the platform and the populace of Paris crowded onto the square. A Mass was sung, and the possessed princess was led onto the platform by two bishops and a retinue of lords. Roderigo was amazed when he saw the multitude and the elaborate contrivances.

“I wonder what this cowardly sluggard is up to?” he said to himself. “Does he think he can frighten me with all this pomp? Does he not know that I have beheld all the splendors of Heaven and the furies of Hell? I will punish him.”

When Gianmatteo approached the princess and asked Roderigo to leave, Roderigo said: “This is a fine idea you’ve had! What do you expect to achieve with these foolish contrivances? Do you think that you can either escape my power or the wrath of the king? I will see you hanged, you cowardly rogue!”

Gianmatteo begged, and the archdevil spewed abuse, until Gianmatteo realized that he had no more time to lose. He raised his hat, and the men who had been commissioned to make a great din began striking and blowing into their instruments, marching toward the platform with a clamor that rose to the heavens. Roderigo, greatly astonished, pricked up his ears, unable to fathom what all the noise might be. Perplexed, he asked Gianmatteo what was happening, to which Gianmatteo replied with great agitation: “Alas, Roderigo, it is your wife! She has come to get you!”

A miraculous change came upon Roderigo when he heard the word “wife.” The change was so momentous that he gave no thought to whether it was even possible or a reasonable assumption that his wife could have come, and without another word, he fled in terror, releasing the young princess. He preferred to return to Hell and account for his deeds than ever again to face the trouble, spite, and dangers of the matrimonial yoke.

Thus Belfagor returned to Hell and bore witness to the ills that wives brought on a house, while Gianmatteo, who had outwitted the devil, traveled back home a cheerful man.

1.
“The Quarter of All Saints,” a street near the Arno River in Florence.

2.
The chief executive council.

T
HE
L
IFE OF
C
ASTRUCCIO
C
ASTRACANI OF
L
UCCA

COMPOSED BY
N
ICCOLÒ
M
ACHIAVELLI AND SENT TO HIS DEAREST FRIENDS
, Z
ANOBI
B
UONDELMONTI AND
L
UIGI
A
LAMANNI

In
The Life of Castruccio Castracani of Lucca
Machiavelli blends biography, historical chronicle, and literary fiction to create a portrait of the ideal warrior prince. Since its first publication in 1533, it has traditionally been printed together with
The Prince
to provide an extension of Machiavelli’s vision of the ideal ruler
.

Machiavelli relied on chronicles and accounts of Castracani’s life for historical facts, but invented characters and situations and reshuffled and conflated historical events in order to enliven his narrative. Machiavelli wrote this piece at an important moment in his life: After eight years of exclusion from Florentine politics, he was sent to the city of Lucca as an official emissary in the bankruptcy case of Michele Guinigi, whose family name Machiavelli was to use in the story as that of Castracani’s fictitious guardian
.

Though Castruccio Castracani had been a dire enemy of Florence, causing untold damage to the city, Machiavelli did not allow this to affect his admiration for the self-made prince, who for a few years had turned the small town of Lucca into a foremost Italian power
.

—

Those who have given the matter some thought, dearest Zanobi and Luigi, will marvel that most, if not all, men who have accomplished great deeds and excelled above all others of their era were of low birth and obscure origins, or were tormented beyond compare. They were exposed to wild beasts, or had such lowly fathers that in shame they declared themselves to be sons of Jove or some other god. It would be an onerous task and objectionable to the reader to list all these men, as they are well known, so I shall pass over them. I believe that the lowly origins of great men is Fortune’s way of demonstrating that it is she and not Wisdom who makes men great. So that Fortune be acknowledged as supreme, she shows her powers very early in a man’s life, well before Wisdom could hope to play a role.

Castruccio Castracani of Lucca was one of the men who, despite the times in which he lived and the city in which he was born, did great things. Like others who rose to great heights, he did not have a fortunate or distinguished birth, as will become clear in my description of the course of his life. I considered it useful to bring his life to wider attention, as I feel it demonstrates many instances of skill and Fortune that will provide a powerful example to others. I have decided to present this work to you, my friends, since you, more than anyone else I know, delight in valiant deeds.

The Castracani were among the noble families of Lucca, though since the wheel of Fortune turns, the Castracani of that era had fallen on hard times. A boy named Antonio had been born into the family and raised to become a man of the church, and soon became Lucca’s canon of the order of San Michele. As a sign of honor, the people of Lucca addressed him as Messer Antonio. He had only one sister, who had been married to a Buonaccorso Cennami, but after she was widowed, not intending to remarry, she returned to live with him.

Behind Messer Antonio’s house was a vineyard that was surrounded by gardens, and thus could be easily entered from many sides. One morning soon after sunrise, Madonna Dianora (that was the name of Messer Antonio’s sister) was walking through the vineyard collecting herbs for the pantry, as women do. Suddenly there was a rustling beneath the branches of a vine. Madonna Dianora looked in that direction and heard what sounded like weeping. She walked toward the vine and saw the hands and face of a baby boy wrapped in leaves, who seemed to be calling out to her for help. Amazed and bewildered, but also filled with compassion and wonder, Madonna Dianora picked up the baby and carried him inside, where she washed him, wrapped him in white swaddling cloth, as was the custom, and presented him to Messer Antonio as soon as he came home. When he heard what had happened and saw the child, he was no less filled with amazement and compassion than she had been, and the two discussed what they should do. They decided to raise the child—Messer Antonio being a priest and she childless—so they hired a nurse, and brought up the child with as much love as if it were their own. They baptized the boy Castruccio, after their father.
¹

With every year Castruccio grew in charm and character, proving himself in all things an intelligent and clever boy. He studied under Messer Antonio, who hoped that he would become a priest, and who intended, when the time came, to leave him his canonry and his other worldly possessions. Messer Antonio tutored him with this in mind, but soon realized that Castruccio was unsuited for the priestly calling. By the time the boy was fourteen he began to stand up to Messer Antonio and no longer feared Madonna Dianora, and he set aside his ecclesiastical books to follow his interest in weapons. In fact, nothing pleased Castruccio more than handling weapons, running, jumping, and wrestling with other boys his age. Here he showed physical skill and courage far beyond that of his peers, and if he did pick up a book, then only one that told of wars and the feats of great men. Messer Antonio was deeply grieved.

There lived in Lucca a fine gentleman of the Guinigi family by the name of Messer Francesco, who was graced with skill and valor far surpassing that of any other gentleman of Lucca.
²
He was a condottiere who had fought for many years under the Visconti of Milan, and was one of the foremost partisans of the Ghibelline faction in Lucca.
³
Whenever he was in town, he would meet mornings and evenings with the other citizens beneath the balcony of the
podestà
, the chief magistrate’s palace, which is at the head of the Piazza di San Michele, Lucca’s main square. There he often noticed Castruccio playing war games with the other boys, and saw that he surpassed them in skill and that he even had some sort of regal command over them for which the other boys seemed to love and respect him.

Messer Francesco desired to find out more about the boy and when he was told the story of his background he resolved to take him under his wing. One day he called Castruccio into his presence and asked him where he would prefer to be, in the house of a gentleman who would teach him to ride and use weapons, or in the house of a priest where he would be taught nothing but services and Masses. It did not escape Messer Francesco that Castruccio brightened at the mention of horses and arms. The boy stood before him in modest silence, but when Messer Francesco encouraged him to speak, Castruccio replied that if Messer Antonio did not mind, nothing would make him happier than abandoning his priestly studies and taking up those of the soldier. Messer Francesco was pleased, and within a few days managed to persuade Messer Antonio, though it was in fact Castruccio’s nature that had swayed the priest, since he knew he would not be able to keep him in check much longer.

Once young Castruccio moved from the house of Messer Antonio Castracani the priest to that of Messer Francesco Guinigi the condottiere, one can only marvel at the swiftness with which the boy mastered the skills and customs of a gentleman. He became an excellent horseman, able to handle the wildest horse with great dexterity. Though still a youth, he stood out above all others in jousts and tournaments, so that in every feat, whether of strength or skill, no man could surpass him. All the while, Castruccio’s comportment was unfailingly modest. He never said or did anything that might displease: He was respectful to men stationed above him, modest with his equals, and pleasant to his inferiors. He was loved not only by the Guinigi family but by all of Lucca.

Castruccio had turned eighteen when the Ghibellines were ousted from Pavia by the Guelphs, and Messer Francesco Guinigi was sent by the Visconti of Milan to aid the Ghibellines. Castruccio went with him as captain of his company, and throughout the campaign showed so much prudence and courage that no other soldier acquired so much prestige. He became renowned and honored not only in Pavia, but in all of Lombardy.
⁴

When Castruccio returned to Lucca he found that his standing had grown even more since he had joined the campaign, and he made sure to gain as many allies and supporters as he could, using all the methods necessary to win men over. Then Messer Francesco Guinigi died, leaving behind a thirteen-year-old son, Pagolo, with Castruccio as his guardian and the administrator of his estate. Before Messer Francesco died, he sent for Castruccio and entreated him to raise his son with the same devotion with which Messer Francesco had raised Castruccio, asking Castruccio to repay to his son the gratitude he owed him.

With Messer Francesco’s death Castruccio became Pagolo’s guardian, which further increased his standing and power. But some of the esteem in Lucca that had been his now turned into jealousy Certain men of influence, suspecting that he had his mind set on tyranny, began slandering him. Foremost among them was Messer Giorgio degli Obizi,
⁵
the leader of the Guelph faction, who had hoped to become something like a prince of Lucca upon Messer Francesco’s death. In Messer Giorgio’s view, Castruccio was becoming the most influential man in Lucca on account of the admiration and prestige that his qualities inspired among the people, and so he began spreading rumors calculated to weaken Castruccio’s standing. At first Castruccio looked on Messer Giorgio’s efforts with contempt, but soon he began to worry that Messer Giorgio would not rest until he had blackened him in the eyes of the governor of King Roberto of Naples, and had him driven from Lucca.
⁶

The ruler of neighboring Pisa in those days was Uguccione della Faggiuola of Arezzo. He had first been elected by the Pisans as their military commander, and afterward had made himself their prince.
⁷
In his entourage were a few men of the Ghibelline faction who had been banished from Lucca, with whom Castruccio communicated with the aim of bringing the Ghibellines back to power in Lucca with Uguccione’s help. Castruccio revealed his designs to his allies in Lucca, who also resented the power of the Obizi family. They set up a plan, and Castruccio carefully began to fortify the tower of the Onesti family
⁸
stocking it with munitions and provisions so that he could barricade himself in it for a few days if necessary.

On a night that Uguccione and Castruccio had agreed on, Uguccione rode out from Pisa with a large force and positioned his men on the plain between the mountains and Lucca. When Castruccio gave him a sign, Uguccione advanced on the Gate of San Piero and set fire to the portcullis, while inside, Castruccio called the populace to arms and forced open the gates so that Uguccione and his men could overrun the town and kill Messer Giorgio and all his family, friends, and partisans. The governor of Lucca was chased from the town, and Uguccione of Pisa rearranged the government to his liking, but at great cost to Lucca, for he banished more than a hundred families, some of whom fled to Florence, others to Pistoia, cities ruled by the Guelph faction, and so became enemies of Uguccione and the town of Lucca.

Florence and the other Guelph strongholds saw the Ghibelline faction as having gained too much power in Tuscany, and they forged an alliance to reinstate the banished Guelph families of Lucca. Gathering a large army, they marched on Val di Nievole, occupied Montecatini, and went on to Montecarlo to secure the mountain pass to Lucca.
⁹
In the meantime, Uguccione had enlisted many men from Pisa and Lucca, as well as German cavalrymen he brought in from Lombardy and marched on the Florentine encampment. When the Florentines heard of the enemy’s approach they retreated from Montecarlo and posted themselves between Montecatini and Pescia. Uguccione took up position outside Montecarlo, some two miles from the enemy, but for a few days there were only light skirmishes between his cavalry and the Florentines, as Uguccione had fallen ill and did not want his soldiers to engage the enemy in all-out battle. Uguccione’s health deteriorated and he was taken to Montecarlo to be treated, leaving Castruccio in charge of the army
¹⁰
This led to the ruin of the Guelph army, for they took courage at the news that the enemy forces were without their commander. Castruccio was aware of this, and decided to reinforce this conviction by remaining inactive for a few days, feigning fear, and not allowing his forces to leave camp. At this the Guelphs’ insolence grew, and they began parading every day in full battle formation before Castruccio’s forces. Once Castruccio felt that he had studied their formation and emboldened them enough, he decided to engage them in battle, firing up his soldiers with a speech assuring them that victory would be theirs if they followed his command.

Castruccio had seen that the enemy had gathered all their power at the center of their formation, leaving the weaker men on the flanks; consequently he did the opposite, putting his most valiant men on his flanks, and those of lesser mettle in the center.
¹¹
Castruccio’s forces then marched out in this formation, and the moment he sighted the enemy, who with their usual insolence had come to find him, he ordered his weaker squadrons in the center to slow their step and the squadrons on the flanks to quicken theirs. In this way, when the two armies met, only their flanks would engage in battle, while the center battalions remained out of action. Castruccio’s center forces stayed so far back that the enemy’s powerful center could not reach them: thus Castruccio’s most skilled soldiers fought the enemy’s weakest, while the enemy’s most valiant men could neither attack those who were out of reach in front of them, nor come to the aid of their weaker flank squadrons. As a result, Castruccio sent the two enemy flanks in headlong retreat, and the enemy’s center forces, seeing their flanks exposed, turned and ran as well, robbed of the chance to demonstrate their prowess.