Part 1
# Lives of the early Medici : $b As told in their correspondence ### By Unknown
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LETTERS OF THE EARLY MEDICI
“_It has ever been a hobby of mine, though perhaps it is a truism, not a hobby, that the true life of a man is in his letters.... Not only for the interest of a biography, but for arriving at the inside of things the publication of letters is the true method. Biographers varnish, they assign motives, they conjecture feelings, they interpret Lord Burleigh’s nods, but contemporary letters are facts._”--Dr. Newman to his Sister, Mrs. John Mozley, _May 18, 1863_.
[Illustration:
LORENZO DI PIERO DE MEDICI.
_From a picture at Poggio a Caiano._]
LIVES OF THE EARLY MEDICI
AS TOLD IN THEIR CORRESPONDENCE
TRANSLATED & EDITED BY
JANET ROSS
[Illustration]
WITH 12 PORTRAITS AND FACSIMILES
LONDON CHATTO & WINDUS 1910
_All rights reserved_
PREFACE
Many a book has been written about the Medici; yet how little has been said about the private lives of the founders of that wonderful family which rose from prosperous middle-class condition to take its place among the sovereign houses of Europe, to seat its daughters on the throne of the Queen-consorts of France, and its sons on the Chair of St. Peter? Their rival capitalists north of the Alps climbed high in those days when the gulf was dug deep between nobles and all who were below them in the social scale. The Fuggers made many alliances with the German and Bohemian nobles, and the Welsers had the unheard-of glory of mating one of their daughters with the Emperor of Germany; does not the Philipine-Welser Strasse in Augsburg commemorate to this day the renown of the match? But neither had the fortune to found a dynasty as did the Medici. They are so inseparably connected with the history of their native city that the biographies have insensibly become sketches of Florentine, even of European history. The men and women have disappeared, and we see instead the dexterous manipulators of tortuous Italian diplomacy, or the splendid patrons of art and literature during the best period of the Renaissance. Yet, in our day, we sometimes like to turn aside from the stage life to learn about the _vie intime_ of personages who have become historical. We are curious about their doings within the home circle, about their private loves and hates, whether they were good or bad husbands and wives, parents and children. The simpler human interests attract us.
This book attempts to supply such details. It is founded on letters, for the most part private, of Medici men, women, and children, and their friends, written during those decades when the family was being moulded for the great European destiny which lay hidden in the future before it. In these old-world epistles Contessina artlessly displays her household economies, Lucrezia reveals her fondness for bathing, Clarice quarrels with no less a tutor than the celebrated Poliziano about the lessons he gave to her children, and the child Piero tells his father how he has studied hard, even writing in Latin, “in order to give a more literary tone to my letters,” and proudly and persistently demands the pony promised as a reward for diligence.
The materials have been gathered from many a quarter. Angelo Fabroni’s ponderous tomes, _Magni Cosmi Medicei Vita_ and _Laurentii Medicis Magnifici Vita_; the Histories of Florence by Giovanni Cavalcanti, Giovanni Cambi, and Niccolὸ Machiavelli; rare pamphlets, published in small editions of twenty-five or a hundred copies, by Italian men of letters in honour of the marriage of some friend, which are a mine of wealth; and last, but not least, the Florentine Archives. Most of the letters from the _Archivio Medicei ante Principato_ have never been published before, much less translated; others are given here in full, which have hitherto seen the light only in very fragmentary form. The volume can therefore claim to contain a great deal of thoroughly original matter. In them it will be seen that well-born or important men and women were addressed as Your Magnificence, and written to and spoken of as The Magnificent. It was, therefore, no special title bestowed on Lorenzo de’ Medici, but suiting so well with his character and whole personality it has become, as it were, his property.
My best thanks are due to Cavaliere Angelo Bruschi, librarian of the Marucelliana Library in Florence, without whose valid assistance and advice I should have had great difficulty in collecting the letters; to Dr. Dorini of the Florentine Archives, whose aid was invaluable in helping me to decipher the almost illegible manuscripts; and to Signor Gugliemo Volpi, several of whose pamphlets and articles are quoted. I must also thank the Baroness Mollinary of Como for so kindly having photographed for me her most interesting early portrait of Lorenzo the Magnificent, never before published; and Dr. Giovanni Poggi, director of the Bargello in Florence, for giving me the photograph of Lorenzo’s portrait at Poggio a Caiano. The Baroness Mollinary’s picture is one of the many that belonged to her ancestor Paolo Giovio, and bears a strong resemblance to the fine miniature of Lorenzo, the property of M. Prosper Villon, reproduced in _Le Musée de Portraits de Paul Jove_ by M. Eugène Muntz, in which, however, Lorenzo looks rather older. Both show the same humorous, kindly face, with a strong mouth, determined jaw, and fine eyes. In the miniature the head and shoulders are against and under a baldaquin, on each side of which is a small bit of landscape. Below is inscribed _Laur M P P_ and the Medici arms (with six balls), surmounted by Lorenzo’s device, three ostrich feathers, white, green, and red (faith, hope, and charity), while a floating ribbon behind bears his motto _Semper_. The portrait at Poggio a Caiano is perhaps by Alessandro Allori, therefore of course not contemporary; it may be a copy of an older and lost picture. I must also express my great gratitude to the Rev. Principal Lindsay of Glasgow for kind help and criticism during the progress of my work.
The portrait of Piero de’ Medici in the chapel of the Riccardi palace, by Benozzo Gozzoli, has been given sometimes as that of his father Cosimo, or even of his son Lorenzo. But if the bust by Mino da Fiesole, in the Bargello, represents Piero, then he is the man grasping his horse’s mane with one hand as he rides by the side of his father Cosimo, who, as we know, generally rode a mule.
JANET ROSS.
CONTENTS
PAGE INTRODUCTORY 1
COSIMO DI GIOVANNI DE’ MEDICI (1389-1464) 7
Contessina de’ Medici to her husband Cosimo in Ferrara 10
Cosimo de’ Medici to Averardo de’ Medici, Ambassador to Ferrara 11
Contessina de’ Medici to her son Giovanni at Ferrara 14
Cosimo de’ Medici to Averardo de’ Medici at Pisa 15
Cosimo de’ Medici to Averardo de’ Medici 16
Cosimo de’ Medici at Florence to Averardo de’ Medici at Pisa 18
Diary of Cosimo de’ Medici and his Oration to the Signory of Florence when sentence of exile was pronounced against him 19
Cosimo de’ Medici to his son Piero de’ Medici 31
Niccolò Fortebraccio to Cosimo de’ Medici and Neri di Gino Capponi 34
Lorenzo de’ Medici to his brother Cosimo, Ambassador to Ferrara, in the name of the “Dieci di Balia” 35
Count Francesco Sforza to Cosimo de’ Medici 36
Count Francesco Sforza to Cosimo de’ Medici 38
Count Francesco Sforza to Cosimo de’ Medici 39
Contessina de’ Medici to her son Piero 40
Commissio Laurentii de’ Medicis, 3 Decembris 1438 42
Additio facta Commissioni Laurentii de’ Medicis 43
Francesco Sforza to Cosimo de’ Medici 44
Contessina de’ Medici to her son Giovanni at the Baths of Petriolo [near Siena] 46
Alberto Averardo de’ Alberti, from Rome, to Giovanni de’ Medici 47
Contessina de’ Medici to her son Giovanni in Rome 47
The Same to the Same 48
Contessina de’ Medici to her son Piero 48
Lucrezia de’ Medici, at the Baths of Petriolo; to her husband Piero at Florence 50
Contessina de’ Medici to her son Piero at Trebbio 50
Contessina de’ Medici to her son Giovanni in Rome 51
Cosimo de’ Medici to Giovanni his son in Rome 52
Contessina de’ Medici to Giovanni her son at Volterra 53
Contessina de’ Medici to her son Giovanni at Volterra 54
The Same to the Same 55
Contessina de’ Medici to Ginevra, wife of her son Giovanni, at the Baths of Petriolo 58
Cosimo de’ Medici to his son Giovanni at Milan 59
Lucrezia de’ Medici (from Careggi or Cafaggiuolo) to her husband Piero at Florence 60
Contessina de’ Medici to her son Piero at Venice 62
Cosimo de’ Medici to his son Giovanni at the Baths of Petriolo 62
Contessina de’ Medici to her son Giovanni and his wife Ginevra at Bagno a Morba 63
Pope Pius II. to Cosimo de’ Medici 64
Cosimo de’ Medici to Pope Pius II. 65
Cosimo de’ Medici to Pius II. 66
Lucrezia de’ Medici to her husband Piero 69
Cosimo de’ Medici to his son Piero at Pisa 70
Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, &c. &c. 71
Cosimo de’ Medici to the Reverend Master Marsilio Ficino, Platonist 73
Piero de’ Medici to Lorenzo and Giuliano, his sons, at Cafaggiuolo 74
Marsilio Ficino to the noble Lorenzo de’ Medici 76
Brief Memorandum by Piero de’ Medici about his Father’s Death 77
Notes of the Funeral and of the Masses and Offices said for the Soul of Cosimo di Giovanni de’ Medici 79
PIERO DI COSIMO DE’ MEDICI (1416-1469) 82
Pope Pius II. to Piero de’ Medici 84
Louis XI., King of France, to Piero de’ Medici 85
Privilege granted by Louis XI. to the Medici to quarter the Lily of France in their arms 86
The Magnificent Lorenzo to the Illustrious Lord Federigo, son of the King of Naples 88
Piero de’ Medici to his son Lorenzo at Milan 93
Piero de’ Medici to his son Lorenzo at Milan 94
Luigi Pulci to Lorenzo de’ Medici 100
Piero de’ Medici to his son Lorenzo at Rome 102
Piero de’ Medici to his son Lorenzo at Rome 103
Agnolo Acciaiuoli to Piero de’ Medici. Siena, 17th Sept. 1466 105
Piero de’ Medici to Agnolo Acciaiuoli. Florence, 22nd Sept. 1466 105
Luigi Pulci, from Pisa, to Lorenzo de’ Medici at Florence 107
Lucrezia de’ Medici to her husband Piero 108
Lucrezia de’ Medici to her husband Piero 109
Lucrezia de’ Medici to her husband Piero 110
Lucrezia de’ Medici to her husband Piero 111
Lorenzo de’ Medici to his mother Lucrezia at Bagno a Morba 115
Piero de’ Medici to his wife Lucrezia at Morba 115
Lorenzo de’ Medici to his mother Lucrezia at Bagno a Morba 116
Contessina de’ Medici to her daughter-in-law Lucrezia at Bagno a Morba 117
Piero de’ Medici to his wife Lucrezia at Bagno a Morba 117
Luigi Pulci from Pisa to Lorenzo de’ Medici at Florence 118
Luigi Pulci at Pisa to Lorenzo de’ Medici 119
Cardinal Latino Orsini to Piero de’ Medici 120
Filippo de’ Medici, Archbishop of Pisa, at Rome, to Piero de’ Medici 120
Francesco Tornabuoni to his nephew Lorenzo de’ Medici 122
Clarice Orsini to Lorenzo de’ Medici 123
Francesco Tornabuoni to Lorenzo de’ Medici, his nephew 123
Clarice Orsini to Lorenzo de’ Medici 125
Rinaldo Orsini to Lorenzo de’ Medici 126
Maddalena Orsini to Lorenzo de’ Medici 127
Filippo de’ Medici, Archbishop of Pisa, to Lorenzo de’ Medici 127
An Account of the Wedding of Lorenzo de’ Medici 129
Rinaldo Orsini to his sister Clarice de’ Medici 134
Giovanni di Bentivogli from Bologna to Piero de’ Medici at Florence 135
Piero de’ Medici at Careggi to Lucrezia his wife in Florence 137
Gentile Becchi to Clarice de’ Medici 138
Lorenzo de’ Medici to his wife Clarice 140
Lorenzo de’ Medici from Monza to his father Piero in Florence 141
LORENZO DI PIERO DE’ MEDICI (1450-1492) 143
Ricordi of Lorenzo the Magnificent, son of Piero di
Cosimo de’ Medici 150
Agnolo Poliziano to Lorenzo de’ Medici 156
A. Alexander di Conio to Contessina de’ Medici 158
Luigi Pulci to Lorenzo de’ Medici at Florence 159
Clarice de’ Medici to her husband Lorenzo 161
Luigi Pulci to Lorenzo de’ Medici 162
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Sixtus IV. 163
Ingherami di Volterra, Apostolic Scribe, to Lorenzo de’ Medici 165
Francesco Filelfo to Lorenzo de’ Medici 166
Jacopo Ammanati, Cardinal of Pavia, to Lorenzo de’ Medici 167
Jacopo Ammanati, Cardinal of Pavia, to Lorenzo de’ Medici 168
The Syndic and Ancients of Galatea to Lucrezia de’ Medici 171
Fra Cristofano d’Antonio di Mast ... to Lucrezia de’ Medici 172
Matteo Franco to Lorenzo de’ Medici 173
Giuliano de’ Medici from Pisa to his mother Lucrezia 174
Bertoldo di Giovanni to Lorenzo de’ Medici 175
Niccolò Roberti to Duke Borso d’Este 176
Agnolo Poliziano at Pisa to Clarice de’ Medici 177
Agnolo Poliziano to Clarice de’ Medici 178
Clarice de’ Medici to her husband Lorenzo at Florence 178
Lucrezia de’ Medici, from Bagno a Morba, to her son Lorenzo 179
Lucrezia de’ Medici, from Bagno a Morba, to her son Lorenzo at Pisa 179
Lucrezia de’ Medici to her grandmother Lucrezia at Bagno a Morba 180
Agnolo Poliziano to Lucrezia de’ Medici at Bagno a Morba 181
Lucrezia de’ Medici, from Bagno a Morba, to her son Lorenzo 182
Lucrezia de’ Medici to her son Lorenzo, from Bagno a Morba 183
Piero Malegonnelle (Vicar of Pomerance) to Lucrezia de’ Medici 184
Piero Malegonnelle (Vicar of Pomerance) to Lucrezia de’ Medici 184
Louis XI., King of France, to the Florentine Republic 192
Louis XI. to Pope Sixtus IV. 193
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Tommaso Soderini at Milan 194
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Giovanni Lanfredini, Florentine Ambassador at Venice 196
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Louis XI., King of France 198
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Sforza de’ Bettini 199
Messer Ceccho, from Milan, to Lorenzo de’ Medici 201
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Messer Giovanni di Bentivoglio at Milan 202
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Girolamo Morelli, Florentine Ambassador at Milan 203
Sixtus IV. to the Duke Federigo of Urbino 205
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Girolamo Morelli, Florentine Ambassador at Milan 207
Agnolo Poliziano at Pistoja to Lorenzo de’ Medici in Florence 208
Agnolo Poliziano at Pistoja to Lorenzo de’ Medici 209
Agnolo Poliziano at Pistoja to Lorenzo de’ Medici 210
Agnolo Poliziano at Pistoja to Lorenzo de’ Medici at Florence 211
Agnolo Poliziano at Pistoja to Lorenzo de’ Medici 212
Piero de’ Medici (born 1472) to his father Lorenzo 212
Clarice de’ Medici to Lucrezia 213
Agnolo Poliziano to Lucrezia de’ Medici 213
Lorenzo de’ Medici to the King of Spain 215
Agnolo Poliziano, from Cafaggiuolo, to Lorenzo de’ Medici at Florence 216
Piero de’ Medici to his father Lorenzo 216
Agnolo Poliziano to Lorenzo de’ Medici 217
Piero de’ Medici at Cafaggiuolo to his father Lorenzo 217
Clarice de’ Medici to her husband Lorenzo 218
Lorenzo de’ Medici to his mother Lucrezia in Florence 219
Piero de’ Medici at Cafaggiuolo to his father Lorenzo 219
Piero de’ Medici at Cafaggiuolo to his father Lorenzo 220
Piero de’ Medici at Gagliano to his father Lorenzo 221
Antonio Pucci to Lorenzo de’ Medici at Cafaggiuolo 221
Lucrezia de’ Medici (daughter of Lorenzo) to her grandmother Lucrezia 222
Nannina Rucellai to her mother Lucrezia de’ Medici 222
Bianca de’ Pazzi to her mother Lucrezia de’ Medici at Careggi 223
Agnolo Poliziano to Lucrezia de’ Medici at Careggi 224
Guidantonio Vespucci, _Legatus in Epistolis_ at Paris, to the Ten of the Balìa in Florence 226
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Girolamo Morelli, Florentine Ambassador at Milan 227
To the Signoria of Florence, from Lorenzo de’ Medici 229
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Antonio Montecatino, Ambassador to Florence of the Duke of Ferrara 230
Bartolommeo Scala, Secretary of the Florentine Republic, to Lorenzo de’ Medici at Naples 231
Bartolommeo Scala, Secretary to the Florentine Republic, to Lorenzo de’ Medici at Naples 233
Bartolommeo Scala, Secretary of the Florentine Republic, to Lorenzo de’ Medici at Naples 234
Doctor Oliverio, from Bagno a Morba, to Lucrezia de’ Medici 235
Ippolita Maria d’Aragona, Duchess of Calabria, to Lorenzo de’ Medici 236
Papinio di Artimino to Lucrezia de’ Medici 237
Papinio di Artimino, from Rome, to Lucrezia de’ Medici 238
Lorenzo de’ Medici to the Doge of Venice 239
To Albino, dear to me as a brother, Secretary of the Illustrious Duke of Calabria, from Lorenzo de’ Medici 240
From Bartolommeo Sgnippi, Clerk of the Embassy, to Antonio Montecatino, Ambassador of the Duke of Ferrara (who had gone to Ferrara for a few days) to the Florentine Republic 241
Lorenzo de’ Medici to the Duchess Eleonora d’Aragona d’Este at Ferrara 244
Lorenzo de’ Medici to the Duke Ercole d’Este 244
Frederick, Duke of Urbino, to Lorenzo de’ Medici 246
Ugolino Baccio, from Basel, to Lorenzo de’ Medici 247
Ugolino Baccio to Lorenzo de’ Medici 249
Ugolino Baccio to Lorenzo de’ Medici 252
Louis XI., King of France, to Lorenzo de’ Medici 254
Bartolommeo Scala to Lorenzo de’ Medici at Bagno a Morba 255
“In Amorpham Nympham,” Latin poem by Bartolommeo Scala, sent to Lorenzo de’ Medici at Bagno a Morba, April 25, 1484 256
Guidantonio Vespucci, Florentine Ambassador at Rome, to Lorenzo de’ Medici at Florence 258
Lorenzo de’ Medici to his son Piero in Rome, November 26, 1484 260
Niccolò Michelozzi to Lorenzo de’ Medici at Morba 265
Matteo Franco to Ser Piero Dovizi da Bibbiena, Chancellor of Lorenzo de’ Medici 267
Two of Piero’s Sayings 272
Lorenzo de’ Medici to the Duke Ercole d’Este 273
Messer Guidone Aldrovandini, Ambassador to the Republic of Florence from Ferrara, to Duke Ercole d’Este 274
Duke Ercole d’Este to Messer Aldrovandini, Ambassador of Ferrara to the Republic of Florence 276
Messer Guidone Aldrovandini, Ambassador of Ferrara to the Republic of Florence, to the Duke Ercole d’Este 277
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Ugolino Baccio in Apulia 278
Messer Guidone Aldrovandini, Ambassador from Ferrara to the Florentine Republic, to the Duke Ercole d’Este 280
Duke Ercole d’Este to Messer Aldrovandini, Ambassador of Ferrara to the Florentine Republic 282
Messer Guidone Aldrovandini, Ambassador of Ferrara to the Republic of Florence, to Duke Ercole d’Este 283
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Innocent VIII. 285
Messer Aldrovandini, Ambassador from Ferrara to the Florentine Republic, to Duke Ercole d’Este 285
Agnolo Poliziano to Lorenzo de’ Medici 288
Matteo Franco, from Stigliano, to Ser Piero Dovizi da Bibbiena, Chancellor to Lorenzo de’ Medici, at Florence 289
Messer Aldrovandini, Ambassador from Ferrara to the Florentine Republic, to the Duke Ercole d’Este 294
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Pope Innocent VIII. 296
Messer Aldrovandini, Ambassador to the Republic of Florence, to the Duke Ercole d’Este 297
Messer Aldrovandini, Ambassador of Ferrara to the Republic of Florence, to Duke Ercole d’Este 298
Stefano, a trusted servant of Piero de’ Medici, to Lorenzo de’ Medici 299
Petrus Bonus Avogarius, Doctor, to Lorenzo de’ Medici 301
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Piero Alamanni, Florentine Ambassador at Rome 303
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Innocent VIII. 304
Manfredo di Manfredi (a new Ferrarese Ambassador) to Duke Ercole d’Este 305
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Pope Innocent VIII. 306
A Manager of the Medici Bank to the Duke Ercole d’Este 309
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Giovanni Lanfredini, Florentine Ambassador at Rome 310
Lorenzo de’ Medici, from the Baths of Spedaletto, to his daughter Contessina 310
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Giovanni Lanfredini, Florentine Ambassador at Rome 311
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Monseigneur d’Argenton (Philippe de Comines) 312
Pietro Vettori, Florentine Ambassador at Naples, to Lorenzo de’ Medici 314
Lorenzo de’ Medici, from Bagno San Filippo, to his son Piero 316
Lorenzo de’ Medici to the Commissaries of Pistoja 317
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Ser Andrea at Siena 317
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Giovanni Lanfredini, Florentine Ambassador at Rome 318
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Giovanni Lanfredini, Florentine Ambassador at Rome 319
Lorenzo de’ Medici to the King of England 322
Agnolo Poliziano to Lorenzo de’ Medici in Florence 323
Pier Filippo Pandolfini, Florentine Ambassador at Rome, to Lorenzo de’ Medici 325
Piero Leoni of Spoleto to Lorenzo de’ Medici 326
Matteo Franco at Rome to Ser Piero Dovizi at Florence 327
Manfredo di Manfredi, Ambassador from Ferrara to Florence, to the Duke Ercole d’Este 330
Lorenzo de’ Medici to his son, Cardinal Giovanni, at Rome, in March 1492 332
Cardinal Giovanni de’ Medici to his father Lorenzo 336
Poliziano’s letter to Jacopo Antiquario describing the death of Lorenzo de’ Medici 336
Bartolommeo Dei to his uncle Benedetto Dei, with Machiavelli in Ferrara 341
INDEX 345
ILLUSTRATIONS
Lorenzo di Piero de’ Medici _Frontispiece_ _From a picture at Poggio a Caiano_
Cosimo di Giovanni de’ Medici _To face page_ 7 _From the marble relief by Andrea Del Verrocchio (?) in the Kaiser Friedrich Museum, Berlin_
Letter from Cosimo di Giovanni de’ Medici 10
Cosimo di Giovanni de’ Medici 31 _By Jacopo da Pontormo. In the Convent of S. Marco, Florence_
Letter from Contessina de’ Medici 46
Letter from Lucrezia de’ Medici 50
Piero di Cosimo de’ Medici 82 _Detail from the fresco by Benozzo Gozzoli in the Chapel of Palazzo Riccardi, Florence_
Letter from Piero di Cosimo de’ Medici 94
Lorenzo di Piero de’ Medici 143 _In the Museo Giovio (Villa Soave, Como)_
Letter from Lorenzo di Piero de’ Medici 206
Piero di Lorenzo de’ Medici 212 _Detail from the fresco by Domenico Ghirlandaio in the Church of S. Trinità, Florence_
Lorenzo di Piero de’ Medici, and three members of the Sasseti family 312 _In the fresco by Domenico Ghirlandaio in the Church of S. Trinità, Florence_
LETTERS OF THE EARLY MEDICI
INTRODUCTORY
The ancestors given to the Medici are many, and their origin is not easy to trace amid the conflicting accounts of friends and foes. The latter declare they sprang from the very dregs of the people, and that a charcoal-burner in the Mugello was their progenitor, whose son was a doctor (_medico_). Their friends say they descend from Perseus, from a Roman consul, or even from an emperor. Others state that a brave knight, Averardo de’ Medici, came into Italy with Charlemagne and killed the fierce giant Mugello, who for years had kept Tuscany in bondage; while those who cling to the _medico_ story, on account of the name, tell of a learned physician who saved the life of Charlemagne by applying cupping-glasses of his own invention. The well-known arms, six red balls on a field or, are accounted for in as many different ways. Doctors’ pills, cupping-glasses, apples from the gardens of the Hesperides, dents made by the giant’s mace on Averardo’s golden shield, and heads of enemies slain in battle by a valiant knight who killed eleven of his assailants, because the oldest shield of the Medici bore eleven balls.
According to genealogists the real progenitor of the Medici was a certain Giambuono. He appears to have been a priest, as is indicated in an ancient inscription on the wall of the church of the Assumption near S. Piero a Sieve in the Mugello. What is certain is that the family owned houses and towers in Florence in the twelfth century in the Piazza de’ Medici, afterwards called de’ Succhiellinai, near the church of S. Tommaso, which was in the Ghetto, now swept away. There a little inn, Del Porco, used to be pointed out as standing where once was the loggia of the family.