his house, that those who had rejoiced at Giovanni's death now regretted
it, perceiving what manner of man Cosimo was. Of consummate prudence,
staid yet agreeable presence, he was liberal and humane. He never worked
against his own party, or against the State, and was prompt in giving
aid to all. His liberality gained him many partisans among the
citizens."

Born in 1389, he early evinced mercantile proclivities, and when a lad
of no more than seventeen Messer Giovanni, his father, placed him in
charge successively of several of the foreign agencies of the Medici
bank. Young Cosimo used his opportunities so well that he was looked
upon as a successful financier, and came to be called "The Great
Merchant of Florence!"

He was jokingly wont to say: "Two yards of scarlet cloth are enough to
make a citizen!" Nevertheless he had a deep regard for the opinions and
privileges of his fellow Florentines. One of his constant sayings was:
"One must always consult the will of the people"--and "the people"
replied by acclaiming him "_Il Padre della Patria_."

Cosimo has been called "a great merchant and a grand party-leader: the
first of Florentines by birth and the first of Italians by culture." He
died in 1464. His father left in cash a fortune of nearly 180,000 gold
florins, but Cosimo's estate totalled upwards of 230,000--_circa_
£100,000--a vast amount in those days!

After the strong personality of Cosimo and his masterful manipulation of
commercial and political affairs, perhaps the unambitious rule of his
son Piero was a necessary and healthful corollary. Piero de' Medici
maintained the ground his father had made his own, and gave away nothing