him, "who, when he meditated any design, went straight to his goal,
regardless of morality, religion, reputation and consequences."

Early in March he quitted Florence suddenly, giving out that his
presence was required at Rome in connection with the affairs of the
Pazzi bank. To say that his departure was a relief to Lorenzo is but
half the truth, for he was greatly perturbed with respect to the
influence which such a passionate and reckless rival would have upon his
relations with the Holy See. Francesco was the subject of watchfulness
upon the part of the Medici agents in Rome, where Giovanni de'
Tornabuoni set himself to thwart any hostile movement which might be
made.

Among prominent men with whom Francesco de' Pazzi was thrown into
contact were Archbishop Francesco de' Salviati and Count Girolamo de'
Riari. The Archbishop and Francesco were no strangers to one another;
their families had risen to affluence and power side by side in
Florence, actuated by like sentiments and engaged in like
activities--hatred of the Medici was mutual.

Sixtus had proposed, in 1474, to bestow upon Francesco de' Salviati the
Archbishopric of Florence, but the _Signoria_, instigated by Lorenzo,
refused to confirm his appointment and declined to grant him the
temporalities of the See. The Pope yielded very ungraciously to the
representations of the Florentine Government and named Rinaldo d'Orsini,
Lorenzo's brother-in-law, to the vacancy. This intervention was adduced
by Sixtus afterwards as insubordination worthy of punishment, and he did
not forget to take his revenge.

The following year Francesco de' Salviati was chosen as