distinguished citizens of a state which could boast that its merchants
were princes. The palace they inhabited is no known by the name of the
Altoviti, its more recent owners, and many of the tombs of the Valori
are to be found in the church of St. Proculus. Macchiavelli mentions
Bartolomeo Valori among the _Cittadini d' autorita_, and, according to
Nardi, he was Gonfaloniere in the first two months of the years 1402,
1408, and 1420. He was also one of the Platonic Academy that Ficino
assembled around him. In this Diary of Sanuto will be found many minute
and interesting details respecting Savonarola, and the relation of the
tragical death of Francisco Valor, who had also been several times
Gontaloniere, and whom Savonarola, in his confession, said it was his
intention to have made perpetual Dictator.

I would have given a specimen of this very interesting diary, but that I
scrupled to occupy space which your correspondents enable you to fill so
effectively, for I fully subscribe to the dictum of the
_Ragguagliatore_, "Il Sanuto si presenta come la Scott degli Storiei,
compincendosi come Sir Walter delle giostre, delle feste, e delle
narrazioni piacevole e di dolce pietà.

S.W.S.

Mickleham, Nov. 23, 1849.

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MSS. OF ROGER TWYSDEN.