had sent into the defiles of these hills many of their citizens,
with infantry raised upon the emergency to guard them, among whom was
Bartolomeo Orlandini, a cavaliere, to whom was intrusted the defense
of the castle of Marradi and the adjacent passes. Niccolo Piccinino,
finding the route by San Benedetto impracticable, on account of the
bravery of its commander, thought the cowardice of the officer who
defended that of Marradi would render the passage easy. Marradi is a
castle situated at the foot of the mountains which separate Tuscany from
Romagna; and, though destitute of walls, the river, the mountains, and
the inhabitants, make it a place of great strength; for the peasantry
are warlike and faithful, and the rapid current undermining the banks
has left them of such tremendous height that it is impossible to
approach it from the valley if a small bridge over the stream be
defended; while on the mountain side the precipices are so steep and
perpendicular as to render it almost impregnable. In spite of these
advantages, the pusillanimity of Bartolomeo Orlandini rendered the men
cowardly and the fortress untenable; for as soon as he heard of the
enemy's approach he abandoned the place, fled with all his forces, and
did not stop till he reached the town of San Lorenzo. Niccolo, entering
the deserted fortress, wondered it had not been defended, and, rejoicing
over his acquisition, descended into the valley of the Mugello, where
he took some castles, and halted with his army at Pulicciano. Thence he
overran the country as far as the mountains of Fiesole; and his audacity
so increased that he crossed the Arno, plundering and destroying
everything to within three miles of Florence.

The Florentines, however, were not dismayed. Their first concern was
to give security to the government, for which they had no cause for
apprehension, so universal was the good will of the people toward Cosmo;
and besides this, they had restricted the principal offices to a few