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HISTORICAL ABSTRACT. 157
association. After fruitless endeavours to secure the co-operation 1529..
of Renzo da Ceri's forces, they resolve to murder the Cardinal de'
Medici. On May 22, Jacopo di Diacceto is arrested ; on June 7 he
is executed, together with Luigi di Tommaso Alamanni; Zanobi
Buondelmonti and Luigi di Piero Alamanni escape ; they, together
with the rest of the conspirators, are outlawed. [Machiavelli had
no share or part in this conspiracy, though his writings may have
had more influence on the conspirators than he intended ; but el.
Dlscorsi, ili. 6. Nardi (bk. vii. § viii) 'de' pensamenti e azioni di
questi giovani anche Niccol6 non fu senza imputazione.']
l_aehiavelii.--The Cardinal de' Medici's projects for the reform of the
state leads various persons to draw up schemes for a new constitution,
and among others Machiavelli. [Nardi, bk. vii. § 7 : 'alcune
persone.., composero alcune formule di governo libero, e alcune
orazioni in lode singularissime della persona del ca,-dmale, del
numero de' quali principalmente fu Nmcol6 Machiavegli.' Nerli,
bk. vii. p. 137 : '... era la citfft quasi tutta divisa, e molto confusa,
stando la maggior parte de' cittadini sollevati, chi in sulla speranza,
e chi in sul timore, e andarono molti tant' oltre, che scrissero varj
modelli per la detta riforma, e davantl (? davanli) al Cardmale, e fra
questi sene scoperse assai Zanobi Buondelmonti, ed io viddi gi/_ de'
suoi scritti, quali egli mi conferlva sopra quelle pratiche, e ante ne
viddi di Niccol6 Machiavelli, e tutti andavano in mane del Cardinale,
the mostrava di tenerne conto, e di fame capitale grandissimo.'
Machiavelli's project of reform is published in full by Amice, p. 55°
fell., and must not be confused with the earlier Discorso sulla
riforma, in Op. iv. lO5.]
In the autumn Machiavelli writes ' Istruzione a un ambasciatore,'
for Raffaello Girolami, appointed Florentine ambassador to Spain :
Op. iv. I77. [Best account by Heidenheimer 1, Machiavelli's erste
r6mische Legation, p. 59 fell. : cf. also Tommasini, p. 16o, note.]
Machiavelli makes his second will, November 27. [Given in full, Op.
i. cxxxix.]
The l_reneh in Ituly. -At the beginning of the year, the only pos- 1523.
sessions the French retain in Italy are the citadel of Milan and of
Cremona. The citadel of Milan submits to Prospero Colonna on
April x4. On June 28 a treaty is formed between Venice on the
one hand, the Emperor, Ferdinand Archduke of Austria, the Duke
of Milan on the other, for the joint defence of the Milanese ; while
at Rome a league is formed [August 3] between the Pope, Emperor,
England, the Archduke of Austria, Florence, Genoa for the defence
1 _Sie ist im eigenflichsten Sinne des Glaubensbekenntiss Machiavelli's m
gesandtschaftlichen Angelegenhelten, und enth_lt in kurzen Zugen die Summe
yon Erfahrungen, die er in denselben an sich und wol auch an Anderen im
Laufe ereignissvoller Jahre gemacht hatte.'