Niccolo Machiavelli
Machiavelli, Niccolo

20 October, 1502
Imola

LETTER XI.

Magnificent Signori: —

Yesterday, before receiving your Lordships’ letter of the 17th, to which this is a reply, his Excellency the Duke sent for me, and told me that he had letters from France from Monseigneur d’Arles, containing the information that your Lordships’ ambassador had presented himself on your part to his Majesty the king, and had related to him the doings of the Orsini, the meetings held by them, as well as the other movements against his Holiness the Pope; that he had pointed out to his Majesty the consequences that might result therefrom, and had advised him to take the matter in hand himself; and that, in conclusion, he had told him that your Lordships were ready to do whatever you could in support of the Pope and the Duke whenever his Majesty should deem proper. That his Majesty had expressed himself in reply very warmly in favor of the Duke, and extremely pleased at the assurances of the ambassador, saying that the more vigorous the support, the more agreeable would it be to him, and that the Florentine Signoria ought to render such aid by their armed forces and by all other means. When our ambassador replied that your Lordships were short of troops, the king said that he would grant you permission to raise troops in all his states for the benefit of the Church. After having communicated to me this information, his Excellency added: “You must write to your Signoria to send ten squadrons of cavalry to my assistance; and tell them that I am ready to conclude a firm and indissoluble alliance with them, from which they will derive all the advantages that can be hoped for from my support and my fortune.” Adding that, “since his Majesty the king has manifested that disposition, of which your Lordships must

now be fully informed, he would wish that that matter should be carried into effect” about which I wrote you on the 16th, which letter was sent by our courier Giovanni de Domenico, and which I will not repeat here. Moreover, the Duke would wish that your Lordships, under color of some excuse, should give the Orsini and their partisan chiefs to understand, either verbally or by letter as you may deem best, that you are obliged to obey the commands or suggestions of his Majesty the king; and that if his Majesty should require you to give your support to his Holiness the Pope, no matter against whom, you would be obliged to give it. And here the Duke protested to me that your Lordships would thus render him a very great service, and desired me to write you immediately.

After that he touched upon various other subjects, to all of which I replied as I thought my duty demanded, but being of no particular importance, I deem it superfluous to give you an account of them; and will only mention this, that in speaking of Pandolfo Petrucci he said, “This man sends me every day letters or special messengers to assure me of his great friendship for me, but I know him.” He then told me that he had been written to from various places that your Lordships counselled the Bolognese to declare war against him, and that those who had so written him said that you had done so either because you desired his ruin, or for the purpose of making a more advantageous treaty with him. But the Duke said that he did not believe it, from all the evidence he had, and especially from the information he had received from France.

Valete!
Niccolo Machiavelli.
Imola,
20 October, 1502.