CHAPTER V.

FLORENCE AND HER ALLIES. LODOVICO IL MORO.

Unfavourable Condition of Florence—Lorenzo’s Position—King Louis XI. and Italian Intrigues—Negotiations between King and Pope—Necessity, for Lorenzo, of an Agreement—Diplomatic Transaction with Lodovico il Moro—Lodovico’s Character and Position—Lodovico il Moro as Governor—Lodovico on the Condition of the Florentines—Advice for an Arrangement with Naples—Filippo Strozzi’s Mission to Naples—Lorenzo de’ Medici’s Resolve on a Journey to Naples—Departure for Pisa and Bada 386