upon which Charles viii sat with covered head, unfolded a paper and began
to read, article by article, the conditions imposed by the King of
France. But scarcely had he read a third of the document when the
discussion began more hotly than ever before. Then Charles VIII said
that thus it should be, or he would order his trumpets to be sounded.
Hereupon Piero Capponi, secretary to the republic, commonly called the
Scipio of Florence, snatched from the royal secretary's hand the shameful
proposal of capitulation, and tearing it to pieces, exclaimed:--

"Very good, sire; blow your trumpets, and we will ring our bells."

He threw the pieces in the face of the amazed reader, and dashed out of
the room to give the terrible order that would convert the street of
Florence into a battlefield.

Still, against all probabilities, this bold answer saved the town. The
French supposed, from such audacious words, addressed as they were to men
who so far had encountered no single obstacle, that the Florentines were
possessed of sure resources, to them unknown: the few prudent men who
retained any influence over the king advised him accordingly to abate his
pretensions; the result was that Charles VIII offered new and more
reasonable conditions, which were accepted, signed by both parties, and
proclaimed on the 26th of November during mass in the cathedral of Santa
Maria Del Fiore.

These were the conditions:

The Signoria were to pay to Charles VIII, as subsidy, the sum of 120,000
florins, in three instalments;