MISSION TO THE LORD OF PIOMBINO.Jacopo IV. d’ Appiano, Lord of Piombino, like all the petty lords of his time, sold his sword to whoever paid him best; and thus, after having for some time served the Pisans, he turned against them and engaged in the service of the Florentine republic. His condotta dates from 26 August, 1498, and was made jointly by the Florentine republic and the Duke of Milan. It was for two years, with the option on the part of the Condottiere to extend it for a third year. D’ Appiano was to bring with him two hundred men-at-arms, and was to receive as his pay 22,400 florins for each year of service, with the customary reservation of seven per cent. The Condottiere had obligated himself to be ready with his men within fifteen days of the first payment in advance, or anticipation, as it was then called. But he was not true to the sworn terms of the agreement, and delayed his departure for the camp until the last days of the following February. And hardly had he reached Pontedera when he demanded an increase of compensation. It is to this point that the mission of Machiavelli has reference; but being so near the city of Florence there was no correspondence on the subject. The result, however, is known from later documents, which show that the Florentine secretary succeeded in making the Lord of Piombino abandon his pretension to higher pay; but not the augmentation of his force by forty men-at-arms, which was conceded to him with the consent of the Duke of Milan in the latter part of May, with a corresponding increase of compensation.^*

Niccolo Machiavelli
Machiavelli, Niccolo
November 20, 1498

LETTER OF THE MAGISTRACY OF THE TEN TO THE LORD OF PIOMBINO.
November 20, 1498.

The entire faith and the very high estimation in which we hold your illustrious Lordship, induce us confidently to ask you to consent to do what our commissioners will ask of you, namely: — Having to withdraw our Captain-General with his troops from the neighborhood of Pisa, for the purpose of sending him to Arezzo, and desiring to replace these troops by others, and in the absence of our general to have a chief capable of properly commanding them, and not knowing to whom we could better confide this responsibility, we have concluded to commit it to your charge, feeling assured that the affection which you bear us will induce you to accept it

willingly, and that you will with the utmost possible promptitude proceed with your troops to the Pisan territory. And we feel convinced that, when you are once on the spot with your troops, our interests there will be fully protected.

And so that you may have some one to guide you there, we send you our most valued citizen, Niccolo Machiavelli, to accompany and guide you by the most convenient route. And we beg you most earnestly to comply with our request and expectations with your accustomed promptitude and prudence, feeling assured that you will do so cheerfully, as the charge which we ask you to accept is a most honorable one, etc., etc.