THE CASE OF THE VISCONTI. 199 agents in procuring his downfall, for Matteo had estranged him by refusing him the captaincy of the Milanese militia. Matteo sent to the legate to beg for terms, and was told that nothing short of abdication would be listened to ; he consulted the citizens and was given to understand that Milan would not expose itself to ruin for his sake. He yielded to the storm — perhaps his sev- enty-two years had somewhat weakened his powers of resistance — -he sent for his son Galeazzo, with whom he had quarrelled, and resigned to him his power, with an expression of regret that his quarrel with the Church had made the citizens his enemies. From that time forth he devoted himself to visiting the churches. In the Chiesa Maggiore he assembled the clergy, recited the Symbol in a loud voice, crying that it had been his faith during life, and that any assertion to the contrary was false, and of this he caused a public instrument to be drawn up. Departing thence like to one crazed, he hastened to Monza to visit the Church of S. Giovanni Battista, where he was taken sick and was brought back to the Monastery of Cresconzago, and died within three days, on June 27, to be thrust into unconsecrated ground. The Church might well boast that its ban had broken the spirit of the greatest Italian of the age.* The younger Yisconti — Galeazzo, Lucchino, Marco, Giovanni, and Stefano — were not so impressionable, and rapidly concen- trated the Ghibelline forces which seemed to be breaking in pieces. To give them their coup de grace, the pope, December 23, 1322, ordered Aicardo, the Archbishop of Milan, and the Inquisition to proceed against the memory of Matteo. January 13, 1323, from the safe retreat of Asti, Aicardo and three inquisitors, Pace da Yedano, Giordano da Montecucho, and Honesto da Pa via, cited him for appearance on February 25, in the Church of Santa Maria at Borgo, near Alessandria, to be tried and judged, whether pres- ent or not, and this citation they affixed on the portals of Santa Maria and of the cathedral of Alessandria. On the appointed day they were there, but a military demonstration of Marco Yisconti disturbed them, to the prejudice of the faith and impeding of the
- Sarpi, Discorso, p. 25 (Ed. Helmstadt). — Albizio, Risposto al P. Paolo
Sarpi, p. 75.— Continuat. Guill. Nangiac. ann. 1317. — Bern. Corio, aim. 1322. — Regest. Joann. PP. XXII. No. 89, 93, 94, 95 (Harduiu. VII. 1432).
