tance; but Facino Cane made light of this previous settlement, and in the new position of affairs, with the house of Visconti visibly going down-hill, took possession of the city, retaining young Philip as half guest, half prisoner. When matters were in this woful state, the Duke was assassinated in Milan, and the prospects of the Visconti seemed at the lowest ebb. But on the very same day Facino died in Pavia, and this incident brought in an immediate element of hope.
It would seem that the death of his general raised Francesco of Carmagnola at once into the front of the captains who remained. He had taken the name of his village, perhaps by reason of the want of surname, which was common to Italian peasants, and which probably told more among the condottieri, whose ranks included many of the best names of Italy, than it did in art. With that preference for the Christian name which is still so curious in Italy, Carmagnola is called Francesco throughout one at least of the old histories which record his exploits; but there are so many other Francescos, that the custom is confusing. Carmagnola found himself a person of much additional importance when Facino died, though he was still very young, not more than twenty-two. But he would seem to have had sufficient sense and insight to perceive that, by interfering in this great crisis, and binding to himself one way or other the great family of the Visconti, he would do better for himself than by following the example of the elder generals, and setting up a little independent tyranny of his own. It is said that he offered his services first to Astorre Visconti, an illegitimate member of the family who had seized on Milan when the Duke was killed, but that the usurper's pay was not liberal enough to satisfy him. At all events, he put himself at the disposition of young Philip, who had now succeeded nominally to the dukedom of Milan, but was, so far as facts went, as much an adventurer as Carmagnola himself; although the changed aspect of affairs in Pavia, where now there was no one but Facino's widow, the fair Beatrice of Tenda, to keep the turbulent population and soldiery in hand, and to restrain the movements of the young prince, made a wonderful difference in the position. Carmagnola's offer of service put Philip at once at the head of an army, and opened to him the way of fortune. With the ease with which such domestic incidents were accomplished in those days, he married Beatrice, thus securing Pavia and all Facino's possessions. Whether she had previously cast a favourable eye upon the captive prince from the side of her scarred and deaf old general, history says not: her tragedy came afterwards, poor lady, when it suited the great Duke to get rid of the woman upon whom his fortunes were founded. But for the moment Beatrice and Carmagnola were all-important to him.
The first step after securing these invaluable aids was to gain possession of Milan, where the rival Astorre was killed; and after this all was success for Philip's arms. Carmagnola, as commander-in-chief of the Duke of Milan's forces, reconquered one by one the revolted cities. It was a slow process – for those were days in which everything was done by rule, when the troops retired into winter-quarters in due season, and a campaign was a leisurely performance, attended by little danger except to the unfortunate inhabi-
