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T h e nume rous fieges wMd i this city fut t amed di i rmg the fucceffive war s , wh i c h at
var ious per iods de tokt ed the Piedmontcfe territory, have made it of great coi l fequence in
hiilory.
Conc luding that my readers will be d d i r o u s of being acquainted with its origin and
progref s to its prefcnt importance, I fliaU fubj o in the fol lowing accotmt , whi ch will be
thought , perhaps , to contain fome part iculars both cur ious and intercfting.
T h e pr incipal i ty of Pi edmont , or Pedes Mo n t imu , fo called f rom its being fituatcd at
the foot of the Alps , formed, in tlie time of the Romans , a pa r t of Ga l l i a Ci falpina, who f e
inhabi tant s were the Taur ini , Scguf i ani , Salaf f i , and Va g enni of the ancicnts. Af ter the
decline of that great empi re, it lhared the fate of the ref t of the provinces of Italy, and fell
a prey to the different hordes of ba rba rous nat ions , who , in the fourdi and fifdl century,
overrun Uiat beaut i ful country.
T h e Lomba r ds , a people f rom the northern part s of Ge rmany , having, in their turn,
c rof i td the Alps , in confequencc of their i r rupt ion into Ga u l , ma d e tlremfelves not only
mai ler s of Piedmont , b u t of the who l e count iy whi ch extends f rom tliat r idg e of mountains
a long the P 6 to the Adr iat ic S e a .
In S 6 8 thefc peopl e founded a k ingdom, whi ch bore their name tiU the eighth ccntury,
at which era Cha r l emagne inc luded it amo n g the reft of hi s nume rous conquef t s . T h i s
great emperor , def i rous of rewarding his old warriors, who ha d fo glor iouf ly fought b y his
fide, divided among f t f ome of them the greateft pa r t of Hi g h L omb a r dy , in feuda l temttes,
whi ch g ave thcfe lords pa r amount abfolute fway over their vaffals, wh om, in a fliort time,
forget t ing both intercft and duty, they treated fo de fpodc a l ly, tliat they be c ame as crael
and fanguinary as the barbar ians they had juf t expel led.
The i r dcfecndant j , a l though continually at wa r wi th each otlier, far f rom alleviating
the diflrcfs of the peopl e , aggravated b y every arbitrary impof i t ion tlie cruelties already
commi t ted by their anccftors, till at laft, wo rn out and exafperatcd b y dicfe repeated vexa -
tions, they revolted aga inf t their chiefs, and made them experience all tlie horror and
cruelty whi ch a peopl e a f l u a t e d b y defpai r is c apabl e of infUf f ing . A convincing proof ,
tliat too great an exccfs of tyranny and cruelty on one f ide, will fooner or later br ing on
all the evils of retaliation on the othe r ; which ought ever to b e gua rded againf t by the
admini f t rat ion o f j n f t i c c , and the eoncihat ing influence of moderat ion.
About di e middle of the hvelfth century may be eonf .dcred as the commencement of this
era of l iber ty; for at that time the major part of the Italian cities threw of f their yoke of
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oppreffion, and flicwed, by e r e i t ing themielves into feparate republ ics , tJiat Uicy were
averfe to refume their ihackles , or fufFer themfelves to be a g a in eni laved by their former
tyrants.
Tl i e city of Coni ma y b e faid to da te its origin f rom this per iod, and its exi l l cnce to an
a f t of cruelty fcarcely to be equal led in hi i lor j ' , whi ch took place about this t ime between
one of the lords or feigneurs named Del -va f io, and Rival ta, a nobl e of Ca r agl io, one of his
fiefmen.
T h i s ambi t ious Del -va l lo, who wa s as arbitrary as he was powe r ful , and of this powe r
we may form f ome idea f rom the nume rous towns which he poiTciTed, n ow known by the
appellat ions of Caragl io, Bo r g o , Boves , Peveragno, Brufa-porcel la, Roc c avione , &c. &c. In
each of thefe towns wa s a i l rong fortified caftle, which had ferved as a pl a c e o f retreat to
his predeceffors, relatives, and vaffals, in cafe of defeat or pur fui t , in confequence of the
incurfions, f raught wi th r apine and murde r , whi ch they we r e continually ma k ing in the
delightful plains of Piedmont .
The f e depredat ions they cont inued for fevei-al centuries, till ha v ing e xhaui l ed their
finances b y the nume rous a rmament s tliey we r e obl i g ed to ma k e for their pcrfonal fafet}',
having alfo experienced ma n y very fcvere checks f rom their enemies , they were at length
filenced and compel led to remain quiet. S ome of them at tempted to eflablifli a f o rm of
government in their different t enure s ; but , a l a s ! h ow great ly does oppref f ion, mi s for tune,
and humi l iat ion, degr ade the mind of man, b y throwing him into that kind of toi-por wluch
renders him infenfible to every noble f e e l ing ; and be ing thus lul led into an apathy f o profound,
he naturally becomes totally indifferent b y wh om he is do omed to wear the chains of
tj'ranny ! Ye t how frequently have we feen a tranfient fiafli awaken this depref led energj',
and p u lh it on to tlie other e x t r eme ; for who can f ay to h uma n natiu-c. T h u s far ihalt thou
g o , and no fartlier i T h e human mind is fuch, that when ma d e fenfible of its depref l ion,
and convinced that, for feveral centuries, it has not only been degraded but f u b j e d e d , it
too often leaps over all bounds , pant s folely for revenge, and is impc tuoui ly carried on
f rom horror to horror, till death becomes the watch-word, and knows not whe r e to Hop.
T h e fol lowing incident in hi i lory, whicli, f rom be ing connc f l ed wi th tlie remarkable
cpocha of the foxindaüon of the city of Coni , is not only valuable, but will prove Üic truth
of thefe i-eflc6lions, and fen-e to pourtray the temper of thofe t imes.
liivnlta, a noble of Ca r agl io, and fiefman to Dd - v a f t o , as before ment ioned, ha d an
only daugliter, wJiofc talents, ext reme beauty, and virtue, excitcd the love and admi rat ion