EARLY HISTORY.
in the magnificence of their buildings, and in their solemn
feasts, that, to use the words of the historian, “Sulla must have
returned to life to enable them to redeem their debts.’ Dissen-
sions among themselves followed, and they were ready on the
first occasion to vent their discontent by taking up arms against
Rome. When Catiline, therefore, retreated to the mountains
above Pistoia, a strong auxiliary force met him from Florence,
and this remnant of Sulla’s troops fought beside the conspirator
in his last battle, and perished with him B.C. 62.
Florentia early obtained the rank and privileges of a Roman
municipium, and Tacitus mentions that in the reign of Tiberius,
an ambassador from the city appeared at Rome on a singular
occasion. A question had arisen regarding the necessity of
diverting some of the tributary streams of the Tiber into other
channels to prevent the frequent inundations of that river, and
the Florentines sent their ambassadors to remonstrate against
the proposal of turning the Chiano from the Tiber into the
Arno, which would have overwhelmed Florence.
In the reign of Nero, A.D. 56, Frontinus and Paulinus, two
recent converts to Christianity, arrived in Florence to introduce
the new religion. A persecution followed, which was suspended
under Titus and Vespasian, but renewed under Decius in the
third century, when Florence contributed to the list of martyrs.
The first recognised bishop was Felice, about A.D. 313. The
existence of a bishop implies a cathedral, and such was probably
the church of San Salvador, on whose site was afterwards
erected Sta. Reparata, when the present Baptistery became pro
tempore the cathedral. A few years later Sta. Reparata
obtained this dignity, which she continued to hold until de¬
molished to make room for the beautiful edifice of Sta. Maria del
Fiore. The reason why the Florentines adopted Sta. Reparata
for their patron saint is found in a legend connected with their
favourite bishop, St. Zanobius. Early in the fifth century,
1 Catiline’s general Manlius was long encamped near Fiesole. See
Cicero, Speech i., and Sallust.
B 2
