Strona 289 z 310

At length Castruccio, seeing how long the battle had lasted, and

that both his men and the enemy were utterly exhausted, and that

both sides had many killed and wounded, pushed forward another

body of infantry to take up a position at the rear of those who

were fighting; he then commanded these latter to open their ranks

as if they intended to retreat, and one part of them to turn to

the right and another to the left. This cleared a space of which

the Florentines at once took advantage, and thus gained

possession of a portion of the battlefield. But when these tired

soldiers found themselves at close quarters with Castruccio's

reserves they could not stand against them and at once fell back

into the river.