"Since antique time whereof the memory
Holds the beginning, to this present hour,
The Franceschini ever shone, and shine
Still i' the primary rank, supreme amid
The lustres of Arezzo, proud to own
In this great family, the flag-bearer,
Guide of her steps and guardian against foe,—
As in the first beginning, so to-day!"
There, would you disbelieve the annalist,
Go rather by the babble of a bard?