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Assembling a great army of the supporters of the Guelph cause,

the Florentines entered the Pistoian territories. On the other

hand, Castruccio reached Montecarlo with his army; and having

heard where the Florentines' lay, he decided not to encounter it

in the plains of Pistoia, nor to await it in the plains of

Pescia, but, as far as he possibly could, to attack it boldly in

the Pass of Serravalle. He believed that if he succeeded in this

design, victory was assured, although he was informed that the

Florentines had thirty thousand men, whilst he had only twelve

thousand. Although he had every confidence in his own abilities

and the valour of his troops, yet he hesitated to attack his

enemy in the open lest he should be overwhelmed by numbers.