“The name of Florence has been variously explained. With the old chroniclers the prevalent opinion was, that it was derived from

Fiorino

, the Praetor of Metellus, who during the long siege of Fiesole by the Romans commanded an intrenched camp between the River and the Rock, and was here surprised and slain by the enemy. The meadows abounded in flowers, especially lilies, and the ancient ensign, a white lily on a red ground, subsequently reversed (

XVI

154), and similar to the form on the florin (