Machiavelli on Florence under the rule of Gautier de Brienne, Duke of Athens

So lived the citizens of Florence, watching with indignation as the grandeur of their state was brought low, as every institution was perverted, the rule of law destroyed, morals corrupted and all decency trampled underfoot. Those who had never beheld the outward pomp of monarchical power could not without grief see the Duke riding solemnly through the city, surrounded by a retinue of horse and foot. And, the better to feel their own disgrace, they were obliged to show deference to the man whom they hated mortally. To this was added the fear inspired by frequent executions and ceaseless exactions, which tormented and ruined the city. The indignation and fear of the citizens were well known to the Duke, and he too was afraid, yet for all that he pretended to believe himself universally beloved.

Machiavelli on Walter de Brienne, Duke of Athens, chosen in the autumn of 1342 as lifelong protector of the city, but driven out as early as 1343