To protect the city of Florence, Compagni first relied on methods of human justice, specifically oaths and government. In the very beginning of the chronicle, Compagni was still very optimistic about his ability and the power of justice. He first described his participation in government in the quote,”I paid no heed to legal penalties, but rather the purity of my spirit and the cause of the city’s disorder.” Compagni believed that goodness would win out over evil and he characterized himself in Book One as innocent. He furthered this characterization when he spoke about going to a criminal’s house to punish him for his wrongdoing and he described himself as the “Standard-bearer of Justice,” who destroyed the houses, “in accordance with the law.”…show more content… Because he was so sure of this, he often used arguments based around strengthening unity to persuade faction leaders to end the discord. At one point, Compagni said to Florentine lords, “‘Lords, why do you want to disturb and ruin so good a city? Against whom do you wish to fight-against your brothers?” All the appeals that Compagni made during this period were ones of ethos, trusting that other Florentines would share his love of the city and thereby each other. However, Compagni begins to lose this trust and his belief in his own ability to enact justice. A turning point for him was when he convinced many of the problematic citizens to join in the baptistery where they were all baptized as Florentines and Christians. This city center was a bastion of religion and brotherhood within the city, bonding all the citizens in their shared experience and beliefs. Compagni was convinced that swearing to end the violence here would be an oath that no man could break, a promise to God and each other. However, despite swearing ardently on the Bible, many of the oathtakers quickly continued to betray one