CHAP. V.

THE BATTLE OF FORONUOVO, WHERE THE KING OF FRANCE GAINS A COMPLETE VICTORY OVER THE CONFEDERATED PRINCES OF ITALY.

On Monday the 6th of July, in the year 1495, the french army was encamped adjoining to the valley of Taro, about two miles from Foronuovo, and four from Parma. Thence marched that gallant prince, Charles VIII. of the name, king of France, accompanied by those valiant captains before mentioned, and about eight or nine thousand courageous men at arms, to meet from fifty to sixty thousand Lombards, Venetians, Estradiots[8], and others, his enemies. The marquis of Mantua was commander of the Venetians: count Galeas Sforza was the representative of his brother, Ludovico duke of Milan, and the lord of Ferrara commanded the rest of the traitors, in company with other captains.

The king was armed from head to foot in a manner becoming so great a prince. Over his armour he wore a jacket, with short sleeves, of a white and violet colour, besprinkled with crosses of Jerusalem. His helmet was magnificently ornamented with feathers,—and he was accoutred like a good man at arms, with sword, dagger, spear and battle-axe. He was mounted on a powerful black horse, called Savoy, whose caparison was of the same colours with the king's jacket, and besprinkled with similar small crosses. The king was surrounded by very able and trusty advisers to direct him, having under them about two thousand men, who afterwards gave good proofs of their valour.

When the french army had been properly arranged, and the artillery was ready, they began to advance toward the enemy in such wise as the ground served them. The Italians not knowing in what division of the army the king had posted himself, sent a herald, under pretence of asking something from him,—and the herald, on his return, told them the manner in which the king was accoutred. They now began to move, and taking advantage of a favourable situation, discharged a heavy piece of artillery at the van of the french, which wounded and killed several, although it did not break their ranks, nor cause any great confusion. A sharp cannonading followed; but the king's artillery did great mischief to the enemy, and killed one of their principal cannoniers, as was known from a trumpeter that was soon after made prisoner. The king's artillery was so well served that the Italians were forced to retreat, having noticed the excellent order in which the French were formed.

It was wonderful to observe the cool and determined valour of the gallant king, both in actions, and in speeches to those about his person: 'How say you, my lords and friends? Are you not resolved to serve me well to-day? and will you not live and die with me?' Then having heard their answers, he continued, 'Be of good courage, and not afraid; for although they be ten times our number,—which is the case, as I know for certain,—yet we have justice on our side, for which I put my confidence in God, that he will be pleased to give us the victory over our enemies. I have also hopes that he will fight this day on our side, and that, through his gracious favour, we shall again triumph, as we have done throughout the whole of this expedition, and return to France with honour to ourselves, through his merciful kindness.' Such, or nearly similar, were the words with which this valorous king consoled and encouraged all around him.

The enemy were much surprised at the good order of the French; and to endeavour to break it, they sent a detachment of Estradiots, and some Albanians, across a hill, to fall on the baggage. Those who had the guard of it had been very negligent in not keeping themselves in readiness to resist an attack, by reason of some dispute among themselves, for which they suffered; but it was not much, as shall be told hereafter,—and the army remained unbroken.

The Italians, seeing this, sent a herald to the king to demand a truce. The king replied,—'If they wish for a truce, let them meet me between the two armies.' But he afterward sent to them, to say, that if they would, through friendship, allow him and his army a free passage to France, it was all he wanted, otherwise he would force his passage in spite of them.

The Lombards and Venetians, hearing this message from the king's herald, detained him, and resolved instantly to charge the French, like madmen. They were particularly desirous to attack the division where the king was, to put him to death,—but God was that day his Protector. The advanced guard, perceiving the enemy thus hastily marching, informed the king of their gaining the woods and bushes; on which he crossed the bed of the Taro, and each army was in sight of the other. In fact, the Italians were handsomely equipped and mounted, and advanced with the appearance of a determined courage, as they were far superior in numbers to the French. Their best men were placed in front,—and the first onset was very severe on both sides. As they had been informed by their herald how the king was dressed, their chief attack was made on his division, and with such success that they advanced to his person; but he displayed great valour, and was so heartily seconded by those near him that the enemies were completely repulsed, with immense slaughter; even the boldest among them attributed their highest honour to him who could fly the fastest; for when they saw the day was lost, the best piece of all their armour was the point of their spurs.

Only one man of rank was made prisoner on the side of the French, namely, Matthew bastard of Bourbon, who had most valiantly defended the king, and he was taken when pursuing the enemy up to their lines. Not more than nine or ten french gentlemen were killed, although their enemies were ten to one against them, the greater part of whom saved themselves by flight. This proves, beyond a doubt, that Divine Providence assisted the French, and gave them the victory over their disloyal enemies, who were conquered in so very short a space of time. The king remained the whole of the day armed and on horseback, and until the whole of his army had retired within their camp. Thither came ambassadors to him from the Italians, to demand the prisoners; but they were answered, that they should not be restored,—which astonished them greatly, as they feared that some of their first nobility had been either killed or made prisoners.

The king and his nobles, in sign of triumph and victory, supped and lay on the field of battle,—where they ate and drank what they could find, and as it pleased God, to whom they gave their most humble thanksgivings and praises for their success, as indeed they were bounden to do.

CHAP. VI.

THE KING DECAMPS FROM FORONUOVO, TO RETURN TO FRANCE.

On the morrow of the battle of Foronuovo, the 7th of July, the king, after hearing early mass, decamped from before Foronuovo, and posted his army on an elevated situation called Magdelan, about half a french league from his late camp, where he remained the whole day. The commanders of the artillery made such diligence in bringing up the cannon that they were placed round the king, as was usual in such cases. The king marched away, on the Wednesday, with his army and artillery, and repassed several towns wherein he had halted on his advance to Naples, notwithstanding the attempts of the enemy to prevent it. He came at length to Novara, and delivered the duke of Orleans, who had been shut up in that town, with a party of his men, by the traitor Ludovico of Milan. Thence the king proceeded to Asti and to Vercelli, where the duke of Orleans came to meet him. The king received him with much friendship, and they supped together.

On Friday, the 2d of October in this year, the lord de Vendôme died in the town of Vercelli. His death was much lamented by the king and his nobles, for he was a notable prince. The following Tuesday, the king had a funeral service performed with much solemnity in the cathedral-church dedicated to St Eusebius, where great grief was manifested by all the assistants; and afterward his body was transported to France, to be interred among his ancestors.

On Wednesday, the 7th of October, the bishop of Sion arrived at Vercelli, with a body of Swiss, horse and foot, and others from the german allies of the king, for his better security. The king thanked the bishop for his friendship, and grandly feasted him and the troops he had brought.

The next day, ambassadors came to the king from Ludovico of Milan and the Venetians, and earnestly demanded a treaty, having witnessed the strength of the king, and the enterprising courage of his troops,—when a treaty was agreed to, on much better terms than they deserved.

On Saturday, the 10th of October, the king heard mass in the church of the Cordeliers in Vercelli, adjoining his lodgings; and after his dinner, he proceeded to Trino, where he halted until the 15th of October, when he went to Crescentino, and from this place, by many days march, arrived at Grenoble, passing through the following towns; Sillans, Sessia[9], Turin, Quiers, Rivoli, Suza, Briançon, Nôtre Dame d'Embrun, Savines, Saint Eusebe, La Meure[10], and Tault near to Grenoble. He arrived at Grenoble about vespers, on the 27th of October; and all ranks of people went out in procession, and made another public entry for him on his return from the campaign of Italy.

The king, being unwell, remained in Grenoble until the 3d of November, when he set out for Lyon, passing through the towns of St Rambert, where he staid some days, Sillans, La Côte St André, and Chatonay,—from which last place he advanced nearer to Lyon, where he slept.

On Saturday, the 7th of November, having dined at Venisseu, he proceeded to Lyon, whence all the churchmen came out in grand procession, dressed in their robes, and bearing relics, to meet and welcome him on his return from Italy. He made a public entry into Lyon, as king of Jerusalem, Naples, and Sicily, attended by all the municipal officers, and persons of rank in that town, handsomely dressed. He was conducted triumphantly through the streets, accompanied by the nobles and captains, who were looked at with pleasure in consequence of the noble victory they had gained over such superior numbers. The streets and squares were hung with tapestries: bonfires and mysteries were exhibited in all the open spaces through which the king passed, in his way to the archbishop's palace, that had been prepared for his lodgings. Here the queen and the duchess of Bourbon his sister were waiting, with many noble ladies and damsels, impatient to receive him; and indeed he was deserving of such eagerness.

The king held most sumptuous justs at three different places in Lyon: at La Grenette in front of the convent of Cordeliers, in the Juerie, and before the palace: at all of them, he was foremost to offer himself, and performed many gallant feats with lance and sword, on horseback and on foot, as did several others of the french lords. In memory of these justs, three stone columns were erected,—and to this day there exist the latin verses that were inscribed on them, for king Charles was the principal tenant of the lists.

Prior to the expedition to Naples, the king had the body of the seraphic doctor, St Bonaventure, raised with great pomp from his tomb in the church of the Cordeliers,—and the duke and duchess of Bourbon had his shrine afterward covered with plates of silver. The king, at the same time, founded the convent of the Cordeliers of the Observance in the city of Lyon, which is become a place of much devotion.

When the king had staid some days in Lyon, he resolved to pursue his journey, to pay his devotions at the abbey of St Denis, and return thence to Amboise,—which he did, as shall be hereafter related.

In the year 1496, the son of the king of Spain died,—and the same year died the duke of Savoy, who was said, by those lately returned from Italy, to have poisoned the whole country of Piedmont.

CHAP. VII.

THE KING OF FRANCE GOES TO ST DENIS.—HE RETURNS TO AMBOISE, AND THERE SUDDENLY DIES, OF A FIT OF APOPLEXY.

When king Charles had made some stay in Lyon, and had witnessed the tilts and tournaments that had been performed at Moulins, in the Bourbonnois, he proceeded to the abbey of St Denis, to accomplish the vow of pilgrimage he had made, and to offer up his thanksgivings to God for the brilliant victories he had obtained over his enemies, and for the successful issue of his expedition to Naples. He went likewise to St Denis, to replace the blessed bodies of the holy martyrs, who repose there, that had been taken down from their niches when the king set out on his italian expedition.

It is an ancient and praiseworthy custom, that when the most Christian kings of France undertake any foreign expedition in person, they supplicate the aid and intercession of the glorious martyr St Denis, and his companions Saint Rusticus and Saint Eleutherus. The shrines of these saints are, in consequence, taken down from their niches on the king's quitting his kingdom, and deposited in a private part of the church. These holy bodies, thus deposited, cannot be replaced in their former situations until the king shall return to St Denis from his foreign expedition, whether it had been for conquest or pleasure.

King Charles, therefore, having been victorious throughout Italy, followed the pious custom of his ancestors the kings of France. He made a devout pilgrimage, to St Denis,—and the shrines of the martyrs were, by him, replaced in their several niches, in the presence of the great barons of France. The king would neither pass nor repass through Paris on this pilgrimage, for reasons that moved him so to do, but which I omit, to avoid prolixity. For this cause, when he left St Denis, he took his road through St Antoine des Champs, thence over Le Pont-de-Chalenton[11], and through Beauce, strait to the castle of Amboise, where he found the queen and many lords and ladies of his noble blood. He was received there by the inhabitants with the utmost joy and honour.

He had not been long at Amboise before he heard of the treachery of the Neapolitans, and the death of the noble Gilbert lord of Montpensier. The remaining captains, unable to support themselves in Naples after his loss, returned home as well as they could; for those traitors of Lombardy and Naples had suddenly risen in rebellion,—and they could not possibly receive succours in time from France, had they attempted to hold out against them, from the great distance.

King Charles made preparations to avenge himself on them for their treachery and infidelity,—but he had over-exerted himself in his late expedition. His constitution, which was naturally feeble, became daily worse: whence it happened, that as he was walking one day in a gallery of the castle of Amboise with the queen, and amusing himself by looking at some tennis-players, he was suddenly seized with a fit, and died shortly after, in the twenty-eighth year of his age, and in the month of April in the year 1497. May God have mercy on his soul!

CHAP. VIII.

OF THE FUNERAL SERVICES PERFORMED FOR KING CHARLES VIII. OF FRANCE, AT AMBOISE, PARIS, AND ST DENIS.

After the decease of king Charles VIII. whose soul may God pardon! a very solemn funeral service was performed at Amboise, in the church of St Florent, by the reverend cardinal the lord John Peraule, assisted by many prelates, great lords, and other persons. There were immense numbers of tapers and torches, and great alms were distributed. When this service was over, the king's heart was carried for interment to the church of Nôtre Dame de Clery, near to that of his late father. The body, with the representation of his figure over it, was borne in sorrowful pomp to the church of our Lady in the fields, in the suburbs of Paris, where it was watched all night by some of his most confidential friends.

On the morrow morning, a grand procession came out of Paris, consisting of all the clergy with their crosses, the four orders of mendicant friars, the members of the court of parliament and of the other courts of justice, the provosts, sheriffs, and inhabitants dressed in mourning, to the church of our Lady in the Fields,—where were waiting the great lords, officers, pages of honour, and others, to the number of more than seven thousand persons, clad in mourning, with hoods,—and, according to the usual ceremony, conducted the body to the cathedral-church of our Lady in Paris. There were four hundred torches, ornamented with escutcheons of three flowers de luce, carried by four hundred poor men, dressed in black cloaks and hoods. A solemn funeral service was performed in the church of Nôtre Dame; after which, the body was carried with the same ceremonies through Paris to the abbey of St Denis, where another service was solemnly performed for the deceased, and presents of money given to all the assistants in making the offerings at the mass, and great alms distributed to the poor.

When the accustomed ceremonies had been finished, the body of king Charles was interred in the sepulchre that had been prepared for him; after which there was a grand dinner given to all the assistants in honour of the late king, to whose soul may God graciously grant his pardon! Amen.

CHAP. IX.

OF KING LOUIS THE TWELFTH.

On the 23d of May, in the year 1498, Louis duke of Orleans, son to the late duke Charles, was consecrated king of France, in the same manner as his predecessors had been, in the cathedral of Rheims. He was the twelfth who had borne the name of Louis, and the fifty-fifth king of France.

At this ceremony at Rheims were the twelve peers of France, or their substitutes. For the duke of Burgundy appeared the duke of Alençon; for the duke of Normandy, the duke of Lorraine; for the duke of Guienne, the duke of Bourbon; for the earl of Flanders, the lord de Ravenstein; for the earl of Champagne, the lord Angillebert of Cleves; for the earl of Toulouse, the lord of Foix. Almost the whole of the french nobility were present at the ceremony, which was solemnized in the usual mode to that of former kings, by the cardinal of St Malo, archbishop of Rheims.

Immediately after, the king made knights of his order of St Michael the lord de Taillebourg, the lord des Pierres, lord de la Gruture, the lord de Clerieux. He created also knights to the amount of four score; among whom were the lord de Myolans, sir Claude de Mont-l'Or lord of Château-neuf, de Salazuit, and others, too numerous to name. When these things were done, the king ordered preparations for his entry into Paris.

On the 1st of July, the king was crowned in the church of St Denis, after the manner of his predecessors, kings of France. On the morrow he made a triumphant entry into Paris, and supped at the palace. When all these solemnities were ended, each person withdrew to different places, as ordered by the king. The first who made any opposition to him was the lord de Vergy,—but the war was soon ended in Burgundy.

The duke de Valentinois, said to be the son of pope Alexander VII.[12] arrived at Lyon on the 18th of October, and made his public entry into that city. The king had given him the county of Valentinois[13],—and he was now come to France to conclude his marriage with the daughter of the lord d'Albret. This duke was also a cardinal; but he had left that dignity behind him, and appeared in secular clothes with the utmost pomp and grandeur.

The 2d and 3d of December, the wind was so high at Lyon that the greatest alarm was caused by it; and the custodium, in which the hosts were kept, on the high altar, in the church of the Cordeliers, was burst open, owing to a broken pane in the window, and the sacred wafers blown all about the church, to the great scandal of devout persons. It happened somewhat before eight o'clock in the morning.

This year, the king gave the princess Jane of France the duchy of Berry; and, for the benefit of the realm, he espoused, by a dispensation from pope Alexander VII. the widowed queen of France, Anne of Brittany,[14] which was of the greatest public utility.

In the course of this year 1499, the head of St Bonaventure was deposited, in a very rich shrine of silver, in the church of the Cordeliers at Lyon,—and a most solemn procession was made on the occasion by the friars of the convent. On the 10th of June, in this year, the king made his public entry into Lyon, which was very magnificent. The streets were hung with tapestries,—and many fine mysteries were represented in the squares. He was very anxious to recover possession of the Milanese, and had sent thither a large army, which, within fifteen days, reconquered Milan, on the 4th of September. Duke Ludovico was in the town, and narrowly escaped being taken, by quitting the place in disguise. The town of Alexandria della Paglia[15], having shown much hatred to the French, was plundered, and the greater part of it destroyed.

When the king heard of the capture of Milan, he left Lyon, giving orders to the lord de Bersac to destroy all the benches and awnings before the doors in that city. He made his public entry into Milan, and regulated its government.

On the Friday before All-souls-day, in this year, the bridge of Nôtre Dame, at Paris, fell down, which was a heavy loss; and the king sent thither John de Doyac to superintend the immediate construction of another.

The year 1500 was a grand year of jubilee at Rome, celebrated by pope Alexander VII. and attended by great numbers. There would have been more, if, on the 3d of January, duke Ludovico Sforza had not, in person, regained Milan, by the aid of a considerable body of Germans. He won the town through the treason of the inhabitants, who surrendered themselves to him; but the French fought valiantly, and kept possession of the castle, whence they battered the town.

Several Frenchmen, going to the jubilee at Rome, were murdered at the inns on the road,—which being discovered, justice was done on the perpetrators by burning their houses, with their inhabitants, to serve for examples to all others. The duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, gave a ducat to every one who brought him the head of a Frenchman. The count Gayache and his wife now came to France; he was brother to the late Galeas Visconti.

On the 19th of March in this year, the queen of France made a second public entry into Lyon, the streets being hung with tapestry, and several beautiful mysteries represented. About eight days after, a number of prisoners of war were brought before the king, at Lyon, for having broken their oaths, at which the public greatly murmured.

CHAP. X.

DUKE LUDOVICO SFORZA IS MADE PRISONER BEFORE NOVARA, AND CARRIED TO FRANCE.

On Thursday before Palm-Sunday, the French in Italy acted with such vigour that duke Ludovico fled from Novara with one hundred horse, abandoning his army and artillery in that town. When the french captains approached, a burgundian leader, called the captain of the Yotiers, came out of Novara and surrendered himself and men to them. The bailiff of Dijon went into Novara to practise with the Swiss in the pay of the duke of Milan (about four thousand in all), who only asked for payment of what was due to them. In regard to the Lansquenets, they knew not how to act; for the Swiss in the king's service would not show them any mercy, although their captains did all they could that matters might be settled without effusion of blood.

There were in Novara twenty thousand combatants; eight thousand Lansquenets, four thousand Swiss, eight hundred Burgundians, and the rest Lombards. In addition to these, a reinforcement of fifteen hundred men were on their march to join them, and within a mile of Vercelli, not including those in Vigeue.[16]

Shortly after, Ludovico returned and marched his army out of Novara, and encamped them near to the French; but God, knowing the usurpation and wickedness of Ludovico, inspired the French with courage to defend themselves, when attacked by him. Notwithstanding the duke of Milan thought himself certain of destroying the French, the matter ended without blood being spilt, and without a battle. It was said, that the Lansquenets, refused to fight against their countrymen; and likewise, that the duke had not paid his men their arrears, which made them unwilling to serve him. On the other hand, the French were determined on battle; but when they marched to charge the milanese army, it surrendered to them without striking a blow.

The duke of Milan, observing this, disguised himself in the frock of a cordelier monk, and, by mixing with his men, thought to escape; but the lord de Ligny and the lord de la Trimouille made such good arrangements with their army, it was impossible; for they ordered the whole of the milanese force to pass under the pikes, so that the duke was discovered, made prisoner, and put under the guard of the French in Novara, which place had thrown open its gates. The lord Jean Jacques[17] was present at this conquest, for he had always been faithful to the king. The duke had in his pay an astrologer or necromancer, in whom he put great confidence; but his astrology was of no avail to prevent him being made prisoner.

According to agreements entered into with the milanese army, they were allowed to depart in safety with their arms and baggage,—but the duke and his artillery remained with the French. The lord-cardinal of Amboise was then at Vercelli, and vowed the king under the protection of our Lady des bonnes nouvelles.

Intelligence of this success came to the king at Lyon, the vigil of Palm-Sunday, which rejoiced him exceedingly; and bonfires were made in the streets, for joy that the French had been victorious. Immediately after, news was brought that the duke of Milan was a prisoner, which caused the rejoicings to be repeated by all ranks of persons in Lyon. The children of the duke were sent into Germany.

CHAP. XI.

THE CARDINAL ASCANIUS, BROTHER TO THE DUKE OF MILAN, IS TAKEN PRISONER, AND CARRIED TO FRANCE.

The cardinal Ascanius, brother to the duke of Milan, was in that city when he heard of the duke being a prisoner: he instantly departed thence, with six hundred horse and some artillery, accompanied by the higher nobility of Milan. He had also with him a considerable body of Estradiots; and the commander of the whole was count John, brother to the marquis of Mantua, who intended to march for the Bolognese,—but it was said, that he was met by a venetian captain, of the name of Soucin Bienson[18], with a body of troops, who attacked the cardinal. At this unexpected onset, the cardinal cried out, 'Qui vive?' and was answered, 'St Mark and France!' The battle lasted four hours,—and the venetian captain was severely wounded, with many of his men,—but when the cardinal, who was in armour, saw the fortune of the day was against him, he fled to a castle called Rivoli, which was immediately besieged by the Venetian.

To make short of this matter,—the cardinal lost many of his men, and the brother to the marquis of Mantua was ransomed. With this venetian captain was another called Charles des Ursins. A milanese captain, of the name of Badin, was made prisoner, with the abbot of Senselles, and four viscounts,—and upwards of a hundred thousand ducats were taken, without including the baggage. The cardinal, astonished to find himself besieged in this castle without provision or money, entreated the captain to ransom him, which he refused,—so that he surrendered himself on the sole conditions of having his life spared, and of being given up to the king of France.

The captain would have carried him a prisoner to Venice,—but the seneschal of Beaucaire, the lord de Montoison, and the chief justice of Provence, who had gone thither to receive the cardinal, prevented it. The Venetians also, knowing that the cardinal was an enemy to the king, that he had been taken on the king's territories near Piacenza, and wishing likewise to be on good terms with France, had the cardinal delivered into the hands of the before-named persons.

The inhabitants of Milan, on their duke and his brother the cardinal being made prisoners, opened a negotiation, for the surrender of their town, with the cardinal of Amboise, lieutenant for the king.

CHAP. XII.

THE INHABITANTS OF MILAN ARE BRIBED INTO SUBJECTION.

On the 17th of April, which was Good Friday, in this same year, the inhabitants of Milan, acknowledging the great crimes they had committed against the king of France, their duke, most humbly besought the reverend father in God the lord George d'Amboise, cardinal-priest of the apostolical see, lieutenant-general for the said king, that he would be pleased (after having granted some small sums for their relief, to assist them in paying their fine, and also to save them from the pillage and destruction which the army was ready to inflict on them) to come to the duke's palace in the city of Milan to receive their submissions, which they were determined to make publicly in acknowledgment of their misconduct, and to entreat the clemency of the king, on payment of such a fine as their means would admit of.

This reverend cardinal acceded to their request, and came to the palace called La Court-vieille, whither arrived in procession all the nobles, burghers, tradesmen and inhabitants, preceded by little children dressed in white linen, and bareheaded, having a large crucifix, and the great banner of our Lady, borne before them.

The lord-cardinal being seated on the throne prepared for him in the great court of this palace, and surrounded by many of the king's counsellors and captains, master Michael Touse, doctor of laws, and town-advocate, ascended a rostrum that had been there erected, and made the following harangue:

'Unworthy as I am to ascend this rostrum, my most reverend and most illustrious lord-cardinal, I am very anxious to have it remembered, and thus publicly to express the complete submission and devotion my countrymen, the people of Milan, as well as myself, feel toward our sovereign lord and duke, the most Christian king of France; and although I know my own incapacity to express their wishes, notwithstanding my earnest desire so to do, yet, as a good citizen, I could not refuse their requests to undertake it,—and I will accomplish it to the best of my abilities.

'Among all the cities and towns of Italy, Milan, without doubt, must be considered as the principal, when governed with justice by an upright lord, as all good and loyal citizens have desired. Since God the Creator, has been pleased to place them in the hands of the most Christian king, their legitimate lord, they cannot wish for a better nor a more powerful prince: their duty is to persevere in the fidelity and loyalty which they have sworn to him when he received them with such benignity and humanity. It may be said, that he had reintegrated the citizens to their country, and their country to the founder; for the French had founded and built the city of Milan,—and the country, to this day, retains the name of Gallia Cisalpina. But, alas! we have sadly displayed the instability of our tempers, and committed the crimes of treason and rebellion without any reason for so doing; for neither the king our lord nor the deputies he sent to govern us, have done any things that ought to have displeased us, or make us discontented. In regard to our lord himself, we have always found him full of humanity, affection, and clemency; and in regard to the lord de Luson, who had been appointed our chief justice, we cannot accuse him of any improper acts,—for he ever received us kindly, and heard our complaints attentively, doing justice to all parties, like as a good father would to his children.

'In like manner, the lord Jean Jacques, who has ruled us without distinction of persons, or the smallest partiality, punishing rather his own people than ours, just as those excellent Romans, Brutus and Torquatus, put to death their children for the good of their country. He also has afforded us all necessary support. The lord-bishop of Como and others of the family of Trivulce have acted in a similar kind manner to us. We feel the more beholden to the lord Jean Jacques, because knowing, as he did, the wicked intentions of many of the chief exciters to the late rebellion, he attempted to gain them over from their intentions by gratuities and honours, rather than dip his hands in the blood of his countrymen. He preferred also retiring into the castle to destroying the town by fire and sword, as perhaps strict duty would have forced him to,—and from thence he departed, to return with so much the greater glory. The preservation of the town from ruin is solely owing to his prudent conduct: a superior victory to any achieved by arms, seeing that Ludovico Sforza and almost all the king's enemies are become prisoners. The cardinal Ascanius and others attached to his party were, by God's merciful providence, induced to leave the town, when they might otherwise have injured it by obstinately holding out against the troops of our legitimate lord. The inhabitants, therefore, are greatly indebted to God and the king, who has kindly overlooked their faults, and not punished them according to their deserts.

'To check the fury of his victorious army, the king has been pleased to send you, my lord cardinal, hither, with full powers to act according to your discretion; and this you have done with such prudence that you have saved the town to the king,—for which we, our children, and our successors, shall be ever beholden to you.

'We also thank my aforesaid lord the bishop of Como for his good recommendations of us to you, and for the means he has taken for the preservation of his country.

'Since, most reverend father in God, you have been pleased, out of your bounty and clemency, following the kind will of our lord the king, to grant to us, the inhabitants of Milan, this public audience, they have commissioned me to make, in their name, the following requests.

'In the first place, that it may be your good pleasure, when you shall return to the king, to recommend us most humbly to his good graces,—and to assure his majesty that the people of Milan will never again rise in rebellion to his power and authority. They somewhat resemble St Peter, who, having denied God the Redeemer, had afterwards such grief for his sin that he was more ardent and determined in his service than ever, continually supplicating mercy for his crime. In like manner, most reverend father in God, and in the name of the king our lord, do I, on my bended knees, for myself, the nobles, burghers, and the inhabitants of Milan, beseech you to pardon the rebellion perpetrated by us, which was contrary to the usual custom of the Milanese, celebrated for their fidelity and loyalty.

'Secondly, most reverend father, in respect to the expenses the king our lord has been put to in countermanding the troops sent hither to punish us for our ill conduct, we have promised to pay the sum of three hundred thousand crowns: fifty thousand on the 12th of this month, fifty thousand on the 1st day of May, and the remaining two hundred thousand at his pleasure. We beseech you to intercede for us to his majesty, that he would be graciously inclined to remit payment of the balance of the two hundred thousand crowns,—for it will be impossible to raise so large a sum without totally ruining the town. Its whole wealth consists in merchandize, and in cloths of silk and woollen,—and should so large a sum be withdrawn from trade, all these works must stop, to the utter ruin of the city and duchy of Milan, which depends so much upon it. The duty of a king is to enrich and not impoverish his subjects.

'Thirdly, we most humbly supplicate, that you would dismiss all the men at arms from the duchy as speedily as possible, that the fruits of the coming harvest may be preserved for the use of our lord's subjects.

'Fourthly, we beseech you, that all persons may be restored to the offices they before enjoyed.

'And, lastly, that since, out of your great mercy and wisdom, you have been pleased to separate the principal instigators of the late rebellion from the more peaceable inhabitants of the town,—and that, through the mercy of God, the cardinal Ascanius and the chiefs of that party are now, for the welfare of the country, detained prisoners,—we beseech you to use your interest with the king our lord, that such provisions be made to prevent them henceforth from troubling the city and duchy, as they have lately done, and put us again in danger of losing our lives and fortunes, whence we have been relieved by the merciful bounty of the king our lord.

'We assure you, most reverend father in God, and most noble lord, that we are determined to remain faithful to our sovereign prince in body and soul; and, by granting us our requests, you will never again hear of any disturbances or factions in this town,—for the inhabitants will, henceforward, be united in his service, as experience shall prove. We have full confidence that your benignant goodness will do every thing, in regard to us, becoming the race whence you descend, which will be agreeable to God, and worthy to be engraved on marble, as a perpetual memorial of your wisdom, and to the glory of your name: all of which I and the people of Milan now assembled here, again on our bended knees, beseech you to grant.'

Master Michael having finished his harangue, the lord-cardinal of Amboise consulted the marshal of Trivulce, the bishop of Luson[19], chancellor of Milan, the lord de Neufchatel, and others of the king's counsellors, and ordered master Michael Ris, doctor of civil and canon law, and counsellor to the king in his court of parliament of Burgundy, and in the senate of Milan, to make a reply, which he did in manner following.

'Misertus est Dominus super Ninevem civitatem; eo quod pænitentiam egit in cinere et cilicio.' My lords and gentlemen of the Milanese, the very reverend father in God and most noble cardinal here present, as lieutenant general for the king in this duchy, has more attentively listened to your humble propositions and requests than your demerits deserved. That his bounty and mercy may be more manifest, he has ordered me to lay before you your great and inexcusable rebellion, which his excellency would willingly have done himself could he have addressed you in your own language. I am, therefore, employed to do it by his command. I must, therefore, remind you, that on the day when you swore fidelity to the most Christian king, I then addressed you by his orders, and exhorted you to remain firm in your loyalty to him, whence you would derive great honour, and by acting contrary inevitable evils and disgrace would follow. I am now commanded by the most noble lord-cardinal, here present, to explain your great disloyalty and infidelity, that the exceeding clemency and pity of the king, our lord, may be the more apparent.

'Your crimes and your demerits are so enormous, O Milanese! that no punishments can be adequate to them,—and they are deserving of a similar punishment from the king as the Romans inflicted upon the Samiens, as related to us by historians: 'Ita ruinas urbis diruerunt ut hodie Samus in ipsa Samo requiratur.' Or one equal to what Archila[20] king of the Goths inflicted on the Romans, whose marks are now visible on the walls and buildings of Rome. Or what Alexander did to the Thebans. It may be seen in numerous histories, that for much smaller crimes, Charles the great, king of France, and the emperor Frederick I. punished most severely this city of Milan.

'To make your ingratitude more public, you have allowed that the most Christian king is your true and legitimate lord, to whom you owe love and obedience, according to the laws of God and man; for the wise regulation of the Spartans says, 'Populum in obsequia principum, principes ad justitiam imperatorum infirmabit.' In addition to the most Christian king being your natural and lawful lord, he has conferred upon you numberless benefits: he came in person to deliver you from slavery,—not out of a disorderly ambition to gain kingdoms, but from the pity he felt for you as subjects of duke John Galeazzo, your first duke, whose most excellent daughter, the princess Valentina, was his grandmother. He recalled Justice to your country, which had been banished thence. He secured to you your lives and properties, which before no one could call his own. He allowed you the liberty to marry your children as you should please, which before this could not be done; for a father could not marry a daughter, nor a mother a sister, but according to the will and appetite of the lord. Offices which were temporary he made perpetual. He abolished all pillories, concussions, and exactions.

'Besides these and numberless other benefits that he showered upon you, you were bounden by your oaths of allegiance to be faithful unto him: nevertheless, many of you, even when taking these oaths, were plotting to deceive him. All of you, ye Milanese! forgetful of the salvation of your souls and honour, and regardless of the danger into which you threw your wives, your children, and your town, have conspired against your true lord in favour of a tyrant, quitting the first of kings in Christendom for a mean fellow of low birth,—a most potent prince for one as poor in courage as in wealth and friends. Had I the powers of language to display the extent of such a crime, I should be incapable to do it under two days; but your own consciences will make you more sensible of it than I can,—and you may apply to yourselves what is written, 'Populus dure cervicis,' when you committed that base act of recalling your Ludovico in opposition to your true lord.

'What was the consequence? Did he not instantly seize all the effects of private persons, and not only their wealth but even the crosses, chalices, and jewels from the churches? What was said of Cambyses, king of Persia, may be said of him, 'Difficile enim erat ut parceret suis, qui contempta religione grassatus etiam in Deos fuerat.' Although from so great a crime many may attempt to exculpate themselves, yet I do not see how they can well do so, for it would have been easy at first to have resisted such treason: nor can one in Milan excuse himself for the joyous reception given to Ludovico, as if he had been a god descended from heaven on earth. The people of Milan assisted the lord Ludovico with money and men. Feasts and entertainments were every where displayed to welcome his arrival, and for his short-lived victories when he gained Novara.

'Observe now, O Milanese! how strongly the justice of God, the Creator, has been made manifest, and the great power that it has pleased Him to invest the king our lord with: for when you thought that you had done every thing by gaining Novara, at that moment you lost the whole, and your idol, the lord Ludovico, carried away a prisoner,—so that what was said of the Persians may be applied to him, 'Servit alteri cui nuper mediolanum serviebat.'

'O Milanese! notwithstanding your enormous offences, the great fountain of mercy of our good king has not been dried up by your ingratitude to him: and the uncommon benignity of his lieutenant general, my lord cardinal, has been fully shown to you, from his respect and reverence to this day, on which it pleased our Lord to suffer an ignominious death on the cross for our salvation. He, in the king's name, pardons your lives, your honours, and your property, exhorting you, at the same time, to be more careful, henceforward, not only to avoid committing similar offences but to avoid even the being suspected of them: for should you ever relapse again into rebellion, you will be punished with such severity the remembrance thereof shall endure to the latest ages of the world. By acting as loyal subjects towards your lord, your town and country will be daily improved, and you will live happy and contented; for it must be a great satisfaction to live under a true and legitimate prince.

'With regard to the requests you have made to my lord cardinal, you will deliver them to him in writing, and he will return you such answers as shall content you. It must, however, be understood, that from this pardon all the principal actors and instigators of the late rebellion are excepted.'

When this harangue was ended, all the children passed the cardinal in procession, crying out 'France, France! France and mercy!'

On St George's day, the queen of France set out from Lyon, to go to St Claude, with a very handsome company. Before she returned, she stood godmother with the prince of Orange,—for the princess had, at that time, been brought to bed of a son.

On the 2d of May, the lord Ludovico was brought to Lyon. He wore a robe of black camlet, after the fashion of Lombardy, and was mounted on a small mule. The provost of the royal household, and the seneschal of Lyon, went out to meet him, made him a prisoner in the king's name, and confined him in the castle of Pierre-en-Cise. Great numbers of people were collected in the streets to see him pass. The king was then in Lyon.

The 12th of May, the marriage of the lord de la Roche, a baron of Brittany, was announced in Lyon, with the princess of Tarente, daughter to don Frederic of Naples. On this occasion were many justs, and other entertainments, at which were present the queen, her ladies and damsels,—and the wife of count Galeazzo was with the queen; but the marriage did not take place until the 18th of May, at the church of St Croix, near to that of St John. Tournaments again were exhibited on the Grenette, and gave great satisfaction[21].

The lord Ludovico was, by orders from the king and council transferred from the castle of Pierre-en-Cise, on the 14th of May, to the castle of Loches, near Bourges. On the 24th of the same month, the lord de Ligny returned from Lombardy to Lyon, when the king sent out a large party to meet and welcome him.

The cardinal Ascanius Sforza was on the 17th of June, the vigil of Corpus-Christi-day, brought prisoner to Lyon, and confined, where his brother had before been, in the castle of Pierre-en-Cise; but he afterwards found such favour with the king that he had all France for his prison.

The lord-cardinal of Amboise and the lord de la Trimouille arrived at Lyon, the 21st of June, from Lombardy, and brought with them the lord Jean Jacques de Trivulce and his lady to France.

About the end of July, pope Alexander VII. was struck by lightning, at Rome, and much hurt; but, recommending himself to God and our lady, he was cured, and ordered a solemn procession, which he attended in person, and granted a full absolution to all who assisted. This happened, as said, on the vigil, or on the day preceding it, of the feast of St Peter. The same day the king and queen of France left Lyon for Troyes in Champagne, to meet an embassy from Germany that was expected there.

On St Anne's day, the 26th of July, the king of Yvetot[22] died at Lyon: he was buried in the church of Sainte Croix, near to that of St John.

The 28th, on a Sunday Morning, the last arch but one of the bridge over the Rhône, at Lyon, near to Bechevelain, fell down: the wall and the other arch remained,—but it could not be crossed without great danger, and by going along the top of the wall.

This year, the Swiss made war on the king's territories,—on which account his Swiss-guards returned home, but the war was soon put an end to.—About St Simon and St Jude's day, M. de Bordeaux, archbishop of Lyon, died, and was succeeded by François de Rohan, son to the marshal de Gié.

The king of France, about this period, sent a doctor of divinity from Paris to La Vaupute[23], to convert the inhabitants from some fantastical opinions they had imbibed,—but he failed of success.

Near Christmas, the river Saone was frozen as high as Mâcon, which prevented any corn and other victual coming to Lyon, and raised the price of bread very high. On St Thomas's day, the Rhône suddenly rose in the afternoon, and higher than was ever known in so short a time.

In the year 1501, the bishop of Amiens, a native of Burgundy, died at a place called Arbois[24], and was succeeded by the bishop of Nevers.

A jubilee took place, this year, in France, for the support of a war against the Turks,—and a tenth was raised, from all benefices, for the same purpose.—The archduke Philip and his consort came, in the course of the year, to Paris, and declared themselves friends to the king. They went thence into Spain, where the archduchess was brought to bed of a son.

A large body of infantry, with great stores of salted provision, were ordered to Naples; and the king and queen went to Lyon, to see these troops march through that city. The wife of duke Réné of Lorraine came to Sainte Claude, with her son, and thence proceeded to wait on the king and queen at Lyon. Her son remained at the court, and had a pension; and on the mother's returning to Lorraine, the king presented her with a white palfrey, most richly caparisoned in crimson velvet, with knotted cord-work in embroidery.