1523. along with him, and put his army to route. They next CHA P. advanced to Montdidier, which they befieged and took XXIX. by capitulation. Meeting with no oppofition, they proceeded to the river Oife, within eleven leagues of Paris, and threw that city into great confternation; till the duke of Vendôme haftened with fome forces to its relief. The confederates, then, afraid of being furrounded, and reduced to extremities during fo advanced a feason, thought proper to retire. Montdidier was abandoned: And the English and Flemings went each into their own country. FRANCE defended herself from the other invafions with equal facility and equal good fortune. Twelve thoufand Lanfquenets broke into Burgundy under the command of the count of Furstenberg. The count of Guife, who defended that frontier, had nothing to oppose them but fome militia, and about nine hundred heavy-armed cavalry. He threw the militia into the garrifon-towns; and with his cavalry, he kept the field, and fo harraffed the Germans, that they were glad to make their retreat into Lorraine. Guife attacked them as they paffed the Meufe, put them into diforder, and cut off the greatest part of their rear. THE emperor made great preparations on the fide of Navarre; and, though that frontier was well guarded by nature, it seemed now expofed to danger from this powerful invafion which threatened it. Charles befieged Fontarabia, which had fallen a few years before into Francis's hands; and when he had drawn thither Lautrec, the French general, he raised the fiege of a fudden, and fat down before Bayonne. Lautrec, aware of that stratagem, made a sudden march and threw himself into Bayonne, which he defended with fuch vigour and courage, that the Spaniards were constrained to raise the fiege. The emperor would have been totally unfortunate. on this fide, had he not turned back upon Fontarabia, and, contrary to the advice of all his generals, fat down, in the winter season, before that city, well fortified and ftrongly garrifoned. The cowardice or misconduct of the governor faved him from the shame of a new difappointment. The place was furrendered in a few days; and the emperor, having finished this enterprize, put his troops into winter quarters, So CHAP. So obftinate was Francis in profecuting his Italian exXXIX. pedition, that, notwithstanding thefe numerous invasions, with which his kingdom was menaced on every side, he 1523. had determined to lead in person a powerful army to the Italian wars. conquest of Milan. The intelligence of Bourbon's revolt and escape stopped him at Lyons; and fearing fome infurrection in the kingdom from the intrigues of a man fo powerful and fo much beloved, he thought it prudent to remain in France; and to fend forward his army, under the command of admiral Bonnivet, The dutchy of Milan had been purposely left in a condition fomewhat defenceless, with a view of alluring Francis to attack it; and no fooner had Bonnivet passed the Tefin, than the army of the league, and even Profper Colonna, who commanded it, a very prudent general, were in the utmoft confufion. It is agreed, that if Bonnivet had immediately advanced to Milan, that great city, on which the whole dutchy depends, would have opened its gates without refiftance: But as he wafted his time in frivolous enterprizes, Colonna had opportunity to reinforce the garrison, and to put the place in a posture of defence. Bonnivet was now obliged to attempt reducing the city by blockade and famine; and he took poffeffion of all the posts which commanded the paffages to it. But the army of the league, mean-while, was not inactive; and they fo ftraitened and harraffed the quarters of the French, that it feemed more likely the latter would themselves perifh by famine, than reduce the city to that extremity. Sickness and fatigue and want had wasted them to fuch a degree, that they were ready to raise the blockade; and their only hopes confifted in a great body of Swifs, which was levied for the service of the French king, and whofe arrival was every day expected. ༣ THE Swifs had in that age fo great a fuperiority in the field above almost every other nation, and had been fo much courted by all the great potentates, of Europe, that they were become extremely capricious and haughty, and thought that the fate of kingdoms depended entirely on their affiftance or oppofition. Francis had promifed to this body of mercenaries, whom he had hired to join Bonnivet, that fo foon as they arrived in the plains of Piedmont, the duke of Longueville fhould join them. with four hundred lances, and conduct them to the French camp: But by fome accident Longueville's march march had been retarded, and the Swifs had been obliged CHA P. to march, without the honour of being escorted by him. XXIX. Offended at this neglect, as they interpreted it, they no fooner came within fight of the French camp, than they 1524. stopped, and instead of joining Bonnivet, they sent orders to a great body of their countrymen, who then served under him, immediately to begin their march, and to return home in their company The AFTER this defertion of the Swifs, Bonnivet had no other choice, but that of making his retreat, as faft as poffible, into France. He accordingly put himself in motion for that purpofe; but the allies, who forefaw this measure, were ready to fall upon his rear. French army, however, after a fharp action, made good their retreat, though not without confiderable lofs both in officers and private men. Among the reft, fell in this action the brave chevalier Bayard, efteemed in that age the model of foldiers and men of honour, and denominated the knight without fear and without reproach. When this gallant gentleman felt his wounds to be mortal, and could no longer fupport himself on horfeback, he ordered his attendants to fet him under a tree, and turn his face towards the enemy, that he might die in that posture. The generals of the allies, and among the reft the duke of Bourbon, came about him, and expreffed their concern for his prefent condition. Pity not me," cried he to Bourbon;" "I die in the discharge of my duty: "They alone are the objects of pity, who fight against "their prince and country "." THE French being thus expelled Italy, the pope, the Venetians, the Florentines, were fatisfied with the ad vantage obtained over them, and were refolved to prosecute their victory no farther. All thefe powers, efpecially Clement, had entertained a violent jealoufy of the emperor's ambition; and their jealoufy was extremely augmented, when they faw him refufe the investiture of Milan, a fief of the empire, to Francis Sforza, whose title he had acknowledged, and whofe defence he had embraced. They all concluded, that he intended to put himself in poffeffion of that important dutchy, and reduce Italy to fubje&tion: Clement in particular, actuated by this jealousy, proceeded so far in opposition to • Guicciardini, lib. 15. ► Pere Daniel, vol. iii. p. 152. the Memoires du Bellay, liv. 2. CHAP. the emperor, that he fent orders to his nuncio at London XXIX. to mediate a reconciliation between France and England. But affairs were not yet fully ripe for this change. Wol1523. fey, difgufted with the emperor, but still more actuated by vain-glory, was determined, that he himself should have the renown of bringing about that great alteration; and he engaged the king to reject the pope's mediation. A new treaty was even concluded between Henry and Charles for the invafion of France. Charles ftipulated to fupply the duke of Bourbon with a powerful army, in order to conquer Provence and Dauphiny: Henry agreed to pay him a hundred thousand crowns for the first month; after which, he might either chufe to continue the fame monthly payments, or invade Picardy with a powerful army. Bourbon was to poffefs thefe provinces with the title of king; but to hold them in fief of Henry as king of France. The dutchy of Burgundy was to be given to Charles: The rest of the kingdom to Henry. THIS chimerical partition immediately failed of execution in the article, which was most eafily performed; Bourbon refused to acknowledge Henry as king of France. His enterprize, however, against Provence ftill took place. A numerous army of Imperialifts invaded that country, under his command and that of the marquis of Pescara. They laid fiege to Marfeilles, which, being weakly garrisoned, they expected to carry in a little time: But the burgeffes defended themselves with fuch valour and obftinacy, that Bourbon and Pescara, who heard of the French king's approach with a numerous army, found themselves under a neceffity of raising the fiege; and they led their forces, weakened, baffled, and disheartened, into Italy. FRANCIS might now have enjoyed in fafety the glory of repulfing all his enemies, in every attempt which they had hitherto made of breaking into his kingdom: But as he received intelligence, that the king of England, difcouraged by his former fruitless enterprizes, and difgufted with the emperor, was making no preparations for the invasion of Picardy, his antient ardour feized him for the conquest of Milan; and, notwithstanding the advanced feafon, he was immediately determined, contrary to the advice of his wifeft counfellors, to lead his army into Italy. He France in HE paffed the Alps at Mount Cenis, and no fooner CHA P. appeared in Piedmont, than he threw the whole Milanefe XXIX. into confternation. There was no army in the field able to oppose him; and Milan itself, though affectionate to 1524. its duke, was not in the fame pofture of defence as last The king of year, when blockaded by admiral Bonnivet. It was almost vades destitute of inhabitants: Great numbers had died of the Italy. plague; and the reft had fled into the country for fafety. Francis immediately marched to that city, which opened its gates to him. The forces of the emperor and Sforza fled to Lodi; and had Francis, been fo fortunate as to pursue them, they had abandoned that place, and had been totally diffipated A But his ill fate led him to befiege Pavia, a town of confiderable ftrength, well garrifoned, and defended by Leyva, one of the braveft officers in the Spanish fervice. Every attempt, which the French king made to gain this important place, proved fruitlefs. He battered the walls, and made breaches; but by the vigilance of Leyva, new entrenchments were inftantly thrown up behind the breaches: He attempted to divert the course of the Tefin, which ran by one fide of the city, and defended it; but an innundation of the river destroyed in one night all the mounds, which the foldiers, during a long time, and with infinite pains, had been erecting. Fatigue and the bad feafon (for it was the depth of winter) had wafted the French army. And the more to diminish its force, Francis, at the pope's fo licitation, who now declared, almost openly, for him, had detached a confiderable body, under the duke of Albany, to invade the kingdom of Naples. The imperial 1525. generals mean while were not idle. Pefcara and Lannoy, viceroy of Naples, gathered forces from all quarters. Bourbon, having pawned his jewels for money, went into Germany, and with this money, aided by his perfonal intereft, levied twelve thoufand Lanfquenets, with which he joined the imperialists. This army was advancing to raise the fiege of Pavia; and the danger to the French became every day more imminent. THE ftate of Europe was fuch, during that age, that, partly from want of commerce and industry every where, except in Italy and the Low Countries, partly from the extenfive privileges ftill poffeffed by the people in all the VOL. IV. E A Guicciardini, lib. 15. Du Bellay, lib. 2. great |