HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE THE HISTORIE OF FRANCE THE FOVRE First Bookes LONDON Printed by Iohn Windet 1595. TO THE RIGHT EXCELENT and vertuous Lady the Lady Anne Countesse of Warwicke and to the right Noble and worthie Ladie my Ladie and Mistrisse Katherine Barones Howard of Essingham and to the rest of the illustrious Ladies of her sacred Maiesties most Honourable priuie Chamber IF in this Epistle Excellent Ladies I containe not my stile within the bounds of breuitie let the large scope which the fielde of your vertues proffereth bee a sufficient excuse to my imputed blame if in the course of the worke which this Epistle presenteth to your Patronage multitude of errors haue beene ouerslipped yet I humbly beseech it bee so much graced by your beautie as what is good may bee acceptable vnto you and my infirmities which are most may with all other who bee they neuer so great are or haue beene seruantes to some in your place for your sake lye couered my weaknesse beeing the more augmented in that my pen is so meere a straunger to my profession entertayning it onelye and that rarelye to ouercome that Idlenes of time which to my selfe is ouer familiar rather in wast and void papers exercising the fame then fit for any ende or purpose Among which a few parcells haue â—â—ne Translated by me some yeeres since vnseene or vnthought of and had stil so continued had J not Noble Countesse beene by those which had full power ouer me otherwise enioyned Wherein I haue sooner chosen to eternise my own insufficiencie the render their perfections any waies vnsatisfied And therfore haue made choice to publish these fower first Bookes by an vnknowne without name but a most iust and faithful Author at the first digested in a forren tongue wherein J must needes yeelde to adde so much more to my owne vnperfectnesse as shall come within the view of your eyes or ponder of your iudgement as then receiuing most blemish when you shall vouchsafe the Author in his owne and proper language Who cannot in himselfe but much satisfie such is his stile iudgement truth and varietie of matter wherein the minde of man most delighting doth vndoubtedly couet Historie before all other writinges and if Historie what more pleasing then is in him contained So many euents and alterations disclosed secret disseins and intentions of mightie Princes reuealed Emperours not enduring equalitie Kings disdained swelling warres treacherous truces Popes practisers and triumphing in periuries generall Councels disauowed Empires voluntarily resigned princes murthered Crownes vsurped Popes deposed Rome beseaged his holines and Cardinals in danger to be hunger starued descriptions of Citties Townes Castles and fortes representations of Royall armies Inundations Plagues Earthquakes famines and other Gods wrathfull iudgementes Sects and Scismes in hollie Churches hot persecutions Religion made a Couerture to faction and ambition the selfe same Kings at one instant prosecuting in their owne Realmes what in person they assisted and protected in the Empire with the true cause roote foundation of al the miseries which the state of Christendome at this day and since fiftie yeares hath endured vnder the discourse of the French estate ouerrunning al worthie occurents of Europe Turkie and America A Historie though modern familier to many now liuing Actors therein yet yeelding precedence for matter methode knowledge and iudgment to none but thee triumphant Tacitus sacred Emperors lying subiect to thy pen and the mightiest Monarchy of the earth to thy censure As my poore trauailes which most of all kept me from being willing to diuulge the same obscured by thy stately Sauile Exquisite Sauile honour to thy Vniuersitie though in thy vertue an enemy to me ouerdropping and shadowing my endeuours as the high broade Oke doth young and tender sproutes wrong not thy selfe and country with longer silence of thy pen proude in thy Author proude in thy Sainte and not least proude in the commender of thy worke thy A. B. thy secret and haughtie Mecaenas disguised in the two first letters the whole Alphabet not being enough to set foorth his worthe but he may not so escape in a shaddowe his eloquence discouereth his Arte his iudgement his experience and his experience in hauing assaulted the dreadfullst Monarch of our world to the verie gates of his chiefest Cittie hath confirmed his valour to his neuer dying glorie But how much the more naked I stande frustrate of countenance subiect to errors so thorough error to reprofe as whatsoeuer is mine can be no other worth so much more high and worthie Countesse doth the power of your patronage in my protection extend it selfe and the grace of your fauor in vouchsafing the reading of this worke vnworthie only by my owne vnablenesse to set it forth vnto you like it selfe The subiect whereof though loftie in mannaging the glorious actions of anointed Soueraignes and representing the fierce exploits of vnmercifull and bloudy warres can no waies yet be strange or dissonant to your eares daughter to so great an Earle of Bedford graue Councellor commander and gouernour sometimes of that Royall towne and Garrison which bordereth on the Scottish soyle and deare wife to that redoubted Ambrose Earle of Warwicke expert and faithfull Councellor Sonne to so puissant and Magnanimious a Duke his name his fame his valor resounding in foraine Regions while he had the honour to bee commaunder and Lieutenant generall ouer a Royall English armie by your birth and Marriage seeming to be chosen and consecrated to Mars himselfe happie in father more happie in husband but most happie in your Soueraignes grace ornament of her Courte true patterne of pietie deuotion charitie and vertue And you Excellent Mistrisse to whome as well for your honour bountie and fauours my fruites and Labours are most due as hauing first vndertaken the same eating of your bread vouchsafe your Patronage disdaine not my Authors English weede who presenteth his attendance vpon your Person at such time as wearied with other occasions you are accustomed to retire your selfe to your Bookes and Muses Verified is that in you that neuer Les alone then when most alone for the more part spending your vacation of time either in Meditation of holie letter or conference and reading of some notable and famous Historie which whether it treate of peace pollicie war or martiall exploits can hardly discouer ought new or strange vnto your wisedome the one by your high place long seruices and Courtelie conuersation made familiar vnto you the other by nothing more then the signall acts and heroicall prowes of Magnanimious and victorious Charles your Lo. and husband true patriot carefull Councellor vigilant commaunder rightlie and iustly deere to his Soueraigne and Countrie dreadfull to the enemie terror to traytors and scourge of Spanish Monarchie which the defeate of that inuincible army for so in Print theÌ„seues published can best testifie the glorie whereof can not but stirre vp those two young Jmpes of
Germanie Then the Embassadors of these two Princes being come in the beginning of December after hauing most humblye saluted the Emperour in the name of their masters spoake in this sorte You know most mercifull Emperour in what paine remaine at this day the most excellent Princes Electors Maurice and Brandebourge for the detaining in hold of the Landgraue a matter happening vnto them beyond all expectation such time as thorough a singular affection which they carried vnto you by reason whereof they were desirous to prepare vnto you the way to an easie and notable victorie they sought nought else then to ease you of a great charge by a long warre and restore the Countrie to peace and tranquillitie For which respect they haue so often bene suters vnto you as wel in their proper person as by their Embassadors that it might please you to regard them and release the prisoner your answere to their last Embassador was that you could not doe it vntill you saw the issue of the day prefixed to bee held besides that you made no other promise but that he should not alwaies remaine captiue if heâ—… cpt the accord But for so much as they being busied about other affaires haue not beene able at the same day to bee in person themselues they againe sollicited you at Ausbourge by their Councellors and reiterated letters In answere whereof you wrote backe vnto them the reasons of your conceiued displeasure against him pronouncing the Princes absolued of their obligation towards the children of the Captiue Wherefore they determyned to importune you in the like againe And had come themselues in person had it not beene for what you know they were both of them employed in the warre of Magdebourge besides that Brandebourg himselfe was sicke which was the cause that they haue giuen vs in charge to declare vnto you for the first point That when you did ordaine that the Landgraue should yeeld himselfe vnto you vpon condition they vnderstoode your intention by the B. of Arras which was that he should receiue and keepe such conditions as you had proposed and imparted vnto them If it stoode a matter needfull to perswade him to yeelde himselfe in such sort it was as needfull to declare vnto him that he should not bee kept as a Captiue nor worse dealt with then the treatie of peace contained The Princes then were his pledges which your Councellers also well enough vnderstoode And where as the Landgraue still insisted that they should declare vnto him some Articles of th'accord and required that for the dispatch thereof he might not be stayed aboue sixe daies it was graunted vnto him after that the matter had beene proposed to the B. of Arras As touching the rest of the points the Princes obtained therein more then they demaunded And admit that in this proceeding matters should not be a like vnderstoode of the one side and the other that the Landgraue being come was imprisoned against the faith promised yeat had the Princes neuer accused you for the same had they not the same time hauing bene graciously promised by your selfe gon themselues in person to Halle set him thence at such time as the Landgraue approaching sent vnto them to come vnto him to Numbourg For at that time they spoake with you signifiyng vnto you that they had perswaded him to stand to the conditions proposed and that he was not far off yea that if it pleased you they would goe and meete him In the meane time praying you that since hee yeelded himselfe vpon their faith and assurance he might be charged no farther to which you condiscended Now in the last dispatch there was no mention at all made either of prison or detention as your owne people the Bishoppe of Arras and of Selde can verie well witnesse For the first had all the charge in this matter and sometimes called the other to assist him for after that the conditions were accepted of and pardon demaunded the Princes stood fully assured that he shuld be incontinently released which they had reason to imagine for sundry causes First for that the Councellors neuer made once mention of retaining him which was a principall point in the treatie which the Landgraue perceiued and considered of aboue all Moreouer sundry thinges are contained therein which is not possible for any Prince captiue to accomplishe but for him onelye which is at libertie After that he had besought you pardon you remitted his fault and were contented to reuoke his banishment and giue him letters of reconciliation besides that you receaued pledge and assurance wherein it was set downe that if he did not perfourme the accord the people should deliuer him vp vnto you and the pledges should by force of armes constraine him to do his dutie All these things certes had serued to nothing and had beene meere superfluous if they had thought he should haue endured corporall punishment but they imagining nothing lesse considering especially that the Councellors neuer made menâ—ion thereof brought him vpon this assurance promising to deliuer him backe againe before his children and to endure like punishment that he should doe if any outrage were offred him Such was their intention which was since more confirmed when after great request the Duke of Alua inuited them to Supper at his house with the Landgraue It was not possible for them to conster in so ill a sence this summons and hospitalitye considering the custome and fashion of the Princes of Germany that he should goe into the D. of Alua his house as into a prison and that they should goe with him side by side and beare him company thither which had they neuer so little made doubt of who can imagine what they would haue done for considering how they are Princes of Germany and also Electors issued from right honourable familyes neuer would they haue bene a meanes that a Prince of an excellent house both their allie and freend should haue bene brought to such a banquet to fall into so great troubles and that they should leade him as captiue and they were no whit at all made priuie to the fact vntill after supper when the D. of Alua tolde him that hee must remaine in the Castle as in prison howsoeuer the matter was they went to worke with a good meaning as we sayde in the beginning and for so much as they haue plighted their faith you may well perceiue how hard and greeuous a matter it will be both to them and their children if after hauing bene often put in minde of their promises and after caution giuen the Landgraue he detayned prisoner you perceiue likewise most puissant Emperour you who deriue your race from the Germaines considering that the Children of the Captiue Prince pursue their right presse theÌ„ to redeliuer him vnto them according to the condition of the bond what becommeth them to doe according to the ancient custome of the Nobilitie of Germany for to preserue their
then one hundred Archers to hasten them and to aduertise the chefe of euery occurrence In such sort as this order being thus followed ioyned thereto the speedines of the march and well disciplined obedience of the souldiers was the cause that fiue hundred wagons as well of the K. munition as voluntarie Marchants entred in without any disturbance which either the enemie or badnes of the way could yeeld vnto them fully perswading themselues throughout all the marche which was eight long leagues that they were able enough to make hed to the enemie when where and with what troupes soeuer hee would aduance though he were dubble as strong as the French Afterwards the D. hauing placed there and encouraged Du Fumel gouernour left fiftie men at armes two hundred light horse and nine olde companies of the best souldiers on foote departed thence and making his vantgard of the hindermost kept on another way to visit Rocroy where the Capitane La Lande was So the Garrisons of Gampaigne frontires of Haynaut and countries about being well prouided the imperiall armie was as soone dislodged thorough the infection and discommoditie of victuals which they there endured So as Martin Roussan being dead and many other the better sorte were sent to Giuets Whether the D. of Neuers marched with his troupes against whome the imperials skirmishing and setting on them with many salies maintained and doubled by their reciprocall succours had soone enough recorded a memorable reencounter considering the aduantage and euident fauour still turning on the French partie had not Henrie expresly forbidden his Leiutenant to fight but in great and in the field without assailing them in their fort So as being retired and dispersed into Garrisons the rest of the time passed ouer mildly vntill the midst of August whē the Emperour hauing sent the Prince of Orange with new forces to reassemble his troupes set forth an armie vnder the generall of the house of Challons the effectes whereof notwithstanding was but to keepe in the French and rayse vp the forte A Couins neere Mariembourg which was after called Philippe Ville Besides the Amirall Gaspard of Coligny gouernour of Picardie tooke such order within his frontires as he left nothing at randome Anthoine of Vendosme had surrendred that gouerment into the K. hands at such time as being married to Ioane of Albert soale heire to Henrie of Albert he went to take possession of the kingdome of Nauarre Dutchy of Albert Earledome of Foix Armignac Bigorre and Soueraintie of Bearn after the decease of his Father in law Since notwithstanding as some of the Garrisons of Picardie mingled with 15. hundred horse of the Rerebandes whome they tearme the companies of the nobles and fower hundred pioners had so happily ouerrunne the countrie round about vnder La Iaille their generall as they all returned laden with a rich nauy inestimable bootie Hausimont gouernour of Bapaume finding them betweene a woode a village and a riuer the passages whereof he caused to bee broken downe and kept without skouts without order without any feare of the enemie and without hart charged them so roundly with a few men as in lesse then nought he made them leaue together with their courage al their rich pickkerie yea and their verie liues at his deuotion The wood and the riuer notwithstanding saued a great number La Iaille hurt and more then a third part prisoners the rest died in the place The which the imperials tooke so greatly to their aduantage as they could not speak of any other more notable exploite so farre as it grew to a scoffe among them how they had taken the nobles of France without weighing thē Albeit that these troupes were not indeede furnished for the most part but of Ronturiers vnnoble euery kind of way or of some seruants which the olde or sicke Lordes widowes and orphelins had sent thither the gentlemen hauing beene all retyred to the ordinances of the K. who ought in respect of his owne honour and profit of his subiects to reforme such and like lewd abuses as are committed in the companies of bands and rerebands In summe the enemies encouraged with such a successe tooke heart of grace to venter further vpō Picardie for the defence wherof the D. of Guise retired into the town of his owne name the Admirall into his gouerment the K. himselfe aduanced as far as Villiers Cottorets the better to assure and dispose his forces where hee should see neede yet they kept much at this stay and within a little after the forces of the imperials dissolued without performing any great matter The state of Piemont IN this time notwithstanding whilst they reposed themselues vnder a good guard the French and imperials awakened but too often for the worst in Piemont vnder the Marshall de Brissac and D. of Alua Leiutenants for their Soueranes for the Marshall hauing opened the passages of La Vaudote and of the Alpes thereby to giue a more easie entrie to all occurrences as also in Lombardie and Italy by the surprisall which he had made the winter before of Yuree and the voluntarie yeelding of Bielle withall appurtinances vnto it resolued at the spring to stretch out further the bonds of his gouernment First he fortefied Santia which some call Saint Iaco a place cleane razed downe whereunto hauing giuen a square forme and a great bulwarke on euery flanke defended with two high platformes discouering the whole circuite a Culuerins length and furnishing it besides with whatsoeuer the art of that time was able to yeeld he made it very sufficient to commaund the whole plaine without any subiection closing vp the passage of Verceil Cresentin and all Lombardie so far as he brideled the commings forth and succours of Vulpian which he determined to famish if he were not able to enforce it at the second siege which he purposed to lay there Afterwards he seased vpon Crepacuore the better to open his way and keepe the passage free attending the execution of the enterprise which Saluoison one of his Captaines was to make vpon Casal a place of the greatest importance best defended of all that quarter This chefetaine hauing reasonably well profited in learning in which he was nourished and brought vp by his parents that by the desart thereof he might come to greater preferment retired himselfe from the Vniuersities for occasions sleight enough Whereby giuing himselfe to carrie the sword and to make profession of armes hee coulde not long endure to liue in France without seeing of Piemont where the exercise of armes pleased him in such sort as being first enroled in the muster Booke then thorough his owne merite honoured with the degree of Corporall which got him the halbard afterwards an ensigne of a companie of fanterie in the end was as well thought of by his Master of the campe as mounting by all the degrees of warre he grew maruelous well knowne and recommended of euerye man Rich notwithstanding in
all the charges of the Empire beseeching him to reconcile the Princes one to another in which the staye and encrease of the Empire wholly consisted the true and nearest cause of the ruyne thereof proceeding from diuision Then that hee woulde yeelde all ayde to his Sonne Philip as a neyghbour to such an enemye as the King of Fraunce was In the ende beeyng determyned to departe hee was stayed thourough the vyolence of his diseases contratyeties of windes long staye in the preparation of his Shippes and thourough a difference fallen out in some of the townes which would by no meanes receyue his sonne the father liuing and other which woulde haue his nephewe Ferdinande seconde sonne to the King of Romanes for their gouernour Ioint the male contentment of a number of Lordes and other who hauing employed all their meanes and often times their life in his seruice vnder a hope of great recompence sawe themselues by this his dimission and departure into Spaine frustrated of all their hope which they coulde not hope for at his sonnes handes who as ordinarily newe Kinges affecte newe seruauntes woulde employe his meanes but to the aduauncement of his fauourites or in recompencing their paines and seruice towardes him of whome himselfe had beene an eye witnesse About the ende of Nouember Ferdinande King of Romanes hauing assembled together the greatest parte of his men of warre wente downe the Danube as farre as Vienne to make head against the Turke who made great preparation for his descente into Hungarie to besiege agayne Vienne in Austria as I will shewe you To open vnto you the affayres and chaunges of the Realme of Englande in fewe woordes Henry the eyghte discontented in that he had no other heyre but Mary borne of Katherine aunte vnto the Emperour whome his brother Arthur had marryed at the age of foureteene yeeres and lefte her a Virgine by the aduice of the Cardinall of Yorke and many dyuines as well Frenche as Almaines and English diuorced her and hauing in full assemblie declared his daughter Marye illegitimate marryed Anne Bullen one of his wifes maydes the which Pope Clemente the seuenth so hardly coulde digest as that he condemned this diuorce as vniust and of euill example especially for that Anne was a Lutherane and he feared least the King and all his Realme woulde confourme them selues to the like religion Whereat Henrye tooke such disdayne as hee declared himselfe head of the Church thorough out all Englande with forbidding any to aduowe the Pope for head or to transporte any money to Rome or paye Peterpence a reuennewe which euerye house yearely payde according to the ordynaunce of Inas in the yeere seuen hundred and fourtie Whereupon there ensued a great alteration of Religion thorough out the whole Realme so confirmed by Edwarde his sonne as that the catholique was cleane banished out of Englande at the least in publique which caused many Englishe men to flye the Realme to seeke in some other Countrey a place of more free conscience Seeyng that the Dukes of Sommerset and Northumberlande gouerned the roaste in the yeere 1553. Notwithstanding as after the death of the Duke of Sommerset the Duke of Northumberlande seeyng howe the King was fallen sicke of a Fluxe which fell into his stomache from the moneth of Februarie had marryed his sonne Guilforde to â—anâ— daughter to the Duke of Suffolke and cousin vnto the sicke King hee wrought so much as that the young King reiecting his sisters Marye and Elizabeth declared for his heyre and Inherittice vnto the Crowne of Englande this Iane of Suffolke to the ende that by this meanes hee mought traunsferre the Royalle into his owne House and disinherite the true Heyres of their righte and legitimate Succession This Marriage and Testamentarie declaration beeyng done in the moneth of May gaue occasion to a number to thinke that this young King whome they helde for the piller of men of knowledge and gaue great hope of future vertue was poysoned and that beeing assured of the time of his death they had caused him to doe whatsoeuer they woulde haue him well were it of poyson or of a Caterre so it is that Edwarde the sixte of that name and the one and fourtie K. of England dyed the sixt day of Iuly the seuenth yeere of his Raigne and the sixteenth of his age solemly entered at Westminster not without the teares of his subiects who saide that his death was presaged by a Comet which appeared a little before his departure and by the great stormes windes tempests and thunders which had that yeere tormented London the chiefe Cittie of the Realme as the witnesses of such troubles as shortly after ensued in England for the people hating in secrete this Duke of Northumberland held for suspected the testament of King Edward as a thing made too much to the aduantage of the Duke and many Lords of the Countrie terming him too ambitious wrote vnto Mary the eldest daughter of K. Henrie the eight encouraging her to declare her selfe Queene and offring vnto her all dutie and seruice Marye who had no great meanes durst not so soone come to London to the ende that according to the custome she might remaine ten daies in the Tower before her Coronation but went into the Countrie and Dukedome of Norfolke bordering on the Sea coast from whence shee wrote to sundrie Princes and Lords of the Countrie complayning how that Iane of Suffolk had enterprised against her and that Edward was not able to dispose of the Crowne which appertained vnto her being the next daughter vnto the late Kinge Henrie she laide before them the wrong which had beene done vnto Katherine her mother and next vnto her selfe and that none of King Henrie his children were to succeede before her protesting that shee would pursue her right by the sworde and not suffer the Duke of Northumberland to vaunt how he would dispose at his pleasure of the Realme of England These letters being brought to London at the selfe same time as Iane of Suffolke against her will was proclaimed Queene within the Tower of London caused a great chaunge of dispositions among the Lordes there present and a strange alienating of their mindes touching the case of Iane whome sundrie from thence foorth left to take Maries parte The which caused the Duke of Northumberland to send certaine troupes of men at armes into the Countrie of Norfolke thinking thereby to hinder her desseins But in the meane time shee was proclaimed Queene in Suffolke by the principall personages of the land So as hauing recouered some succours from the Emperour on the coast of Flaunders albeit that the Duke had strongly armed vppon the Seas to hinder their comming shee practised with a number of the cheefe of the Duke his armie which in the ende incorporated themselues to hers In the meane time Northumberland to playe on the surer side woulde needes haue the Duke of Suffolke Father to Iane to goe as her Lieutennant