this enterprise They began the siege the first day of Ianuarie and tooke the towne the morrow after twelfth day and soone after also Hams and Guysnes and all that the English helde on that side the sea In Aprill following Frauncis the Daulphin maryed Marie daughter and heire of Iames the fift King of Scotland in Iune following the French besiged Theonuille held for an impregnable towne in the Dutchie of Luxembourg Yet notwithstanding they tooke it but in that siege was Peter Strozzi slaine to the Kings great griefe for he had beene a most valiant and expert Captaine Cap. II. The French inuade Flaunders and sacke Dunkerke they are ouerthrowen in their retrait to Calais The English Nauy taketh Conquet Peace betweene the Kings of Spaine and Fraunce and Elizabeth Queene of England Bourg and other Councellours of the law are sent to the Bastile The Kings daughter is maried to the King of Spaine The King is slaine at the iusts BVt the King supposing this reuenge of his losses not to be sufficiēt as yet determined to attempt farther Wherfore in the beginning of Iulie he sent Monsieur de Termes to inuade Flaunders who tooke Dunkerke and burned it But the Earle of Egmont leuying an army of 12000. foote and 3000 horse met with the French as they retired towards Calais vpon the sandes betweene Dunkerke and Grauelin where he charged them and by the helpe of the English Nauy which by chaunce sailed at that time close by the shoare and discharged their great shot into the middest of the French troups they were deseated and Termes himselfe taken prisoner to the great astonishment of all Fraunce which in sower yeares space had receaued three great ouerthrowes the first in Italie the second at Saint Quentin and the third this heere mentioned And thus the King not beeing contented with a reasonable reuenge but seeking to recouer all his honour lost euen that which hee had in part recouered before and put both himselfe and his Realme into greater daungers than euer heeretofore they had beene in Termes had left behinde him three enseignes of footemen to spoile and fier Dunkerke who being in the middest of their blouddie execution were all surprized by the Burgundians and cut in peeces The Duke of Guise hearing of this ouerthrow retired into Picardie and held himselfe in places of safetie After this victorie the English Nauy consisting of 100. saile of ships and 10000. men and 20. great hulks ioyned with them inuaded Bretaine and toke Conquet but partlie by the force of the countrey that came downe vpon them partlie by tempest they were forced to returne home with speed King Phillip being encouraged by this his good successe and many victories leuied a mightie army and encamped neere to Dourlans in Picardie beeing a French towne his whole force was 30000. foote 15000. horse all his souldiours being well paied The king on the other side neere to Amiens leuyed a great armie but seemed not willing to hazerd an other battayle considering the losses hee had alreadie receaued Notwithstanding in the ende both the Princes to auoyde the effusion of Christian blood enclined their mindes to peace The two and twentith of Ianuarie Charles Duke of LORRAINE maryed the Ladie Claude the kings younger Daughter and the Februarie after peace was treated of at Cambresis beetweene the two Kings and ELIZABETH Queene of England latelie succeded to the Crowne of that Realme by the death of hir Sister MARIE who dyed the seauententh of Nouember 1558. The Commissioners agreede reasonably well about euerie thing saue CALAIS which King Philip would haue in any case restored to the English againe and the French would by noe meanes part with which matter was so whotlie debated betweene them that all the treatie had assuredlie broaken of if newes had not beene brought from the Queene of England that shee was contented to accept of the peace with these conditions that at eyght yeares ende Calais should bee restored to hir agayne or fiue hunfiftie thousand crownes in lieu thereof for assuraunce whereof shee should haue delyuered vnto hir foure hostages of the nobilytie of Fraune such as shee would demaund This article beeing agreed vpon peace was concluded beetweene these Princes the third of Aprill and solemply proclaimed with great ioye 1559. And King Philip maryed ELIZABETH the Kings eldest Daughter promised beefore to CHARLES Prince of Spayne King Philips sonne and the Duke of SAVOY Philibert maryed MARGARET the Kings sister Thus the king hauing concluded peace to his great comfort with all his enemies and beetrauthed his Daughter to the king of Spayne by meanes of the which allyaunce hee assured him selfe of an euerlasting amitie with that Prince beganne to embrew his handes in the bloud of the LVTHERANS and committed BOVRG and foure other Iudges of the Law to MONTGOMERIE Captaine of his Guarde who sent them prisoners to the Bastile where they were layde in yrons The only cause of their emprisonment was for that they had delyuered out of prison certayne Lutherans and had forborne to publish the kings bloudy edicts till a generall or a nationall councell should take order in so wayghtie a cause This beeing done the king in great triumph departed to his Daughters mariage who was maryed to king Philip by his Deputie the Duke of Alua who represented the king his Masters person in this case which beeing accomplished the king gaue himselfe to sports and pastimes and the eight and twenteth of Iune entered into the Lists to iust and continewed so long therein and ranne so many courses three dayes together that with excessiue trauayle his whole body was become stiffe wherevppon diuers of the nobilitie and especially the Queene his wyfe besought him to runne no more the rather because that night the Queene had dreamed that shee saw him wounded to death diuers other prognosticatiōs of his death are also written which I ouerpasse But he refusing all perswasions despising his wiues dreame all the other prognostications entered againe into the listes ranne diuers courses excellently well for he was a perfect man at armes At the last he called foorth Montgomerie the selfe same that had caryed BOVRG and the other foure Councellours to prison as before you haue heard Montgomerie had runne diuers courses the day before had sayled in them all for the which cause hee was loath to come forth But being constrained by the king in the ende foorth he came being reserued by God to giue one sound blow at the last to counteruaile all his faylings before For as the king and hee met together with great violence a splenter of Montgomeries staffe which brake all to sheuers strake the kings head-peece full vpon the visard which being vnbuckled either through negligence or because the king would haue it so meaning to make this his last course flew vp in such sort that one of the splēters strake the king full in the right eye and entered into
A Continuation of the Historie of France from the death of Charles the eight where Comines endeth till the death of Henry the second Collected By Thomas Danett Gentleman LONDON Printed by Thomas â—â—st for Thomas Charde 1600. To the Right honorable my very good Lord the Lord Buckhurst Lord high Treasorer of England and knight of the most noble order of the Garter AFter I had Right Honorable about three yeares sithence presented to the late LORD TREASORER of worthie memorie your Lordships predecessor the Commentaries of Comines translated into our English tongue I was earnestly pressed by some of my friends to continue the Historie of Fraunce from Charles the eight where he endeth till this our present age which a long time I vtterly refused to doe knowing that to annex my poore collections to the workes of so excellent a writer as Comines is should be as arrogant a part and as much to my discredit as if a Painter should haue attempted to finish the Image of Venus beegunne but not ended by Apelles which was a worke of so rare excellencie that no Paynter after him durst aduenture to perfect it Notwithstanding when I called to mynde that others before mee had attempted this that they required at my hands and withall not being able to withstand the importunitie of my friendes I beganne though somewhat timorously to take penne in hand And whereas there are in all learnings two kindes of methodes the one proceeding from the causes to the effectes and the other iudging of the causes by the effectes which is called Iudicium a posteriori my selfe not being able to performe the former as Comines doth who was priuie to the hidden misteries of Princes deseignes and of Counsell with their secret cogitations determined onely to follow the second course namely to set downe the effectes and the naked truth forbearing either to giue graue aduertisments as well to Princes themselues as to their seruaunts as hee doth or to enter into deepe discourses of high points of pollicie gouernment as a matter farre aboue my capacitie wherewith his workes are singularly beautified In the which course hauing waded in the Historie of Fraunce till the death of Henry the second and purposing to continew it further both my hart hand fainted and my pen fell foorth of my fingers of it owne accord For the actions of the ciuill warres of Fraunce are so blouddie cruell and barbarous and so farre I will not say srom all Christianitie but from all humanitie and militarie discipline vsed in former times that for my owne part I iudge them worthie to bee buried in the dongeon of eternall obliuion Agreeable to the which actions were also the effects wherof my selfe haue beene an eie witnesse For passing out of Spaine through France in the yeare 77 in companie of a Gentleman of good seruice not long sithens gone to God whom hir Maiestie employed at that time to the King of Spaine for hir affaires we found such a wildernes in all the country betwene Bayonne and Bourdeaux that whole forrests and woods were turned vp and consumed the townes vtterly desolated the people despearsed the churches quite subuerted and the children a lamentable thing to bee recorded remaining vnchristened by the space of ten yeares which bred in mee such a commiseration to see so noble a member of Christendome so miserablye torne in peeces with hir owne teeth that it did not onelie visiblie as it were set before mine eyes the destruction of Sodoma Gomorha and the rude Chaos wherein the world lay buried and hidden before God placed all things in this goodly order which wee now see them in but also made mee call to minde the example of Africanus Minor who wept bitterly with a certaine Sinpathie of sorrow whan he saw Carthage all on flaming fier calling to minde that the like mought happen to his owne countrey Rome in time to come The vices that ouerflowed Fraunce at the beeginning of their ciuile warres are noted to bee these three Magia Atheismus Libido which I pray God England bee free from at this day But I will no longer dwell vpon this argument least my Epistle become to your honourable Lordship odious and my booke beecome in it selfe monstrous by hauing to great a head to so small a bodie wherfore to returne to my principall purpose hauing reduced the Historie of Fraunce so farre as for the reasons aboue aledged I determined to proceede in it I was soone resolued to whom to dedicate these my simple labours for hauing presented Comines to your Lordships predecessor to whom could I fitlier consecrate this my continuaunce of his Historie then to your Lordship being his successor in office in honour in gouernment in Wisedome and in all other vertues beelonging to a most worthie counsellour so that GOD hath raysed you vp vnder hir most excellent Maiestie to bee no lesse famous in matters of Councell then others are in matters of warre which Cicero as your Lordship knowerh preserreth farre beefore warly actions beecause Councell preserueth the common welth without warrs but warre cannot desend it without counsell The handeling of the worke is meane I confesse and too vnworthie of so noble a patron yet notwithstanding it contayneth the principall matters of state that passed in thâ—se parts by the space of three score yeares Wherefore if your Lordship shall vouchsafe to accept it as our Sauiour in the Scripture dyd the poore Widowes Mite I shall thincke my selfe a happie man in hauing obtained the fruit of my desier and shall daylie pray to Almightie GOD long to preserue your Lordship in all honor and felicitie as well for the aduauncement of hir Maiesties seruice as for the benefit of the whole common wealth Your Lordships most humble and obedient to commaund Thomas Dannett In the Epistle in the first line last page for those read these Page 29. line 18. for Nauara reade Nouara Page 34. line 6 for in battaile read in a battaile Page 46. line 12. for estate read estates Page 69. line 12. for charge read great charge Page 81. line 7. for predecessors read predecessor Page 87. line 8. for vs read vp Page 94. line 23. for Rossam reade Rosseim Page 102. line 15. for Aughien read Anghien Page 121 line 2. for duchie read duchesse Page 139. line 21. for 20000. read 10000. For Aluiana reade in all places Aluiane A Continuation of the Historie of Fraunce from the death of Charles the eight where Comines endeth till the death of Henry the second namely till the yeere 1559. LEVVIS the twelfth of that name King of FRAVNCE Cap. 1. Lewis the twelfth commeth to the crowne hee is deuorced from his wife and marrieth the Lady Anne King Charles his widow and heire of Bretaine A briefe discourse of the euills that ensewed that marriage AFter the death of King Charles 1498. the eight Lewis Duke of Orleans as next male of the blood royall succeded to the crowne of Fraunce by
to the king of England 400000. crownes The king of England promised to marie Elizabeth the eldest daughter of Fraunce afterward wife to Philip king of Spaine Both English and French departed Scotland which was ordained to be gouerned by one of their owne nation and both the Kings were made knights each of others order Cha. 3. The warres of Parma and Mirandula The kings nauie spoyleth diuers Holandish shippes The Turke winneth Tripoli THe king hauing thus established peace on that side of his realme began to attend to his forraine practises against the Emperor as well in Italie as in Germanie The first attempt that he made against the Emperour was the warre of Parma in Italie which began 1551. vpon this occasion Petrus Aloisius Franesius sonne to Pope Paule the third had giuen him by his father with the consent of the consistorie of Cardinalls Parma and Placencia in exchaunge of other lands and was created Duke thereof This Peter the tenth of September in the yeare 1547. was slaine in his owne house not without the consent of Ferdinando Gonzaga gouernour of Milan for the Emperour as it was thought For presently vpon his death the said Ferdinando came to Placencia and entered into it and placed a garrison in it to the Emperours vse and farther alowed Giouanni Aguzzolo who killed the sayde Peter with his owne hands twentie souldiours for his guard Octauius Peters sonne and sonne in law to the Emperour for he had married the Emperours base daughter widow of Alexander Medices duke of Florence demaunded of the Emperour against Gonzaga iustice of his fathers death and that Placentia mought bee restored to him againe but receauing frō him no thing but delatorie answers fearing to be spoiled of Parma as alreadie he was of Placentia hee sought for succour at the hands of Iulius tertius newly chosen Pope who misliking the Emperours greatnes in Italie perswaded Octauius to put himself vnder the protection of France not so much regarding Octauius good thereby as hoping by this meanes to set these two Princes at variaunce which hee accompted the onely preseruation of his owne estate But the Emperour on the other side beeing exceedingly offended with this reuolt of Octauio to the French practised with the Pope to claime Parma as the right of the Church and to excomunicate Octauio as the Church rebel promising him if he would so doe that hee would enter into these warres and besiege Parma and restore it to the Church if it were recouered Wherevpon the Pope respecting his owne profit more thē his credit or the goodnesse of the cause vtterly abandoned Octauio and ioyned with the Emperour in this warre But the king hauing receaued Octauio into his protection and that by the Popes owne perswasion promised to defend him both against the Emperors ambition and violence and likewise against the Popes trecherous inconstancie who as you haue heard being reuolted from Octauio ioyned with the Emperour in this warre in hope to recouer Parma for the Church wherefore the king fortefied Parma and manned it and likewise Mirandula the Earle whereof fearing continually to be surprised by Gonzague ioyned with the French and receaued into the towne certaine French bands sent thither out of Piemont by the marshal Brissac Gonzague on the other side by the Emperours commaundement went and besieged Parma but all in the Popes name for neither would the Emperour seeme to attempt any thing against the King but onely to aide the Pope in a iust cause neither would the King seeme to attempt any thing against the Emperour but onely to ayde Octauio beeing vnder his protection in his iust cause But this dissimulation betweene these two Princes held not long for as Monsieur d'Andelot passed through the Emperours dominions in Lombardie with certaine bandes of men to put himselfe into Parma by the Kings commandement notwithstanding that they passed quietlie without harme doing as in their friendes country yet was the said d'Andelot staied prisoner by the Imperialls and iustefied for a good przse wherevpon the King charged the Emperour with breach of the truce and beegan to make warre vpon him on all sides A man may thinke the King was not well aduised to enter into this warre for Octauios cause in whom being the Emperours sonne in law he could repose no assured trust and who hee mought assure himselfe vpon the restitution of Placentia would alwaies be ready to giue him the slip so in deede he did being restored therevnto in the yeare 1556. But you must know that the king vsed this matter but as a coulour to prouoke an open warre beetweene the Emperour and him as hee was sure it would in the ende and the which thing he principally desired both because hee was yong and naturally enclined to martiall affaires and also because hee hoped while the Emperour was busied with the Princes of Allemaine with whom the king had good intelligence to recouer the duchie of Milan in the which as also in diuers other parts of Italie he had many good friends But the warrs of Germanie had a speedier end then hee expected after the which the Emperour held him play in so many places that hee had no leasure to looke ouer the mountaines in a good many yeares after this and sped but euill when he toke that enterprise in hand as heereafter you shall heere And so it appeereth that whatsoeuer man purposeth God disposeth afterwards thereof as it pleaseth him Gonzague as you haue heard besiged Parma the Pope on the other side to distract the kings forces besieged Mirandula But the King auowing the truce to bee broken beecause of Monsieur d'Andelots imprisonment aboue mentioned sent to Brissac new supplies into Piemont commaunding him not onely to succour Parma and Mirandula but also to endamage the Emperours dominions in those partes by all the meanes he mought Wherevpon the saide Brissac wanne diuers townes in Piemont in the Marquisate of Montferrate from the Imperialls and put the whole Duchie of Milan into so great feare that Gonzague was forced for the defence thereof to abandon the siege of Parma retire thether The Pope also preuailed no better beefore Mirandula but lost many of his men before the towne and among the rest his Nephew Giouanni Battista de Monte. Wherfore seing his hope frustrate for the recouerie of Parma and Mirandula and being cōsumed with the charges of the warres and farther perceauing a new tempest readie to arise against the Emperour from Duke Maurice and other princes of Germanie with whom while the Emperour was busied himselfe by the French mought be vtterly ruinated Wherevnto I also adde that the king had alreadie forbidden any cause whatsoeuer to be remoued out of his realme to Rome which was no small blow to the Popes purse and farther had vtterly refused to send any of the Clergie of his Realme to the counsell of Trent or to accept that as a generall counsell and had also perswaded the Swyssers to doe