that which hee loues and to ruine that which he hath raised In the end this charge of Lord Steward is returned into the house from whence it went It did honor others Charles of Bourbon Earle of Soissons doth honor it at this day by the great and goodly qualities which heauen addes to the greatnesse of his birth he restored order in the kings house and reuiued the glory of his Maiesties seruice With the same courage that Iohn the second followed the King against his rebellious subiects he serued him against forraigne enemies e He was present at the great Assembly at Ambois with all the Princes of the bloud and the chiefe Officers of the Crowne to resolue a warre against the house of York in England against the duke of Brittanie where there was a league made for the defence of the house of LaÌ„caster and Edward sonne to King Henry the sixth was married to the Earle of Warwicks daughter and was imployed with the Duke of Bourbon to disperse the storme wherewith King Edward the fourth threatned France being come thither not so much to fight as to receiue the triumph which the vanity of his ambition promised him The proofes of his seruice are not verified by those of recompence and wee may say that this Prince beeing not present at the distributions of the great honours of the Realme had no great share in the Kings fauours and bounty Wee see him hold his ranke at the Coronation and in the Assembly of the Estates but being none of those that were honoured with the first colours of the Order of Saint Michael hee hath remained in the ranke of those great Spirits whose contentment dependes onely of themselues All the Princes of the bloud cannot haue all the honours of the Realme All Planets make not a shadow the refusall of a dignity augments the glory of him that hath well deserued it and the concession doth not make him famous that is vnworthy f They ordained statues for them that had made war in Affricke against Tacfarinates though they did not vaÌ„quish him Dolabella went thither defeated him slue him he demanded the same honours which had been giuen to others which Tiberius refused Taciâ—us thereupon said Sed neque Blesus illustrior huic negatus honor gloriaÌ„ intendis He had sixe daughters Ioane of Bourbon married to Iohn the second Duke of Bourbon Catherine married to Gilbert of Chabannes Ioane wife to Lewis of Ioyeuse Charlotte married to Engelbert of Cleues Earle of Neuers René Abbesse of Paintes and then of Fonteuerard and Isabell Abbesse of Caen and two sonnes Lewis Earle of Vendosme g Lewis of Burbon haâ— 2 sons Iohn Earle of Vendosme and Lewis of Roche-sur you head of the house of Montpensier who married Mary of Luxemburg and Charles his eldest sonne the first Duke of Vendosme married Frances of Alençon and had by her seuen sonnes and six daughters the second of his sonnes was Anthony who married Ioane of Albret Queene of Nauarre and heire of the house of Foix Albret Bearn and Armagnac Of their marriage was borne Henry the fourth king of France and Nauarre their third sonne was Lewis of Bourbon Prince of Condé father to Henry Prince of Condé to Henry Prince of Conty to the Cardinall of Vendosme and to Charles Earle of Soissons and Grand-fahter to Henry Prince of Condé first Prince of the bloud The yonger sonne of Iohn the 2 d Earle of Vendosme was Lewis head of the branch of Montpensier and of Roche-sur-yon whom death hath cut off from this great tree There remains one daughter promised to the Duke of Orleans the Kings second sonne Death freed the Earle of Vendosme from the cares which a longer life had augmented by the iealousies and distrusts which the King conceiued of all the Princes of his bloud which kept him continually in the diuers agitations of hatred and feare It is impossible but that he who by his extreame rigors seuerities hath offended many should feare alwayes hee cannot trust his subiects as his Children seeing he hath not entreated them as a Father h Loue is a strong guard of a Princes person Agesilaus said that he wold liue safe without gardes if he coÌ„manded his Subiects as a good father doth his children He must be beloued of his subiects and feared of strangers Amorem apud populares meâ—â— apud hostes quaerat Tacit. he hath his share of the feare which hee hath made common Wheresoeuer hee casteth his eyes he seeth markes of his seuerity so hee findeth not any one but puts him in feare hee hath feare of his Children feare before him and feare behind and as in his life hee had alwayes desired more to be feared then loued so in the end he found himselfe composed of the same humor fearing more then he loued Hitherto it seemeth he did not trust any man but Peter of Bourbon Lord of Beaujeu his son-in-law in whom he had so great a confidence as he referred vnto him all the care of his affaires when as the pleasure of hunting entertained him in the Forrests not for some few dayes but whole moneths The Author of the Annals of the house of Bourbon who hath seene the originals of many great treaties speakes after this maner This Peter of Bourbon Lord of Beaujeu was in such fauour with the king as his Maiesty desiring to retire himselfe from affaires kept commonly at Chamois and places thereabout a Countrey at that time full of wood and wilde beasts causing the said Lord Peter of Bourbon his son-in-law to remaine at Montereau-faut-yonne to bee chiefe of the Councell to whom all men repaired for their dispatches which had any businesse in Court i A Prince must be feared and loued but for that it is difficult to haue these two things concurre together it were better and more safe to be feared for that Princes which haue grounded themselues vpon the loue of the people haue found that there is nothing more inconstant men do sooner offend him that makes himselfe to be loued then hee that is feared yet must they not in seeking to bee feared make themselues odious The King loued the woods and hunting to free himselfe from cares reposing all vpon the said Lord of Beaujeu His Maiestie also said That hee did hate deadly them of Bourgondy Aniou Alençon and the Dukes of Brittanie for their pride And contrariwise that hee loued Charles of Artois Earle of Eu for that hee retained nothing of the arrogancy of his predecessours and them of Bourbon more for their mildnesse and humility k It is not the first testimony which the kings of France haue giuen of the mildnesse wisedome and moderation of the Princes of the house of Bourbon When as King Charles the â—sâ—h passed from Auâ—gaon where hee had seene Pope Clement the sixth iâ—to Laâ—gueclock to settle an order for the coplaints of the Countrey against the oppressions which they
of Chastel a He was one of the Commissioners whom the King appointed for the accusation and Imprisonment of the Cardinall of Balue one of the Architects of the league found in the end that there was no better lodging then at the kings armes His fortune was ruined in Brittany and raised in France Hee did negotiate the enter-view of the King and Duke of Bourgondy at Peronne he was imployed in the Truce of nine yeares 1475. and was aduanced to the gouernment of Rousillon The Lord of Nantoillet had for a time the authority ouer all the Armies of France Lord of Nantoillet he wanted nothing but the name of Constable for he did exercise the Functions the King hauing made him his Lieutenant Generall throughout his whole Realme and afterwards Lord Steward of France He was so fauoured as the King gaue him often the moity of his bed This fauour lasted not long The Chronicle of the Kings library saith That the King could not pardon any one of whom he had suspition Death of the Lord of Nantoillet He caused his head to be cut off in the yeare 1468. and that the Hangman hauing cut off but a peece at the first blow hee lest him force and courage enough to stand vp and to protest before heauen and the people that hee died an Innocent After that Philip de Commines had said that he had serued the king well in Paris in the warre of the Common-weale he addes In the end he was ill rewarded more by the pursuite of his enemies then by the Kings fault but neither the one nor the other can well excuse themselues Anthony of Chabannes Anthony of Chabannes Earle of Dammartin brother to Iames of Chabannes Lord Steward of France saw the ship of his fortune cast vpon the shelfe in the beginning of this Princes Reigne His good fotune drew him out of the Bastille to go to the warre of the Common-weale in the end whereof hee was made Lord Steward of France hee had the chiefe charge of the Kings Army in Guyenne and was then much fauoured by this Prince with whom hee was so inward as when hee meant to marry his second Daughter to the Duke of Orleans hee discouered his secret affections vnto him by a letter which hee did write vnto him vpon that subiect wher of the Chronicle in written hand of King Lewis the twelfth makes mention hee sent him word that whatsoeuer they said hee was resolued to giue his daughter to the yong Duke of Orleans but no man should bee troubled to nourish the Children that should bee borne of that marriage Peter of Termouille Peter of Tremouille Lord of Croan saw not his life to end with the fauours and honors hee had had of this Prince His Predecessors Guy of Tremouille and Iohn of Tremouille Lord of Ionuelle were made great in following the Duke of Bourgondies party The eldest of this house married Ioane Countesse of Boulleyn and Comminges Widow to Iohn of France Duke of Berry b K. Charles 〈…〉 yeare 1430. King Charles 7 supported George of Tremouille Lord of Craon in the quarrell which he had with the Earle of Richmont for the Lands of Thouars and Benon Peter of Tremouille defeated the troopes of the Prince of Orange before Gy in the Franch-County but hauing beene repulst from the siege of Dole hee was disgraced by Lewis the eleuenth who loued the seruices better then the seruants Hee was saith Philip de Commines a very fat man who being reasonably well content and rich retired himselfe to his house Charles of Ambois did long feele the disgrace of Peter of Chaumont his father Charles of Ambois who retired himselfe in the begining of the reigne of Lewis with the Duke of Berry c The House of 〈…〉 by the Kings Commandement in the 〈◊〉 1465. He was afterwards imployed in great affaires and continued vnto the end His brother was Bishop of Alby and then Cardinall and the greatest fauourite of Lewis the twelfth who called him M r. George Philip de Commines calleth Charles of Ambois a most Valiant Wife and Diligent Man Peter of Rohan Peter of Rohan Lord of Gy did gouerne his fortune happily amidst the waues and stormes of this Princes reigne who made him Marshall of France He was one of the foure which vndertooke the gouernment of affaires during the Kings infirmity and disability d 〈…〉 the Bishop of 〈◊〉 the Lord of Châ—umont the Marshall of Gye and the Lord of Lude gouerned the Estate for 10 or 12 dayes Hee continued this great Authority vnder the reigne of Charles the eighth for the respect whereof the Lady Anne of France Regent to the King and Wife to Peter of Bourbon offended that the Duke of Orleans attempted vpon her Authority would haue taken him prisoner by the Marshall of Gye The Duke of Orleans retired himselfe and hee that was chosen to stay him was the Instrument of his returne and made his peace with the Regent Iohn of Chalons Prince of Orange Iohn of Chalons left the Duke of Bourgondy to serue Lewis the eleuenth then hee left Lewis to serue Mary daugther to the Duke of Bourgondy This first discontentment against his first maister grew for that disputing the succession of Iohn of Chalons Prince of Orange his Grand-father e Iohn of Chalons sonne to Lewis Margaret of Vienne was married to Mary of Baussac heire of the principalitie of Orange by whom hee had Lewis surnamed the Good Lewis first maried Ioane of Montbelâ—art by whom hee had William and then hee maâ—â—ied Elenor of Armagnaâ— by whom hee had Lewis and Hugh Williaâ— was married to Katherine of 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 Iohn of Chalons was borne of whom wee now make mention against Lewis and Hughe his vncles the Duke of Bourgondy being President in his Councell when as the cause was pleaded made a Decree against him This despight drew him to the Kings seruice who promised to restore him to his lands and to giue him the gouernment of Bourgondy but when as he saw that he had but the name and that the Lord of Tremouille had the command of all the forces he returned to the seruice of the Princesse of Bourgondy and caused the whole Countrey to reuolt from the King He troubled him much and let him see that a great Prince hath no small enemies that a Hornet is able to put a Bull into fury Iohn of Esteteuille Iohn of Eâ—â—teuille Lord of Torcy gouerned his fortune amidst so many rockes and shelues vnto a safe port The King made him maister of the Cross-bowes and committed vnto him the guard of the Cardinal of Balue in the Castell of Montbason It was he that came and aduertised the King of the danger in suffering such numbers of English to enter into Amiens during the Treaty of Piquigny Philip of Creuecoeur Philip of Creuecoeur Lord of Esquerdes or Cordes Marshall of France He had great
Kings owne mouth Clemency Clemency This goodly Pearle is not seene in his Crowne b The vertue which rayseth Kings to heauen is Clemency Consulere patriae pâ—rcere afflictis fera Caede abstinere tempus arque ira dare Orbi quietem saeculo pacem suo Haec summa virtus petitur hac coelum via Sen. in Octau this great and royall vertue which pardons the afflicted rayseth vp them that are deiected Lewis the 11. knew not how to pardon and breakes the current of choller was vnknowne vnto him Yet neuer Prince found more occasion to winne himselfe honour but that deceitfull Maxime that a Princes iustice may alwaies and in all cases dissemble c A Prince may mingle prudence with Iustice he may bee a Doue and a Serpent with these three conditions that it be for the necessary apparant and important good of the State that it be with measure and discretion and that it be for an offence and not to offend and sow the Foxes skinne vnto the Lyons fil'd his raigne with tragicall examples of seuerity and gaue him in dying that contentment not to haue left any offence vnpunished Phillip de Commines being to liue vnder the sonnes raigne hath not written all he knew and could haue spoken vpon the fathers and yet he saies but too much to shew his rigour Hee was these are his words suspitious as all Princes bee which haue many enemies and which haue offended many as he had done Hee was not beloued of great men nor of many of the meaner sort and had charged his Subiects more then euer King had done If Commines would haue painted out a cruell Prince hee could not haue imployed other coulours then those wherewith hee sets forth his rigorous prisons his Cages of Iron and his fetters d Cardinall Balue inuentor of these Cages of Iron was lodged there with the first and continued 14. yeares Lacum fodit aperuit eum incidit in foueaÌ„ quam fecit He digged a pit and opened it and fell into the Ditch whicâ— hee had made Hee saith That they were of wood couered with plates of Iron that he had caused Germanes to make most heauy and terrible fetters for mens feete Rigorous prisons of Lewis the eleuenth and there was a ring to put vpon the legge very hard to open like vnto a choller the chaine was great and waighty with a great bullet of Iron at the end much more weighty then was fit and they were called the Kings Snares Although that punishments be the effects of Iustice and very necessary for that hee hurts the good which pardons the wicked yet it caries some shew of cruelty when as the Prince himselfe seemes more carefull thereof then he ought and that hee doth employ them as well against innocents as those that are guilty e The more rare executions bee the more profitable is the example Remedies which curemildly are to be preferred before theÌ„ which burâ—ne mutulate To affect new punishment and against accustomed manners of the Country are markes of cruelty I haue seene saith Phillip de Commines good men prisoners with fetters on their feete who afterwards came forth with great honour and receiued great fauours from him amongst others a sonne to the Lord of Gruture of Flanders taken in battell whom the King married and made his Chamberlaine and Seneschall of Anjou and gaue him a hundred Lances Also the Lord of Pieâ—â—es a prisoner in the warre and the Lord of Vergy For hee found in the end that vigour doth but distract mens minds the violent gust of the Northen wind cannot make a passenger to abandon his Cloake whereas the Sunne casting his beames by little and little doth heate him in such sort as hee will bee ready to strip himselfe into his shirit Generous horses obey the shaddow of a small Wand whereas Asses tell their paces by the number of their blowes The raigne of this Prince was wonderfull stormy they could not say of him as of Antonyn that hee had shedde no bloud f The raigne of the Emperour Antonyn was so good as Herodian called it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to say without bloud Tristan his great Prouost who for his barbarous and seuere behauiour did as iustly as Maximin deserue the name of Sowre was so ready in the execution of his rigorous commandements as hee hath sometimes caused the innocent to bee ruined for the offendor Hee alwaies disposed this Prince rather to vse a sword to punish faults then a Bridle to keepe them from falling A more temperate Spirit would haue staid him and Princes in these stormes doe but what pleaseth them which guide the effects of their Wils A Prince is no lesse dishonoured by the multitude of executions g A multitude of executions saith Seneca breeds as bad a reputation to the Prince as a multitude of Burials to a Physitian too great rigours makes the paines contemptible augments the number of offendours and makes them to become wicked through despight then a Physitian receiues blame by the death of his Patient Claud of Seyssell could not say any thing more bitter to the memory of this Prince then that which hee writes That there were seene about the places of his abode many men hanged vpon Trees and the prisons and other houses neere full of prisoners who were often heard day and night crying out for the torments which they endured besides others which were cast into the Riuer Many great Princes haue felt the seuerity of his humours Iohn Duke of Alençon had in the end as much cause to murmurre against his iustice as hee had to commend his Clemency in the beginning of his Raigne Hee had beene condâ—mned to loose his head vnder Charles the seuenth The King restored him to his liberty and honour to make him some yeares after vndergoe the like censure h The Duke of Alençon being prisoner in the Casile of Loches was led to Paris the sixt of Iune 1473. by the Lord of Gaucort Chaletiere Steward of the Kings house with 24. Gentlemen and 50. Archers Hee caused him to bee apprehended and carried to the Towre at the Louure His Processe was made in the yeare one thousand foure hundred three score and foureteene and a Sentence pronounc't the eightenth of Iuly in these termes Sentence against the Duke of Alençon The Court hauing seene the Charges Informations and Confrontations of witnesses against Iohn of Alenâ—con his voluntary confessions the Processe and other things which were to bee seene touching the great and heynous crimes committed by him by the conspiracies practises and treaties which hee hath many and sundry times had and made with the English the ancient enemies and aduersaries of this Realme and other Rebels disobedient to the King and to the great preiudice of the King and subuersion of the publique good of the Realme forgetting through ingratitude the great grace that the King had done
Florence after Argyropile Hee went away through the practise and iealousy of Angelus Politianus and retyred to Milan Marcus Musurus a Candiot Iohn Lascaris of the Imperiall race whom the Magnificent Laurence de Medicis employed to get leaue from Bajazeth to visite the Libraries of Greece from whence are come many good books which where so many Lampes â— dispierce the clouds of Ignorance and Barbarisme The Vniuersity of Paris as fruitfull a moâ—â—er of good wits as a carelesse Nurse to cherish them is much fallen from her first glory Her Schooles which were sometimes more famous then those of Athens in Greece are vnpeopled the water of her Fountaines which did water all the youth of Europe is troubled there is no Spring in the yeare for these goodly flowers which are cherished of some for the rarenesse of others for the smell and of all for the assurance of fruites The Northerne blasts of the last troubles haue in a manner withered them and hardly will they recouer their beauty if the same Sunne which hath raised the Flower de Luce doth not reuiue them Hercules after so many glorious labours did not disdaine the name of Musagete y Fuluius caused a Temple to be built in Circo Flaminio at Rome to Hercules Musagete that is to say the conductor of the Muses and Eumonius the Rector giues this reason Quia mutâ—is operibus premijs iuuari ornaâ—ique deberent Musarum quies defensione Herculis virtus Herculis vocâ— Musarum For that they should be releeued and adorned by their mutuall workes and rewards The quiet of the Muses by the defence of Hercules and the vertue of Hercules by the voice of the Muses France dare not hope that any other will finish that which Henry the fourth shall leaue vnperfect he will not suffer that she which carries the glorious name of his eldest daughter and hath purchased it by her immortall watches and by the production of many great personages which haue worthily serued the Church and State shall languish any longer in hope to recouer her first dignity There wants nothing else for the tryumph of his glory Iames Dauid Cardinall du Perron High Almoner of France nothing but that can make his Bayes immortall The Muses haue neede of Hercules valour and the labours of Hercules haue need of the recommendation of the Muses The generous thoughts which our Augustus hath of this restauration are wonderfully reuiued by the liuely and powerfull perswasions of the learned Cardinall the miracle of our daies But where shall we finde so many Bâ—deus Turnebus Cuias Murets and Scales as is necessary to haue the effect answereable to the designe and reputation Temperance Temperance wherein it consists If it were not taken but for the moderation which seasons all things that great temper which he had in prosperities and his constancy in aduersities had purchased him the palme of this vertue but if they take it for the rule and restrainte of voluptuousnesse and of other motions of the minde it is not so apparent in his heart as in that of Alexanders Cyrus and Scipioes The two base daughters which he had shewes that he was not contented with the lawfull intemperance of marriage z After the Battell of Montlehery the King gaue his base daugâ—ter to the Bastard of Bourbon and the assuraÌ„ces were made in the Towne house of Paris Hee married the first to the Admirall of Bourbon and the other to the Lord of Saint Valier The letters which were dispatcht for the declaration of her Armes would not be vnprofitable to insert in this place and they were in these termes Lewis by the Grace of God King of France to all to whom these present Letters shall come greeting Hauing of late treated and accorded the Marriage of our deere and louing Base daughter Mary with our deere and faithfull Cozen Aymard of Poicters Lord of Saint Valier Wee haue thought it expedient to appoint the Armes which it shall please vs our said daughter shall cary Wee therefore giue to vnderstand that being assured that the said Mary is truely our base daughter and desiring to honour her and her posterity that shee may enioy the honours dignities and prerogatiues which belong to the Bastards of Princes for the great loue and affection which we beare her a Du Tillet saith that the Surname of France is allowed to the base daughters of Kings if vpon the aduow there be no other Surname giuen theÌ„ and the Armes of France with the difference of a Bende Some haue beene aduowed by letters Pattents and others by fact being nurst Wee will and ordaine by these presents that the said Mary our base daughter carry the Armes of France and for a difference a Bend Or beginning at the sinister Canton as base children haue accustomed to do for the which wee haue and do giue her power and faculty for euer In witnesse whereof wee haue caused our Seale to be set to these Presents Giuen at Meslay the eleuenth of Iuly 1467. and of our Raigne the sixt By the King the Lord of Crussol Peter Doriole others being present L. Toustain It were a great proofe of Inconstancy Opinion that Charles the 8. was supposed and prophane pollicy if that were true which many haue said that King Charles the 8. was not sonne to Queene Charlot and that the King hauing him by a Mistresse made this supposition They that write things whereof they cannot speake which are not knowne to all men do often erre for that they trust to their owne conduct and turne away their eyes from that which might giue them light in the darkenesse of such difficulties It is the melancholy of men of this profession presumption and vanity b Vanity hath much power among learned men Iustus Lipsius hath obserued it in his time O litterae litterae quam semper à vobis aliqua vanitas quam illud verum oportere omnibus corydalis cristaÌ„â—inesse makes them thinke that they see cleere enough and as the Citties of Greece ruined themselues for that they would do their businesse a part Errour of learned men not to communicate they loose by this disvnion that which they might preserue by conference I haue alwaies held it an honour to learne and a happinesse to bee reprehended A man should hold himselfe more bound to bee warned of a fault in his writings then of a blemish in his face Vpon this supposition I went to Monsieur du Haillan for that in the second booke of the estate of the affaires of France he reports this opinion and promiseth a more ample discourse in the History of this King not yet printed c Many were of opinion that Charles the 8. was supposed others held that hee was the Kings sonne but not by the Queene and that the King to quench the troubles which had beene raysed by his brother made this supposition the which is more amply written in the