goods friendes and kinred then to returne eftsoones vnder so vniust so tyrannous and so vile a gouernment beseching lastly the king with teares which he besought him to imagine to be the plentifull teares of the whole people of Pysa miserably prostrate at his feete to remember that with the same pietie with the same iustice and with the same religion and conscience he had restored them to that libertie of the which they had bene so vniustly despoyled he would eftsoones as a Prince resolut and constant defend and keepe them in the same benefit seeing the election was more honorable more godly more worthie his name greatnes to beare the name of the father and deliuerer of this citie so auncient and innocent then in redeliuering it vp into a seruitude so wretched to become the infamous minister of the robberies oppressions and tyrannies of the prowd Florentyns To these accusements aunswered with no lesse vehemencie Frauncis Soderyn Bishop of Volterre afterwards made Cardinall and at that time one of the Embassadors for Florence He showed that the title of his common weale was iuste for that they had bought Pysa in the yeare 1404. of Gabriel Maria Viscounte the lawfull Lord by whom they were no sooner put in possession of their purchasse then the Pysans redeliuered them selues by force By which occasion they were driuen to seeke to reconquer it by a long warre whose ende was no lesse prosperous then the occasion was iust and no lesse praise worthy the humanitie of the Florentyns then the victorie glorious for that hauing in their discressions to perish all the people of Pysa languishing already with hunger when they entred with their armie into the citie they brought with them a greater quantitie of vittells then of weapons And so in place to take away their liues by iust law of conquest and victorie they breathed new liues with their refreshing and vittells into bodies miserable and not worthy of life That the citie of Pysa at no time had obteyned any greatnes in the firme lande and much lesse had bene able in power to winne forreine and straunge peeces seeing they could neuer make them selues Lordes ouer Lucques A citie communicating with them in neare neighbourhed and borders but they stoode alwayes restrayned and inclosed in a strait territorie not seeking to make their fortune greater then was their vertue And for their power at sea neither hath it bene so mighty as there is left any monument of it nor of such continuance as it hath any prescription of time for that by the iust iudgement of God whom they had prouoked by many actes of prophane impietie and for a skourge of the longe ciuill discordes amongest them selues it was long time before the purchasse of the Florentyns falne from all estate and greatnes drayned of all wealth and habitants and at last reduced to such a naked weakenes that one Iacques d'Appian a simple notarie of the contrey was of power to make him selfe Lord ouer them leauing the citie and territorie as a succession to his children That the land and contrey of Pysa was of litle importance to the Florentyns except for thopportunitie of the scituacion and conueniencie of the sea seeing the reuenues that were drawne from thence were of litle consideracion the exactions being so easie and light that they exceeded very litle the necessary expenses yet the most parte were leuyed vpon marchant straungers and by the meane of the port of Lyuorne That touching trade of marchandise artes and offices the Pysans were not bownde with other lawes then did regulat all other cities subiect to the Florentyns who acknowledging to liue vnder a moderate and easie pollicie had no desire to chaunge Lordes not hauing in deede that obstinacie and pride of minde which is naturall in the Pysans nor yet infected with a disloyaltie so notorius as it is made generall and famous by the auncient prouerbe of all Tuskane And albeit since the Florentyns had gouernment in Pysa sundry of the Citisens tooke a willing banishment yet it cōcludes nothing against the Florentyns but detectes iustly their owne prowde stomackes and impacience bearing no mindes to accommodat them selues to their owne forces nor fortune And much lesse that vnder the gouernment of the Florentyns Pysa is diminished either in treasor or inhabitants seeing of the contrary they haue at a great charge recouered the hauen of Lyuorne without the which their citie would be no lesse vnprofitable then inconuenient They haue also introduced the publike studie of all sciences together with many other benefits lastly diligently continued the reparacions of the bankes the better to replenishe them with inhabitants The truth of which thinges did shine with too cleare a light then that the clowdes of false complaintes were able to ouershadow and darken it he sayd it was suffered to euery one to desire to aspire to a better fortune but withall it was an office iust in all inferior degrees to beare without grudging the ordenance sentence of their lott otherwise there woulde be confusion of all empires and gouernments if it were suffered to euery one that is subiect to aspire to libertie Lastly he told the king that to the Florentyns it was neither necessary nor any way apperteyning to their office to perswade Charles a Christian king of Fraunce what he had to doe for that being a Prince wise and iuste they dowted not that he would suffer him selfe to be caried by so vaine complaintes and slaunders that of him selfe he would remember him selfe of his promise made afore his armie was receiued into Pysa togither with his word and oth of a king published solemnly at Florence for that by how much a king is mighty and great by so much is it more meritorious glorious to him to vse his power greatnes for the preseruacion of his faith iustice The king hearing the differences thus disclosed by both thembassadors bare an inclinacion partiall to the Pysans and wished that during the warre of Naples there might be a surceassing of armes betwene the two parties or at least that the Florentyns would consent that he might hold the whole contrey assuring them that assone as the conquest of Naples were accomplished he would make perfect all his promises giuen at Florence This the Florentyns refused holding euen now for suspected all the kinges wordes and yet they forbare not with great constancie to presse him to keepe his promise wherein to make showe that he would satisfie them his intencion in deede being to haue of them before the time the lxx thowsande duckatts which they had promised him he dispatched at the same instant he departed from Rome the Cardinall of S. Mallo as Embassador to Florence making as though he sent him thether to satisfie their demaundes But in secret he charged him that nourishing them with hopes till they had made payment of the money he should leaue thinges in the same estate of which
proper condicion much lesse to refurnish expenses extraordinary onely not to lose thopportunitie of the citadell they prayed the aydes of their frendes hauing foure thowsand of the Venetians foure thowsand of the Genovvays and Luckoyes and foure thowsand of the Duke of Myllan who vsing at the same time his ordinary shiftes and practises whereunto was giuen litle faith he solicited faintly to enter with the Florentyns into firme intelligence and amitie was already agreed of condicions with their Embassadors It can not in any construction cary likelihood of truth that Monsr de Ligny or the Capteine or any other would haue vsed so great transgression without the kings will and liking seeming chiefly the matter was so much to his disauauntage for that albeit the Capteine had capitulated that the citie of Pysa should continue in the obedience of the crowne of Fraunce yet it remeyned manifestly at the deuocion of the confederats and for that the restitucion tooke not effect the french men that were left in the realme of Naples were naked of the succors of men and money promised in the contract of Thuryn The Florentyns obseruing diligētly the action of all things albeit in the beginning they made great dowt were possest at last with this opinion that all was done contrary to the will of the king A thing which might seeme incredible to all others that knew not what was his nature nor what were the condicions of his wit and customes nor how litle authoritie he bare amongest his people And lastly how easily men are emboldened against a Prince that is falne into indignitie and contempt After the Pysans were entred by heapes into the citadell they razed it flat with the earth And knowing their owne strength not sufficient to beare out the desense and protection of their cause they sent at the same instant Embassadors to the Pope to the king of Romans to the Venetians to the Duke of Myllan to the Genovvays to the Syennoys and to the Lucquoys praying succors of euery one by particular sute discourse but with greater instance of the Venetians Duke of Myllan towards whom they nourished a franke inclinacion to transferre the iurisdiction of their citie wherin they had this cogitacion and seeming that they were constrayned not so much to looke to the preseruacion of their libertie as to eschew the necessitie to returne eftsoones into the power of the Florentyns Their hopes also were more partiall in him then in any of the residue for that besides he was the first stirrer of them to rebellion by reason of neighbourhood yet reaping from the other confederats no other thing then generall hopes they had alwayes receiued from him present ready succors But the Duke notwithstanding his desire and ambicion were importunat stoode dowtfull whether he shoulde accept it for feare least the other confederats woulde grow deuided by it in whose councells was now begonne to treate of the affayres of Pysa as of a common cause By reason whereof some times he woulde desire the Pysans to deferre and sometimes aduised them that it might be done in publike action in the name of the Sainct Seueryns and he to disclose that all was done to his profit when he should see his time But in the ende desire of dominion is troublesom till the appetite be satisfied when he saw the french king was gone out of Italy and finding withall that his necessities occasions with the confederats were not now so great he determined to embrase it But this inclinacion of the Pysans began to grow colde for the great hopes they had to be succored by the Senat of Venice and withall they had this councell of others that more easily might they defend their estate with the ayde of many then to stand vpon the succors of one alone finding by this meane a more greater hope to menteyne their libertie with full protection According to these consideracions after they had obteyned the citadel they labored to bring to their defense strēgth the fauors and succors of euery one for the furtherance of which intencion the disposicion of the estates of Italy serued to good purpose for the Genovvays for the malice they bare to Florence and the Siennoys and Lucquoys for hatred and feare were alwayes to minister ayde to them in some sort wherein to proceede with more resolucion and order they solicited to make a contract with obligacions resolut for that effect To the Venetians and Duke of Myllan interteyning one desire to be their soueraigne Lordes it could not but be intollerable that they returned to the rule of the Florentyns And with the Pope and thEmbassadors of the Spanish much helped them their common desire to plucke downe the Florentyns as being too much inclined to the doings of Fraūce So that hauing bene graciously heard in euery place and obteyned of thelect Emprour the priuiledge of confirmacion of their libertie they brought from Venice and Myllan the same promises to preserue them in their libertie which they had made afore with one common consent to helpe to deliuer them from the french And the Pope in the name and consent of all the Potentats of the league incouraged them by a special signeture with promise that they should be mightely defended of euery one But in these great promises hopes the most apparant succors came from the Venetians and Duke of Myllan the Duke augmenting the number of men that were there first and the Senat refurnishing them with a proporcion sufficient An action wherein if they had both continued the Pysans had not bene constrayned to sticke more to the one then to the other of them by that meane also the common benefit had bene more easily preserued But as in all things not followed with the same industrie wherein they are begon the ende is lesse then the exspectacion so it hapned to the Duke of Myllan who fearing alwayes great expenses and being inclined of nature to proceede in all actions with apparances and shiftes made his accompt that the iurisdiction of Pysa coulde not but fall into his handes and therefore beganne with smal proporcions to furnish thinges which the Pysans demaunded of him In which distrust and incerteintie of dealing they tooke occasion to transfer all their inclinacions to the Venetians in whom they foūd a plentifull releeffe in all their necessities without any sparing from whence proceded that a few monethes after the french had redeliuered the citadell the Senat of Venice required by the generall and importunat sutes of the Pysans determined to take the citie into their protection the Duke of Myllan rather perswading them to it then making any show of disliking This was done without the priuitie of the other confederats nor once communicating with them either generally or a parte notwithstanding in the beginning they had giuen them comfort to send bandes of men to their succors but nowe they alleaged that they were no more bownde to
in whom was any principall ende and purpose not to suffer the Venetians to become great The Venetians for their partes being in deede more mighty and greater then any particular of the confederates but farre lesse and inferior to them all togither helde their councells separate from the common councell of the league and watching to rayse and encrease their estate by the discord and trauells of others they had a continuall preparation and readines to take th' opportunitie of all occurrants and tymes which might open vnto them the way to the Empire Monarchie of al Italy wherunto it was clearly seene that they did aspire in diuerse seasons but chiefly when abusing the occasion of the death of Philip Maria Viscoūte Duke of Myllan they attempted vnder colour to defend the libertie of the people of Myllan to make them selues Lordes of that state conspiring in like sort but of later memory to bring the Duchie of Ferrara by the way of open warre to their seruitude and subiection This confederation did easily bridle the couetousnes of the senate of Venice but it could not entierly knit the confederats in a true and faithfull amitie for that being indifferently replenished with enuie ielousie they ceased not to keepe a continuall care obseruation eye ouer the thoughts and behauiours of one an other breaking mutually all their resolucions and plotts by the which might come to any one of them enlargement of estate or reputacion A thing which made not the peace lesse stable but reuiued in them all a generall readines to be carefull to quench all such sparkes and brondes as might be the cause of new fires and burnings Such was the estate of the affayres such were the foundacions of the tranquillitie of Italy disposed and counterpeised in such sort that much lesse that there was any dout of present mutacion seeing the wisedome of man could not easily make coniecture by what councells by what accidents or with what innouacion or armies so great a tranquillitie could be troubled when in the month of Aprill 1492. chaunced the death of Laurence de medicis A death very pitifull for him in respect of his age hauing not yet fortie foure yeares but more bitrer and intollerable to his contrey which for the wisedome and reputacion of the man togither with the naturall volubilitie of his witte raysed to all thinges concerning honour and greatnes flourished plentifully with riches loue and ciuilitie and with all other benefitts and felicities which in th affayres of the worlde are wont to accompany a long concord and peace This death hapned also very ill for the residue of Italy as well for his generall deuises cares and actions for the commonsewertie as also for that he was a meane in particular to moderate bridle the differences councells and suspicions which for diuerse occasions were often kindled betwene Ferdinand and Lodovvyk Sforce Princes equall in ambicion and nothing inferior in power Like as when aduersities happen it is seldom seene that one ill comes alone So a litle after the death of Laurence the time preparing euery day occasions to the calamities to come chaunced the death of the Pope whose life being in other thinges vnprofitable to the common weale was at the least conuenient in this that leauing sodeinly warre and armes vnhappily raysed in the entry and beginning of his popedom against Ferdinand at the incēsing of many barons of the realme of Naples he turned soone after all his facultie affections spirite to pleasures vaine dissolute idle not acquainting his thoughts neither for him selfe nor friendes with any enterprise which might trouble the rest felicitie good accord of Italy To Innocent succeded Roderyk Borgia borne at Valence one of the chiefe cities of Spayne he was an auncient Cardinal one of the greatest in all the court of Rome one meane that raised him to the seate of the Pope was the difference betwene the Cardinals Ascanius Sforce Iulian S. Petri ad vincla but the chiefest thing that accomplished his election was that with a new exāple for that time he bought by the consent knowledge of euery one partly for money and partly with promises of offices and great dignities many voyces of the Cardinals who reiecting thinstruction of the Gospell were not ashamed to passe to him by sale an authoritie and power to make marchandize of the holy treasors that with the name of the celestiall authority in the most high and eminent part of the temple To which abominable negociacion many of them were induced by the Cardinall Ascanius but that was not more with perswasions and sutes then with his example for that being corrupted with the infinite desire of riches he made the Pope promise him for his hyer and recompence of so great wickednes the office of vicechancellorshippe the principallest place in the Court of Rome togither with benefices castells and his pallaice of Rome full of mouables of great valour But the Pope for all this coulde not auoyde neither for the tyme to come the iustice and iudgement of God nor for the present the infamy and iust hate of men in whom for this election was no small impressions of astonishment horror not only for that it was entāgled with meanes dishonest but also because the natures condicions of the man chosen were for the greatest part knowen to many many sentences coniectures were made of his successe amongest others Ferdinand king of Naples dissembling openly the griefe he had of that election signified to the Queene his wife with teares which he was wont to forbeare euen in the death of his children that there was created a Pope who woulde be most hurtfull to Italy and the whole common weale of Christendom A iudgement not vnworthy of the wisedome of such a Prince for that in Alexander the sixt for so would this newe Pope be called was a sutteltie sharpenes and expedicion of witte most singular a councell excellent a wonderfull efficacie in perswasion and in all great affayres a iudgement and care incredible But these vertues were maruelously defaced by his vices for touching his manners and customes they were very dishonest in his administrations he expressed litle sinceritie in his countenance no shame in his wordes small trueth in his hart litle faith and in his opinion lesse religion Of the contrary all his actions were defiled with an insatiable couetousnes an immoderate ambicion a barbarous crueltie and a burning desire to rayse and make greate by what meanes so euer his children who were many in number and amongest others one no lesse detestable then the father to whose cursed councells he became a wicked instrument Great was the chaunge in the affayres of the Church by the death of Innocent the eyght but no lesse reuolucion happened in the common weale of Florence by the taking away of Laurence de medicis to whose greatnes without contradiction suceeded Peter the eldest
Venice where Pisan and Treuisan now their deputie Commissioners perswaded him to dispose the kinges minde to peace to sende a trompet to the sayd Commissioners to let them vnderstand that he woulde common with them for the common benefit they accepted his desire and appointed the next morning to meete in a place conuenient betwene both the armies But the king either for that in that place he had want of vittells or for some other occasion chaunged aduise would not in that place attend the yssue of that meeting The front of the tents and trenches of the one and other armie was distant litle lesse then three myles stretched out along the right shore of the riuer of Taro which is rather a lande fludde then a riuer for that falling from the hill of Appenyn after it hath ronne thorow a litle valley inclosed with two banks it discendes into the large playnes of Lombardye and so falls into Pavv vppon one of these two bankes which was that of the right hand discending euen to the shoare of the riuer was lodged the armie of the confederats incamped by councell of the Capteines rather on that side then on the left shoare where must be the wayes of the ennemies to th ende they should not haue meane to turne to Parma of which citie for the diuersitie of factions the Duke of Myllan was not without suspicion the rather for that the frēch king had by the appoyntment of the Florentyns for his conduit to Ast Francis Secco whose daughter was maried into the house of Iorelli a famulie noble and mightie in the territorie of Parma The lodgings of the confederats were fortefied with ditches and rampiers well furnished with artillerie by the mouth of the which the french men going to Ast must of necessitie passe Taro on the side of Furnoue and marche no other thing remeyning betwene them and thItalians then the riuer All the night the french were in great trauell for the vexacions of thItalians who made their estradiots to make incursions euen to their campe which was so ready at euery brute as if there had bene a continuall alarme to this trouble and perplexitie of minde was ioyned a suddein and most thicke rayne mixed with lightnings and thunders fearefull with many horrible crackes and flashes that they tooke it as a foreshewing of some sorowfull accident a matter which did more amaze them then the armie of thItalians not onely for that being in the middest of mounteynes and ennemies in a place which if they preuailed not by fight fauored them with no hopes or meanes of safetie the consideracion of those great difficulties gaue them iust occasion of extreame feares But also to mindes fearfull al fancies and coniectures seeme thinges of truth they made constructions of the threatnings of the firmament not accustomed to show it selfe ill disposed but towards some great variacion the storme in their opinions raging most toward that parte where was the person of the king of so great maiestie and power The morning following being the sixt of Iuly the frenche armie beganne by the peepe of the day to passe the riuer Afore marched the most part of the artillerie being followed with the vauntgard wherin the king supposing that against it would be bent the greatest forces of the ennemic had put three hundreth and fiftie french launces Triuulce with his cōpanie of a hundreth launces three thowsand Svvyzzers which were the sinewes hope of that armie with them on foote Eugilbert brother to the Duke of Cleues the baylif of Dyon that had leauyed them to these the king adioyned three hundred archers and certeine crosbowmen on horsebacke of his gard whom he made alight on foote and almost all the footemen which he had with him After the vauntgard marched the battel in the middest whereof was the person of the king armed at all partes and mounted vppon a fierce courser and neare to him to gouerne with his councell and authoritie that parte of the armie was the lord of Trymouille a leader much renowmed in the realme of Fraunce Then followed the arearegarde guided by the Count de fois and in the last place was bestowed the baggage of the armie Notwithstanding this marching of the armie and the present readines to fight yet the king who could haue bene cōtented with some accord solicited Argenton to goe and negociate eftsoones with the Venetian Commissioners euen at the same time that the campe beganne to moue But the Venetian armie being all in armes and the Capteines determined to fight the shortnes of the time and nearenes of thennemie left no respitte or space of time to enterteyne Parley for now began the light horsemen on both sides to skyrmishe the artillerie from all quarters to shoote of with a noyse horrible and the Italians yssued out of their tentes had spred vpon the shoare of the riuer their esquadrons and rankes prepared to the battell These thinges notwithstanding the french men forbare not to march partly vpon the breache or greaue of the riuer partely by the skirtes or stretching out of the banke for that in so straite a plaine they could not display their ordenance And the vauntgard being now led to the right way of the campe of thennemies the Marquis of Mantua with an esquadron of six hundred men at armes of the gallantest of all the armie and with a great band of stradiots other light horsemen followed with fiue thowsand footemen passed the riuer at the backe of the arearegard of the french leauing vpon the banke on thother side Anthony of Montfeltre bastard to Federyk late Duke of Vrbyn with a great esquadrō to passe whē he should be called to refreshe the first battel he ordeyned besides that when the fight was begonne an other parte of the light horsemen should charge thennemie in flancke the residue of the estradiots passing the riuer at Furnoue to giue vpon the baggage of the french which either for want of men or as was bruted by the councell of Triuulce was left without garde to who woulde make pray of it of the other side the Count Caiazze with foure hundred men at armes amongest whom was the company of Dom Alphonso D'este come to the campe without his person for that his father would it so and with two thowsand footemen passed the riuer of Taro to assayle the french vauntgard hauing in like sort left on the banke on the other side Annyball Bentyuole with two hundred men at armes to giue reskew when he should be called And for the defence of their lodginges and tentes remeyned two great companies of men at armes and a thowsand footemen for that the Commissioners of Venice would reserue in all fortunes a whole succor for their safetie But the king seing that contrary to that his Capteines had perswaded him so great a strength came to charge the arearegard he turned his backe to the vauntgard began to draw neare to the
yet he was not without his perplexities not onely by his frendes seeing Consaluo kept one part of Calabria in the name of the king of Spayne but also of his enemies reconciled for that the Prince of Bisignian being one euening sore hurt by a certeine Greeke as he went out of the new castell of Naples the Prince of Salerne was in such feare that the blow was giuen by the kings commaundement in reuenge of thoffences passed that immediatly not dissembling the cause of his suspicion he went from Naples to Salerna And albeit the king sent to vse at his will the Greeke deteyned in prison to iustifie as the truth was that he had giuen the blow for an iniurie to him done by the Prince of Bisignian in the honor and person of his wife yet in auncient great grudges it is hard to establish a faithfull reconciliacion for that it hath his propper impediments either by suspicion or desire of reuenge the Prince of Salerne coulde neuer after dispose him self to trust him which ielousie giuing yet some hope to the french keeping still the Mont S. Ange and other stronge places of some new innouacion or insurrection in the kingdom of Naples procured them with more constancie to stand to their defenses In these seasons were tokens and demonstracions of farre greater daungers in Lombardye by the emocions of the french assured for the present by the threatnings of the Spanish for that passing betwene them rather light incursions and apparances of warre then any thinge of notable action sauing that the french burned the towne of Sausses They had begon a parley of accord and for the more easie negociacion of it had made a surceasing of armes for two monethes By meane whereof the french king hauing a more facilitie to harken after the affayres of Genes and Sauona dispatched to Ast an armie of a thowsand launces three thowsand Svvyzzers and a like number of Gascoyns aduertising Tryuulso his Liefetenant in Italy to applye aydes to Baptistyn and the Cardinall of S. P. ad vincla his intencion was to send after the Duke of Orleans with a stronge armie to execute in his proper name thenterprise of the Duchie of Myllan And to make more easie thaccion of Genes he sent Octauyan Fregose to require the Florentyns to inuade at the same tyme Lunigana and the riuer of the East ordeyning also that the sowtherne riuers should be troubled by Pavvle Baptysta Fregose with seuen gallies This enterprise was begon with such astonishment to the Duke of Myllan not prepared sufficiently of him selfe and lesse sewertie of the aydes promised by the Venetians that if it had proceeded with the same directions and councells it coulde not but haue brought forth some effect of importance and more easily in the Duchie of Myllan then in Genes for at Genes Iohn Lovvys de fiesque the Adornes who were entred into reconcilement by the meane of Lodovvyk had leauyed many bandes of footemen and rigged at the charges of the Venetians and Lodovvyk an armie at sea to the which were ioyned six gallies sent by Federyk But the Pope interteyning the name of a confederat more in councells and demonstracions then in workes and meaninges woulde not in those daungers contribute to any exspenses neither by sea nor land The proceedings of this expedicion were that Baptistyn and with him Tryuulce marched to Nony of which towne Baptistyn had ben despoiled afore by the Duke of Myllan but not of the castell which he had alwayes kept and held yet But by reason of their comming in such stronge order the Count Caiezze which was there in garrison with threescore mē at armes two hundreth light horsemen and fiue hundred footemen distrusting muche to be able to defend it retyred to Sarauall The conquest of this towne augmented greatly the reputacion of the banished for besides that the towne is capable of many people it stoppes the passage from Myllan to Genes and by reason of thopportunitie and seate of the place it is very conuenient to endomage the contrey assisting After this Baptistyn made him selfe Lord of certeine other peeces neare to Nony and at the same tyme the Cardinall with two hundreth launces three thowsand footemen hauing taken Ventimille coasted ouer to Sauona where finding no insurrection by the inhabitants and hauing espiall that Iohn Adorne approched with a stronge bande of footemen he retyred to Altare A place of the Marquis of Montferat distant eyght myles from Sauone But Tryuulce in the beginning did an action of greater importance for that hauing a desire to giue occasion to kindle the warre in the Duchie of Myllan notwithstanding the kinges commission was to execut first the affayres of Genes and Sauone he tooke Bosco a borow of great importance in the contrey of Alexandria Wherein this was his pretext cooler that for the sewertie of the bands which were gone to the East riuers it was necessary to take from those of the Duke the meane to goe into Alexandria vpon the landes of the Genovvays But tempring his desire with regard to the kinges commaundement which he thought not reasonable to impugne manifestly he forbare to passe further losing a most fayre occasion for that all the contrey there about drew into great sturre and tumult for the taking of that place some for feare as the multitude popular some for desire of innouacion which commonly is familiar with the condicion of witts least moderat And of that side there was no greater strength for the Duke then fiue hundreth men at armes and six thowsand footemen besides Galeas de Saint Seuerin who was with in Alexandria began to distrust his defense without greater forces And Lodovvyk him selfe being vexed yet but with apparances and threatnings showing him selfe no more tymorous in this aduersitie then by the propertie of his nature he expressed in all other accidents solicited the Duke of Ferrara to worke some accorde betwene the french king and him But the soiorning of Tryuulce betwene Bosco Nony gaue sufficient tyme to Lodovvyk to furnish him selfe and good respit to the Venetians who seeming most ready and prepared for his defense had sent afore to Genes fifteene hundreth footemen to send into Alexandria bandes of men at armes light horsemen yea the Venetians appoynted the Count Petillane generall of their regimentes for that the Marquis of Mantua was withdrawne from their paye to marche with the moste parte of their companies to the succors of that state Thus thinges begon with so great hope now growing cold Baptistyn hauing nothing profited at Genes for the citie was quiet for the prouisions that were made returned to ioyne with Tryuulce publishing that his exployts brought forth no successe of seruice for that the riuer of the leuant was not assayled by the Florentyns who iudged it not a councell wise to enter into warre if first the thinges of Fraunce appeared not more prosperous and more puisant In like sort came and ioyned with Tryuulce
the Cardinall ad vincla by whom was done no other execution then that he had taken certeine places of the Marquis of Finale for that he declared him self for the defense of Sauone The french armie drawne now all into one strength made certeine offers to Castellat a place neare to Bosco which had bene afore tyme fortefied by the Capteines of the Duke But the armie of the confederats which reassembled in Alexandria increasing dayly in qualitie of souldiers and quantitie of prouisions And of the contrary both money and vittells beginning to fayle amongest the french and their Capteines not a litle impatient to obey Tryuulce it was necessary for him to leaue Nony and Bosco to garrison and retyre neare the towne of Ast It was beleued that the distribucion of the bandes into seuerall places brought great harme to thenterprise as often tymes hapneth in the like examples And that if they all ioyned into one strength had bene at the beginning addressed to Genes thexpedicion perhaps had drawne some better successe seeing that besides thinclinacion of factions and indignacion conceiued for Pietra santa one part of the horsemen and footemen of the Almains which the Duke sent thether reuolted from the seruice and returned vpon the suddeine into their contrey It might be also that euen those who the yeare before had hindred the kinges discending into Italy and the succors of the kingdom of Naples applying now the same meanes did giue impediments to the present enterprise by the difficultie of prouisions This likelihood of truth was iustified with a brute that ronne that the Duke of Myllan to the oppression of his subiectes made great presents to the Duke of Burbon and others that had grace and fauor with the king in which infamie the Cardinall of S. Mallovv had not the least interest But whatsoeuer was in it it is most certeine that the Duke of Orleans appoynted to passe to Ast and called vppon by the vehement solicitacion of the king made all his preparacions necessary for thexpedicion But he lingred either for that he distrusted the continuacion of the prouisions or as some interpret he had no forwardnes to depart out of Fraunce the king being continually ill disposed of his health and in case of sterrilitie the succession of the crowne apperteyning to him But the king reaping no frute of his hope for the mutacion of Genes and Sauona continued with more diligence his practises begonne with the King and Queene of Spayne which hetherto had bene lingered for this onely difficultie that the frenche king desiring that he might be in libertie to prosecute his enterprises on this side the Mountes would not that in the truce then in negociacion should be comprehēded the things of Italy And the kings of Spayne showing that they made no difficultie to consent to his will for other respect then in regard of their honor solicited much that the Italian actions might be comprehended alleaging that the common intencion of them both being to make a trusse to th ende a peace might more easily succeede they might afterwards with greater libertie of honor honestie depart from the confederacion which they had with thItalians In so much that after many meetings and discourses of thEmbassadors of both sides the Spanish suttelties in th end carying it they made a trusse for them their subiectes and dependants and also for such as either of them should name which trusse beginning betwene them the fift day of march but betwene such as shoulde be nominated fifty dayes after shoulde last vntill the ende of the next October Euery one of them named those estates Potentats of Italy which were their confederats adherents but the kings of Spaine named moreouer king Federyk and the Pysans After this they agreed to send men to Montpellyer to sollicit a peace where were to assemble thEmbassadors of the confederats In this practise the kinges of Spayne gaue hope to vnite them selues with the french king against thItalians vnder a certeyne occasion iustificable and from that tyme they commoned of factions meanes to deuide the kingdom of Naples The trusse albeit it was made without the participation of the confederats of Italy yet it was agreeable to them all but specially acceptable to the Duke of Myllan to whom nothing was more welcome then the meane to make cease the warre in his quarter But the power remeyning free to offend one an other in Italy vntil the xxv of April Tryuulce Baptistyn and Sereuon taking the aduauntage of that article returned with fiue thowsand men to the riuer of the Sowth where they assaulted the towne of Albinge which albeit they had almost caried at the first assault yet they suffered repulse by a very small strength of thennemie for that their entry was in disorder Afterwards they fell vpon the Marquisdom of Finale to giue occasion to thItalian armie to make to their succors hoping by that meanes to draw them to battell which not succeedinge accordinge to their exspectacion they did no further action of importance the discord of the Capteines continuing in increasing their payments fayling dayly more and more by reason of the trusse In which tymes the confederats had recouered all their places lost before except Nony which also they obteyned at last by composicion notwithstanding the Count Caiazze which had beseeged it had bene repulsed There remeyned in the power of the french no other thinge of the places conquered then certeine litle townes in the Marquisdom of Finale during all which emotions and styrrs the Duke of Sauoye who had bene solicited on all partes with no small promises and the Marquis of Montferat whose gouernment had bene confirmed by the king of Romains to Constantyn of Macedonia stoode newters declaring neither for the king nor for the confederats In this yeare was nothing done of importance betwene the Florentyns the Pysans notwithstanding the warre continued without intermission sauing that the Pysans led vnder the direction of Iohn Pavvle Mantfron foure hundred light horsemen and fifteene hundred footemen to recouer their bastyllion vppon the bridge of the poole which they lost when the Emprour went to Lyuorne The Count Riuucce hauing espiall of this enterprise put him selfe vpon the way of Lyuorne to reskewe the bastyllion with a good trowpe of horsemen the Pysans not looking to be charged but by the way of Pontadere were set vpon as they begon to assault the bastyllion being easily put to the chasse many of them were made prisoners But at last armes and actions of warre ceased also betwene them by reason of the trusse notwithstanding it was with an ill wil accepted of the Florentyns who iudged it very inexpedient for their affayres to giue leasure to the Pysans to take breath seeing withall that notwithstanding the trusse necessitie compelled them to continue the same expenses both for dowt of Peter de medicis alwayes conspyring against them and for feare of the Venetian bandes
possessed by the Viccairs of Romagna and withall to giue him presently thirtie thousand duckattes vnder this cooller that he was constrained to interteine a greater force for the gard of his person as though to knit himselfe with the French king were to stirre vp many of the Potentates in Italie to seeke to hurt and oppresse him For th execution of these couenantes both the king began to make payment of the money and the Pope committed the action of the diuorce to the bishop of Setto his Nuncio and to tharchbishops of Parys and Roan And albeit in the trauerse of the cause the kinges wyfe impugned the iudgement yet in the ende holding for no lesse suspected the consciences of the Iudges then the might and greatnes of her aduersarie she tooke comfort in her innocencie and disclaimed her suite receiuing for thinterteinment of her person the Duchie of Berry with thirtie thousande Frankes of Reuenue And so the diuorce confirmed by sentence of the Iudges there rested nothing els exspected for the dispensing and and accomplishing of the new mariage but the comming of Caesar Vorgia lately of a Cardinall and Archbishop of Valence become a soldiour and Duke of Valentinoys the king hauing giuen him a companie of a hundred Launces and twentie thousand Frankes pension and for his title of dukedome he indued him with Valence a Citie of Danphyne with twentie thousand Frankes of Reuenue he embarqued at Ostia vppon the Gallyes which the king sent him and arryued about the end of the same yeare at the french Court where he entred with a pomp and pride incredible and brought with him the Cardinalles hatt for George Amboise Archbishop of Roan Who hauing alwayes affore participated in the daungers and fortunes of the king helde with him great authoritie grace and reputation This new Duke albeit he was receiued of the king with great honour and all other offices of court yet his manner of dealing was not well lyked in the beginning for that according to the direction and councell of his father he denied that he had brought with him the bull of dispensacion hoping that the desire to obteine it would make the king more easie to assist his plottes and purposes then would do the remembrance that he had receiued it vsing this reason that there is nothing endureth so small a tyme as the memorie of benefittes receiued the more great they bee the more commonly are they recompenced with ingratitude But the bishop of Setto reueiling the truth secretly to the king who making it sufficient to godwarde that the bull was dispatched and ratified consommated the mariage openly with his new wyfe without making more demaundes for the bull the same being the cause that the Duke could no longer keepe from him the bull Authentyke and iustefied And finding out after by suttle inquirie that the bishop of Setto had reuealed the matter he caused him soone after by secret meanes to dye of poyson the vnfortunate bishop not remembring that in matters of estate betweene princes he that discloseth his secret to another worketh to himself the occasion of his death The king being now in some stabilitie of minde by his new mariage began to be carefull to renue leagues amities with his neighbours making presentlie a firme peace with the king of Spaine who bearing now no more regarde to the thinges of Italie called home all his Embassadours remayning there except him that laye resident with the Pope and readiourned Consaluo into Spaine with all his regiment leauing to Federick all those peeces in Calabria which he had holden till that day he had a great deale more trouble to accorde with the king of Romains who was newly discended into Burgongny by occasion of some commocions stirring there being for that expediciō ayded with a round summe of money by the Duke of Myllan in whom preuayled muche this kinde of persuacion that eyther the warre which hee should make vppon the french king would turne him from thenterprise of Italy or at least if any agreement succeeded betweene them he should be comprehēded in it as the king of Romains had assuredly promised him But at last after much discourse of reasonings and meetings the king made a new peace with Tharchduke by the which were to bee rendered vnto him the places of the countrey of Artoys a thing which to th ende it might bring effect and profit to his sonne the king of Romains consented to make truce with him for many monethes without making mencion of the Duke of Myllan against whom he seemed at that tyme much discontented for that he had not alwayes satisfied his infinit demaunds of money Lastly the french king ratifiyng the peace made with the king of Englande by his predecessor reiected all solicitacions and suites made to him to receiue the Duke of Myllan to any composicion who for his part albeit he protested large offers offices vsed no lesse corrupcions to induce him yet all his industries and practises were vaine in the kings sight who to lay a more sure foūdaciō of the warre pretended sought how he might at one time tie to him in suertie of amitie the Venetians Florentyns and therefore he required with great importunities that ceassing to vexe the Pisans the Venetians would put Pisa into his hands whereunto the rather to draw the Florentyns to consent he offred secretly to restore it to thē within a short tyme This practise being founde full of many difficulties and concurring in it diuers endes and intrestes was for many monethes debated with delayes for that the Florentyns holding it necessarie that in that case they should make aliance with the french king and fearing by the remembrance of thinfidelitie of Charles the present busines should suffer no lesse breach of promyse in the king raigning coulde not agree amongst themselues nor consent in vnitie of opinion and councell wherein one reason of their disagreement was that their citie was vnquietly tossed betweene thambicion of some of the greatest Rulers and the vnbridled libertie of the gouernment popular and being reapposed by reason of the warre of Pisa vppon the Duke of Myllan the whole citie was falne into such generall diuision that it was harde to deliberat in peace and quiet vppon matters of importance some of the principall citizens desiring the victorie to the french king and others of the contrary bearing their whole affections to the Duke of Myllan The Venetians also notwithstanding all other difficulties had bene ouercome which might hinder the accorde had yet determined not to consent to put Pisa into a third hande hoping that for the regarde of the repayment of their charges and to leaue Pisa with lesse dishonor they should obteine better condicions in the negociacion that was holden at Ferrara which was vehemently solicited by Lodovvyk both for feare least the deputacion of Pisa falling to the french both those common weales would knit with the king and also hoping that the
demayne of the church for that some of the Viccaires payed not their tributes as they ought in homage of superioritie others payed them but with difficultie and hardnes and for the most parte out of season But they all indiffrently without licence of the Popes put themselues in paie with other Princes wherein much lesse that they made exceptions not to serue them against the church but of the contrarie they bounde themselues to protect them euen against the authoritie and armes of the Popes being so much the more plawsible to those Princes by how much they were conuenient for their seruice both for thoportunitie of their estates forces withal to hinder that the power pride of the Popes shold not swel and rise aboue order In that time the Venetiās possessed in Romagna the cities of Rauenna Ceruia which they had not many yeares before takē from the familie of Polenta a people who of Citizens priuat of Rauenna were become Tyrants ouer their coūtrey afterwardes had thinvestiture of Viccaires Faenza Furly Ymola Rimini were in the power of Viccaires perticular Cesena that had ben long cōmaūded by the family of Malateste was eftsones returned to the church Domynick the last Viccaire of the same Citie being dead without children certeine yeares before Therefore the Pope whose ambicion was greater then his doctrine pretending that those Cities for many respectes were diuolued to the sea Apostolike and that he would reestablishe and reduce them to their auncient iurisdiction but indeede had intencion to appropriat them to Caesar his sonne had contracted with the french king that when he had accomplished his conquest of the Duchie of Myllan he should contribute and communicate with him for the recouery only of those townes which were possessed by the Viccaires comprehending the Citie of Pesera whereof was Viccaire Iohn Sforce aforetyme his sonne in lawe for the greatnes of the Venetians did not suffer that those thoughtes should stretch out against them who did not aspire at that tyme to those litle townes which confining vppon the Ryuer of Po were holden by the Duke of Ferrara In so much that the Duke Valentynois assoone as he had obteyned of the king the bandes promised and ioyned them to the regiments of the church he entred into Romagna where he tooke with a speede and fortune aboue his exspectacion the Citie of Ymola by accord and that about the later end of the yeare a thousand foure hundred nientie and niene a yeare wherein Italy being afflicted with so many emotions felt also a scourage by the Turkes armies for Baiazet Ottoman hauing assailed with a mightie armie by sea the peeces which the Venetians held in Grece sent by lande an armie of six thousande horsmen to pray the countrey of Fryull and finding it without garde they ouerranne it making Pillage and burnings euen vntil Lyuence And hauing taken an innumerable proporciō of prisoners when they came neare the Ryuer of Tagliamente to returne with the more ease they reserued such as they thought they might leade with them in safetie and made cruell murders of the others And as it is a custome infallible with fortune not to let happen one mischiefe vnaccompanied so in Grece the affaires of the Venetians trayned no better successe for that Anthony Gryman Capteine generall of th armie which the Venetians opposed against thenterprise of the Turkes was accused to haue let slippe thoccasion to vanquish the enemies that issued out of the port of Sapience and an other tyme at the mouth of the Gulphe of Lepanto And after he was deposed and an other preferred to his place they acyted him to Venice recommending thinformacion of the cause to the councell of the Pregati where that cause was debated many monethes with no small exspectation of thissue his authoritie and greatnes defending him on the one side and on the other parte his accusors pursuing him with many arguments and testimonies At length standing in great likelehood to haue the vpper hande eyther by his authoritie or the great number of his parents or lastly for that in that councell compounded vppon many wisemen there should not be so much regarde to the generall bruites and slaunders which were not well proued as to a desire to vnderstande ripelie the truth of the fact the knowledge of the cause was transferred ouer to the iudgement of the great councell by the maiestrate of the aduocates of the communaltie where fauors ceassing or rather the lightnes of the multitude carying more then the grauitie of the Senators hee was in the ende passed into exile perpetuall in the I le of Essera Such and so great matters were brought to passe in the yeare 1499. But in the yeare 1500. were accomplished things of no lesse importance nor lesse worthie of memorie specially for the ful remission of that vaine and supersticious Iubile which being instituted in the beginning by the Popes to bee celebrated the Iubiley from a hundred yeares to an hundred yeares not for pleasure and pomp as the Romains did in their sportes and feastes secular but for an opinion vaine and erroneous of the health of soules for that in the same according to the fantastyke beliefe of Christian people were abolished whollie all the sinnes of those who acknowledging with true repentance their faltes committed made visitacion to the churches of Rome dedicated to the Prince of Thapostles It was afterwardes ordeined to bee celebrated from fiftie yeares to fiftie and in the ende reduced to fyue and twentie But for the more solemne memorie of his primitiue institucion the hundreth yeare was celebrated with a greater affluence of people then the others In the beginning of this yeare the Duke Valentynois obteined without resistance the Citie of Furly the Ladie of the place hauing sent her children and riches most precious to Florence and abandoned that which shee could not defende did determine to hold only the Cytadel Rocke of Furly refurnished with sufficient strength of men and Artilleries She had a vallour aboue the propertie of that sex and a resolucion more resembling a man then a woman wherewith entring the place shee studied to her great glorie howe to defende it But the Duke Valentynoys after hee had assaied in vaine to dispose her to yelde began to batter the wall of the Citadell with a great furie of artillerie the same bringing downe to the ground a great quantitie of the wall with the which the earth of the Rampier which was behinde being choked filled almost the depth of the ditche or trenche and made the entrey more easie to his souldiours By meane whereof the defendantes falling into feares and doubtes gaue place to their perils and abandoned the place seeking to retyre into the Rocke whether the Ladie made also her retraite after she had performed all that could be required in the office of a defendant But as when things are in aduersitie many occasions concurre to aduaunce the ende so as she
marche thartilleries towards many places of the frontiers of Italy he recontinued the practise to haue the twelue thousand Svvizzers who demaunding many thinges and propounding straunge exceptions gaue him not any certayne resolution he solicited the bandes that were promised him and trauelling in person from one place to an other for diuers expeditions he brought mens mindes into many confusions their iudgementes varying more through all Italie then earst had bene seene in any other action for in some the opinion of thenterprise was greater then euer and others supposed it to bee already in an estate declining which incertentie of minde was increased by himselfe who being of nature secrete and particular did seldome communicate his thoughtes with others and to th ende his intentions shoulde be lesse priuate in Italie he had ordeyned that the Popes Legate nor other Orators of Thitalians should not followe his person but keepe a parte in places remoued from the Court. Now was come the day appoynted for the assemblie of Thalmain companies of whō notwithstanding there mustred at Constance but a very small crew neither was seene any other preparations on his part then remouing of artilleries and studying by what meanes he might recouer money In so muche as beeing vncertayne with what forces in what time and on which side he would enter such as doubted him made mightie prouisions in many places some supposed he woulde make his entrie by Friul and others thought he would marche by Trent into the countrey of Verrona others iudged that comming by Sauoy or by Coma he would assayle the duchie of Millan hauing many of the exiles of that state in his campe others stoode in some doubt least he would make some stirre on that side to Burgondie In regarde of these feares the French king sent to the duchie of Millan many bandes of horsmen and footemen and besides other preparations leauyed for the defence of that state he dispatched two thousande fiue hundred Spanish footemen vnder the fauour of the king Catholike to whom Caesar complayned greeuously of suche a sufferaunce Monsr de Chaumont doubting the fayth of the Boromei surprised in the same time Arona a Castell belonging to that familie standing vpon the lake Maior into Burgondie the king had also sent fiue hundred launces vnder Monsr Trimouille gouernor of that prouince And to drawe away in many places the thoughtes and forces of Caesar he succoured continually the Duke of Guelders who molested the countreis of Charles the little sonne of themperour Besides all this he had sent to Verona Iohn Iacques de Triuulce with foure hundred Frenche launces and foure thousande footemen to the succours of the Venetians who had also sent to Rouera the Counte Petillano with foure hundred men at armes and many bandes of footemen to th ende to remayne there for the repressing of those stirres that might arise towardes Trent and to Friul were sent eight hundred men at armes vnder Bartlemevv Aluiano who long time before was entred into their payes But the first daunger appeared on that side which was least doubted for that Paule Baptista Iustinian and Fregosin exiles of Genes ledde to Casuola a towne belonging to Lodovvike Gonsagna feodar of thempire a thousande Almain footmen who marching secretly and with great diligence ouer the mountaynes and impassible places of the Venetian territorie had an intention to go to Genes after they had passed by the ryuer of Po along the mountaine of Parma This expedition being doubted of by Monsr Chaumont he dispatched suddenly to Parma many horsemen and footemen to giue impediment to thenemie which so cut off all hope from Thalmains to be hable to execute any thing agaynst Genes that they returned into Germanie by the same way but not with the same diligence and daunger for that the Venetians respecting their common benefite made a secret consent to their retyring There were at the same instant many of the exiles of Genes in the towne of Bolognia whiche driue the king into a suspition that this matter had bene wrought by the consent of the Pope of whose inclination and will many other thinges put him in doubt both for that Themperour was solicited to marche by the Cardinall S. Crosse notwithstanding more of his proper motion and disposition then for any other occasion and also thexiles of Furly being by chaunce issued out of Faenza and assaying one night to enter into Furly the Pope complayned that it was a matter compact betwene the Frenche king and the Venetians To these was added the conspiracie of a Monke who beeing prisoner in Mantua had confessed that he had practised with the familie of Bentiuole to empoyson the Pope and that he was solicited from Monsr de Chaumont to performe all his promises to the Bentiuolei by reason whereof the Pope proceeding by examination in forme authentike sent it to the king by Achilles de Grassi Bishop of Pesera and afterwardes Cardinall to make request that the trueth might be knowen proceeding to the punishment of suche as should be found guyltie in so great a wickednesse In so much as Alexander Bentyuole beeing suspected more then the residue was adiorned by the king to appeare and answere in Fraunce to such things as he was to be charged withall with these actions and incertenties ended the yere 1507. But in the beginning of the yere following the trauelling minds of them of Bolognia no longer disposed to nourish their tranquillitie drewe into conspiracie and being ledde by Anniball and Hermio Bentyuole who had intelligence with certayne young gentlemen of the familie of the Pepolies with others of race and yeres equall they approched vpon the sodayne Bolognia an enterprise not without perill for that the conspirators to th ende to lette in the residue had occupyed the gate of S. Mamola But as it is easie to represse a violence in the beginning so the people taking armes in fauour of thestate ecclesiastike the young men abandoned the gate with more feare then vallour and the Bentyuoleis retyred finding onely that safety in their aduenture This inuasion rather abated then inflamed the mynde of the Pope agaynst the Frenche king for that his Maiestie shewing great tokens howe muche it did discontent hym commaunded Monsr Chaumont to be readie to succour Bolognia and all that depended vpon it in all necessities and occasions he gaue order besides that from thencefoorth the Bentiuoleis shoulde not be receyued into any parte of the duchie of Millan by whiche restraynt Iohn one of the chiefest of them dyed about that tyme of displeasure for that muche lesse that he had bene accustomed afore he was expulsed Bolognia to feele the aduersities or bitter blowes of fortune seeing he had beene the moste happie of all the other tyrantes of Italie seruing a long time as an example of prosperous fortune for in the course of fortie yeres during the which he commaunded as he woulde in Bolognia muche lesse that he was touched with any heauie affliction seeing in all
footmen This matter was kept secrete vpon the request of the Marquis for this reason that it was necessarie that he prouided first for the stay and order of his owne countrey to th ende to withstande the harmes of the frenchmen But in truth this was his meaning that taking this charge vpon him not of goodwill but by necessitie of the promises he had made he sought to defer th execution the better to deliuer himself of it by some occasion or helpe of the time The great desire which the Pope had to offend others was turned into a necessity to giue defence to his owne things and this desire had bin yet both more ready and more greater if new accidents had not constrained Chaumont to defer his purposes for after the Venetian army was broken vp frō before Verona Chaumont being comē as far as Pesquiero to march to the reskew of that citie determined to returne speedily and employ his army in the recouery of Modena in which quarter his bandes that were at Rubiero had taken by assault the towne of Formingo if he had gone forwarde in this action it was thought he might haue easily obteined it bothe for that the garrison was slender the towne not fortified and thinhabitantes nothing brooking the iurisdiction of the Churche But it happned as he thoughte to go his way that the Almain footemen that were within Verona began to drawe into tumulte for that they were yll payed of Caesar by reason whereof least that Citie shoulde remayne abandoned Chaumont was constrayned to abyde there tyll he had reassured them distributing nyne thousande duckets for their present pay and promising the residue the moneth following In warre one misfortune draweth on an other for he had no sooner giuen order to these disorders then there happned an other accident for that the Venetian bands beeing retyred towards Padoa Grotto the gouernor of Leguaguo thinking now that thoccasion offred to sack the town of Montagnana he caused to march thither al his men at armes foure hūdred footmen against whom whilest they of the towne who could not be without feare of a facking made defence many trowpes of the Venetian light horsemen finding them in disorder brake them easily to their great harmes for that the meane to flee was taken from them by thenemie that had battred beaten downe a bridge By this aduenture Leguaguo being almost made naked of men it is without doubt that if the Venetian bāds had put diligence to their fortune they had made it a glory of their valour and a reward of their victory But as in al worldly things so chiefly in actions of war fortune continueth not all one this oportunitie passed away foorthwith for that Chaumont being aduertised of all that was hapned dispatched thither in great diligence other bands preseruing that by his policie whiche thenemie had missed to take by their vertue But by these impediments he loste thoccasion to recouer Modena into the whiche in this respite of tyme were entred many footebandes and many fortifications had bene made with great deuise and studie And yet for his comming to Rubiero the Pope was compelled to addresse to Modona that armie that was appoynted to go agaynst the Duke of Ferrara There all his forces beeing assembled vnder the Duke of Vrbin Captayne generall and the Cardinall of Pauia his Legate and vnder Iohn Paule Baillon M. Anth. Colonno and Iohn Vitelli all Capteines of name and authoritie he made request to giue battell to thenemies A matter which all his capteines did impugne as knowing that the forces of the Frenche were without all comparison both greater in numbers more approued in valour both for that the footemen of the Church had bin leauyed in hast and in the armie was no such obedience and discipline as apperteined and betwene the duke of Vrbin and the Cardinall of Pauia a manifest emulation discorde the same extending so farre that the Duke accusing him of infidelitie to the Pope ledde him prisoner to Bolognia eyther of his proper authoritie or by the Popes commaundement But the Pope eftsones holding him purged from all crimes and imputation of crimes helde him in better degree of fauor and authoritie then before Whilest the two armies laye one right agaynst the other Chaumont lying with his horsemen at Rubiero and his footemen at Marsaglio and on the other side the Ecclesiastikes keeping at Modena in the suburbes of Rubiero many skirmishes and enterchaunge of feates martiall passing betwene them The Duke of Ferrara who a litle before had recouered without resistance Polisena de Rouigno ioyning to him the Lorde Chastillion and the French launces recouered without impediment Finale from thence entring into the towne of Cento which the Pope had taken before by the Castell that helde for him he sacked it and burned it preparing himselfe to go ioyne with Chaumont The Churche armies fearing muche by these behauiours retyred within Modona bestowing one part of their footmen in the suburbe that is towarde the mountayne But suche is the variation of warre not carried alwayes with one fortune the Duke was no sooner remoued then he was constrayned eftsones to abide for the defence of his own for that the Venetians cōteining three hundred men at armes many light horsmen foure thousand footmen to win the passage of Pavv so to ioyne with the Popes armie were encamped before Ficquerolei which is a litle weake borow vpō Pavv but of great renowme both for the lōg time that Robert of S. Seuerin was afore it in the warre which the Venetians had with Hercules duke of Ferrara also for the defence made by Federike Duke of Vrbin captaynes of great vallour in that time The Venetians tooke it by composition and afterwards forced the towne of Stellate which is vpon the shore opposite And cōmanding in that sort the passage of Pavv there rested no more to marche ouer but to caste the bridge whiche Alfonso after the losse of Stellate beeing come with his army to Bondin hindred with his artillerie which he had planted vpon a poynt of the lande from whence he beat easily that place and besides that skowred the whole ryuer of Pavv with two gallies which retyred immediatly for that the Venetian fleete who in the beginning could not enter Pavv the mouthes of the riuer being garded by thordinance of the Duke found entring now being come vp by Adice against the streame insomuch as the countrey of Ferrara suffred many domages by the presence of two fleetes of the Venetians But those harmes ceassed forthwith together with the feares of the peoples for that the Duke issuing out of Ferrara set vpon that fleete whiche was entred by Primaro and come vp to Adria with two gallies two foystes and many small barkes and hauing repulsed them with an easie fortune and no great hazarde he came to the other which being compounded but of foystes and other small vessels was entred by Fornacei and
vntill the necessitie of affayres constrayned him to declare him selfe and desiringe withall to publishe it with some excuse Sometimes he required the kinge to consent that the Churche might reteyne Parma and Plaisance and sometimes he preferred other demaundes to the ende that any one of the thinges which he demaunded beinge refused it might appeare that necessitie more then will had caried him to knitte with the kinges enemies And at that time distrusting not to be denyed of some one of those thinges which altogether he woulde not preferre without some honest colour he made diuerse aunsweres doubtfull suttle and irresolute But as for the doinges of mortall men there is reserued in the infallible iustice of God an equall measure and like proporcion of recompence so there were others that vsed towardes him the same sleightes and suttleties wherewith he abused the kinge For Octauian Fregosa Duke of Genes fearinge on the one side the great preparacions of the Frenche Kinge and on the other side holdinge for suspected the victorie of the confederates for thinclination of the Duke of Myllan and the Svvizzers to their aduersaries had made a verie secrete contracte with the Frenche Kinge by the meane of the Duke of Burbon and yet verie firmelye assured the contrarie to the Pope bothe in the time of the action and after it was resolued Yea because Octauian was one of the auncient frendes of the Pope and of his brother Iulian to whome they had borne no small fauours at suche time as he was created Duke of Genes the Pope did so simplie beleue him that the Duke of Myllan suspecting thinges for the rumors and brutes that went and determined to inuade him with foure thowsande Svvizzers alreadie come to Nouarro together with the faction of the Adorney and the Fiesquey the Pope was the cause that thenterprise brake and passed no further This was the capitulacion of Octauian Fregosa That the towne and iurisdiction of Genes shoulde bee rendered to the kinge together with the castell That Octauian shoulde beare no more the name of Duke but take vppon him the name of perpetuall Gouernor of Genes for the kinge with power to dispose the offices of Genes That the kinge shoulde geue vnto him an hundred men at armes the order of Sainct Michaell And a yearelye pension duringe his life That the king should not reedifie the fortresse of Codifa very hatefull to the Genovvais and shoulde also recontinue and graunt to the Citie all those capitulacions and priuileages which had beene reuersed and burned by king Lovvys That he should geue a certeyne proporcion of ecclesiastike reuenues to Federyke Archbishop of Salerno brother to Octauian and to himselfe certeine places in Prouence if euer it hapned that he were chassed out of Genes When these matters were spred abroade it was not hard for Octauian to iustifie his resolucion for that it was discerned of all men that he had great reason to feare the Duke of Myllan and the Svvyzzers The onely thing that was noted ill in him was that he had so many tymes denied the truth to the Pope of whom he had receiued so many benefits and had broken hys promisse and faith in entring into couenants without his priuitie And yet in a long letter which he wroate to him afterwards for his iustificacion he discoursed at large with great care and humilitie the causes that had moued him together with all thexcuses wherein he might reasonably defend his honor and the propertie of thaction he tolde him nothing was done in despising the respect and deuocion which he ought him acknowledging in his person the full maiestie of Pope and his chiefe rayser and aduauncer his conclusion was that it would be more hard for him to be iustified if he wroate to persons priuate or to any Prince that measured th affayres of estate according to regardes priuate But writing to a Prince wiser aboue all others of that tyme and to whose wisedom it was seene he could not otherwaies saue his estate That it was matter supersiuous to offer excuses to him that so well vnderstoode and knewe what was lawefull to Princes or at least what they were wont to doe not onely when they were reduced to those necessities but also when they went about to encrease or make better the condicions of their estate But by this tyme matters were wrought from wordes and councells to deedes and execucion for the king that was nowe come to Lyons accompanied with the whole presence of the Nobles of Fraunce and Dukes of Lorraine and Gueldres caused to marche towards Italy his power which was the most mighty and florishing armie that had bene seene of long tyme he stoode assured to haue no troubles beyond the Mountes for that the king of Aragon who fearing at first least so great preparacions might bee turned agaynst him had armed his frontyers and perpetually vnited the Realme of Naples to the kingdom of Castillo to make those people 's more ready to defende it And assoone as he had credible vnderstanding that the warre should be made in Italy he dismissed all the companies he had leauyed holding no more reckoning of his promisse made that yeare to the confederats to make warre vpon Fraunce then he had done of al other couenants and contractes made to them the yeres before So ready he was to be caried by occasions and so light to laye downe his faith and word more to the profit of his affayres then preseruacion of his reputacion and honor At the brute of the descending of the french king the Viceroy of Naples who hauing bene many moneths as it were in truce with the Venetians now come to the contrey of Vincensa to draw neare to thennemies that lay incamped in a very stronge place neare Vincensa remoued his armie to Verona to go as he sayd to the succours of the Duke of Myllan And the Pope dispatched into Lombardye his companies of men at armes with the regiments of the Florentyns vnder the gouernment of his brother chossen Capteine of the Church to minister likewise to the ayde of Myllan according to his resolucion not many dayes before with the other confederats Neuerthelesse he forbare not to perseuer in his fayre showes and semblances making the worlde to beleeue that he sent out that strength onely for the garde of Plaisanca Parma Reggia Wherein he had so cunningly proceeded with thEmbassadors of Fraunce That the kinge nowe doubting no more to fall to agreement with him had dispatched from Lyons to his Embassadors A new commission with authority to conclude consenting that the church should remeine possessed of Plaisanca and Parma vntill he had satisfied it with suche a recompence as the Pope should holde him selfe contented But all these remedies were but cures vnperfect whose sores burst out after agayne they were shadowes whose bodies were farre of yea they serued for nothing for those causes that hereafter shall be expressed for it was a destinie set downe that the
residue after long conference in priuate demaunded of the Popes Legate what the Pope would saye if they leauyed the campe The Legate aunswered the Marquis with this question shall we not take Parma this daye according as you assured vs yesternight To whom the Marquis replied in his Spanish language neither this day nor to morow nor after to morow The Legate sayde it could not be doubted that the Pope would not be right greatly discontented with the matter for that it would altogether depriue him of the hope of the victory Onely he sayde that the point of that deliberacion consisted in the truth or error of the supposicions and reasons by them set downe for that if to surceasse and absteyne were a matter daungerous without hope it could not be doubted that to remeine there were great indiscression but if it were otherwayes to breake vp could not but bring slaunder of too great disorder Therfore he willed them to cōsider with deepe councell and discression both the state of the armie and importance of thinges and to ballance indifferently whether was the greater either the daunger or the hope But Prospero and the Marquis stoode continually vpon this that all reasons and rules of warre aduised them to retyre against whome being Capteines of such name and authoritie the Legat forbare to obiect any further Insomuch as it was set downe the same daye that the campe should breake vp and thartilleries should be retyred from the walls which being published thorow the campe it was blamed as a resolucion tymerous and fearefull by all those that were not present at the councell And albeit it was a councell euen then disposed to execucion yet by the murmure of the vniuersall body of the campe the Legat and Moron ioyning together labored to alter Prospero and retyre him from his opinion They found him not much estraunged to consult againe call a new councell alleaging with wordes and reasons so much the more worthy commendable by howmuch was great or graue the personage that spake them that he held it no shame to chaunge councell when he was encoūtred with better reasons and therefore caused eftsoones to be summoned all such as were at the first resolucion But the Marquis of Pesquare being busie about retyring thartillerie would not heare speake of chaunging the first conclusion and refused to come to councell Insomuch as the matter remeyning rather confused then resolued they proceeded to execute the first determination Thus the same daye which was the xij since their encamping they returned to S. Lazaro And at the departing there wanted not much of a very great disorder for that the footemen laūceknights demaunding so vnreasonable condicions touching their payes that they could not be accorded refused to follow the armie And the old Capteines that impugned the councell concurring with them in that tumult had created amongest them selues a Capteine Author of that sedicion In which disorder it was feared lest they would compownd and accord with the french men neuerthelesse the army being already gone and no hope that the sentence or resolucion woulde be altered they prepared also to depart and followed the armie In this manner of perturbacion the army being full of feare and faction both for so suddeine a breaking vp and for the tumult of the launceknights there is no doubt if Lavvtrech had aduaunced and taken thoccasion that he had not easily put them all to flight Such a thinge is disorder that in an armie deuided it breedes more daunger then the multitude or sword of thennemy This suddeine discamping wonderfully afflicted the mind of the Pope who exspected from one day to an other that newes would be brought to him that his soldiours were within Parma he seemed to be depriued of his hope contrary to all reason and order and that he was nowe entred into a most deepe subiection to a heauy and intollerable charge for that except the men at armes and the spanish footemen he supported generally all the burden and expenses of the warre But that which worse was he was not without doubt of the Capteines imperials whom many others held also suspected perswading them selues that the retyring of the campe from before Parma proceeded not of feare but of arte and cunning as though they had suspected that after the Pope had recouered Parma and Plaisanca nothing else apperteining to him in thestate of Millan he would waxe wearie of the warre and the thoughtes thereof forbeating any longer to susteine so great a charge and trauell for thinterestes of another he was induced to these suspicions both by the long tracte and delaye that was vsed to plante the campe affore Parma and also that they had bestowed it in a place so vnapte and inconuenient seeing the lesser parte of the towne beeing taken they were to deuise to take the other parte with the same difficulties Lastly they proceeded in the siege slowly and drawing things in delaye as though they ment expresly to giue time and respite to the succours of the French And being at laste in possession of one parte of the towne they cowardly lefte it abandoned assone as they heard Lavvtrech approched and yet he was not stronger then they Some there were that supposed all this action might proceede without the priuitie of Prospero of the arte and suttletie of the Marquis of Pesquairo who as muche as he could was enuious and ielouse of the glorie of Prospero Neuerthelesse it might be that those sortes of men supposed the trueth who beleeued that all was done with sinceritie and good meaning and that they were not pushed on with other mocions then of a feare that Lavvtrech was at hande wherein they were greatly beguyled by the first aduertisements by the which they were made to vnderstand that his armie conteined farre greater forces But it is most certayne that the french capteines maruelled more then all the residue being reduced into a very small hope to be hable to defende Parma for that the Svvizzers being gouerned more by their owne humors and nature then obseruing the necessities of those that payed them their wages were very long in comming which made many amongest them not attributing to feare so sodayne a discamping interprete rather that Prospero a wyse and experienced capteine knowing what disorder the sacking of Cities brings vppon armies and considering howe harde it woulde be to restrayne the souldiours from spoyling of Parma iudged it a matter of perill to take it the enemies being so neare What so euer was the cause Monsr Lavvtrech after he had refurnished Parma with newe bandes incamped at Fontanella and within three dayes after he sent one parte of the armie to take Roccabianqua a borowe of the territories of Parma neare to Pavv which after it had bene battred with artilleries the borowe and the castell were rendred by Rolland Paluoisin lorde of the place himselfe hauing liberty to departe After this the army was dispersed betwene S. Secondo and the ryuer
then of our selues our owne feares will breede our common daungers our fraile suspicions will drawe on our propper calamities and as a destinie we shall be driuen into warre by our immoderat desires to peace which then is most holy and most to be embrased when it puts men out of suspicion when it encreaseth no daunger when it bringes a meane to sit downe in tranquillitie and to cut of great exspenses But when it appeareth in an other habit and forme begetteth effects contrary it abuseth then the name the property and the nature of peace and vnder a corrupt resemblance of peace it taketh iustly the title of a daungerous warre and vnder the show of a holsom medicine it expresseth thoperacion of a mortall poyson So that as in confederating with thEmprour we turne the French king from his enterprise of Italy leade thEmprour as it were by a lyne to occupy at his will the Duchie of Myllan and so to embase vs and our iurisdiction so it followeth that by that action with a right great infamie of our name and hazard of the faith of this common weale we buy the greatnes of a Prince who hath giuen no lesse tokens of his ambicion then proofe of his power and who ioyning with him his brother hath set downe this pretence that all that we possesse in the firme land apperteineth vnto them And on the other side we reiect and exclude out of Italy A king who vnder his equitie and greatnes assureth the libertie of vs all and is induced by a great necessitie and constraint to remeine straitly allied and conioyned with vs These reasons so euident and sensible auoyd all matter of imputacion that I am not pushed on more by affection then by truth nor more caried by any interest particular then with the loue I beare to the common weale The sauetie and preseruacion of which we neede not doubt if God giue so great grace and felicitie to your councells as he hath plentifully imparted amongest you the spirit of wisedom and forecast But against this speech did oppose one George Cornaro a gentleman of equall authority and of no lesse reputacion for grauitie and stayed condicion Rightielous were the office of Magistrates if in matters of councell it were lesse lawfull to confute then to obiect And no lesse doth it offend the estate and credit of their place where it is not thought as greate a fidelitie to aunswer as to propone Since such hath beene alwayes the law and libertie of councell giuing to assure the truth against all sinister insinuacions And albeit I am not ignorant that in nothing is more suspicion then to giue councell in matters of state yet for myne owne parte considering the equitie of this Senate affore whom I speake I doubt not but the reasons I shall giue will suffice to assure myne innocencie against all imputacions Assuredly the matter we haue in hand is great and full of difficulties both for the consideracion of the time nature of many accidents concurring And yet when I looke into thinfidelitie and ambicion of the Princes of this time and howe much they differ from the nature of common weales whose gouernment beeing not subiected to thappetit of one alone but disposed by the consents of many vse to proceede with more moderacion and regard and obserue with great ceremonie contrary to thexamples of Princes not to depart from any thing that beareth apparance of iustice honestie or reason I can not but conclude that it is most hurtfull for vs and our affayres to haue the Duchie of Millan possessed by a Prince more mightie then our selues seeing that necessarily suche a neighborhood will so holde vs suspected and afflicted that thoughe we enioye peace yet we shall alwayes liue in continuall thoughtes of warre notwithstanding all leagues of alliance or confederacion what so euer Of this auncient stories giue vs many examples which for good respectes I passe ouer for the present leauing you onely to the lamentable experience of king Lovvis the xij of whose doings I doubt not remayneth imprinted in the heartes of vs all a bitter remembraunce This Senate brought him into the Duchie of Millan and to that vnhappie resolucion many of vs heare gaue assistance we kepte with him iustly our fayth in all Capitulacions notwithstanding vnder great offers and goodly occasions we were aduised by the Spaniardes and Launceknightes to leaue his alliance as also his infidelitie gaue no small cause to drawe vs therevnto for that he solicited many practises agaynst vs But neyther the memorie of so many benefites receyued nor the merite of our fidelitie so iustely obserued nor the consideration of so many perpetuall offices exhibited could moderate in him his great desire to vex vs In so muche as in that ambicion and for that cause he made a willing reconcilement with his auncient and greatest enemies and lastly contracted agaynst vs that most perillous confederacie of Cambray If it be daungerous for the riche and poore to dwell neare together for that in the wealth of the rich are sowen the seedes of enuie to the poore and by the wantes of the poore are bred humors of couetousnes in the riche man to consume him farre greater harmes must growe by the neighborhood of great kings and princes whose ambicion caryed on the wings of authoritie runneth without limitte and is no more repulsed by the resistance of men then a swift running streame blowen by a violent winde to ouerflow his channell And therefore to escape those daungers that would alwayes hang ouer vs by so yll assured neighborhood of great Princes the necessitie of our affayres driues vs to addresse all our counsells to this ende that neyther the French king nor themperour haue anye footing in the Duchie of Millan but that it remayne to Frauncis Sforce or suche an other of his equalitie who were not borne vp with kingdomes or large dominions Vppon such a choyse dependes our suretie for the present and hereafter if the condicion of tymes do chaunge may depende a great encreasing and exaltacion of our estate We consult nowe whether we should continue amitie with the French king or confederate our selues with themperour By the one of these two deliberacions Frauncis Sforce is excluded absolutely from the Duchie of Millan and an entrie left open to the French king who is a prince farre mightie aboue vs the other tendeth to assure and confirme in the same Duchie Frauncis Sforce whom themperour offreth to comprehend as principall in our confederacion and hath made promise to the king of Englande to protect him So that though he would seeke to depriue him of that estate he should not offende vs onely and the other potentates of Italie to whom he should giue cause to turne eftsones to the Frenche but also in that action he is both to displease the king of Englande whom it behoueth him greatly to respect and also to prouoke agaynst him all thinhabitantes of the Duchie of
Millan who beare an vniuersall inclinacion to Frauncis Sforce And so laying him selfe downe to many difficulties and daungers and to no lesse infamie he should also go agaynst his fayth whiche till this daye we haue not founde by any token that he hath defiled A matter which we can not protest on the behalfe of the French yea he can not be touched with any demonstration or signe contrarie to his fidelitie hauing since the death of Pope Leo repossessed Frauncis Sforce of that estate and redeliuered vp the strong holdes in sorte as they were conquered and lastly reestablished him in the castell of Millan contrarie to the beleuing of many why therefore should we not rather embrase that councell wherein is discerned an apparant hope to come to the end of our intencions then to follow that which manifestly tendeth to an end contrarie to our affaires Perhappes there are that will obiect against this that this common weale would suffer greater daunger if the Duchie of Millan were in the power of thEmperour then if it should diuolue into the handes of the french for that necessitie would draw that king both for the greatnes of Caesar and for themulacion and gelousie he hath of him to perseuere in our alliance But in thEmperour all the contrarie as well for his power might as for the claimes and rights which he and his brother pretende agaynst our estate Sure I beleue that who hath that opinion of the Emperour is not beguiled considering the nature and custome of Princes which are mightie and great But God graunt that he be not deceiued that holdeth not the same opinion of the frenche king Many of the same reasons made for his predecessor yet ambicion and couetousnes bare more dominion in him then either common honestie or his proper profit And besides the causes that might keepe him conteined in league with vs are not perpetuall but subiect to chaunge from one time to an other according to the nature of humane things for bothe thEmperour hath his mortality as other men haue and withall standes subiect to infinite accidentes of fortune according to thexample of many Princes as mightie in greatnes as he it is not long since that all Spaine conspiring against him he seemed more needefull of pitie then of spite And at the leastwise there is not so great difference betwene the one daunger the other as there is oddes betwene a councell that wholly excludes vs from our purpose and a resolucion which in similitude of trueth and reason leades vs to the full accomplishment of the same Besides those reasons consider only the time to come and farre of But if we looke into the present estate of thinges we shall discerne that to reiect thalliance of thEmperour doth put vs for the present into greater perplexities and daungers for if we separate our selues from the french king it is credible that he will deferre the warre vntill better times and fitter occasions but if we continue conioyned with him it may be that thEmperour will presently make warre against vs a matter which necessarily will heape vpon vs many troubles exspenses And in whether of these elections shall the issue of the warre be more daungerous to vs If we ioyne with thEmperour it is not almost to be douted that the victorie will not fall on that side which we can not so assuredly promise to our selues if we stand conioyned with the frenche king And in confederating vs with thEmperour the victory of the french can not be so daungerous to vs as it would be in the contrarie for that in that case all the forces of the victor would be turned against vs and thEmperour would not only haue a lesse bridle and weaker impedimentes but also he woulde stande almost in an absolute necessitie to occupie the Duchie of Millan Touching thobiection made against the bond of confederacion it is easely aunswered by the same reason that is vsed to satisfie questions of equitie since our promise to the frenche king stretcheth only to aide him to defend his estates that he possessed in Italie but not to recouer them if he shoulde loase them The articles of the capitulacions beare not that and the same reasons make for vs that are brought in against vs we accomplished the bonde of all duetie and office when after the losse of Millan hapning through the default of their prouisions our souldiours and men of seruice receiued more harmes then the frenchemen We were acquited of our promisse when Monsr Lavvtrech returning to the warre with the Svvyzzers we sent him our bands of souldiours for his succours yea we haue done more then reasonably might be required of vs when in exspecting so many monethes the comming of his armie we receiued nothing from him but vaine hopes and dissembled promisses if he were stayed by his owne will why seeke we to support the imputacion of his faultes if he were holden by necessitie is not the same a sufficient reason to iustifie vs though we stood bownd I know not why we should be kept bownd any longer to the French king seeing he hath first abandoned vs it can be no iniustice to retyre from the league since we take our liberty by his example how can we stand giltie in bond and office towards him when he hath first broken the lawe of fidelitie and contract with vs In matters of league and confederacion betwene parties the breach of the one giues liberty to the other and the bond that is once broken by the one forbeareth afterwards to compell the other I will not assure that thEmprours Capteines intend to moue warre at this time against vs no more will I warrant the contrary considering with what necessitie they are pressed to interteyne their armie in the estates of others and the hope they may conceiue to draw vs by that meane to their allyance specially if the french doe not marche Of which who dowteth dowteth not without reason both for their naturall inclinacions for their necessitie and want of money and for thimpediments of the warres which they haue on the other side the Mounts with two so mighty Princes and of these impediments our Embassador hath already made credible relacion Lastly my replye conteyneth one selfe matter that we ought to foresee with all studie that the Duchie of Myllan be transferred to Frauncis Sforce and consequently I menteyne that the councell that guides vs to that effect is more profitable then that which makes reasons and arguments to exclude vs from it Thauthoritie of two such personages together with the force of their reasons did rather make doubtfull then assure the mindes of the Senators whose perplexities kept them so farre of from resoluing that the Senat deferred to determine absolutely inducing them thereunto their custom and nature the greatnes of the cause and their desire to see further aduaunced the preparacions of the french king The many difficulties also that by necessitie hapned in thaccorde with the Archeduke were some
of the same factiō wholy at his deuociō In which despite of mind he made a willing offer to the Cardinal Medicis to ioyne with him in thelectiō for recōpēce he receiued of him a very secret promise of the office of Vicechauncellor which he held of his Pallace being very sumptuous builded by cardinal S. George and giuen to him by Pope Leo a matter which aptly agreing with the couetousnes of Cardinal Colonno so pushed him on that he drew to him cardinall Cornare two others betwene whō was made a resolute cōsent to chuse Cardinal Medicis for Pope And as it often hapneth that in electiō exāple doth much so assone as their inclinaciō was knowē many others either for wāt of stomake or by too much ambiciō begā to presse on with the formest to speak in his fauor Insomuch as the same night he was honored as Pope by the vniuersal agrement of thē al the next morning being the ninetienth of Nouember thelection was made perfect by solemne lott according to the custome This dignitie hapned to him the same day two yeares that he entred victorious into Millan It was thought that amongest other things his great reuenues of benefices and ecclesiastike offices did muche to make him Pope For that the Cardinalles when they entred the conclaue set downe this constitucion that the reuenues of him that should bee elected Pope should bee shared by equal distribucion amongest the others A foule custome of couetousnes in a Cleargie whose handes should bee no lesse innocent to take then their hartes naked of fraude and guile and in whose preferment should bee most respected their sinceritie of lyfe and doctrine He would haue continued still his name of Iulio but beeing caryed with this supersticious obseruation of some of the Cardinals that such as after their election refusing to chaunge their name dyed within the yeare he tooke vppon him the name of Clement the seuenth eyther for the nearenes of that idolatrous festiuall or els by allusion that immediatly after his election he had pardoned and receyued into grace the Cardinall Volterro and reconciled all his faction And albeit Pope Adrian in his latter dayes had declared this Cardinall to bee vnable to assist or enter the conclaue yet he had his place there by the permission of the Colledge and was euen to the last houre altogether agaynst thelection of Iulio Great was thopinion of this newe Pope throughout all the worlde and as it hath not bene seene of long tyme that the Conclaue hath so long temporised and stand vppon the naming of one so yet they thought the tract and exspectacion well recompensed in that they had raised to that supreame seate a person of so great authoritie and vallour both for that he had confounded and conioyned by his arbitrement the power of thestate of Florence with the iurisdiction of the Church and had in the tyme of Pope Leo gouerned many yeares the whole pontificacie and was iudged a man graue and constant in his deliberations and also for that many thinges being by sinister imputacion imposed vppon him that proceeded from Leo many affirmed that Leo was full of ambicion full of pryde full of trouble and full of desire of innouacion and newe thinges To which good partes that were founde in him adioyning his modestie and abstinence from pleasures and full of care and studie to attende affaires there were fewe who did not exspect of him verie great and extraordinary matters His election euen in the beginning put the estate of the Church in great suertie For the Duke of Ferrara not a litle astonished that suche a Pope was mounted into the holye seate and hoping no longer to get Modena for the comming of the Viceroy of Naples and lesse exspectation in the Frenche who affore by the solicitacion of Theoder Tryvulce newly come to his Campp made him great offers so that he would ioyne with them Returned to Ferrara after he had left sufficient garrison within Reggia and Rubiero In lyke sort all controuersies were reappeased in Romagnia where Iohn de Sassatella who had bene expulsed by the power of the Gebelins during the raigne of Adrian was estsones reentred with a traine of Guelffes vnder couller to oppresse the contrary faction but in trueth at the incensing of the French. But sithens the Frenche armie was distributed to Biagrasso and Rosa the Admiral with whom were remeining but foure thousand Svvyzzers dismissed as vnprofitable for seruice all the footmen of Dauphine Languedocke He sent also his great artilleries beyonde Thesin with intencion to tary there for the supplies which the King prepared for his succours not fearing that thenemie would make any inuasion vppō him in a place so strong and conteyning suche plentie of vittelles And yet because he woulde not enterteine the tyme idelie he sent Ranse de Cere with seuen thousande Italian footemen to take Arona a towne of great strength and hath his scituacion in the confins of the Lake Maior This towne was possessed by Anchises Viscounte and to the reskew of it Prospero Colonno sent from Myllan a regiment of twelue hundred footemen But because the Castle of Arona doth so muche commaunde the towne that who holdeth not the Castle doeth vnprofitably possesse the towne Ranse layde his plott to winne the Castle but his fortune being inferior to the difficulties he founde after he had giuen many assaltes wherein he lost many men consuming almost a moneth in that enterpryse at last he leauied his seege and went away confirming the vniuersall opinion that had bene conceyued of him for many yeares that his actions helde no comparison with the reputation he had got in the defence of Crema About this time Prospero Colonno hauing lyen sicke eight moneths began to draw to his latest houre not without suspicion of poyson or els some amarous potion He was carefull by his latest end to confirme the credit he had gotten in the race of so many yeares past and therefore where affore he could not wel brooke the comming of the Viceroy he now solicited it with great affection as knowing that he was no more able to manage the affaires of the warre So agreeable was the modestie and temperance of his last dayes with the vallour and courage of his younger tyme No lesse honorable was the behauior of the Viceroy who assoone as he came neare to Myllan staied without and would not enter for certeine dayes to showe what reuerence he bare to the vertue and reputacion of suche a Capteine And yet when he vnderstoode he was reduced to the last action of lyfe and had lost all sense and knowledge he entred the towne for a desire he had to see him notwithstanding some hold that he would not enter till he was dead which was the last daie sauing one of that yeare He was a Capteine of great name merit during the whole time of his life and in his latest yeares had wonne singuler
Realme of Fraunce was to appease and assure the minde of the king of England iudging truely that if they could reduce him to amitie and reconcilement the Crowne of Fraunce should remayne without quarrell or molestation Where if he on the one side and themprour on the other should ryse in one ioynt force hauing concurrant with them the person of the duke of Burbon and many other oportunities and occasions it could not be but all things woulde be full of difficulties and daungers Of this the Lady Regent began to discerne many tokens and apparances of good hope for notwithstanding the king of Englande immediatly after the first reapportes of the victory had not only expressed great tokens of gladnes reioysing but also published that he would in person passe into Fraunce and withall had sent Embassadors to themprour to solicite treate of the mouing of warre ioyntly together yet proceding in deede with more mildnes then was exspected of so furious showes tokens he dispatched a messanger to the Lady Regent to sende to him an expresse Embassador which accordingly was accomplished that with fulnes of authority commission such as brought with it also all sortes of submissions implorations which she thought apt to reduce to appeasement the mind of that king so highly displeased he reapposed himself altogether vpon the will and counsel of the cardinal of Yorke who seemed to restrayne the king his thoughtes to this principall end that bearing such a hand vpon the controuersies quarrels that ranne betwene other princes al the world might acknowledge to depend vpon him and his authoritie the resolution and exspectation of all affayres And for this cause he offred to themperour at the same time to discend into Fraunce with a puissant army both to giue perfection to the alliance concluded betwene them before and also to remoue all scruple and ielousie he offred presently to consigne vnto him his daughter who was not as yet in an age and disposition able for mariage But in these matters were very great difficulties partly depending vpon himself and partly deriuing from themprour who nowe shewed nothing of that readines to contract with him which he had vsed before for the king of England demaunded almost al the rewards of the victory as Normandy Guyen Gascoign with the title of king of Fraunce And that themprour notwithstanding thinequality of the conditions should passe likewise into Fraunce and cōmunicate equally in thexspences dangers Thinequality of these demaūds troubled not a litle themprour to whō they were by so much the more grieuous by howmuch he remēbred that in the yeres next before he had always deferred to make warre euē in the greatest dangers of the french king So that he perswaded himselfe that he should not be able to make any fundation vpon that confederation And standing in a state no lesse impouerished for mony tresor thē made weary with labors perils he hoped to draw more cōmodities from the french king by the meane of peace then by the violence of armes warre specially ioyning with the king of England Besides he made not that accompt which he was wont to do of the mariage of his daughter both for her minority in age also for the dowry for the which he should stande accōptable for so much as themprour had receyued by way of loane of the king of England he semed by many tokens in nature to nourish a wonderful desire to haue children and by the necessitie of his condicion he was caried with great couetousnes of money vppon which two reasons he tooke a great desire to marye the sister of the house of Portugall which was both in an age hable for mariage and with whome he hoped to receyue a plentifull porcion in gold and treasor besides the liberalities of his own peoples offered by waye of beneuolence in case the mariage went forwarde suche was their desire to haue a Queene of the same nation and language and of hope to procreate children for these causes the negociacion became euery daye more hard and desperat betweene both those Princes wherein was also concurrant the ordinary inclinacion of the Cardinall of Yorke towardes the Frenche king together with the open complaintes he made of thEmprour aswell for thinterests and respects of his king as for the small reputacion thEmprour beganne to holde of him He considered that affore the battell of Pauya thEmprour neuer sent letters vnto him which were not written with his owne hande and subscribed your sonne and Cosin Charles But after the battell he vsed the seruice of Secretories in all the letters he wrote to him infixing nothing of his owne hande but the subscripcion not with titles of so greate reuerence and submission but onely with this bare worde Charles In this alteracion of affection of the Cardinall the king of England tooke occasion to receiue with gracious wordes and demonstracions thEmbassador sent by the Ladye regent to whome he gaue comfort to hope well in thinges to come And a litle afterwards estraunging his minde wholly from th affayres which were in negociacion betwene him and thEmprour he made a confederacion with the Lady regent contracting in the name of her sonne wherein he would haue inserted this expresse condicion that for the kings raunsom and deliuerie should not be deliuered to thEmprour any thing that at that time should be vnder the power or possession of the crowne of Fraunce This was the first hope which fell vppon the Realme of Fraunce And this was the first consolation in so many aduersities which afterwards went on increasing by the disorders of thImperialls in Italy They were become so insolent for so great a victorie that perswading them selues that all men and all difficulties should yeeld and giue place to their will their glory made them lose thoccasion to accorde with the Venetians and gaynesaye thinges which they had promised to the Pope and lastly brought them to fill full of suspicions both the Duchie of Myllan and all the other regions of Italy And so going on to sowe seedes of new innouacions and troubles they reduced thEmprour to this necessitie to make a rashe deliberacion daungerous for his estate in Italy if his auncient felicitie and the harde fortune and destinie of the Pope had not beene of greater force Matters assuredly moste worthy of a knowledge perticular to th end that of accidents and things so memorable may be vnderstanded the foundacions and councells which being oftentymes hid are for the most part reuealed and published after a manner most farre from the truth But skarcely had the Pope capitulated with the Viceroy when were presented vnto him the great offers of Fraunce to stirre him vppe to the warre wherein albeit he wanted not the perswasions of many to induce him to the same effecte and lesse diminucion of the distrust which he had before of thImperialls yet he determined to take suche a coursse and proceeding in all thinges
thItalians A matter which can not be denyed to be more glorious more reasonable and more profitable so farrefoorth as we may be assured of thobseruation Wherein I discerne some good fundation in this that for a more thankfull acknowledging of your benefite he offreth to take to wife your sister a Lady for her vertue and stayed condition very well able and conuenient to enterteine you in amitie Besides thoblation of two of his sonnes of whom one to be theldest which is suche a propertie of pawne and ostage as amongest worldly men and to assure worldly things there can not be offred nor receiued a more worthy nor more important And seeing our necessitie driueth vs to determine some thing it is more reasonable we reappose confidence in a Frenche king vnder suche nature of ostages then in a nation of Italians of no lesse infidelitie then without gage and rather to trust the worde and fayth of so great a king then to be caryed with the immoderate couetousnes of priestes and suspicious basenesse and bartring of Marchantes And lastly according to thexample of our auncestors we may with more facilitie kepe amitie for a tyme with the Crowne of Fraunce honorable for his proper dignitie then with a confused people of Italians our naturall and perpetuall enemies Taking this course I do not onely discerne a greater hope of obseruancie and due keeping of fayth but also a lesse estate of daunger in case of promise breaking seeing if the king refuse to render to vs Burgongnie at least he will not dare his children remayning ostages to ryse vp to offende vs agayne but will labour by solicitation and sute to moderate the rigour of thaccorde and being but as it were yesterday vanquished by you he will retayne a working feare of your forces and armes and being likewise this day deliuered out of prison he will not be so hardie to make a newe proofe of your fortune And if he take no armes agaynst you you neede not doubt of the mouing of others since vpon his example dependeth ordinarily the vallour of the residue By which meane you shall haue good oportunitie to conquer the Castell of Millan and so to establishe your suretie in that estate that hereafter you shall not neede to feare the malice of any man But if you come nowe to accorde with thItalians and they in their infidelitie come to double with you I see remayning no bridle hable to reteyne them and as their power encreaseth to vex you so looke that their will will likewise ryse greater to conspire and their handes more free to execute So that I can not but interprete it to tymerousnesse and want of counsell that for an humor of too great suspicion and incredulitie we should loase the benefite of an accord so full of glory and many aduauntages and no lesse accompanied with sufficient suretie following in place of it a resolution no lesse daungerous in the effecte and substance then ielouse in all hys partes and circumstances This Oration of the Viceroy drew the residue of the counsel into diuersitie of opinion It seemed to suche as were of iudgement sounde and vpright that to accorde with the French king according to the maner declared could not be but full of danger And yet such was the parcialitie of the Flemings desyring to recouer agayne Burgongnie the auncient patrimonie and tytle of their Princes that their affection would not suffer them to discerne the truth besides it was sayde that the giftes and great promises made by the French men wrought not a little to corrupt and carry many But themprour aboue all the residue eyther for that suche was his first inclination or for that thauthoritie of the Viceroy could do much with him hauing concurrancy with thopinion of the Count Nausan or haply because he held it too great indignity to pardon by cōpulsion Frauncis Sforce who had offended him by so great malice seemed to heare with ready and willing eares all suche as counselled him to compound with the French king So that after he had caused to be sounded agayne the Legate Saluiatio to knowe if he would consent that thestate of Millan shoulde be transported to the person of the Duke of Burbon And that the Legate had certefied him that he had no commission to allowe that drifte and therewithall had made offer to hym of the Popes amitie he determined to goe on with thaccorde with the Frenche king with whom things hauing already paste many disputations and acts he grew in very fewe dayes to conclusion not respecting at all the cōmunitie or interposing of the Popes Legat And for the better perfection and stability of the accorde themperour had obteyned before the Duke of Burbons consent to giue in mariage to the French king his sister whom he had promised to him The Duke was driuen to passe this consent not so muche for a desire he had to carye the Duchy of Millan which was promised him contrary to the authority of the Chauncellor and Viceroy vnder obligation notwithstanding to pay a great summe of money as for the necessitie of his affayres which were reduced to those tearmes that neyther hauing nor could not haue any other piller or stay then themprour he was constrayned to accommodate his condition to themprours will And assoone as he had in all things accomplished this consent to take him out of the presence of the Court in a tyme so vnconuenient he departed foorthwith by themprours order taking his waye by Barselonia whither was appoynted to be sente to him necessary prouisions to passe into Italy which for want of mony and lacke of vessels had slow proceding for that in Spayne were but three gallies at that tyme. The solicitation of the peace which was resolued the fourtenth of February 1526. conteyned these couenantes That betwene themprour and the french king should be a peace perpetuall in which should be comprehended all such as should be named by their common consent That the French king by the sixt daye of the next moneth of Marche shoulde be set at libertie vppon the marches in the coaste of Fontarabie That within sixe wekes after he should consigne to themprour the Duchie of Burgongnie the Countie of Charrolois the iurisdiction of Noyers the Castell Chaynro dependancies of the sayde Duchie the Vicountie of Flussona the resorte of S. Lavvrence de la Roche a dependant of Franche Countie together with all the appurtenances aswell of the sayd Duchy as Vicountie all whiche for hereafter should be seperate and exempted from the soueraigntie of the Realme of Fraunce That at the same and very instant that the king should be deliuered there should be put into themprours hands the Daulphin of Fraunce with him eyther the Duke of Orleance the kings second sonne or else xij principall Lords of Fraunce whō themprour dyd name It was left to thelection of the Lady Regent either to deliuer the kings secōd sonne or the xij barons they to remayne as ostages
disswaded him the rather for that he followed an action vncertayne aduising him first to sende thither his Legates But now to returne to the army whiche the confederates kept incamped before Millan After the duke of Vrbin was returned thither who saw there was no hope to cary the towne eyther by force or by famine and being with great importunity solicited by the capteins of the sea army to send out souldiors to vex by land the people of Genes he determined for the better aduauncement of that expedition to drawe the army farre from the walls of Millan yet he made such disposition direction of things that all reasort of vittells that was to come to that citie was cut off stopped for which occasion and to haue the better oportunity to that action he began to fortifie Monce to leaue there with more surety some crewe of souldiours both to empeach the traffike of vittells from the Mount Brianso and other places confining and also by the commoditie of that fortification to transport the army into suche a place as might restraine the markets of vittels comming continually to Millan from Biagresso Pauia And afterwards that place being reduced to good strength fortification the direction extended that the Marquis of Salusso should marche to Genes with his footemen accompanied for his better strength with an other regiment of Svvizzers A proportiō which the sea armies did much desire for that the town of Genes laboured in such extreme wants of vittells that it could scarcely hold out any longer But as these deliberations directions were such as they could not be put to execution but with a farre greater tract and longnes of tyme then eyther was agreable to the estate of affayres or the necessities of Genes could endure So for that the only meane to cary that citie rested in no other property of action then in the stopping of the resort of vittels which passed thither by land those counsels tooke no resolution nor were not referred to effect notwithstanding there were in the army 4000. Svvizzers 2000. Grisons the regiment of 4000. footmen of the Marquis of Salusse and 4000. others vnder Iohn de Medicis payed by the Pope together with the bandes of footmen of the Venetians which according to thobligation of the league and testimonie reapport of themselues were assured to conteine a strength of ten thousand men but in truth vpon the iust moostring view of the bands they conteined a farre lesse number At last being the last of October the army dislodged frō the place where it had so long incamped and drew to Pioltello fiue miles frō the first lodging but in discamping they had a great skirmish with the souldiors of Millan in which Burbon was in person Thintention of the Duke of Vrbin was to stay at Pioltello vntill the fortifications were ended at Monce where he deuised to leaue in garrison two thousand footmen with certayne helpes of horsmen and so to go to Marignan where he was determined to lodge the army and from thence hauing first taken and fortified that place also Biagressa as he supposed he thought to send bands of men to Genes Expeditions which drew with thē so long an execution that there was reason to accuse him notwithstāding that he alleaged for one part of his excuse the yll prouisions of the Venetians who not paying their footemen in time conuenient neither had they their nūbers complet which were promised many of those which they had diminished alwayes for the vncertenty of their payes the Duke was constrayned when the pay dayes came to furnish their places with others in suche sort as he seemed to haue euery day new companies and a new armie But this deferring or protraction which hitherunto seemed voluntarie began to haue a cause and cooller of necessitie for after many negociations and practises holden in Germany to sende a new strength of footmen into Italy the same seruing to no effect aswell for the dishabilitie of tharchduke as for the pouertie of themprour who sente no money thither George Frougspergh for the affection he bare to the affayres of the Emprour ioyned to a desire to aduaunce the glory of his nation and who with great merite had at two seuerall tymes commaunded in Italy two great armies for the Emprour agaynst the Frenchmen determined to supply with his goods and faculties priuate the charge which princes for their weaknes were not able to vndertake he stirred vp with his authority many bands of footmen whom he allured with the sweete insinuation of pray and booty concurring withall the good oportunitie and occasion that offred to make them riche with the spoyles of Italy And after he had contracted with them that in receiuing for euery man a crowne in prest they would follow him to the succors of themprour And obteined of tharchduke certen aydes of horsmen and artilleries he prepared to marche making the generall mooster and leauye of all his men betweene Bolzano and Maran The rumor of this preparation for the sodennesse not exspected and for the authoritie of the man muche redowted pearcing easily into the bowells of Italy was the cause that the Duke of Vrbin wente not on with hys resolution to molest Genes whiche was nowe reduced almoste to the laste extremitye And yet Andrea Dore for that he woulde haue thexpedition aduaunced abated some parte of his first demaunds and required nowe but fifteene hundred footemen making his reckoning to furnishe the residue by his owne meanes But the Duke refusing also that demaunde alleaged for his excuse that it was necessarye to sende from the army vppon the countrey of Vincensa a strength of 1500. footmen of the Venetians for a feare which that Senate had least the army of the launceknightes would take that way An opinion which the Duke confuted perswading him self that they would rather take the way of Lecqua and for that reason he stirred not from Pioltella for that he would be more neare the ryuer of Adda And he published that he would march to mete them and fight with them beyond Adda at their comming out of the vale of Sarcina By these variations as the affaires of Lombardy began to draw to new farre greater difficulties so also there burst out in the towne of Rome a fresh fyre of trouble and new vexation for the Pope who for the accident of the Colonnois was pulled downe in courage and in an inclination to peace was bent to goe by sea to Barcelona to contract some accorde with themprour assoone as his enemies were gone out of Rome had sent Paule d'Arezze his chamberlayne to the french king and from him to passe to the Emprour with his priuitie to negociate the peace his commissions extended also to signifie to the king his necessities his daungers and to demaund an hundred thousand crownes for his better defence In which matters he seemed so discordant and disagreable to himselfe that in demaunding
Sienna and also to inuade them by sea to th ende that the duke of Burbon being intangled in Tuskane might be stopped for taking his way to Rome Of which expedition neuertheles he had euery day so much the lesse feare and doubt by how much more he hoped that both for the difficulties of the duke of Burbon to leade his army to Rome without vittels and money and for the cōmoditie of thestate of Sienna where at the least his souldiors would be refreshed he would be driuen to stay himselfe vpon thenterprise against the Florentins But the Duke of Burbon eyther for that hys firste counsell was otherwyse whiche he had secretly determined at Finalo by the authoritie of the duke of Ferrara and aduise of Ierome Moron or distrusting to driue to any good issue the enterprise of Florence for that the mayn forces of the league were assembled neare there for the defence of the citie and lastly being no longer able to enterteine the army without money which he had till that day caried through so many difficulties with promises hopes and now seing time had reduced him to this straite either to perish amid the murmures of his souldiors which could not but be miserable to a mā of his hart or els to hazard the fortune of battell in so great a weaknes and disorder wherein if there were anye certentye it was in the losse of the victory he determined to march with all diligence to surprise the towne of Rome where the rewardes of the victorie would be equall with the daunger of thaduenture and to themprour it would bring no lesse renowme and honor then to the souldiours a full satisfaction of their long and weary trauells He was pushed on to this enterprise by a hope which he felt to carye the towne seeing the Pope with an euill counsell had firste decassed the Svvizzers and afterwardes dismissed the blacke bandes and begon so slowely to refurnishe him selfe at suche tyme as the accord was desperate that it was thought he could not in good time assemble forces sufficient to defende his daungers And so the Duke of Burbon with whom nothing was more familiar then the enterprise of Rome departed the xxvj of Aprill from the countrey of Aretze with his armie no lesse speedy in marching then swift in hope his celeritie to march winne time tooke from him all care to cary artilleries or anye trayne or baggage of campe so well was he disposed to see executed the thing whiche in his heart he had determined or rather so violent was his destenie to call him to the ende of his life which he could now no longer prolong In so much as marching with this incredible diligēce neyther being hindred by the raynes which in those dayes fell in great abundance nor with the want of vittells which is no small impediment to all great actions he drewe neare to Rome at a time when the Pope was scarcely aduertised of his comming All the wayes where he passed were as free from resistance as his desire was farre from alteration and chaunge seeing he found no impediment neyther at Viterba whither the Pope had not sent strength in time nor in any other place apte to staye the resolution of the armie so well prepared to endomage him Nowe began the Pope to haue recourse to those remedies which if he had vsed in their due time and place might haue bene to speciall purpose to turne awaye so great storme and nowe founde he too late theffect and truth of the counselles of some wise men about him prophesying that he would deferre the ministration of those helpes vntill eyther his necessities were greater then his remedies or at leaste they woulde profite little beeing applyed out of due season Nowe did he create three Cardinalles for money which eyther could not be leauyed for the speedy importunitie of th affayres or else if he should receiue it the vse would be vnprofitable by reason of hys daungers that hastned on so faste He called together the people of Rome whome in great compassion he besought that in so great a hazarde of their countrey they would readely runne to armes to defende it wherein he disposed the bodies of the popular sort to protect their libertie and imposed vppon the rycher loanes of money to wage souldiours A taxation which ranne amongest the people with no authoritie seeing vppon the leauying of the impostes one Dominike Maximo of the greatest wealth amongst the Romains offred to lende but an hundred duckets for which couetousnes he bare a sharpe punishment for that his sonnes were made a pray to the souldiours and himselfe falling into the calamitie of a prisoner was rated at a huge raunsome to redeme his libertie But after they vnderstood at Florence the newes of the discamping of the duke of Burbon which beeing written by Vitelly lying then within Aretzo lingred a daye in comming more then ordinary The capteins determined that the count Guido Rangon with his horsmen with the trowpes of the count Caiezze together with a thousand footmen of Florence the Church should march spedely without baggage towards the towne of Rome and that the other part of the army should follow after They hoped that if the D. of Burbon drew with him hs artilleries that proportion of succours woulde be at Rome before him And if he marched with expedition it would aryue so soone after him that hauing no artilleries and the citie of Rome beeing furnished with six thousand footmen by the Popes reaport the towne would be hable to maynteine defence vntill the first succours were come which being aryued there could be no danger of the losing of Rome But the celeritie of the Duke of Burbon and the slow prouisions made at Rome preuented theffect of all those deuises for as Ranso de Cero to whom the Pope had recommended the principall charge of the defence of Rome had according to his short time leauyed very few footmen of seruice but gathered a great crewe of men ignorant and vntrained in warre whom he had drawne by force out of the stables of Cardinals and prelates and shoppes of artificers besides Innes and other domesticall places of the towne So he laboured to cast rampars in the suburbes such as in his iudgement were sufficient for defence though in the account of others they were farre to weake to holde out the daunger that was toward his confidence was such to defend them that he would not suffer for the safety of the towne to breake vp the bridge of Tyber in case the suburbes and quarter beyond Tyber coulde not be defended and in that humor of securitie holding for superfluous all other sortes of succours when he was aduertised of the comming of Count Guido he wrote letters to him in the Popes name by the Bishop of Verona that seeing the citie of Rome was furnished and fortified sufficiently he should only sende a proportion of six or eight hundred harquebuziers and for
but for the regarde of the iurisdiction direct which they had of any one without extending any further And that all protections taken in other forme should be interpreted voyde and derogate within one moneth That to make this amitie and coniunction more firme and stable they were to confirme it with the straite knots of parentage ThEmprour promising to giue for wife Margarit his bastard daughter with a dowrye of twenty thowsand duckats of yearely reuenue to Alexander Medicis sonne to Lavvrence late Duke of Vrbyn vppon whose person the Pope determined to conuert and bestowe the temporall greatnes of his house hauing at such tyme as he was in daunger of death created Cardinall Hipolito sonne of Iulian They contracted at the same tyme in articles seperat That the Pope shoulde accord to thEmprour and to his brother to resist the Turke the fourth part of the reuenues of benefices Ecclesiastike in the same manner that his Predecessor Adrian had done That the Pope should giue absolucion to all those who within Rome and other places had offended against the sea Apostolike and to all such as had ministred any proppertie of ayde councell or fauor or that any way participated or secretly approued or expresly allowed or directly had consented to the actions that had beene done That where the Emprour had not published the Croissade graunted by the Pope which was lesse ample then others that had bene beforetimes graunted That the Pope the first beeing reuoked shoulde passe an other of more full and ample forme according to the skoape of those that had bene graunted by the late Popes Iulio and Leo. Before this accorde was passed and after all the difficulties were resolued aduertisement came to thEmprour of the ouerthrowe of Monsr Saint Pol In regarde of which successe so honorable for the reputacion of his armies there and no lesse profitable for the generall estate of his affayres albeit it was doubted that to help his condicions he would haue chaunged some braunch or article of matters agreed vppon yet he confirmed them all both in substance and circumstance and with a singuler readines ratified them the same daye which was the xxix of Iune accomplishing with solemne othe before the high alter of the cathedrall Church of Barselona But the negociacions of peace betwene thEmprour and the French king were not pursued with lesse deuocion and diligence And the better to aduaunce them to some good successe yssue after the cōmissions on all sides were comen the towne of Cambray was indifferently appoynted for the assemblie and meeting A place fatal for so great conclusions and where were to conferre together the Lady Margaret of Austria and the Lady Regent mother to the French king The French king labored with all his meanes and diligence though he ment not in him selfe to performe it which also he confirmed by promisses to the confederat Embassadors of Italy hauing therein the consent priuitie of the king of England not to make any accord with thEmprour without the consent satisfaction of the confederats for he feared lest they entring into a ielousie suspicion of his will would not preuent him be the first that would compownd with the Emprour and by that meane to leaue him excluded out of the amitie of both sides In which respect he sought to perswade them not to hope in the peace but rather to keepe their thoughts disposed turned to the prouisiōs of the warre wherein to establish some good order forme of proceeding not ceassing to solicit continually he had sent into Italy the Bishop of Tarby with commission to goe to the states of Venice the Dukes of Millan Ferrara Florence both to solicit prouisions apperteyning to the warre and to promisse that if the Emperour passed into Italy he woulde also discend at the same tyme with a mightie armye so farre forthe as the other confederats woulde contribute for their parte touching the preparacions needefull Neuerthelesse the negociacions of accord continued more and more Insomuch as the seuenth day of Iuly both the Ladies made their entries into Cambray by seuerall gates with a great pompe And being lodged in two houses adioyning hauing an entrye the one within the other they spake together the same day and gaue order to their agents to treate of the articles Wherein because the kinge woulde be neare at hand to resolue all difficulties occurring he was gone vp to Compiequo to whome the Venetians hauing feare of the yssue of that coniunction had made many large and great offers And for the more absolute negociacion of this peace there were sent to Cambray as interposers in the action the Bishop of London and the Duke of Suffolke Embassadors for the king of England with whose consent and participacion that assembly was made The Pope sent thether the Archbishop of Capua There was also a presence of Embassadors from all the confederats To whome the French men made relacion of things farre otherwise then was the truth of that that was debated Wherein the king eyther reteyned so great an impietie or els had so simple and sole a thought of his interest perticular which consisted wholly in the recouerie of his children That where the Florentyns made greate instance to him that according to thexample of king Levvys his father in lawe and his predecessor in the yeare a thowsand fiue hundred and twelue he woulde consent that they might accorde with thEmprour for their sauetie he refused it vnder this promise that he would neuer make any accord without comprehending them in it Assuring them also that he was most ready to follow the warre and promised no lesse to all the others euen in the greatest heate of solicitacion for peace About the xxiij of Iuly came aduertisement of the capitulacions made betweene the Pope and thEmprour at what tyme albeit the present negociacion was well aduaunced yet it was so troubled and hindred for some difficulties touching certeine townes of Franche Counte that the Lady Regent gaue order to prepare to depart Neuerthelesse by the working of the Popes Legat principally by the operacion and good office of thArchbishop of Capua the conclusion was established the French king not leauing to promise to the confederats the same things he had offred before At last being the fift daye of August the peace was solemnly published in the great Church of Cambray whereof the first article conteyned That the kings sonnes should be redeliuered so farre forth as their father payed to thEmprour for their raunsome twelue hundred thowsande crownes in ready money and to the king of England for him two hundred thowsand That the king should render to the Emprour within six weekes after the ratificacion all that he possessed in the Duchie of Myllan That he should leaue vnto him Ast with resignacion of the rights apperteyning That he should leaue assoone as he could Barletto with all those peeces which he helde in the Realme of Naples That he should