entirely drained by his extraordinary efforts against the BOOK infidels. VI. 1535. Sforza duke But the death of Francis Sforza, occasioned, according oct. 24. to some historians, by the terror of a French invasion, Death of which had twice been fatal to his family, afforded the em- of Milan. peror full leisure to prepare for action. By this unexpected event, the nature of the war, and the causes of discord, were totally changed. Francis's first pretext for taking arms, in order to chastise Sforza for the insult offered to the dignity of his crown, was at once cut off; but as that Francis's pretensions prince died without issue, all Francis's rights to the duchy to that of Milan, which he had yielded only to Sforza and his duchy. posterity, returned back to him in full force. As the recovery of the Milanese was the favourite object of that monarch, he instantly renewed his claim to it; and if he had supported his pretensions by ordering the powerful army quartered in Savoy to advance, without losing a moment, towards Milan, he could hardly have failed to secure the important point of possession. But Francis, who became less enterprising as he advanced in years, and who was overawed, at some times, into an excess of caution by the remembrance of his past misfortunes, endeavoured to establish his rights by negociation, not by arms; and from a timid moderation, fatal in all great affairs, neglected to improve the favourable opportunity which presented itself. Charles was more decisive in his operations, and, in quality of sovereign, took possession of the duchy, as a vacant fief of the empire. While Francis endeavoured to explain and assert his title to it by arguments and memorials, or employed various arts in order to reconcile the Italian powers to the thoughts of his regaining footing in Italy, his rival was silently taking effectual steps to prevent it. The emperor, however, was very careful not to discover too early an intention of this kind; but seeming to admit the equity of Francis's claim, he appeared solicitous only about giving him possession in such a manner as might not disturb the peace of Europe, or overturn the balance of power in Italy, which the politicians of that VOL. VI. H VI. 1535. LOOK country were so desirous of preserving. By this artifice he deceived Francis, and gained so much confidence with the rest of Europe, that, almost without incurring any suspicion, he involved the affair in new difficulties, and protracted the negociations at pleasure. Sometimes he proposed to grant the investiture of Milan to the duke of Orleans, Francis's second son, sometimes to the duke of Angouleme, his third son: as the views and inclinations of the French court varied, he transferred his choice alternately from the one to the other, with such profound and well-conducted dissimulation, that neither Francis nor his ministers seem to have penetrated his real intention; and all military operations were entirely suspended, as if nothing had remained but to enter quietly into possession of what they demanded. 1535. Charles's preparations for war. During the interval of leisure gained in this manner, Charles, on his return from Tunis, assembled the states both of Sicily and Naples, and, as they thought themselves greatly honoured by the presence of their sovereign, and were no less pleased with the apparent disinterestedness of his expedition into Africa, than dazzled by the success which had attended his arms, he prevailed on them to vote him such liberal subsidies as were seldom granted in that age. This enabled him to recruit his veteran troops, to levy a body of Germans, and to take every other proper precaution for executing or supporting the measures on which he had determined. Bellay, the French envoy in Germany, having discovered the intention of raising troops in that country, notwithstanding all the pretexts employed in order to conceal it, first alarmed his master with this evident proof of the emperor's insincerity . But Francis was so possessed at that time with the rage of negociation, in all the artifices and refinements of which his rival far surpassed him, that, instead of beginning his military operations, and pushing them with vigour, or seizing the Milanese before the imperial army was assembled, he satisfied himself with making new offers te Mem. de Bellay, 192. the emperor, in order to procure the investiture by his voluntary deed. His offers were, indeed, so liberal and ad-vantageous, that if ever Charles had intended to grant his demand, he could not have rejected them with decency. He dexterously eluded them by declaring, that until he consulted the pope in person, he could not take his final resolution with regard to a point which so nearly concerned the peace of Italy. By this evasion he gained some farther time for ripening the schemes which he had in view. BOOK VI. 15.36. peror en The emperor, at last, advanced towards Rome, and The emmade his public entry into that city with extraordinary ters Rome. pomp; but it being found necessary to remove the ruins April 6. of an ancient temple of Peace, in order to widen one of the streets through which the cavalcade had to pass, all the historians take notice of this trivial circumstance, and they are fond to interpret it as an omen of the bloody war that followed. Charles, it is certain, had, by this time, banished all thoughts of peace, and, at last, threw off the mask with which he had o long covered his designs from the court of France, by a declaration of his sentiments no less singular than explicit. The French ambassadors having, in their master's name, demanded a definitive reply to his propositions concerning the investiture of Milan, Charles promised to give it next day, in presence of the pope and cardinals assembled in full consistory. These His public being accordingly met, and all the foreign ambassadors invective invited to attend, the emperor stood up, and addressing Francis. against himself to the pope, expatiated for some time on the sincerity of his own wishes for the peace of Christendom, as well as his abhorrence of war, the miseries of which he enumerated at great length, with studied and elaborate oratory; he complained that all his endeavours to preserve the tranquillity of Europe had hitherto been defeated by the restless and unjust ambition of the French king; that, even during his minority, he had proofs of the unfriendly and hostile intentions of that monarch; that afterwards he had openly attempted to wrest from him the imperial crown, which belonged to him by a title no less just than VI. 1 5 36. BOOK natural; that he had next invaded his kingdom of Navarre; that, not satisfied with this, he had attacked his territories, as well as those of his allies, both in Italy and the Low Countries; that when the valour of the imperial troops, rendered irresistible by the protection of the Almighty, had checked his progress, ruined his armies, and seized his person, he continued to pursue, by deceit, what he had undertaken with injustice; that he had violated every article in the treaty of Madrid, to which he owed his liberty, and, as soon as he returned to his dominions, took measures for rekindling the war which that pacification had happily extinguished; that, when new misfortunes compelled him to sue again for peace at Cambray, he concluded and observed it with equal insincerity; that soon after he had formed dangerous connections with the heretical princes in Germany, and incited them to disturb the tranquillity of the empire; that now he had driven the duke of Savoy, a prince married to a sister of the empress, and joined in close alliance with Spain, out of the greater part of his territories; that, after injuries so often repeated, and amidst so many sources of discord, all hope of amity or concord became desperate; and though he himself was still willing to grant the investiture of Milan to one of the princes of France, there was little probability of that event taking place, as Francis, on the one hand, would not consent to what was necessary for securing the tranquillity of Europe, nor, on the other, could he think it reasonable or safe to give a rival the unconditional posChallenges session of all that he demanded. Let us not, however,' added he, continue wantonly to shed the blood of our innocent subjects; let us decide the quarrel man to man, with what arms he pleases to choose, in our shirts, on an island, a bridge, or aboard a galley moored in a river; let the duchy of Burgundy be put in deposit on his part, and that of Milan on mine; these shall be the prize of the conqueror; and, after that, let the united forces of Germany, Spain, and France, be employed to humble the power of the Turk, and to extirpate heresy out of Christ him to single com bat. VI. 1536. endom. But if he, by declining this method of termina- BOOK ting our differences, renders war inevitable, nothing shall divert me from prosecuting it to such extremity, as shall reduce one of us to be the poorest gentleman in his own dominions. Nor do I fear that it will be on me this misfortune shall fall: I enter upon action with the fairest prospect of success; the justice of my cause, the union of my subjects, the number and valour of my troops, the experience and fidelity of my generals, all combine to ensure it. Of all these advantages, the king of France is destitute; and were my resources no more certain, and my hopes of victory no better founded than his, I would instantly throw myself at his feet, and with folded hands, and a rope about my neck, implore his mercy "." This long harangue the emperor delivered with an elevated voice, a haughty tone, and the greatest vehemence of expression and gesture. The French ambassadors, who did not fully comprehend his meaning, as he spake in the Spanish tongue, were totally disconcerted, and at a loss how they should answer such an unexpected invective. When one of them began to vindicate his master's conduct, Charles interposed abruptly, and would not permit him to proceed. The pope, without entering into any particular detail, satisfied himself with a short but pathetic recommendation of peace, together with an offer of employing his sincere endeavours in order to procure that blessing to Christendom; and the assembly broke up in the greatest astonishment at the extraordinary scene which had been exhibited. In no part of his conduct, The mo indeed, did Charles ever deviate so widely from his ge-tives of neral character, Instead of that prudent recollection, measure. that composed and regular deportment, so strictly attentive to decorum, and so admirably adapted to conceal his own passions, for which he was at all other times conspicuous, he appears on this occasion, before one of the most august assemblies in Europe, boasting of his own power and exploits with insolence, inveighing against his Bellay, 199. Sandov. Histor. del Emper. ii, 226. |