BOOK 1544 to himself, as well as more honour to Christendom, he would have turned against the infidels; that Francis, not thinking it enough to have called him off from opposing the Mahometans, had, with unexampled impiety, invited them into the heart of Christendom, and, joining his arms to theirs, had openly attacked the duke of Savoy, a member of the empire; that Barbarossa's fleet was now in one of the ports of France, waiting only the return of spring to carry terror and desolation to the coast of some Christian state; that, in such a situation, it was folly to think of distant expeditions against the Turks, or of marching to oppose his armies in Hungary, while such a powerful ally received him into the centre of Europe, and gave him footing there. It was a dictate of prudence, he added, to oppose the nearest and most imminent danger first of all, and, by humbling the power of France. to deprive Solyman of the advantages which he derived from the unnatural confederacy formed between him and a monarch who still arrogated the name of Most Christian; that, in truth, a war against the French king and the sultan ought to be considered as the same thing; and that every advantage gained over the former was a severe and sensible blow to the latter; on all these accounts, he concluded with demanding their aid against Francis, not merely as an enemy of the Germanic body, or of him who was its head, but as an avowed ally of the infidels, and a public enemy to the Christian name. осса In order to give greater weight to this violent invective of the emperor, the king of the Romans stood up, and related the rapid conquests of the sultan in Hungary, sioned, as he said, by the fatal necessity imposed on his brother of employing his arms against France. When he had finished, the ambassador of Savoy gave a detail of Barbarossa's operations at Nice, and of the ravages which he had committed on that coast. All these, added to the general indignation which Francis's unprecedented union with the Turks excited in Europe, made such an impres sion on the diet as the emperor wished, and disposed most VII. 1544 of the members to grant him such effectual aid as he had BOOK demanded. The ambassadors whom Francis had sent to explain the motives of his conduct were not permitted to enter the bounds of the empire; and the apology which they published for their master, vindicating his alliance with Solyman, by examples drawn from Scripture and the practice of Christian princes, was little regarded by men who were irritated already, or prejudiced against him to such a degree as to be incapable of allowing their proper weight to any arguments in his behalf. in order to Such being the favourable disposition of the Germans, His vast Charles perceived that nothing could now obstruct his concessions gaining all that he aimed at but the fears and jealousies gain the of the Protestants, which he determined to quiet, by Protestants. granting every thing that the utmost solicitude of these passions could desire for the security of their religion. With this view he consented to a recess, whereby all the rigorous edicts hitherto issued against the Protestants were suspended; a council, either general or national, to be assembled in Germany, was declared necessary, in order to re-establish peace in the church; until one of these should be held (which the emperor undertook to bring about as soon as possible), the free and public exercise of the Protestant religion was authorised; the imperial chamber was enjoined to give no molestation to the Protestants; and when the term for which the present judges in that court were elected should expire, persons, duly qualified, were then to be admitted as members, without any distinction on account of religion. In return for these extraor-Aid grantdinary acts of indulgence, the Protestants concurred with ed by the the other members of the diet in declaring war against Francis in name of the empire; in voting the emperor a body of twenty-four thousand foot and four thousand horse, to be maintained at the public expence for six months, to be employed against France; and, at the same time, the diet proposed a poll-tax, to be levied throughout all Germany, on every person without exception, for the support of the war against the Turks. diet. BOOK VII. 1544. Charles's negocia tions with Denmark and Eng Jand. Charles, while he gave the greatest attention to the minute and intricate detail of particulars necessary towards conducting the deliberations of a numerous and divided assembly to such a successful period, negociated a separate peace with the king of Denmark; who, though he had hitherto performed nothing considerable in consequence of his alliance with Francis, had it in his power, however, to make a troublesome diversion in favour of that monarch. At the same time he did not neglect proper applications to the king of England, in order to rouse him to more vigorous efforts against their common enemy. Little, indeed, was wanting to accomplish this; for such events had happened in Scotland as inflamed Henry to the most violent pitch of resentment against Francis. Having concluded with the parliament of Scotland a treaty of marriage between his son and their young queen, by which he reckoned himself secure of effecting the union of the two kingdoms, which had been long desired, and often attempted without success by his predecessors, Mary of Guise, the queen-mother, Cardinal Beatoun, and other partizans of France, found means not only to break off the match, but to alienate the Scottish nation entirely from the friendship of England, and to strengthen its ancient attachment to France. Henry, however, did not abandon an object of so much importance; and, as the humbling of Francis, besides the pleasure of taking revenge upon an enemy who had disappointed a favourite measure, appeared the most effectual method of bringing the Scots to accept once more of the treaty which they had relinquished, he was so eager to accomplish this, that he was ready to second whatever the emperor could propose to be attempted against the French king. The plan, accordingly, which they concerted was such, if it had been punctually executed, as must have ruined France in the first place, and would have augmented so prodigiously the emperor's power and territories as might in the end have proved fatal to the liberties of Europe. They agreed to invade a Dumont Corps Diplom. t. iv, p. 274. France each with an army of twenty-five thousand men, and, without losing time in besieging the frontier towns, to advance directly towards the interior provinces, and to join their forces near Paris". BOOK VII. 1544. The French fich in Invest Ca rignan. Francis stood alone in opposition to all the enemies whom Charles was mustering against him. Solyman had take the been the only ally who did not desert him; but the assist- Piedmont." ance which he received from him had rendered him so odious to all Christendom, that he resolved rather to forego all the advantages of his friendship, than to become, on that account, the object of general detestation. For this reason, he dismissed Barbarossa as soon as winter was over, who, after ravaging the coast of Naples and Tuscany, returned to Constantinople. As Francis could not hope to equal the forces of so many powers combined against him, he endeavoured to supply that defect by dispatch, which was more in his power, and to get the start of them in taking the field. Early in the spring, the count d'Enguien invested Carignan, a town in Piedmont, which the marquis del Guasto, the imperial general, having surprised the former year, considered as of so much importance, that he had fortified it at great expence. The count pushed the siege with such vigour, that Guasto, fond of his own conquest, and seeing no other way of saving it from falling into the hands of the French, resolved to hazard a battle in order to relieve it. He began his march from Milan for this purpose; and as he was at no pains rialists to conceal his intention, it was soon known in the French march to camp. Enguien, a gallant and enterprising young man, wished passionately to try the fortune of a battle; his troops desired it with no less ardour; but the peremptory injunction of the king, not to venture a general engagement, flowing from a prudent attention to the present situation of affairs, as well as from the remembrance of former disasters, restrained him from venturing upon it. Unwilling, however, to abandon Carignan, when it was just ready to yield, and eager to distinguish his command by some Herbert, 245. Bellay, 448. The impe relieve it. AGUILAR) FREE LIBRA VII. 1544. BOOK memorable action, he dispatched Monluc to court, in order to lay before the king the advantages of fighting the enemy, and the hopes which he had of victory. The king referred the matter to his privy council; all the ministers declared, one after another, against fighting, and supported their sentiments by reasons extremely plausible. While they were delivering their opinions, Monluc, who was permitted to be present, discovered such visible and extravagant symptoms of impatience to speak, as well as such dissatisfaction with what he heard, that Francis, diverted with his appearance, called on him to declare what he could offer in reply to sentiments which seemed to be as just as they were general. Upon this, Monluc, a plain but spirited soldier, and of known courage, represented the good condition of the troops, their eagerness to meet the enemy in the field, their confidence in their officers, together with the everlasting infamy which the declining of a battle would bring on the French arms; and he urged his arguments with such lively impetuosity, and such a flow of military eloquence, as gained over to his opinion, not only the king, naturally fond of daring actions, but several of the council. Francis, catching the same enthusiasm which had animated his troops, suddenly started up, and, having lifted his hands to Heaven, and implored the Divine protection, he then addressed himself to Monluc; Go,' says he, return to Piedmont, and fight in the name of God." Battle of 6 No sooner was it known that the king had given EnCerisoles, guien leave to fight the imperialists, than such was the martial ardour of the gallant and high-spirited gentlemen of that age, that the court was quite deserted, every person desirous of reputation, or capable of service, hurrying to Piedmont, in order to share as volunteers in the danger and glory of the action. Encouraged by the arrival of so many brave officers, Enguien immediately prepared for battle, nor did Guasto decline the combat. The number of cavalry was almost equal, but the imperial infantry • Memoires de Monlue. |
