RENE LAUDONNIERE ad. 



1565. 

 harquebuze and morion on his head, which marched all 

 in battaile along the cliffes where my centinels were, to 

 whom they would make no kind of answere, notwith- 

 standing all the demandes that were made unto them, 

 insomuch as one of my souldiers was constrained to 

 bestowe a shot at them without doing hurt neverthelesse 

 to any of them, by reason of the distance between him 

 and the boates. The report hereof being made unto 

 me, I placed each of my men in his quarter, with full 

 deliberation to defend our selves, if they had bene 

 enemies, as in trueth wee thought them to have bene : 

 likewise I caused the two small field-pieces which I had 

 left me, to be trimmed in such sort, as if in approching 

 to the Fort they had not cryed that it was Captaine 

 Ribault, I had not failed to have discharged the same 

 upon them. Afterward I understood that the cause why 

 they entred in this maner, proceeded of the false reports F^^^^ reports 



which had bene made unto my Lord Admirall by those 'fLftidmniere 

 1 . 1 , . -r-, ^ . , ^ \ . to the Admiral 



which were returned mto 1^ ranee in the nrst shippes. Qf-pyance. 



For they had put in his head, that I played the Lord 

 and the King, and that I would hardly suffer that any 

 other save my selfe should enter in thither to governe 

 there. Thus we see how the good name of the most 

 honest is oftentimes assayled by such, as having no 

 meanes to win themselves credit by vertuous and laud- 

 able endevours, thinke by debasing of other mens vertues 

 to augment the feeble force of their faint courage, which 

 neverthelesse is one of the most notable dangers which The danger of 

 may happen in a commonwealth, and chiefly among men of ^^^f^^'^^'^^S- 

 warre which are placed in government. For it is very hard, 

 yea utterly unpossible, that in governing of a company 

 of men gathered out of divers places and sundry Nations, 

 and namely such as we know them to be in our warres, 

 it is, I say, unpossible, but there will be alwayes some 

 of evill conditions and hard to be ruled, which easily 

 conceive an hatred against him, which by admonitions 

 and light corrections endevoureth to reduce them to the 

 discipline of warre. For they seeke nothing else, but 



83 



