^o THE HISTORY OF NEWMARKET. [Book IT. 



for him, and came into the field Hke a groom, in his 

 doublet and without shoes, and with no saddle, but a cloth 

 tied round the horse's belly. Blanche Rose, who rode 

 with a saddle, passed Nicolle for some time ; but when they 

 were near St. Laidre, his horse lagged behind, so that the 

 duke urged him on wuth spurs until the blood streamed down 

 on both sides ; but it was in vain. Nicolle gained the race 

 and the hundred and sixty crowns of the sum." Such was 

 the termination of the duke's first horse-race at Metz. Two 

 years afterwards a somewhat similar match was run. " On 

 St. Clement's Day, 1518, Blanche Rose again undertook to 

 run his horse against Nicolle Dex, by a page, for twenty-one 

 crowns ; but the page fell, and Nicolle was again victorious. 

 Soon after, on May 8th, he (the duke) left Metz for France." 

 During this time the quondam Duke of Suffolk was solicit- 

 ing foreign powers to lend him troops to invade England. 

 Both Francis I. and the King of Denmark promised to help 

 him, and BlufT King Hal, though not really alarmed for the 

 safety of his crown, was very anxious to get him out of the 

 way. As we learn from the State Papers, plots were on foot 

 for his assassination ; and although some of his servants were 

 betraying him, he was destined to fall fairly in the field of 

 battle. To make a long story short, these plots and counter- 

 plots led to hostilities in Scotland and in France. The 

 Scotch, under the Duke of Albany, were soon rendered harm- 

 less ; De la Pole's projected descent upon the English shores 

 was consequently abandoned, and the course was clear for 

 Henry's expedition to France. At the head of the English 

 forces was Charles Brandon, created Duke of Suffolk by 

 Henry VH I. in 15 14, and it is a somewhat singular coincidence, 

 that, like De la Pole, he too should be one of the finest horse- 

 men of the age. Thus we find the two Dukes of Suffolk in 

 the field, at Terouenne and Tournay — De la Pole at the 

 head of six thousand French troops, Brandon in command 

 of a division of the English forces. Neither of these com- 

 manders fell in that campaign (which was fatal to the Cheva- 

 lier Bayard and several other distinguished officers), but on 

 February 24, 1524-5, Richard de la Pole was killed at the 



