44 AMBROISE PARE 



through the camp to visit their wounded; and I took care 

 to observe what our enemy was doing. I found they had 

 no more great cannons, but only twenty-five or thirty 

 field-pieces. 



M. de Vaudeville held prisoner M. de Bauge, brother 

 of M. de Martigues who died at Hesdin. M. de Bauge was 

 prisoner at Chateau de La Motte au Bois, belonging to 

 the Emperor; he had been captured at Theroiienne by two 

 Spanish soldiers; and M. de Vaudeville, when he saw 

 him there, concluded he must be some gentleman of good 

 family: he made him pull off his stockings, and seeing 

 his clean legs and feet, and his fine white stockings, knew 

 he was one to pay a good ransom. He told the soldiers 

 he would give them thirty crowns down for their prisoner: 

 they agreed gladly, for they had no place to keep him, 

 nor food for him, nor did they know his value: so they 

 gave their man into his hands, and he sent him off at 

 once, guarded by four of his own soldiers, to Chateau de 

 La Motte au Bois, with others of our gentlemen who were 

 prisoners. 



M. de Bauge would not tell who he was; and endured 

 much hardship, living on bread and water, with a little 

 straw for his bed. When Hesdin was taken, M. de Vaude- 

 ville sent the news of it to him and to the other prisoners, 

 and the list of the killed, and among them M. de Mar- 

 tigues: and when M. de Bauge heard with his own ears 

 his brother was dead, he fell to crying, weeping, and 

 lamentation. His guards asked him why he was so mis- 

 erable: he told them, for love of M. de Martigues, his 

 brother. When he heard this, the captain of the castle 

 sent straight to tell M. de Vaudeville he had a good 

 prisoner: who was delighted at this, and sent me next 

 day with four soldiers, and his own physician, to the castle, 

 to say that if M. de Bauge would pay him fifteen thousand 

 crowns ransom, he would send him home free: and he 

 asked only the security of two Antwerp merchants that 

 he should name. M. de Vaudeville persuaded me I should 

 commend this offer to his prisoner: that is why he sent 

 me to the castle. He told the captain to treat him well 

 and put him in a room with hangings, and strengthen 



) TAJ 





