10 AMBROISE PARfe 



four dead soldiers, and three propped against the wall, theft 

 features all changed, and they neither saw, heard, nor spake, 

 and their clothes were still smouldering where the gun- 

 powder had burned them. As I was looking at them with 

 pity, there came an old soldier who asked me if there were 

 any way to cure them. I said no. And then he went up 

 to them and cut their throats, gently, and without ill will 

 toward them. Seeing this great cruelty, I told him he was 

 a villain: he answered he prayed God, when he should be 

 in such a plight, he might find someone to do the same for 

 him, that he should not linger in misery. 



To come back to my story, the enemy were called on to 

 surrender, which they did, and left the city with only their 

 lives saved, and the white stick in their hands; and most of 

 them went off to the Chateau de Villane, where about two 

 hundred Spaniards were stationed. M. the Constable would 

 not leave these behind him, wishing to clear the road for our 

 own men. The castle is seated on a small hill; which gave 

 great confidence to those within, that we could not bring 

 our artillery to bear upon them. They were summoned to 

 surrender, or they would be cut in pieces: they answered 

 that they would not, saying they were as good and faithful 

 servants of the Emperor, as M. the Constable could be of 

 the King his master. Thereupon our men by night hoisted 

 up two great cannons, with the help of the Swiss soldiers 

 and the lansquenets ; but as ill luck would have it, when the 

 cannons were in position, a gunner stupidly set fire to a bag 

 full of gunpowder, whereby he was burned, with ten or 

 twelve soldiers ; and the flame of the powder discovered our 

 artillery, so that all night long those within the castlir 

 fired their arquebuses at the place where they had caught 

 sight of the cannons, and many of our men were killed and 

 wounded. Next day, early in the morning, the attack was 

 begun, and we soon made a breach in their wall. Then they 

 demanded a parley: but it was too late, for meanwhile our 

 French infantry, seeing them taken by surprise, mounted the 

 breach, and cut them all in pieces, save one very fair young 

 girl of Piedmont, whom a great seigneur would have. . . . 

 The captain and the ensign were taken alive, but soon after- 

 ward hanged and strangled on the battlements of the gate of 



