FRA 
though the minifter ventured to fugged the meafure to 
an obfequious council, he found the people too ftrongly 
prepotTelfed againft relinquifliing the only trophy of their 
former victories. 
The fliort calm which Eurooe now enjoyed, was inter¬ 
rupted by the death of the emperor Maximilian in 1519, 
and by the conteft; which was likely to enfue in the elec¬ 
tion of a fucced'or. Two competitors alone prefented 
themfelves as equal to the high appointment ; Francis I. 
of France, and Charles archduke of Auftria, and king of 
Spain. They had both profelled to carry on their rival- 
Ihip with emulation, but without enmity ; and Francis, 
with the vivacity natural to his temper, declared, “ We 
are both fnitors to the fame miftrefs ; the ntolf fortunate 
will carry her, but let the other remain contented j” yet 
neither neglected any meafure that was likely to enfure 
fitccefs. Money whs fcattered with a profufion unknown 
before ; and the French am'paff'adors travelled with a train 
of horles loaded with treafure. Tlie partiality of the 
Germans to the houfe of Auftria, with the voice of Fre¬ 
deric of Saxony, decided the conteft, and the fuccefsful 
candidate was raifed to the imperial dignity, by the title 
of the Emperor Charles V. Henry V 111 . of England, 
after vainly declaring himfelf a candidate, had withdrawn 
from the conteft, and maintained a fallen neutrality during 
the competition. But Francis, alarmed at the augmented 
fplendour of his rival Charles, and inflamed with indigna¬ 
tion which he could no longer fupprefs, endeavonred, by 
a ftridt alliance with Henry, to balance the acquifitions of 
the houfe of Auftria. Well acquainted with Henry’s 
character, he folicited an interview near Ca!ai§; and 
Henry, fond of pomp and magnificence, readily agreed to 
the propofal ; but while he prepared to crofs the feas, he 
was furprifed by the arrival of the new emperor at Dover. 
Charles, informed of the intended interview, hoped to 
difappoint its efFebl;s, by previoufly engaging the favour 
of the Englifh monarch. Henry hnftened to receive, with 
every mark of refpebt, a gueft who had (hewn fo implicit 
a reliance on his honour. The emperor, to whom time 
was precious, ftaid only four days ; but in that fpace he 
contrived to give the king of England favourable impref- 
ftons of his character, and to attach to his in.terefts Wolfey, 
by gratifying his avarice with a penlion of 7000 ducats. 
On theday of Charles’s departure, Henry moft fumptu- 
oufiy embarked with the queen and his whole court for 
Calais, and thence proceeded to Guifnes ; while Francis, 
with a fimilar train, advanced to Ardres, only a few miles 
diftant. The magnificence which was difplayed by two 
princes equally profufeand vain, made the fpot on which 
they met retain the name of “ The Field, of the Cloth of 
Gold." See this meeting particularly deferibed under the 
article England, vol.vi. p. 633. Banquets, balls, and 
tournaments, were fucceffively exhibited ; and a feene of 
royal diflipation afliduoufly purfued, which colt Francis 
a greater fum than wh.it, the emperor Charles V. had dif- 
tributed to acquire the imperial crown; and who, by a 
fecond interview with the king of England, engaged the 
confidence of Henry, and effaced all the friend (hip to 
which the frank and liberal treatment of Francis at the 
late fete, had given birth. 
Though the fagacity of pope Leo X. enabled him to 
difeern his true intereft in preferving the tranquillity of 
Italy, and the balance of power as it was then eftablifhed ; 
yet the prudent neutrality which he ought 10 have ob¬ 
served, was loft in the indignation with which he beheld 
the tranfalpine nations preferibe laws to the Italian ftates, 
and in his impatience to diflinguifh uis pontificate by home 
iplendid a£tion. He vainly flattered himfelf with the idea 
of alternately aflifting each monarch, of finally expelling 
both, and of acquiring the glory'of reftoring to Italy its 
ancient independence : and in this intrigue he inveigled 
the king of England. 
Henry agreed to invade France on the fide of Picardy 
with forty thoufaud men, while the pope and the emperor 
N C E. Guo 
fhould join their forces to expel the French out of the 
Milanefe, the polTefTion of which fhould be given to 
Francifco Sforza, the Ton of Ludovico tiie Moor, who 
had refided at Trent lince the time his brother had been 
difpoftefled of his dominions by Francis ; that Parma and 
Placentia, which had beenwrefted from the church (hould 
be reftored to it ; and that the emperor fhould aflift the 
pope in conquering Ferrara. Under this confederacy 
Milan was betrayed to Colonna, the general of Leo ; the 
other cities of the duchy followed the example of the 
capital : Parma and Placentia were united to the eccle- 
fiaftical ftate ; while the town of Cremona, with the 
caftle of Milan, and a few inconliderable Lrts were all 
that remained in tlie hands of the French. 
Francis had need of all his magnanimity to oppofe the 
tempeft which aftailedhim on every fide. Genoa likewife 
threw off the yoke, expelled the adherents of France, and 
opened her gates to the imperial army. Henry of England 
openly declared war; and his forces, commanded by the 
earl of Surrey, landed atCherbourg, in Normandy, ravaged 
the coafts of that province, and having effected a junction 
with the Fleniifh troops, entered Picardy. But the 
French, though inferior in numbers, baffled by a prudent 
fyftem of defence the defigns of their adverfaries ; and 
Surrey after feveral unfuccefsful fkirmifhes, was obliged 
to retire with his liaraffed forces. The Spaniards, though 
engaged in domeftic dilTenfions, had allotted part of 
their forces to the recovery of Fontarabia ; that city, 
however, was relieved by the marefchal de Chabannes; 
but the fa^isfaftion which Francis might derive from this 
event, was more than balanced by the confederacy of his 
enemies and the defertion of his allies; even the Vene¬ 
tians, who had hitherto adhered to him with firmnefs, 
now believed his deftruftion inevitable, and formed a 
ieague with the emperor. Their example was followed 
by the other Italian ftates, and the king of France was 
left alone to repel his numerous adverfaries, whofe terri¬ 
tories encompaffed his dominions on every fide. Yet, 
roufed by the approach of danger, he prepared to en¬ 
counter it with fpirit and intrepidity ; before his enemies 
were ready to execute their fchemes, he had already affem- 
bled a formidable army, and in 1523, he determined to 
difconcert the defigns of the emperor, by marching in 
perfon into the Milanefe. 
The vanguard of his army had already reached Lyons, 
and he himfelf was haftening after it, when his mealures 
were broken by the intelligence of domeftic confpiracy. 
Charles duke of Bourbon, and conftable of France, from 
his birth, fortune, and office, might juftly be confidered 
as the moft powerful fubjedt in that kingdom. He had 
eminently diftinguilhed himfelf at tlie battle of Marig- 
nano ; and his thirft of glory, and fkill in martial exer- 
csfes, might naturally have recommended him to the 
favour of a monarch renowned for fimilar qualities; but 
unhappily Louifa, the king’s mother, had contradted a 
violent avertion to the houfe of Bourbon ; Hie had com¬ 
municated her prejudices to her fon ; the duke of Bour¬ 
bon had been injtirioufly removed from the government of 
Milan ; his counfels on the banks of the Scheld had been 
contumelioufly rejetted ; and a public affront was offered 
to him in the prefence of the whole army, by depriving 
him of the command of the vanguard. Th'efe repeated 
indignities had exhaufted his patience ; when a new and 
more fevere injury inflamed his thirft of revenge, and for 
ever eftranged him from his allegiance to Francis. On 
his becoming a widower, a lawfuit was commenced againft; 
him for the eftates that held in right of his deceafed wife ; 
and by a fentence deftitute even of the appearance of 
equity, he w j defpoiled of die greateft part of his fortune. 
Bourbon, reduced by .his luijufit decifion to defpair, 
fought redrefs in the imperial court. Charles and Henry 
gladly embraced his ulliar.ee, and fpared no allurements 
to confirm him in his resolution. The former offered him 
in marriage his filter Eleanor,the widow of the king of 
a Portugal-5. 
