?oo FRA 
Portugal ; lie was confidered as a principal in the treaty 
of the two monarchs; and on the conqueft of France 
which they had planned, the counties of Provence and 
Dauphiny were alligned to him with the title of king. 
The emperor engaged to enter France by the Pyrennees ; 
and Henry, fupported by the Flemings, was to invade 
Picardy; while Bourbon was to penetrate with an army 
of Germans into Burgundy, and to acl with his adherents 
in the,heart of the kingdom. The plot was deeply laid ; 
and - the execution of it was alone fufpended until the 
French king fhoutd crofs the Alps with the only army 
capable of defending bis dominions. 
The rumour of-Bourbon’s intrigues found their way to 
the ear of Francis ; his fufpicions were lulled awhile by 
the arts of the conftable ; but by the indiscretion of two 
of the confpirators the king was awakened to the certainty 
of his danger. He immediately determined to fecure the 
perfon of Bourbon ; who, apprized of his intentions, 
eroded the Rhone in difguife, eluded the fcouts fent out 
to intercept him, and after infinite fatigues and perils, 
reached Italy in fafety. Francis now took every precau¬ 
tion to extinguifli the fparksof revolt, and garrifoned the 
places of (Length in the conltable’s territories, yet he 
made not any particular enquiries after the accomplices of 
his defigns. Hisown irregularities about this time proved 
fatal to the life of hisconfort Claude, an amiable priticefs, 
who bore with refignation the negleCt of her lmfband, and 
with meeknefs the authority ufurped by the countefs of 
Angoulefme ; Francis himfelf, though he relinquifned his 
intention of leading in perfon his army into Italy, did not 
abandon that expedition, but entruited the conduct of 
it to the admiral Bonnivet. That nobleman engrolfed 
the favour and patronage of his royal mafter, whom in 
many points he refembled. Handfomein his perfon,gallant, 
and amorous, he w'as peculiarly acceptable to the countefs 
of Angoulefme, under whofe protection he rofe ; but 
vain, arrogant, and prefumptuous, though ambitious of 
the character of a general, of all the talents requilite for 
command he poflelfed only the lowed and mod common, 
perfonal courage. Colonna, who was entruded with the 
defence of the Milanefe, was compelled to retire before 
the Superior forces of France ; the dream of the Tefino 
oppofed an ineffectual obdacle to Bonnivet; the greateft 
part of the duchy fubmitted to bis arms ; had he im¬ 
proved the general condernation, Milan itfelf mult have 
furrendered ; but a delay of three or four days ret'tored 
the courage of the citizens ; and after a vain attempt on 
the capital, the inclemency of the feafon induced Bonnivet 
to retire into winter-quarters. In Burgundy andGuienne, 
the Germans and Spaniards were repulfed by the duke of 
Guife and the marelchal Lautrec ; in Picardy, indeed, the 
Englifh extended their devaftations along the banks of the 
Oyfe, penetrated within eleven leagues of Paris, and filled 
the capital with terror; but their career was checked by 
the gallantry of the duke of Vendofme ; they were con¬ 
tinually haraffed by the vigilance of the marefchal la 
Tremouille; and, in 1524, they were purfued with dif- 
grace out of the French territories. 
The enfuing campaign, however, opened with more dif- 
aftrous events to the king of-France : Fontarabia was fur- 
rendered by the treachery and cowardice of Franget, its 
governor : a numerous army of the allies threatened that 
(.art of the Milanefe which had been lately reduced by 
the French. : Bonnivet, whole forces had been weakened 
by a pellilential diforder, was unable to contend with 
the fuperior talents of Bourbon, the marquis of Pefcura, 
and Lannoy viceroy cf Naples. Thefe celebrated leaders 
compelled the admiral to abandon his ftrong camp at 
Biagralfa, and prefled on his rear with inceflhnt dili¬ 
gence ; in the palT.tge of the river Seffia, while he exerted 
himfelf with confpicuous valour, he received a wound in 
his arm which obliged him to quit the field ; he commit- 
and the important charge, which he reluctantly delerted, 
to the chevalier Bayard. That celebrated officer animated 
the cavalry by his example and his prefence, to iuftain 
N C E. 
the whole fliock of the enemy’s troops, while the infantry 
fecurely eroded the river; but in this fervice Bayard re¬ 
ceived a wound, and expired in the field. Bonnivet led 
back his (battered army info France, whofe monarch was 
immediately dripped of all that he held in Italy. The 
victors, encouraged by their fuccefs, now determined to 
invade Provence. Bourbon, at the head of eighteen 
thoufand men, pafTed the Alps without oppofition ; but 
his defign of penetrating into the interior provinces, and 
effecting a junction with his remaining adherents, was 
over-ruled by the authority of Charles, who diredted 
him to make the redudtion of Marfeilles his chief objedt. 
That city was obfiinately defended ; the king of France 
himfelf advanced with a fuperior force to the relief of it; 
and Bourbon, after having confumed forty days in the vain 
enterprife, retired with precipitation towards Italy. 
The glory which Francis had acquired in delivering 
his fubjedts from this formidable invalion, might have 
fatisfied a moderate mind ; but that prince, naturally 
fanguine, and impetuous, (fill afpired to the conqueft of 
the Milanefe. With an army of forty thoufand men he 
entered Italy, and the gates of Milan were immediately 
opened to him. Bourbon himfelf fcarcely outftripped his 
purfuit with the remnant of his flying forces; and had the 
king inftantly attacked the enemy, vrho retired to Lodi on 
the Adda, that day might have extinguilhed the dominion 
of the emperor Charles in Italy ; but in compliance with 
the opinion of Bonnivet, he laid fiege to Pavia on the 
Tefino, a place ftrong in its fortifications, and garrifoned 
by fix thoufand veterans, under the command of Antonio 
de Leyva. This fuccefs induced pope Clement VII. to 
defert the caufe of Charles, and court the alliance of his 
adverfsry ; the example of the pope was followed by the 
republic of Florence , and the king, elated by profperity, 
detached (ix thoufand men to ravage the kingdom of 
Naples ; but neither this diverfion, nor the inclemency of 
the feafon, prevented him from clofely prefling the fiege 
of Pavia. Three months of cotiftant fatigue had reduced 
the garrifon to the laft extremity, when they difeerned 
the welcome banners of the imperialifts prefling forwards 
to their relief. The zeal of Bourbon had brought thefe 
troops to the afliftance of Lannoy and Pefcara ; yet Fran¬ 
cis, fecure in his entrenchments, might have defied the 
fury of his adverfaries; but the rafti counfels of Bonnivet 
ftimulated him to the fatal encounter. Part of the left 
wing, under the command of the duke of Alenpon, bafely 
deferted their fovereign ; the garrifon of Pavia Tallied out 
on his rear ; the French cavalry was broken by the impe¬ 
rial horfe ; the rout became general; and refinance cealed 
almoft in every part but where the king himfelf fought in 
perfon. Though wounded, and thrown from his horfe, 
he (till defended himfelf with the mod heroic courage ; 
and fix of his aflailants periflied by his arm. At length, 
exhaufted with fatigue, he was obliged to yield ; and 
the year 1525 became celebrious by this event. Two 
Spanilh officers, Urbieta and Davila, were difputingwhich 
of them had the honour to take him prifoner. Francis 
cried out, “Urbieta robbed me, and Davila took me 
the firft having taken from him the collar of the order of 
St. Michael, which lie wore ; the other only having alked 
him for his fword. When taken, he would not confent 
to be carried before the duke of Bourbon his fubjeCt, 
who was in arms againft him, but infilled upon being car¬ 
ried to Lannoy the Spanilh general. When he delivered 
his fword to him, he laid, “ Sir, I deliver to you the 
fword of a monarch who is entitled to feme diftinCtion 
from having with hisown hand killed (o many of your 
foldiers before he furrendered himfelf, and who is at laft 
a prifoner from a wretched reverie of fortune, rather than 
from cowardice.” Lannoy took the captive monarch 
directly to the convent oi Carthufian friars at Pavia. 
Francis infilled on entering the church’immediately, and 
fell down on his knees before the altar. The monks 
were then cltaunting-one ot their offices, and he repeated 
after them with great fervour this line from the Pfalrns, 
which 
