706 FRA 
diate danger, had recourfe to the arts of diffimulation. 
By prefers and flattery he prevailed upon Henry to aban¬ 
don tlie truce, and he figned a new league with the pope, 
which rekindled the flames of war both in Italy and the 
Low Countries. 
Philip, (to whom we have juft feen the emperor 
Charles V. refign his hereditary dominions,) received 
with indignation the intelligence of Henry’s defigns to 
violate the recent truce. He directed his arms againft 
the frontier towns of Flanders, and perfuaded his confort, 
the queen of England, to enter into his views ; her vio¬ 
lent affedtion for Philip excited her to furmount the re- 
lu (Stance of her fubjeets, and todeclare war againft France; 
Emanuel Philibert duke of Savoy, was entrufted with the 
command of the main army ; the zeal of the Flemings 
was difplayed in feconding the defigns of their new fove- 
reign ; and while Philip bimfelf fixed his quarters at 
Cambray, the duke of Savoy advanced by rapid marches, 
and inverted St. Q^intin in Picardy. Policy and intereft 
called upon Henry to fave a town, the lofs of which 
would open a paftage for the enemy into the heart of 
France. The forces deftined to the relief of the befieged, 
he confided to the experience of the conftable Montmo¬ 
rency ; but in the execution of this fervice, that impetuous 
general had drawn too near the entrenchments of the be-" 
fiegers, to efcape from fo aftive and vigilant a commander 
as the dukeof Savoy. The ranks ofthe French were broken 
by the furious charge of count Egmont at the head of the 
cavalry, and they fought (helter in a precipitate flight: 
above four thoufand perilhed on the field ; and the con¬ 
ftable, after defending himfelf with the mod heroic cou¬ 
rage, and receiving a dangerous wound, was made pri- 
foner, with the dukes of Montpenfier and Longueville, 
and the marefchal St. Andre. In confequence of this 
defeat, St. Qujntin fell, and its heroic governor, the ad¬ 
miral Coligny, was taken prifoner in the breach. 
Henry now haftily recalled the duke of Guife from the 
war in Italy, to check the progrefs of Philip. The army 
■with which he returned was joined by new levies, and 
dwelled by reinforcements from Germany and Swifterland. 
Its numbers, and the reputation of its general, made Phi¬ 
lip tremble for his new conquefts ; when the duke of 
Guife fuddenly turned, from menacing the frontier towns 
of Flanders, to undertake a more arduous and important 
enterprize. Calais had been taken by tlie Englifh under 
Edward III. and was the only place they retained of their 
ancient and extenlive territories in France. But Mary 
and her minifters, from an injudicious economy, had ne¬ 
glected the works, and difmilFed the greater part ofthe 
garrifon. The duke of Guife was apprifed of thefe cir- 
eumftances, and the rigour of winter did not deter him 
from the daring defign ; he fuddenly inverted the town, 
drove the Englifh from the forts which protected it, and 
in eight days reftored Calais to the dommion of the 
French, after it had been fubjefted to England for two 
hundred and ten years. Henry imitated on this occation 
the policy of its former conqueror ; he carefully expelled 
the Englilh inhabitants, and new peopled the town with 
his own fubjefts, whom he allured to fettle there by va¬ 
rious immunities. 
With the return of fpring, the contending armies re¬ 
newed their operations ; the duke of Guife inverted, and 
reduced after a fiege of three weeks, Thionville in the 
duchy of Luxembourg. But this acquifition was more 
than counterbalanced by an event that had happened in 
another part of the Low Countries. The marefchal de 
Terrnes, governor of Calais, had penetrated into Flanders, 
ftormed Dunkirk, and advanced to Nieuport, when his 
career was checked by the approach of the count of Eg- 
mont, with a fuperior force. De Terrnes, encumbered 
with his fpoils, endeavoured to retreat, but he was over¬ 
taken by the rapidity of the count, and compelled to en¬ 
gage near Gravelines. Tire defperate valour of the French 
held vittory for fome time in fufpen.fe ; when alquadron 
#f Englifh Ihipsj drawn to the coaft by the firing, entered 
N C E. 
the Aa, and turned their guns upon the right wingof the 
army of de Terrnes ; the fpirits of the Flemings revived 
with this afliftance, and the rout of the French became 
univerfal. Two thoufand were killed on the fpot; a 
greater number perilhed in their flight by the hands of 
the peafantry ; and the marefchal de Terrnes, with many 
officers of diftindtion, were taken prifotiers. The duke of 
Guife, on intelligence of this difafter, relinquifhed all 
other fchemes, and haftened to the defence of the frontier 
of Picardy, while the duke of Savoy eft'edted a junction 
with the forces of the count of Egmont. E tch monarch 
placed himfelf at the head of his refpedtive army ; and 
as they were now only feparated by a few leagues, it was 
hourly expefted that a decilive aftion would determine 
the fortune of the royal competitors. Yet both Philip 
and Henry continued carefully to fortify their camps, and 
difcovered by their inaction their inclinations for peace. 
For half a century their kingdoms had been mutually ex- 
haufted by the devaftations of war. The former was im¬ 
patient to vifit Spain ; tiie latter was influenced by the 
paffions of the duchefs of Valentinois, who regarded with 
difguft the haughtinefs of the duke of Guife and his bro¬ 
ther the cardinal of Lorrain, and was determined to 
thwart.their rneafutes. By her perfuafion, Montmorency, 
ftill a prifoner, and eager to regain his liberty, was en¬ 
trufted with the delicate negociation ; Philip readily lif- 
tened to his propofals, and, in 1558, a definitive treaty 
was figned at Cuteau in Cambrefis; the duke of Savoy re¬ 
covered the territories which France had wrefted from 
him in Piedmont, Savoy, and Brefle. Corfica was ceded, 
to the Genoefe ; but Hefidin, Catelet, and Noyon, were 
refiored to the French, who alfo retained Calais, Metz, 
Toul, and Verdun. The death of Mary had diflolved the 
connections of Philip king of Spain with England ; and 
by a feparate treaty with her fuccelfor queen Elizabeth, 
Henry engaged at the end of eight years to deliver up 
Calais, or to forfeit the fum of five hundred thoufand 
crowns. 
The duke of Guife, and his brother the cardinal, arraign¬ 
ed the late treaty in the moft open manner, as humiliating 
and difgraceful to France. But their influence expired 
on the return of Montmorency ; and the conftable, fup- 
ported by the duchefs of Valentinois, refumed his former 
afcendancy over the mind of his royal mailer. His hopes 
of aggrandizement, however, were foon extinguilhed by 
a fatal and unexpected accident. Emanuel duke of Savoy 
had arrived at Paris to be prefent at the marriage of the 
princefs Elizabeth, who, by an article of the late treaty, 
was affianced to the king of Spain, and whofe nuptials 
were celebrated at Paris by proxy, with great magnifi¬ 
cence. Joufts and tournaments had on this occafion been 
proclaimed by Henry, who had already given fignal proofs 
of his prowefs ; when on the laft day he was defirous of 
breaking a lance againft Gabriel de Lorgescount de Mont¬ 
gomery, and who was diftinguilhed above any other no¬ 
bleman for his fuperior addrefs in tliefe combats. 
Montgomery, at the command of his fovereign, entered 
.the lifts with evident reluCtance. The fnock was rude 
on both Tides; but the count’s lance breaking againft 
the king’s helmet, he attacked Henry with the (lump 5 
it entered the eyebrow of his right eye, and the monarch, 
bereaved of fpeech and unuerftanding, fell inllantly to the 
ground. He was conveyed to his palace, and, after re¬ 
maining in a ftate of infenfibility for eleven days, expired, 
in the fixteenth year of his reign, and the forty fifth of his 
age, A.D. 1559; leaving by his wife Catharine of Medicis 
feven children, the eldeft of whom, who fucceeded him 
by the name of Francis II. had but juft entered his feven- 
teenth year. 
The inexperienced age of Francis, added to a natural 
imbecility of mind, rendered him incapable oi ftate af¬ 
fairs , he therefore reftgned himfelf to the abfolute con- 
troul of his mother Catharine of Medicis, and of the 
Guifes, the uncles of his queen, Mary of Scotland. Ca= 
tharine, from her rank as mother to the young king, 
mighs 
