FRANCE. 
7i6 
to capitulate. The king of France, with a powerful ar¬ 
my, indemnified himfelf for the lofs of La Capelle, by 
inverting Laon. Mayenne, alarmed for the fate of the 
town, the moft confiderable that remained in his poffef- 
fion, advanced to the relief of it with the Spanifh forces; 
but his efforts were fruftrated, and he was compelled to 
retreat; but, though haraffed and repeatedly attacked 
by the fuperior forces of the royalifts, he maintained an 
undaunted courage, and reached La Fera in fafety; on 
his retreat, Laon, hopelefs of fuccour, capitulated ; the 
garrifon tyas permitted to march out with all the honours 
of war, and Henry difplayed his magnanimity by treating 
the count of Somerive with every mark of refpefit. A 
condmSt fo generous could not but imprefs the enemies of 
the king with the moft favourable fentiments ; and the 
duke of Guif'e, mortified at the negledt of the Spaniards, 
and impelled by his admiration of Henry, reconciled him¬ 
felf to his fovereign, and delivered to him the towns of 
Vifri, Recroix, and Rheims. 
The daily return of his fubjetts to their allegiance, and 
the expiring date of the league, infpired Henry with more 
vigorouscounfels. He publicly declared war againft Spain, 
and entered into a treaty of alliance with the revolted inha¬ 
bitants of the Netherlands, who, by the treaty of Utrecht, 
had laid fhefoundation of a free republic, under the title 
of the United Provinces. While the allies purfued their 
joint preparations with diligence, the enemies of Henry 
again refotved to affail the life of that monarch 5 as the 
king in his apartments of the Louvre (looped to receive 
a nobleman that was prefented to him, he was aflailed by 
a ftroke from a knife that cut his lip, and broke one of 
his teeth ; the compofure of Henry difpelled the conrter- 
nation of his friends; the alfaflin was immediately dif'eo- 
vered and feized. His name was John Chafe], a fcholar 
of the college of the jefuits, to the influence of whofe 
doctrines he attributed this atrocious attempt. Ciiatel 
was inftantly configned to the punifhment due to his crime; 
father John Guignard, who was accufcd of having vindi¬ 
cated in his writings the right of the fubject to attempt 
the life of his prince, was alfo executed ; and the whole 
order of the jefuits, in 1594, was commanded, on the pe¬ 
nalty of death, to quit the dominions of France. 
Henry, after this attempt upon his life, took the field 
againft the army of Spain, commanded by the conftable 
Velafco, and joined by the duke of Mayenne, who had 
recently parted the Saone. At Fontain Francoife, the 
confederates were attacked by Henry with his wonted im- 
petuofity. At the head of eighteen hundred liorfe, the 
king of France carried carnage and confufion through an 
army of fourteen thoufand n.: 11; but had not the caution 
of Velafco refilled the importunities of the duke of May¬ 
enne, neither the courage of Henry, nor the fidelity of 
his companions, could have prevented him from being 
overpowered by the numbers of his enemies; but the 
Spaniard, intimidated by the boldnefs of his aflailants, 
founded a retreat, left the king in pofleflion of the field of 
battle, and early next morning repaired the Saone. But 
in Picardy the campaign of 1595, opened with events lefs 
aufpicious to France. The count of Fuentes, who had 
been appointed by Philip governor of the Netherlands, 
penetrated into that province, reduced Chatelot, and en¬ 
deavoured, by treachery, to polFefs himfelf of Ham ; his 
troops were admitted into the town, but the caftle ft ill re¬ 
filled their attacks. Baffled in this enterprife, he pointed 
his march towards Dourlens, which he immediately in¬ 
verted. Senfibleof the importance of that city, admiral 
Villars, with a body of fele6t foldiers, advanced to rein¬ 
force the garrifon. He was met, encountered, and over¬ 
whelmed, by the fuperior forces of the Spaniards, and pe- 
rifhed in the field, with fifteen hundred of his compa¬ 
nions, gallantly fighting to the laft. Dourlens was foon 
after carried by alfaulr, and the brave defenders of its 
walls, difdaining to a(k quarter, were put to the fword. 
In the mean while the king of France crolfed the Saone 
in purfuit of Velafco, and, unable to draw the conftable 
from his intrenchmenf? v or excite him to a decifive ac¬ 
tion, he extended his devaftutions over Franche Compte. 
From the conqueft of that country he was diverted by the 
powerful mediation of the Swifs cantons; but the inacti¬ 
vity of the Spaniards awakened the jealoqfy of the duke 
of Mayenne, who at length determined to feparate him¬ 
felf from allies he could no longer confide in. His incli¬ 
nations were intimated to Henry ; and on the generous ex. 
preflions of regard which fell from the lips of that mo¬ 
narch, the duke of Mayenne, in 1596, threw himfelf at 
the feet of his fovereign, and vowed a fidelity which he 
ever afterwards inviolably preferved. 
The Spaniards, commanded by the archduke Albert, in 
whofe favour Philip had fuperfeded the count dt* Fuentes, 
formed tlie refolution of befieging Calais. Albert enj 
trufted the conduct of the enterprife to de Rone, a zea¬ 
lous officer of the league, whofe bold and .aftive. genius 
eminently qualified him for the undertaking. With a 
body of feleft troops, he poflelfed himfelf, after a faint 
refiftance, of the two forts which commanded the entrance 
of the town and the harbour. He was quickly followed 
by Albert and his whole army ; the fuperior numbers of 
the Spaniards foon penetrated into the fuburbs and occu¬ 
pied the town; and the caftle alone refilled the arms of 
the befiegers. To reinforce the garrifon of that fortrefs, 
Matalec, governor of Foix,.had opened a puft’age for him¬ 
felf and three hundred companions through the line's of 
the enemy. But this additional force was not capable of 
withftanding the attacks of the Spaniards; and Henry en¬ 
dured the mortification of beholding the banners of Spain 
difplayed from the citadel of Calais, at the moment that 
lie had advanced at the head of his cavalry to the fiippovt 
of the befieged. 
The lofs of Calais was quickly followed by tlie lofs of 
Amiens, the capital of Picardy. This ancient city had 
lately fubmitted to the king of France; and the citizens 
had obtained an exemption from bei,ng garrifoned by re¬ 
gular troops; their fubfequent conduct proved how un¬ 
worthy they were of the truft repofed in them. Of fifteen 
thoufand inhabitants who were enrolled, only a few were 
employed as centinels, and even thofe performed their 
duty in the moft carelefs manner. Their negligence foon 
reached the knowledge of Portocarrero, governor of Dour¬ 
lens, who encouraged by tlie vicinity of his fituation, 
planned a fcheme for furpriling it. With three thoufand 
liorfe and toot he marched from Dourlens, and, concealed 
by the darknefs of the night, reached at dawn an hermi¬ 
tage about a quarter of a mile from the capital of Pi¬ 
cardy. Twelve of his moft refolute foldiers, difguifed 
as peafants, and with arms beneath their frocks, were 
fent forwards as foon as the gates of the city were opened ; 
thefe gaining admittance, fell with fury on the aftonNhed 
centinels; Portocarrero and his troops ruffled forwards 
to join them ; and after a feeble refinance, and a liaugh- 
ter.of about an hundred citizens, Amiens, in 1597, fub- 
ntitted to the arms of Spain. 
The lofs of a city lo (trong, fo well provided, and fo 
contiguous to Paris, ft ruck Henry with confternation. 
Calais, one of his principal fea-ports, was already in the 
polfellion of the Spaniards ; and by their prefent conqueft: 
the forces of Philip might extend their incurlions to the 
very gatesof his capital. Though labouring underafevere 
indifpofition, the king renounced the care of his perfon to 
provide for the defence of his kingdom ; he determined to 
poftpone every other confiderutipn to the recovery of 
Amiens, and immediately ordered marefchal Biron to 
invert the town with whatever forces he could draw from 
the neighbouring garrifons, while he himfelf provided 
further fupplies for the profecution of this enterprife. 
The abilities of the baron de Rofny, to whom Henry 
had entrufted the regulation of his finances, furmounted 
every obftacle, and replenifhed the exhaufted coffers of 
his fovereign ; the zeal of the duke of Mayenne was emi¬ 
nently exerted to fecond the efforts of a monarch whom 
he had fo long oppofed ; the friendihip of Elizabeth, had 
reinforced 
