412 
after the example of his father, applied to the grand signior: 
and Solyman, at that time highly incensed against the house 
of Austria, on account of the proceedings in Hungary, sent a 
powerful fleet into the Mediterranean, under the command of 
corsair Dragut, an officer trained up under Barbarossa, and 
scarcely inferior to his master in courage, talents, or in good 
fortune. Dragut appeared on the coast of Calabria at the time 
appointed ; but not being joined by the French fleet accord¬ 
ing to concert, he returned to Constantinople, after plun¬ 
dering and burning several places, and filling Naples with 
consternation. 
Highly mortified Joy so many disasters, Charles retired 
into the Low Countries, breathing vengeance against France: 
and here the war was carried on with considerable vigour. 
Impatient to efface the stain which his military reputation 
had received before Metz, Charles laid siege to Terouane; 
and the fortifications being in disrepair, that important place 
was carried by assault. Hesdin also was invested, and car¬ 
ried in the same manner. The king of France was too late 
in assembling his forces to afford relief to either of these 
places: and the emperor afterwards cautiously avoided an 
engagement. 
The imperial arms were less successful in Italy. The vice¬ 
roy of Naples failed in an attempt to recover Sienna; and 
the French not only established themselves more firmly in 
Tuscany, but conquered part of the island of Corsica. Nor 
did the affairs of the house of Austria go on better in Hun¬ 
gary during the course of this year. Isabella and her son 
appeared once more in Transylvania, at a time when the 
people were ready for revolt, in order to revenge the death 
of Martinuzzi, whose loss they had severely felt. Some 
noblemen of eminence declared in favour of the young king; 
and the bashaw of Belgrade, by Solyman’s order, espousing 
his cause, in opposition to Ferdinand, Castaldo, the Austrian 
general, was obliged to abandon Transylvania to Isabella 
and the Turks. 
In order to counterbalance these and other losses, the em¬ 
peror, in 1554, concerted a marriage between his son Philip 
and Mary of England, in hopes of adding that kingdom 
to his other dominions. Meanwhile the war between Henry 
and Charles was carried on with various success in the Low 
Countries, and in Italy much to the disadvantage of France. 
The French, under the command of Strozzi, were defeated in 
the battle of Merciano; Sienna was reduced by Medicino, 
the Florentine general, after a siege of ten months ; and the 
gallant Siennese were subjected to the Spanish yoke. Much 
about the same time a plot was formed by the Franciscans, 
but happily discovered before it could be carried into execu¬ 
tion, to betray Metz to the Imperialists. The father guar¬ 
dian, and twenty other monks, received sentence of death on 
account of this conspiracy; but the guardian, before the 
time appointed for his execution, was murdered by his in¬ 
censed accomplices, whom he had seduced ; and six of the 
youngest were pardoned. 
While v’ar thus raged in Italy and the Low Countries, 
Germany enjoyed such profound tranquillity, as afforded the 
diet full leisure to confirm and perfect the plan of religious 
pacification agreed upon at Passau, and referred to the con¬ 
sideration of the next meeting of the Germanic body. 
During the negociation of this treaty, an event happened 
which astonished all Europe, and confounded the reasonings 
of the wisest politicians. The emperor Charles V., though 
no more than 56, an age when objects of ambition operate 
in full force on the mind, and are generally pursued with the 
greatest ardour, had for some time formed the resolution of 
resigning his hereditary dominions to his son Philip. He 
now determined to put it in execution. Various have been 
the opinions of historians concerning a resolution so singular 
and unexpected; but the most probable seem to be, the dis¬ 
appointments which Charles had met with in his ambitious 
hopes, and the daily decline of his health. 
In consequence of this resolution, Charles assembled the 
states of the Low Countries at Brussels; and seating himself 
for the last time in the chair of state, he explained to his 
subjects the reasons of'his resignation, and solemnly de¬ 
volved his authority upon Philip. He recounted with dig¬ 
nity, but without ostentation, all the great things which he 
had undertaken and performed since the commencement of 
his administration. “ I have dedicated (observed he), from 
the 17th year of my age, all my thoughts and attention to 
public objects, reserving no portion of my time for the 
indulgence of ease, and very little for the enjoyment of 
private pleasure. Either in a pacific or hostile manner, I 
have visited Germany nine times, Spain six times, France 
four times, Italy seven times, the Low Countries ten times, 
England twice, Africa as often; and while my health 
permitted me to discharge the duty of a sovereign, and the 
vigour of my constitution was equal in any degree to the 
arduous office of governing such extensive dominions, I 
never shunned labour, nor repined under fatigue ; but now, 
when my health is broken, and my vigour exhausted by the 
rage of an incurable distemper, my growing infirmities 
admonish me to retire; nor am I so fond of reigning, as to 
retain the sceptre in an impotent hand, which is no longer 
able to protect my subjects. Instead of a sovereign worn 
out with diseases (continued he), and scarce half alive, I 
give you one in the prime of life, already accustomed to 
govern, and who adds to the vigour of youth all the attention 
and sagacity of maturer years.” A few weeks after he re¬ 
signed to Philip the sovereignty of Spain and America ; 
reserving nothing to himself out of all these vast possessions 
but an annual pension of 100,000 crowns. 
Charles was now impatient to embark for Spain, where he 
had fixed on a place of retreat; but by the advice of his 
physicians, he put off his voyage for some months, on ac¬ 
count of the severity of the season ; and, by yielding to 
their judgment, he had the satisfaction before he left the Low 
Countries of taking a considerable step towards a peace with 
France. This he ardently longed for ; not only on his son’s 
account, whose administration he wished to commence in 
quietness, but that he might have the glory, when quitting 
the world, of restoring to Europe that tranquillity which 
his ambition had banished out of it almost from the time 
that he assumed the reins of government. 
The great bar to such a pacification, on the part of France, 
was the treaty which Henry had concluded with the pope; 
and the emperor’s claims were too numerous to hope for 
adjusting them suddenly. A truce of five years was there¬ 
fore proposed by Charles; during which term, without 
discussing their respective pretensions, each should retain 
what was in his possession ; and Henry, through the persua¬ 
sion of the constable Montmoreney, who represented the 
imprudence of sacrificing the true interests of his kingdom 
to the rash engagements that he had made with Paul, 
authorised his ambassadors to sign at Vaucelles a treaty, 
which would insure to him for so considerable a period the 
important conquest which he had made on the German 
frontier, together with the greater part of the duke of Savoy’s 
dominions. 
The Pope, when informed of this transaction, was no less 
filled with terror and astonishment than rage and indignation. 
But he took equal care to conceal his fear and his anger. 
He affected to approve highly of the truce; and he offered 
his mediation, as the common father of Christendom, in order 
to bring about a definitive peace. Under this pretext, he 
appointed Cardinal Rebibo his nuncio to the court of Brus¬ 
sels, and his nephew Cardinal Caraffa to that of Paris. 
The public instructions of both were the same ; but Caraffa, 
besides these, received a private commission, to spare neither 
entreaties, promises, nor bribes, in order to induce the French 
monarch to renounce the truce and renew his engagements 
with the holy see. He flattered Henry with the conquest of 
Naples ; he gained by his address the Guises, the queen, and 
even the famous Diana of Poictiers, duchess of Valentinois, 
the king’s mistress; and they easily swayed the king himself, 
who already leaned to that side towards which they wished 
to incline him. All Montmorency’s prudent remonstrances 
were disregarded ; the nuncio (by powers from Rome) ab¬ 
solved Henry from his oath of truce; and that weak prince 
signed a new treaty with the Pope; which rekindled with 
fresh 
