[ 685 ] 
HALF-YEARLY RETROSPECT OF FRENCH LITERATURE, 
ee 
LL wars are more or less dreadful 
during their progress, and inaus- 
picious to the cause of humanity, in 
their consequences, and effects. The 
present one, however, exhibits features 
of a peculiar kind, and must be allowed 
to be peculiarly hostile to the best inte- 
rests of mankind; for social intercourse 
between neighbouring nations is now 
cut off, and the press itself is unhappily 
confined to the nation, to which it ap- 
pertains, In this state of affairs, we 
have re-doubled our efforts, and preseut 
the following miscellany to our readers: 
HISTORY. 
* Recueil de Piéces inédites relatives aur 
Cartels respectifs de Frangois I. et de 
Charles V.” A Collection of unpublished 
Papers, relative to the Challenges that 
passed between Francis I. and Charles V. 
This is a subject which attracted the 
whole attention of Europe, at a period 
when the age of chivalry .had not as yet 
elapsed. It has been treated of by all 
the historians with ne small degree of 
attention; but it 1s evident, that they. 
were utterly unacquainted with several 
of the official documents, contained in 
this collection, and they were conse- 
quently obliged rather to guess at, than 
to supply, many of the facts. Robertson, 
indeed, with his usual judgment, for- 
bears to enter into minute details, while 
Gaillard* has been at great pains to recite 
every occurrence, and to repeat all the 
particulars that he could possibly obtain. 
For this purpose, he not only consulted 
the writers of his own time, but had re- 
course to the Chronicle in the Royal Li- 
brary, among the manuscripts of Bethune 
{marked No. 8,471 and 8,472); he even 
analized such of the official papers as 
could be obtained, and after disengaging 
himself from all national prejudices, he 
fairly avows— 
“ That the projected duel failed, in 
consequence of the vivacity of Francis I. 
who, in the audience given to the herald, 
sent on the part of the Emperor, jnces- 
santly interrupted him in the discharge of 
his functions, refused to hear what he 
had to say, and finally sent him away, 
under pretence that it was high time to 
put an end to words, in order to deter- 
mine the difference by means of 
actions.” 
Garnier, the continuator of Villaret 
* Histoire de Francois I. par Gaillard, 
liy, il. ch. 13, ‘ 
and Vely, following the narrative of 
Antonio de Vera, a Spanish historian, 
endeavours to explain this extrordinary 
conduct on the part of France, by ob- 
serving, that, betore quitting Madrid, 
Francis had solemnly promised to o@b- 
serve all the conditions of the treaty of 
Madrid, not only in the quality of a- 
sovereign, but also in that of one gentle- 
man while treating with another, and 
that the monarch interrupted the he- 
raid, for the express purpose of pre- - 
venting the public accusation, that he 
had violated the jaws of chivalry. 
The present work contains : 
1. The manifesto of Charles V. after 
receiving the challenge of Francis I. or 
rather, the proces-verbul, drawn up by 
the Secretary, Don Juan Aleman, of 
ali that passed on the reception of this: 
document. ; 
2, The correspondence of Charles V. 
with the Duke de I’[nfaatado, which took 
place, during the period that elapsed, 
between the autience granted to the 
French herald, and his return to ‘his 
master. 
3. The relation of the journey of 
the Spanish herald who carried the re- 
ply of Charles V. to the court of France, 
and the different justificatory papers, all 
of which have been extracted from the ar- 
chives of Madrid, and translated from the 
Spanish, by a Frenchman, who had 
acted in a diplomatic capacity. This 
collection affords a new and satisfactory 
explanation of the conduct, as well as 
of the affected delays of Francis; for we 
learn from the papers now before us, that 
the monarch was for a long time nego- 
ciating with the Pope, having expressly 
solicited the intervention of his Efoliness, 
as even he. bevan to feel, that he had 
brought himself into a ridiculous predi- 
cament, by sending a challenge in con- ~ 
sequence of being accused of breaking 
the treaty of Madrid. 
- It was on the 7th of June, 1528, that 
Guyenne, the King of Arms of France, 
arrived at) Monzon in Arragon, at five 
o'clock in the afternoon, accompanied 
by Gonzale de Montalbo, a gentleman 
who had been sent to the frontiers of 
Fontarabia, to receive and accompany 
him next day; the Count de Vaso 
conducted the herald to an audi. 
ence with the Emperor, which took 
place at four o’clock in the afternoon, 
in. the palace of Don Hernando, Duke of 
Arragon, aud Viceroy uf Valencia. 
“ Guyenus, 
