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which were written in the duke's | order. But it having been said to hand these words: To carry on war in France seven hundred thousand crowns are required every month. A diamond heart, they say, was taken from his finger by the Sieur d'Entragues. But as the Sieur de Beaulieu was making this search, and perceived some slight movement in the body, he said to him, Monsieur, as some little life is still left to you, ask pardon of God and the king." Then without being able to speak, fetching a great deep sigh, as with a hoarse voice, he gave up his life, and was covered with a grey cloak, and on the top was put a cross of straw. He remained thus about two hours, then was delivered into the hands of the Sieur de Richelieu, grand provost of France, who, by the king's command, had the body burned by his executioner, in that first hall which is below, to the right, as you enter the castle; and finally the ashes were cast into the river.

As for the Cardinal de Guise the king ordered that he and the Archbishop of Lyons should be taken and guarded in the Tower of Moulins, his majesty having no wish to punish the cardinal save by imprisonment, out of the respect he had for those of this

him by some persons of high rank
that this was the most dangerous
of them all, and that some days
before he had held a conversation
most insolent and full of extreme
contempt to the discredit of his
majesty, and among the rest, this:
"That he did not wish to die till he
had put and held the head of this
tyrant between his legs, to make a
crown on him with the point of a
dagger;" these words, whether they
were true or false, so moved the
spirit of the king that without
delay he resolved to despatch him,
which was done next morning.
Being ordered by the Sieur Du
Gast, captain of the guards, to come
to the king, and at this order feel-
ing a presentiment of what was
going to happen, he begged the
Archbishop of Lyons to confess
him, seeing that it was necessary
to prepare for death.
This done,
they embraced each other, and took
farewell. And as the cardinal
approaches the door of the cham-
ber, and is ready to go out, he finds
himself attacked by blows of the
halberts of two men commissioned
and sent for this execution; after
which his body was dealt with in
the same fashion as had been done
with that of his brother.

THE BATTLE OF IVRY.

(Sully's Memoirs.)

A.D. 1590.

I KNEW that, without very great diligence, I should arrive too late for the battle with these companies, which I foresaw the king would be in extreme need of, as he was much inferior in number to the enemy. I therefore lost not a moment, and was fortunate enough to arrive an hour and a half before it began. The king ordered me to make my company pass to the right wing, where his own squadron was, to which he joined it; and making the two companies of arquebusiers dismount, sent their horses amongst the baggage, designing to make use of them as the forlorn hope. After this, he bid me follow him to see the disposition of the two armies, "in order," added he, "that you may learn your trade." He had no sooner placed himself at the head of his squadron, than the trumpets sounded the charge.

I shall attempt nothing here against the rights of historians; I leave it to them to particularise this battle, and shall confine myself only to what I was an eye

witness of. It is sufficient to say, that, upon this occasion, the principal causes that gave the victory to the weaker party, were, the valour of the Maréchal d'Aumont, who prevented the entire defeat of the light horse; the great difference between the enemy's manner of using their artillery and ours; and more than all this, the singular talents of the king, which were never so perfectly known as in the day of battle, in the disposition of his troops, in rallying them, in their discipline, and their exact and ready obedience.

It is certain the Duke of Mayenne and the Count of Egmont, who were at the head of the Spaniards, imagined that if the king durst wait for them the victory would certainly be theirs ; and that, if he yielded, or gave ground before them, as they expected, they did not reckon upon anything less than forcing him out of whatever place he should retreat to, and thus finishing the war at a single blow. With such dispositions, what must be the consequence? I say no

who alone are worth many thousand men. The stronger party never makes use of those precautions that are necessary against an enemy of equal strength; and, upon the other hand, the weaker never forms a resolution to defend itself against a more numerous army, without determining likewise to supply, by valour and address, the deficiency of numbers. The surprise that a courage, animated by glory and difficulties, creates, assists a small number against a greater: by this all become in some sort equal.

hand.

thing of the persons of the generals, | received another wound in my A pistol-shot gave me a third more considerable wound; the ball entered my hip, and came out near my belly. I should have infallibly perished, if my equerry had not run to my assistance with another horse, upon which I mounted, though with a good deal of difficulty. This affection brought many wounds upon poor Maignan, and had like to have cost him his | life. At a second charge this horse was likewise slain, and, in the same moment I received a pistolshot in the thigh, and a cut with a sword in the head. I remained upon the spot, and, along with my senses, lost all the remaining part of the action, which, from the advantage the Count of Egmont had already gained, boded, I thought, no good to us: and most certainly the king had been vanquished if all the rest of the enemy's army had behaved in the same manner. All that I know is, that, a long time after, recovering my senses, I saw neither enemies nor any of my servants near me, whom fear or disorder had dispersed; another presage which appeared to me no less unfavourable.

The king's squadron where I was, had the attacks of the Count of Egmont to sustain, who fell upon us with his own squadron, and a second of 1000 or 1200 German horse. It is true, the Germans, who professed the same religion as our soldiers did, fired almost in the air: but the Count of Egmont, we must do him justice, behaved like a man who was determined to conquer. He charged us with such fury, that, notwithstanding the desertion of the Germans, after a terrible fire, and an encounter which lasted a full quarter of an hour, and covered the earth with dead bodies, the left of our squadron fled, and the right was broken and gave ground. At the first onset my horse was wounded in the nostrils, and at the second in the neck, where the saddle did not reach, and a third brought him quite down, carrying away two of his feet, and a piece of flesh of the calf of my leg. I

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I retired without a headpiece, and almost without armour, for my own had been battered to pieces. In this condition I saw a trooper of the enemy's running towards me, with an intention upon my life. By good fortune I found myself near a pear tree, under which I crept, and with that little

motion I was still capable of, made such good use of the branches, which were extremely low, that I evaded all my adversary's attempts, and kept him at a distance, who being weary with turning round the tree, at last quitted me. Feuquieres had not the like good fortune; I saw him killed that moment before my eyes. Just then, La-Rocheforet (who has since been with me) passing by, I asked him for a little nag which he was leading, and paid him for it upon the spot thirty crowns. I always believed that on such occasions it is proper to carry a little money about one.

Thus mounted, I was going to learn news of the battle, which I believed to be lost, when I saw seven of the enemy coming straight towards me, one of whom carried the white standard belonging to the Duke of Mayenne's company. I thought it impossible to escape this new danger; and, upon their crying Qui vive? I told my name, as being ready to surrender myself a prisoner. What was my surprise, when, instead of attacking me, I found four of these persons entreating me to receive themselves for prisoners, and to save their lives; and while they ranged themselves about me, appearing charmed at having met with me! I granted their request: and it seemed so surprising to me, that four men unhurt and well armed should surrender themselves to a single man, disarmed, covered with his own blood, mounted upon a little paltry nag, and scarce able

to support himself, that I was tempted to take all I saw for an illusion, or the effect of my wounds. I was soon undeceived. My prisoners (since they would be so) made themselves known for MM. de Chataigneraie, de Sigogne, de Chanteloup, and d'Aufreville. They told me that the Duke of Mayenne had lost the battle; that the king was now in pursuit of the vanquished, which had obliged them to surrender, for fear of falling into worse hands, their horses not being in a condition to carry them out of danger: at the same time De Sigogne, in token of surrender, presented me with the white standard. The three others, who were the Duke of Nemours, the Chevalier d'Aumale, and Tremont, not seeming inclined to surrender, I endeavoured to persuade them by good reasons that they ought to do so; but in vain. After recommending their four comrades to me, seeing a body of the victors advance, they rode away, and showed me that their horses were still vigorous enough to bear them from their enemies.

I advanced with my prisoners towards a battalion of Swiss, and meeting one of the king's chief pages, I gave him the charge of the standard, which was a burden too heavy for me. I then saw more plainly the marks of our victory. The field was full of the fugitive Leaguers and Spaniards, and the victorious army of the king pursuing and scattering the rest of the large bodies, that had dispersed or gathered together.

The Swiss soldiers of the two | crying, "'Sdeath! thou traitor to armies meeting, faced each other thy king, whom thou hast murwith their pikes lowered, without dered, and triumphed in the deed.” striking a blow, or making any motion.

I might have made the Count of Torigny pay this prisoner's ransom, and I was counselled by several persons to do so; but I could not resolve to add this new cause of affliction to what he already felt for the death of a man with whom I had myself been particularly acquainted.

I was not long ere I was surrounded by many persons, amongst whom there was not one that did not envy my good fortune. D'Andelot came after the rest, and pressing through the crowd, per

The white standard, embroidered with black flowers-de-luce, was known by every one to be that of the Guises, which they bore in memory and horror of the assassination of Blois, and attracted all, as to a prey equally rich and honourable. The black velvet coats of my prisoners, which were covered with silver crosses, were resplendent from afar in the field. The first who flew to seize them were MM. de Cambrai, De l'Archant, Du Rollet, De Crevecœur, De Pal-ceived De Sigogne, and the page cheux, and De Brasseuse, who were joined by the Count de Torigny. I advanced towards them, and supposing they would not know my face, altogether disfigured by blood and dust, I named myself. The Count de Torigny no sooner knew La Chataigneraie, who was his relation, than judging that, in the condition he saw me, I could not preserve my prisoners from insult, he entreated me to give Chataigneraie to his care, for whom he would be answerable to me. I readily granted his request, yet it was with regret that I saw him go away. What Torigny did through a principle of friendship, had in effect a fatal consequence for the unhappy Chataigneraie. He was known some moments after, by three men belonging to d'O's company, who had been guards to Henry III. These men, levelling their pieces at him, shot him dead,

who carried the standard. He was preparing to seize it, believing his good destiny had kept this prey for him, when a report that the enemy had rallied, obliged him to depart abruptly. I had not time to draw him out of his error; for, after he had bid the page keep that standard for him, he suddenly disappeared. The intelligence was found to be false, and had no other foundation than the arrival of two hundred soldiers from Picardy, whom MM. de Moy and De la Boissiere had brought to the Duke of Mayenne.

Being now disengaged from the crowd, and having need of help, especially for the wound in my hip, by which I lost a great deal of blood, I advanced with my prize to the head of Vignole's regiment, which had behaved bravely in the battle. Here, fearing no further surprise, I ordered a surgeon to

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