Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

religion. She marched through the streets of Toledo with her son, a young child, clad in deep mourning, seated on a mule, having a standard carried before him, representing the manner of his father's execution. By these means she kept the minds of the people in such perpetual agitation, as prevented their passions from subsiding, and rendered them insensible of the dangers to which they were exposed, by standing alone in opposition to the royal authority. While the army was employed in Navarre, the regents were unable to attempt the reduction of Toledo by force; and all their endeavours, either to diminish Donna Maria's credit with the people, or to gain her by large promises, and the solicitations of her brother, the Marquis de Mondeiar, proved ineffectual. Upon the expulsion of the French army out of Navarre, part of the army returned into Castile, and invested Toledo. Even this made no impression on the intrepid and obstinate courage of Donna Maria; she defended the town with vigour; her troops in several sallies beat the royalists; and no progress was made towards reducing the place, until the elergy, whom she had highly offended, by invading their property, ceased to support her. As soon as they received information of the death of William de Croy, archbishop of Toledo, whose possession of that see was their chief grievance, and that the emperor had named a Castilian to succeed him, they openly turned against her, and persuaded the people that she had acquired such influence over them by the force of enchantments; that she was assisted by a familiar demon, which attended her in the form of a negro maid, and that by its suggestions she regulated every part of her conduct.

The credulous multitude, whom their impatience of a long blockade, and despair of obtaining succours, either from the cities formerly in confede

racy with, or from the French, rendered desirous of peace, took arms against her, and driving her out of the city, surrendered it to the royalists. She retired to the citadel, which she defended with amazing fortitude four months longer, and, when reduced to the last extremity, she made her escape in disguise, and fled to Portugal, where she had many relations.

CHARLES, DUKE OF BOURBON,

WHILE the kingdom of Spain was in this civil agitation, a dangerous plot was discovered in France, the author of which was Charles duke of Bourbon, lord high constable, whose noble birth, vast fortune, and high office, raised him to be the most powerful subject in France, as his great talents equally suited to the field or the council, and his signal services to the crown, rendered him the most illustrious and deserving. The near resemblance between the king and him in many of their qualities, both being fond of war, and ambitious to excel in manly exercises, as well as their equality in age, and proximity of blood, ought naturally to have secured to him a considerable share in that monarch's favour. But unhappily, Louise, the king's mother, had contracted a violent hatred to the house of Bourbon, for no better reason than because Anne of Bretagne, the queen of Louis XII. with whom she lived in perpetual enmity, had discovered a peculiar attachment to that branch of the royal family, and taught her son, who was too susceptible of any impression which his mother gave him, to view all the constable's actions with a mean and unbecoming jealousy. His distinguished merit at the battle of Marignano had not been sufficiently rewarded; he had been recalled from the

government of Milan upon very frivolous pretences, and had met with a cold reception, which his prudent conduct in that difficult station did not deserve; the payment of his pensions had been suspended without any good cause; and during the campaign of 1521, the king had affronted him in the presence of the whole army, by giving the command of the van to the duke of Alençon. The constable, at first, bore these indignities with greater moderation than could have been expected, from an high-spirited prince, conscious of what was due to his rank and to his services. Such a multiplicity of injuries, however, exhausted his patience, and inspiring him with thoughts of revenge, he retired from court, and began to hold a secret correspondence with some of the emperor's ministers. About that time, the dutchess of Bourbon happened to die without leaving any children. Louise, of a disposition no less amorous than vindictive, and still susceptible of the tender passion at the age of forty-six, began to view the constable, a prince as amiable as he was accomplished, with other eyes; and, notwithstanding the great disparity of their years, she formed the scheme of marrying him. Bourbon, who might have expected every thing: to which an ambitious mind can aspire, from the doting fondness of a woman who governed her son and the kingdom, being incapable either of imitating the queen in her sudden transition from hatred. to love, or of dissembling so meanly as to pretend affection for one who had persecuted him so long with unprovoked malice, not only rejected the match, but imbittered his refusal by some severe raillery on Louise's person and character. She finding herself not only contemned but insulted, her disappointed love turned into hatred, and since she could not marry, she determined to ruim Bourbon

With this view, she instigated a law-suit for the whole estate belonging to the house of Bourbon; and by other harsh and cruel measures rendered him desperate, so that he deserted his country, and joined the emperor. In that service he directed the imperial army under Lannoy; and in a second battle, in both of which the French were defeated, the French king was taken prisoner. Not long after, he invaded the pope's territories, and arriving at Rome itself, he encamped in the plains, on the evening of the fifth of May, one thousand five hundred and twenty-seven. Determined to make an assault upon the city, he shewed his soldiers the palaces and churches into which, as the capital of the christian commonwealth, the riches of all Europe had flowed during many centuries, without having been once violated by any hostile hand; and commanding them to refresh themselves that night, as a preparation for the assault next day, promised them, in reward of their toils and valour, the possession of all the treasures accumulated there.

Early in the morning, Bourbon, who had determined to distinguish that day either by his death or the success of his enterprise, appeared at the head of his troops, clad in complete armour, above which he wore a vest of white tissue that he might be more conspicuous both to his friends and to his enemies; and as all depended on one bold impression, he led them immediately to scale the walls. Three distinct bodies, one of Germans, another of Spaniards, and the last of Italians, the three different nations of which the army was composed, were appointed to this service; a separate attack was assigned to each, and the whole army advanced to support them as occasion should require. A thick mist concealed their approach until they reached almost the brink of the ditch which sur rounded the suburbs: having planted their ladders

in a moment, each brigade rushed into the assault with an impetuosity heightened by national emulation. They were received at first with fortitude equal to their own; the Swiss in the pope's guards, and the veteran soldiers who had been assembled, fought with a courage becoming men to whom the defence of the noblest city in the world had been intrusted. Bourbon's troops, notwithstanding all their valour, gained no ground, and even began to give way, when their leader, perceiving that on this critical moment the fate of the day depended, leaped from his horse, pressed to the front, snatched a scaling ladder from a soldier, planted it against the wall, and began to mount it, encouraging his men with his voice and hand to follow him. But at that very instant, a musket bullet from the ramparts pierced his groin with a wound which he immediately felt to be mortal: but he retained so much presence of mind as to desire those who were near him to cover his body with a cloak, that his death might not dishearten his troops; and soon after he expired, with a courage worthy of a better cause, and which would have entitled him to the highest praise, if he had thus fallen in defence of his country, not at the head of its enemies.

MELANCTHON.

He was one of those whom the fame of Luther induced to repair to Wirtemberg to study under his care. He imbibed his opinions, which on his return he propagated to his countrymen, who listened to them with that fond attention which truth accompanied with novelty naturally commands. At that period the pope and Charles were in close alliance, and frequently consulted concerning the

« ZurückWeiter »