arrives at and this high Office was immediately given to Charles In the mean time Duke Sforza of Mi-. dies without lan died without leaving any Children Ifu. behind him, and, being the last of the 1536. famous and unfortunate Sforza Family, the Emperor took Possession of the Dutchy, and, having it now in his Power, he made use of it afterwards as a Bait and Amusement, to allure Francis the Remainder of his Life, tho' he never intended he should have it. The Emperor The Emperor, on the Return from his Expedition to Tunis, repaired to the City Rome. of Rome, where he was very grandly entertained by that Court ; and, being informed what Francis had been doing in Savoy, in his Absence, he expressed great Resentment ; nay, he was in The Emperor such a Fury, that, in the Presence of challenges to the Pope, the Court of Rome, and the French Ambassadors, he offered (to pre vent any further Effusion of Blood) to decide the Quarrel between him and Francis, by a single Combat, in an Inand, on a Bridge, or in a Boat. Bold Warriers indeed! But the French " “ Ambassadors, says a wise Historian, had the good F6 Sense not to inform their Master of it, so that this “ Challenge likewise subsided.” The Empe But after this, when the Emperor ror invades had got his own Forces together, with France. the Assistance of several Italian Princes, he actually invaded France in Person, threatning nothing but Fire and Sword, and began with besieging Marseilles ; though, meeting with a Repulse, he was at last obliged to raise the Siege, and retire. The next Year Francis in his Turn claims the Em. fell upon the Emperor, but not by way peror a Rebel, of Challenge ; he took the Means of 1537 Law, fight K. Fran Cis. Francis pro Law, summoning Charles as his Vaffal, to do Homage for the Counties of Flanders, Artois, and Charalois, which he held of the Crown of France: This the Enperor not thinking proper to comply with, Francis caused him to be proclaimed a Rebel; but, before this Year expired, both Princes begun to be in a better Humour with each other. For an Interview between Charles and At last be. Francis was agreed on at Nice, which was come Friends. 1538. brought about by the Pope, who was present, and mediated a Truce between them for 20 Years, which put an end to the War. King Francis, having by this restored King Francis makes several Peace to his Country, made several excel . lent Edicts, particularly one, “ That Cu- good Edicts. rates should keep a Register of all Christnings;” which the French Authors allow was taken from the English, who had set up the same Course by the Advice of the great Lord Cromwell. The Emperor, having an Occasion The Emperor to go into Spain, obtained a Permission passes through to pass through France, the King giving France . Orders, that his Imperial Majesty should 1539. be most honourably received at every City, and that he might exercise the same Authority as himself. January the ist, the Emperor made his publick Entry into Paris in great Makes his EnState, the two Sons of France riding try into Paris. 1540. on each side of him; and, at his Departure, the King accompanied him to St. Quintin, and the young Princes as far as Valenciennies. The Emperor sollicited the King to restore the Duke of Savoy to his Te-ed by Favou. ritories, which Francis at last complied rites with. But he foon grew jealous of 1541. those about him, and, though three Noblemen had principally engrossed his Favour, the Constable, the Car France governo Cardinal of Lorain, and Admiral Brion ; yet the last, having got the Start of the other two, they contrived to ruin him, got him imprisoned, and, by the Means of Chancellor Poyet, was brought to his Trial, by which he was so far condemned, that he was divested of his Offices, and declared unworthy of holding any for the future, tined 70,000 Crowns, and shut up in the Bastile. Some Months after the Admiral obAdmiral Brion tained a Review of the Cause, and was dies of Grief cleared from the Charge brought against 1552. him ; but, being a Man of a haughty Spirit, the Affront stuck so close to him, that he died of Grief before the Year expired. The Chancellor not long after had The Chancellor disgraced. his Turn, and was disgraced, occasioned by his refusing to set the Seals to an Order, for removing a Cause from one Court to another; and, his Conduct being examined into, he was found so faulty, that he was first stript of his Office, and then confined to the Tower of Bourges, * from whence he obtained his Liberty on no other Terms, than giving up his All for his Ransom. At laft he died in the City of Paris, Dies for Want. oppressed with Poverty, Ignomy, and old Age ; so unhappy, that, even in this lamentable Condition, he was not pitied. This is not an improper Mirrour for great Men to see in what Nippery Places they ítand. Though, with Pleasure we can say upon examining the Accounts, given by the English Historians of our Lord Chancellors for above 200 Years, they have generally behaved worthy that high Office. As to the Constable, his Favour with The Conftable the King did not last long after Poyet's disgraced. Disgrace, for his Majesty foon forbid him * The same place where Lewis his being taken Prisoner at the D. of Orleans, afterwards Lewis memorable Battle of St. Albins, the XIIth, was confined, upon See Vol. I. War. him the Court, and never more recalled him. Upon these Alterations he intrusted his Affairs with Cardinal Turnon and Admiral Annebant, Persons of no extraordinary Genius, but of Affection less interested, and wholly devoted to their Master. Though the Emperor and Francis had The Emperor been reconciled this Year, yet Charles and Francis fall out. joined with England against France, and 1543 both declared War; so that each Prince turned his Mind to making the necessary Preparations. In Consequence of this Henry the VIIIth Henry and landed at Calais, at the Head of 30,000 Francis at Men, and begun his Operations by laying 1544. Siege to Bologn, which he took, and then returned to England. The King of France employed part The War of this Year in endeavouring to recover continued. 1545. Bologn by Force of Arms, but he miscarried, which put him upon projecting to attack King Henry in his own Kingdom, and for that Purpose fitted out a Fleet : But this Way of proceeding did not by any means answer what was proposed, (for Free Britons were ever alarmed at a French Government) which caused Francis seriously to think of settling the Matters in Difference with the English in an amicable Way. This Year a Peace was made be Peace reflored. tween Henry and Francis, by which the 1546. French was to pay 800,000 Crowns to the English, who agreed thereon to restore Bologn, &c. The latter Years of Francis's Life were grievous to him, the Remembrance of A Recapitulą. tion of Francis's the Misfortunes, which the ill Conduct Actions, of his Ministers had brought upon him, plunged him into a deep Melancholy, though some Authors relate, that the Occasion of this moody VOL. IV. Еее Dil ve Disposition was a Disease he catched from one of his Mistresses. It seems he fell in Love with the Wife of a noted Counsellor in Paris, a ry beautiful and graceful Woman, who could not be prevailed upon to indulge the King's Wishes, , but dismissed him with very harsh Words, which grieved the King exceedingly. But fome of the Pimps Royal hearing of it, they told the King, that he might force her away by his Authority. Upon this one of them informed the Lady, who imparted it to her Husband. The Counsellor, per . ceiving that both himself and his wife would be obliged to leave the Kingdom, and were not sure of escaping unless they obeyed the Monarch, at , last gave his Wife leave to indulge the King in all his Wihes, and, that he might be no Obstacle, pretended to have Business in the Country for eight or ten Days. In the mean time he kept himself private in Paris, and, by frequenting Bawdy-houses, endeavoured to catch the Venereal Disease, in order to give it his Wife, that she might infect the King. He foon found what he fought, effectually infected his Wife, the King catched the Distemper of her, and he gave it afterwards to several of his Mistresses, though himself was never throughly cured; for, during the Remainder of his Days, he was unhealthy, peevish, troublesome, and inaccessible. His Children also brought great AMictions upon him ; his eldest Son, who was called after his own Name, was poisoned with somewhat infused into a Cup of Water, and died in the Castle of Turnon, the Loss of whom gave Francis great Uneasiness. His second swayed the Sceptre after him by the Name of Henry the IId, who afflicted his Father greatly, not only in holding a Correspondence with Montmorency, who was in Disgrace, but by making a Cabal against the Dutchess D'Estampes, Some |
