THe king continuing hys enterprise to fight with the duke of Parma, and of the Mayne, and to giue them battell according to the last order of his depar­parture from Gouy: to the end nothing were forgotten that might draw and force the enemy to come to a battel: the king without any soiourning, came in great hast to lodge in Netiuille a league, & one halfe distant from Iuetot, where part of the for­ces of the said dukes was quartered, & intren­ched. The duke de Mayne and the Guise were there themselues in person with the Caualle­rie of Bourgonie, the which Mounsier. S. Paule had brought out of Champaigne, and Vitry hys [Page 2]owne Cornet. In the meane time that the marshials of the held were appointing of the quarters, his Maiestie aduanced forward with a hundred horses, and fiftie Hargebusiers a horsebacke, and to the end he might both dis­couer their intrenchment and iudge by theyr assurance in the combat, whether they had sto­macke inough to defend their lodginges, & to come to a battell, cōmaunded in his prefence a skirmish, in which Mounsier de Contenant then commanding of the enemies troupes, com­ming out of their village, was taken prisoner and one souldier of the said Vitry his company: hauing yeelded so slender a skirmish, that the king did iudge by their countenance, the place to be more assured of it selfe, for the ditches round about it, then in the force that kept it. And hauing appointed the night before that all his armie shoulde marche directly the next morning towardes Yuetot, his Maiestie depar­ted at the breake of the day, with twentie hor­ses accompanied with two hundred more, and one hundred hargebusiers a horsebacke, and hauing placed all them he had brought with him so few as they were in such places of ad­uantage as serued best to his purpose: his Ma­iestie would haue procured a skirmishe, and seeing that among his enimies there was more feare, then will to fight, and that they were in amaze yet the army came, which followed the [Page 3]king, his Maiestie caused those that were be­fore the village, to be charged so hotely, that ours entred pelle melle into the village with the enemies.

There were 18. or 20. of Vitry his compa­nie slaine, and more then should haue been, if the ennemie had not put the sire into the vil­lage to hinder our passage, further to pursue them. In the meane time Vitry and the yong Lord of Chastres with their light horses, put themselues in battell without the village se­conded by Mounsier S. Paule, and the Caual­liere of Bourgonie & Champaigne. But they kept the place of their battell so cowardly, that as these few troupes which the king had brought with him, did approch and charge them, they had rather refuge to their spurres and to the quicknesse of their horses then to their swords or pistolles. Vitry his horse was slaine at that time vnder him, and should haue beene taken if he had not been disgaged againe by one of his souldiers. The yong Lord of Chastres was taken prisoner, and thirtie or fortie with him, and as many slaine. The rest saued themselues by their hastie retyring, which was so speedie that de Guise, and duke de Mayne, their horses were out of breath. They found verie fitly to their purpose some of their forces that had taken the Alarme in battell aray neere another village intrenched. They saued themselues [Page 4]from a small number who chased before them a great number of cowardlie runawaies. The scituation of the countreye is so close and ad­uantagious to them that are firste lodged in a place, that the Kinge coulde exploit nothing more that day, but quartered in Iuetot and his infanterie: in the villages where duke de Maine and de Aumale were lodged before with their troupes, which they abandoned after suche a sort, that they left a great part of their plate & all their dinner behind them to retire to theyr Camp intrenched and fortified where all their Army is lodged.

The nexte morning, those that were that night in guard told vnto his maiestie, that euer since mydnight they had heard in the Campe the sound of drummes and Trumpets a horse­backe, the noise of whippes and cartes and o­ther great noise, as is commonlie accustomed in a dislodging of a campe, but they could not tell which waie the Enimie had taken: whether of Roan or else of Newhauen.

Insomuche that in this incertitude his Ma­iestie to lose no more of his araye, that was in a fit place to preuent the vaunt-garde of bothe the waies that the Armie could take: resolued to keepe his array in a readinesse, to rise vppon his first commandement, and himselfe to go in the meane time to discouer the truth: whiche he did, and went only accompanied with four [Page 5]of his gentlemen in their doublets.

His maiestie vppon the discouerie of the truth, tooke a prisoner vpon the head of theyr intrenchment, being a Spaniard of the cōpany of Diego Dauillade, & hauing kept the Enemy al that daye in an Alarme within their intrenche­ment, discouered the lodginges where his campe should be quartered the next daye, and where to place his artillerie.

Following this resolution, the last day of A­prill, his Maiestie came and lodged in Variar-ville, and procured some skirmishes of horsse­men in the meane while that the rest of the ar­mie was in quartering of themselues, without any other great exploit doon that day of both parties that is worthy the writing. But betwixt six and seuen of the clocke in the euening, his maiestie beeing accompanyed with the Duke Longeuille the County saint Paule, the Marshall of France, and with eighteene or twenty gen­tlemen all in their doublets, going to see hys guardes and to discouer certeine things known only to himselfe: sixe score Englishmen pykes and shot, vnder the leading of Sir Roger Willy­ams, beganne a great skirmish, which grewe so hot, that there were of the enimies about 900 or a thousand shot, aswell French and Italians, as Spanyards, and foure hundred horsses, who after many a shot bestowed on both sides came to charge our pikes, but they were by them so [Page 4]valiantlie receyued (Monsier Biron being then in place, Monsieur de Belle-garde great Esquire of France, and diuers other Barons, all in their doublets only) that the coronet of Bentiuog­lio was slaine vpon the place. The Captaine, the Liefetenant and Ensigne, and more then sitteene or twenty other notable men slaine, and stript of their braue and riche attire, with their scarfes of fauour, besides the great num­ber of men and horsses that were hurte at that time.

And being not contented with this, as they saw certeine regimentes of foote comming be­hind the hedges to surprise them, they ioined with the Flemings that were come to the A­larme, and making togither about 500. or 600. pikes, and 300. or 400. harquebushers, went to charge those that came to surprise them so resolutelie, that they slue about three or foure score of them, and draue the reste before them into their trenches, without any greater losse of the Englishmen then six men, and twentie hurt.

It was thought that Friday next a day par­ticular to the Duke of Parma for his enterpry­ses, and a feast of saint Iames, whom the Spa­niards hold for their Patron: they would haue had their reuenge, but being contented with their losse, without hazzarding themselues a­ny further, their trenches haue beene their re­sting [Page 7]place without any shew of a desire of sal­lyeng foorth. Which his maiestie seeing, hath set such order in the affaires of his Armie, that victuals are there in great store and abundance and hope will not faile there heereafter.

Since this victorie, and from the next mor­ning forward, his maiestie will vse all meanes possible he can, to drawe his Enemie to a bat­tell, with such a resolution, not to leaue them before he hath defeated them, which his Ma­iesties hopes to compasse yer it be long, either by a victorie of a battell if they doo accept it, or by necessitie which shal force them to aban­don their trenches, which is suche alreadie in their Army, that all things are three times dea­rer then in our Campe.

And this by the grace of God whoe is the Lord of hostes protector of the Kinge, reuen­ger of all vsurping powers, in whome at all times the King hath onlie put his trust & con­fidence.

Aduertisement is giuen by letters from the fourth of May, that the duke of Parma is greatlie discontented with the Frenchmen that are with him, sayeng that they doo betraye him. He is verie ill of his hurt, and hee hath an ague which weakeneth him very much, and forseth him to keepe his bed: three bones or shyue­rings are drawne out of his wound.

The Duke Longeuille tooke the third of this [Page 8]month, manie of their chariots and cartes loa­den with victuals. Their Frenchmen run dai­lie away for want of necessaries They are not able to tarrie there long. The sicknes is great in their campe. In the skirmish that was vpon the fourth day of May, the horsse of the yong Prince was slaine, and he escaped very dange­rouslie and hardly.

The King seeing the Enimies to fortifie thē ­selues within a wood, which did lie betwixte him and the troupes but fiue hundred pases, ioyning vpon their trenches where they might plant some ordinance, and foreseeing the da­mage that might ensue by it, resolued by the aduise of his Princes, Lords, and chiefest cap­taynes, to raise them from thence by force with a village therevnto belonging, being one of their chiefest quarters, and to that effecte it was appointed that all the troups should meet vpon the appointed Rendeuous to set vppon that wood in the breake of the daie: but the darkenesse of the night hauing beene partelye the cause that they were not so diligent, it was neere night before al were arriued, which took away all hope to effectuate any thing that day.

The enemie seeing our forces assembled, it gaue them occasion to beleeue that it was vp­on intention to enterprise some exploit vppon them.

Wherevpon they put themselues in battell [Page 9]aray, and vsed suche diligence in fortifieng of themselues in the wood, besides the Ditches and trenches which they had cast alreadie, that the king was of opinion to haue slacked his en­terprise till another time: but seeing all his troupes full of courage and boldnesse, hee resolued to make a triall of it, causing it to bee as­saulted on sundry sides. VVhere the English­men, VVallons, French, and Lanceknightes, carried themselues so valiantlie, that the firste that were of the forlorne hope, forced all the said trenches with a gret fight of pikes of both sides, forcing the enimie finallye to abandon both the wood and the village, being in num­ber about two thousand men, whereof remai­ned dead vpon the place, more then three hundred Spaniards, with certaine VVallons, and among the rest six or seauen Captaines, with their Liefetenant, Collonel de la Bolette, with out losse but of three or foure men of the kings and seuen or eight hurt.

The king gaue at the same time to Baron Bi­ron, fiftie horsses of those that were with him, conducted by Monsieur le Vedame de Char­tres, who pursued them that did retire til twentie pases from their intrenchement, where all their Armie stood in battell, and slue yet sixe or seuen score more, with the losse onelie of one of ours, and bearing himselfe so forwarde that he was slaine euen vppon their trenches. [Page 10]Some of our horsses were slaine, and manye hurt.

After this we remained yet eight houres in battell, to present then the combat, where they did vs some harme at first with their great Or­dinance, which they had placed in a place of aduauntage without their trenches, but wee tooke another place where the Cannon could not do vs more harme, and so hauing notstaied for them thus long, and the night to approch, that they made no showe of comming foorth, the king sent euerie man to his quarter, till o­ther occasion were offered to exploit more: hauing sufficiently shewed to the enemy, and that to their losse that our Infantrie is better then theirs, whereof they haue had the triall oftentimes, and yeeld that honour vnto our horsemen. I hope that God will fauour vs, as to continue our good successe.

Two daies after the king had perforce taken from the enemy the wood that on his side did couer him, as is aforesaid: the enemies finding no great safetie in their campe resolued to dis­lodge, and so departed vpon Wednesday last, the sixth of this moneth before day without sound of trumpet or drumme, in a rainie and windie weather, which in recompence of the hinderance that is ministred to their marche, brought them the commoditie to helpe to co­uer their departure, so that the king coulde not be so readie to followe them, which notwith­standing [Page 11]hee did about six of the clocke in the morning, with a thousand or 1200. horse, cau­singe also his armie to come forwarde, so that easily hee might haue ouertaken them, in case they had prosecuted their iourney towardes Roane, as it was likely they did intend: But within one houre after his departure he found them alreadie lodged in a strong place and of aduantage, their taile reaching euen to Caude­bee, wherefore he also resolued to lodge that day at Iuetot, and the next day to set forward to get afore them toward Roane: but being come to the Rendezuous that he had giuen to his whole armie, he vnderstoode by such as he had sent to discouer the enemies doinges, that they made no semblance to stirre: whereupon hee tooke againe his former lodging, from whence he was gone, and made it conuenient. For they imagining him to be passed forward, there were some of their troupes found mar­ching to seize vppon the same lodging, from whence they might afterward haue easily esca­ped, and could no more haue been entrapped, but seeing their way still stopped, such as were gone abroad returned. And since they haue kept themselues in their lodgings. Three daies togither by reason of the bad raynie wether, the king was driuen to let his army soiourne in their trenches, and could do no more but day­ly go himselfe, his cosens, the Marshals Biron, [Page 12]Aumont & Bouillon. The Baron of Biron, marshal of che campe, and other the captaines to take a view of their feate, and of the waies to come to the enemies campe, to the end vppon the first oportunity to march & to set vpon them. Then hauing seene and well noted all that might be done, the king yesterday determined to go and giue an onset.

This morning hauing brought all footmen neere, and the most part of his horsemen, with three peeces of artillerie, who came so early to the place appointed, that about eight or nine of the clocke, they strooke into a bottome that made the head of their camp, where were lod­ged seuē cornets of the ordinances of the low countries, and twentie of light horse, seuen of Carabins, and all their rutters, who all were o­uerthrown with the slaughter of two or three hundred, among others, of sundrie Captaines, whose names as yet wee cannot learne. The booty amounted vnto aboue 150000. crowns. Most of their baggage being taken, with almost 4000. horse, some of carriage, and some of ser­uice, with foure Cornets that were wonne. We trust that God continuing his blessinges to­ward the good and iust cause, wil shortly make an end of the Spanish ambition and tyrannie, and graunt happie peace vnto his Maiestie, and all his good subiectes, whereof wee are dayly most earnestly to desire him.

[Page 13]By other letters comming at the same time that these did, and signifiyng as much as here­in is set downe, they say also, that in the Prince of Parma his campe, that a munition loafe, whiche is of verie blacke bread, and is a­bout the bignesse of one of our halfepenny loaues, is there sold in his campe for two shil­linges and sixe pence, and that a pottle of spring water, is also sold there for seuen pence farthing.