The fyrste Booke.

IMmediatly vppon the peace in Marche. 1568. and the same published in the Princes armie, afore Chartres, the sayd Prince, the better to aduouch his ready obedienceThe prince of Conde disarmeth him selfe. to the Kyng, did not only disarme himself and people, with present dismisse of suche strangers as were come to his succours, but also disgarrysoned with a ready and dutyfull spéede, euery towne and village, which he eyther held or gouerned, wherin he was reuerently obeyed vpon the very fyrst motion: onely the towne of Rochell was exempted, as in respecte of their aun­cient priuiledge, pretendyng frée dispence that waye: The townes also of Montau­ban & Sanserre delayed their consentes, as séeing matters not so surely quieted as the case required. This peace gaue great hope [Page 2] of perpetuall benefit to suche as seeke and embrace the quiet of Fraunce, albeeit, it broughte foorthe a contrarie issue, for as it was, in some singular parte, a confir­mation of a former peace in the yeareThe third cyuill warre. 1562. So is it also the begynning and ori­ginall cause of a third ciuill warre incen­sed in this realme, whereof we meane to giue present report.

Immediatly that the said towns were surrendred, & the Prince absolutely disar­med, y^e gouerners of the prouinces (which be all of the Romish religion) seased vpon all the towns, ports, passages & for tresses in Frāce, bestowing therin huge & mighty garrisons at their plesure, and such as re­sembled themselues in condition touchingGarisons put in the towns surrendred. the general cause & quarel, by which mean many of the reformed religiō, abiding stil within those townes, hapned into sundry heauy disquiets & troubles bothe in theyr goods and prouisions for reléef, descending to their enimies as praie & spoiles, & also in their persons violentely enduring the inciuil disposition of murdrous souldiors, enclined altogither to bloud: wherin not­withstanding his maiestie dispatched ordi­narie [Page 3] cōmandements by letters patents, and other expeditions to the gouerners & people directers of his iustice, aswel to suf­fer them of the Religion to remayn with­in the townes of their naturall dwelling, as also to communicate in a generall vse and exercise of their religion, goods honors charges and estates, according to the edict of peace, yet there was either nothing don at all, or else to small purpose of redresse: for if they suffred any to reenter the saydeThose of the religion shut out of towns townes, they were such as they esteemed of least affection to the sayde religion, and they bothe constrayned in the very entrie into the townes to yelde vp suche armes and weapons as they then had, & also such as neyther had, nor neuer proued the vse of any, were enforced to bye and delyuer them to the officers, otherwyse they shold not haue ben receiued, the same being anMeanes to disarme thē of the religi­on. expresse & manifest way to disarme them, & being once naked, the easier to run vpon and deuoure them, as it was truly suppo­sed: themselues in this mean while & their faction bare weapons, and raysed greater garde than in the tyme of warre.

This syngular licence or libertie to [Page 4] beare armes amongst themselues (with­out that the Protestantes durste eyther wear any or argue with them) did so whet theyr sharpe and eyger dispositions, that they attempted vppon the naked Prote­stantes many actual and violent wrongs, the same thundering indifferently as wel vpon the troupes retyred within the tow­nes, as suche as were denyed to enter, whose state was so muche the more mise­rable, as eyther they wandred in present perill, or were incerteyne of any assured place or safe staye of aboade. The matter thus diuoluing from euyll to worsse, the enimies of the religion séeing themselues come almost to the last and extreme limit and end of their entent, began to raise and doo many disorders altogyther contrary to the Edict of peace, yea and albeit the king did expresly auouche his vnfained wil and pleasure to the execution of the sayd Edict simply and purely without any modifica­tion or restraynte, yet his maiestie after­ward, gaue out a contrary declaration, en­closedLetters of the king cō ­trary to the Edicte of peace. in certeyn letters, sent to the lords of Montare and Sainct Heram, to whom he signified, y^• it was neuer his meaning that [Page 5] the Edict shold take place, or tolerate pre­chings in the countreys of Auuergne, and Bourhonois, nor in any lands belonging to the Quéene his mother, the lords of Aniou and Allen [...]on, his brothers, the L. Cardinal of Bourbon and Duke of Montpensier, the same impugning manyfestly the sayde E­dict, which did only reserue and exempt the Prouostie and Vicontie of Parys.

There rested nowe no more to the eni­mies of the Religion, but procéede to the execution of their enterprise in deuouring the cōtrary part, albeit folowing the coun­selCounsell of the duke of Alba. of the duke of Alba sent to the King, to sease first on the chiefe and principall pro­fessers of the Religion, to the ende to sub­due with more ease the meaner sort, vsing this phrase, (that the head of one Salmon was of greater value than fiue hundreth Creuises) they resolued to entrap in eue­ry Prouince the hyghest proppes and pil­lers of the sayd Religion, executing their fyrst effect on the Lorde de Cipieres, sonne to the Counte of Tande in Prouence, who returning from Piedmount, where he had visited with reuerence the Duke of Sauoy, and lodging in Ferieux, a towne in Pro­uence, [Page 6] was there murdred with .xxx. gētle­menAmanzay. of his traine. The Lord d'Amanzey lieutenant to the lord d'Andelot of his cō ­panyes of [...]ē at arms, standing at y^e gate of his house with one of his litle childrē in his hande, was also murdred: many other murders and bloudy slaughters were hor­ribly thundred vpon the syde of the religi­on during this time, as the bouchery done at Blandy vpon Hercules, houshold seruantHercules houshold seruant to the prince. to the prince of Conde, and the Lorde de Rapyn, who being dispatched into Langue dock for the seruice, and vnder safe conduct of the king, by the court of of parlyament of [...]houlous [...] was sent headlesse out of this world: y^e murders also doone at Roan, Amy­ens, [...]ssoudun, Bourges, w^e infinite other pla­ces, wherin diuers sorts & numbers of the sayde religion haue bin vnnaturally cut in pieces, and yet neither iustice done, nor re­medie applyed how soeuer they haue bin solicited by vehement sute.

In this meane whyle in the moneth of July, the gouerners of the prouinces werRequest to offer an oth to the King. earnest suters to the Nobilitie professours of the religion, to offer an othe of fidelitie, according to a forme sent by them, which [Page 7] they sayde his maiestie had already recey­ued, whereof the sayde states of Nobilitie, and specially they of Dauphyne excused thē selues, bicause (sayd they) if wee only shold doo it, and not they of the Romishe opini­on, they might charge vs secretly with the crime of Infidelitie, as hauyng assisted the parte of the Prince of Conde, and that for that cause suche othe should be required of them and not of others, the contrary wher­of was fully verified by the Edict of peace, the king declaring y^t whatsoeuer was don in the sayd warre by the prince, was done for his seruice. By this mean & cause they excused to tender any such othe, offering notwithstāding to doo it, if they of the Ro­mish side wold toyne with them, & so to be suters to his maiestie that it might bée so.

Now notwithstāding y^e edict, & in place to enterteine & obserue the purpose & mea­ning of it, y^e gouerners of y^e prouinces sent cōmandement to all y^t were castle kepers within their charge, to suruey & make nū ­bers of all such of the Romish religiō only as were apt & able to beare armes, wher­in they were redily obeyed: with this fur­ther & expresse charge, that suche as had no [Page 8] armoure should forthwith prouide them, remayning all in a perfect readinesse vp­pon their first sommons or warning.

In y^e next August after this view, grewGenerall musters. generall musters withoute enhabling or allowing any of the reformed Religion, which made thē suspect the sequele, with feare that all was raised for their ruyne, and to restore and incense an other Ciuill warre, séeing withal, that they were han­dled worse and worse, as charged with such intollerable exactions, that in com­mon likelihode and truthe, suche time of peace was more perillous, heauy & hurt­full to them, than the furie of an open warre, whose violence they myght by meanes eyther auoyde or qualefie.

The Prince him selfe (being thus dis­armed)The Prince and the Ad­miral wat­ched. was not without his high perill, for that neyther hée nor the Lord Admiral could haue suche suretie in any of their owne houses, as eyther their doings or lyues were without daunger, so that be­ing watched and warded in & about their Castels and capitall places, were dryuen to go from house to house with their wy­ues and children in their armes, and final­ly [Page 9] the sayd Prince was constrayned to re­tire to Noyers in Burgongne, and the LordeNoyers. Tanley. Admirall to Tanley, a house of the Lorde d'Andelot his brother.

There were sent also sundrie espialles to measure and iudge the heighte of the walles of Noyers▪ and conspire meanes to take the Prince, wherin, least they should fayle in the effect of their enterprise, there marched thither also diuers troupes of mē of warre. The same, albeit not so couert­lie done, but came to the knowledge of the Prince, who (after he had giuen the King knowledge of it) departed from Noyers the .xxiij. daye of Auguste with the Prin­cesse his wyfe great with childe, the yong Princes his children, the Lord Admirall, Madame d'Andelot, with their seuerall traines, taking their waye into Angoul­mois towardes the house of the Lorde De la Rochefoucaut. And albeit all the Portes,Countie Rochefou­caut. Bridges, and Townes vppon [...]oere were eyther absolutely seased, or so directed as they became impedimentes to their pas­sage, yet such was their necessitie and pe­rill, as they aduentured to passe the sayd Riuer by vnknowne foordes comming at [Page 10] last not without extréeme hazarde, to the place of Rochefoucaut, from whence, in re­specte of the doubtfull securitie of that place, they retired to Rochel. ImmediatlyRochell. vpon the brute of their retire to Rochel, was generall amasse and leuies of men [...]ssemblie [...]f the Ca­ [...]olikes. of warre on al sydes, reassēbling also the camp, not altogither dismissed, albeit dis­persed since the former warre: the same threatning no lesse malice and peril to the Prince, than precise warning to enter in­to garde to resiste their imminent violēce, whereuppon he caused to come to him the Lord d'Andelot which was then in Bryt­ [...]ayn [...] [...]ssemblie [...] the [...]rince. with such force as he could any way leuie, dispatching the like sommons to all the Lordes, Knightes, Gentlemen, and Captaynes of the reformed Religion.

The Nobilitie of the countreys of Poi­tou, Sa [...]ge, Perigueu [...], Angoulmois, with other their frōtier neighbors, were forth­with with y^e said Prince with certeyn cō ­panies of footmē of the said coūtreis, with whom he put himself to the fielde, & tooke the townes of Saintes. Coigna [...], & S. Iean d'­Angely in Sainctonge, Niort, Partenay, Fō ­tenay le Conte, Saint-mesent, Montagu, and [Page 11] Melle in Poytou▪ & by meane of certeyn in­telligence seased vpon Blaye, and therein was planted in garrison the regiment of footemen of the Lord de Pluueau.

It happened not many dayes afore thatTallard ta­ken. those of y^• religiō were not only chased out of y^e town of T [...]llard in Dauphine, but also oppressed with many priuat wrongs by y^e cōtrary syde, who made stronger watch & warde within y^e town, thā during y^• war: the same kindling such indifferent feare & stomack in y^e oppressed protestāts, as they drew into assemblie with certeyne of Pro­uence, and retired to Gapensoys (as hauing no aboade of furetie in their own Coun­trey) with whō vpon y^e end of this August they presented thēselues in battaill afore Tallard in y^e very dauning of the day, & en­tring forthwith the town by force & mean of the Captayne of the Castell, they killed about .lx. men which they found in armes.

In this meane whyle the Lorde d'­Andelot marching towards the Prince, directed his waye to Saulmur, as of pur­pose to passe there the Riuer of [...]ere, enforcing (as it were) so harde a passage, the rather to ioyne with the Prince: [Page 12] There were with him at that tyme the Counte Mongomery, with many other great Lordes, with diuerse numbers of horsemen and certeyne enseignes of foot­men.

The Duke of Anjou brother to the [...]uke of [...]njou, bro­ [...]er to the [...]ing. King, being vnfainedly informed of the place where the Dandelot ment to passe, dispatched the Lord Martignes to preuent him, who putting himself within Saulmur thought so to withstand his passage ouer the Riuer. Afore d'Andelot was within iij. leages of Saulmur, & at his bayt, the said Martignes departed frō Ang [...]ers, with .ij. hūdreth horsemen, & .iiij. hundred harque­busears on foote, whom he made to marche along the caussey in this order: two hun­dreth shot before, and the rest behind. And albeit y^e d'Andelot had warning of his cō ­ming, yet, he forced his own passage as it were in despite of his suffraunce, & so with the discomfite of certeyne footemen, he en­tred Saulmur, wherin there was no garri­son afore: By this meanes y^e d'Andelot was defeated in purpose, & his passage al­so so intercepted as he was driuē to wade the riuer, & with great perill aduenter his [Page 13] people thorow y^e fourdes thrée leagues be­neath Saulmur: a thing which earst was neuer sought nor attēpted of any. He dire­cted thē his way by Poytou, & in passing by Loudun he tooke prisoner the Duke of Ro­auuoys Duke de Roauuo [...] prisoner. great Esquter of Fraunce, being in his house at Oyron, whom he sent after to Rochel, and so ioyned his force with the Princes armie in the countrey of Poytou, about the beginning of October. 1568.

The Lord d'Acyer by warrant from y^e The Lord d'Acier. Prince, raised in Dauphyne. vij. regimēts of footmen, and al of the protestants of tho sayd Countrey, diuiding them into these many numbers & gouernours: The Lord de Montbrun had ten enseignes and one Cornette of horssemen. The charge of the Lord d'Aucoune was eight enseignes & one Cornet of Horssemen. The Lorde de Sainct Romain, being ioyned with the L. of Virieu his vncle had .xvij. enseignes & one Cornet of horsemen. The cōpanie of the Lord of Blacous was only xiiij. ensei­gnes of footemen: the Lorde de Mirabell ten enseignes, the L. du Chelard. xij. en­seignes, and the L. d'Orose only iiij. ensei­gnes. Besides, the said L. d'Acyer made le­uie [Page 14] in Prouence of one regimen of footmen conteyning x. enseignes, vnder charge of y^• L. Paule de Mou [...]ans, togither with▪ ij cō ­panies [...]he Lord [...]e Mou­ [...]ans. of horsemen, the one led by the L. Vallauoire, Captayne of a hundred light horsemen, and the other harquebusiers on horsebacke, vnder Capteyne Pasquier.

He raysed also in y^e coūtrey of [...]aguedoc [...]euies of [...]en in Lā ­ [...]uedoc. iiij. regiments of footmē, cōteyning .xxxv. enseignes, & bequeathed thē to y^e cōduct of y^e Lords de Baudine his brother, y^e Knight d'Ambres, la Mousson, & Bouillargues, to­gither with .ij. cōpanies of light horsmen: the one of the L. d'Acier himselfe, & the o­ther of the L. d'Espondillan. There were also in the cōpanie of the L. d'Acier about ij. hundreth Gentlemen well appoynted: his Cornet was greene, drawne in forme of a Hidra, with many heads of Cardinals and diuerse sortes of Monkes, bearing the figure of a Hercules fighting with thē, w^t [...]eui [...]e of [...]e [...]d'A [...]r in his Corner. this inscription aboue, Qui casso crude­les: conteyning the number and selfe let­ters of hys name intricately reuersed: laques du Crussol.

In the countryes of Viuarez & Roargues, the sayd L. d▪Acier dressed also .ij. regimēts [Page 15] of footemen, the one of the Lorde Pierre­gourde, conteyning .xiij. enseignes, & the other of the vicont de Pannat bearing .v. enseignes, besydes the companie of the L. de Thoras Capteyn of .C. light horsemen: the general assemblie and meeting of the armie was at Allés, a town in anguedoc.

It was harde to them of Dauphiné to passe the Rosne and so ioyne with the rest of y^e armie, bycause their enimies had seased al the bridges vpon the sayd riuer: albeit y^e L. de Mouuans (who was formost in these companies) came to the shoare of Rosne on the syde of Bais-sur-Bais, & there with a wonderful diligēce & speede within lesse than .xxiiij. houres, he raysed a defen­sible fort, the better to repulse y^e enimie y^e else would trouble his passage: by y^e ayde of this fort his cōpanie gained y^e other side of the riuer, & so cōsequently all the reste one after an other, excepte the Lorde de Saint Romain, who passed ouer at P [...]irau [...]. This passage was made about the .x. and xj. of September. 1568. and the sayde Fort called Le fort de Mouuans.

The L. de la Coche, a gētlemā of Dau­phiné had like charge to erect a regimē of [Page 16] footemen, albeit béeing discouered by the garrison of Grenoble, by whom he endured certeyn waspish skirmishes, and after en­forced to retire aboue an ordinarie speede to the territories of the duke of Sauoy, lea­uing his lieutenant De sainct Marie in the borow D'oysons, the same being wonne by hym not many dayes afore, and nowe en­forced to leaue it and accompany the sayd Lord de la Cloche into Sauoye, And seeyng besides the difficultie to ioyne with the L. D'acyer, he wandred with his cōpanies, & & diuiding them into .viij. enseignes of foot­men & certein horsmen, marched towards Almayney, the same Regiment being for the most part al of Lyonnoys and Dauphy­noys, and thether retired to eschue the per­secutions of their owne countries.

The Regimēts of Dauphyne being pas­sed the riuer of Rosne (as is sayd) the Lord D'acyer began then to marche with suche spéede and happy trauell, that about the xxiij. of September the armie arriued at the said All'es, and from thence drew a di­rect way to Myllan in Roargnes, deuiding notwithstanding his companies into se­ueralties in respect of the sterilitie of the [Page 17] countrey of victuals and other necessities for warre, and so came to the said Myllaw the last of the sayd September.

The▪ xxviij. of the same moneth wasKyngs edict. published at Paris an edict, wherin y^e king drawes out at length al chaunces hapned and passed within his realme for the mat­ter of Religion, preferring amongest the rest, that the Edict of Januarie gyuing the firste sufferaunce or leaue to the Prote­stants to vse an exercise of their religion, was but prouisionall vntill his full age, and that his maiestie had no meanyng to force obseruation of any Edicte made tou­ching the sayd Religion, and therefore be­ing nowe at the age of maioritie, he pro­nounced general defence ageynst all vse & exercise of the same religion thorough all his realm and contreys of his obedience, charging by an arest irreuocable, and that vpon peyne of confiscation of body & gods, not to haue any other practise of Religion within any of his sayd countreys and lan­des than according to the catholike church of Rome, which bothe he and his pred [...] es­sours, haue so long tyme helde and mayn­teined, enioyning precisely vpon like p [...]in [Page 18] al ministers of the sayd reformed re ligion to auoyde his sayd realme within .xv. days with this prouision at last, that they of the sayd religon should not be in any sort cyf­ted or searched in their consciences, albeit both after and notwithstanding the sayde Edict, they haue ben oppressed more than afore, and that with such violēce as diuers haue reuolted.

The same day also was published ano­therAnother e­dict of the King. edict in the sayde parlyament at Pa­rys wherein the king gaue absolute order that not only from thensforth he wold not be serued with any officers professing that religion, but also they shoulde be immedi­ately suspended of their estates and char­ges, with cōmaundement to resigne them into his handes within .xv. dayes, other­ways he wold prouide supplies of the Ro­mish sort: it is long since these edicts were vppon the presse, albeit they were not pro­claymed afore now.

Now the Lorde d'Acyer parting from Myllaw the v. of October tooke his way too Cadenat, as of purpose to passe there the riuer of Lot, and in his waye caused to som­mon the towne of Marzillac the whiche [Page 20] without great denyall, and vnder certeine conditions set open her gates, and the mo­row after he tooke the tower called Sainct Christophle, with a pretie garison of priestsMarz taken and the towre Sainct Christophle. in it. And so marching further he ariued at the said Cadenat the .x. of October, with en­tent to passe the ryuer of Dordone at Solli­ac, where in respect the Lord de Mont-lu [...] coasted him to withstād his passage, he as­sembled all his armie in a place called [...]e­rac in Quercy, finding vpō that view▪ xvij. thousand harquebusiers, and vij. thousandNumber of of the L. Da­eiers armie. Pykes, and nyne hundred horsmen in good poynt, and well disposed to fight.

In the same place he deuided his armie into two parts, the auantgard & battaile [...] in the vantgarde he set .vj. regimens of the Dauphynoys, with the horsmen of the same countrey, and in the mayne battayle hée bestowed the regimens of Languedoc, Pro­uence, Ʋiu [...]rez, and Roargues, with the re­gimen of the Lord d'Orose Dauphynois, al which cōpanies passed by force ouer y^e said riuer of Dordone on the side of Solliac, frō whence the sayde Lord of Mont-luc was departed the day before, as hauing soun­ded the sayd ryuer, and founde it passable [Page 20] almost in euery place, and he not strong ynough to hinder the passage of suche an armie: his was the xiiij. day of the sayde October in the yeare abouesayd.

Now that the Prince of Conde had re­ceyuedAngoulesme besieged. the force and troupes whiche the Lorde Dandelot brought to hym, he came to besiege the towne of Angoulesme, cau­sing to be drawne thither from Rochel. iiij. canons and. i [...]. Culuerins, with the which he made a breache on that syde towarde Perigueux, the same albeit not sufficient, and therfore remoued his batterie on that syde which they cal the Park: and bicause they that wer within vsed great diligence to fill vp the breache, he made to be moun­ted vpō the vault of the temple of S. Claire, two culuerins to beat within the breach, the same distressing so straytly them with­in, that in the end hauing mainteyned theAngoulesme taken. siege aboute. vii [...]. dayes, the Marquise of M [...]zieres their gouerner, yeldes the town by composition to the Prince.

Duryng this siege arriued the QuéeneThe Quene of Nauarre & his sonne and yong prince of Nauarre her son, with madame Catherine her daughter, accom­panied with .iij. regiments of Gascoyn foot­men, [Page 21] the one vnder charge of the Lord De Pilles, conteyning▪ xxiij. enseigns, an other gouerned by the Vicount de Montamma, of .x. enseignes, and the third of .ix. enseig­nes, led by the Vicount de Sainct Magrin, with. vii [...] cornets of light horsmen of the the same countrey.

The sayd Queene being at Bergerac v­ponRegiment of [...]a [...]yn. her waye dispatched to the Maiesties of the king and Queene, the kings brother and Cardinall of Burbon, seuerall letters vpō the occasions y^• moued hir to come to the Camp with her son and daughter, and ioyne them selues to the generall causeLetters of the Q of Na­uarre. with the Prince of Conde her brother, the expedition was by the Lord De la Motte, who afore was sente to her by their Ma­iesties: In her Letters to the Kyng shée complayned chiefly of the rage and passion of the enemie, stretched already so far that in effect it had confounded the hope of qui­et promised in the edict of pacification, not only euill obserued, but altogither reuer­sed, contrary to the royall promyses of his maiestie to all his poore subiects of the re­formed syde, the same mouyng by the sy­nister inuentiōs of the Cardinal of Lorain, [Page 22] as hauing, by general letters to the parly­aments, and others writen in particular, (wherof her self was witnesse in Guyenne) brought the effects of the sayd edicts bothe vain and without execution: besides whi­lest he kept matters in suspence, he had procured suche horrible and infinite mur­ders and abused so long the milde pacience of the protestantes, as thinking vppon no bridle to gouerne his furie, he woulde not stick to lay hāds of the princes of the blood, whereof she commended a present and la­mentable experience in his conspiracie a­gaynst the Prince her brother, whom his crueltie hath enforced to séeke succours a­mongst his parentes and allies: so that for her part, she and her son resembling the Prince so neere and dearely in proximitie of bloud, coulde do no lesse than offer him that which the direct law of frendship and cōsanguinitie did demaund, and therefore as shee didde assuredly stay and repose hir selfe vpon the goodnesse & natural affectiō of his maiestie enclined rather to norish & preserue than teare & rent them vp by the rootes: so she besought him with al humi­litie to tolerate in the best part their depar [Page 23] ture from their houses of entent to serue God, the kyng, & their adherents in bloud, and to impugne to the vttermost of theyr lyues and power, the violente malice of such as publikely haue entred into conspi­racie agaynst them: and lastely to beléeue that for these thrée causes onely, they had put their weapons betwéene their hands, least they shoulde bée vtterly extermined from the view and face of the earth, accor­ding to their sinister resolutiōs, like as al­so y^• sayd Cardinall deuysed to rauysh her son from betwéen her armes, peruerting the power & authoritie of his maiestie in­to vnnatural violēce, as though the simple commandement of his maiestie could not sufficiently gouerne her & her son his ma­iesties most humble & obedient seruants, & so finally if his maiestie wold waigh in indifferēt balance y^• faith of them, and infi­delitie of the sayd Cardinal (measuring y^• one & other by a direct & straight lyne) his maiestie shold fynde more truthe in their effects, than in the wordes of the other.

In her letters to the Quéene she stoode vppon thrée poyntes that moued her to leaue her houses, and offer her lyfe, goodes [Page 24] and all her possible meanes to aduaunce the cause of Religion: The fyrst was in respecte of the seruice of GOD, seeing the Cardinall and his confederates studied to roote vp from the earth suche as made pro­fession of the true Religion: secondly to doo seruice to the souerayntie of the King, and with mayne lyfe and goodes to helpe that the Edicte of pacification may be ob­serued, and that Fraunce, the mother coū ­trey and nursse of so many sorts of people become not barreyn, and so suffer her chil­dren to die: Thirdly that bloud and cōsan­guinitie did call her to offer succoure and ayde to her brother, harryed and pursued (ageynst the Kyngs will) by the malice of suche as possesse aboute his person such place, as no waye is due to them: ney­ther can shée better paynte out the Car­dinall than by hys owne colours, that is to say, as well by a number of tragicall and lamētable murders, whose complaint doo sorowfully sounde in euery religious eare, as also to see so many desolate soules hoping by the edict of pacification to enioy a plausible quiet and rest in their houses, miserably dispersed to their aduenture, [Page 25] and cruelly excluded from their soyle of naturall and auncient aboade: The same Cardinall also and his wicked adherentes puffed vp with a generall pacience, that euery one hath vsed to their barbarous ti­rannie, attempted ageinst the Princes of the bloude, with intent (in common like­lihod) to roote vp the mayne grafte & stock after they had wickedly defaced and spoy­led y^• tender braunches. And bycause the zeale of their Religion did in no sorte in­duce them (as they haue affirmed) she soli­cited the Queene to a remēbraunce of the conspiracie done the laste tyme shee was sicke, from the whiche the Cardinall of Bourbon her brother was not exempted, albeit he was a Catholike. So that it is only the bloude of Fraunce whiche gripes them so at hart, wherof what better expe­rience and example can be aduouched, thā their vngodly pursuite against y^e Prince of Conde and his little children, to whose succours (according to the dutifull office of bloude and kynred) she would neuer fayle, desiring notwithstanding aboue all things, a good peace and so well assured, as the Cardinall of Lorayne nor his adhe­rents [Page 26] could eyther dissolue or corrupte it.

She declared in her letters to the kings brother, how iustly she was enticed to her iourney to Bergerac, with hope to pursue the ful voyage for the seruice of their Ma­iesties, with requeste that it would please him in good earnest, to put his hand to the worke, and helpe to defend the poore coun­trey of Fraūce against the pollicies of such as séeke to aspire to confounde it, with a thirste and desire (as it semes) to buylde their greatnesse and authoritie vppon the decayed and ruinouse stones of such, as (like firme pillers) do, and haue sustey­ned it.

By her letters to y^• Cardinal of Bour­bon her brother, that it was nowe more than tyme, (if there were any at all) to gather stomacke to hym, and laye afore their Maiesties the lamentable state and desolation of Fraunce, whereunto he was bound aboue the reste, in respect of the ho­nour he bare to bee a Prince of the bloud: Shée sommoned him also to remember the shame and outrage thundred vppon the persone of his proper Brother, Sy­sters, [Page 27] and Nephews, and all by a Cardi­nall of Lorraine, who also abused him, as one of his suffragans. If all these could not moue him topitifull consideration of their case, at least, let him remember Ve­spra Siciliana, pretended by hys coadhe­rentes the laste tyme the Queene was sicke: And lastly, notwithstanding the se­paration of Religion, shee coniured him by the proper office of friendship and du­tie of nature and bloud concurring togy­ther, to consider their present pursute a­gainst the Prince his brother. All these letters were written and dated at Berge­rac, the .xv [...]. of September. 1568.

After the siege of Angoulesme, the saydThe Princes Camp. Quéene with the yong Ladye her daugh­ter retired to Rochel, leauing the Prince her sonne in the Campe, whiche after­wardes was called The Campe of the Princes, bycause the sayd Princes of Na­uarre and Conde commaunded togither in the Armie.

Whyles these things were thus orde­red, the Duke of Aniou, brother to the King and Chief ouer the Catholykes, for­bare neyther diligence nor meanes to [Page 28] aduaunce his force and erect his Camp at O [...]. and other places there a­bout, wherewith he diffended towardes Poyti [...] where vnderstanding of the com­ming of the Lord [...]er [...]a [...]ching with the succoures he brought determined to fight with [...], and [...]o [...]der him to ioyne with the Prince of Conde, and for that purpose departed from Poytiers with .iiij. thousand horsemen & .iiij. enseignes of foot­men, and entred with great iourneys the towne of Perigueux: in like sort the Lord d'Acier marched euery day passing the ry­uers of Leyll [...] and Ʋ [...]ser [...] in the sayd coun­trey, and so the xxv. of October being neer the town of Perigueux and lodged in a vil­lage called S. Chastie, with the regiments of [...]anguedock: as he departed in the mor­ning, the Lordes of Montpensier, Guyse, & Bri [...]sac set vpon him both behinde and be­fore, albeit they were repulsed and so re­tired, the Lorde of Baudine being hurte inBaudine hurt. that skirmishe with a harquebushot in the arme.

Being thus repulsed they went to the village not farre frō Chastie where were lodged the Lordes of Mouuens & Pierre­gourde [Page 29] with their companies, from whēce thei were also repulsed bicause they were somewhat entrenched, and so retired at­tending their foolemen whiche were not yet come. The L. d Acier dispatched pre­sent word to y^• Lorde of Mouuans & Pier­regourde by the Lords d Orose to fortifie thēselues within the village, promising them succours all the day of his strength: All the Captaynes were of opinion to en­trenche themselues within the village, sa­uing the Lord of Mouuans, who spred him selfe forth with vppon the fields, and then made marche foorth his cariage, and im­mediatly after the .ij. regimentes, albeit not farre from the village he found those that had affailed him in the morning at­tending his cōming ready ringed and set in batta [...]le: The sayd Lorde of Mouuans saing these troupes, & gathering by their view and set order, their resolute mynds, choosed fyue hundreth harquebushers as forlorne hope, whom he tooke vppon him to leade against the Catholykes (leauing the Lord Pierregourd with their battail.) These, after certeyne great and sharpe volues of shotte were broken in a [...]aye [Page 30] and put to flighte by the horssemen of the enimie.

Immediatly vppon the disaray of theseOuerthrew of the L. of Mouuans & P. Gourde. forlorne hopes, the battaill began both to feare and doute: and being hoatly charged with the horsmen and Launces, pearcing amongst the enseignes, al was disordered and put to flight, leauing the sayd Lordes of Mouuans and Gourde with .v. or vj. hū ­dred souldiours dead on the place: on the Kings syde dyed certeyne, but none of mark, nor in great number: the peasants did both foyle and kill more protestantes, than the souldiours. The Regimentes of Longuedo [...] pursued still their way to ioyn with the vantgarde, and so to returne to­gither to the succours of the Lord of Mou­uans and Pierregourde, whō they thought to be entrenched within the sayd Village, albeit encountring contrary newes of the ouerthrow, they tooke waye to Aubeterre, where they arriued the morrow after to­gither with those that remayned of the sayd conflict.

After the taking of Angoulesme, thePons besie­ged, sayde Princes drue toward Saintonge, to besiege the Towne and Castell of Pons, [Page 31] within whiche the Lorde of the place had garrisons of footemen, whiche greatly op­pressed those of the Religion. They be­gan foorth with to batter the Towne, and so by a breache, the Towne was taken without much resistaunce, albeit those of the Castel maynteined the matter, wher­vppon the Protestantes were enforced to a new batterie. Nowe, the Prince hea­ring of the Lorde d Aciers comming to Aubeterre, and of his ouerthrowe, left all their footemen with certeyne Cornettes of horsmen to cōtinue the siege, vnder the charge of the Lord de Boccard, great mai­ster of their artillerie, and with the rest of their horssemen they came to Aubeterre.

The first of Nouember the L. Admiral with the horsemē of the vauntgard, went from Aubeterre to go to Berry, whether the Kings brother was come, and to this end all the harquebushears brought by y^e Lorde d Acier, were commaunded to at­tende the enterprise of the Admirall, who hearing news of y^e departure of y^e enimie from y^t place, retired himself to Aubeterre, to deliberate with the princes, & euery of his companie into his quarters, without [Page 32] any thing doing. Their generall and re­solute aduise was to pursue the Kings brother wheresoeuer he went, and that as neare as might bee, the rather to entice him to battell, vppon which deuise and to which effect the arme set forwarde in or­derly marche the next morning: the regi­ments of Languedoc, Roargues with them of the Lorde d'Orose, and the reste of the prouincials were made the vauntgarde, & the remeynder of the Dauphinoys in the mayne battell.

The Kings brother in this meane whyle hasted to Chastelleraut where the reste of his Armie was assembled, pur­sued continually in the tayle by the Prin­ces power till they gotte a Village called Angiers, two leagues from Chastelle­raut, where were lodged parte of their footemen of the vauntgarde.

The Kings brother finding great com­panies of footemen and horssemen assem­bled at Chastelleraut, togyther with the Suyzers who brought sixteen Canone and certeyne Coluerines with fielde pieces, determined to entrenche himself strongly afore y^• town (as in deed he did) & tary there [Page 33] the comming of the Princes. Whereof the lord Admirall the x. of Nouember e­uen from the point of the day, renged his men of armes in battaile and squadrons hoping to fight, wherof he dispatched spe­die aduertisement to the other Princes then at Chauuignie vpon Vien, who like­wise sent towardes him forthwith the harquebusers of the battell, and them­selues leading the horsemen of the same battell, founde when they were neare the place, the Admirall retiring, & could not that day geue battaile, whether it were by reason of the trenches where­with the Catholikes campe was strong­ly enuironed, or by reason of the thicke mistes and cloudes which so darkned the morning, that hardly one could discerne an other.

The Princes being thus come afore Chauuignie, they sommoned the garde and garrison of the Castell which were footemē, to yeld themselues and charge, whereunto they condiscended without difficultie vpon composition to departe the castell, their liues saued, which was truely performed, euery one bearyng in [Page 33] his hand a white rodde, and in that order went to Poytiers. And so assoone as it was purged of the Papists, it was burned, to the end they should not thether returne, and bée impediments to the passage ouer Ʋienne.

All this whyle the Duke d'Aumalle was vpon the coast and countrey of Lor­raine with certeine force by him assem­bled of purpose to hinder the entrye of straungers into the realme for the aid of the princes. He vnderstode that the Lord de la Cloche was passing by that Coun­trey, to go into Almanie, and was alrea­dy vppon the landes of the Byshop of Strasbourge Whereupon his footemen be­gan to charge him the .xij. of Nouembre in the morning: the Lord de la Cloche made valyant resistance, and repulsed di­uers tymes the sayd charge, greeuing great numbers of them. Albeit being o­uerlayde with freshe supply of compa­nies, after he had long endured the en­counter, was in the end put to chase, and taken with diuers of his troupe, and so led to Metz in Lorraine: this skirmish de­noured of his people about a hundred or [Page 34] sixe score, not without great losse of bot Souldioures and Captaines of the say d'Aumalle.

The Princes now not able to haue battel with the kings brother by the rea­sons aforesaid, reuersed their way and went from thence to Ʋienne, of purpose only to prouoke him into the sield, and so giue him battaile.

The Lord of Boccard, whom (as youThe castle of Pons ta­ken. hard) the Princes left at the siege of Pons hauing taken the Castel by composition, and sent the Lord and Ladye of the place prisonners to Rochel, marched with his Artillerie to ioyne with the Princes campe, which the kings brother thought to intercept, and for that cause passed Ʋienne by a Bridge of boates which he caused to be made at Chastellerant, draw­ing directly to Pamprou, néere vnto which his vauntgarde gouerned by the Lorde Montpensier, came the .xvij. of Nouem­bre. The Princes campe likewise mar­ched to ioyne with the Lord de Boccard, arriuing the same day somewhat late at Pamprou, néere the Lord de Montpensier, [Page 35] the same euening there were offred and receiued certaine shorte skirmishes, by reason the night gaue let to their longer fight: the army of the Princes camped nere the very houses of Pamprou, halfe a league from the lord Mountpensier, who caused to kindle great fires as though he would encampe there, stealing away al­beit about midnight, and went to Jaze­nail to ioyne with y^e kinges brother that was there with the battell.

The morrow after being the xviij. of the same month, the Princes army was ready ringed in battel at the first appea­ring of the day, who hoping to finde eft­sones the lord Mountpensier, where they left him the day before, determined to bidde him battell, but séeing he was so gone, as neither forme nor figure remai­ned of his being there, the Prince spedde him so swiftly in the pursuite, that he a­riued at Jazenail almost as soone as he, & there began a warme skirmishe from noone till night: the Admirall was not there at the beginning, as following the chase of certaine troupes drawing to­wardes Menigours, where he toke about [Page 36] lx. chariotes charged with baggage of the kings brothers campe, and amongest o­thers, the baggage of the duke of Guyse, and the Countie Bryssack, with the most parte of their siluer vessell, all being a pray to the souldioures. In the euening the Admirall arriued with the troupes which he led. Immediatly after whose comming, the skirmishe qualified, the Princes army retiring into a wood nere to that place towarde Menigours. This was the first proofe and experience of the Dauphynoys which were in the Princes campe, who not withstanding did so wel as they deserued and had high commen­dacion: they driue the Catholikes from thrée or foure of their trenches, and en­forced them to leaue the next towne to their campe, albeit they had sundry ad­uauntages of the Princes footemen, as­well by the multitude and numbers of shotte which thundred violently to defēd their trenches, as also that their horse­men were alwayes a redy and singuler succour to their footemē, which the prin­ces horsemen could not do by reason of hedges and maine ditches, besides the [Page 37] naturall and troublesome situation of the place.

In this skirmish were brought to the earth on both sides about thrée hundreth bodies, and almost all footemen, the num­ber notwythstanding of the dead being farre greater of the Papists than Prote­stants, whose armie being now in great néede to be refreshed, as hauing had ney­ther rest nor releese for two dayes for horsse nor man, caused their footemen to marche the morning after to Menigours, to recreate themselues, and ioyne with the Lord de Boccard, and all the horsemen after they had presented themselues in order of battell at the place where they were the day before, retired also thither without any thing doing.

The Kings brother after thys skir­mishe, tooke his way to Poytiers, and the Princes drewe towardes Mirebeau a Towne in Poictou, foure leagues from Poytiers, which was rendred wythout re­sistance [...]ebeau [...]endred. to the Princes, who with theyr armie soiourned there aboute eyghte dayes.

The Quéene of Nauarre being now at [Page 38] Rochel, wrote to the Quéenes Maiestie of England, the reasons of her departure from her owne and soueraign countreis: in the first she preferred the cause of Re­ligion, so oppressed with the inueterate and barbarous tyrannie of the Cardinall of Loraine. assisted by people of his owne humor, that shée accompted in shame to bée numbred amongst the faithfull, if she did not oppugne that horrible error with all such helpes as God would sturre vp, confederating her selfe and sonne with so holy and honorable societies of Prin­ces, resolued (vnder the fauoure of the great God of Armes) to spare neyther bloud, lyfe nor goodes, to effect so blessed a purpose. Her second reason (resemblyng also the first) was in respect of her Ser­uice to the king, making the ruine of the church the confusion of him and his king­dome, with whome because she and hir sonne hadde the nearest affinitie, they thoughte it also theyr firste and pro­pre office of duetie to intercept suche, as vsurping vppon the naturall good­nesse and enclynation of theyr King, woulde make hymselfe the Author of [Page 39] his owne destruction, with suborned im­position (albeit he is one of the most true princes of the world) to be a falser of his promise, and that by inuentions of their owne contriuing, to infringe the edict of pacification, which so long as it was pre­serued, enterteined a ioyfull peace be­twene the king and his faithful subiects, and now being broken, doth conuert the said fidelitie of his people to a lamenta­ble warre, and so inforced as there is not any one of them which hath not bene drawne into armes by violence. The third cause, peculiar to her selfe & sonne, was, in that she sawe the auncient ene­mies of God & her house, with a shame­lesse and perillous malice, bent vtterly to exterminate their race: Besides, as she behelde on the one side with pitifull eyes the Prince her brother, who to es­c [...]ue the mortal peril pretended against him, was constrained (afore hée entred into armes) with his biggebellied wife and little children, to searche places of securitie and that in such desolation, as the very remembraunce is able to kin­dle remorse in any christian harte: so on [Page 40] the other side, being credibly informed of diuers expeditions and traines to ra­uish from betwene her handes her dere and onely sonne, she could do no lesse thā to imparte her selfe and sonne, with the said consociaciō, and to share with them in their generall fortunes, according to the due office and bonde of blood: and yet not to vndertake armes to contende a­gainst heauen (as the good catholikes do suggest) and much lesse to warre vpon the soueraigne maiestie of the king, but rather to confront those who with their auncient spite to the generall cause, do conioyne that wherof they haue geuen so many particular and publike effectes.

About the ende of Nouember the Ad­mirall departed from Mirebeau in the night, with all the horsemen and shot of the vauntgarde, drawing towarde Pontd'Auzance, as hauing aduertisemēt that there wer at that place certain troupes of the soueraigne lieuetenaunts campe. And being there, he founde in deede the Regiment of footemen of the Counte Brissack, whom he charged and put them in part to flight, killing two or thre hun­dred [Page 41] of them: he was in minde to charge their horsemen which were also there, sauing for the vehement rayne which en­forced them to retire to Mirebeau, be­sides he had no certaintie whether the Prince of Conde were neare enough to succoure him or not: the sayde Prince was withdrawne the same euening with the horsemen and shotte of the battell on that side of the three s [...]ples, thinking there to finde certayne other trowpes, where of he had had aduertisement, not­withstanding, finding the place abando­ned, he bended towardes Auzance, & met in the way the vauntgarde returnyng, which he did also.

As the Prince was in a castell of the Bishops of Poictiers, skarce a league from Mirebeau, there came to him a Currier or Messenger from the Quéene mother, with charge chieflye to induce him to demaunde peace as a matter wherein it belonged to him of duetie to preuent his maiestie, to whom he aunswered that he was forced to enter into armes as his surest warraunte agaynst the oppressi­on of his enemies, and not to attempte [Page 42] any matter preiudiciall to the Maiestie royall, or his soueraigne estate, whome he reuerently helde for his king orday­ned of God, besides, the attempt of hym and his, intended no further than to en­tertaine a charitable quiete in their con­science, a safe exercise of their religion, and lastly, a tollerable defence of their liues, honours, and possessions against the tiranny of an vngodly Cardinall of Lorayne and other the enemies and com­mō troublers of the publike state of this Realme, and precisely of the poore profes­sours of the Gospell, contrary to the will and meanyng of his Maiestie auouched by so many general edictes and other par­ticular expedicions discending from him­selfe: for which causes they rested vpon resolucion to maintaine perticularly a­geinst the said Cardinal & his adherents, as the spring, roote, & original of the ruine and thretning subuersion of the croune, and them to pursue as periured & infrin­gers of the cōmon faith, cōiured enemies to this estate & vnitie of the realme: last­ly touching himself, he hath giuē sufficiēt proofe and experience to the whole world [Page 43] of his humble desire and inclination to peace, wherin his facilitie and ready cō ­sent to y^• last peace do both best approue him, and also argue to the worlde the straunge perils offring to whelme him and the faction of his religion. And ther­fore bicause his maiesty is presently en­uironned with his enemies, whose prin­cipall condition is to close his eares a­gainst the lamentable complaintes of his oppressed people, he determined to be the reporter of their doinges in hys owne person.

This was the aunswer which the Prince gaue the messenger in the Hall of the castell, and that in the presence of a great number of Lordes, knights, gen­tlemen, and captaines of his army: it was supposed in the campe that he came to other ende, as to espy the force of the Princes.

In the beginning of December, the Princes departed from Myrebeau, and drew to wardes Champigni, a Castell be­longing to the Lorde de Mountpensier, garded with vij. or viij. skore souldiours: they battred the castell on that side to­wardes [Page 44] the church, making a breache in the wall before the Hale of the said place: they that were within rendred by com­position, and in their place entered the Captaine Spondillan with certain num­bers of shotte, who immediatly for sooke it by commaundement of the Princes, and left it at libertie: The morrowe af­ter the artillerie marched before the ca­stle of the Lord de Sauigny, which with­out great resistaunce sauing certain vo­lies or shot of the canon, was takē, they within put to the edge of the sword, and the castell burned. During the siege of these two castels, the regiments of foot­men of the Lordes of Mountbrun and Myrebean, were at Lyllebouchard vpō Vi­en, striuing to winne the passage, wher­in as they profited little, so they spedely retired. The kings brother being gone from Poictiers, and hauing the succoures brought him by the counte de Loyeuse gouernour of the country of Languidock, in the absence of the lord d'Anuille mar­shall of France (which were hesides the Regimen of the Lord of Serlebourg, cer­tain companies as well on foote as hors­backe) [Page 45] besieged the towne of Mirebeau not long since rendred to the Princes: This towne was defended by thrée com­panies of footemen, wherof two were go­uerned by the captaine la Borde, and the other by the Captaine of the castell. At the beginning they battered the towne which was abandoned for want of suffici­ent supplies to furnish the walles, all re­tiring within the sayd castell.

The towne being taken, about the xij. of December, the kings brother left the Counte du Lude, gouernour of Poyctou, to continue the stege of the castel, with two canons, two culuerines, and one regi­ment of footemen: he taking his way to Lodun a towne in Poyctou, the which not many dayes afore was rendred to the o­bedience of the Princes, sommoned it forthwith by a trūpet, to whom the lord d'Acyer gouernour there, answered, that as he was set in charge of y^• town by the Prince of Nauarre. lieutenant general for y^• king in Guyen, so he would not only kepeit to his vse without further rēder or re­stituciō, but also (to his best) repulse what violēce or force so euer were offred. This [Page 46] answer reported to the kings deputie, he made his army marche neere the sayde towne to a place called the Roches.

The siege continuing still afore the ca­stellThe castell of Mire­beau taken. of Mirebeau by the sayd Counte of Lude, in the ende procuring a parley, hée entred subtillie about the xvj. of Decem­ber 1568. The Capitaine la Borde with certain souldiours were there killed, the rest were saued.

As soone as the kings Lieuetenant had giuen sommons to render Lodun, the lord d'Acyer aduertised the Princes of his state, who departed forthwith from To­wars with the battel, and the Lord Admi­rall from Monstrueil-belay, with the vant­garde to geue succours to the sayd Lord d'Acyer. The xvj. of December they pre­sented their whole cāpe in battell before Lodun, about halfe a quarter of a league from y^• kings camp, who likewise was in battel in the sayd place of Roches, whereThe mee­ting of the two armies wer great numbers of artillery dischar­ged aswel of the one as other side, neither was there any other thing all the day, ex­cept some litle & light skirmish which de­uoured no man: in the euening euery one [Page 47] retired into his quarter vntill the mor­rowe that the two campes did eftesoones discouer in order of battaile at the same place, fulfilling also the like the .iij. day without other thing doing than certeyn vnhurtfull skirmishes.

The .xix. of December the Kings bro­ther discāped, who albeit drue towards Chynon, yet such was the slownesse of his marche that daye, as the nexte morning the two armies were all day in battaill order on that syde towarde Chynon, sen­ding only certeyne shot of artillerie one against an other without hurt of eyther syde: the same (as it may be presumed) mouing by a vehement and slipperie colde, that the horsemen could not ad­uaunce: it was a wonder to sée two ar­mies in camp in such a hard and diuerse season, the winter being so extréeme as hath not bin séene in many yeares afore, whick kindled sundrie sortes of diseases in diuerse souldiours on both sydes, and after dyed in lamentable numbers: to­wardes the euening the Kings Lieuete­naunt retired to Chynon, albeit certeyne Captaynes of the Princes armie char­ging [Page 49] vpon their tayle, discomfited aboute vij. or .viij. score Suyzers, and thrée enseig­nes of footemen sodeynly set vpon as they were refreshing them selues in the vil­lage.

The Princes returned to Touars, and the Admirall to Monstrueit-beley, to win­ter there, leauyng the Lorde d'Yuoy bro­ther to the Lorde de Ianlis, as gouerner within the towne of Loudun, and for the garde of the same, the regimens of the L. of Mont-brun & Mirabel, with .ij. cornets of horsemen: the Lorde Ianlis not long af­ter dyed of a disease in Almayne.

The Lord de la Coche who (as is sayd) was led prisoner to Metz, was this .v. of January. 1569. murdered by certein gar­rison soldiours of the towne, who taking him out of prison and bynding him with Mychallon his ensigne bearer, tolde him they were commaunded from the King to leade them to the Court, and so exchange them for other prisoners within the prin­ces Campe: albeit they wer no sooner cut of the town than they were stabbed with daggers, and so murdered

Néere vnto Saulmur is an abbey called [Page 50] Sainct Florent, wherin were two hundredAbbay S. florent taken. footemen, as a garrison to the Catholikes, who w^t their abbay were besieged in this moneth of January by the vauntgarde of the Princes, and they after they had bea­tē a breach entred by force-putting al that were beseeged to the mercy of the sworde: immediatly after the garrison of Saulmur The Abbay recouered. recouering the sayde Abbay, vsed the like execution of all that they found.

Whiles the princes soiorned at Towars, they dispatched into Gascoyne the Lorde de Pilles, aswell to leuie newe force, as o­ther matters of speciall charge: At his first arriuall he toke Bergerac and Saintfoy, and hauing spéedily erected certaine forces of horsmen and footmen, he bestowed his foot­men, and drew towards Perigueux with his horsemen, and passing along the place where the Lords of Mouuans and Pierre­gourde were discomfited, hée fyred many villages, and killed as many peisauntes as hée mette, as a reuenge of the bloud of so manye Souldioures whiche they hadde ouercome and slayne in the same ouerthrow.

The Kinges armye wintred at Chynon, [Page 51] Saulmur, Poyctiers and other places there­about: the princes armie in the beginning of February departed from Towars and Monstrueu-beley, discending lower intoo the countrey to fynde vittells: the vaunt­garde drew to Partenay and the battell to Niort, harbouring in the places therea­bout.

The thirde day of this moneth, the Lord de Boursaut captayne of a hundred lyghts horsmen and his company, were sodeinly set vpon within a village néere to Towars, by the Counte Brissac, accompanyed with vij. or .viij. hundred horsmen presently is­sued out of Saulmur. There were many of them taken, and many killed and the rest, as the Lord de Boursaut and others, saued themselues by help of the dark night.

In the beginning of February y quene of Nauarre came to [...]or [...], where shee founde the Princes, wyth dyuerse other greate Lordes, with whome shee entredA sale of the principall goods of the Churche. into Counsell for the affaires and disposi­tion of the warre: There was agreed a sale of temporal goods of the Churchmen, toward the mayntenaunce of the generall cause, & for y^• purpose wer drspatched presēt [Page 52] letters vnder the names and authoritie of the sayd Quéene, Princes of Nauarre and Gonde, the Lorde Admirall, Dandelot, & Rochefoucaut, with wordes of ample po­wer giuen to their procurors and commis­saries to promise and binde them for war­rant requisite in suche case: These comissi­ons were published in towns holden vn­der their obedience, with present sale and alyenation made accordingly, the same raysing great summes of money.

Whilest the said Quéene, Princes and other stats remained in consultation with in Nyort, certeine horsmen of the Lord of Verac, (captaine of a hundreth light horse­men) making often incursion vppon the next enimies, toke the Lord of Cassac lieutenant of the men at armes to the Duke of Guyse, as he was bayting in an Inne, whome they ledde to Niort, and so to Rochell.

The Counte Mountgomerey lodgyng in a village called la Motte, was charged vpon y^e sodeyn by the Counte Brissac, and enforced to retyre within the Castel of the same place, seruyng somewhat to hys de­fence: so that he receyued no other losse [Page 53] than his yonger brother, whiche was led to the Castell of Luzignan: this was the xij. of February.

The Princes now determyned to per­fourme their enterprise vppon the castell of Luzignan, and to take it, the same mo­uyng (as it séemed) eyther by a practyse of Montgomories brother, or else by some secrete intelligence they hadde with the Gouernours Lieutenaunte of the same place, where they were in good order, and vppon the sodayne the .xx. of February ve­ry early in the mornyng, dyuers of their Captaynes and souldiours entring with­in, albeit, being discouered their further attempt was intercepted, and they retur­ned without any thing doing.

The Counte of Tande gouernour for the King in Prouence, in the begynning of Nouember the yeare before, put himselfe vppon his waye with thrée thousand foote­men and certeine horsemen of that coun­try marching intoo Fraunce as hée was cō ­maunded, and passing by Dauphiné, the baron of Adretz, who also had leuyed a Regyment of footemen conteyning .xvij. enseignes, ioyned with him, too passe also [Page 54] in company into Fraunce: In theyr waye they came by the siege of Sanserre, whiche the Counte Mertiuengo an Italyan and gouernoure of Gyran had long continued, where as they spente long tyme wyth­out aduauncyng the ende and purpose of the siege, so procuryng the siege to bée ray­sed: the Counte [...]ande drew to Poyctou to the Kyngs Campe, where hée arriued a­boute the ende of Februarye, and the ba­ron of Adretz marched into [...]orayn to the Duke d'Aumale, sent thither (as you haue heard) to withstande the entrie of straun­gers into Fraunce.

The Kynges brother hauing receyued these newe succours, and made shewe to his men of armes of two hundred thou­sande frankes which the house of Parys had lent the Kyng vpon the temporal goo­des of the Church men, he gathered ageyn hys Campe, and drewe towardes An­goulmoys.

Immediatly after in the same moneth, arryued two thousande and fyue hundred Reistres, vnder the conduct of the Coun­ties Reyngraffe and Bassompier, who bée­ing much harried in theyr long and payn­ful [Page 55] iorney to come into France, refreshed themselues certayne tyme aboute Poyc­tiers afore they ioyned wyth the Kyngs Campe, whoe approched still to Angou­lesme, and taryed them. And bycause hée woulde haue the libertie of the Ryuer of Charente, to passe and repasse at his plea­sure, he dispatched the Lorde de la Riuiere a Gentleman of Poyctou, for to sease vp­pon the Towne and also the Castell of larnacke.

The Princes nowe béeing truely en­fourmed what waye the Kynges Campe tooke, departed from Nyort, and vppon the begynning of March aryued at Sainct lean d'Angely, marchyng from thence with theyr battayle to Sainctes. The Ad­mirall with the vauntegarde lodged at Coygnac and the d Andelot with the hors­menne and shotte of the sayde vauntgard, drawing with them two Coluerines and two fielde péeces to besiege the Towne of Iarnacke: The Captayne la Riuiere the same daye was on horssebacke wyth his troupe of horssemen to beate and skowre the strayte that laye towardes Coygnac [...] albéeit discoueryng a farre off the Lorde [Page 56] Admirall, hée returned in greate dyli­gence, and without staying in the towne of larnack, hée enclosed hym selfe spéedy­ly within the Castell, whyche foorthwyth was enuyronned and besieged on all sy­des by the Admyrall, who as soone as his artillerye was planted, began to bat­ter towardes the gate of the Castell, the same continuing all the day, and at night the Captayne demaunded parley, which the next mornyng was graunted togither with a composition by the Lorde de Bric­quemau, (lefte there to direct the siege by the Lorde Admirall) the Castell thus ta­ken, the Vicont Montamma entred with his Regiment to defende the sayde pas­sage.

The .vj. of this moneth the Prince of Conde with the Admirall and d'Andelot, and the horsmen as wel of the vauntgard as mayne battayle, excepte the Lorde of Bricquemaus regimen which was at Iar­nack went to Beauuoir vpon Matta, wher was the Kings brother with his armye: Ther the Prince of Conde ringed in bat­tel his horsmen, leauing in couert behynd a hyll certein drūmes, sounding as though [Page 57] his footemen had bin there, notwithstan­ding there was nothing done that daye o­ther than certeyne skirmishes against the d'Andelot: The Reistres of the catholikes were not as yet ioyned to the Catholikes Campe, albeit they arriued very shortely after.

The Kings brother being defeated of his purpose and meane to passe the Riuer of Charente at Iarnac, marched vp higher, and a little beneath Angoulesme, he passed the Riuer. In his way he tooke the castell of Ruffel, wherein were foure score Soul­dioures, whom he put to the sworde: He tooke also the Towne & garrison of Melle, in the countrey of Poytou, who also tasted lamentably of the lyke compassion. And being thus ouer Charente, he came to Cha­steau-neuf, standing vpon the shoare of the Riuer, wherein was a garrison of fiftie Souldiours, who without resistance ren­dred the Castell.

The Princes vnderstanding that the Catholikes had wōne the passage, depar­ted from Sainctes, and came to lodge at Coygnac, and the Admirall with the vaūt­garde at Iarnac, and thereabout.

[Page 58]The Friday the .xj. of this moneth, the Kings brother with all his horsemen and certeyne nūbers of shot, presented himself in order of battail before Coygnac, causing in the meane while to be built vp ageine the woodden bridge of Chasteau-neuf, bat­tered and beaten down by the sayd garri­son. The Princes wer then within Coyg­nac accompanied only with their traynes and certeyne Gentlemen of their retinue: (their men of armes being lodged in the Villages thereabout) and therefore sent immediatly to the Admirall for certeyne companies to march towardes them: the d'Andelot going thyther, heard newes in the way, that the kings brother had drawn his men of armes afore Coignac: The d'­Andelot after he had talked with y^• Prin­ces returned to Iarnac.

The morrow the .xii. of March, y^• Prin­ces armie marched towards Chasteauneuf, the Prince of Cōdé with y^• maine battaill lodging at Iarnac. & the Admiral with the vauntgard went before Chasteau-neuf to hinder the building of y^e bridge, and with­stand the passage ouer the riuer: albeit as he was come neare the place, he vnder­stoode [Page 59] that the Catholykes had set vp the bridge, and passed ouer with parte of their armie, entrenching them selues on the o­ther syde the Bridge, to resiste all impe­dimentes to their full passage, where vp­pon the Admirall returned to lodge at Bassac, leauing to Gouerne the retraite of his companies, the light horssemen of Soubise and Pluueau, who remayned be­hinde, ringed in battaile in a playne neere the sayde Chasteau-neuf vntill night. The armie of the Princes was greatly dispersed in diuerse Townes and Vil­lages, beyng farre distaunt one from an other.

In y^e meane while the catholikes camp passed ouer Charente all the night, with as great speede as might bee. And bycause the prince of Condé had no intent to fight the nexte morning, as not hauing his forces nere him, he dispatched the lord Perdillan to the Admirall, to aduaunce the compa­nies of the vauntgarde in such diligence as to bee [...]ith hym at Iarnac vppon the dauning of the day, which y^• Admiral per­formed according to the speede & necessitie of the message, albeit not all in such exacte [Page 60] redinesse as the case required, as lacking the Lord Pluueaus horsemen and his regi­men of footemen, left (as you haue heard) to gouerne and garde the retraite of the vauntgarde.

The morrowe after being the .xiij. of Marche, the Prince with his horssemen that were already arriued, presented him­self in the morning in order of battail be­fore the enimie aboue the village of Bas­sac. When all was arriued, the sayde Prince returned with the battaile, and drue to Matta neare S. Iean d'Angeli, whiche the Admirall did also, leauing be­hind to direct the retraicte, the Lorde de la Noue, who retiring a reasonable passe, and not yet farre off, was charged with a great oste of horsiemen which forced him to take the charge and chased him to Bas­sac, where the Admirall was ready to re­siste, and repulsed the Catholykes vntill the other syde of the village.

In the meane whyle certeyne troupes of shot of the Catholikes entred the sayde village, and buckled to skirmishe with the Admirall, who likewise droue them out of the village, notwithstanding they were [Page 61] reléeued by the rest of the Campe that fol­lowed at hande and returned to the Uil­lage.

The Lorde Admirall séeing the Catho­lykes armie so neare, dispatched a Gent­tleman of spéede to the Prince, to aduer­tise him that the whole Campe of the con­trary syde was there and almost vpon his backe, so that séeing no meane to retire without fighting, desired him to aduaunce such powers as he had of the battaill. Im­mediatly the Prince reculed till he was very neare the Admirall, rynging hym­selfe in battaill at the foote of a hill on the left hand.

The Admirall was in order of battaill on the right hand along a little Coppies, looking towardes Bassac. He had about him the Lorde Pluueaus regimen of fyue enseignes of footemen, who made a long skirmishe: and seeing in the meane while that the Catholikes were ready to charge him, comming betwéene the Prince and him, turned his face right vpon them, and with certeyne Cornettes whiche were with him, pressed vppon them so hoatly, that he brought to the ground a great nū ­ber, [Page 62] and so passed further. At the same in­stant the Prince, after he had preferred his prayers to God, went to the charge, & with great courage entred the battaille: vpon whō rushed a great squadron of Rei­stres, & set vpō him on the flanck or syde: at which charge his horse was killed and fel vppon him, and his horsemen put to the chase, whom the catholiks pursued: albeit as they passed further, a french [...]entlemā named the L. of S. Iean knew the Prince of Condé, and also the L. d'Argence, both which promised him to saue his lyfe, or to leaue theirs in the aduenture: whervpon as an Archer being descended on foote to helpe to shifte the Prince from vnder his horsse, and had set him vppon his feete, one named Montesquion (thought to be the Capteyne of the garde to the Kings bro­ther) knowing the Prince, shot him tho­rough the head with a Pistolet: the blow entring behynd and came foorth vnder his eye. The Lord Steward a Scot, and Cha­stelier Poitant, after they were taken, were also stabbed with daggers and mur­dered: the sayde Chastellier by one named Cosse [...]us, besydes whom were slayne in [Page 63] this encounter about .ij. hundreth men, & xi prisoners: amongst others, the bastard of Nauarre, the Lorde de la Noue, whose horse was killed at the firste charge, the L. of Teligni, de la Balbe, de Soubize, & de la Loue. On y^• catholikes syde were slayne y^e Counte de la Mirande, the L. de Monsal­letz, the Barons of Ingrande and Prunay, with many other.

After this charge, one part of y^e horsmen drew to S. Ieā d'Angely togither w^t the Ad­miral, d'Andelot, y^e Coūte de la Rochefou­caut and d Acier, with great numbers of horsmē: the rest tooke the way to Coygnac.

In this encoūter the Prince had no o­ther footmē than the L. Pluueaux regimēt heretofore mentioned, all the reste of his footmen was retired by his cōmaundemēt to Iarnac, as being not of mynd to fight y^• daye: there was made at Iarnac a Bridge of boates to passe the Riuer Charente in tymes of need, ouer which y^e footmen séeing the ouerthrow passed to the other syde the riuer, and then brake it in pieces for feare of pursutes, & so retired to Coygnac. where were the Princes of Nauarre and An­guyen. The Artillerie led from Coygnac, [Page 64] was brought thither again, hauing made no great way.

The sayd Princes of Nauarre and An­guyen (now Prince of Conde) departed from Cognac the next morning with such horsemen as were retired to them: they arriued the same day at Sainctes in Sainc­tonge, leauing their footmen at Cognac, to maynteyne head against the Catholikes, who the morrowe after being the .xv. of Marche, presented themselues in battaill before Cognac with horssemen and foote­men, making countenaunce to besiege it. There was a great skirmishe on the syde of the parke by meane of a sallie made v­pon them by the L. de Baudine, in whiche encounter were lefte deade in the place about two hundreth bodyes, and great numbers hurte, whiche made the Catho­lykes retire the same daye returning to Jarnac.

In the meane whyle, the Admirall vn­derstanding the Princes were retired to Sainctes, went thyther to them, and with the horsemen of their traine, he brought them to S. Iean d'Angely, and from thence to Thome-Charante, whether the Quéene [Page 65] of Nauarre came to communicate with them of their generall affaires. And now, albeit the vnwoorthynes [...]e of the Princes death, dyd so amaze the Gentlemen and Souldiours of the armie, as they séemed to wauer in varietie of doubtes, yet the Admirall (no lesse wyse than wel aduised) knit them againe with newe persuasions of courage by all his possible meanes. And sure thys death was sufficient i­nough to coole and qualifie such as had no other regard than to the losse of such a Go­uernour of warre, but considering more neare the actions of this Prince, and of how long tyme he hadde bin giuen to the sincere seruice of his God, King, and Coū ­trey: they assured them selues more than afore. They are persuaded, that there no­thing happened to him, whiche he did not eyther foresee or foretell according to the poesie written in the enseigne of the com­panie of his mē of armes in these words: PRO CHRISTO ET PATRIA, DVLCE PERICVLVM. And besides, y^e said Prince was wont afore his death to say in his familiar talk, y^• he attended his sepulchre in the fields, in a day of battaill.

The second Booke, of the last troubles and ciuill warres of Fraunce.

THE Prince of Condé thus ta­ken away, & his death no small losse to them of the Religion, the Kings Brother, knowing the Princes of Nauarre and d'Anguyen were passed the riuer of Botoune, determi­ned to followe them, and in that purpose departed from Janac & came to Dampierre where he passed the Riuer: he lodged his armie within half a leage of S. Iean d'An­geli, of purpose to execute a certeyn enter­prise within the sayd towne, by meane of the Capteyn of the Castell. In the meane while the Princes armie passed Charante as well at Thonye Charante, as at Talli­bourgh, kéeping the boates alwayes on their syde.

The Quéene of Nauarre hauing impar­tedThe Queene of Nauarre returnes to Rochel. certeyn special admonitions, aswel to the Prince hir sonne, as other great lords [Page 67] & personages of estate returned to Rochel.

The Kings brother vnderstanding the sayd armie was passed ouer Charante, and also that his enterprise vpon the towne of S. Iean d'Angeli, was so discouered, as hée could not cōmit it to safe execution, retur­ned from whence he came, that is, to lar­nac, Chasteau-neuf and places about An­goulesme, attending his opportunitie to ef­fect an attempt which he had conspired v­pon that towne, and that by meane of the Capteyne of the Parke, which was also discouered, as hereafter shal follow.

The Princes being now on the other syde the riuer Charente, began to surueye their forces, viewing first their horsmen, and then their footmen in order as hereaf­ter shalbe shewed. All the horsemen were sent for in one day into two places: The Prince of Nauarre and the L. Admirall mustred the battaile, and the d Andelot with the Counte Rochefoucaut, the vant­garde. There were viewed and enhabled about .iiij. thousand horsmen, wel moūted and armed, w^t valiant dispositiō to follow the cause to a good end. It was openly red there to al y^• horsmē, y^• the prince of Nauar [Page 68] declared himselfe chief of the armie, with promise not to leaue the Campe till aThe othe of the Prince of Nauarre. good and happie peace, and muche lesse to spare his lyfe and goods in that behalfe. This being published, the horsemen like­wise protested by othe not to departe the armie without his leaue, nor forbeare life or liuing in the assistance of the quarell.

PEndureau Capteyn of a hundred lightl'Endureau reuoltes. horsemen, after the last conflict, reuolted, and tooke part with the Counte du Lude, Gouernour of Poytou Hee was gréeuous, (after his reuolte) to the protestantes in a number of heauie euils, as in pilling and robbing them without respecte, and also vnder shadowe of hys white Cassakyns, wherwith he yet disguised his people: He tooke the Castell of Mont-agu in base Poytou, yéelding to the garrison no other mercie than by the edge of the sworde. He made many incursions into Poytou, & a­noyed thē with such generall perill, that y^e Princes (to ouercome him & his troupes) dispatched thither the Lorde de la Roche­enard, with xii. Cornettes of horsemen, & the regiments of footmen of y^e L. la Mous­son, Saint Magrin, & Montamma, whose [Page 69] strength & trauel was to smal purpose, bi­cause y^• enimie had a special safetie in his singular swiftnesse, as knowing well the straites and compasse of that Countrey.

The Princes being at Sainctes, got in­telligēce of the enterprise which y^e Kings brother ment to execute within Angou­lesme, and therevppon (knowing also that he was vpon his way thither, dispatched to intercept that purpose) y^e Counte Mōt­gomery with ten Cornettes of horsemen, ouer & besydes the regimen of footemen of the Lord Montbrun and Mirabel sent thi­ther alreadie. The Montgomery, the bet­ter to execute his charge, in the beginning of Aprill, sommoned the sayd ten Cornets of horsemen to bée before him at Pons, the monday being the .iiii. of Aprill in the e­uening. At his comming, he found only .vj. Cornets with whō he departed after some expectation for the other which were not yet come: he trauailed all y^• night, and the next morning was receyued within the Towne of Angoulesme without any let or impedimēt by y^e way: y^e other .iiii. cornets cōming somwhat late to Pons, hasted on y^e way after their companie, albeit as they [Page 70] were néer Chasteau-neuf neyther fearing nor forseeing any peril, they were charged by a great troupe of horsmen layd of pur­pose in ambush to intercept them, and so pursued as the chase came to [...]oygnac, frō whence they returned and founde safetie in the swiftnesse of their horsses. At this encounter the L. de Chaumont, Capteyn of one of the sayd Cornets, with certeyne other common soldiours were taken pri­soners, and about .xxx. or xl. slayne.

The Counte Montgomery was no soo­ner within Angoulesme, than he began to deuise & prouide for the safetie of y^• town: wherin for his first pollicie, he surueyed y^e wardes and warders of the towne: And bicause that those whiche afore made the view and searche of the towne, passed not by the Parke (whiche is a new building ioyned to the towne) whiche cut of all ad­uertisement of any thing done there: the place it self also not vnapt to receiue cōpa­nies, foysted in by night without know­ledge to them of the Towne: The saide Montgomery made pierce the walles, and open the gates of that syde towards the parke, so that alwayes after the sear­chers [Page 71] of the Towne passed and visyted the gardes of the same. He remoued also the Capteyne of the sayd Parke to auoyde treason, with order that euery nyght the warders of that place should bée chan­ged.

The Duke de Roauuois being led pri­soner (as you haue heard) to Rochel, and there continuyng tyll the moneth of Ja­nuarie, was deliuered vppon hys pro­myse to paye within thrée monethes af­ter twentie thousande Frankes to raun­som, or, in defaulte of eyther the tyme or summe, to returne prisoner to Rochell. He fayled and therefore was sommoned to make good his woorde, which he refused, cléering himselfe by the death of the prince of Conde, to whom, as he had gyuen hys fayth, so his death acquited his promise. The Kings brother kept still about An­goulesme, albeit vnderstanding of the pre­cise direction of the Montgomery, gaue o­uer his further attempt, and departed frōthence the .xij. of Aprill, taking his way to Perigueux, and passing by Aubeterre, he tooke y^e castle by cōposition, for whose gard the L. of the place dyd enterteyne about a [Page 72] hundred mē, who enduring only certeyn shot of the cānon, yelded themselues (their lyues saued:) wherein notwithstanding they were abused, for that diuerse were killed, & the L of the place arested as pri­soner: from Aubeterre he drue to Mace­dan a town of Perigueux, afore the which, as the Lord de Montluc attend him with his forces: so y^e armie being arriued, they begā to batter with such furie, as a breach was spéedily enforced. There were with­in the town vij. or .viij. score populair soul diours, who dispayring eyther to fil vp the breache, or to kéepe it longer, in respecte chiefly of their small numbers, abandoned the town and closed themselues within y^e Castell being sufficiently strong: The ca­tholikes being within the Towne, bent their batterie against the Castell, where they had no sooner battered a breach, than thei cryed to the assaulte. They within su­steyned y^• first assault, & like wise .ij. others in y^e necke of it, repulsing at last y^e catho­liks, wherof a great nūber left their dead bodyes in pawn: thē y^e Kings brother (vn­der their word of assurance) came to parle w^t thē, wherin he so preuayled, as thei yel­ded, [Page 73] reseruing only their liues, which not­w^tstanding were violently taken frō thē al without exception, contrarie to his fayth and word of honor: he lost at these assaults a greate companie of souldiours with sun­dry lordes and captaines of choyce: amon­gestBrissac slaine which was the Conte Brissac striken with a harque bush shot in the left chéeke: he was a galland gentleman and of great hope amongst the people, of .xxv. yeares of age when he dyed, and of greate callyng and function in Fraunce. For first he was knight of the order, capteyne of fifty men at armes of the kings allowance, Colonel generall ouer the Frenche footemen in the Kings Campe, and gouerned also in this iourney a Regimen of .xl. enseignes of footemen: his brother succéeded hym in moste of his charges, sauing the estate of Colonell general which was giuen to the Lorde of Strossi: there dyed at that siege the Conte Pompadon, with many otherConte Pom­padon slain. to the number of .v. or .vi. hundred.

Mucedan being taken in this moneth of Aprill, the kings brother toke way a­gayne to Angoulmois, and the Lorde of Montluc returned to his gouernement, [Page 74] and charge.

The princes horsemē being thus view­ed and mustered, they would also suruey their footmen, in which busines the d An­delot was chiefly vsed, and therfore imme­diately dispatched, to the end he might per­use the garrisons in euery town of their o­bedience: he began his first trauell in this charge vpon the ende of Aprill, folowing the garrisons and mustring them in his owne presence. In the beginning of May, be returned to Saincts, feling himself som­what sick, the same growing so vpon him as he dyed the saterday the .vii. of the same 1569. to the lamentable gréef & displesure of the whole army, as being noted a moste wyse and valiant gentleman called com­monly the knight without feare: his office of general Colonel of the French footmen was giuen to the Lord d'Acyer: his cōpa­ny of men of armes since his death hath bē gouerned by the lord of Beauuais his lieu­tenant. It was thought he was poysoned, and the Physitions that viewed his body were of the same opinion.

Immediatly after, in the same moneth and at the same place dyed the Lorde of [Page 75] Boccarde hauyng lyne long sick, he was ofThe Lorde Boccard dead. no lesse counsell in matters of consulta­tion, than of courage in the execution, his estate of the great. Master of the artille­rie was giuen to the Lorde Ianlis his son in law, with his cornet of horsmen.

And now, to ouerslip nothing that was executed in this laste Apryll, there is in the mountaynes of Daup [...] a Castell nere to B [...]yanson, wherein the King keepes an ordinarie dead pay of certeyn numbres of souldiers: A capteyn called Colombyn borne in Grenoble, vnderstāding by certein of the borough of Oysans that most part of the sayd dead pay men were issued oute of their charge, toke the sayd Castel, and fin­ding no resistance other than the very cap­teyne of the place, who yelded beyng hurt with a shot, he made him selfe lorde of it, where neglecting one first and most neces­sarie pollicie in a victor, hee rather labou­red to deface the images, than to furnishe the place with cōuenient prouision, which being not vnmarked of certein euil neigh bors, purlewing vpō y^e castle, they forthw^t enuironed him with a siege, & so cut off his vittell, wherof they knew y^e castel had but [Page 76] slender store: Their siege continuyng a­bout xv. days, enforced him at last to ren­der the place vpon composition and onely reseruation of lyfe, whiche notwithstan­ding was not kept, for that all his souldi­ors were cut in peeces, and he only led on lyue to Grenoble.

After the generall view and muster of the princes footemen, the Lorde de Pilles, (returned now from G [...]scoyg [...]e) was sent to sease vpon the yle of Medoc, a rich yle lying betwéene Rochell and Bordeaux, con­teyning in length aboute .xvj. or .xvij. lea­gues, and .iiij. or .v. leagues in breadth: he prouided necessary boates to passe the ry­uer of Gironde, and embarkyng him selfe with .ij. thousand footemen, discended into the sayd yl [...], and tooke hauen without any let: he made himselfe maister of the yle v­pon the sodayne and vnlooked for, fynding great foyson of riches, where with he & his souldiours loaded themselues plentifully.

By meane of this Ile, he besieged Bourg a town in Bordelois, but being speedily cal­led back by the Princes, he raised his siege and came agayne to the Campe: At this siege died of a shot in his shoulder the Lord [Page 77] Valpheuiere lieutenant to the late Lorde d'Andelot of his Regiment of footemen, whose regimen was trāslated to the Lord of Rouray gentleman of Fraunce. This was vpon the ende of May.

The kings brother, being now returned into the contrey of Angoulmois and after he had somwhat releued his armie on that syde to Villebois, sent to sommon the town of Angoulesme by a trompet, wherin hae was refused, & so tooke way towards Ber­ry to ioyne his force with the Duke d'Au­mall beeing in the sayd contrey: the Conte Mont-gomerey charged vpon the tayle of his campe, and discomfited certen of them.

The Lady Marquise of Rottelyn, vnder­stāding of the death of the prince of Con­de her sonne in law, put her vpon the way to come to Rochell, wher was the widow­princesse her daughter: she passed to Sainct Iean d'Angely, and so to Thony vpon Bou­tonne wher the said Princesse met her, and so returned into Frāce without her daugh­ter, whome she purposed to haue with her. But the Princesse excused her vppon hir children, which were then at Rochell whe­ther she also returned it was thought the [Page 78] Lady Marquise came to entreate a peace, whiche was not so, bycause hir occasion was only as is asoresayd: this was in the ende of May. 1569.

In the first kindlyng of these warres, the Princes hauing true intelligence of diuers numbres of straungers entred the Realme for the strengthe of the Catholi­kes, determined also to fortifie their ar­mie by the like meane: And therfore kno­wing that the Prince Wolfgange Duke de deux Pons had erected great numbres of men of armes, as well on foote as on horseback, the better to defende his owne countreys, sente to hym with requeste to yelde them succoures in their so vrgent and extreme necessitie, bothe with his ar­mie presently in point, and also such other powers as hee might possibly leute, wher­vnto the said duke condescended with pro­myse to releeue them with all his forces, which albeit at that tyme were not fully assembled, yet he forgat not within short tyme after to put an armie in redinesse to come into France, wherof the duke d'Au­male (lying in Lorayne) béeing enformed by special Intelligicers, dispatched forth­with [Page 79] a Gentleman of his, by whome hée aduertised the Duke of the common brute that passed of the diligence he vsed in the leuyes of men of warre in Almayne and al to assist the conspiracies of such as arme themselues ageynst the crowne of France, with displayed warre ageynst the King, which for his parte as he neyther had nor woulde beleue, so lookyng neerer into his magnificence and partes of a Prince, hée iudged hym of no inclination to fauoure rebelles ageynst theyr soueraigne maie­stie, consideryng withall, the ancient res­pect of amitte so long continued betwéene the house of the electors of the countie Pa­latines of Rhine, & the scepter of France: Albeit, his maiestie desiring to vnderstand an absolute truth, gaue him special charge to dispatche this speciall Messanger, hee also hauyng authoritie of his Maiestie to withstande the entrie of any stranger, [...]o releue the enterprise of the sayd rebell [...]s, which hée hoped to accomplishe, or else to leaue his lyfe in the charge.

The Duke forbare to answer spéedily, vntyll his armye were fully in poynte, albeeit after that hée hadde receyued hys [Page 80] Reistres, he beganne to marche towardes the Conte of Burgogne, and as he lay vp­pon the frontiers of Fraunce, tarying for his Launceknyghtes, hée aunswered the d'Aumales letter, which he sent forthwith to the Kyng: In the beginning hee layde afore hym how in the yeeres afore, many Reistermaisters passyng thorowe his Du­chy without leaue, gréeued so his countrey that the continuall complaints of his peo­ple forced hym to drawe into companyes of armed men, as well on horsbacke as on foote, to withstande further offence to his people: And that nowe in respecte his cou­syns and dearely beloued Princes of Na­uarre and Conde, haue lamentably imparsed with hym the vniuste quarell, vrged vppon them, as well to enforce their ly­ues and goods, as to depriue the exercise of their Religion contrary to the kings faith and playne protestation of his Edicts: and that not onely they, but all the Nobilitie and others, professing the same Religion, haue and doo endure myserable oppres­sions, as estraunged from theyr owne houses, thruste oute of their charges and offices, theyr possessions and welthes, [Page 81] consisked into the Kings handes: lastly, that there be raised huge companies of men of warre aided with sundry sortes of straungers to cut them in pieces, as in other times of open hostilitie: in these re­spectes together with their earnest moti­on and request for succours, and lastly v­pon an vpright view and consideration of their present calamitie, he coulde, nor ought do no lesse than ayde them: And for their partes, the better to auouche their integrities in refusing all attempts, aspi­ring preiudicially to y^e crown of France, (as the d'Aumalles letters did sinisterly suggest) the sayd Princes haue protested by letters, which he kepeth sealed wyth their owne handes, that if (at his being in Fraunce) he see or know any inclination in them to conspire in any sorte against the crowne, that he would not only draw away his succours, but conuert thē to the enemy and cōtrary side, the rather to re­uenge their disloyaltie: which makes him iudge of the Princes side, & beleue y^• they are not only far frō the slaundrous impo­sitions of their enemies, but also of vnfai­ned desire, rather to rest quietly in their [Page 82] houses, than follow so harde and doubtful a warre, wherunto they haue ben draw­en of force as to defend the violēt oppres­sion of their malicious enemies: he al­ledged besides, that when his Cosine the duke Casmir erected his army in Almaign in the like cause, he was also vntruly in­formed (as of purpose to draw him from succouring the Prince of Conde) that it was against the maiestie royall that the said Prince did conspire, which notwith­standing was founde otherwayes, as ap­peareth by his maiesties edictes of peace both first and last, approuing always the actions of the sayd Prince as done for the seruice of his maiestie. And to take away all suspiciō, he declared, that besides that, his meanyng was to succour the sayde Princes of Nauarre and Conde, his en­terprise in comming into Fraunce, stret­ched also to relieue the little ones of the Religion dispersed into their seuerall miseries, to whome of very duety (being a Christian Prince) he coulde do no lesse than offer and lende his hande to leade them to Jesus Christ. And to the ende his maiestie may vnfainedly resolue in [Page 83] the integritie of his purpose, and that he vndertakes not this iourney to spoile his subiectes or make pray of their welthes, or for any other perticular profit, he pro­tested that if his maiestie would graunt them a safe vse of their religion with a frée exercise of the same without limita­tion and distinction of persones and pla­ces, together with assuraunce of their goodes, honours, charges, and estates, hée would not onely returne and dismisse his army, but also defray the whole charges of the same and the sayde Reistremaisters in their passage, amountyng in all to a­boue a hundred thousande crownes, pro­testing for ende, that if (in refusing hys iuste and reasonable offers) the Qua­rell doo aggrauate by his comming into Fraunce, to wype hys handes in in­nocencie of all imputations hereafter, and the fault to be layd vpon the authors and chiefe Councellers of the warre, be­yng about his maiestie.

The Duke hauing now receiued his Launceknightes, entered into Fraunce, and passyng by Bourgonguē, came to Charyte, béeyng coasted sundrye tymes [Page 84] both behinde and before by the armies of of the dukes d'Aumall and Nemors, with­out attempting any thing vpon hym: he arriued without let before Charyte, theCharyte besieged and taken. xvj. of May, which he battred so vehemēt­ly that he enforced forthwith a breach, in the meane while the lord of Mouy, passing ouer Loere a little aboue the sayd towne, with thrée hundred harquebusiers, won the suburbes towardes the bridge, the same so occupying and amazing thé that were besieged, that the Duke entred the breache, and put the whole garrison to the sword: this towne was taken in good tyme, because that if it had lingred neuer so little, the Duke d'Aumalle being very nere with succours, had endaungered the enterprise. The towne was no sooner ta­ken, than he was discouered not farre of with xviij. hundred horsemen, who com­ming to short to withstand the dukes en­trie, returned in hope to hinder hym to ioyne with the princes army, by meanes that hee mette and assembled wyth the kyngs brothers power, who knitte toge­ther for this purpose in the countrey of Berry.

[Page 85]In the ende of May, the Princes infor­med of the approche of the Duke de deux Pons, and the taking of Charyte, began to marche to ioyne with his army, and lea­uing the Lord de la Noue, to gouerne in the countreys of Poyctou and Sainctonge, toke their way by Angoulmois, directly to Perigueux, and as they passed thorow that countrey, the Lord of Chaumontes lyght horsemen, with certaine companies of footemen, tooke the towne of Noutron be­longing to the Quéene of Nauarre, wher­in were killed aboute foure skore men that defended it: this was the seuenth of June. 1569.

The morrow after the sayd Princes dispatched the Counte Montgomery in­to Gasoyne, to commaunde ouer the army of the Uicounts, who otherwayes would not agree, as not acknowledging one a­boue an other: he tooke his way by Solliac, where hee passed the riuer of Dordone, and so beneath Cadenat, he passed also o­uer Lot and came to Montauban with­out any let.

They of the town of Perigueux, fearing the comming of the princes army, desired [Page 86] the lord Montluc to send them succours, to whome he dispatched immediatly the Knight Montluc his sonne with xij. en­signes of footemen, with the which he en­tred the towne the iiij. of June.

In this meane while the Princes ar­my kepte the way drawing to Lymosyn, & the duke de deux Pons hasted by great iorneys to ioyne with them, passyng the riuer of Ʋiene two leagues aboue Lymo­ges. The Catholikes had sent thither two C. shot to defend y^• passage, who were all cut in pieces by the lord de Mouy, the ix: of this moneth, on which day the princes army arriued at Chalus a town in Lymo­syn, departing the next day to ioyne with the army of the Duke de deux Pons in a village within two leagues of Chalus be­longing to the Lord d'Escars, gouernor of the said countrey.

The lord Admirall accompanied with two hundred horsemen, went where the duke was to salute him: y^e duke enduring certaine fittes of an ague not many days afore, and not cured as yet, died the xj. ofThe Duke de deux Po [...]s dead. this month 1569. in a village thre leagues from Lymoges: afore his death, he called [Page 87] before him the chief and principals of his army, with whome he communicated in many pointes, but chiefly in persuasion and request to pursue the purpose of their comming into France, leauing for their generall leader in his place, the Counte Wolrard de Mansfeld, afore his lieuetenāt generall: his body was caried to the town of Angoulesme, to be there buried.

In the army of the said late duke, wereDescrip­tion of the dukes camp xxviij. cornets of horsemen, conteining viij. thousand and fiue hundreth Reistres, whereof were Colonels, Hans Boucq, Reignold Grac, Henry d'Estam, and Hans de Theres: sixe thousand Launceknights wel armed on foote, and for the most part Pikemen, deuided into xxvij. ensignes, wherof were Colonels, the Lord de Gra­uillar, and the Lord Guieryn Gansgorff ba­ron of Grelezee, besides ij. M. horsmen and ten ensignes of footemen of Frenchmen, wherof was Colonell (touching the foote­men) one of y^e sonnes of the Lord de Bric­quemau. There were also in y^• sayd army diuers personages of high estate, as the prince of Orange, his sonne, the Counties Lodouike & Hēry de Nassau, his brethern, [Page 88] the Lord de Moruilliers, the Marques of of Renel, the Lordes of Mouy and Esters ney, besides many others: there were al­so xix. pieces of artillerie, and they either maine péeces, or field pieces, with others somewhat lesse, wherofhe left two of the greatest at Charyte. There were in theDescription of the prin­ces army. Princes army about thirtene thousand harquebusiers, besydes Pikes, wherof were great numbers, about iiij. thousand horsemen, sixe cannons and two meane peeces.

The kings brother nowe hauyng re­ceiuedSuccours from the Pope. from the Pope two thousand hors­men, and foure thousande footemen Itali­ans vnder the conduit of the Counte de sainct Fiour, came to Lymoges with his ar­my, fronting alwais as néere as he could the Almaignes, but not medling with thē.

About this tyme the Quéene mother accompanied w^t the cardinals of Bourbon & Loraine, came to Lymoges, & there desi­rous to sée in battel the army of the dukeThe Quene mother en­courageth the souldi­ours. her sonne, she visited the battels & squa­drons of his horsmen one after an other, perswading them to omitte noduetie, to continue their seruice to his maiesty, & so [Page 89] departed the campe, and went to Lymo­ges, where she remained certaine dayes, and then retired to the Court.

The same day the Lord de la Loue mar­shall of the Princes campe with his regi­ment of horssemen, was sent to Aesse vp­pon Vienne, to garde the passage, whereof the kings brother hauing intelligence, came the next day being the .xi. of June, and encamped wythin a league of the sayd Aesse, making out the same day cer­taine numbers of shot to vndertake the skirmish, who being repulsed, taryed not long there, but returned to the Campe: the .xij. day arriued at the sayde Aesse, the footemen of the vauntgarde of the Prin­ces and thether came also other supplies of shotte from the Caholikes campe, and that in great numbres: they at their first comming repulsed certaine shotte which were within the Subburbs on the other side Vyenne, albeit they were forthwith reskued, and the other driuen to retire, the skirmish endured lōg and hot, deuou­ring of the Catholike side about .CC. mē, and of the Princes part only twentie or thirtie.

[Page 90]Within two dayes after the Princes army marched toward S. Tirier la Perche, in the said coūtrey of Lymosyn, of purpose to refresh there y^• Lanceknights, weryed with so lōg trauell: the kings brother fo­lowed them, albeit so far off as it was the xxij. of June afore he came neer the Prin­ces, & then lodged .iij. leagues frō the sayd S. Tirier, wher the said Princes wer, who sent for their army as well footemen as horssmen to come and campe there. The xxiij. of the same month he aduāced more néere them, lodging within a league & an half of S. Tirier in a vilage called la Roche, the same arguing to the Princes, that he wold giue them battell the next morow, wherfore they attended to sée if he would come any néerer, which he did not, albeit the Princes sent for their armie to be ready in the first shew of the day, who ac­cordingly marched in good order to the sayd place de la Roche, where forthwyth they bestowed themselues in squares: the forlorne hope were appoynted to marche both on the right & left hand: they of the right hand wer led by the Lord de Pilles, whose Regiment made the first [Page 91] wing, the others of the left hand were guided by the Lord de Rouray: the Lorde de Mouy with his regiment of horssmen kept the left hand, and the Lords de Bric­quemau, & de la Loue with their regimēts of horsmen, the righthād, making y^• wing of the vauntgard: the Lanceknights wer ringed in two battailes, the one a vaunt­garde and the other a battell: the vaunt­gard caryed .viij. field péeces which were planted before their battell.

The skirmish began of y^• Lord of Pilles side against the Lord de Strossi, who with ij .M. shot was behinde a close pale, & sent thether for the defence of the passage, he had a great aduantage vpon the Lord de Pilles, because his harquebushears shot in couert from behind the sayd close pale, & the sayde Lord de Pilles was open & in a high place. Besides, the Lord of Strossi had to backe him in time of néede .iiij. cor­nets of Italians, who séeing y^• the forlorne hope of the Lord de Pilles could not dis­charge their péeces by reason of the rain, charged so hotly vpon him, as they forced him to retire a hundreth pase within the woode, killing at that charge about ten [Page 92] of his souldiours, albeit being reskued by two cornets of light horsmen of the Cap­teines la Motte and Brilliam Gascones, re­pulsed with equall violence the Italians, and put them to flight, in which meane while, the sayd forlorn hope renued more hotly the skirmishe, and yet did neyther hurt nor amaze greatly the sayd Lord Strossi, which caused the admiral to draw thither ward, who assone as he had suruei­ed the place, caused to come to him y^e shot led by the Lord de Rouray.

They began to skirmishe on the left hand against the Lord de Strossi, beating him on the side: with constraint at last to habandon his shade and recule: wher­vppon the Captaines la Mote and Brilli­am, with many other companies of hors­men, gaue vpon his troupes, and put thē to the chase, wherin the Lord Strossi was taken and led to the Admirall, who cau­sedThe Lord Strossi ta­ken. the victorie to be pursued to a litle ri­uer running fast by, and many souldiors folowed the fortune of this chase euen within the tents of the catholikes camp, and hard to their enseignes.

On the left hande the Lord de Mouy [Page 93] offred to charge certaine Cornets of Ita­lian horssmen, who refused to abide him, and so he returned backe.

It rained so vehemently that there could be no vse of any harquebushe, so that without any other thing done, the army retired, the Strossi lost and left dead on the place about .v. or .vj. hundred: A­mongst others of accompt was slaine hisStrosies men slaine. lieuetenaunt, called the Lord de Sainct Loup, with thirtie aswell Captaines in théefe, as lieuetenantes and ensigne bea­rers, whose Targets remained also vpō the place: Of them of the Religion were slaine and hurte of all sortes only fiftie, wherof were two Captains of footemen called Peyrol and la Merie Dauphynois, this was the .xxv. of June. 1569.

The morow after foure hundreth Ita­lian horssemen, with certain Pikemen of the mē of armes of the Duke de Nemors, came to sée if the Princes armie wer dis­camped as the kings brother was aduer­tised, as they approched neere the campe, they were discouered by the watch, and so hotly set vppon, as they were enforced to retire out of order, some slaine & some [Page 94] taken prisoners.

The .xxvij. of this moneth, the sayde Princes armie were driuen to discampe for want of vittailes, drawing towarde Perigueux, to relaue themselues.

The Lord de Moruillier, comen out ofThe death of the Lord [...]f Moruil. Almayne as you haue heard with the late Duke of Deux Pons, was sicke in this time at Angoulesme, of a hotte Ague, the same pressing him so sore, that within few dayes he dyed in the sayd towne.

The Counte du Lude gouernoure of Poyctou, hauing assembled certaine trou­pes aswell of Touraine, and Aniou, as of Poyctou, departed from the Towne of Poyctiers, and the twelfth of this moneth of June, planted his séege before Nyort, The siege of Nyort. wherein was gouernoure the Lord de la Brosse.

The first day of the siege the LordeThe Lord pluucau succours it. de Pluueau, with his Regiment of foote­men, and his companie of light horsmen, entred the Towne in despite of the Lord du Lude, who notwithstanding those suc­coures, began his batterie the next mor­ning on the side of the toure de la Pigalle, and folowed it forth with with an assault: [Page 95] which was so valyantly repulsed, that, he seeing the breache filled vp wyth suche spéede, remoued his batterie, and forced a breach in an other place, albeit he durst not make it good with an assault, but vn­derstanding of supplies of succor at hand raised his seege the .xxij. of the moneth of June.

He hadde foure Cannons and two meane péeces: Comming againe to Poy­ctiers, he left within S. Mesent, the Lord de Anuouy, maister of the campe of the Regiment of the late Counte Brissac, with suche companies as he had with the sayd Regiment, with two Canons, two field péeces and certain other munitions, leading the rest to Poyctiers.

At this siege, the Lord de Pluueau was lightly hurte wyth a shotte, and soone healed againe: Of the du Ludes side were slayne the Captaines Flogeat, Gor­bon a Gentleman of Sainctonge, Fresouet la Marche, the Captaine Colonel of the sayd Regiment, the master of the mines, and Morlou guider of the Artillerie cari­age, with a great numbre of footemen.

The Lord of Teligni, was sēt for to go [Page 96] to the reskue of Nyort, with four cornets of Reistres, with certeine other cornets of Frenchmen, and the regiment of fotemen of the Lord Bricqueman the yonger. Not­withstanding afore he came there, the siege was raised, whereuppon they went to the sayd S. Mesent, to intercept the ar­tillerie: which in the end they abandoned, as héereafter shall be noted.

The Princes armie being in the coū ­trey of Perigueux was still pursued, but farre off, by the catholikes, keping on the left hand: The Princes entred by com­position within the town of Brantbome, they toke also two Castles in the sayde Countrey, the one belonging to the By­shop of Perigueux, and therfore common­ly called the Bishops castle, the other cal­led la Chapelle, in which wer killed about two hundred and thrée score men, wyth like numbre of the popular sorte with­drawne thither, and thereabout.

Upon the beginning of July, the Prin­ces army departed from the countrey of Perigueux drawing to Confluence or Confo­lance, a little towne vppon Vienne. Neare vnto the which is a Castle called Chaba­uey, [Page 97] then in question betwéen the vidame of Chartres & the Lord de Montluc: within the Castle was a companie of footemen, whose captaine refused to open the gates to the vit tailers of the Princes armie, & therfore the vauntgarde came and besée­ged them, and the same day battred and tooke the castle by assault, putting the sol­diours to the sword: The captaine onely was taken, who promised for his ransom twentie thousande frankes, and withall to cause to bee sent home M Peter Viret, minister of the Gospell, taken prisonner in the territories of the Queene of Na­narre: The castle after it was taken, the sixth of July, was burnt to the grounde. Within two dayes after the Lord de Mouy entred by composition the towne of S. Genais in Poictou: one chéefe couenant in the composition was, that the Towne promised to pay ten thousand Franks, so that their goodes were not put to the pil­lage or spoile, wherein they were duely delt withall, as they also paid truly their money. You haue heard how the kings brother pursued the Princes campe into Perigueux, who now séeing (as it séemed) [Page 98] into their seuerall purposes, turned a­way, and passing by Lymosin and Berry, came into Touraine: Being at Loches, he licenced a great number of his horsmen, to recreate themseiues abrode vntill the first of October, by which occasion his campe so diminished, as he had not about him of the Frenche nation aboue a thou­sand or .xij. C. horssemen, and very fewe footmen: almost all the Captains went to relieue and encrease their companies.

The Princes being aduertised, that the towne of Chastelleraut, conteyned not aboue thrée score soldiours in garde, dis­patched thither the Lord dé la Loue wyth his regiment of horssemen, and a compa­ny of Harquebushers on horssebacke: At hys first commyng he sommoned the towne, which without muche resistance, was rendred vnto him, reseruing onely that their goodes should not be sacked, nor any the inhabitants hurt, vppon which agréement the gates were opened, & the Lord de la Loue entred at one gate, and the Lord Villiers Knight of the order, and gouernor of the towne, issued out of an o­ther, Uppon the end of thys moneth, the [Page 99] Lord de Sansac, with .iiij. or .v. M. footemen & certein horsmen of the Catholikes, be­séeged the Towne of Charyte, he battered it so vehemently, that wythin small time he made a breach, and sodainly mar­ched to the assault, frō whence he was re­pulsed with the losse of .v. C. men, the rest retiring from the assault to the artillery, wherof one of smal experience let fal his match w^tin a calk of cânon pouder, which in a moment flusht vp suche a generall flame & fire, y^t it burned a great nūbre of y^e said soldiers, & blew one on y^• other side the riuer of Loere vpon the grauel, and so burned him to death in euery mās sight. They y^t defended the towne, made great resistance, & gréeued many of the Catho­likes by their sallies which they made out of the towne: wherupon the Lord de Sansac not able to force thē, was cōstray­ned to raise his séege, hearing w^tal, that y^e Princes had prouided to succor thē with iij. or .iiu. M. horssemen, which notwith­standing was rather incerteine, than a true report.

After the taking of y^e castle of Chabaney, the princes army toke way to Luzignan, [Page 100] a strong castle, and (as it is said) builde [...] long since by Mellusigne: the gard of this Castle were two hundreth souldiors vn­der the Lord de Guron, captaine and kée­per of the same, who, being sommoned to render it, refused, by reason whereof it was beseged the fourtenth day of the said moneth, when the battery began very furiously with sixe Cannons on that side to the Parke, they within being sore sha­ken with the Cannons, and almost four score of their soldiours slaine, a breache being beaten open and flat, and the regi­ments of footemen in order of battel rea­dy to offer the assault, began to faynt in [...]a [...]le [...]ig hart, demaunding parley, and immediat­ly rendred the place vnder this composi­tion, that the said Lord Guron wyth the Lord de Cluseaux, should depart with bag and baggage, & the souldiours with theyr liues and only sword and dagger: with­in the castle were found foure Cannons, two field péeces with great store of mu­nition: and as some say, huge summes of money. They established there as gouer­nor the Lord de Myrambeau, a gentlemā of the Country of Sainctonge, with .vj. hun­dreth [Page 101] harque busheares to garde it.

The Baron of Adretz, who had bin at the d'Aumals camp, and seen his ensignes but euill folowed in respect of his slender numbers of men in his regiment, tooke way to Dauphine, very slenderly accom­panied, without displaying any banner. Against his returne the Lord de Gordes gouernor ther, had put in readinesse two Ensignes of footemen to send into Lan­guedock, whereof he presented the conduc­tion to the sayd Baron of Adretz, who refusing such charge, the expedition was vsed by Captaine Mestral, who led them thither vppon the beginning of July.

About this time the Queene of Nauar, the Prince hir sonne, the Prince of Con­de, the Lords, Knights, Gentlemen with others that accompanyed them, presen­ted a request to the King, entreating an assured peace of the present troubles, which, for the importance of the matter, is héer contained in euery singuler woord and poynt as foloweth.

¶Sir, it is a thing no lesse strange, thanThe Protestants requ to the king for peace. almost incredible, that amongst so ma­ny people put vnder your obedience by [Page 102] the resolute wil and prouision of God, as a blissed pawne and witnesse of his boun­tifull regard to wards you, and the same contēding in ordinary vaūt to be so dear­ly enclined to the▪ vpright proceeding of your affaires, and preseruation of your crown, ther is not one, no not one amōgst so many nūbers, that once offreth to put himself in indeuor to quenche or qualifie this vnnatural fire so burning daily with in your reaime, as there lackes little of the vtter confusion of the same: It is also no lesie true than the other maruelous, y^• of the contrary, infinite numbres do tra­uel infinitely, not only to kindle y^• which is already burst into flame, but also by sondry sortes of artificiall sleightes, doe studye to entertaine, aggrauate and en­crease it.

[...] And albeit it ought first rather to mouewhome troubles [...]t to be [...]uted. from suche, who of a galantnesse of sto­macke, and to satisfie some particular respect in them selues, haue incēsed these troubles against the will of your maie­stie, making bothe peace and warre at their pleasure: then from those, who be­sides [Page 103] they are iniustly assailed and pursu­ed in their consciences, honors, lyues and liuelyhoods, haue no other purpose & mea­ning, than to defend their liues agaynst such heauy and violent tyrānies, lothing alwayes troubles and emotions, & louing with a singular zeale bothe peace it self, and suche as laboure to entertaine it: yet the Quéene of Nauarre, the Prynce her sonne, the Prince of Conde, with the Lordes, Knightes, and Gentlemen that accompany them, moued (afore the rest) with a naturall bonde and affection to your Maiestie, and preseruation of your Crowne and Realme, neyther can nor will suspend or deferre any longer, to searche and apply for their partes (as al­wayes they haue done) such most propre and conuenient remedies, as they thou­ght most apt to warrant and defend this your realme from a lamentable subuer­sion, wherewith it both hath bene, and is presently threatned: And as in respect to establishe a peace and publike tranquil­litie, they haue hetherto more forward­ly enclined than the rest, happening by [Page 104] that meanes into such strange perils and aduētures, as if God had not kept an eye vpon them, there had now remayned but a lamentable remembrance of their ge­neral confusion: so these things well con­sidered with their seueral circumstances, they haue small reason of hope, and lesse cause of expectation to effect that which so earnestly they desire, if God (the incli­ner of al harts) change not the mindes of their enimies that gouerne you, and giue them a disposition to desire and embrace peace. The said Princes, Lords, Knights w^t others parties to this humble request, persuading rather that in place to allow this their franke and liberall will, with their duetiful indeuor to aduaunce a per­fect vnitie and peace amongst your sub­iects, they shalbe charged with slaunders and sinister interpretation of their godly purpose, as héere to fore they haue bene v­sed by those who neither hate nor feare any thing more than to sée this recon­cilement.

And as the sayd Princes with y^e other parties to this motion, haue neither had nor holdē any thing in more dear regard, [Page 105] than the publication to your maiestie frō time: to time of their actiōs & procedings, the same as impressions and witnesses of their singular desire to liue and die in the naturall obedience and awe of your ma­iestie, and withall to make known afore the whole face of the world, both how far their hartes and wils be from the slaun­drous impositions of the Cardinal of Lo­raine and his adherentes (pensionarie mi­nisters and naturall enemies to your crown) & also that by their forces (wher­unto they haue bene drawne with their great euill will and griefe) they intende no other than to maintain their religion, liues, honours, and such portions of goods as God hath appointed to their shares in this world: Euen so they persuade that such consideraciōs, neither can nor ought to hinder their vttermost endeuor to pur­sue and purchase the effect of so blessed and necessary a peace to this realme, and yelding withall vnfained testimonie of the humble and reuer [...]t respect they owe to your maiestie, which they had long ere this put in practise and proofe, were not that their enemies would thinke & per­suade [Page 106] others to beleue, that the onely ne­cessitie of their case haue induced them to it, séeing first their vntrue persuasion to your maiestie, that there were no leuies of men of warre in Almaigne for the suc­cours of the Princes: Secondly, that if any such were, yet the Realme was of sufficient meane and force to withstande their entrie: Thirdly, if they did enter, it was impossible to ioyne with the prin­ces in respect of so many déepe riuers and passages of daunger betwene the one and other campe: Fourthly, albeit their ar­mies did knitte and ioyne, yet, (the prin­ces pouertie cōsidered) the charges could not be long defrayed, nor the plentifully long contented: seming by these reasons to attend & temporise, till they had both ioyned & payed their sayd forces, & assem­bled others which were dispersed, and (as the world knoweth) of such numbers and facultie, as besides their habilitie to resist easily their enemies, they wanted neither way nor meane to execute any wicked attempte if they had had any will, as is suggested and imposed vpō them: If then in the former troubles, the late prince of [Page 107] Conde with the Lordes, knightes, and gentlemen of his part, receiued the con­dicions of peace concernyng onely the matter of religion and libertie of their consciences, and that immediatly after the death of the Duke of Guyse and Mar­shall Sainct Andre, and the late Constable of Fraunce taken prisoner, beyng thrée principall leaders of the army: if also in the last rising, as soone as was offered to the sayd prince and other lordes and gen­tlemen of his company the restablishmēt of the exercise of religion, notwithstan­ding their great troupes and strength of straungers ioyned with them, and vpon the very point to assaulte the towne of Chartres in the view and face of the ene­mies campe, which was for the most dis­ordred, if at the only sound & pronoūcing of peace made by a trumpet sēt vnder the name of your maiesty, the sayd prince did not only forbeare y^e assalt, but also raised forth with his siege & retired his army, re­ping notwithstāding of so redy obediēce, but a bloudy peace & promise full of infi­delitie: if also during the same sturre, the morrow after the battel at Sainct Denys: [Page 108] where both the Prince had the better, & the Constable principall leader of the ar­my was slaine. The said Prince dispat­ched to your maiestie the Lord de Theli­guy, aswel [...]o warne you of the ruine and desolacion threatning from the instaunt your realme if the straungers were suf­fred to enter houering there vpō the frō ­tiers, as also to mediate and sollicite in means and remedies to knit an absolute peace onely in the cause of religion: if (in short) your edictes haue bene alwais pub­lished, & the peace accorded, at such times as they of the religiō, (if they would haue abused y^e opinion of your purpose) might, in respect of their forces, persuade and beleue, that aswell in all your parleyes and treaties of peace, there was no other mencion than of the matter of religion, as also that their enemies haue not bene brought to it but by necessitie, being vna­ble by open force to maintain any longer against them: in what conscience or with what face, or countenance, may it be sayd that these troubles moue and continue for the matter and cause of religion? And yet neuerthelesse the more to choke and [Page 109] conuince the Cardinall of Loraine and o­ther his adherentes, of their lies & slaun­derous impositions which they publishe daily: the said Princes, Lords, knightes, gentlemen and others of their compa­nies forgetting the infidelitie and all dis­loyall attemptes heretofore conspired a­gainst them, declare and protest this day both before God & your maiestie, y^• what so euer hath bene done or offred to thē in euill from the beginning to this houre, they neither haue nor will once impute it to your maiestie, as knowing your na­ture to be nothing touched with such in­iust seuerities, wherof you haue giuen so many publike experiences, that there is now no cause of doubt: neither haue or do they thinke to chaunge or diminishe in any respect their duetie and naturall re­garde which they haue alwayes bente to the true aduancement of your greatnesse & royall estate: wherin, & also in so ma­ny effectes aforesaid, if it be both knowne and seene, that they enterteine no other purpose nor meaning, than (vnder the o­bedience and authoritie of your Edictes) to serue God according to his will, and as [Page 110] they are instructed by his holy word, with desire to be maintained with equall care as your other subiectes, in their honours, liues, and goodes, they are now ready to geue such further manifest proofe & wit­nesse, as their most enemies shall haue lest cause henceforth to doubt thē: And y^• neither to enter into any iustification of their actions passed, as their innocencie & iustice of their cause being sufficiently known to your maiesty, & al other kings, princes, & potētates what strangers so e­uer they be, if they be not of the faction & partie of Spain: and much lesse to seke to capitulate with your maiestie, knowing (god be praised) what is the duety of good and faithful subiectes to their sou [...] raigne prince & natural Lord. But (sir) in respect of the large peny worthes and common marchandize which heretofore hath ben made of the faith and worde of your ma­iestie, which (aboue all) ought to be holy, sacred, and inuiolable, and withall, with what vnseming boldnes your authoritie & name hath ben abused to y^e extreme pe­ril of all your people of the reformed pro­fessiō: it nede not seme strange if the sayd [Page 111] Princes w^t their cōsociates do humbly be­sech you to declare by an edict solemn, per petual & irreuocable, your resolute wil in a libertie & exercise of their religiō, to the ende y^• by the same, such as heretofore at [...]. seueral times both rashly & with al im­punitie haue infringed and violated your former constitutiō in y^e cause, may by this third, be more brideled & restrained, wher in because such as wer not able to endure the vnitie & vniversal rest maintained a­mōgst your people, by the good obseruaciō of your edicts, haue takē occasion to alter & corrupt thē by new constructiōs & mo­dificaciōs contrary to the true substace of the same & sincere meaning of your ma­iestie. And y^• also the sayd Princes w^t the rest of their factiō confesse to haue borne a most iust iudgemēt of god in more sorts of afflictiōs in time of peace, than when it was opē war, as in cōsenting to easily to y^• treaties of peace which haue ben made, the same prouiding a general contentmēt on all sides y^• good should be serued only in certein places of the realme, & by certain persons, as though (in a soūd conscience) there belonged no other thing to y^e seruice of God.

[Page 112]They most humbly besech your maie­stie to accord and graunt generally to all your subiectes of what qualitie and con­dicion so euer, frée vse of the said religion in all cities, villages, and boroughes, and all other places & corners of your realm and countreys within your obediēce and protection, without any exception, reser­uacion, modificacion, or restraint of per­sons, times, or places, and that with suer­ties, necessary in so high a cause: and be­sides to ordeine and enioyne to make ma­nifest profession of the one or other reli­gion, to the ende to cut of hereafter all meanes and occasions to many, who abu­sing such benefite and grace, are slipt into Atheisme and carnall libertie, and who, standing vpon no exercise and profession of religion, desire nothing more than to sée an vniuersall confusion in this realm, and all order, pollicie and Ecclesiasticall discipline reuersed, and abolished, a thing so daungerous as not to be tollerated in any christian state. And because (sir) we doubt not at all, that those who hether­unto haue pitched the foundacion of their deuises vpon slaundrous reproches, im­pudently [Page 113] published to make vs hatefull, euen to such as (God be praysed) bée free from the seruitude and tyrannie of Anti­christ, will not sticke to impose vppon vs an inctuile obstinacie, rather to defende, (without reason) that we haue once resol­ued to beléeue touching the Articles of Christian Religion, than to correct or re­tract our erroures. Wée declare and pro­teste (as hereunto we haue done) that if in any point of the cōfession of faith here­tofore presented to youre maiestie by the reformed Churches of your realm, it may bée found by the word of God comprehen­ded in the Canonicall bookes of the holy Scripture, that wée swarue from the doc­trine of the Prophetes and Apostles, we will foorthwith lend our handes, and giue place to such as will instructe vs better in the word of GOD (if we erre in any Ar­ticle) than we haue bin from the begin­ning: For which cause, and the better to effecte so happie a purpose, wée desire no­thing more, than a conuocation of a coun­cell frée and generall, and lawfully cal­led, wherein as euery one may haue hea­ [...]ng & scope to deduce his reasōs at large, [Page 114] so the same to bée eyther confirmed, or conuinced by the onely woorde of GOD, the true meane vsed in all tymes of An­tiquitie vppon lyke occasion. By whiche meane (Sir) also it is not to bee doubted, that GOD (by his speciall grace) will not vnseele the eyes of your Maiestie, and so gyue you speedie and true sight into the hartes and willes of youre Subiectes, re­conciled and knitte with an indissoluble bonde, and your Realme returne into his firste estate, beautie and dignitie, to the shame and confusiō of yours and our com­mon enimies, who by their subtill and priuie intelligences with the house of Spayne, haue with sinister pollicies trans­lated the late storme and tempeste of the lowe Countryes to your Realme, and al­most thundred it vppon the type of youre Crowne: Humbly desiring youre Maie­stie to enter into precise consideration and iudgement, whether it bee better to exspecte, of two Armies alreadie assem­bled within youre Realme, a firie and bloudie victorie, yeelding equall frute to the Conquerour, and he that is ouercome, [Page 115] or else to employe them togyther in the seruice of youre Maiesties affaires, in so many goodly occasions presently offered, importing no lesse the rest and aduaunce­ment of your Crowne and Realme, than any that euer happened in your tyme, re­turning also by that meane, the storme to the place from whence it came: where­in the sayde Princes, Lordes, Knightes, Gentlemen, with all the reste of their companies, bée vnfaynedly resolued, (as in all other things, tending to the great­nesse of youre noble Estate) to employe their lyues, goods, with all other meanes wherewith GOD hath endued them, e­uen to the laste droppe of their bloude, ac­knowledgingOffice of true subiects in thys worlde no other soueraintie or principalitie than yours, in whose obedience, and subiection they do desire to lyue and dye. The same be­yng also suche and all that a souereigne and naturall Prince is to exspect or de­sire of hys faythfull lonyng subiects and seruauntes.

This request thus deuised and written, the Princes sent a trompet to the Catho­lykes [Page 116] Campe to obteyne passeport for a Gentleman to go to his Maiestie whiche being refused the Admiral found meanes to sende a Copye of it to the Marshall Mōt [...]orancy, to present to the king, who about the .xix. of Julie following retur­ned a messanger to the Admirall, to lette him knowe that he had presented the re­quest to his maiestie, who would not looke on it, saying, he would neyther heare nor sée any thing comming from him, afore he hadde put hym selfe in obedience and fauoure of his Maiestie, who then assu­red hym to receyue and embrace hym, when, and as often, as he would put him­selfe in endeuour.

To this message by letter, the Admiral aunswered the .xxvj. of the same moneth, that seing his maiestie would not receiue the sayd requeste, he could not otherwyse chuse, than leaue the matter to the iudge­ment of al Christian Princes not touched with passion or partiall affection, whither they vsed not indeuour to come vnder the duetifull obedience of hys Maiestie or not, labouring for their parte by all their possible meanes to quenche the manifolde [Page 117] calamities houering to ouerwhelme the woole Realme, and so sette them selues within the fauoure and grace of the King. But now, seeing that there bée some will not spare the vniuersall destruction of the Realme, onely to rauishe their lyues and exercyse of their Religion, they woulde looke more neare than afore for the re­medie.

The Kings brother being at Loches, had aduertisement of the siege of Luzig­nan dispatching withal diligēce the Duke of Guyse, to get within Poyctiers, as well to hinder the taking of the Towne, as to turne the siege from Luzignan, notwith­standingLuzig. ren­dred. he was there no sooner than the Castell was rendred.

The Duke of Guyse arriued at Poytiers with the Marquise du Meine his brother, on Frydaye .xxij. of Julie, entring by the Bridge An [...]ubert with hys companies, which were about fiftéene hundreth hors­men, amongst whom were .iiij. hundreth Italians, gouerned by the Lorde Paule Sforce, brother to the Counte de Saincte Fiour, and one Cornette of Reistres. These succoures assured greatly them [Page 118] within the Towne, who otherwayes might happyly haue trembled at the com­ming of the Princes Camp.

There were within Poyctiers aforeLords and Captaynes [...]ithin Poy­ [...]yers. the Guyses comming, the Counte du Lu­de, his thrée brethren, de Chastelliers, de Sautere, and de Briançon, the Lordes de Ruff [...]c, de la Riuiere, Bo [...]sequin, de Ferra­ques, d'Argence, de Rouët, and other lords and Knightes of the order, and Captaynes of horssemen with part of their cōpanies. There were also of footemen, the compa­nies of the Capteynes Passac, la-Prade, la Vacherie, d'Arsach, le Lis, Bois-vert, Bo­neau, Boulāde larrie, w^t certeine other, be sides vj. cōpanies of footmen raysed by the inhabitants of the Towne. The generall number of Catholike soldiors of al sortes, as well footmē as horsmen, strangers, as townesmen during this siege (whereof shall bee spoken hereafter) were v. or .vj. thousand men: they had. vj pieces of Ar­tillerie, as .ij. or .iij. meanes, and certeyne lesse pieces in the Castell.

The Princes, after the rendring of Luzignan, and afore they besieged Poy­tiers, tooke Monstruel, Bonyn, Couché, [Page 119] Sasay, Ʋiuone, with other little Castelles about Poytiers, thereby to hold the Catho­likes more strait. In which meane while the Princes horssemen made ordinarie roades euen to the gates of Poytiers, bur­ning many Abbaies, Priories, and Tem­ples.

The xxiiij. day the sayd horsmē, as wel French as Allemans, presēted thē selues in battaill before the town, on y^• syde, which is aboue the Abbaye of S. Cyprien, vntill very neare S. Benoit, being deuided into two great hostes: Certeyn horssemen of the Towne issued oute at the gate to­warde the Bridge Anioubert, with cer­teyne numbers of shotte on foote, who without any thing dooing, retired into the towne, and the horssemen of the Religi­on, into their seuerall quarters.

The .xxv. daye of the same moneth, the Princes footemen and horssemen presen­ted agayne before the Towne aboute noone. The footemē gaue a hoat charge v­pon the suburbes De la Cueille, where the Capteyn Bois-vert, with hys companie, (l [...]dged behynd a little trench) making negligent watche, were sodenly set vpō, [Page 120] and the most part killed: the rest beyng forced to retyre more low to the suburbs S. Ladre, were valiantly folowed by them of the religion euen to the postes & houses ioyning to the gate of the suburbs: There began a hoat skirmishe which lasted al­most fyue houres, vntill the night deuided them: they (of the religion being come but to make a first viewe of the state of the towne) retyring with losse of very few of their people. The .xxvj. day being tuesday,Poict. be­sieged. the Princes beset the towne on all sydes, pitching their tentes in the medowe be­neath Hostel-dieu nere to a milne, where they made forth with a bridge vpon the ri­uer of Ciyn to passe on both sides the town as nede required: the same day, certayne principals of the army viewed the towne on al sides, beginning the next day to bat­ter the defences of the Castell with cer­tayne culuerines & other meaner péeces. There was no other thing worthy of re­port done this month, but making and fil­ling of baskets, deuiding of quarters, dys­pesing the camp, casting trenches, ditches, and digging of earth to couer and shroude the shot.

[Page 121]The battrie began the Monday beingBattery a­gainst Poye. the first of August on the ryght side of the Tower of the bridge Anionbert, and the wall fast by, planting .viij. or .ix. péeces of battery vpon the rock or hill right against the sayd bridge, aboue and betwene the suburbes of Pympaneau and S. Sornyn, which cōtinued .iij. dayes: the reason was, that other wayes the sayde tower myght greue the army and other batteries: they forbare not also to prouoke skirmishe, wherein they that kept the suburbes be­yonde the bridge as captaines Arsach and Bonneau with their companie were for­ced to leaue the said suburbes.

Assoone as the said suburbes were aban­doned, there was brought downe .ij. Ca­nons to beat the foote of the wall, piercing of purpose to make it a house to serue for baskets of earth, the same being perceiued by them in the towne, foorth with dischar­ged certaine volues of the cannon against it, to make it fall, and so enforced the sayd ij. cannons to be haled away: in the mean while the protestantes labored to winne the suburbes of Rochreull, garded by the captaine La Vacherie, skirmishing conty­nually [Page 122] within a vyne, lying directly be­twene the said suburb and the castel, wher was hoat warre without intermission. The .v. of August the sayd captaine la Va­cherye as he maintained the skirmish was shot thorow the head with a harquebush where of he dyed in the fielde.

I haue noted before that the L. d'Au­noux, maister of the camp of the regiment of the late counte Brissac, was left wythin S. Mesen by the counte Du-lude, since his returne from Nyort, who nowe by com­maundement from the Duke of Guyse, coolled out .iiij. or .v. hundred of the best souldiers in his companies to come to the succours of Poyctyers, sending the residue with his cariage to Pertnay, where was the captaine Allard, and so he aryued at Poyetyers about two houres after myd­night the sixt of August.

The batterie hauing ceassed at y^e bridge Anionbert, from the .iiij. of this moneth, began againe the▪ vij. of the same, albeit not on that side but against a towre of the bridge S. Cyprian next to the suburbs, by meane wherof they within were inforced [Page 123] to discende and leaue the sayd towre, andBattery a­gainst Poye. entrenche themselues vppon the bridge with vessels and hogsheades and other such like things, y^e Protestants from that tyme afterward, being vnable to greue them within the Abbay of S. Cyprian, as they did afore: The company of captayne Reynaut was ordained for the garde of this towre and quarter.

After the defences of this towre were raised, the Princes remoued their péeces to the right side of the wal of the Abbots meade, thinkyng that place most weake of all the towne, and to that effect they planted theyr cannons the nynth of thys moneth to make a breach, bestowyng others in other places to batter the flanke & syde, hauing y^• day before set vp in thys quarter vppon the riuer of Clyn a, bridge of pypes and boordes tyed togyther with great cables.

The battrie was so vehement and fierse, that in small time they had en­forced two great breaches, the one neare the other, skowringe suche defenses as annoyed them by reason of a towre and [Page 124] mylne which were there by: they within laboured to fill vp their breaches, albeit with great difficultie and distresse, as not able to shew them selues within the Ab­botes meade without gret perill, bycause the hilles gouerned all the sayde medow.

The breaches thus battered, the Pro­testantes were of mynd to assault them, bestowing (for this purpose) their people in squares and wings, and shewed them­selues vppon the hilles in very good order. They firste sent certeyne Capteynes and Souldioures to viewe the breaches, who brought reporte, that they could not bee entred without great perill, the rather bi­cause the bridge which they hadde erected vppon Clyn (ouer the whiche they must passe to go to the breache) was neyther conuenient for the matter, nor sufficient to beare the souldioures that should passe ouer it, neither could the horssemen (what distresse or neede so euer chaunced) go to the succoures of the footemen within the said Abbots meade if it happened that thei were charged by the horsemen of the Ca­tholykes. Besydes, they within had plan­ted a counter batterie of .iij. or .iiij. Ca­nons fast [Page 125] by Carmes, whych dischargyng right vpon the breaches, might much en­daunger them that offred the assault: these were the causes that nothing was done y^t day. Captain Caluerat being in a towre neare the breach, and going to see it, was killed the same daye: in the nyght the ca­tholickes discended to the ryuer, and cut the cordes of the bridge before mencioned and so brake it, vsing this pollicy to couer and disguise their enterprise, they brought down great volues and noyse of Harque­bushot, bestowing them against the bodye of the watch being neare the artillery, to the ende they should be neither heard nor séene whilst they brake the bridge. These things hanging thus in traine afore Poyc­tyers, the king, and Q. mother accompa­nied wyth the Cardinals of Bourbon and Loriain; came to Amboise, & from thence to Towars whether the Kings brother came to them: there they deliberated vp­pon meanes to succoure Poyctiers, and to that ende was dyspatched spéedelye the knight Montluc wyth fiue hundred har­quebusiers on horsback, to get (if he could) within Poyctyers, albeit he was so disco­uered [Page 126] in the way y^• his enterprise quailed & he returnd to y^• camp: The king sēt for y^e L. de Sancsac lying before the siege of La Charite to come to him w^t all his forces: he procured also a spedy leuy w^tin Paris of .20 enseignes of footmen & certain horsmē, dis­patching special letters to all y^e Nobilitie of Fraunce to repaire spedely to him to the camp, which he was determined to folow in person, & that vpon payn of confiscation of bodies & goods, or to be declared w^tin the danger of contempt, he raised also his ar­rear banks in many prouinces, who forth with came to him in the sayd country of Touraine, in effect he assembled with won­derfull diligence asmuch succours as hée could for y^e reskue of Poyctiers. Ther were certain cornets which ordinarily vsed to beat the streets & ways w^tin half a league of Chastelleraut, amongst whom were spe­cially, the L. of Boniuets companies, sonne to y Lord of Creuecoeur, & of the baron of Numburg a Normande: which being kno­wen to y^e garrison of y^e said Chastelleraut, together with the certaine place wher the said Lord Boniuet was wont to come, the x. of August .ij. or .iij. hundreth horsmen w^t [Page 227] certaine shot of y^e captain Norman, made a sally vpon them, & toke y^• said L. Boniuet with his company in a village nere to Li­guers wher they entred without let as ke­ping negligent garde, and were foūd layd & lodged after the french maner, the Lord Boniuet was prisoner, and almost all the rest of his company either killed or taken. About the same time the Marquis of Ran­con an Italian, was taken neare to My­rebeau as he bayted, and was led priso­ner to Nyort The Lord of Tarri [...]les gouer­nour for the King in Quercy, maintained war all this while in Bern, a countrye be­longing to the Quéene of Nauarte, hauing almost brought all the country vnder his auctority: wherfore y^e counte Mōtgomery, sent (as is said) into Gascoyne▪ assembled y^• forces of the .ij. vicountes to apply spedely to y^e succors & reskue of y^e city of Nauarre in Bearn beseged by y^e said L. of Tarrides: he deuided his iornye into such diligence and spede as about y^e .7. of August he was very nere Nauarreis, at whose so sodaine comming, the Lorde Tarrides raised hys siege, and retyred into a towne there ioy­ning, where the Montgomery besieged [Page 128] and tooke hym wyth hys brother and the Lorde de S. Colombe and of Negr [...]-pelisse, with many other great lords & knights of the order, and captaines to the number of xxx. The Lord of Tarrides lost his artille­rye with a great number of hys horsmen and footmen: The counte Montgomery, (by meane of this discomfeite) restored the whole countrye of Bearn to the obedience of the Quene of Nauarre.

Touching the siege of Poyctyers, they within were in great amaze with the breaches made in the abbottes meade, the rather bicause they could not defend them, wherupon entring into counsel, they foūd most best and necessary to stem the ryuer of Clyn to the ende to make it runne ouer his channel and so drowne the said meade: this counsell was put to spéedy execution, and planting stakes and pales proper for the purpose beneath y^e arches of the bridge of Rochercul, they dammed the riuer, so that in a moment the mead was all ouer­flowen with water about. iij cubites high, the same so troubling the protestantes, as it dryue them from their determinations, notwithstanding after they had considered [Page 129] well of the subtilty, they beganne as in a counter pollicy, to beat the pales, and giue vent to the water, and therefore the next morning discharged so many shots of ar­tillery against the sayd waterworke, as the water retyred and left the meade drie, which the catholikes the night following restored and countergarded in this order: they cast behynd the said damme vnder the arches a very thicke wall, fastening cer­taine fléeces or balles wol to the pales to receiue and damp the cannon shot, which made the water swell and ouerflow more high than afore: Notwithstanding the ca­tholikes were closed very nere and strait, yet made they many sallies vpon the pro­testantes, who skowred them back againe euen to the verye posternes of their citys, not without great losse to the one and o­ther side: Amongst these sallies they made one of such a sodaine the .xij. of this month that they tooke a cornet of Reistres, and ca­ried them without let into the towne.

In this moneth the towne of Orillac in Auuergne, was taken by night by the L. de la Roche, and Bessonniere, professours of the religion in that countrey, accompa­nied [Page 130] onely with .vij. or viij. score men. This was their meane and pollicy: there is in the saide Oryllac, a gate of quarrye in the wall towardes the ryuer, which the inhabitauntes of the place caused to ramme and wall vppe, leauing onely a posterne so straite, that one person coulde scarcely enter.

This posterne was cloased with two portes or gates of woodde, the one within and the other without the Towne: the saide Lord of la Roche and Bessonniere came to the gate without the po [...]terne and with a great yron instrument made a hoale or creuish, by the which they cast in about a hundreth poundes of cannon powder betwene the saide two gates, and then closing vppe the saide hoale or creuishe, and making vnder the saide first gate a traine to the same powder, they put fire to it, which foorthwith flushed within the saide two gates, and blewe them both vppe, the one caried forty pace of, and throwen vppon a house within the Towne, and the other inforced with the violence and strength of the powder, [Page 132] pushed against a wall without the towne, and brake a brea [...]he contaynyng hys owne compasse, by which they entred the towne, wherein was no other garde than of the inhabitantes, whereof they killed a hundreth or sixe score resicting them in armoure. The Lord of S. Heraut gouernoure of the countrye appeared cer­tayne dayes after afore the towne▪ thin­king to recouer it, but fynding suche warme resictaunce he returned forth with to S Floure

The longe continuaunce of this siege afore Poyctyers, brought the Catholikes in a great necessitie and want of vittails, alwell for men as horses, and aboue all, forrage was so ska [...]t with them, that they were dryuen for to turne abroade parte of their horses to the vynes, me­dowes, landes, and other voyde places of the towne: whereof the Princes ha­uing vnderstanding by certaine strag­gling souldiers issuing out of the towne, determined to breake the mylne in the bottome of the medowe neare to the port de Tyson.

[Page]And for this purpose planted ouer .ij. can­nons in that quarter, which they dischar­ged against the said mylne, and after rety­red them as being discouered and annoied by the Catholickes: who pinched nowe with an extreme want of vittailes, deter­mined to thrust out of the towne a great number of vnprofitable persons, which as they beganne to execute the .xvj. of thys moneth, so the protestantes (to pine and sterue the towne more) driue them backe with force to enter the towne againe.

For want of powder and bollets, the battrie ceased for a tyme, whereof, the Princes hauing receaued a new prouision from Rochell, renued also the batterie the xx. of August on that syde towardes the Abbottes meade, where the breach beyng forced, they sent in the euening to suruey it by certain numbers of souldiers, wher­of .xvj. or xvij. entred by the breach in to the said medow, from whence (being discouered by the watch in S. Peters steple who ronge the alarum bell) they were constrained to retyre with spéede.

The night following the protestantes builded a bridge vpon Clyn towardes the [Page 133] suburbs of S. Sornyns, to passe to the by­shops mead, stretching towards the tem­ples of S. Radegonde and S. Sulpice: the bridge was made of quarreis of wood, hur­dles, pypes, earth and plankes of oke ve­ry large, also well fastened and ioyned with nailes, cables, and cordes, y^t the can­non might well passe ouer it, and of such bredth that .viij. or .ix. men might walke a fronte. They made an other of the same matter and fashion, and set it likewise vp­pon the riuer about .xl. pase distant from the other. These bridges thus made and erected, they bestowed many baskets with earth, aswell neare the first bridge, as on the other syde that which was within the byshops meade, drawing to the suburbes of S. Sornyn neare the sayd bridges, part of their artillerye beating the defenses of the wall, which are before and right a­gainst the sayd temples: Those defenses thus beaten and skowred, the battrie be­ganne the morrow after being the .xxiij. of August, in that place and the byshops mead. The catholickes labored to theyr best to repaire their breaches, and had no assault that day: The Lorde of Briançon, [Page 134] brother to the counte Du lude, going the same day to viewe a platforme neare to Carmes, to supply some speciall want with his aduise, had his head striken from hys shoulders with a bollet: Lykewyse the Lorde d'Aunous, stryuing the same day to dryue the Protestantes from a Towre which they occupied neare the breache of the Abbottes meade, was striken in the head with a harquebush, whereof he dyed shortly after.

The Lorde of Prunaye also beinge a­mongst his souldiers at the breache, had his left legge taken away with a cannon and so dyed Of the protestants side were killed the Lorde of Chanay called Frauncis du Fay and one of the Marshalls of the campe of the vauntgarde hurte wyth a musketie in the arme, broken in two partes.

The foure and twenty of thys moneth in the morning, the Princes renewed oftsones the batterye with twelue or .xiiij. peeces agaynst the wall before the sayde Temples, the same being of such vehe­ment furie, that there was discharged that [Page 135] day more than seuen hundreth shottes of cannon, which beat a large breach before thrée of the clocke in the afternoone, and the protestantes ringed in battell vppon the toppe of the hilles towardes the sub­burbes, ready to geue the assault, which they entended foorthwith to do by the Ab­bots meade, as hauing disposed most part of their army on that syde: The catholikes were busie to releue their breaches with beds, faggots, and other matters apt to fill vp.

The Duke of Guyse being at the one breach and the counte Du-sude at the o­ther, seing the enemy prepared strongly and spedely to the assault, rong the alarm bel of the towne, to the end that euery one might retyre into his quarter. Ther was a captaine of the protestantes, who beyng followed with ten or twelue and couered onely with his target, ranne ouer one of the bridges within the bishops meade, and came euen to the little corner or arme of the ryuer that toucheth the wall, and so viewed the breache, whiche hee repor­ted to the Admirall not to bée sufficiently [Page 136] assaultable, aswel because the ruine and breakings of the wall were faine within the town & had not filled vp y^e riuer which runneth at the foote of the wal, as also that they within had raised great trenches and rampiers, wherupon the army retyred in the euening without any assaulte: Thys day captaine Gascourt Knight of Mal [...]e, was slaine with a cannon, being sent by the Guyse, to view the breach, and consider what was necessary to defend it.

The morrow being the .xxv. of August, the princes army was eftsones ringed in order as thoughe they would go to the as­sault, the breaches were once agayne viewed, aswell that within the abbottes meade as the other at S. Radegonde, by cer­taine captaines and souldiers, who in their return reported the perillous estate of the same.

The same daye, the Protestantes be­stowed certain shotte of artillery as well against the bridge Anioubert, as Roche­reul, wherein were beaten certaine holes or creuisses to auoyde the water out of Abbottes mead: the same beyng filled and stopped againe the same euening by the [Page 137] Catholikes.

The rest of this August passed without any great effectes, sauing certeyne light batteries to purge the waters and raze the mylne of Tyson, togither with certein sallies made sometyme by the Bridge A­ch [...]rd. It was thought that the sicknesse of the Admiral and y^e L. d'Acier was the cause why there were no more attempts aduaunced.

The first of September, the Princes determined to winne the suburbes of Ro­chereul, to the ende by that meane the soo­ner to rydde the waters. And bicause they would cut off from such as kept the sayde suburbes all succours and releefe from the towne, they bent first certeyne canons a­gainst the towre of y^e bridge of Rochereul, discharging vpō it aboue an hundreth vo­leys, whiche battered a great parte of it, winning in the ende the vyne whereof is spoken before, whiche houered and valted on highe ouer the streate of the suburbes. This was almoste the chiefest place of skirmishe, since, and during the siege.

The morrowe, they battered the de­fenses of the Castell and Rochereul bridge, [Page 138] pitching also newe batteries vnder the Nut trees neare the Riuer, betweene the way that goeth to Hostel-dieu, at the par­ting of the suburbes drawing to the mea­dow towardes Chastelleraut.

The saterday the .iij. of September, the battery began in the morning against the wall and gate of the suburbs, which by .ij. of the clock in the after noone had thrown open a wyde breach, wherevpon the pro­testants did spéedely ring them selues in battaill, as well on highe de la Cueil, (where lay a piece that gouerned the Of­fices of the Castell) as beneath the sayde Hostel-dieu, and in .iij. squares neare the Nut trees of the place, where the batterie was made. The Catholikes restored the breaches as much as they could, with ves­sels, wood, earth, and rampiers: and there were the Capteynes Passac, Nozieres, the Lorde of Mo [...]tail, and Carbonieres, with others prepared to susteyne the assaulte. They had bestowed about foure hundreth harquebusears in the Towers, galleries, and offices of the Castell, which flancked all along as they should come to the as­saulte. All whiche notwithstanding, the [Page 139] Protestantes aboute three of the Clocke in the after noone, came to the assaulte, the Lorde Pilles, with hys regimen wasThree as­saultes gyuē to the sub­burbes of Ro [...]l. the formost, beyng followed with diuerse other regimentes of the Frenche footmen, who valtauntly came vppon the breache, and stoode till they hadde bestowed diuerse blowes with their Curtillaxes: albeit, they were constrained to turne face in re­spect of the flankers, whiche greeued them greatly. Immediatly followed the se­cond assaulte gyuen by certeyne numbers of horssemen descended on foote with di­uerse footemen, and they likewyse repul­sed.

These firste assaultes beyng perfor­med by the Frenche men, the [...]ansquenets would needes followe with a third, which albeit was performed with such courage, as they foughte valiauntly vppon the breache, yet seeing the present defense, and generall daunger to maynteyne it long, they reculed, and retired euery one into his quarter.

In these assaultes the Protestantes loste an hundreth or sixe score Souldi­oures, with certeyne numbers hurte. [Page 74] The Lord de Pilles was hurt in the thigh with a small shot, whereof he was spéede­ly cured. The Lorde Bricquemaus sonne, Colonell of the footemen was also hurte with a harquebush, whereof after certeyn dayes he dyed. The Lorde de S. Marie of Dauphinoys, with others of marke were also killed. On the Catholikes part were killed, Capteyn Passac, and the Lorde de Montall, with a good number of footmen.

Before these assaultes, the Catholikes sent two men to the King and his brother for succours, with charge to reueale the estate of the Towne and penurie of vit­tails. The Kings brother hauing assem­bled as much force as he could, came to La Haye, & to Port de Pille, determining to be­set Chastelleraut, to y^e end to draw the siege frō Poytiers: and therefore made to march his vauntgarde right to Chastelleraut, lod­ging the monday, being the .v. of Septem­ber, a quarter of a league from the town. The morrow after, his horsemē and part of his footemen presented in order of bat­taill before the Towne to view it, al that day being spente in skirmishing on the o­ther syde the riuer of Vienne.

[Page 141]The Towne was gouerned by the L. de la Louē, Marshall of the Campe of the vauntgarde to the Princes: He had first for the defence of it, his owne companie of light horsmen, and then the Lords of Va­lauoire, Brossay, La-motte, and de Roeys­ses, with .vij. Companies of footemen, and Capteyne Normantes companie of har­quebusears on horseback.

The suburbes defaced by fire, was no place for the Catholykes to lodge in, so that they were constrained to encampe further off, whiche they beganne to doo the same day they viewed the Towne. The Artillerie brought by the Suyzers, arriued at midnight, and immediatly approches were made, and the canons ringed in bat­terie in two seuerall places, beating not­withstanding all one breache. It beganne the wednesday the .vij. of the sayde mo­neth, very early neare the gate S. Cathe­rine, betwéene a tower of y^e sayd gate, & an other tower more neare drawing to y^e tē ­ple S. Iean. Such was the furie of y^e batte­rie, as by two of the clock in y^e afternoone, a breach was forced of thrée or foure score foote wyde: the chaūce fel vpon y^e Italians, [Page 142] to giue y^e assault, which thei [...]d being bac­ked & folowed w^t certeyn French mē. Thei moūted vpō thē breach, where, albeit theyAssault of Italians. presented .xvij. enseignes, yet founde they suche sharpe and speedy repulse, as they were enforced in a moment to turne their faces, receyuing great losse by the [...]aulte of the sayd gate, wherein were be­stowed .vj. score harquebusears well ap­poynted. The Italians lost at this assaulte [...] of their enseignes, which y^• Protestants tooke from them by force.

After this assaulte (and the Catholikes retired from the breach) Capteyne Bernier d'A [...]phinoys came to succour the Towne with iiij. hundreth harquebusears, beyng backt with the horssemen of the Princes vauntgarde led by the L. de la Loue and Telignie. The Italians were so crushed at this assault as they had no will to make it good agayne, neither was any other thing worthie of memorie done that day.

The same daye, the siege of Poytiers raysed to come to reskue Chastelleraut, marching no further that daye than thrée leagues, by reason one of y^e Canons mis­caried and was lefte on the place. The [Page 143] morrow after the Armie approched with­in halfe a league of Chastelleraut, whiche made the Catholykes rayse their siege, & retire to Port de Pille, hauing loste in this siege fyue hundreth men, and almost all Italians, whereof the Colonell Fabiano de Rome was one. The next morning the Princes vauntgarde pursued the Catho­lykes, cutting off from the tayle of their Campe about two hundreth footemen, and killed them all.

The same day, the Lorde de Sanzay en­tred Poytiers with .x. or .xij. companies of footmen, almost all Italians, and two hun­dreth horssemen. Immediatly after whose cōming the Duke of Guyse and the Mar­quise du Meine his brother, accompanied with .xv. hundreth horssemen, departed the Towne to relieue themselues with fresh aire. The morrowe after, beyng the .x. of September, began a skirmishe on the hy­ther syde the sayde Port de Pille against ij. thousand harquebusears which the catho­likes had left there within the trenches. They wer at last enforced to passe spedily ouer [...]re [...]se, leauing about .iiij. or .v. hun­dreth of their companie dead on the place. [Page 144] The Princes armie drewe to la Haye, to passe the sayed ryuer the nexte morning, being the .xj. of the sayde moneth. There was no woorthy matter performed other than certeyn light skirmishes.

The monday following, the Princes armie readie ringed in battaill very ear­ly, presented afore the Catholykes to gyue them battaile: Albeit, bycause there was betwéene the two Armies a little Ryuer with marise shoares, whiche ney­ther the Princes could passe them selues, nor yet conueye ouer their Artillerie. After the two armies hadde long remay­ned one within viewe of an other, they retired into their seuerall quarters. The princes armie, for want of vittayles, and séeing withall the Catholykes had small disposition to fight, passed againe ouer Cr [...]use, and also Ʋienne, the .xij. of Sep­tember, retyring so to Faye la Ʋineuse in Poyctou, of purpose chiefly to refresh them. The catholiks drew to Chynon, expecting not only forses to be brought from many places in France, but also such companies of men of armes as had leaue til the first of October as hath bin sayd.

[Page 145]The Prince of Orange departed from Faye to returne into Almaigne with a ve­ry smal company, he passed by Charyte & Ʋezelay, and from thence by many coun­treyes without any let till he came into Almaigne, The brute went that he vn­dertooke this iourney to hast certain suc­cours of Reistres.

As the Admirall lay at Fay vineuse, there was one Dominike Dalbe a Gascone executed by sentence the xxi. of this mōth. These were the causes proued against him: First, y^• he being of the admirals chā ­ber, and sent by him to the Duke de deux Pons with letters, as well from the sayd Admirall his maister as other Princes, was taken at Brissac, a countrey in the marches vppon the ende of May last, by the lord la Riuiere, Captaine of the garde to the Catholikes, and being by him ear­nestly, sollicited, he reuealed to the quéene mother, Duke d'Aniow her sonne, and Cardinall of Loraine his iourney with the purpose, with further promise, that vn­der colour to go and deliuer to the sayde Duke his letters of charge, to espy his campe, and sound his secret determinaci­ons, [Page 146] and so being presented from that tyme with an hundred crounes, and an estate or office roomth in the chamber of the said duke d'Aniou, he put him on the way to effect his promise touching the view and report of the Dukes campe, from whom hauing spéedy dispatche, he returned to y^e sayd la Riuiere, & imparted his full expedition, not forgetting to de­scribe at large what he had lerned of the state of y^e dukes camp. Secondly, he was instantly persuaded and pursued as wel by one Laurence de Ruze, Secretary to the duke d'Aniou, as by the sayd la Ri­uiere, to kill by poyson or otherwaies the sayd Lord Admirall: which he might be bold to do (say they) without feare of the Admirals childrē, who also should be roo­ted vpto the vttermost of their race, nei­ther nede he stand vpon any dreadful re­spect of any his frends or kinsmen, seing they assured him y^• no one of them should euer be well receiued or welcomed to the court, as first the Marshal Montmo­rancy his Cosine should be committed to prison, where he should neuer come out with honour, and that of the rest of the [Page 147] sayd Marshals bretherne, there should not remaine one. Finally, the (rather to allure him to such an horrible acte) they sealed their last offer with a dampnable promise of xxx. thousand crownes in re­compence, and xxx. thousand Frankes of perpettritie out of the towne of Paris, besides the fauourable good wil (all days of his life) as wel of the Quéene mother, Duke d'Aniow, as Cardinal of Loraine, and the whole courte. Dalbe yelded so farre to their murderous enticements, as he gaue his worde and promise to kil the Admirall: Wherupon was deliuered him by the sayd la Riuiere certaine white pouder, which was known afterwardes to be either Reagar, or Arsinicke, with a large pasport from the sayd kinges bro­ther, wherwith he departed and came to the lord Admirall his maister at the siege of Poictiers: his long abode in the Catho­likes campe, together with other suspi­cious circumstaunces appearing at hys arriual, persuaded a ielous iudgement of his dealing, & therupon was committed to prison, his processe pursued & ended, & sentēce lastly pronoūced in these terms.

[Page 148]Judgement pronounced the xx. of Sep­tember 1569. in the councell established by the princes of Nauarre and Conde pre­sent, and assisted with the Prince of O­range, the Counte Wolrard de Mansfelde, lieuetenaunt generall of the Almaignes, vnder the sayd princes, the Countes Lo­douike and Henry de Nassau bretherne, Menard de Chomber Marshall of the Al­maignes campe, Hans Boucq, Renard Grac­co, Henry Destain, Hans de Theres, Colo­nels of the Reistres, Guieryn Gangolf Ba­ron of Grelesee, Colonell of a regiment of Launceknightes, Theodore Wegger pro­fessor of the law, and Embassadour from the Duke de Deux ponts, with many o­ther lordes, knightes, colonels and Rei­stremaisters of Almaigne: the lord of Cor­ras councellour to the king in the parlia­ment of Tholouse, and chaunceller to the Quéene of Nauarre and the army, the lord of Francourt, Bricquemau, de Mouy, de la Nouē, de Renty, de Soubize, de Mirambeau, de la Caze, de Puch-perdillan, de Biron, de Lestrange, with many other lordes, gen­tlemen and captaines of Fraunce.

Seing the processe made by the cōmis­saries [Page 149] deputed by the said princes of Na­uarre & Conde, against Dominique Dalbe, groome of the chāber to y^e L. Gaspard Coū ­te de Coligny, lord of Chastillon, & Admiral of France, the iij. examinations of y^e sayd Dalbe afore the Prouost generall of the camp, & two other afore the cōmissioners assigned for y^e purpose, lastly, y^e confessiōs of the said Dalbe reiterated v .iij. seueral times, wherin he acknowledgeth to haue bene instantly sollicited, vrged & pressed by la Riuiere, captain of the garde and one Laurence de Ruze, secretary to the kings brother, to practise & procure the death of y^e sayd L. Admiral, either by sword or poi­son, which he promised to y^e said la Riuiere to effect w^t poison only, receiuing (to that end, of the said la Riuiere certaine mony, & poison in forme of white powder, which he hath shewed since to the sayd Prouost and commissioners, seing also the verifi­cation and proofe of the said poyson tried by Phisicions and Apothecaries assem­bled at la Haye in Touraine, the xiij. of this moneth together with a very large pas­port graunted to the sayd Dalbe the 30. of the last month by the kings brother, lying [Page 150] then at Plessis les Tours: and now (for due punishment and reuenge to such a trai­terous and detestable attempt so often acknowledged, as wel in his priuate cō ­fessions, as publike assembly, the sayde councell hath and doth condempne the sayd Dalbe to be deliuered into y^e handes of the executioner of high iustice, who ti­eng him vpon a hurdels, with a halter a­bout his necke, shall drawe him thorow the stréetes and corners accustomed of this town de Fay la Vineuse, with this in­scription in parchment about his bodye: This is Dominike Dalbe, traitoure to the cause of God, his Countrey, and Maister: trailing him first to the lodgyng gate of the sayd Lord Admirall, and there with no other garmentes than his shirte▪ the halter remaining stil about his neck, holding in his hand a torch of burning wax, shal demaund pardon of God, y^e king, the law, & the lord Admiral, confessing there y^e wickedly, disloyally, & traiterously he had professed, promised & practised to kill by poyson y^e sayd L. admiral his maister, & at the same instant & in his presence y^e said poison which he confessed to be geuē [Page 151] vnto him by the said la Riuiere, to be cast into the fire and burned. All which being done, he shall be led (keping still the in­scription about his body) to the place of publike execution, and there to be hāged and strangled on a gallowes set vp for that purpose. And that also humble sute be made to the king to do iustice vpō the said la Riuiere and Laurence, with their complices, and with all, (if his maiestie be of minde) to verifie more ample their sayd conspiracie with the sayd Dalbe (the same not withstāding resembling a suf­ficient truth against them by his volun­tary confession) to proceede against them with punishemente due to so horrible a facte, and the same both to terrifie hereafter others of like villanous hu­mor, and also to remaine to all nacions, as a President of the noble nature and disposition of Fraunce, in abhoryng suche trayterous attemptes, declaryng the said la Riuiere & Lawrence, with all o­ther sectes & sortes of traytours (keping schoole and open shop to poyson persons of name and vertue) to bee traytours, villaines, and men vnworthy of honor, [Page 152] either in themselues or their posteritie to the iiij. generacion: Lastly, it is iudged, that afore the execution of iudgement, the said Dalbe shal be put on the racke, to the end to confesse further practises with his said confederates, w^t other things contai­ned in interregatories geuē to the Pro­nost: This sentence thus pronounced, the morrowe after being the xxj. of Sep­tember the racke was vsed accordingly, where he confirmed his former confessi­ons, and so the same day the sentēce was put in execution.

Whilest the kinges brother kepte at Chynon in the country of Touraine whether he was retired (as is said) great nū ­bers of men of war flocked to him from many partes of the realm, together with the horsmen to whom he gaue liberty for recreacion, and the xx. ensignes of footmen Parisiens, whereof we spake before: these forces assembled, hee made marche hys Vauntegarde out of Chynon the sixe and twenty of thys moneth, vnder the con­ducte of the Lorde Mont-pensier, hym­selfe followyng wyth the battaile, lod­gyng neare Lodune, the Princes campe [Page 153] drue towardes Partney the .xxix. of this moneth, whome the Catholikes follo­wed neere to prouoke them to battail, as in respect of the aduauntage and fauor of certaine townes which they held therea­bout: either campe was within the view of other, and both of equall desire to gain Mont-gontour, vsing like diligence the rather to obtaine it: For which cause the admirall made his footemen aduaunce all night, his horssmen being in point of bat­tell the last of Septēber in the very first discouery of the morning vpon a plaine within a league of Mont-gontour. There the Admirall sent the Lord de La-louë, and de La-nouē with .vij. cornets of hors­men, and Captaine Normant, harquebu­siers on horssebacke, to Mont-gontour to know if the Kings brother were there, who finding no body, returned with spée­dy report to the Admirall accordingly, who made marche foorthwith the foote­men of the battel, then the Artillerie, and so the footemen of the vauntgard, aswell French as Almains, folowing them him­selfe with the horssemen of bothe the one and other nation: He left in the taile the [Page 154] Lord de Mouy with charge to gouern the retraict with fiue cornets of French hors­men, two cornets of Reistres, and a com­pany of harquebushears on horssebacke of captaine Montarnaunt a prouinciall: The catholikes coasted them very neere, exspecting their artillery, which was not yet come. The admiral passed ouer a litle riuer half a leage from Montgontour, ve­ry vneasie to marche ouer, by reason of a marrish along the brinke of it, the same making it impossible on all parts, sauing in a little strait or gutter beneath certain houses along the high way: There lacked no more but the Lord of Mouy and his troupe, whom the Catholikes with .xl. cornets of horsmē charged togither with a voley of Cannons discharged also vpon them. It was thought this charge was giuen by [...] lord de Tauannes gouernor for the king in Burgon: it was withstanded a litle by the Lord de Mouy, who vnable to sustain it thorowly, in respect of the mul­titude, retired: The Admiral seing his pe­rill, gaue backe with the horssemen, and retourned (with no lesse sury) the charge [Page 155] vppon them that had layde it vppon the L. de Mouy, who in the meane time reti­red with the rest of his troupe with the losse of some fewe, amongst the which was the Lord de Entrichaut, ensigne bea­rer to the Lord S. Auban Dauphynois: the Artillerie was by this at Mont-gontour, and the footemen of the battel very néere, who séeing that charge, turned backe to the fight, as also the Lord de la Nouē, and la-Louë with their cornets, all that day passed in skirmishing without offer of o­ther charge.

The Catholikes shotte vehemently, which albeit annoyed muche the Admi­ral: yet he left not the field till night, and then retired with those of the Religion to Mont-gontour, and the Catholikes en­camped vppon the place.

The next morow being saterday, and first day of the month of October, the said armie issued out of Mont-gontour, & lod­ged in the Uillages thereabout: leauing the Lord de Mouy with his regiment of horssemen, and two regiments of foote­men, within y^e towne to gard the passage. [Page 156] There were certain light skirmishes, al­beit neither of long fight, nor much losse: They moued by certaine disordered shot of the Catholikes, who thought to winne the Subburbs on their side, but being re­pulsed, their purpose was also intercep­ted, and they forced to returne without a­ny other thing doing.

The kings brother séeing that side clo­sed from him, and that he could not easly wade the Riuer of Ʋiue, (the same being his only impediment to follow the Prin­ces campe) determined to passe aboue the head of the riuer in a village beneth Mi­rebeau. In the meane while the Princes, hauing bene at Nyort to sée the Quéene of Nauarre, returned to the camp the second of October, where they drue into counsel with resolution to take the way to Part­ney and Nyort, and giue battell to the Ca­tholikes if they assailed them in the way, sommoning (for this purpose) the whole army to be ready by the dawning of the day: and euery Colonel and captaine to labour accordingly in his charge.

The Catholikes were also of opinion to go to Nyort and beséege it, and by that [Page 157] meanes to prouoke the Princes to bat­tell. The Princes campe (according to the order resolute aforesayd) was in a perfect readinesse, ringed in battels and squares, pitching the next morning the third of October, vppon a little hill néere to Mont gontour, well disposed (as is a­foresayd) to giue battel if the ennimie ad­uaunced, who also began to appéere and discouer on the left hand vppon an other round hill, from the bottom wherof they might easily discern the disposition of the Princes armye, which when he had well viewed, he retired his marche as though he ment to draw directly to Nyort, vsing notwithstanding such order as his rings and companies kept néere togither. The Admirall bearing an eye to their doings, espied their pollitie and purpose of proce­ding, wherein as he suspected, that they shotte at his aduauntage, as labouring to win way vpon him, made descend forth­with the Prynces armie from the hill where it was setled, of purpose to gaine and occupie the plaine afore them, wher­uppon the Catholikes, in place to marche forward, commaunded a sodain stay, hol­ding [Page 158] their Pikes vpright, and ringing them in square and mean battels turned face to their vauntgard, winning (by that meanes) the hil from whence the princes armie were but now discended. And be­ing maisters in this sort of the hill aboue the opinion & expectation of the Admiral, beganne to dispose them selues to the shocke. And at the first descending from the hil, they ordred and ringed their foote­men in the valey or side of the foote of the sayd hil, not without great discretion and iudgement, keping by that meanes their footmen in couert, and defended from the storme of the artillerie, which discharged vehemently as well on the one as other side. In the meane while the kings bro­ther dressed and disposed two batteries, not sparing his body to trauell from one battell and square to an other, with per­suasion to the soldiors, to haue good hart, the like also did the Princes, visiting in person euery ranke aswell of horssemen as footemen, whose pleasant aspect, & spe­cially in the prince of Nauarre, gaue cause of singular corage to the soldiors, whose stomackes besides they were firmly set­led [Page 159] in the goodnesse of the cause, yet they seemed to redouble in desire, the rather at the gracious view and persuasion of the yong Prince. Immediatly after two of the clock in the after noone, the vant­garde of the Catholikes went to the charge with a square and wing of .xviij. cornets of Reisters, and great numbres of horssemen, as well French as Italyan, who charged altogither so violently vpon the Lord of Mouy, and la Loue, that they were enforced to endure and take the charge, retiring thorow the battell of the Lanceknights which gréeued them sore, notwithstanding the Admirall supplyed the charge, and gaue with such furye vp­pon the Catholike Reisters, that he cutte great numbres of them in péeces, and immediatly with the remainder of hys horssemen of the Uauntgarde, repulsed with force the Uauntgarde of the enne­my: wheruppon was raised a crye on the Admirals side, Uictory, Uictory, the same sounding with suche noyse of comfort in the eares of the mayne battayle, that di­uers ranne thither to follow the victory: [Page 160] When loe the Catholikes maine battell aduaunced, bending directly vppon the Princes battel, where they were in per­son. To the Catholikes battell ioyned a wing of horssemen, which came from the vauntgarde. At the beginning, the battel of the Princes sustained the charge, al­beit finding and féeling their own weak­nesse, as being not able to fight togither (as the Catholikes did) were enforced to disorder and fell out of aray, the horsse­men of the vauntgard dispersed héere & there without order, and not drawne as yet into any safe pollicie or garde of war, folowed also the others, whereby bothe the French and Almaine footemen were left naked, whereof the Frenchmen were first forced to breake aray, and then the Papïstes horssemen on the one side, and y^• Suyzers on the other, begā to buckle w^t the Launceknights, who séeing thēselues enuironed on all sides, neyther present helpe, nor cause of further hope, the ra­ther for that the Artillerie was planted euen at their féete, let fal their pikes and prosteate themselues vppon their knées, amongst whome rushed with no small [Page 161] fury the horsmen and certaine Suyzers v­sing butchers mercy, and cut them all in pieces. The Counte Mansfeld and Lodo­uike retired alwaies in order of battell: a thyng worthy to be noted in so gene­rall disorder, hauing aboute them xiij. cornets of Reistres, whiche had not fol­lowed the others, with whome they gathered together certayne cornets of Frenchmen and so retired & neuer were charged. After the ouerthrow and spoyle of the Launceknights, the kings brother pursued the victory halfe a league and no further, and so encamped in the playne of Cron, where the battell was geuen: he was farre stronger in horsemen and foot­men, than the princes, who had, not aboue vj. thousand horsmen of all sortes, as wel straungers as others, viij. thousand foote­men Frenche, and most harquebusiers, and lastly, thrée thousand Lanceknights. In this battayle the Princes loste their Launceknightes, a thousande or xij. hun­dred French footemen, and about an hun­dred horses, vj. Cannons, two coluerines, and thre little field pieces: The lord d'Autricour captaine of a hundred light horse­men, [Page 162] a very forward and galland Gen­tleman was there killed: the Lord d'A­cyer and la Noue takē prisoners, and the Lord Admirall lightly hurt in the cheke: In the catholikes army were viij. or ix. thousand horsmen, and xvj. or xviij. thou­sand footemen with great store of artil­lery. They lost few footemē because they foughté not, so that their greatest losse consisted in horsemen, which, what with the chaunce of that day, and the encoun­ter before touched, grew to great num­bers, with diuers of no small estate, as the Counte Mansfelde, and the Ringraue, the Marques of Baden, the yong Counte Cleremont Dauphynois, with many o­ther Lordes and knightes of the order: the Duke of Guyse, and the Ringraues brother hurt.

The retraite of the Princes and their army was to Partenay about vij. leagues from the place of the battell, where, as they arriued the night following at mid­night, so the next mornyng the iiij. of this moneth, they departed from thence with the Admirall, Counte Mansfelde, the Counte Lodouike and Henry de Nas­sau [Page 163] brethern, with other great numbers of Lordes, gentlemen, and Capteines: comming the same day to Nyort, where they found the Q. of Nauarre, remaining there euer since they departed: in the mean time they layd the wayes & quar­ters by the Marshals of the camp, to the ende the dispersed sorte might eftsoones resort to their ensignes, which was performed the same day by the most parte of the horse­men.

¶ The third Booke of the ciuile warres and last troubles of France, vnder Charles the ninth.

NOt withstanding this last suc­cesse & losse at Mōtgontour, did both greue & amaze the Prin­ces, yet they wer not vnmind­full to reassemble their forces, whereof y^e most part of y^e horsmen was forthwith vnder their standerdes, which y^e footmen could notdo with such speed in respect of their lōg retrait, & therfore y^e vātgard of the battell were disposed seuerally into sondry quarters and villages néere to Nyort, by which meane the French foote­men, who (in respect of their good order) were not much distressed in this conflict, resorted redily to their ensignes & com­panies. In the meane while the Princes deliberated in the sayd towne vpon the sequell of their affaires, to whom albeit the losse séemed great, yet (consideryng [Page 165] that in a generall calamitie euery one hath his fortune, they couered their pre­sent gréefe, (and as the necessitie of their state required) with ioyful countenance they assured eftsoones the remaynder of their dispersed companies: In the eue­ning the Quéene of Nauarre departyng from Nyort, wente to Rochereul, and the princes y^e next morning tooke their way to Saintonge, leauing w^tin Nyort bothe to make head ageinst the catholiks, and let them to passe further, the Lord of Mouy with his regimen of horsmen, and .ij. regi­mens of footemē, beside the ordinarie gar rison, being perhaps .iij. hundred shot.

Suche was the brute and heuy noyse of this battell, that many companies of the Princes armie, as well footmen as horsmen, bestowed in seueral charges in sundry castles and townes, as well in Poyctou as Touraine, determined to leaue their garrisons, as not able to endure a spéedy siege, in respect they were weake within themselues, and also hadde small hope to be succoured in sufficient tyme. As they which were within Chauigny vp­pon Ʋien at Rochposé, captain Belon with­in [Page 166] the Castle d'Angle with Chesnebrusle his ensigne bearer, which was at Pruly, together with captaine Teil, captaine of the castell of Cleruaut, with his cornet of shot on horsebacke, departed, & abando­ned their seuerall charges, taking their way to Charyte: Captein Lornay gouer­nour of Chastelleraut, assoone as the siege was raised, left the towne the vij. of Oc­tober at xj. of the clock before noone with his owne company of footemen, and two others, whereof one was vnder captaine Morans, beyng in all about thre hundred footemen, and two hundred horsemen, and tooke their way towardes Charyte, passyng by leblane in Berry, & from thence came to Bourgdien, a towne belongyng to the Bishop of Bourges, and heretofore taken by skaling by the Lorde de Bour­nay: there they ioyned with the rest a­foresayd, and also the Lorde de Bricque­mau the elder, who taried there with his companies in respect of his sicknesse.

In the meane while, the kynges bro­ther folowyng his victory, came to Part­nay, which he found desolate, directing hys way from thence to Nyort to besiege [Page 167] it: certaine forerunners of hys campe were come already to the gates to terri­fie those that were within the towne. At this alarum the Lorde de Mouy with certaine horsemen issued spedely out of the towne, who were no sooner without the gates, than the other were retired al­most out of sight, wherupon he returned, and beyng one of the last to gouerne the retraite, as he was at pointe to en­ter the towne, one Montreuell (yelded to hym not long afore vnder coloure of religion) discharged a Pistolet vppon hym, and hurt hym sore in the head, fly­ing immediatly well mounted vpon theThe Lord de Mouy hurt. selfe same horse which the Lord de Mo­uy had geuen hym: who notwithstan­dyng hys hurte, determined not to de­part the towne, albeit beyng specially aduised by his frendes to be caried where hys hurte may bée cured, hée left Nyort the seuenth day of October, and came to Sainctes, and from thence he was caried to Rochell, where within fewe dayes af­ter he died, to the griefe of the armye: for he was of stayed counsel in any cause [Page 168] of estate, of great spéede and iustice in ex­ecution, and of long experiēce in matters of warre, as witnesse his actes as well in the battaile of Dreux, as other places of worthy memorie: the rest appointed vn­der him within Niort, left also the town together with the Lorde de la Brosse, go­uerner there, retiring with .iij. hundred shot to Rochell. This was the same Lord de la Brosse, who with the ayde of the lord de Pluueau made headageynst the Conte du Lude at the siege aforsayd.

The kings brother finding the towne forsaken, entred withoute let: whether also came very shortly after, the king, the Quéene mother, and Cardinall of Lorain, being then néer Chynon: they began ther to deuise and deliberate vpon their pre­sent businesse, accompting it of speciall purpose, to recouer the Castell of Lusig­nan, wherin was gouernor the L. de Mi­rambeau, and that afore the Protestants had eyther renued their strength, or wel assured their present companies: In this mynd they dispatched forthwith certein to summon the Castell, who so preuay­led with perswasions to the gouernour, [Page 169] that easily inough he gaue vp the Castle only with liues and goodes saued: certen days afore the battel, there were besto­wed in this hold fiue Cannons which dis­cended to the catholikes by couenaunt: this was .iiij. or .v. dayes after the battell of Mont-gontour. Nyort being thus aban­doned, the Princes went to S. Jean d'An­gely, the▪ ix. of this month, and so to Sain­ctes, and bicause they gathered, that the catholikes wold besiege it, they determined to mā it with great numbres of men of warre, causyng to enter forthewith the horsemen of the L. de la Motte, wyth certein footmen: like wise captein la Mu­res company, beyng of the regimen of the L. de Virieu: At that time was gouernor the L. d'Oryoll, a gentleman of Saincton­ge, who after was content to giue order to the policie and state of the towne, lea­uyng the consideration of matters of war to the L. de Pilles, whom the prince established there for that purpose, and who as yet was not fully cured of the hurte in his thigh, receiued at the siege of Poyctiers. Hee with the Souldiers and the reste of the inhabitauntes, resolued [Page 170] to defende the Towne, and endure the siege. The morow after, the princes came to Sainctes, and there made their armie passe ouer Charante.

The tent he of this sayd moneth, the Lord of Montbrun and Myrabell depar­ted from the Campe to go into Langue­docke, a iourney pretended by them long tyme before, so that they might lead thi­ther their Regiments, and for this cause at the siege of Poic [...]iers, as is aforesayde, the Lord de Pontais Marshall of the Princes Campe, aswell in theyr owne name as for other, Colonelles, Captains and Gentlemen of Dauphyne, were su­tors for leaue to goe for a certaine tyme into Dauphyne, and the more to enforce theyr motion, they shewed howe long they had followed the Campe, and that their Souldioures wearyed with so con­tinuall warre, stoode in néede to be re­leeued with the freshe aire and fellow­shippe of their Countrey, and lastly as their generall feare to bée so euill winte­red as the yeare before, dryue diuers numbres to retire without order to the Townes holden by the Religion in Ʋi­uares, [Page 171] where they had sure aboade, so if they bée not somewhat reléeued of theyr long and lothsome trauell alwayes in a campe, it is also to be feared that by lit­tle and little they doe not abandon their Ensignes, and leaue their Colonelles in the fields without Souldiors: The same being already reuealed vnto them by certaine numbers of their Soldioures, they could do no lesse than cōmend their sute with humble request in themselues for leaue and libertie to depart nowe that the siege of Poictiers is raysed: The Princes answered that they coulde not order their request and satisfie the tyme together, bicause they were as yet in­certaine what would bée the ende and issue of the siege, and therefore they thought it conuenyent that they taryed till the ende of the Monthe of Septem­ber, hoping (after they had seene the re­solute proceedings of the Catholyques) to bestowe their armie in garrisons to rest all wynter: This answer qualified their requests with expectation of y^• end of Septembre. When the armie being returned from the countrey of Touraiue, [Page 172] and soiourning néere to Fay la Vineuse, their sute was eftsoones put vpon new tearms: for which cause the gentlemen, capteins, and colonels of those countrey men, assembled to deliberate vppon the motion: some were of opinion to pursue in generall a leaue and libertie of the Princes, seeing their tyme of Septem­ber is expired: But others iudged the present season most inconuenient to en­treate for leaue, considering the state & disposition of the warre, euery day en­clinyng to battayle, where they were bounde in dutie to bée, onlesse they wold deface the honor of their actions passed. Which laste opinion, so settled into the most of them, that they resolued vniuer­sally bothe to mortifie their desire to go home, and also to giue ouer to attempte further leaue, attendyng eyther by bat­tayle, or by some happie peace, to make them selues frée of the warre, and so returne and remayne quietly in theyr houses.

And thus the Lord de Montbrun and Myrabell remayned in the Campe vntyl the tyme wherein they thoughte to exe­cute [Page 173] theyr enterprise: wherein after they had communicated with the Lorde de Verbelet brother to the bishop of Puy in Auuergne, and many other as wel of Dauphyne, as the countreys thereabout (as of purpose to haue their company in the voyage) they went to Angoulesme, to the end to tary there for their furniture and strength.

This béeing knowne in the Campe, many came to Angoulesme to assist the voyage, so that they were in all, about foure hundred horsemen in very good poynte to fyght, with certeyn numbre­of shotte on horsebacke, with the why­che the sayde Lorde de Mountbrun, Mi­rabell, and Verbelet, departed the foure­téenth day of the moneth of October, and takyng theyr waye by Perigueux, came to Solliac the Sondaye the sixtéenth of October, aboute twoo of the clocke at after noone. They thoughte there to passe Dordonne, but it was so swelled by the greate raynes falne certeyn dayes before, that it was not possible to wade ouer. By whiche difficultie they were [Page 174] constrained to stay there, sendyng for suche boates as they could find, by which they beganne to ferry the same day and all the next night, not with such spede (in respect of their fewe boates) but certaine numbers were not yet passed in the mor­ning. Which being espied of the Catho­like garrisons thereby, and speciallye they of Sarba, sent out three skore horsse­men with certaine footemen and Pay­santes to viewe the number of suche as were yet to passe, and what watche and garde they kept. Who with others to the number of two hundreth, séeing ney­ther order vsed, nor any shot his matche kindled, fell vppon them, and discomfi­ted them wythout resistaunce: manye were slaine, and the rest stript into their shertes, and so sent ouer the passage to followe their companie: Some vsing a speede aboue the rest in passing the day before, the better to refreshe them at their ease, were sette vppon in the night within their lodgings, and ledde away prisoners by the Catholikes: Amongest whom were the Lord de Quintel, a Dau­phynois, [Page 175] Mormoiron de Venesin, guide to the whole company, A Phisition called M. M [...]rle with thrée others: the Lord de Sarraz a Gentleman of Viuares, was ta­ken by the same a little before, but forth­with set at libertie.

The noyse whych the Catholykes made in charging them in the water side, gaue the Alarum to those that had alreadye passed the Riuer, béeing in a Towne not farre off, who falling forth­with into araye and order of defence, after they hadde taryed sometyme to receyue them that eskaped to their suc­coures, began to marche towardes A­cyer, wherein they entred the next mor­ning, and from thence wythoute other let, they went to Oryllac in Auuergne, from whence they departed, as shall be héereafter declared,

After Niort was taken, the Kings brother determyned to beséege the town of S. Iean de Angely in Sainctonge, and for that same effecte drue hys armie and power on that side. The Lorde of Byron, [Page 176] marshall of his camp, about the x. of Octo­ber, acompanied with certeine cornets of horsmen, came to sommon the towne for the King: to whom the garrison made an aunswer by the Lorde de la Ramiere, that they ment not to surrender the town by other composition than a generall peace including the publike quiet and profit of the realme of Fraunce, wherupon he re­turned. And captaine la Motte accompa­nied with xv. or xx. horsemen, went forth­with to skome and skoure the wais with­in halfe a league aboute the towne, and specially of that syde to Niort, fynding within a village certeine footemen of the catholiks, wherof some were slaine, som put to flight, and v. or vj. taken and ledde prisoners into the towne.

In the meane whyle they of the towne prepared for the siege, vsing great deuyse and diligence in fortifying dy­uerse partes of it, some did beate downe parte of the suburbes of Aulnis and Tail­leburg, too cutte from the Catholikes all conuenient meanes too encampe there. Some fylled vp the ditches in necessarie [Page 177] places, in effect they lefte nothing imper­fect which necessarily belonged to the for­tification of the towne, y^e better to endure the siege. The L. de Pilles gouernour there for the matters of warre (as is sayd) made a viewe of the footemen, whiche were a thousand or .xj. hundred of all sortes, as well straungers as others, Immediatly after this muster, the L. de Personne ar­riued there with .xxx. or .xl. horssemen, and then (bycause they would omit nothing tending to the defence of the Towne) they beganne to make fire workes, with other artificiall engines to annoye the e­nimies.

About the .xiiij. daye of this moneth,S. Iean de Angeli be­sieged. the Kings brother planted hys siege be­fore Sainct Iean d'Angely, aboute three of the clocke in the after noone. The Lorde of Gouas regimen with certeyne other, was lodged in the Suburbes of Aul [...]s: dealing not that daye with the Suburbes of Taillebourg, as fearing they could not enter but with great perill. They with­in the Towne hadde forsaken this Sub­burbe, bycause they would not put theyr men to the hazarde in kéeping it: Albeit, [Page 178] the Catholikes forbare not to sease vp­pon it the next daye, and lodge within it. The Protestantes fortifyed the Fort or place of defence without y^e gate d'Aulnis, & filling it with earth, rammed vp the gate, omitting nothing necessarie, eyther to force or pollicie, wherein, to enforce a general diligēce in their fortificatiō, pro­clamations were pronounced thorow the Towne, that all people, as well men, wo­men, as children, able or apte to trauell, shold labour and worke at the rampiers, and that euery one should haue alwayes before his dore, three or foure sackes ful of dong, to be employed in necessarie places. According to these commaundementes, there was a common assistence at the rā ­piers, as well of strāgers, as people of the towne, by whom was performed a won­derfull indeuour.

As soone as the Catholykes had made them selues Lordes of the Suburbes a­foresayde, the Protestantes made a sal­lie with fortie horssemen, by the gate De Matta, and set vppon the Suburbes of Aulnis, where they killed foure or fyue men, and then fell on skouring the wayes [Page 179] towardes Nyort, tyll the place of execu­tion, where they founde an Italian on horssebacke, and brought hym into the Towne.

About the .xviij. day of this moneth, the Protestantes made an other sallie by the gate d'Aulnis, and issuing out aboue the forte, they descended within the ditche by a ladder: there were of this faction (and conducted by Capteyn la Motte.) Cl. soul­dioures with white shirtes aboue their garmentes, who charging so happily vp­pon the Suburbes d'Aulnis, founde the Catholykes playing at Cardes, and so withoute any watche to discouer them, they killed about thrée score or foure score Souldioures, and then retired vppon the false trenche of the ditche by the helpe of their harquebusears, whiche were vppon the fort of the gate. They wanne in thys exployte two footemen enseignes .xl. or .l. harquebusears, certeyne morrions, cor­celets, and pollaxes of stéele, whiche they caried into the towne, loosing not aboue .ij. or .iij. of their companie.

The Catholykes in the meane whyle drue neare their Artillerie whiche they [Page 180] planted so aptely in a vyne towardes Ny­ort, as it might beate as well the gate of Nyort, as the bulwarke of the Port d'Aul­nis, and also the tower betwéene the two gates. Their batterie which they bestow­ed there, was foure Canons and a Colue­ryne: Afore they discharged any batterie, they demanded to parley, & for that cause, would that the Lord of Pilles should haue come foorth of the towne vpon their faith, which the Protestantes thought not con­uenient for their safetie: albeit, in hys place, they sent oute of the Towne la Ri­uiere, who was no sooner withoute, than the Canon beganne to beate, whiche cau­sed him to cutte off hys further proceeding with spéedie returne.

Thus the batterie beganne the xxij. daye of October, beating the Tower of the Towne neare to the Port d A'ulnis, and continued all the daye, and towarde night it enforced a breach a fortie or fiftie pase wyde, wherevppon the Catholykes sent one of their companie to viewe it, who being come to the brink of the ditch, and discouering hym selfe to suruey the breache, was killed with a shotte: so that [Page 181] that daye passed without assaulte or any other speciall attempte or acte. In the night the Protestantes with great dili­gence repaired their breache, and lette downe to the ditche certeyne labourers and Souldioures, to ryd awaye the ruyne and broken stuffe of the Wall falne into it. These labourers and souldiours afore they came oute of the ditche, they sette vp a pretie Wall of a mans height, to make the place lesse accessible. Besydes, the Protestantes kéeping styll a carefull mynde of their Towne and estate, consi­dered diligently where, and howe they might bée annoyed by the batterie plan­ted in the Uyne, whiche hadde there re­meyned about eight dayes, withoute dis­charge of Canon: wherevppon they cast a trenche wel flancked behynd the breach, vppon the whiche they bestowed certeyne Vesselles and hoggesheades to paui [...]e their shotte. In the effecte, the breache was so supplied, as the place was stron­ger than afore.

From this batterie, the morrowe af­ter came certeyne thunders of the Canon [Page 182] against the Forte of the Port d'Aulnis: and lykewyse thrée or foure discharges agaynst the Porte of Nyort, not forbea­ring notwithstanding their first batterie. But séeing thys batterie, brought foorth small effecte (not many dayes after) they bestowed in place of the Canons, fyue Coluerins.

Remouing the sayd Canons to the en­trey of the Suburbes d'Aulnis, both di­rectly before and also so neare the sayde Fort, that onely the ditche was betwéene them. From thence beganne a vehement batterie agaynst the sayde Forte, as well by these Canons as the Coluerins plan­ted in their place, whiche bestowed cer­teyne bollettes flanker wyse, within the sayde breache euen to the Castell. The batterie continued all the daye, all that night, and all the nexte morrowe of one violent furie without ceasing, so that both the Fort and the Portal (by whiche is the ordinarie entrie into the Towne) were almoste beaten to pouder.

In the meane whyle, the Prote­stantes made a couert waye betwéene [Page 183] the Forte and the gate, to the ende, that the ruyne falling from the gate, should not annoye nor hynder the entrey of the Fort.

After this long and vehement bat­terie, the L. de Guytinieres demaunded to speake with the Protestantes, and vn­der the honoure and vertue of their word, entred the Towne the foure and twentie day of this moneth, aboute two of the Clocke at after noone. He laboured to in­duce them to render the Towne, but the Lorde de Pilles remayned constant in his firste aunswere, that there could no o­ther price buy the Towne, than an assu­red peace, to the profitte and quiet of the Realme. Wherevppon the Lorde de Guitinieres returned againe and came to the Campe without other effecte of hys purpose.

Hée was no sooner out of the sayde Towne, then the Catholykes rushed fiercely to the assaulte so vnlooked for, that the Protestantes doubted of their sauetie, the rather bycause the assaulte was maynteyned as well at the breache [Page 184] of the fort as on the right and left syde of it within the ditch, the better to come to the gate of the towne which they had battered (as you haue heard). And for their more easie comming to the breach of the forte, they had prouided great numbers of py­onners to beare sackes full of earth and cast them vpon the breach: who besydes turning vp y^e earth, threw stones against the protestantes, by which they greatly greued diuerse of them: They presented vpon the breach .vj. target men followed with a good number of shot, who albeit ventured farre to enforce the protestants, yet (being repulsed) they retyred without any great effects. This assault lasted from thrée of the clocke in the after noone tyll night, during the which was great waste of shot and powder by the protestantes in sustaining so hoat assault: in the nyght they fortified and repaired their breaches as well as they could, as they also for bare not to do euen in the tyme of the batterie, filling them vp as fast as they were made with sackes of dung. In thys night also they entrenched them selues within the fort, whereby the breaches, the morrow [Page 185] after, were put in defence.

Albeit the Lord de Sansac (after the siege of Charite) was sent for to go into Tou­raine to ioyne with the catholikes camps as is sayd, yet (whether it were by coun­termaundement or other special occasion) he sturred not from where he was: And yet in the same moneth of October, he be­sieged the towne of Noyers in Bourgogne, the which without great resistāce he tooke by composition, the same notwithstan­ding not obserued, because forty of the souldiers that defended it, beinge led to Troy in Champagne, and afore they entred prison, were cut in péeces by the people.

After he had taken Noyers, be determi­ned to besiege Vezeley in Bourgogne gouer­ned at that tyme by the Lord de Sarazyn. There was for the garde of it onely two companies of footmen vnder captaine Ry­baupierre, and the young Lord de Sarazyn with two cornets of horsmen of the Lord de Blosset, and of Belanseau, with certaine numbers of gentlemen retyred thither to ayde the siege. The Lord de Sansac had to furnish this siege about .xxij. ensignes of footmen, whereof the Lord de Foysly was [Page 186] colonell of ten cornets of horsmen, foure cannons and two culuerines.

He arryued with his horsmen to suruey the towne the sixt of October, retyring at night to lodge at Aquiens and S. Pere. villages seituate at the hil foote, vpon the toppe where of standes the city.

The eleuenth of the same moneth he made approche wyth three of his compa­nies of footemen, at the gate du Barle, o­therwise called S. Stephen: certaine of the towne, but specially the Nobility that were there, issued out, and repulsed pre­sently the said three ensignes, whereof two were put to disorder and flight afore they could get to Aquiens, where they ment to make their retrait. In the chase were killed about sixe and forty, and as many hurt, all the Captaines, Lieuete­naunts, ensigne bearers, and sergeaunts of these two companies, were there kil­led, sauing thrée which were led prisoners within the towne: the thirde company hidde them selues within a tuft of vynes from whence (being not discouered) they retyred in the night to Aquiens, notwith­standing thys charge and chase, the Lord [Page 187] de Sansac, marched with his campe the satterday, the eyght of this moneth, and towards the euening inuyroned y^e town, the same euenyng hée approched his ar­tillery, which the tenth day followyng in the morning began to batter a Towre of the syde of the gate du Barle, right a­gainst the watring place, the same conty­nuing so vehemently two full dayes, that at the second dayes ende, a corner of the towre fell to the earth: The wedensday the twelfth day he remoued foure of hys peeces of the syde of S. Pere, thundring a new batterie against the gate called the wickette, aboue the which eyght ensignes of footemen came and pitched the thyr­tenth of this moneth, remaining there till the whole armye discampped. The fouretenth day hée remoued also two of his péeces, and planted them agaynste a Tower called the Colombs, to the ende (wyth more ease) to batter the sayde wickette, agaynst the which the battrie endured till the next daye. When ha­uyng nowe beaten two breaches) hee gaue the assaulte to them both at one instaunte, offerynge to scale on that [Page 188] syde of the Cordeliers: His assaultes were resisted, and his people so repulsed, that they were out of hart eftsoones to return: and therefore the night following, aboute midnight, he raysed his siege, and retired to Auallon hauing lost at the assaultes & in the time of the siege iij. or .iiij. hundreth men as well footemen as horssemen: Of the Protestantes syde, there were slayne and hurte, only ten men, wherof the Lord Sarazyn was killed with the Canon, bée­ing in the first Tower that they battered, whome the Lorde de Blossar succeded in place and charge, chosen by the common voyce and opinion of the multitude, in re­spect of his vertue and wisdom in defence of the Towne. The Lord of Sansac raysed not his siege for other purpose thā to pro­uide other Canons, all his others beyng eyther crackt or burst in these batteries.

The Princes being at Sainctes, assoone as they were enformed of the siege of S. Iean d'Angely determined to go into Gas­cogne with two or thrée thousand harque­busears on foote, and al their horsmen, lea­uing the remeynder of their footemen to ayde the Townes wherein were garri­sons: [Page 189] they had two principall reasons to induce them to this iourney, as to drawe the siege from S. Iean d'Angely es [...]eming the campe would followe them, and also to ioyne with the Uicountes forces, ouer whom (as is sayd) the Mongomery com­maunded. They departed from Sanctonge about the beginning of the siege, and with their horsmen as well Frenche as Al­mayns, (who after this voyage had sent their cariage to Roche▪ and shotte on foote, whereof some were led by the Lorde de Rouray) tooke their way towardes Mon­tauban: And because y^e riuer of Dordoune, (by which they must pas) was not at that tyme passeable without vessels, the Lord de la Bessonniere (by whose meanes as is afore said the town of Oryllac was taken) departed with a hundred horses, and ga­thering together as many boates as hée could fynde along Dordonne, caused them to be brought to Argentall, to the end the Princes army stayed not at the passage there, albeit comming thether about the x [...]v. of this month, they were constrained to stay ther almost eight dayes afore their whole army could passe. In which meane [Page 190] while certain of their army summoned y^e town of Sourd in Auergne to be rēdred to y^e Princes, to the obediēce & vse of the King. wherunto as thei refused at y^e first: so, cōsi­dering y^e cōdition of their owne state, with the present force of the enemy, yelded vpō couenaunt to set open the gates and pay sixe thousand frankes, not to be commit­ted to pillage: the L. of Montbrun and Mi­rabell being come to Orillac (as is sayde) their companies lodged within a league of the towne in a village called Arpaion, to rest their horses which were weary w^t long trauaile, where the L. de Montbrun fell sick of a cōtinuall ague, y^• same partly causing y^• aboad & stay of y^e army, albeit féeling by y^e course of his sicknesse, y^• hée was not able to make present departure from thēce, imparted y^e same w^t the L. Mirabell, to y^e end y^e voyage lingred no lōger, wher­vpō the L. Mirabel w^t .4. C. horsmē put him self on y^e way y^e .24. of y^e same mōth to per­form his iourney into Languedoc: he had (amongst others) in his cōpany y^e L. Foul­ques, who not many dayes before came to to y^• said Orillac w^t .lx. horsmē, of purpose to accōpany the L. Mirabell: their departure was neither so secret, nor their iorney so [Page 191] ssrely conueyed, but the Papistes which were in certain towns & castells about O­rillac, wer spedily aduertis [...]ed, who cōmaū ­ded y^e towns mē of euery village to soūd y^e alarū bell, to y^e end to warne & discouer y^• place thei passed by, & so set vpō & discōfyt them. According to this charge the To [...]sain was sounded at the same instant that the Lord Myrabell and his troupe discended from a hill .ij. leagues from Orillac, wher­vpon the garrison of Roilliac (hauing sene the troup passe by thē in negligent order, and leauing w^tall their owne charge made no small spede by a crosse waye a thwart the hill, & set vpon them sodamly in y^e vil­lage where the Tocsam was sounded & the same in such subtill season & sort, as afore they were discried) they killed .vj. or. vij of y^e Mirabells company & so retired, leading with them certain prisoner: sy^e troup not­w^tstanding moūted aboue y^• village wher being ringed & drawen into battell order, they discouerd in y^e tops of y^e hils concours of people from all parts to intercept them in a strait by which they should passe their guydes (besides) bringing them further in­creas of fere & daunger by general flockes [Page 192] the popular sort to set vpon them in that strait, whereupon they were constrained to turne backe, and retyre to their quarter of Orpayon, and there to consult of a safe meane to passe.

The Lord Verbelet, in the meane while remayned at Oryllac, as gouernour in A­uergne, vnder the princes, according to the authoritie gyuē him at his departure frō y^e camp. Within few dayes after his com­ming to the towne, and being acknowled­ged of the garrison as their gouernor, or­deyned that thrée hundreth har quebusears on foote, and thrée hundreth pykemen shold bée enterteyned for the garde of y^e towne: for whose pay he leuied of the inhabitants a loane of ten thousande Frankes, and so mustered his men of warre vppon the be­ginning of Nouember.

And now (to let slip no necessarie mat­ter passed in October) The Lord of Saint Heran, gouernor for the King in Auergne, departing from S. Floure, with certeyne Gentlemen of his trayne, came to the ca­stel of S. Salpic [...], wher-knocking with some inciuill vehemencie at the posterne, the Gentlewomā of the place, whose husband [Page 193] with certaine souldiers, and garded the Castell▪ discended and simply opened the gate, to whom the Lord de S. Heran sayd he was come thether to bestow garrison in the Castell: the gentle woman answe­red that this errand was without néede, because that as the place was already fur­nished, so ber husbande (as she thought) would not admitte any newe numbers, where with as she offered to haue shut the gate & returne into the Castell, the Lord S. Heran thrust so rudely at the gate, that the gentlewoman being throwne to the ground, he entred the gate by force vpon her, by whose skrike or crye, one of the housholde seruauntes discended spedely, and seing his mistresse vpon the ground, discharged his pistolet, and hurt the Lord S. Heran in the arme, who also fearyng further perill, flong out of the posterne, which immediatly was shut vppon hym, albeit he caused all, or most of his troupe to remaine still afore the sayd Castell, to withstand that no man shold enter till he sent new forces from S. Flour, whether as he spéedely repayred, so he dispatched from thence certaine numbers of footemen to [Page 194] ioyne with the troupe hée had left afore the Castell, with charge not to departe till it were taken: M. de Sall [...]s, to whome bothe the place and charge be­longed, lay very sicke, who in respect of his small strength hauing not aboue sixe souldiers, and withall douting spedy suc­cours, made no great resistance but yel­ded the Castel by composition to haue on­ly their lyues saued, whiche albeit was faithfully promised, yet traiterously perfourmed, because both her husbande was killed, and she led prisoner to Saint Floure, charged to be the onely cause of S. Heran's hurt.

The taking of the towne of Oryllac, (whereof is spokē before) amazed greatly them of Auergne, wherefore hauing ga­thered people from many partes, deter­mined to besiege it, afore they within could haue meane to fortify them selues. And for this purpose, the Lorde Roche­bonne gouernour of Puy and the graunde pryor of Auergne, with their regimentes of footmen, came to Marzillac in Roargues, attending there (as it was sayde) certaine [Page 195] cannons which shuld be sent from Rhodes to batter Orillac. In the meane while also the Lord de Saint Heran, with no lesse di­ligence aduaunsed at S. Folure the other forces and also the Nobilitie of Auergne, whom hée summoned spéedely to repayre thether: Albeit hearing in the heat of his diligence, of the Princes comming to Ar­gentall, be let fall his enterpryse.

The men of Auergne fearing the prin­ces would sease vpon the lowe countrey called la Lymagne, & ther to winter, in res­pect of the generall fertility of that place, drew in troupes of paisants & comminal­ties into the straites of the moūtaines, by which they imagined the army shoulde passe, and there hewing downe greate numbers of trées, bestowed them athwart the highe wayes to trouble the passage of the horssemen.

The rest of the countrey were besto­wed by the Lorde de S. Heran in townes and Castels▪ to the end they should not be sodenly taken: the princes beguyled their opinion as not passing y^e way, but directed their iorny ouer Dordone & so into Quercy [Page 196] and beneath Cadenat, passed the Riuer of Lot, and so from thence arriued at Mon­taubon, in Nouember. 1569.

The Lorde de Mirabell and Foulques, (hauing remained about Oryllac, since the charge they hadde neare to Rolliat) tooke way about this tyme with their troupes to ende their voyage: who passing the ri­uer of Lot beneath Cadenat, and after they had trauersed the mountaines of Rouarges and Sauennes, arriued withoute let at Pri­uas and Aulbenas, townes in Ʋiuarez, holden by those of the religion.

The siege continued all this whyle a­fore S. Fean d'Angely, where the King, the Quéene mother, and Cardinal of Lorrain, were in persone, The morrowe after that the breache of the Fort was assaulted, the King procured the protestants to be com­moned withall, to the ende to render the Towne by composition: Wherein they vsed this persuasion, the rather to entice them, that his Maiestie hadde determined to erect a puissant Armie to make warre in Allemaigne, wherein as they might steade that seruice in speciall turne, so his Maiestie was carefull not to spill men of [Page 197] such experience & value, and other wayes, if they would not embrace his Maiesties offer and composition, he would thunder vppon them all hys forces till he hadde wonne the Towne. They aunswered as before, that they would not render the Towne till there were a peace assured to the profit & quiet of the whole realme: where vppon the King required to speake with the Lorde de Personne, as well in causes concerning the Towne, as to sende him to the Princes in the meane and matter of peace: Whereunto the Pro­testantes condescended, and sent oute of the Towne the Lorde de Personne, re­ceyuing in hys pleadge and hostage the Lorde de Guyteniers. After the King hadde conferred with the Lorde de Per­sonne, they grewe to capitulations as followed:

First, that if the Lorde de Pilles were not succoured within ten dayes, to render the Towne to the King, their lyues and goods saued.

2 That for the assurance of this, there should bée deliuered in hostage .ij. Knights of the Order, and they to bée sent eyther [Page 198] to Rochel or Angoulesme, at the Protestantes choice.

3 That during this space of y^e .x. dayes, truce shoulde bée betwéene them, with charge that neyther they should fortifie in the Towne, nor they without vppon their trenches, nor yet approche the wals of the Towne.

4 Lastely, that in the meane whyle the Lorde de Personne should go to the Princes with a Gentleman of his Maie­stie, to treate of peace. According to the whiche the sayde L. de Personne with the Kings Gentleman went to the Princes in the Gentlemans place the L. de Guyti­niers was sent oute of the Towne to the Campe.

They which the Princes lefte (as you haue hearde) at Sainctes, to defende the Towne, maynteyned their charge tyll now. And hearing that Sainct Iean d'An­gely was in parleye, and at point to yéeld, fearing withall, that it was their lot and turne to bée besieged nexte: They forsooke the Towne and retired to the other gar­risones whiche were theraboute: wher­in the King forgatte not to embrace the [Page 199] oportunitie, sending foorthwith certayne companies to sease vppon it, to the ende, that by that meane the waye myght bee cloased from them of the Religion, beyng at Angoulesme and Coygnac, to goe or come to Rochell: Lykewyse they of Ro­chell should bée harde to sende succoures to them.

The Lorde of Bricquemau laye all this whyle in the Towne of Bourg-dieu in Berry, (as hath bin sayde) by reason of his sickenesse: During whose aboade there, his troupes made ordinarie warre vppon the garrison of Chasteau-roux, vppon In­dre, wherein the Lorde of the place re­teyned thrée companies of footemen for the Catholykes. There were often in­cursions & enterviewes betwéene them: the same continuing almoste sixe wéekes, in which tyme were killed of the one and other syde, almost two hundreth men. After the sayde Lorde Bricquemau was restored to health, he retired in thys mo­neth of Nouember with his troupes to Charitié.

During the siege of S. Fean d'Angely, y^e town of Nimes in Languedoc was taken [Page 200] by the religion the .xv. of this moneth, and by this meane: There is a mylne in the towne neare to the walles, and to make it grynde, there comes a spring or foun­tayne not farre of, thorow a sluse or cre­uish in the wall dressed with grates or barres of yron: They of the religion in that countrey practised intelligence wyth the myller, by whose ayde they pluckt vp by night the sayd yron grate, and so con­ueyed into the towne by that creuish and channell, about a hundreth souldiers, who [...]id them selues within the myll, atten­ding the houre to execute their enterprise, in the meane while they sent from Pryuas and Aubenas two hundreth horssemen, and euery one a harquebushear behynde him, who being in good point afore the gates of the towne at the houre appoin­ted, they within the mill issued out, and got to the gate, which with certaine en­gines and instrumentes apt to counter­myne the locke, they set open, and so the companies without, entred & made them­selues Lords of the town: the Lorde of S. Andre gouernour there, considering of his present perill, thought to saue hym­selfe [Page 201] in the castell, albeit as he lept out of a window he brake his leg and so was ta­ken, dying within two dayes after: there were slayne in the towne at this entrie a­bout a hundreth or sixe score men, and within fewe dayes certaine ministers of Justice: Incontinently arriued at Nimes the Lord de S. Romain brother to the L. de S. Chaumont, sent thither by the Prin­ces to gouerne in their absence the coun­trey of Languedocke, he had with him in companye a great number of horsmen, besides many that came to him as the Lorde de Foulques, with the troupes which he brought from the camp. In the meane while they of the castell denied to render, making maruelous defence, not­withstanding they were but few in num­ber: there were sundry attempts in vaine to winne them, with certaine mynes sorting to no effect, and yet after certaine monethes the Castell was put into the handes of them of the towne.

And now touching the siege of S. Iean d'angely, it hath bene sayd that the Lorde de Pilles promised to render the towne if he were not reskewed within ten dayes, [Page 202] which being passed, & he voyd of succours, the L. of Byron summoned him to his pro­misse, to whom the L. de Pilles aunswe­red, that albeit he beleued that either they had stayed the L. de Personne there, or els where, or at least had not sent him to the Princes, yet if they woulde inlarge hys tearm, he would render the towne, wher­vpon they gaue him .ij. dayes more, w^tin the which he dispatched forth of the towne by the port Matta, a gentleman to go to Angoulesme & prouide succors. In y^e meane while, the thursday the .xvij. of Nouember the L. de Guytimers entred the Towne with certaine captaines and marshalls or harbengers for lodging, wyth intent to take possession of the towne, wherof Guy­tyniers gaue this manifest inkling in say­ing to the L. de Pylles, that as that night he gaue y^e watch their charge, so it should fall to his lot to do it the next day.

The gentleman sent to Angoulesme for succors vsed such diligence as the L. de S. Seuerin accompanied with .l. or .lx. gentle­men on horsbacke, entred without let S. Iean d'Angely by y^e port Matta, the fryday being the .xviij. of this month, which as it [Page 203] chaunced contrary to the general opinion of the catholickes, so it amazed most of all y^e L. de Guityniers, thinking nothing lesse than to go out of the towne againe: albeit seing in the friday morning certain num­bers of straunge gentlemen mustring in cōpanies about y^e town, he chaunged his opinion and was forthwith put out of the town w^t such as entred with him not with standing the cōming of these succors: y^e L. de Biron cōmoned with y^e L. de Pilles at y^e gate of Nyort, whō as he sūmoned to per­form his promis to y^e King in yelding the town, the day of cōuention being expyred, so L. de Pilles told him that he had receiued succors, and therfore discharged of his pro­misse to render y^e town, wherin y^e L. Byron caueled w^t him in that his rescue came not from y^e princes, with perswasion also that he should not stand so much on the help of foure or fiue horses come to him, and ther­upon caused to be read alowde the capi­tulations agréed vpon betwene thē. The L. de Pilles was constant in his opini­on, alleadging y^• of what value or num­bers so euer hys succours were, they were suche as both suffised hys néede and [Page 204] contented him, charging them vppon the instant to drawe backe from the walles. Immediately the batterie began of fresh, as wel vpon the old breach which was v­pon the forte or towre of the wall, as a­gainst the forte of the gate d'Aulins, and also against the castel, against which were bent three cannons: this battrie brought downe to the earth the castell gate, from which, they went vppon a bastion or plat­forme of earth before the castell: this be­ing well noted of the protestantes, they made an other passage within the ditche, beneath the first, and neare to that basty­on of earth, they made an opening or window in the wall of the towne, with­out the which and within the ditche they set vp a close pale or couert to flanke the Castell. In the meane while the Ca­tholikes growing colde in their battrie, and yet continuing it eyght dayes, beate downe a part of a towre of the Castell of that side to y^e subburbs of Tailebourg, cal­led the hangmans Towre, together with a great ruine of the walles from the castel to the olde breach.

During this battrie, the protestantes [Page 205] made a sally with fifty or forty horsmen, and thrée or foure hundreth footmen by the gate Nyort, vppon the which they erected a brigde of woodde to discende to the ditch.

The horsmen of this sally were led by captaine la Motte, who charged vpon two cornets of horsmen which were in garde on that syde to Nyort, whereof certaine were killed, and some lost their standerds, and one of their ensigne bearers led hurte into the towne, whereof he dyed forth­with: the footemen were gouerned by di­uers Captaines, who, charging the Pa­pistes in their trenches, made them for­sake them, and lose their culuerynes, which were forthwith choked and fyre put in fyue or six barrels of powder. They tooke also in this disaray an ensigne of the footemen, with many other armes and armors of the Catholikes, carying all in­to the towne whether they retyred assone as they had effected their enterpryse: they killed in this sally about thyrty or fortie Catholikes, and losing but one of theyr owne which was hurt in the retraite, be­sydes him that set the powder on fyre, who was a litle singed.

[Page 206]Not many dayes after this sallie, the Catholikes remoued their Canons plan­ted in the entrye of the Suburbs d'Aulnis, and pitched them vppon the brinke of the ditche on the right syde of the Castel, very neare the battered fort of the gate. There were in this batterie six Canons, beating as well within the entrey of the sayd fort, as against the Wall from it to the Ca­stel, which was also beaten with the o­ther thrée Canons afore sayde. The Col­uerins ceassed not also to thunder as well flankerwyse as to the olde breache.

This batterie was of such violēt force, that in .iij. dayes and an halfe (which was the space it endured) there were dischar­ged aboue xv. or .xvj. hundreth shots of Ca­nons, and many killed that labored to re­lieue the breache. In which vehement ex­tremitie, the L. de Pilles sent oute by the Port Matta, the same Gentleman, whom he vsed afore in the supplie of succoures: by whose second diligence, the Lord de S. Auban, a gentleman of Daulphine accom­panied with .xl. horssemen, enterprised to come to the reliefe and succoure of the [Page 207] sayde Towne: Who (notwithstanding) was so encountered in the waye, as he was forced to retire with the losse of thrée of his people, and also the Gentleman his guyde.

The .xxix. day of Nouember, Sebastian Luxenbourg, Coūte de Martigue, Knight of the Order, Capteyne of fiftie men at armes, and Lieutenaunt generall to the King in his Duchie and countrey of Bri­tayne, beyng at the batterie, was stroken in the head with a harquebushot, whereof he dyed, to the generall griefe of the Pa­pistes.

In the beginning of December, about nine of the clocke in the morning the Ca­tholykes demaunded to parley with the Lorde de Pilles, whereunto he listened with lesse difficultie, in respecte he was not furnished w^t munition of war for one assault more if it had bin offered, neyther had he hope to bée so spéedily succoured as his perill required: which was the cause that the .ij. of this moneth, after he had e­stablished extréeme actes and prouisions for the garde of the sayd Towne, he was [Page 208] enforced to render it vpon the couenantes following:

1 That the Protestants should depart the Towne their goods saued, with their horsses and armour and banner displayed.

2 That they should not beare Armes for the generall cause of Religion in .iiij. monethes after.

3 That their whole companies, as well straungers as inhabitauntes, might retire whither they would in all suretie.

4 That they should bée safeconducted to their place of suretie where so euer it were, by the Lord de Byron: according to which composition▪ the morrow after, the iij. of this moneth, S. Fean d'Angely was yielded into the handes of the Lorde de Guy [...]iers. The Lord de Pilles departing the same daye about noone, by the Port de Matta with .viij. hundreth footemen of all sortes, and about .C. horsemen, taking hys way to wardes Angoulesme. Notwith­standing, the conduct and presence of the sayd Lorde de Byron, the most parte of the footemen were spoyled and diuerse slayn, and the baggage of the horssemen taken ageinst their promisse of fayth. During [Page 209] this siege, dyed in the towne about a hun­dreth souldiers & certain nūbres of labo­rers: of y^e catholiks side, without y^e town, dyed aswell of y^e hand of the enemy as by diseases, aboute two thousand, amongst which were many great Lordes, gentle­men and Captaines slaine, as the greate Maister of the artillery, whose office was giuen to the said Lorde de Byron: the go­uernment of the towne was giuen to the Lord de Guitiniers, and for the garde of it, the king bestowed eight cōpanies of foote­men: The same day the King, Quéene mother, the Cardinall of Lorrain, wyth diuerse great Lordes of the Court, entred the towne, and visited aswell the forte of the ga [...]e▪ Aulnis, and the Castell, as the first breach of y^e Tower on the wall, & so returned to their places, where they were lodged afore.

Certaine of the Catholickes (immedi­ately after the towne was geuen ouer) went towardes the yles of Marans and Mare [...]es, holden of long by them of the religion, from whence they were nowe withdrawen by special commaundement from Rochell, whereby the catholickes en­tred [Page 210] and seased vppon them wythout re­sistaunce.

In this time were erecuted in Fraunce certaine iudgements diffinitiue, pronoun­ced afore against those of the reformed re­ligion, whose processes were begon and pursued by the kings procurers from the beginning of y^e warres, aswel against such as were out of the realme, as those that maintained part with the Princes. The first sort sorsooke the realme immediately after the second peace, as being denied to enter their houses & goods contrary to the couenauntes of the same, and lesse able to liue (without mortall perill to their per­sons) in the townes of their propper ha­bitation, being filled with garrisons of the contrary faction, as hath bene touched in the beginning of these discourses: the o­ther sorte, (forsed eftsoones to fall into armes) were knit and tyed to the army of the Princes, to resist the voluntary infringers of the peace, and coniured e­nemies to the whole realme: both the one and other were procéeded agaynste by personall adiornements in thrée short [Page 211] dayes, and for default of apparance their goodes were seased to the Kinges vse, and gouerned by speciall Commissioners of sequestration: many ydle officers busied themselues to effect the execution of their goodes: in many prouinces the said iudge­ments did suspend and hang, vntill after the battell of Montgontour, when they a­warded generall and speedy processe a­gainst all men by defaultes, proceeding to execution in Effigie and adiudication of their goodes to the King, wherein (suche was the liberall zeale of the Judges) that they executed by Effigie, such as were dead long tyme before.

It hath bene said before that y^e L. de San­sac left the siege of Vezeley by reason bys cannons miscaried: and nowe hauyng gotte newe prouision of Artillery to the number of twelue or thyrtene peeces, and being withall aduertised by certaine of the Towne of Vezeley that the Lorde de Traues, with a great parte of the Nobilitie present at the first siege, were departed and lefte the Towne, came to besiege it of freshe: Hée battered still [Page 212] the tower of y^e Port du Barle, right against the watering place: soone after he remo­ued his batterie to that syde of the gray Fryars, following with so vehemēt an as­saulte, that they came to hande strokes vp­pon the breaches, albeit he was repulsed. During this siege, Albert de la Chasse, a Bourgeys of the Towne, wrotte letters to the Catholykes, reuealing the partieu­lar state of the Towne: He threw his let­ters ouer the wall into a fielde where the Catholykes came and found them: and as he was going to the Wall with a letter, readie to conueye to the enimie, he was taken with the facte, and charging a schoole maister, as partie to hys treason, were both hanged foorthwith.

The batterie was such, as there were spent aboue thrée thousande and fyue hun­dreth shottes of Canon, and all not able to force the Protestantes, which made the Lord Sansac rayse his siege the .xvij. of De­cember. 1569. losing in this siege a­bout .xv. hundreth men, amongst whome the Lorde de Foyssy, Colonell of hys foote­men was hurt to death with a shot vppon the trenches. Within the Towne, amōgst [Page 213] others, M. Iaques Perrin, a Minister, was killed with a Canon.

The warre dyd still aggrauate in di­uerse places of the Realm contrary to the opinion of such as thought it should haue qualified and vtterly quenched by the bat­taill at Montgontour. They of Charité (wherof hath bin spoken before) strength­ned them selues with great numbers of men of warre comme with the Lorde de Bricquemau and Borry, with their reti­nue: they maynteyned ordinarie warre a­gainst y^e garrisons of the catholikes there­aboutes, making many enterprises, & one winning of an other.

The L. de Lespau a gentlemā of Berry & one called la Rose, sergeant maior to San­serre, attēpted an enterprise vpō the town of Bourges in Berry, by meane of intelli­gence with a Souldiour of the Towne, called Vrsin Pallus, to whom was promi­sed a great summe of money with a bill for the assuraunce payable within two monethes after hée had satisfied hys pro­mise: This enterprise hadde bin of long practised, and for the executiō of it, the par­ties to the practise, imparted it with the [Page 214] Lorde de Bricquemau, de Guercy (Liue­tenant to the Lorde Admirall, ouer hys men of Armes, and Gouernour at the present of Charyte for the King, vnder the Princes) to the Lorde de Borry, Ba­ron of Reury, des Essartz, with others Lords and Captaynes in those quarters: Who vnderstanding the enterprise at large with the meanes to execu [...]e it, iud­ged with it as a thing verie conuenient to be pursued.

This Vrsyn Pallus in the meane while reuealed it to the Lord de la Charstre go­nernour of the towne of Bourges and coun­trey of Berry, and also to Capteine Mar­tyn keeper of the greate towre of Burges, who aduysed him to enterteine the enter­prise and assure to them of Charite, day, place and meane to effect it, who lyke­wyse applyed him selfe to their instructi­ons.

In the meane while the sayde Gouer­nour of Charstres omitting no preparatiue fitte to welcome them, deuysed gynnes of fyer and traynes of powder within the ditches of the place asseigned: He bestow­ed also two grates, the one at the entry [Page 215] of the little Forte, and the other at the dore or false porte by whiche they enter into the greate towre: bringyng lastly into the towne diuerse horsemen and foot­men Italians, for their better suretie and defence.

The daye and howre speciall for this purpose, was asseigned by the sayd Pallus, on S. Thomas night, the one and twenteth of December at two of the clocke at after midnight, whiche they of Charite fayled not to obserue in poynt. And bycause they were dispersed in diuerse places, the place of generall méeting was at Baugy, a Castell taken before by the barron of Reury, about six leagues from Bourges: There met about a M. or twelue .C. har­quebusheares on foote of the troupes of the Lorde Borry and Loruaye, with thrée cornets of horsemen guided by the Lorde Bricquemau, all which in very good poynt obserued both the houre and place asseig­ned called la Grange Francois halfe a leage from Bourges, where lykewyse mette them the sayde Vrsin Pallus, assuring them still of the facilytie of the enterprise, [Page 216] and that he bring them to the great tower without daunger, whereunto (to couer all cause of doute) hée offered to bée their first leader.

They of the religion vnder the fayth of his worde, made march first and formost, with him the Lorde de Lespau, accompa­nied with twelue, aswell Captaines as souldiers, and entred by a wicket towarde the fort of the false port, where they pit­ched ladders to enter within y^e false port, which was fyue foote aboue ground. After him entred the baron Reury with fiue and twenty men, and then the Lord de Sarts with fifty souldiers to sustaine the first: but as his troupe entred, the cordes of the grate were cut, when they also within ap­plyed their seuerall engynes to vse and put fyre to the traines, and at the instant the artillery bestowed in flanks thundred vppon them that were to enter, as also Captaine Martyn, with his number of armed men, charged such as were vnhap­pely entred, who seing them selues and enterpryse betrayed, deuised and labored for their safety aswell as they could: some lept from the wall downe, some gat out [Page 217] of the grate, the same being somewhat hyer because Buysiere, stewarde to the late Lord d'Autricour was inclosed vnder it, being notwithstanding taken frō thence by his company, who not able otherwyse to effect their enterpryse, were constray­ned to retyre.

They killed of thē of y^e Religion twelue or fourtene aswel captaines as souldiers, and almost as many kept prisoners with­in the towne, besydes such as were hurt, the Lord de Lespau, the baron of Reurye, de Lessarts, des Milles, with certain other were taken within the grosse towre.

After this, they of Bourges fearing y^• courses y^• they of y^e religion made euen to their gates, aduertised the king of their necessity, who succored them spedely with sixe cornets of horsmen, which had bene before at the siege of S. Iean d'Angely, they arryued at Bourges vppon the ende of De­cember.

The Princes being come to Montau­ban, (as is sayd) executed the cause of their comming, adioyning to their army the forces of the two Vicounts and Montgo­merye.

[Page 218]In this time the king sent back to Poyc­tyers, the Duke d'Aumall, with three can­nons, and one culuerine guyded by the Lord de Gouas and his regiment of foote­men: And so bestowing his campin garri­sons to wynter (lycensing afore the Italiās to go home) his Maiestie came to the Towne of An­giers, wherein hath bin since (as is sayd) cer­tain conference for peace. (⸫)