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1587

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Compare 1577 edition: 1 Then these thrée went to the court, and saw the French king in person sweare to kéepe the league & amitie concluded betwéene him & the king of Eng|land. Also the king sent sir Francis Poins knight ambassadour from him to Charles the emperour, and with him went Clarenceaur king of armes, to demand the one halfe of the treasure and ordinance which was taken at Pauia,An ambassage to the emperor forsomuch as that warre was made as well at the kings charge as at the em|perours. Also they were commanded to demand one of the French kings sonnes, which lay in hostage with the emperour, that is to wit, the duke of Orle|ance to be deliuered to the king of England; and fur|ther that he shuld call backe his armie out of Italie. And if it were so that he refused these reasonable re|quests, then should they in the kings name denounce open warre against him. The English merchants liked the matter nothing at all, that there should bée anie warres betwixt the emperour and the king of England. And where they were desired by the cardi|nall to kéepe their marts at Calis, they would not assent thereto.

¶ In this meane time great warres were mana|ged betwéen the pope and other princes, Abr. Fl. ex Guic. pag. 106 [...] The duke of Burbon in|campeth néere Rome. amongest whom the duke of Burbon (of whom you haue heard often mention before in sundrie actions) leuieng a great power, led the same towards Rome, and in|camped within the medow néere to the citie, from whence with the insolencie of a souldier hee sent a trumpet to demand passage of the pope through the citie of Rome, to go with his armie to the realme of Naples. The morning following vpon the point of the daie, by the consideration of his case and the ad|uersities thereof, he found there remained no other hope for his affaires, than to be resolute to reléeue the afflictions of his armie, and according to the opportu|nitie that was offered by the citie of Rome, either to die or to vanquish. In which resolution pushed on more and more by the murmurs and exclamations of his souldiers, in whom he could not discerne which was greater, either their insolencies or their ne|cessities, he drew néere the suburbs by the waie of the mounteine and Santo Spirito, where he began to giue a furious assault. Wherein he séemed to haue the fauour of fortune, who made him present his armie in more suertie by the benefit of a thicke mist, which be|ing risen before daie, and increased with degrees of fog and thicknesse, became such a couer to his whole campe, that his souldiers were not discerned till they were néere the place where they began to giue the assault.

The duke of Burbon through a last despaire of his estate aduanced before all his companies, either for that he had no other expectation of refuge, in case he returned not victorious, or else by his owne example he thought to call on with a greater courage the lanceknights, who it séemed went not resolutelie to the seruice. But such was his destinie to determine his life & his glorie togither, or rather such the reward of his wilfull forwardnes, which for the most part hea|peth wretched effects vpon such as seeke not to ac|companie their valour with counsell and discretion.The duke of Burbon slain at the assault of Rome. In the beginning of the assault he was striken with a bullet of an harquebuze, of which wound he fell downe dead to the earth, receiuing iustlie vpon his bodie and life the price of the action, which contrarie to all iustice and pietie he went about to execute. But much lesse that his death did abate or diminish, séeing it did inflame and redouble the courage of his soul|diers, who fighting with a woonderfull constancie the space of two houres, made waie at last by their hands and weapons to enter the suburbs, wherin they EEBO page image 896 were not onelie holpen by the weaknesse of the ram|pires which were great and generall, but also they found helpe in the slender resistance which the de|fendants made.

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