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WOLSEY.

Benoist sculp.

This condition was altogether in favour of Ferdi A. C. 1510. nand, and feems to imply, that he had already pro- Rymer, jected fome scheme againft France: for, Henry could have no profpect of being attacked from that quarter; and therefore by fuch a treaty he betrayed his own intereft. But, indeed, he was fo immersed in pleasures, that he paid very little regard to the political maxims of government. His whole time was engroffed by tournaments, mafquerades, feftivals, and concerts of mufic, together with tennis and dice, at which games he loft confiderable fums of money to foreign adventurers, until he detected their frauds, and expelled them from court in the most difgraceful manner.

While his time paffed fo agreeably in these amufements, he left the care of the administration to his minifters, among whom Wolfey began already to enjoy a great fhare of his favour, for he was promoted to the deanery of Lincoln, and prefented by the king with a fine country-houfe in the neighbourhood of London, which had belonged to Sir Thomas Empfon, lately beheaded. The pope, Rupture lehaving privately engaged in a league with Ferdinand tween the and the Venetians, induftriously fought an occafion French of quarrelling with the king of France, by giving away a bishopric in Provence, contrary to his engagement with Lewis. When this monarch complained of the infraction, the pope denied that he had ever entered into any fuch engagement; and they gave one another the lie without ceremony.

Julius, being thus furnished with a pretext for a rupture, found means, by the bishop of Sion, to create a diffention between the crown of France and the Swifs, who, in a diet at Lucerne, declared for the pope, and refolved to fend an army into the Milanefe. His holinefs was fo fecret in his negotiations, that Lewis, far from fufpecting his intention was to form a ftrong league, which would

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A. C. 1510. drive the French out of Italy, believed he had no other defign but that of feizing Ferrara; and ordered Chaumont governor of Milan to fuccour the duke of Ferrara, in cafe he fhould be attacked. The fleet of Venice and the pope's army, however, having attempted to furprise Genoa, the king of France confidered the affair in a more ferious light, and directed Chaumont to keep a watchful eye over the conduct of Julius, whom that general accordingly had well nigh furprised at Bologna. The pope complained loudly of this infult at all the courts in Europe, and in particular at London. He excommunicated the French generals; made another unsuccessful attempt upon Genoa, in conjunction with the Venetian gallies; fent for twelve thoufand Swifs, who began their march for the Milanefe, under the conduct of the bishop of Sion: but finding the paffes ftrongly guarded, they returned to their own country. Lewis formed two fucceffive treaties with Maximilian, by the laft of which, they agreed to affemble a general council at Pifa, in order to depofe Julius; and they actually gained over nine cardinals to their intereft. Mean while, the pope and Venetians being joined by the Spanish army from Naples, his holiness invefted Mirandola in perfon; and the place being reduced, entered by the breach as a conqueror. When Lewis complained of Ferdinand's having joined that pontiff and the Venetians, he excufed himself by faying, that as king of Naples, he was a vaffal of the Roman fee, and in that quality could not refufe to defend the pope's perfon and dominions; but that, in other refpects, he would not intereft himself in the Guicciar quarrel, but firmly adhere to the articles of the league of Cambray.

dini. Mezerai.

A. C. 1511

Hitherto, Henry had not interfered in the affairs of Italy, or indeed in any foreign difpute that might interrupt his pleasure, which was now greatly augmented

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augmented by his queen's being delivered of a fon, A. C. 1517. who died, however, in a few weeks, to the unspeakable mortification of his parents. Ferdinand, with a view to engage his fon-in-law infenfibly in their alliance againit France, diffembled his real design; and, on pretence of equipping an armament against the Moors of Africa, follicited a reinforcement of a thousand English archers. His requeft was immediately granted; and Thomas Darcy being created a baron, was nominated to the command of this fmall detachment. The Venetians fent ambaffa- Act. Pub. dors to England, under colour of thanking Henry for having used his good offices towards their reconciliation with his holiness: but their real defign was to engage him in the projected league. The pope created Bambridge archbishop of York, a cardinal, and promoted Matthew Skinner bishop of Sion to the fame dignity: in a word, the confederates fpared no pains to gain over the minifters and agents of Henry; to perfuade him, that the king of France was become too formidable by the conqueft of Milan; and might, if not feasonably checked, form more important schemes to the prejudice of his neighbours. At length he gave ear to their remonstrances, and promised to join their af ens to the fociation. He appointed commiffioners to mufter remonand arm the militia of the kingdom, on pretence the pope and of putting the nation in a pofture of defence, in his confedecafe it fhould be invaded; and that he might avoid a rupture with the king of Scotland, who he knew was attached to Lewis, he appointed envoys to regulate all differences, which had happened fince the laft treaty. James, however, found a pretext, in fpite of all his precautions. Andrew Breton, a Scottish merchant, having obtained from his fovereign a commiffion to make reprisals on the Portuguefe, who had plundered and murdered his father on the high feas, equipped two fhips of war, with

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Qarrre's with the king of Scotland.

A. C. 1511. which he made prize of all the Portuguese veffels that traded through the English channel. The ambaffador of Portugal representing this conduct to Henry as an infult upon the English flag, he ordered two large fhips to be fitted out, and beftowed the command of them upon the two fons of the earl of Surrey, who attacked the Scottish corfair, and took his veffel, after an obftinate engageBuchanan, ment, in which Breton loft his life. The king of Scotland demanded reftitution of the prizes, as well as reparation for an outrage committed against the articles of peace fubfifting between the two kingdoms. Henry refufed the fatisfaction he demanded, alledging, that pyrates and corfairs were never comprehended in treaties; and James protefted against this refufal, as an affront which he would refent the first opportunity.

Ld, Herbert.

Progress of the war in

Jialy.

During thefe tranfactions, Lewis made fome advances towards a pacification with the pope; but all his proposals being rejected, he ordered Chaumont to carry on the war with vigour. That general, though inferior in number to the allies, commanded a body of fuch veterans, that they were afraid to hazard an engagement: at length he marched towards Modena, in order to besiege that city; and the pope, rather than it should fall into the hands of Lewis, ceded it to the emperor, who began about this time to act very coldly for the interest of his ally. Nevertheless, the army of the confederates being very hard preffed by Chaumont, Ferdinand, who ftill profeffed neutrality, propofed a congrefs at Mantua, which produced no other effect than a delay, that was very prejudicial to the French intereft. After this ineffectual effort towards an accommodation, Maximilian, who was not yet altogether detached from Lewis, confented that the council at Pifa fhould be fummoned in his name, to meet on the first day of September, and

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