1 A. C. 1512. Troops fent into Spain under the command of of Dorfet. Sea engage ment be tween the French. month of May, arrived in the province of Guipufcoa about the beginning of June, where they landed with the general, and met with a very cordial rethe marquis ception from the commiffioners of Ferdinand. Admiral Howard, who had conveyed them thither, in his return made a defcent on the coaft of Brittany, from whence he carried off a confiderable booty. He afterwards received a reinforcement, which Henry fent upon hearing that the French king had fitted out a powerful navy; and the enemy failing from Breft, both fleets met in the Channel, where a defperate engagement enfued. In the course of the battle, the Regent, a large ship, commanded by Sir Thomas Knevit, grappled with the Cordeliere, one of the strongest fhips of France, the captain of which finding himself overpowered, fet fire to the magazine, and blew up both veffels; fo that every perfon on board of them perished, to the amount of fixteen hundred chofen men. This dreadful scene interrupted the combat, and affected both fides in fuch a manner, that they had no inclination to renew the engagement. The French retired to Breft, and the English remained mafters Du. Bellay of the channel. Ld. Herbert. Ferdinand conquers amufes the English ge Ferdinand, notwithstanding the terms of his league with Henry, had no other intention but Navarre, and that of conquering Navarre; and therefore his general, the duke of Alva, instead of joining the neral. marquis of Dorfet, who had encamped at Fontarabia, with a view to invest Bayonne, remained at Logrogno with his forces, alledging that it would be dangerous to undertake the fiege of Bayonne, while the king of Navarre continued attached to the intereft of Lewis; because while they fhould be employed at the fiege he might introduce the French into his dominions; and encamping between the mountains and the fea, cut off their convoys, without hazarding a battle. He there fore The fore propofed that they fhould try to bring over A. C. 1512. that prince to their measures, before they should embark in fuch an important enterprize. marquis, perfuaded by this remonftrance, difpatched an English officer, to defire the king of Navarre to join the allies; and Ferdinand fent him a meffage to the fame purpose. He declared he would obferve an exact neutrality; but they preffing him either to join them, or deliver four places for their fecurity, he rejected their propofals, without hefiration. Mean while a French army, commanded by the duke of Longueville, approaching the frontiers of Bearne, the marquis complained, that the time loft in the negotiation with the king of Navarre had given the French an opportunity to come and defend their frontiers; and he infifted upon knowing whether or not Ferdinand would attack Guienne, according to the treaty of London. The king of Arragon replied, that it would be imprudent in him to let his army march to Fontarabia, and befiege Bayonne, while his own dominions should be left expofed to invafion from the enemy; that it would be more for their advantage to march thro Navarre, and fecure three or four places of that kingdom, by way of prevention. He, for this reafon, expreffed a defire that the English troops would join the duke of Alva for that purpose; and he did not doubt that the king of Navarre would engage in the league, as foon as he fhould find himself hard preffed, fo as to juftify his conduct, fhould he be queftioned by Lewis; in which cafe the fiege of Bayonne would be undertaken with a much better profpect of fuccefs. The English general gave him to understand, that he had no inftructions to act against the king of Navarre; and that he could not refolve to make fuch a long circuit as would be neceffary for joining the duke of Alva. Ferdinand, not fatisfied with this anfwer, still A a preffed N° 48. A C. 1512. preffed him to join his army; and in the mean time ordered his general to invest Pampeluna, the capital of Navarre, which in a little time furrendered upon capitulation; while the king of that country retired to France, and entered into a treaty with Lewis for their mutual defence. After the reduction of Pampeluna, Ferdinand, inftead of joining the English forces, according to his promife, ordered the duke of Alva to continue his conquefts; while the troops under the marquis of Dorfet, ferved as an army of obfervation, and intimidated the French from entering Navarre; fo that the Spanifh general was enabled to fubdue the greatest part of that kingdom, without interruption. The king of Arragon, in the mean time, dispatched a meffenger to England, to cajole Henry with an unfair account of his proceedings; and, as the king of England had received no intelligence to the contrary, from the marquis of Dorfet, he, at the requeft of Ferdinand, ordered that general to co-ope~ rate with the Spanish army. Before the marquis received this order, the duke of Alva reduced St. Jean de pied de port; and then the king of Arragon offered, that if the marquis of Dorfet would join his forces, they thould march directly into Guienne, and befiege Bayonne; but this propofal was rejected, as an impracticable fcheme, by the marquis, who knew that the French army was intrenched between Bayonne and Salvatierra; fo that he could not pafs the river Bidaffoa, without running the risk of lofing his forces; and, Bayonne was by this time fo well provided, that it could not be befieged with any hope of fuccefs. Ferdinand was well acquainted with these circumstances, and the fole design of his proposal was to obtain a pretence for charging upon the marquis Peter Mar- the whole blame of leaving Guienne uninvaded. That nobleman, incenfed at his difingenuous con tyr. duct, 1 HENRY VIII. 355 Troops re2 duct, and feeing his army daily diminish by fickness A. C. 1512. and dearth of provifion, demanded transports for conveying them to their own country. These were granted, with a feeming reluctance, by Ferdinand, turn to Enge who, though he protefted against their departure, land. was very little concerned at their retreat, because he had already made himself mafter of the whole kingdom of Navarre. At this period the marquis of Dorfet falling fick, was fucceeded in command by lord Thomas Howard; and just as the troops were ready to embark, the herald arrived with an order to the general to obey king Ferdinand in all his directions. This news produced a mutiny in Mezarai, the army, which could not be reftrained from embarking; and, when they were returned to their own country, the king was at firft incenfed against the general: but his indignation fubfided when he was informed of all the tranfactions of the campaign, by which he plainly perceived that he had been egregiously duped by his father-in-law. He found it convenient, however, to diffemble and temporife, left Ferdinand should leave him in the lurch, by making a feparate accommodation with Lewis. Before the end of the year, the king of Arragon was in full poffeffion of Navarre, which he had no other pretext for retaining, but the pope's bull, denouncing excommunication against John d'Albret, king of Navarre; and bestowing his dominions upon the prince by whom they fhould be first conquered. During thefe tranfactions in Navarre, the army of the allies in Italy, commanded by the viceroy of Naples, undertook the fiege of Bologna; but they were obliged to lay afide that enterprize at the approach of Gafton de Foix, duke de Nemours, who afterwards routed them at Ravenna, but was himself killed in the purfuit: then all the towns of Romagna furrendered voluntarily to the cardinal A a 2 St. La. Herberts A. C. 1512. St. Severin, who attended the French army as legate from the council of Pifa, tranflated to Milan. The cardinals at Rome were fo terrified at thefe events, that they went in a body, and fupplicated Julius to make peace with France; but he had refources of which they were ignorant. The Swifs, at the inftigation of the cardinal of Sion, refolved to invade the dutchy of Milan; and la Paliffe, the French general, being apprized of their preparations, haftened to the defence of that country, leaving St. Severin with a small body of troops in the Romagna; fo that Rome was freed of its apprehenfions, and Julius opened the council of the Lateran. Immediately after the retreat of la Paliffe, the towns of Romagna fubmitted to the pope. Lewis was fain to fend an army into Bearn, to hinder the English and Spaniards from invading Guienne; the emperor concluded a truce with the Venetians, and withdrew his troops from the army of France left to defend the Milanefe; fo that cardinal St. Severin was recalled for the fuccour of that dutchy. Sixteen thousand Swiss began their march for Italy by the way of Trent, through which they were allowed a free paffage by Maximilian, who excused himfelf to Lewis, by faying, that his alliance with the Cantons would not allow him to refuse them a paffage through his dominions. Being joined by the Venetians at Verona, they approached Milan. Paliffe, being fo weakened that he could not pretend to oppofe their progress, refolved to repafs the mountains, and retire to France; and he was immediately followed by the fathers of the council, which, by a hafty decree, was transferred from Milan to Lyon. All the places of the Milanefe immediately furrendered to the Swifs and Venetians, except Parma, Placentia, and Reggio. Alexander Bentivoglio quitted Bologna, which was abandoned to the pope's difcretion; fo that by |