attend to the defence of religion and their common safetie which was continuallie opposed to great danger if with courage and vnited force they transported not the warre into Turkie and so inuaded not the enimie in his owne Countrie Here vppon the opinions of sundrie skilfull men of warre and others that knew the Countries dispositiō as wel of the Princes as of the power of the Turks being taken it was thought necessary to make great prouision of money by the voluntarie contributions of Princes an vniuersal impostio be leuied ouer all Christendome That the Emperour with the Hungarian and Polonian horsemen warlyke nations such as were practised in continuall wars agaynst the Turkes as also with such the strength of Germanie as might beseeme so great an enterprise shoulde sayle along Danowe into Bosina in olde time tearmed Misia and so into Thrace and to approch vnto Constantinople the imperiall sea of the Ottomans That the French King with the forces of his Realme the Venecians and other Potentates of Italy accompanied with the footmen of Zuitzerland should passe from the port of Brunduse in Albanie a very easie and short cut to inuade Greece a landful of Christian inhabitants as well in respect hereof as for the intollerable yoake of the Turkes most readie to rebell That the kings of England Spaine and Portugall as well in their nauies at Carthagene and the hauens thereabout should take their course with 200. shippes full of Spanish footmen other souldiors to the straights of Gallipolis thence to make roads to Constantinople hauing first seazed vpon the Dardanes that is their Castles standing vppon the mouth of the straight That the Pope should take the same course with an hundred great gallies With these preparatiues sufficient to couer both sea and land the Turkes estates being inuaded in so many places who make their chitfest account of defence in the plaine field it seemeth especially adding therto the innocation of Gods name that of so holy a warre there could not be hoped but a happie end This deliberation of the most excellent Captaines then liuing I finde to be so well grounded that I thinke we might borowe much of theirs but had the execution thereof insued we should the better haue séene what it had ben howbeit the death of Selim comming on asswaged the feare of these Princes so consequently their desire to proceed whereby they passed but to wordes Now as since there haue followed great alterations so are we to frame our selues according to the disposition of matters somwhat to vary from this platforme but rather in the particularities than principall pointes thereof First we may be certaine that it is to small purpose to inuade the Turkes by lande onely or by sea onely for leauing them either of those gaps open they will thereby so molest vs as that they will turne vs from the other in kindling the flames farther within our houses than we can do in theirs In respect wherof it is requisite to set their whole estate in Europein combustion by following the wars in euery part thereof which is vnpossible to be performed w tout a mighty power as wel by sea as by lād which our ancestors thought expedient as also it is as Guicciardine saith the perfect meanes to abridge any warre for being strong ye shal soone bring your enimies to reason either by victory or composition Wheras contrariwise when it is weakly followed it groweth ruinous Whē Caesar inuaded Pompey who had seazed vpon all Greece and the Easterne Prouinces he made himselfe strong both by sea and land wherein neuerthelesse his competitor exceeded him The like did Augustus against Marke Anthonie who possessed the same countries which now y e Turks inioy both of thē had neere 1000. vessels aboue 35. legions by land But because it is an easie matter to know that for the well inuading of those countries both y e powers must be matched together I wil speak no more therof As for y e partition of these princes forces which Guicciardine mentioneth it is not amisse nor the inuasiō of 3. sides albeit I think it were better for vs to stick to two For I consider that y e whole defence of the Turks lands consisteth in 2. great armies the one vpon the land y t other vpon y e sea neither hathhe anie fortified places as we haue so as y e losse of one of these props is y e opening of a gate vnto vs which is y e reason why I would wish we should make but 2. strong bodies wherwith to attempt our enterprises Moreouer if we should strike into Slauonia or Greece w t a body of 18. or 20000. men they wold ere we were aware fal vpō vs with some 100. or 120000. wherby we wanting assured places of retreat this bodie would be quite ouer whelmed This other reason wil I also adde that if both our armies as wel by sea as by land do shoot at Constantinople and by winning litle litle do attaine therto must it not needs follow y t in performing this purpose they shal seaze not only vpō Slauonia but also vpon all the land of Romagnia which shal be a pray to toe conqueror The Christian forces would I wish to be thus diuided The K. of Spain as the mightiest prince Christian to arme as many gallies galeasses as he were able The Pope y e Venetians w t other the potentates of Italy to ioyne with him I think if they list to straine thēselues they be able to set forth 300. galleis 12. galeasses besides other smal vessels for y e transport of victuals horse which be but the dependances of y e campe If any demand whether y e number may stay the Turks power by sea I thinke yea for Don Iohn had but 200 galleis whē he wan y e battell against thē As also when the armies whether by land or by sea do excéed a competēd quantity y e rest do but bréed confusiō The soldiers for the furnishing of the said vessels might be leuied in Spain Italy notwithstanding it would amoūt to 30000. For y e land the Emperor likewise shold prepare a mighty army to inuade through Hungary consisting of the power of all Germany the low countries Sueden Denmark Boheme Hungary thereto also adioining his that now raigneth in Pole lande which vnited together woulde vndoubtedly amount vnto 35000 horse and 30000 footemen and 10000 pioners The other part of the land forces to come from the most Christian king of France the Queene of England the king of Scots with the Suitzers and Grisons who vnder some notable Captaine should ioyne with the Emperor and in my opinion would amount vnto some 20000. footemen 5000. horse This power would I take to be sufficient to obtayne some braue victorie containing at y e least 125000. fighting men which seemeth to be a great number but if we also consider all Christendome it is to
is no great proofe hereof for the transmutation of a masse of Lead into a masse of Gold which is a conuersion of substance doth far differ from ministring vnto fire any matter that may nourish or maintaine it Yea it doth better appeare in this that the fire hauing consumed y e matter ministred they both doe perish whereas by the alleadged transmutation so perfect a mettall must come of it as may haue a continual being They must therefore bring in better reasons exāples to verrefie this multiplicatiō Besides if this were so it must needs follow y t art should surmount nature because in short space it should worke y e thing which nature is many yeres about Thus much haue I thought good to answere to the common arguments which they ordinarily vse in their discourses deuises wherby a mā may iudge what a small foundation they haue to build so high a worke vppon Such as being sufficiētly learned list to peruse their pāphlets may be able with greater grauitie more at large to dispute with thē to y e end y e truth being disclosed many may by abādoning their errors find profit therin For my part I shal still think thē to be deceiued in y e waies y t they take vntil experiēce hath reuealed y t wherof we are in doubt which is one reson y t we do many times lay against them saying y t sith it doth not appeare that any of the ancient Writers could euer with all their furnaces finde out this secret why do they so obstinatly proceed in the search therof But say they in old time many did know it as Salomon in whose daies gold was so plentiful that all his pallace was therewith adorned siluer as common as yron which abundance could neuer haue ben such had he not practised this hidden Philosophie wherein through his great wisedome he was most expert Hereto do they ad y t K. Midas who as it is said turned all y t he touched into gold was also skilful herein Likewise y t the ancient Poets speaking of the goldē fleece ment therby the Philosophers stone which also was not altogether vnknowen when the Romaine Empire was in greatest pride Howbeit that euer since it hath as it were lien dead together with many other things vntil these later daies that some men searching among the pouders of antiquitie found out some small fragments of this wonderfull treasure affirming that some haue made demonstration therof as Cosme of Medicis and K. Edward of England who receiued this benefit at the hand of Reimond Lully a Catelaeunia Others haue concealed it as Arnold de villa noua Theophrast Paracelse To be briefe leuing a multitude of like exāples they accoūt thēselues to be followers not of imaginary matters but of things alredy practised Truly I should neuer maruel to see the nouices in this art y t haue smal practise in histories somtimes to feed vpō these vanities but when the maisters thēselues shal go about to persuade the others y t these imaginatiōs are true it cannot but breed pastime to y e hearers Wherfore to answere thē first I say y t the aleaing of y e exāple of Salomō turneth to their disgrace for Dauid was he y t heped vp most of his treasures neither is it written y t euer man had so much The Scripture testifieth y t he left him toward y e building of y e tēple 100000. talēts of gold a miliō of siluer which amoūtech to 120. millions of crownes as Bude summeth it But almost all that treasure did rise of the spoyles and ouerthrowes of the Canaanites and Amorrheans whom Dauid according to Gods appointment made an ende of rooting out And as for Salomon hee was a King endued with perfect wisedome but he neuer vsed the same to theyr pretended effects yea in the holie Bible we find whence he had his Golde and siluer It is sayde that his shippes sayled with the ships of Hyram king of Tyre into Ophir which some interprete to bee the Indies to fetch and the number of Golde that they brought did mount to six hundred sixtie and sixe talents of gold Nowe the Hebrewes talent of golde as some doe affirme was worth seauen thousande Crownes so as all this summe shoulde rise almost to fiue millions of Golde which in those dayes was a maruelous treasure But some of these men doe imagine that the gold of Ophir was the same that was fetched out of their fornaces which impudent affirmation deserueth no answer But I will vse the example of Salomon to prooue their arte to be false for if he whose wisedome was incomparable who also was perfect in all whatsoeuer coulde fall into mans capacity neuer writ that he gate this secrete by blowing but contrariwise setteth downe some of the meanes whereby he attained to his wealth shall not we presume that it is an euident abuse to leaue to their experiences Neither is the example of Midas of any greater credit then the other For in his person the ancient writers purposed to set before vs a couetous prince whose treasure through his owne vice grew hurtfull to him selfe And by the golden fleece the poets ment the veynes of golde or siluer which the Greeke Princes fetcht out of Chalochos in the ship of Argos Now let vs come to the Romaines For it can not be denied but the Empire of Rome ouerflowed with wealth howbeit it proceeded of the sacking of all the world and not else where as testifie the histories The alleaging of great Cosme of Medicis is but a little tickling to cause vs to smile For he was a man issued from a very wealthy family and with all discreete a great dealer and of muche traficke whereby he mightily increased his goods and afterward vsed very stately liberality and expenses as did Lucullus at Rome and Cimon at Athens Concerning Edward king of England who coined so many Rose nobles no historie reporteth it to haue bene done with Raymond Lullyes philosophical gold which maketh me y e rather to thinke that he dealt with minerals As for Theophrast Paracelse and Arnold de Villa noua no man can denye but they were learned both in Philosophie and Alcumie and found out great secretes but I am assured that in any their bookes it cannot be found that the substance of artificiall gould doth resemble the same whereupon our common Alcumistes doe worke either that the forme thereof is to bee performed in Fornances besides if we consider of their liues wee shall in the same see the tokens of pouertie and not of aboundance whereby it is likely they rather laboured to finde what were necessarie for the health of mens bodies then to reueale any such matter as might encrease their couetousnesse Besides if either themselues or any other had bene skilfull in this transmutation I thinke they concealed it as well for their owne safeties and quietnesse as also to the ende to eschue so many
fought on euery side Howbeit in as much as the whole army of the Catholicks still came on the Protestants were forced to flee after they had lost in the field about a hundred Gentlemen but especially the Princes owne person who being borne downe coulde haue no succour and hauing yeelded himselfe to the Lorde of Argences there came a Gascoigne Gentleman named Montesquion and discharged a pistoll through his head whereof he died His death bred wonderfull sorrowe among the Protestantes and as great ioy to some of his aduersaries who supposed they shoulde soone ouercome the whole body nowe that they had cut of so good a head howbeit as some did greatly blame him so others there were that commended his valour As also this commendation may iustly be giuen him that in bouldnesse or curtesy no man of his time excelled him Of speech hee was eloquent rather by nature then art he was liberall and affable vnto all men and withall an excellent Captaine although he loued peace Hee bare him selfe better in aduersity then in prosperitie His greatest commendation of all was his stedfastnesse in religion My best is to holde my peace for feare of saying to little albeit I thought good to speake somewhat leaste I shoulde be accounted ingratefull to the memory of so valiant a Prince Many a worthy person both Catholike and Protestant whome our ciuill stormes haue caried away are to be lamented for they honored our Fraunce and might well haue holpen to encrease it had not discord prouoked the valour of the one to the destruction of the valour of the other After this blowe the Protestantes army was wonderfully astonied and it fell out well for them that the country whereinto they were withdrawne was all full of water for thereby were the Catholicks restrained and they had time to recouer themselues Hauing atchieued such a victory the Catholicks imagined that such of our townes as were not very strong woulde bee amazed But the Admirall had placed in them the most part of his footemen thereby breake this first fury so as when they set forward to assalt Coignac they well found that such catts were not caught without mittens for therein were fowre regimentes of footemen but as when they had sent three or fowre hundred shot vnto the parkeside to disceuer that part they that were within sent foorth 10 or 1200 who sent them so quickly away that they came no more as also they had in their army but sowre Canons and as many Culuerines Monsieur contenting him selfe with his victory and perceiuing that hee coulde not performe any greate matter in his tender youth triumphing ouer moste excellent captaines as also hee had good counsaile and assistaunce of other worthy Captaines that accompanied him retired to refresh his men In this action we are to gather that in whatsoeuer waighty and daungerous attempt it must not bee followed to halues for we must either quight leaue it off or else employ whatsoeuer our senses and force Moreouer this is to be noted that when armies are lodged scatteringly they incurre viuerse inconueniences which the sufficiencie of the best Captaines is not able withstand Of the notable passage of the Duke of Aipont from the borders of Rhine euen into Aquitaine MAny that shall heere see it set downe as it were for a meruayle that a forraine enimies armie coulde pierce so very far into the realme of France wyll not peraduenture thinke it straunge because that considering other examples namelie that of the Emperour Charles the fifth when hee came to besiege Saint Desier they will not take such expeditions to be so extraordinarie as we wold make them beleeue for Howbeit if they list well to waigh the length of the iourney also the mightie and continuall lets and hinderances that this had I doubt they wil be of another opinion Yet will I confesse that ciuill warres doe greatly fauour the entrie of our neighbours who otherwise without the support of one of the factions neuer durst haue enterprised the same But when on the one side the fauour is small and on the other side the resistance great we are the more to admire the deeds of those that haue so aduentured Touching that which is alleadged of the Emperour Charles I will aunswere in fewe wordes First for his person hee was the mightiest Captaine in Christendome then for his campe it consisted of fiftie thousand men lastlie that at such time as hee came in the King of England had alreadie taken Bollein which caused King Fraunces who woulde not aduenture anie thing rashlie to leaue the passage more free Nowe the Duke of Biponts case is farre otherwise for notwithstandinge he were a valyaunt valyant Prince yet did he not any thing neere approch the militarie sufficiencie of the other and a great helpe and ease it was for him that he was accompanied with the Prince of Orenge Countie Lodowicke Countie Wolrad of Mansfield besides other braue French Captaines and two thousand footmen and horsemen of the same nation that ioyned with him His number of Germaines was fiue thousand Lance knights and sixe thousand Reisters With this small armie did he passe forward in purpose to ioyne with the Princes power The King vnderstanding that he prepared for their succour did immediatlie appoint a small armie vnder the leading of the Duke of Aumale to withstand him and doubting of the weaknesse therof he also ioyned thereto another vnder the gouernment of the D. of Nemours These two bodies vnited did in footmen exceede the Duke of Bipont but in horse were inferiour vnto him They determined not to state his comming into the realme to molest them and therefore marched euen into the borders of Germanie and toward Sauerne ouerthrew the regiment of one named Le Coche composed of certaine straies gathered together who meant to haue ioyned with him Neuerthelesse he entered into France on the side of Burgundie whether they came to coast him and vntill he came to the riuer of Loire which was little lesse than foure score leagues they neuer gaue him ouer but still were either on his flankes or tayle yea many times the armies were in sight each of other and had great skirmishes I haue oft heard the Prince of Orenge report that he meruayled in so long and difficult a waie that the Catholikes could neuer finde anie fit occasion to their aduauntage for sometimes they had fayre offers by reason of the pestering with store of carriages Neither can I omit this that besides the braue forces of the Kings armie they had other aduantages which were not smal as the fauour of the townes Countries and riuers yea and one point more was to be noted that is their notise of the enemies purposes which consisted in making of way and winning by power or pollicy some passage ouer Loire For albeit both the Dukes of Nemours and Aumale were braue Captains yet notwithstanding all their pollicies and endeauours this armie gate to the sayd