TO THE RIGHT Worshipfull Sir Henrie Brooke Cobham Knight RIght Worshipful forasmuch as the historie of Guicchiardine hath wonne sufficient credite in mens opinions to coūtenance it selfe against the enuious I hope my boldnes may much the better bee excused presuming to publish in print this treatise containing all the notable and materiall things in that Hystorie whosoeuer hee was that hath bestowed his trauaile to reduce so great a volume into so small and necessarie a Booke though his name be suppressed hee may merit no doubt his due commendation I thought it a necessarie office for me to make shew of my good disposition in due consideration towards you whom I haue knowne of along time to be exercised in forraine affaires and imploied in matters of some weight for her Maiesties seruice and the estate Hauing thereon addicted my selfe to thinke you meete to receyue this little Booke into your protection which most affectionatly I recommend vnto you with my prayers vnto the eternall God for your worships health and long life From my house in the new rents in Saint Nicholas shambles this seuenth of December 1591. Your Worships most humbly at commaund T. P. A briefe collection or Epitomie of all the notable and material things contained in the hystorie of Guicchiardine being verie necessarie for Parliament councell treatises and negotiations LOdouike Sforce tutor and vncle to Iohn Galeas duke of Millaine fearing least Ferdinand king of Naples should make war vpon him departed from the league lately made betweene him the king the Florentines against the Venetians and closely procureth Charles the viii king of France to come to Italie to conquer the kingdome of Naples as due to the house of Aniow for that Pope Vrbin the fourth gaue Naples and Cicill being the olde fee of the Church vnto Charles Earle of Prouince and Aniow brother vnto Saint Lewis Ferdinand was verie secure as commonly men are in their woorst destinie knowing his strength both by sea and land and knowing withall that there was no great matter in his enemie but he remembred not the weakenesse and parcialities in Italie and that France was not since Charlemans time so great in circuite nor flourishing in souldiers Howbeit he treated with Lodouike for amitie who secretly promised him meaning nothing lesse and with Alexander the sixt lately chosen Pope by open symonie and by the meanes of Cardinall Ascanio Sforce in despite of the Cardinall of Saint Peters ad Vincula who before was secretly confederated with Lodouike and yet promised Ferdinand that he would defend Naples and Ferdinand should defend the Church Ferdinand further made peace with Maximilian king of Romans lately chosen Emperour Lodouike on the other side to winne the Emperour from him gaue in mariage to the Emperour Marie Blanche sister of Iohn Galeas with promise of foure hundred thousand ducats whereupon the Emperour more esteeming the mony then his new brother in law gaue the inuestiture of the duchie of Millain vnto Lodouike pretending that since the death of Philip Viscont Mary there had bene no lawfull duke thereof The French king hereupon sent Peron de la Bascha embassadour to the Pope the Florentines and the Venetians where albeit he receiued onely comforts in generalitie for that the warres were put off till the next yeare yet Ferdinand seeing all things now like to come to naught fel into pensiuenesse and so into an Apoplexie died whose sonne Alfonso succeeded and entred league with Pope Alexander as his father did But discouering the trecheries of Lodouike he sent away his ambassadour he sequestred the reuenues of the duchie of Barrie and by all meanes endeuoured also to alienate from him the citie of Geane yea that which the deuil himself would scarcely haue done he sent to the Turke Baiazet Ottoman assuring him that Charles the French king after the conquest of Italie had a meaning to set vppon Greece and therefore he should helpe in this common case He sent his nephew forthwith to surprise Geane but Lois duke of Orleance preuented him Now began Italie to thinke of her weakenes the Pope commanded the king not to enter Peter de Medices and the Florentines who were euer French heretofore declared them selues against the king the Venecians were content to stande neuter Lodouike vpon better aduice began to feare that the conquering Naples would also swallow vp Millaine and therefore began now to cast how to make an accord as soone as the king were past the Alpes hoping to make Alphonso tributarie to France and thereby to assure his owne estate Now began prodigious sights to be seene as in Puglia three Sunnes enuironed with cloudes and horrible thundering In Arezzo armies of men and horses in the aire with drummes and trumpets and diuerse Images sweating The Colonoys ioine with the French Lodouike accompanieth them Peter de Medices becommeth his friend and the Pisans the Pope the Venecians and Lodouike in greater feare then euer tofore for that Charles passed like a thunder through Italie with great successe Charles entereth Rome kisseth the Popes feete and ioyneth with him in league defensiue the Cardinall of Valence sonne to the Pope is appointed three monethes to followe the king toward Naples The Neapolitans shew that they neither loued Ferdinand the father nor Alfonso the sonne which brought him in great perplexitie and so much the more for that the spirite of Ferdinand as it was thought appeared to his chiefe surgeon willing him to tell Alfonso that it was in vain for him to resist the French king it was determined their race should faile in respect of diuerse their great sinnes and especially for the thing that they resolued in Saint Leonards Church in Chiaie which was to put a number of the novilitie to death Hereupon Alfonso tormented in conscience priuily stole away into Sicilia with foure gallies whereby the French king with great ease got this noble kingdome as the Romane who said Veni vidi vici Howbeit Ferdinand sonne of Alfonso tooke on him the title of the king and defence of the kingdome But within short space hee was driuen to flie into Iskia At this time the noble captaine Iean Iaques de Trinulce of Capua gaue himselfe to the king and offered to bring Ferdinand to some good composition whereof the king willingly accepted so that hee woulde forgo Naples in respect whereof he offered to giue him other estates in Fraunce This was the fruite of discorde and ambition in the manie little estates of Italie whereof none was able to defende it selfe seuerally and ioyntly might haue done greater things The second Booke THe Pisans desire to cast off the yoke of the Florentines and submit themselues to the French the Florentines prepare to warre vpon them and in the meane time fall at difference among them selues for the forme of their owne gouernement touching the which Soderin and Vespucci made two excellent Orations one for Democratie the other for Aristocratie the which had preuailed had not
the authoritie of Frier Sauinorola carried it away who like a Prophet in the middest of their quietnesse foretolde them all the miseries of Italie by strangers to come The Pope is suspected to haue poisoned Gemin Ottoman being corrupted thereunto by the Turke for feare hee shoulde aide the French king against him after his conquest of Italie Lodouike Sforce and the Venetians seeing the incredible successe of king Charles feared now bondage to themselues and began to league together bringing thereunto the Pope the king of Romanes and the king of Spaine The Florentines were also dealt withall but what for feare and what for lothnesse to leese the traffike of Fraunce they helde backe Notwithstanding that the king heard of this league yet he caused himselfe to be crowned before hee woulde depart from Naples and treated verie earnest amitie with the Pope who made to him faire semblant and promise and yet he so little trusted the king that at his returne from Naples by Rome the Pope forsooke Rome and went secretly to Orbieta and from thence to Perugia and so to Ancona to haue commoditie of the sea if neede shoulde require The king in the mean time passed by Siena and Pisa and the confederates had a meaning to stop his passage into France but their hearts fayled them at the first After assembling an armie neere the riuer Taro vnder the conduct of the marques of Mantua they fought a long battell where the bastard of Burbon was slaine and the king almost taken prisoner had he not bene well horsed and yet in the ende the Frenchmen had the honour of the field at which time it was noted that the souldiers of Lodouike would not fight as though he had bene in as much danger of the Venetians as of the Frenchmens victorie The insolent gouernement of the Frenchmen who can better win then keepe became odious and consequently Ferdinand in hope to recouer Naples But at the first incounter his horse was slaine vnder him and himself had beene vndoubtedly slaine had not an olde page of his brother to the duke of Termini horsed him vpon his owne horse and suffred himselfe to be slaine for him a rare example in our time Within a while after the Neapolitans of themselues receyued Ferdinand and the Frenchmen retyre to the Castell Nouaria and other places are besieged by the king and the Bailie of Diuion who being willed by the king to send for ten thousand Switchers there came twentie thousand at the composition of Nouaria and a peace beginginneth to be treated betweene the king and Lodouike touching the which Monsieur de la Tremouille and the prince of Orange made two contrarie Orations and the duke of Orleance gainesayd the peace so earnestly that he gaue the prince of Orange the lie Howbeit the king and the greater part being inclined to peace and desirous to returne into France the king departed suddenly to Thurin for that the Swissers murmured threatning to take him prisoner for lacke of pay for that Lewis the eleuenth was woont euer to pay them for three moneths wherevnto the king was faine to yeelde though he were escaped himselfe out of their daungers for that they had taken prisoners the Bailie of Diuion and other Captaines At the time that the Frenchmen helde Naples the horrible disease of the pockes a thing then vncurable began in most pitifull vlcers and cankers The third Booke THis vnwise and sudden returne of king Charles put all Italie in hope to be at rest from any more such plagues and among the rest Lodouike thinking that he had so farre offended the king as it was but follie to keepe that peace which he neuer meant further then for the holding of Nouaria and for his own safetie searched forthwith some honest colour to slippe from the king and to set some other states at oddes with him which hee did with such successe that he termed himselfe The sonne of Fortune And yet within a while after hearing of the kings full resolution to returne againe into Italie he was marueilously perplexed insomuch that once againe he practised capitulations with the king wherein he would haue accorded euery article sauing that they could neuer trust one another by reason of the great iniuries secretly passed and yet certainly knowne Ferdinand in the meane time with all diligence bestirreth himselfe taketh Nuceria treateth with the Venetians who accept of his friendship and take Pisa into protection ioyneth with the Marques of Mantua and fought with Mont Pensier and his Switchers at Nuceria and by reason of the slacknes of king Charles who neither kept appointment in comming himselfe nor sending succours preuayled greatly in the kingdome of Naples But alas so destinie would he died in the middest of his hope and glorie without children according to the vision being the first king of that Realme within three yeeres whom his vncle Don Fredericke succeeded Lodouike seeing the French kings returne into Italy begin to wax cold he became verie iollie and thinking to serue his turne with the king of Romanes as he had done by the king of France that is to say to terrifie the great estates and in the meane time to gaine the smaller he perswaded with sixe hundred thousand ducats Maximilian to come into Italie Maximilian on the other side meant as subtilly as he secretly purposing to win the kingdome of Naples for Iohn heire to the king of Spaine his sonne in law which Lodouike perceyuing was sore astonished and yet in the end wan him to Fredericke The Venetians became now iealous of Maximilian and Lodouike and therefore sent Hannibal Bentiuole to Pisa and so much the rather for that they being troubled by Peter of Medices and otherwise and forsaken in their need by the Frenchmen were dealt withall by Lodouike to submit themselues to Maximilian The Pope thinking himselfe now to haue opportunitie to occupie the estates of the Vrsins the chiefe of them being detained at Naples declared Virginio and the rest rebels for taking solde of the French and so ioyning with the Colonoys assayled them on all sides to the displeasure of the Venetians who meant to gaine that familie but that in these daungerous times opportunitie serued not to fall out with the Pope Lodouike albeit that he professed himselfe altogether to the Venetians extolling Iohn Galeas the first duke of Millaine who made them executors of his testament and acknowledging that to their great charge thei had defended his estate yet his teeth so watred at Pisa which they had gotten that he caused the Pope the Emperor to perswade that it was necessarie to restore Pisa to Florence for feare of giuing cause of the French kings returne thinking vpon the restitution to get it himselfe but the Venetian ambassador impugned it with greater reasons At this time Aluiano assisted by the Guelphes sacked the houses of the Gibellins and slue Liii of the chiefe in the Popes territorie who nothing helped the matter but see the plague
much golde and siluer c. The duke Valentinoys about this time escaped out of prison to Naples where Gonsaluo taketh him and sendeth him captiue into Spaine and a truce is taken betweene the kings of Fraunce and Spaine Fredericke being out of hope of recouering his kingdome of Naples died and after him Queene Elizabeth of Spaine wherevpon some differences were like to arise betweene the Archduke and the Spanish king for the gouernement of Castilia About this time it may not be forgotten that Cardinall Hippolite of Esca being in loue with a yong damosel his kinswoman who made more account of his bastard brother asked her what was the cause why she so greatly loued a bastard and she answered his sweete and amiable eyes whereupon one day as he rid on hunting he caused his brother to dismount and commaunded his footmen in his presence to plucke out his eyes saying he liked no such companions in loue The seuenth Booke PHillip the archduke began to entitle himselfe king of Castile not being content that his father in law should gouerne hauing no better interest then the appointment of his wife when she lay in extremitie And the king of Romanes being hartned with the greatnes of his sonne purposeth to enter into Italie The French king hauing them al in ielousy though he were verie angry with the Pope for vsurping vpon the spiritual liuings in Millaine yet least he should stand alone he treateth with the Pope making quarrell to Venice for that he knew it a thing acceptable to him Phillip prepareth by sea to inuade Spaine and is by storme driuen into England where he is honorably receiued by Henrie the seuenth and newly furnished for his voyage vpon condition that he should deliuer the duke of Suffolke whom he had prisoner in the castell of Namures Phillip yeeldeth and requireth that he might not be put to death though he pretended right to the crowne whereunto king Henry the seuenth condiscended but Henrie the eight afterwarde strake off his heade Phillip goeth forward and by capitulation obtaineth the kingdome of Castile but dieth within a while after The French king is desirous to bee reuenged vpon Venice but first marrieth his daughter Madame Claude vnto Francis of Angolesme afterward king The Emperour treateth with the Venetians to passe through their territories to be crowned at Rome The Pope enterprised the recouerie of Bolognia vnder the conduct of the Marques of Mantua the Bolognians require ayde of the French king according to their protection but in fine the poore Bentiuoles in stead of a protection had a faire safe conduct of Monsieur Chaumont for which they payed dearly and lost the state to the Church The Geneuoys rebell against the French king and fell also at ciuil discord the Gibelines fauouring the Adornes and the Guelphes the Fregoses euery man desiring to bring the gouernment to his friendes Monsieur de Chaumont setteth vpon them and maketh them yeeld the towne to the discretion of the king who there entered in person and pardoned all sauing threescore Ferdinand king of Aragon and the French king appoynted a meeting at Sauona and there they put themselues one in anothers power as though there neuer had beene enmitie betweene them Where supping together none but the two kings and the Queene the French king would needes haue Gonsaluo make the fourth being in admiration of his fame his person his maiestie in gesture and speech After this tyme this great Captaine had neuer great occasion to exercise his vertue The ende of their great conference was that they two and the Emperour shoulde ioyne agaynst the Venetians The Emperour on the other side held a decree at Constance for the encountering of the French king in Italie and to that end treated with the Pope professing himselfe a protector of the Church and an enemie of the French vsurpation in Italie who meaned quoth he to make the Cardinall of Amboyse Pope and himselfe Emperour This troubled the king who was sure neither of the Pope nor of the Venetians and the Venetians were much perplexed whether they shoulde ioyne with the king or the Emperour to which poyntes Foskarin and Gritti made excellent orations In fine they answered the Ambassadour of the Emperour who demaunded passage that if he came armed he shoulde haue no passage if otherwise they shoulde doe him all honour possible He marcheth on notwithstanding and gaineth something but for want of good resolution looseth againe The eight Booke NOw do the Emperour and the Venetians fall to treatise of league which maketh all Italie more afraid then euer before which had beene alreadie greatly tormented by the ambition of princes and specially by the Venetians who made their profite of euery peace and euery warre and euen in this league with Caesar they demeaned themselues so cunningly that they nowe gaue cause both to the Emperour and the French king to ioyne together against them whereupon the Pope fayled not to encourage them insomuch that for the Emperour Madame Marguiret his daughter gouernesse of Flanders for the French king the Cardinall of Amboyse and for Spaine The Ambassador sware this league at Cambray The Venetians mistrusting false measure had their ambassadour there also to awaite what was done but the Cardinall sware so many othes that the French king his maister woulde keepe his league with Venice and that his meeting was to make peace betweene the Archduke and the duke of Guelders that hee made him and the Venetians verie secure This league was helde verie secrete but the Pope taking the aduauntage thereof demaunded of them Rimini and Fauentia which they had taken from the Church vttering that whereas the greatest princes in Christendome were ioyned agaynst them he would also ioyne if they denied him his demaund The Senate was deepely amazed and diuided in opinion touching the restitution and in fine were resolued to restore had not Treuisan a man of high estate next the duke most earnestly disswaded them which they repented for the Pope ratified the treatise of Cambray and so all Christendome in effect armed against them And besides that they had these euill signes and presages a shippe of theirs was drowned with tenne thousande ducats The Castell of Bresse was striken with thunder their tower of records suddenly fell downe their Arsenall was burnt twelue gallies their salt peter powder and munition was consumed The French king accompanied with the duke of Loraine and nobilitie of Fraunce passed the Alpes and sent Monsieur de Chaumont afore to set vpon them The Pope published a bull against them The French armie ouerthroweth their battaile at Gniaradadde taketh prisoner their chiefe Captaine Bartholomeo Aluiano who was wounded in the eye as for the other Captaine the Countie Petylian he stirred not nor would aduenture all vpon one day the which if hee had done it is thought hee had ouercome and yet his not venturing was not misliked These newes astonished almost vnto desperation the Venetians and yet