of some neglects, accompanied with contumelious expressions from Lewis XII., and waited for an opportunity of revenging themselves on that monarch.

Ann. 1511, 1512.

The

After many intrigues, the pope, the emperor, and the king of Spain agreed that the thunders of the church should be launched against Lewis XII. and his subjects, who impiously dared to disobey the common father of all Christians, while the two monarchs should continue to make the strongest professions of inviolable attachment to that prince till the king of England was engaged in the league, and all the confederates were ready to fall upon him at once. most painful task for history is that of being obliged to relate such instances of perfidious and cowardly policy. The disgust and abhorrence they cannot fail to excite, were enhanced in this case by the high rank of the contracting parties, and rise to the highest pitch, when we see the Holy Father, actuated by the most inordinate and worldly ambition, planning and promoting that pretended holy league, not against Saracens or idolaters, but against a catholic nation, against the king of France, the eldest son of the church, and the most virtuous prince of the age.

Ferdinand communicated to Henry, his son-in-law, the plan of the league, and represented to him how favourable an opportunity this was of recovering the ancient dominions of his crown in France, and of signalizing the beginning of his reign by an enterprize at once so pious, so honourable, and so popular. To please him still further, he informed him that hopes had been given by Julius, that the title of most christian king, which had hitherto been annexed to the crown of France, should, in reward of his services, be transferred to that of England.

While the French monarch repelled the attacks

of his enemies, he attempted to despoil as much as possible the most unrelenting of them, of that sacred character, which rendered him so formidable. He engaged some cardinals, disgusted with the violence of Julius, to desert him; and by their authority a general council was summoned at Pisa to reform the church and check the exorbitancies of the Roman Pontiff. But the signs of contempt which the Pisans showed these cardinals, obliged them to transfer their session to Milan, whither they did not experience much more respectful treatment from the inhabitants, and found it necessary to remove to Lyons.

Hostilities now commenced, and Julius so much neglected his pontifical character, that he acted in person at the siege of Mirandele, visited the trenches, saw some of his attendants killed by his side, and like a young soldier, cheerfully bore all the rigours of winter in pursuit of military glory. Having summoned a council at Latron, he put under an interdict all the places which gave shelter to the schismatical council, excommunicated the cardinals and prelates who attended it, and even pointed his spiritual thunder against the prince who adhered to it; he freed their subjects from all oaths of allegiance, and gave their dominions to every one who could take possession of them.

Henry, naturally sanguine in his temper, and the more so on account of his youth and inexperience, was moved with a hearty desire of deserving the reward offered to him, by protecting the pope from the oppression to which he thought he was exposed. Impatient also of acquiring that distinction in Europe, to which his power and opulence entitled him, he sent a herald to Paris, to exhort Lewis not to wage impious war against the pope; and when he returned without success, another was sent to demand the ancient patrimonial provinces, Anjou,

Main, Guyenne, and Normandy. This message being understood to be a declaration of war, a parliament was summoned, February 4th, 1512. The resolution of engaging in a war against France, met however with strong opposition in the king's council. "The natural situation of islands," it was said, "seems not to sort with conquests on the continent. If we will enlarge ourselves, let it be in the way for which Providence hath fitted us, which is by sea." But Henry was so intoxicated with the glorious prospect of being the protector of the pope, and of the conquests he expected to make in France, that the cold advices of prudence and moderation could not make the least impression upon him; besides, a war with France was exceedingly pleasing to the English nation at this period. The parlia ment therefore readily granted for that purpose two tenths and two fifteenths, to be levied from the laity, and the clergy voted a subsidy of twenty-three thousand pounds. Then the parliament, after sitting forty-nine days, was prorogued to November the 4th.

Henry raised immediately an army of ten thousand men, chiefly archers, who embarked with a train of artillery at Southampton, May 16th, under the command of the Marquis of Dorset, and landed at Guipustoa, where they expected to be joined, on their landing, with the Spanish army. Ferdinand, who considered the cause of the pope and of religion only as a cover to his own ambition and selfish politics, had advised Henry not to invade France by the way of Calais, where he himself should not have it in his power to assist him; and he had insisted upon his sending the English army to Fontarabia, whence he could easily make a conquest of Guyenne, a province in which it was presumed that the English had still some adherents. Ferdinand's secret purpose, which at that time nobody suspected,

was to invade the small kingdom of Navarre, situate on the frontiers between France and Spain; and as John d'Albert the sovereign was connected by friendship and alliance with Lewis XII. no opportunity could be more favourable to Ferdinand to employ the English army with his own, while all adherents to the council of Pisa lay under the sentence of excommunication, to put himself in possession of these dominions. No sooner therefore was he informed that Dorset had taken his quarters to Fontarabia than he declared his readiness to join him with his forces, and form the siege of Bayonne, which opened the way into Guyenne; but he observed to the English general how dangerous it might prove to leave behind them the kingdom of Navarre, which being in close alliance with France, could easily give assistance to the enemy, and cut off all communication between Spain and the combined armies. He accordingly proposed terms of neutrality to king John, but as they were too unreasonable not to expect a refusal, he gave to the duke of Alva, his general, immediate orders to invade Navarre: Alva soon made himself master of all the smaller towns, and being ready to form the siege of Pampeluna, the capital, he summoned the marquis of Dorset to join him with the English army, and concert together all their operations.

Dorset perceiving that the interests of his master were very little regarded in this plan, and having no orders to invade the kingdom of Navarre, declined to take any part in the enterprise, and remained idle in his quarters at Fontarabia, till the discontent and mutiny of his soldiers, who were ill supplied with provisions, and enraged at their blasted hopes of conquest, obliged him to set sail for England.

There happened this summer an action at sea, which did not bring any more decisive advantage to Henry. An English fleet of forty-one stout ships,

having fallen in with a French fleet, consisting of thirty-nine sail, August 10th, 1512, a fierce conflict immediately ensued. In the heat of the action the Regent of one thousand tons, the largest ship in the English navy, grappled with the French admiral, which taking fire, both ships were immediately involved in flames, and all on board, to the number of seventeen hundred men, perished. Both fleets stood in suspence as spectators of this dreadful engagement, and struck with horror at its issue, they separated as if by mutual consent, without any further fighting.

The war, though it brought no advantage to England, was of great prejudice to France, by obliging Lewis XII. to withdraw his forces from Italy for the defence of his own dominions. The famous Gastor de Foix, his nephew, had terminated his glorious career with the great battle at Ravena, which, after the inost obstinate conflict, he gained over the Spanish and papal armies: he perished the very moment his victory was complete; and Lewis lost in a few weeks all his Italian conquests except some garrisons,

Ann. 1513.

Julius II. did not long survive this success, and was succeeded (21st February) by John de Medicis, who took the name of Leo X. who proved one of the most illustrious pontiffs that ever sat on the papal chair. Humane, beneficent, affable, every art found in him a patron, every virtue a friend. He was reproached with too much finesse and artifice, but his greatest fault was undoubtedly that blind ambition which prevented him from perceiving how little it behoved his high character to follow the shameful paths, and adopt the odious schemes of aggrandizement of his unworthy predecessor. By his continu,