A discourse of the Civil wars late troubles in France, drawn into English by Geffray Fenton, and divided into three books, Whereof The first beginneth from the breach of peace in March. 1568. & continueth till the death of the Prince of Conde.  
The second, from his death till the battle at Mongontour, which was the first of October. 1569.  
The third, containeth variety of matters chancing in sundry places since that tyme.  
Seen and allowed.  
MON HEUR VIENDRA.  
Imprinted at London by Henry Bynneman, for Lucas Harrison and George Bishop.   

To the right honourable my singular good Lord, Sir Henry Sidney, knight of the order, the Q. majesties deputy governor in her realm of Ireland, & Lord Precedent of her highness Country and Marches of Wales in England.  
notwithstanding (right honourable) my present insufficiency to writ things worthy any general view, and much less to stand afore your peculiar & grave judgement, yet, in respect of your natural affability inclinable to honest endeavours, I am bold (under this argument) to exhibit a simple effect of my serviceable mind so long time vowed to you & yours, as partly encouraged by the honourable regard of your virtuous Lady and wife to my first dedication, and partly induced by your name of singular merit to all sorts, but most of all by an ancient & settled desire leading me (as it were) in an aspiring imagination, to bring forth somewhat worthy your honourable view & protection: wherein having as yet nothing of mine own to present your honour withal, it may like you (in the mean while) to receive this short report of the third and late French troubles, the same as they were lately written by a diligent eye witness, assisting all their actual proceedings until january last: so, not vnmeet● to be revealed to our country, no less for the quality or freshenesse of the matter, which is very grave in itself, than for the truth and indifferency of the author, who certainly in either part, proceeds with great modesty, observing with all such singular integrity as both the good sort may settle and confirm, & the rest suffice & satisfy without cause of offence, unless temperance and truth be offences to such whose tastes can abide no better dispositions than their own: And this as it is a most commendable order in writing, so hath it no small grace in an history, and as carefully to be imitated of all sorts, as the contrary is contemnable in any: besides, if there be any dignity (next after the sacred word of God) to wise writings on earth, a true history may justly challenge a first place, being (in deed) not small parcel of the same sacred word itself. If we also descend into Philosophy, History is her chiefest part in what degree so ever wise men will place her, which Plato forgets not to affirm in reckoning such cities and people very happy, whose princes and sovereign governors be Philosophers, as though no part of Philosophy did more lively and generally instruct a virtuous life, than histories, who as with a certain harmony & sweetness to draw men to good by aliening examples of good men, so, of the contrary expressing terrible successes of the wicked with their tragical ends, do even hale us from the evil to the better: the same happening most when writers be upright speakers of the truth, & sincere able judges of the same, likewise moderate praisers, but free reprehenders, without affectation according to the indifferent deserts of the parties: which so much the more becomes the histories of our time to be thus seasoned, when we ourselves be professors of that heavenly and divine philosophy, which, in teaching us the chief and high truth, wills us also to be less negligent of our own estimation, than (in swerving from that which is honest and true) either to bleamish the one or slander the other in our christian piety, and that with such a notable blot for ever, as living men, objecting our faults, as witnesses either of malice or falsehood, may also commend them to a perpetual posterity. Such therefore is the excellent Majesty of a true history, as nothing in human things is to be preferred before it, and such the necessity of it both in private and public, as well in all states and policies, as also conducible to Religion, directing withal every degree in his duty and true use of the same. And lastly, it is the lively Image of time and seasons, which under God, most absolutely, doth govern and: esolue our transitory endeavours and actions: A most true looking glass for the sovereign to behold continually, and a sound study for the subject to be had still in use. Wherein (right honourable) if I have indutifully abused your wisdom and grave experience, and by to much speech and circumstance slipped into Phormyos fault, when he read to Hannibal, de re militari, It may like you to measure with my vehemency to the cause, my respective desire to your honour, who albeit is not (I know) without your deep sight and excellent judgement in the tongues, yet it may please you to suffer this small treatise (by your mediation) to becommunicated to others, to a public benefit of many, and special deface of slanderers, who in this conspiring time do labour to confounded both divine and human things, leaving nothing unstained which they may bring within the compass of their carping natures.  
And likewise for my part, albeit I am bold to use this brief discourse, to solicit rather in my unfeigned faith and disposition to your honour, than in any worthiness in the travail, yet if your honour vouchsafe too receive me and my meaning with that virtue which surely is peculiar in you: I shall not only be encouraged too greater things hereafter, but also others of worthy skill in deed, will labour to honour you for this example, wherein I most humbly and faithfully commend unto you my heart & devotion, as also if I had any other thing more dear or precious, I present it with an unfeigned will to be commanded as it best pleaseth your honour, whom God long preserve to your prince, country, and friends. At London the xxiv. of May. 1570.  
Your honours humbly to command Geffray Fenton.   

THE TABLE.  

A  
AEsse upon Vienne, fol. 89  
The Lord of Acier, fo. 13  
divideth his horsemen, fo. 14  
the numbered of his army, fo. 19  
the order of the same fol. 19  
his sickness. fol. 137  
The Duke of Alba a Spaniard. Fol. 5  
Alice at Sevennes fol. 15  
The Lord Admiral sick. fol. 137.  
he sendeth Monsieur de la Nove, & Monsieur de la Love to Montgontour, fol. 153  
Monsieur de Amazey slain & hewn in pieces. fol. 6  
The Lord de Andelot, fol. 11.  
his death. fol. 74  
Angoulesme besieged, fol. 20  
and taken, fol. 20.  
and summoned. fol. 77  
The Duke of Angiou the king's brother, fol. 12.  
seek the rest in the name of Monsieur.  
The Army of the Duke of Sweburg or Deux Ponts. fol. 87  
Argence. foe 62  
The Assembly of Catholics. fo 10  
The Assembly of the Prince of Condey. fol. 10  
Aubeterre a town. fo. 30  
Aubeterre a castle taken fo. ●1  
The Duke of Aumal writeth to the duke of Swebrug 28  
The duke of Aumal is in ●●ra●e. fol. 33  
The Prince of Autaigne and his son, fo. 87▪  
the departure of the said Prince from Fay la Vineuse. fol 145  
Auvergne and ●o●thonnois exempt from preaching. 5   

B  
BAis upon Pais. fol. 15  
Baron of Adrets, fo 53  
the furniture for his return. fol 101  
Bassac a village. fol 58  
Battle of Mongontour. 154  
The lord of Baudine hurt. 28  
Beawoir upon Matta. 56  
Bearne a country of the Q. of Navarre taken, 127.  
wone again. 127  
Bertis a village in Perigueux. 31  
Bergerac a town. ●1.  
taken. 50  
lafoy 〈…〉 a captain. 45.  
killed at ●●reb●au. 46  
the ar●e of Brissac slain. 73  
the Lord of Bo●●uel taken. 227  
the Lord of Bouccard. 31.  
his death 75  
la Boutonne a river in Santonge. 66  
Bourbonnois and Auvergne without preaching 5  
Boursaut discomfited. 51  
Branthomme a town taken. 96  
Bricquemau the volger, chief captain of the footmen. 87  
B●il●a● a Ga●con captain. 92  
a Bridge built again by the king's brother over Char 58  
a Brudge of boats on Char 63  
B●●des of French men of the Princes, departed from Poitou & Tou●am and withdrew themselves to la charity. 26   

C  
CAluerat a captain slain. 125  
Carriage of Guise and Brissac taken. 36  
the Camp of those of the religion called the camp of the Princes. 27  
Captains being within Poitiers. 117  
many Captains slain within Poitiers 134  
Cardinal of Lorraine and his a herents. 105  
Catholics licensed to wear armour. 4  
Champigny besieged & taken. 43  
Chabanay a castle taken. 96  
Chastele●ault a town. 32  
Chastelerault taken. 98.  
after besieged. 140  
Chastelier Portant slain. 62  
Castles taken nigh to Poit. 118  
lafoy charity besieged & taken. 84  
lafoy charity besieged by the lord of Sansac. 99  
Chawigny upon Vienne. 33.  
the taking thereof. 34  
Chasteau Levesque in Perigueux. 96  
Lafoy Chapelle a castle taken. 96  
the nombring of Catholics. 7  
Charge or onset on the Earl of Brissacs' footmen. 40  
onset of the Admiral at larnac. 62  
of the Prince of Condey. 62.  
on the captain Chaumont & other. 70.  
on the lord of Mowy, nigh to Mongont. 154  
Chasteauneuf on Charante taken. 57  
the Lord Changy slain. 134  
Saint Chastie in Perigueux 28  
Challus a town of Limosin. 86  
Chinon a town in Tourain. 47  
S. Christopher a steeple taken. 19  
Capieres hewn in pecces. 5  
Lafoy Coche a captain. 16.  
is discomfited. 33.  
hewn in pieces. 49  
Coignae in Santonge, 57  
Colombine a captain. 75  
Council of the duke de Alba 5  
Courses unto the gates of Poitiers. 119  
the third Civil war. 2   

D  
the Dauphinois are valiant men. 36  
Daunoux come to rescue Poitiers. 122  
the Lord Desternay. 88  
the Devise of the cornet of the Lord of Acier. 14  
Dominico Dalbe & his judgement. 145.  
put to death. 152  
Dordonne a river. 19  
Duke of Swebrug or Deux ponts. 78  
assembleth warriors. 79.  
writeth to the king. 79  
maketh his protestations and offers. 83.  
entereth into France and taketh la charity. 84.  
Passeth the River of Vienne. 86.  
dieth. 86.  
the description of his army. 7   

E  
edict of the king. 17.  
touching offices. 18  
Eis●elles a castle taken. 75  
Enterprise on the castle of Lusignan 53.  
on S. john's d'Angely. 67.  
on Angoulesm. 69  
Entrich●t a captain killed. 155  
Espondillan captain. 14  
Encontre before Lodun. 4●.  
at ●arnac. 61  
an Enterprise on Bourges in Berry.   

F  
Faith la Vineuse a town▪ 144  
the earl of S. Fiour. 88  
S. Flowrant an Abbey. 50  
Fort of Mowans. 15  
S. Poy taken. 46   

G  
Garnison in the towns yielded. 2  
Gascour a captain slain. 136  
Gran Villars chief captain of the footmen. 87  
Guerin Gansgorffe chief captain of the footmen. 87  
the Duke of Guise arriveth at Port. 117.  
them departeth. 103  
the Lord of Guron. 100   

H  
HAns of There's. 87  
Hans Boucke. 87  
Henry de Estaine. 87  
Hercules the Prince's servant hewn in pieces. 6  
Hewing to pieces of the Lord of Cipieres and his train. 5  
of the Lord of Amanzey. 6  
of the Lord of Rapine, and others. 6   

I  
IAnlis death. 49  
jarnac besieged. 56.  
taken 56  
at Iazena●l an encounter 35.  
the numbered of the dead. 36  
the Earl of joyeuse. 44  
judgements executed against those of the religion. 210   

KING  
The King cometh to Amboise 125  
gathereth force. 126  
The King, Queen mother, and Cardinal come to Nyort. 168  
The Kings coming to Angiers. 188   

L  
LAnceknights discomfited at Montgontour. 160  
Lendurean a captain revolteth. 68  
Letters of the king repugnat to the Edict of peace. 4  
Letters of the Marshal of Mommorency. 116  
Letters of the Queen of Navarre to the king. 20  
to the Queen mother. 24.  
to my Lord the king's brother. 26.  
to the cardinal of Bourbon. 26  
to the Queen of England. 38  
Letters of the Admiral. 116  
Leylle a river. 28  
Lille Bouchard upon Vienne. 44  
Lodowicke and Henry earls of Nassaw, brethren. 87  
Lodune a town. 45.  
somned to yield 45.  
an encounter before the same. 46.  
la Love marshal of the camp. 89  
The Earl of Lude besieged in the castle of Mirebeau. 45.  
then taketh it. 46.  
besieged at Nyort. 46  
Lusignan. 53.  
taken. 99  
yielded up again. 168   

M  
Mansfield earl an Alman. 87  
Marshal of Montmorencye writeth to the admiral, 116  
Marquis of Mezieres. 20  
The Lady marquess of Rottelin. 77  
a Messenger sent to the prince of Condey for peace. 41  
the Lord of Martigues. 12  
Mazillac a town taken. 18  
Medoc an Isle taken. 76  
Melle a town in Poitou taken 57  
Mellusigne. 100  
Menigours a village. 35  
lafoy Merry a captain slain. 93  
Mestrall a captain. 101  
Milan in Roargues. 16  
Mirebeau in Poitiers yielded 37.  
then besieged and taken. 45  
Mongontove in Poitou. 153.  
a battle before the town. 157  
Monsieur the King's brother chief of the Catholics. 27  
gathereth power at Orleans and Toures. 28.  
departeth from Poitiers. 28  
cometh to Chastelleraut. 32.  
draweth towards Chynon. 47.  
receiveth Rutters for his aid. 54.  
presenteth himself in battle before Coignae. 58.  
passeth over the River Charante. 59  
dischargeth part of his army. 98.  
besiegeth Chasteleraut. 140.  
than raiseth his siege. 142.  
gathereth new power at Chynon. 152.  
them departeth. 152  
determineth to give assault to Montgontour. 157.  
he encourageth his men. 158  
general Muster of the Catholics. 8  
Monluc a knight entereth into Perigueux. 86.  
will succour Poitiers. 125  
Montauban. 2  
Montesquieu a Gascon. 62  
Montgomery an Earl. 12.  
set upon atla Motte. 52.  
sent into Angoulesme 69.  
setteth the said town in order. 70.  
is sent into Gascony. 85  
gathereth together the forces of the viscounts. 127.  
discor fiteth the lord of Tarides. 128  
The Lord of Moruilliers death. 94  
Lafoy Motte captain, a Gascon. The lord of Mowans. 14.  
his fort. 15.  
he passeth the Rhos ne. 16  
his discomfiture. 29  
the lord of Movy. 88  
hurt at the coming forth of Nyort. 167  
his death 167  
Mucidan taken. 72  
Mustering of the Prince's horsemen 67.  
of the footmen. 74  
Montbrun and Mirabel lords, departed from their camp with the discourse of their voyage. 170  
Martigues death. 211   

N  
the siege raised from Naverreis. 127  
Earls of Naslau▪ Lodovic, and Henry brethren. 87  
the Nobility of Daulphinois. 7.  
excuse themselves of taking oath. 7  
Noutron a town taken. 85  
the Lord de la Nove 60  
Noyers in Burgundy. 9  
the same taken. 185  
Nyort besieged. 94.  
given over Nimes the town and castle taken. 201   

O  
Oisans a borough. 16  
Ordering of the prince's army. 32  
Ordering of the army at La Roche. 90  
Orleans assembly of catholics'. 28  
Overthrow of the Lord of Mowaus. 29  
Oath to the king. 6  
Oath of the prince of Navar. 68   

P  
Peace made. 1  
Peace more hurtful than war. 8  
Pamprow a village in Poitou. 34  
the Lord of Pardillan. 59  
Pope sendeth secure. 88  
Parley of Angoulesme. 70  
Pasquier a captain. 14  
Passaage over Lot. 18  
the Lord of Pierre Gourd. 15.  
his discomfiture. 29  
Peter Viret prisoner. 97  
Perrol a captain slainae. 93  
the Lord of Pills taketh the isle of Medoc. 76  
the Lord of Plweau. 59  
Plweas regiment of footmen. 62  
the earl of Pampadon slain. 73  
Pons in Santonge besieged. 3●  
taken. 34  
Poitiers besieged. 120.  
all the discourse till the raising of the siege. 142  
Prince of Conde disarmeth himself. 1.  
watched by spies. 8.  
departeth from Noyers. 9  
with draweth himself to Rochel. 10.  
answereth a messenger sent unto him for peace. 41.  
his death before jarnac. 62.  
his horslemen flee. 63.  
a notable deu●●e in his ensign. 65  
Prince of Navarre sweareth. 68  
Princes departed from Nyort. 55  
Princes constrained to take arms. 82  
Princes march to join with the Almans. 84  
Princes army described. 88  
Partenay in Poitou lost. 166   

Q  
the Queen mother at Lymoges. 88  
encourageth the soldiers. 89  
the Queen of Navarre and her children arrive at the camp. 20  
her coming to Thony Charante 65  
her departure from thence. 66   

R  
RAncon an Italian Marquis taken.  
Rapine hewn in pieces. 6  
Regiments of Dolphin, with the names of their chief captains. 13  
Rutters come to aid the king's brother. 54  
Remedy to conserve the kingdom 103  
Reynold Cracco. 87  
Renell a Marquis, 88  
Request of those of the religion to the king. 101  
Roannois a Duke taken. 13.  
after set at liberty. 71  
lafoy Roche f●ucaut. 9  
●a Roche a village in Limosin. 90  
Rochel. 1  
the Lord of Rouray. 77  
Ruffe● a castle taken. 57  
Request made to the Princes by those of Dauphin, and their answer. 170   

S  
Saints in Saintonge. 37  
Saint Genais a town in Poitou taken. 97  
Saint Titier la perch a town in Limosin. 99  
Sanserre a town. 1  
Savigny a castle taken. 44  
Saulmur a town. 11  
Sanzay entereth into Poitiers with bands of men. 145  
Succour from the duke of Aumale to late. 84  
the Lord of Sessac taken 52  
Siege of Angoule●me 20.  
of Ponts. 30.  
of Mirebeau. 45.  
of Sanzarre 53  
of Mucidan. 72  
of Bourge in Bourdel●●s. 76.  
of la charity. 83.  
of Nyort. 94.  
of la charity by Sansac. 99  
of Lusignan, 99  
of Poitiers. 120.  
of Nauerre●●. 227.  
of Chastelleraut. 140  
Siege raised from Poitiers. 142.  
from Chastelleraut. 140  
the Lord of Soubize. 59  
the Lord Strossy taken. 92  
the lord steward S●●● slain. 62  
Skirmishes at jazenail. 25.  
at Beaudo 〈…〉 on Marca. 56.  
at Bassac. 60.  
at Coignac. 64.  
at Aesle in Lymosia, 89.  
at Port de pill. 143.  
at Montgontour. 154  
S. john d'Angely somoned to yield, with all the discourse of the siege. 176  
the Lord of S. Heran hurt. 193   

T  
TAllard in Dauphin taken unwares. 11  
the Parley of Tandes. 53  
Tanlay in Burgonie. 9  
the Lord of Tarrides. 127.  
his overthrow. 128  
the Lord of Tavanies. 154  
the Lord of Teligny sent to Nyort. 65.  
leadeth men to succour Chastellerault. 142  
the Temporal goods of the church men sold. 51  
the Territories of the Queen mother exempt from preaching and the territories of the king's brother. 5  
at Tours the king's brother's assembly. 28  
the Third civil wars. 2  
Towns taken by the prince. 10   

FIVE  
VAcherie a captain slain 122  
the Lord of Vallavoire. 14  
Valfreniere a captain slain. 76  
Villages burned in Perigueux. 32  
the Lord of Villiers. 98  
Vill et lord of ss. Marry slain 71  
Viret a minister enprisond. 97  
the Vicountes. 85  
Visere a river. 28  
La Vive a river of Montgontour. 156  
Wolfgange duke of Swebrug 78.  
the duke of Aumal writeth to him. 9  
Wolrard of Mansfield. 87  
the third civil War. 2  
Warle in Bearne. 127   

Y  
The Lord of juoye. 49   
❧ FINIS.   

¶ A short Discourse of the Civil wars and last troubles in France, under Charles the ninth.  

The first Book.  
Immediately upon the peace in March. 1568. and the same published in the Prince's army, afore Chartres, the said Prince, the better to avouch his ready obedience 
The prince of Conde disarmeth himself.  to the King, did not only disarm himself and people, with present dismiss of such strangers as were come to his succours, but also disgarrysoned with a ready and dutiful speed, every town and village, which he either held or governed, wherein he was reverently obeyed upon the very first motion: only the town of Rochel was exempted, as in respect of their ancient privilege, pretending free dispense that way: The towns also of Montauban & Sanserre delayed their consents, as seeing matters not so surely quieted as the case required. This peace gave great hope of perpetual benefit to such as seek and embrace the quiet of France, albeit, it brought forth a contrary issue, for as it was, in some singular part, a confirmation of a former peace in the year 
The third civil war.  1562. So is it also the beginning and original cause of a third civil war incensed in this realm, whereof we mean to give present report.  
Immediately that the said towns were surrendered, & the Prince absolutely disarmed, the governors of the provinces (which be all of the Romish religion) seized upon all the towns, ports, passages & for tresses in France, bestowing therein huge & mighty garrisons at their pleasure, and such as resembled themselves in condition touching 
Garrisons put in the towns surrendered.  the general cause & quarrel, by which mean many of the reform religion, abiding still within those towns, happened into sundry heavy disquiets & troubles both in their goods and provisions for relief, descending to their enemies as pray & spoils, & also in their people violentely enduring the incivil disposition of murderous soldiers, inclined altogether to blood: wherein notwithstanding his majesty dispatched ordinary commandments by letters patents, and other expeditions to the governors & people directors of his justice, aswell to suffer them of the Religion to remain within the towns of their natural dwelling, as also to communicate in a general use and exercise of their religion, goods honours charges and estates, according to the edict of peace, yet there was either nothing done at all, or else to small purpose of redress: for if they suffered any to re-enter the said 
Those of the religion shut out of towns  towns, they were such as they esteemed of lest affection to the said religion, and they both constrained in the very entry into the towns to yield up such arms and weapons as they then had, & also such as neither had, nor never proved the use of any, were enforced to buy and deliver them to the officers, otherwise they should not have been received, the same being an 
Means to disarm them of the religion.  express & manifest way to disarm them, & being once naked, the easier to run upon and devour them, as it was truly supposed: themselves in this mean while & their faction bore weapons, and raised greater guard than in the time of war.  
This singular licence or liberty to bear arms amongst themselves (without that the Protestants durst either wear any or argue with them) did so whet their sharp and eyger dispositions, that they attempted upon the naked Protestants many actual and violent wrongs, the same thundering indifferently as well upon the troops retired within the towns, as such as were denied to enter, whose state was so much the more miserable, as either they wandered in present peril, or were incerteyne of any assured place or safe stay of abode. The matter thus divoluing from evil to worse, the enemies of the religion seeing themselves come almost to the last and extreme limit and end of their intent, began to raise and do many disorders altogether contrary to the Edict of peace, yea and albeit the king did expressly avouch his unfeigned will and pleasure to the execution of the said Edict simply and purely without any modification or restraint, yet his majesty afterward, gave out a contrary declaration, enclosed 
Letters of the king contrary to the edict of peace.  in certain letters, sent to the lords of Montare and Saint Heram, to whom he signified, that it was never his meaning that the Edict should take place, or tolerate preachings in the countries of Auvergne, and Bourhonois, nor in any lands belonging to the Queen his mother, the lords of Anjou and Allen●on, his brothers, the L. Cardinal of Bourbon and Duke of Montpensier, the same impugning manifestly the said Edict, which did only reserve and exempt the Provostie and Vicontie of Paris.  
There rested now no more to the enemies of the Religion, but proceed to the execution of their enterprise in devouring the contrary part, albeit following the counsel 
Counsel of the duke of Alba.  of the duke of Alba sent to the King, to seize first on the chief and principal professers of the Religion, to the end to subdue with more ease the meaner sort, using this phrase, (that the head of one Salmon was of greater value than five hundredth Crevices) they resolved to entrap in every Province the highest props and pillars of the said Religion, executing their first effect on the Lord de Cipieres, son to the Count of Tanned in Provence, who returning from Piedmount, where he had visited with reverence the Duke of Savoy, and lodging in Ferieux, a town in Provence, was there murdered with xxx gentlemen 
Amanzay.  of his train. The Lord d' Amanzey lieutenant to the lord d'Andelot of his companies of ●●ē at arms, standing at the gate of his house with one of his little children in his hand, was also murdered: many other murders and bloody slaughters were horribly thundered upon the side of the religion during this time, as the bouchery done at Blandy upon Hercules, household servant 
Hercules' household servant to the prince.  to the prince of Conde, and the Lord de Rapyn, who being dispatched into Langue dock for the service, and under safe conduct of the king, by the court of of parliament of ●houlous● was sent headless out of this world: the murder's also done at Rouen, Amiens, ●ssoudun, Bourges, with infinite other places, wherein divers sorts & numbers of the said religion have been unnaturally cut in pieces, and yet neither justice done, nor remedy applied how soever they have been solicited by vehement suit.  
In this mean while in the month of July, the governors of the provinces were 
Request to offer an oath to the King.  earnest suitors to the Nobility professors of the religion, to offer an oath of fidelity, according to a form sent by them, which they said his majesty had already received, whereof the said states of Nobility, and specially they of Dauphyne excused themselves, because (said they) if we only should do it, and not they of the romish opinion, they might charge us secretly with the crime of Infidelity, as having assisted the part of the Prince of Conde, and that for that cause such oath should be required of them and not of others, the contrary whereof was fully verified by the Edict of peace, the king declaring that whatsoever was done in the said war by the prince, was done for his service. By this mean & cause they excused to tender any such oath, offering notwithstanding to do it, if they of the Romish side would toyne with them, & so to be suitors to his majesty that it might be so.  
Now notwithstanding the edict, & in place to entertain & observe the purpose & meaning of it, the governors of the provinces sent commandment to all that were castle keepers within their charge, to survey & make numbers of all such of the Romish religion only as were apt & able to bear arms, wherein they were readily obeyed: with this further & express charge, that such as had no armour should forthwith provide them, remaining all in a perfect readiness upon their first summons or warning.  
In the next August after this view, grew 
General musters.  general musters without enhabling or allowing any of the reform Religion, which made them suspect the sequel, with fear that all was raised for their ruin, and to restore and incense an other Civil war, seeing withal, that they were handled worse and worse, as charged with such intolerable exactions, that in common likelihood and truth, such time of peace was more perilous, heavy & hurtful to them, than the fury of an open war, whose violence they might by means either avoid or qualify.  
The Prince himself (being thus disarmed) 
The Prince and the Admiral watched.  was not without his high peril, for that neither he nor the Lord Admiral could have such surety in any of their own houses, as either their doings or lives were without danger, so that being watched and warded in & about their Castles and capital places, were driven to go from house to house with their wives and children in their arms, and finally the said Prince was constrained to retire to Noyers in Burgongne, and the Lord 
Noyers. Tanley.  Admiral to Tanley, a house of the Lord d'Andelot his brother.  
There were sent also sundry espials to measure and judge the height of the walls of Noyers▪ and conspire means to take the Prince, wherein, lest they should fail in the effect of their enterprise, there marched thither also divers troops of men of war. The same, albeit not so covertly done, but came to the knowledge of the Prince, who (after he had given the King knowledge of it) departed from Noyers the xxiij day of August with the Princess his wife great with child, the young Princes his children, the Lord Admiral, Madame d'Andelot, with their several trains, taking their way into Angoulmois towards the house of the Lord De la Rochefoucaut. And albeit all the Ports, 
County Rochefoucaut.  Bridges, and Towns upon soe'er were either absolutely seized, or so directed as they become impediments to their passage, yet such was their necessity and peril, as they adventured to pass the said River by unknown fords coming at last not without extreme hazard, to the place of Rochefoucaut, from whence, in respect of the doubtful security of that place, they retired to Rochel. Immediately 
Rochel.  upon the brute of their retire to Rochel, was general amass and levies of men 
assembly ●f the Catholics.  of war on all sides, reassembling also the camp, not altogether dismissed, albeit dispersed since the former war: the same threatening no less malice and peril to the Prince, than precise warning to enter into guard to resist their imminent violence, whereupon he caused to come to him the Lord d'Andelot which was then in Bryt●ayn● 
assembly ●● the ●rince.  with such force as he could any way levy, dispatching the like summons to all the Lords, Knights, Gentlemen, and Captains of the reform Religion.  
The Nobility of the countries of Poitou, Sa 〈…〉 ge, Perigueu●, Angoulmois, with other their frontier neighbours, were forthwith with the said Prince with certain companies of footmen of the said countries, with whom he put himself to the field, & took the towns of Saintes. Coigna●, & S. jean d'Angely in Sainctonge, Niort, Partenay, Fontenay le Conte, Saint-mesent, Montagu, and Melle in Poytou▪ & by mean of certain intelligence seized upon Blaye, and therein was planted in garrison the regiment of footmen of the Lord de Plweau.  
It happened not many days afore that 
Tallard taken.  those of the religion were not only chased out of the town of T●llard in Dauphine, but also oppressed with many private wrongs by the contrary side, who made stronger watch & ward within the town, than during the war: the same kindling such indifferent fear & stomach in the oppressed protestāns, as they drawn into assembly with certain of Provence, and retired to Gapensoys (as having no abode of furetie in their own Country) with whom upon the end of this August they presented themselves in battle afore Tallard in the very dauning of the day, & entering forthwith the town by force & mean of the Captain of the Castle, they killed about lx men which they found in arms.  
In this mean while the Lord d'Andelot marching towards the Prince, directed his way to Saulmur, as of purpose to pass there the River of ●●ere, enforcing (as it were) so hard a passage, the rather to join with the Prince: There were with him at that time the Count Mongomery, with many other great Lords, with diverse numbers of horsemen and certain ensigns of footmen.  
The Duke of Anjou brother to the 
〈…〉 uke of 〈…〉 njou, bro 〈…〉 o to the 〈…〉ing.  King, being unfeignedly informed of the place where the Dandelot meant to pass, dispatched the Lord Martignes to prevent him, who putting himself within Saulmur thought so to withstand his passage over the River. Afore d'Andelot was within iij. leagues of Saulmur, & at his bait, the said Martignes departed from Ang●ers, with two hundredth horsemen, & four hundred harquebusears on foot, whom he made to march along the caussey in this order: two hundredth shot before, and the rest behind. And albeit the d'Andelot had warning of his coming, yet, he forced his own passage as it were in despite of his sufferance, & so with the discomfit of certain footmen, he entered Saulmur, wherein there was no garrison afore: By this means the d'Andelot was defeated in purpose, & his passage also so intercepted as he was driven to wade the river, & with great peril adventure his people thorough the fourdes three leagues beneath Saulmur: a thing which erst was never sought nor attempted of any. He directed them his way by Poytou, & in passing by Loudun he took prisoner the Duke of Roawoys 
Duke de Roauuo●● prisoner.  great Esquter of France, being in his house at Oyron, whom he sent after to Rochel, and so joined his force with the Prince's army in the country of Poytou, about the beginning of October. 1568.  
The Lord d'Acyer by warrant from the 
The Lord d'Acier.  Prince, raised in Dauphyne. seven. regiments of footmen, and all of the protestants of though said Country, dividing them into these many numbers & governors: The Lord de Montbrun had ten ensigns and one Cornette of horsemen. The charge of the Lord d'Aucoune was eight ensigns & one Cornet of Horsemen. The Lord de Saint Romain, being joined with the L. of Virieu his uncle had xvij ensigns & one Cornet of horsemen. The company of the Lord of Blacous was only xiv. ensigns of footmen: the Lord de mirabel ten ensigns, the L. du Chelard. xij. ensigns, and the L. d'Orose only iiij. ensigns. Besides, the said L. d'Acyer made levy in Provence of one regimen of footmen containing x. ensigns, under charge of y● L. Paul de Mou●ans, together with▪ ij companies 
●he Lord ●e Mou●ans.  of horsemen, the one led by the L. Vallavoire, Captain of a hundred light horsemen, and the other arquebusiers on horseback, under captain Pasquier.  
He raised also in the country of ●aguedoc 
●euies of ●en in Lā●uedoc.  iiij. regiments of footmen, containing xxxv ensigns, & bequeathed them to the conduct of the lord's de Baudine his brother, the Knight d'Ambres, lafoy Mousson, & Bovillargues, together with two companies of light horsemen: the one of the L. d'Acier himself, & the other of the L. d'Espondillan. There were also in the company of the L. d'Acier about ij. hundredth Gentlemen well appointed: his Cornet was green, drawn in form of a Hydra, with many heads of Cardinals and diverse sorts of Monks, bearing the figure of a Hercules fight with them, with 
●eui●e of ●e ●d'A 〈…〉 r in his Corner.  this inscription above, Qui casso crudeles: containing the number and self letters of his name intricately reversed: laque du Crussol.  
In the countries of Vivarez & Roargues, the said L. d▪ Acier dressed also two regiments of footmen, the one of the Lord Pierregourde, containing xiij ensigns, & the other of the vicont the Pannat bearing u ensigns, besides the company of the L. de Thoras Capteyn of. C. light horsemen: the general assembly and meeting of the army was at Allés, a town in anguedoc.  
It was hard to them of Dauphine to pass the Rosne and so join with the rest of the army, because their enemies had seized all the bridges upon the said river: albeit the L. de Mowans (who was foremost in these companies) came to the shore of Rosne on the side of Bais-sur-Bais, & there with a wondered diligence & speed within less than xxiiij hours, he raised a defensible fort, the better to repulse the enemy the else would trouble his passage: by the aid of this fort his company gained the other side of the river, & so consequently all the rest one after an other, except the Lord de Saint Romain, who passed over at P●irau●. This passage was made about the ten and xj. of September. 1568. and the said Fort called Le fort de Mowans.  
The L. de la Coche, a gentleman of Dauphine had like charge to erect a regimen of footmen, albeit being discovered by the garrison of Grenoble, by whom he endured certain waspish skirmishes, and after enforced to retire above an ordinary speed to the territories of the duke of Savoy, leaving his lieutenant De saint Marie in the borrow D'oysons, the same being won by him not many days afore, and now enforced to leave it and accompany the said Lord de la Cloche into Savoy, And seeing besides the difficulty to join with the L. D'acyer, he wandered with his companies, & & dividing them into eight ensigns of footmen & certain horsemen, marched towards Almayney, the same Regiment being for the most part all of Lyonnoys and Dauphynoys, and thither retired to eschew the persecutions of their own countries.  
The Regiments of Dauphyne being passed the river of Rosne (as is said) the Lord D'acyer began then to march with such speed and happy travel, that about the twenty-three. of September the army arrived at the said All'es, and from thence drawn a direct way to Milan in Roargnes, dividing notwithstanding his companies into severalties in respect of the sterility of the country of victuals and other necessities for war, and so came to the said Myllaw the last of the said September.  
The▪ xxviij. of the same month was 
kings edict.  published at Paris an edict, wherein the king draws out at length all chances happened and passed within his realm for the matter of Religion, preferring amongst the rest, that the Edict of Januarie giving the first sufferance or leave to the Protestants to use an exercise of their religion, was but provisional until his full age, and that his majesty had no meaning to force observation of any edict made touching the said Religion, and therefore being now at the age of majority, he pronounced general defence against all use & exercise of the same religion through all his realm and countries of his obedience, charging by an arrest irrevocable, and that upon pain of confiscation of body & gods, not to have any other practice of Religion within any of his said countries and lands than according to the catholic church of Rome, which both he and his pred● essours, have so long time held and maintained, enjoining precisely upon like p●in all ministers of the said reform re ligion to avoid his said realm within xu days with this provision at last, that they of the said religion should not be in any sort cyfted or searched in their consciences, albeit both after and notwithstanding the said Edict, they have been oppressed more than afore, and that with such violence as divers have revolted.  
The same day also was published another 
Another edict of the King.  edict in the said parliament at Paris wherein the king gave absolute order that not only from thenceforth he would not be served with any officers professing that religion, but also they should be immediately suspended of their estates and charges, with commandment to resign them into his hands within xu days, otherways he would provide supplies of the Romish sort: it is long since these edicts were upon the press, albeit they were not proclaimed afore now.  
Now the Lord d'Acyer parting from Myllaw the u of October took his way too Cadenat, as of purpose to pass there the river of Lot, and in his way caused to summon the town of Marzillac the which without great denial, and under certain conditions set open her gates, and the morrow after he took the tower called Saint Christophle, with a pretty garrison of priests 
Marz taken and the tower Saint Christophle.  in it. And so marching further he arrived at the said Cadenat the ten of October, with intent to pass the river of Dordone at Solliac, where in respect the Lord de Mont-lu● coasted him to withstand his passage, he assembled all his army in a place called serac in Quercy, finding upon that view▪ xvij. thousand arquebusiers, and seven. thousand 
Number of of the L. Daeiers army.  Pikes, and nine hundred horsemen in good point, and well disposed to fight.  
In the same place he divided his army into two parts, the avantgard & battles in the vanguard he set uj regimens of the Dauphynoys, with the horsemen of the same country, and in the main battle he bestowed the regimens of Languedoc, Provence, Viu●rez, and Roargues, with the regimen of the Lord d'Orose Dauphynois, all which companies passed by force over the said river of Dordone on the side of Solliac, from whence the said Lord of Montluc was departed the day before, as having sounded the said river, and found it passable almost in every place, and he not strong enough to hinder the passage of such an army: his was the xiv. day of the said October in the year abovesaid.  
Now that the Prince of Conde had received 
Angoulesme besieged.  the force and troops which the Lord Dandelot brought to him, he came to besiege the town of Angoulesme, causing to be drawn thither from Rochel. iiij. canons and. i●. Culverins, with the which he made a breach on that side toward Perigueux, the same albeit not sufficient, and therefore removed his battery on that side which they call the Park: and because they that were within used great diligence to fill up the breach, he made to be mounted upon the vault of the temple of S. Claire, two culverins to beaten within the breach, the same distressing so straightly them within, that in the end having maintained the 
Angoulesme taken.  siege about. vii●. days, the Marquis of M●zieres their governor, yields the town by composition to the Prince.  
During this siege arrived the Queen 
The Queen of Navarre & his son  and young prince of Navarre her son, with madame Catherine her daughter, accompanied with three regiments of Gascoyn footmen, the one under charge of the Lord De Pills, containing▪ twenty-three. enseigns, an other governed by the Viscount de Montamma, of ten ensigns, and the third of ix ensigns, led by the Viscount de Saint Magrin, with. vii● cornets of light horsemen of the the same country.  
The said Queen being at Bergerac upon 
Regiment of ●a●●●yn.  her way dispatched to the Majesties of the king and Queen, the king's brother and Cardinal of Bourbon, several letters upon the occasions that moved her to come to the Camp with her son and daughter, and join themselves to the general cause 
Letters of the Q of Navarre.  with the Prince of Conde her brother, the expedition was by the Lord De la Motte, who afore was sent to her by their Majesties: In her Letters to the King she complained chief of the rage and passion of the enemy, stretched already so far that in effect it had confounded the hope of quiet promised in the edict of pacification, not only evil observed, but altogether reversed, contrary to the royal promises of his majesty to all his poor subjects of the reform side, the same moving by the sinister inventions of the Cardinal of Lorain, as having, by general letters to the parlyaments, and others written in particular, (whereof herself was witness in Guyenne) brought the effects of the said edicts both vain and without execution: besides whilst he kept matters in suspense, he had procured such horrible and infinite murders and abused so long the mild patience of the protestants, as thinking upon no bridle to govern his fury, he would not stick to lay hands of the princes of the blood, whereof she commended a present and lamentable experience in his conspiracy against the Prince her brother, whom his cruelty hath enforced to seek succours amongst his parents and allies: so that for her part, she and her son resembling the Prince so near and dearly in proximity of blood, could do no less than offer him that which the direct law of friendship and consanguinity did demand, and therefore as she did assuredly stay and repose herself upon the goodness & natural affection of his majesty inclined rather to nourish & preserve than tear & rend them up by the roots: so she besought him with all humility to tolerate in the best part their departure from their houses of intent to serve God, the king, & their adherents in blood, and to impugn to the uttermost of their lives and power, the violente malice of such as publicly have entered into conspiracy against them: and lastly to believe that for these three causes only, they had put their weapons between their hands, lest they should be utterly extermined from the view and face of the earth, according to their sinister resolutions, like as also the said Cardinal devised to ravish her son from between her arms, perverting the power & authority of his majesty into unnatural violence, as though the simple commandment of his majesty could not sufficiently govern her & her son his majesties most humble & obedient servants, & so finally if his majesty would weigh in indifferent balance the faith of them, and infidelity of the said Cardinal (measuring y● one & other by a direct & strait line) his majesty should find more truth in their effects, than in the words of the other.  
In her letters to the Queen she stood upon three points that moved her to leave her houses, and offer her life, goods and all her possible means to advance the cause of Religion: The first was in respect of the service of GOD, seeing the Cardinal and his confederates studied to root up from the earth such as made profession of the true Religion: secondly to do service to the sovereignty of the King, and with main life and goods to help that the edict of pacification may be observed, and that France, the mother country and nurse of so many sorts of people become not barren, and so suffer her children to die: Thirdly that blood and consanguinity did call her to offer succour and aid to her brother, harryed and pursued (against the kings will) by the malice of such as possess about his person such place, as no way is due to them: neither can she better paint out the Cardinal than by his own colours, that is to say, as well by a number of tragical and lamentable murders, whose complaint do sorrowfully sound in every religious ear, as also to see so many desolate souls hoping by the edict of pacification to enjoy a plausible quiet and rest in their houses, miserably dispersed to their adventure, and cruelly excluded from their soil of natural and ancient abode: The same Cardinal also and his wicked adherentes puffed up with a general patience, that every one hath used to their barbarous tyranny, attempted against the Princes of the blood, with intent (in common likelihod) to root up the main graft & stock after they had wickedly defaced and spoiled the tender branches. And because the zeal of their Religion did in no sort induce them (as they have affirmed) she solicited the Queen to a remembrance of the conspiracy done the last time she was sick, from the which the Cardinal of Bourbon her brother was not exempted, albeit he was a Catholic. So that it is only the blood of France which gripes them so at heart, whereof what better experience and example can be advouched, than their ungodly pursuit against the Prince of Conde and his little children, to whose succours (according to the dutiful office of blood and kindred) she would never fail, desiring notwithstanding above all things, a good peace and so well assured, as the Cardinal of Lorraine nor his adherents could either dissolve or corrupt it.  
She declared in her letters to the king's brother, how justly she was enticed to her journey to Bergerac, with hope to pursue the full voyage for the service of their Majesties, with request that it would please him in good earnest, to put his hand to the work, and help to defend the poor country of France against the policies of such as seek to aspire to confound it, with a thirst and desire (as it seems) to build their greatness and authority upon the decayed and ruinous stones of such, as (like firm pillars) do, and have sustained it.  
By her letters to the Cardinal of Bourbon her brother, that it was now more than time, (if there were any at all) to gather stomach to him, and lay afore their majesties the lamentable state and desolation of France, whereunto he was bond above the rest, in respect of the honour he bore to be a Prince of the blood: She summoned him also to remember the shame and outrage thundered upon the person of his proper Brother, Sisters, and Nephews, and all by a Cardinal of Lorraine, who also abused him, as one of his suffragans. If all these could not move him topitifull consideration of their case, at lest, let him remember Vespra Siciliana, pretended by his coadherentes the last time the Queen was sick: And lastly, notwithstanding the separation of Religion, she conjured him by the proper office of friendship and duty of nature and blood concurring together, to consider their present pursuit against the Prince his brother. All these letters were written and dated at Bergerac, the. xv●. of September. 1568.  
After the siege of Angoulesme, the said 
The Princes Camp.  Queen with the young Lady her daughter retired to Rochel, leaving the Prince her son in the Camp, which afterwards was called The Camp of the Princes, because the said Princes of Navarre and Conde commanded together in the Army.  
Whiles these things were thus ordered, the Duke of Anjou, brother to the King and Chief over the catholics, forbore neither diligence nor means to advance his force and erect his Camp at O 〈…〉. and other places there about, wherewith he diffended towards Poyti●● where understanding of the coming of the Lord 〈…〉 er ●a●ching with the succoures he brought determined to fight with ●●●, and ●o ●●●der him to join with the Prince of Conde, and for that purpose departed from Poitiers with four thousand horsemen & four ensigns of footmen, and entered with great journeys the town of Perigueux: in like sort the Lord d'Acier marched every day passing the rivers of Leyll● and V●ser● in the said country, and so the twenty-five. of October being near the town of Perigueux and lodged in a village called S. Chastie, with the regiments of ●anguedock: as he departed in the morning, the Lords of Montpensier, Guise, & Bri●sac set upon him both behind and before, albeit they were repulsed and so retired, the Lord of Baudine being hurt in 
Baudine hurt.  that skirmish with a harquebushot in the arm.  
Being thus repulsed they went to the village not far from Chastie where were lodged the Lords of Mowens & Pierregourde with their companies, from whence they were also repulsed because they were somewhat entrenched, and so retired attending their foolemen which were not yet come. The L. d Acier dispatched present word to the Lord of Mowans & Pierregourde by the Lords d Orose to fortify themselves within the village, promising them succours all the day of his strength: All the Captains were of opinion to entrench themselves within the village, saving the Lord of Mowans, who spread himself forth with upon the fields, and then made march forth his carriage, and immediately after the two regiments, albeit not far from the village he found those that had affailed him in the morning attending his coming ready ringed and set in batta●le: The said Lord of Mowans saing these troops, & gathering by their view and set order, their resolute minds, choosed five hundredth harquebushers as forlorn hope, whom he took upon him to lead against the catholics (leaving the Lord Pierregourd with their battle.) These, after certain great and sharp volues of shot were broken in a ●aye and put to flight by the horsemen of the enemy.  
Immediately upon the disarray of these 
Overthrew of the L. of Mowans & P. Gourd.  forlorn hopes, the battle began both to fear and doubt: and being hotly charged with the horsemen and Lances, piercing amongst the ensigns, all was disordered and put to flight, leaving the said Lords of Mowans and Gourd with u or uj. hundred soldiers dead on the place: on the King's side died certain, but none of mark, nor in great number: the peasants did both foil and kill more protestants, than the soldiers. The Regiments of Longuedo● pursued still their way to join with the vanguard, and so to return together to the succours of the Lord of Mowans and Pierregourde, whom they thought to be entrenched within the said Village, albeit encountering contrary news of the overthrow, they took way to Aubeterre, where they arrived the morrow after together with those that remained of the said conflict.  
After the taking of Angoulesme, the 
Pons besieged,  said Princes drew toward Saintonge, to besiege the Town and Castle of Pons, within which the Lord of the place had garrisons of footmen, which greatly oppressed those of the Religion. They began forth with to batter the Town, and so by a breach, the Town was taken without much resistance, albeit those of the castle maintained the matter, whereupon the Protestants were enforced to a new battery. Now, the Prince hearing of the Lord d Aciers coming to Aubeterre, and of his overthrow, left all their footmen with certain Cornets of horsemen to continued the siege, under the charge of the Lord de Boccard, great master of their artillery, and with the rest of their horsemen they came to Aubeterre.  
The first of November the L. Admiral with the horsemen of the vanguard, went from Aubeterre to go to Berry, whether the King's brother was come, and to this end all the harquebushears brought by the Lord d Acier, were commanded to attend the enterprise of the Admiral, who hearing news of the departure of the enemy from that place, retired himself to Aubeterre, to deliberate with the princes, & every of his company into his quarters, without any thing doing. Their general and resolute advise was to pursue the King's brother wheresoever he went, and that as near as might be, the rather to entice him to battle, upon which devise and to which effect the arm set forward in orderly march the next morning: the regiments of Languedoc, Roargues with them of the Lord d'Orose, and the rest of the provincials were made the vanguard, & the remainder of the Dauphinoys in the main battle.  
The King's brother in this mean while hasted to Chastelleraut where the rest of his Army was assembled, pursued continually in the tail by the Prince's power till they got a Village called Angiers, two leagues from Chastelleraut, where were lodged part of their footmen of the vanguard.  
The King's brother finding great companies of footmen and horsemen assembled at Chastelleraut, together with the Suyzers who brought sixteen Canone and certain Coluerines' with field pieces, determined to entrench himself strongly afore the town (as in deed he did) & tarry there the coming of the Princes. Whereof the lord Admiral the x. of November even from the point of the day, renged his men of arms in battle and squadrons hoping to fight, whereof he dispatched speedy advertisement to the other Princes then at Chauvignie upon Vien, who likewise sent towards him forthwith the harquebusers of the battle, and themselves leading the horsemen of the same battle, found when they were near the place, the Admiral retiring, & could not that day give battle, whether it were by reason of the trenches wherewith the Catholics camp was strongly environed, or by reason of the thick mists and clouds which so darkened the morning, that hardly one could discern an other.  
The Princes being thus come afore Chauvignie, they summoned the guard and garrison of the Castle which were footmen, to yield themselves and charge, whereunto they condescended without difficulty upon composition to depart the castle, their lives saved, which was truly performed, every one bearing in his hand a white rod, and in that order went to Poitiers. And so assoon as it was purged of the Papists, it was burned, to the end they should not thither return, and be impediments to the passage over Vienne.  
All this while the Duke d'Aumalle was upon the coast and country of Lorraine with certain force by him assembled of purpose to hinder the entry of strangers into the realm for the aid of the princes. He understood that the Lord de la Cloche was passing by that Country, to go into Almanie, and was already upon the lands of the Bishop of Strasbourge Whereupon his footmen began to charge him the twelve of Novembre in the morning: the Lord de la Cloche made valiant resistance, and repulsed divers times the said charge, grieving great numbers of them. Albeit being overlayed with fresh supply of companies, after he had long endured the encounter, was in the end put to chase, and taken with divers of his troop, and so led to Metz in Lorraine: this skirmish denoured of his people about a hundred or six score, not without great loss of bot soldiers and Captains of the say d'Aumalle.  
The Princes now not able to have battle with the king's brother by the reasons aforesaid, reversed their way and went from thence to Vienne, of purpose only to provoke him into the seld, and so give him battle.  
The Lord of Boccard, whom (as you 
The castle of Pons taken.  hard) the Princes left at the siege of Pons having taken the castle by composition, and sent the Lord and Lady of the place prisoners to Rochel, marched with his Artillery to join with the Prince's camp, which the king's brother thought to intercept, and for that cause passed Vienne by a Bridge of boats which he caused to be made at Chastellerant, drawing directly to Pamprou, near unto which his vanguard governed by the Lord Montpensier, came the xvij of Novembre. The Prince's camp likewise marched to join with the Lord de Boccard, arriving the same day somewhat late at Pamprou, near the Lord de Montpensier, the same evening there were offered and received certain short skirmishes, by reason the night gave let to their longer fight: the army of the Princes camped near the very houses of Pamprou, half a league from the lord Mountpensier, who caused to kindle great fires as though he would encamp there, stealing away albeit about midnight, and went to Jazenail to join with the kings brother that was there with the battle.  
The morrow after being the xviij. of the same month, the Prince's army was ready ringed in battle at the first appearing of the day, who hoping to find eftsoons the lord Mountpensier, where they left him the day before, determined to bid him battle, but seeing he was so go, as neither form nor figure remained of his being there, the Prince sped him so swiftly in the pursuit, that he arrived at Jazenail almost as soon as he, & there began a warm skirmish from noon till night: the Admiral was not there at the beginning, as following the chase of certain troops drawing towards Menigours, where he took about lx. chariotes charged with baggage of the king's brother's camp, and amongst others, the baggage of the duke of Guise, and the County Bryssack, with the most part of their silver vessel, all being a pray to the soldiers. In the evening the Admiral arrived with the troops which he led. Immediately after whose coming, the skirmish qualified, the Prince's army retiring into a wood near to that place toward Menigours. This was the first proof and experience of the Dauphynoys which were in the Prince's camp, who not withstanding did so well as they deserved and had high commendation: they drive the Catholics from three or four of their trenches, and enforced them to leave the next town to their camp, albeit they had sundry advantages of the Prince's footmen, aswell by the multitude and numbers of shot which thundered violently to defend their trenches, as also that their horsemen were always a ready and singular succour to their footmen, which the prince's horsemen could not do by reason of hedges and main ditches, besides the natural and troublesome situation of the place.  
In this skirmish were brought to the earth on both sides about three hundredth bodies, and almost all footmen, the number notwithstanding of the dead being far greater of the Papists than Protestants, whose army being now in great need to be refreshed, as having had neither rest nor releese for two days for horse nor man, caused their footmen to march the morning after to Menigours, to recreate themselves, and join with the Lord de Boccard, and all the horsemen after they had presented themselves in order of battle at the place where they were the day before, retired also thither without any thing doing.  
The King's brother after this skirmish, took his way to Poitiers, and the Princes drew towards Mirebeau a Town in Poictou, four leagues from Poitiers, which was rendered without resistance 
〈…〉 ebeau 〈…〉 endred.  to the Princes, who with their army sojourned there about eight days.  
The Queen of Navarre being now at Rochel, written to the queens Majesty of England, the reasons of her departure from her own and sovereign countries: in the first she preferred the cause of Religion, so oppressed with the inveterate and barbarous tyranny of the Cardinal of Lorraine. assisted by people of his own humour, that she accounted in shame to be numbered amongst the faithful, if she did not oppugn that horrible error with all such helps as God would stir up, confederating herself and son with so holy and honourable societies of Princes, resolved (under the favour of the great God of Arms) to spare neither blood, life nor goods, to effect so blessed a purpose. Her second reason (resembling also the first) was in respect of her Service to the king, making the ruin of the church the confusion of him and his kingdom, with whom because she and her son had the nearest affinity, they thought it also their first and proper office of duty to intercept such, as usurping upon the natural goodness and enclynation of their King, would make himself the Author of his own destruction, with suborned imposition (albeit he is one of the most true princes of the world) to be a falser of his promise, and that by inventions of their own contriving, to infringe the edict of pacification, which so long as it was preserved, entertained a joyful peace between the king and his faithful subjects, and now being broken, doth convert the said fidelity of his people to a lamentable war, and so enforced as there is not any one of them which hath not been drawn into arms by violence. The third cause, peculiar to herself & son, was, in that she saw the ancient enemies of God & her house, with a shameless and perilous malice, bend utterly to exterminate their race: Besides, as she beheld on the one side with pitiful eyes the Prince her brother, who to eschew the mortal peril pretended against him, was constrained (afore he entered into arms) with his biggebellied wife and little children, to search places of security and that in such desolation, as the very remembrance is able to kindle remorse in any christian heart: so on the other side, being credibly informed of divers expeditions and trains to ravish from between her hands her dear and only son, she could do no less than to impart herself and son, with the said consociation, and to share with them in their general fortunes, according to the due office and bond of blood: and yet not to undertake arms to contend against heaven (as the good catholics do suggest) and much less to war upon the sovereign majesty of the king, but rather to confront those who with their ancient spite to the general cause, do conjoin that whereof they have given so many particular and public effects.  
About the end of November the Admiral departed from Mirebeau in the night, with all the horsemen and shot of the vanguard, drawing toward Pontd'Auzance, as having advertisement that there were at that place certain troops of the sovereign lieutenants camp. And being there, he found in deed the Regiment of footmen of the Count Brissack, whom he charged and put them in part to flight, kill two or three hundred of them: he was in mind to charge their horsemen which were also there, saving for the vehement rain which enforced them to retire to Mirebeau, besides he had no certainty whether the Prince of Conde were near enough to succour him or not: the said Prince was withdrawn the same evening with the horsemen and shot of the battle on that side of the three s●●ples, thinking there to find certain other trowpes, where of he had had advertisement, notwithstanding, finding the place abandoned, he bended towards Auzance, & met in the way the vanguard returning, which he did also.  
As the Prince was in a castle of the Bishops of Poitiers, scarce a league from Mirebeau, there came to him a Currier or Messenger from the Queen mother, with charge chiefly to induce him to demand peace as a matter wherein it belonged to him of duty to prevent his majesty, to whom he answered that he was forced to enter into arms as his surest warrant against the oppression of his enemies, and not to attempt any matter prejudicial to the Majesty royal, or his sovereign estate, whom he reverently held for his king ordained of God, besides, the attempt of him and his, intended no further than to entertain a charitable quiet in their conscience, a safe exercise of their religion, and lastly, a tolerable defence of their lives, honours, and possessions against the tyranny of an ungodly Cardinal of Lorraine and other the enemies and common troublers of the public state of this Realm, and precisely of the poor professors of the Gospel, contrary to the will and meaning of his Majesty avouched by so many general edicts and other particular expeditions descending from himself: for which causes they rested upon resolution to maintain particularly against the said Cardinal & his adherents, as the spring, root, & original of the ruin and threatening subversion of the crown, and them to pursue as perjured & infringers of the common faith, conjured enemies to this estate & unity of the realm: lastly touching himself, he hath given sufficient proof and experience to the whole world of his humble desire and inclination to peace, wherein his facility and ready consent to the last peace do both best approve him, and also argue to the world the strange perils offering to whelm him and the faction of his religion. And therefore because his majesty is presently environed with his enemies, whose principal condition is to close his ears against the lamentable complaints of his oppressed people, he determined to be the reporter of their doings in his own person.  
This was the answer which the Prince gave the messenger in the Hall of the castle, and that in the presence of a great number of Lords, knights, gentlemen, and captains of his army: it was supposed in the camp that he came to other end, as to espy the force of the Princes.  
In the beginning of December, the Princes departed from Myrebeau, and drawn to wards Champigni, a Castle belonging to the Lord de Mountpensier, guarded with seven. or viij. score soldiers: they battered the castle on that side towards the church, making a breach in the brickwall before the Hale of the said place: they that were within rendered by composition, and in their place entered the Captain Spondillan with certain numbers of shot, who immediately for sook it by commandment of the Princes, and left it at liberty: The morrow after the artillery marched before the castle of the Lord de Savigny, which without great resistance saving certain volies or shot of the canon, was taken, they within put to the edge of the sword, and the castle burned. During the siege of these two castles, the regiments of footmen of the Lords of Mountbrun and Myrebean, were at Lyllebouchard upon Vien, striving to win the passage, wherein as they profited little, so they speedily retired. The king's brother being go from Poitiers, and having the succours brought him by the count de Loyeuse governor of the country of Languidock, in the absence of the lord d'Anuille marshal of France (which were hesides the Regimen of the Lord of Serlebourg, certain companies as well on foot as horseback) besieged the town of Mirebeau not long since rendered to the Princes: This town was defended by three companies of footmen, whereof two were governed by the captain la Board, and the other by the Captain of the castle. At the beginning they battered the town which was abandoned for want of sufficient supplies to furnish the walls, all retiring within the said castle.  
The town being taken, about the xij. of December, the king's brother left the Count du Lude, governor of Poyctou, to continued the stege of the castle, with two canons, two culuerines, and one regiment of footmen: he taking his way to Lodun a town in Poyctou, the which not many days afore was rendered to the obedience of the Princes, summoned it forthwith by a trumpet, to whom the lord d'Acyer governor there, answered, that as he was set in charge of the town by the Prince of Navarre. lieutenant general for the king in Guienne, so he would not only kepeit to his use without further tender or restitution, but also (to his best) repulse what violence or force so ever were offered. This answer reported to the king's deputy, he made his army march near the said town to a place called the Roches.  
The siege continuing still afore the castle 
The castle of Mirebeau taken.  of Mirebeau by the said Count of Lude, in the end procuring a parley, he entered subtly about the xuj. of December 1568. The captain la Borde with certain soldiers were there killed, the rest were saved.  
As soon as the king's Lieutenant had given summons to tender Lodun, the lord d'Acyer advertised the Princes of his state, who departed forthwith from Towars with the battle, and the Lord Admiral from Monstrueil-belay, with the vanguard to give succours to the said Lord d'Acyer. The xuj. of December they presented their whole camp in battle before Lodun, about half a quarter of a league from the king's camp, who likewise was in battle in the said place of Roches, where 
The meeting of the two armies  were great numbers of artillery discharged aswell of the one as other side, neither was there any other thing all the day, except some little & light skirmish which devoured no man: in the evening every one retired into his quarter until the morrow that the two camps did eftsoons discover in order of battle at the same place, fulfilling also the like the three day without other thing doing than certain unhurtful skirmishes.  
The xix of December the King's brother discamped, who albeit drew towards Chynon, yet such was the slowness of his march that day, as the next morning the two armies were all day in battle order on that side toward Chynon, sending only certain shot of artillery one against an other without hurt of either side: the same (as it may be presumed) moving by a vehement and slippery cold, that the horsemen could not advance: it was a wonder to see two armies in camp in such a hard and diverse season, the winter being so extreme as hath not been seen in many years afore, whick kindled sundry sorts of diseases in diverse soldiers on both sides, and after died in lamentable numbers: towards the evening the King's lieutenant retired to Chynon, albeit certain Captains of the Prince's army charging upon their tail, discomfited about seven. or eight score Suyzers, and three ensigns of footmen suddenly set upon as they were refreshing themselves in the village.  
The Princes returned to Tovars, and the Admiral to Monstrueit-beley, to winter there, leaving the Lord d'Yuoy brother to the Lord de janlis, as governor within the town of Loudun, and for the guard of the same, the regimens of the L. of Montbrun & Mirabel, with two cornets of horsemen: the Lord janlis not long after died of a disease in Almaigne.  
The Lord de la Coche who (as is said) was led prisoner to Metz, was this u of January. 1569. murdered by certain garrison soldiers of the town, who taking him out of prison and binding him with Mychallon his ensign bearer, told him they were commanded from the King to lead them to the Court, and so exchange them for other prisoners within the prince's Camp: albeit they were no sooner cut of the town than they were stabbed with daggers, and so murdered  
Near unto Saulmur is an abbey called Saint Florent, wherein were two hundred 
Abbay S. florent taken.  footmen, as a garrison to the Catholics, who with their abbey were besieged in this month of January by the vanguard of the Princes, and they after they had beaten a breach entered by force-putting all that were besieged to the mercy of the sword: immediately after the garrison of Saulmur 
The Abbay recovered.  recovering the said Abbay, used the like execution of all that they found.  
While the princes soiorned at Towars, they dispatched into Gascoigne the Lord de Pills, aswell to levy new force, as other matters of special charge: At his first arrival he took Bergerac and Saintfoy, and having speedily erected certain forces of horsemen and footmen, he bestowed his footmen, and drawn towards Perigueux with his horsemen, and passing along the place where the Lords of Mowans and Pierregourde were discomfited, he fired many villages, and killed as many peisauntes as he met, as a revenge of the blood of so many soldiers which they had overcome and slain in the same overthrow.  
The kings army wintered at Chynon, Saulmur, Poitiers and other places thereabouts: the prince's army in the beginning of February departed from Towars and Monstrueu-beley, descending lower into the country to find vittells: the vanguard drawn to Partenay and the battle to Niort, harbouring in the places thereabouts.  
The third day of this month, the Lord de Boursaut captain of a hundred lyghts horsemen and his company, were suddenly set upon within a village near to Towars, by the Count Brissac, accompanied with seven. or eight hundred horsemen presently issued out of Saulmur. There were many of them taken, and many killed and the rest, as the Lord de Boursaut and others, saved themselves by help of the dark night.  
In the beginning of February the queen of Navarre came to ●●or●, where she found the Princes, with diverse other great Lords, with whom she entered 
A sale of the principal goods of the Church.  into Counsel for the affairs and disposition of the war: There was agreed a sale of temporal goods of the Churchmen, toward the maintenance of the general cause, & for the purpose were drspatched present letters under the names and authority of the said Queen, Princes of Navarre and Gonderino, the Lord Admiral, Dandelot, & Rochefoucaut, with words of ample power given to their procurors and commissaries to promise and bind them for warrant requisite in such case: These comissions were published in towns held under their obedience, with present sale and alyenation made accordingly, the same raising great sums of money.  
Whilst the said Queen, Princes and other states remained in consultation with in Nyort, certain horsemen of the Lord of Verac, (captain of a hundredth light horsemen) making often incursion upon the next enemies, took the Lord of Cassac lieutenant of the men at arms to the Duke of Guise, as he was baiting in an Inn, whom they led to Niort, and so to Rochel.  
The Count Mountgomerey lodging in a village called lafoy Motte, was charged upon the sudden by the Count Brissac, and enforced to retire within the castle of the same place, serving somewhat to his defence: so that he received no other loss than his younger brother, which was led to the Castle of Luzignan: this was the xij. of February.  
The Princes now determined to perform their enterprise upon the castle of Luzignan, and to take it, the same moving (as it seemed) either by a practise of Montgomories brother, or else by some secret intelligence they had with the governors Lieutenant of the same place, where they were in good order, and upon the sudden the twenty of February very early in the morning, divers of their Captains and soldiers entering within, albeit, being discovered their further attempt was intercepted, and they returned without any thing doing.  
The Count of Tanned governor for the King in Provence, in the beginning of November the year before, put himself upon his way with three thousand footmen and certain horsemen of that country marching into France as he was commanded, and passing by Dauphine, the baron of Adretz, who also had levied a regiment of footmen containing xvij ensigns, joined with him, too pass also in company into France: In their way they came by the siege of Sanserre, which the Count Mertivengo an italian and governor of Gyran had long continued, where as they spent long time without advancing the end and purpose of the siege, so procuring the siege to be raised: the Count ●ande drawn to Poyctou to the kings Camp, where he arrived about the end of Februarye, and the baron of Adretz marched into lorayn to the Duke d'Aumale, sent thither (as you have herded) to withstand the entry of strangers into France.  
The Kings brother having received these new succours, and made show to his men of arms of two hundred thousand franks which the house of Paris had lent the King upon the temporal goods of the Church men, he gathered again his Camp, and drew towards Angoulmoys.  
Immediately after in the same month, arrived two thousand and five hundred Reistres, under the conduct of the Counties Reyngraffe and Bassompier, who being much harried in their long and painful journey to come into France, refreshed themselves certain time about Poitiers afore they joined with the kings Camp, who approached still to Angoulesme, and tarried them. And because he would have the liberty of the river of Charente, to pass and repass at his pleasure, he dispatched the Lord de la Riviere a Gentleman of Poyctou, for to seize upon the Town and also the Castle of larnacke.  
The Princes now being truly informed what way the Kings Camp took, departed from Nyort, and upon the beginning of March arrived at Saint lean d'Angely, marching from thence with their battle to Saints. The Admiral with the vauntegarde lodged at Coygnac and the d Andelot with the horseman and shot of the said vanguard, drawing with them two Coluerines' and two field pieces to besiege the Town of jarnacke: The Captain la Riviere the same day was on horseback with his troop of horsemen to beat and scour the straight that lay towards Coygnac● albeit discovering a far of the Lord Admiral, he returned in great diligence, and without staying in the town of larnack, he enclosed himself spéedyly within the Castle, which forthwith was enuyronned and besieged on all sides by the admiral, who as soon as his artillery was planted, began to batter towards the gate of the Castle, the same continuing all the day, and at night the Captain demanded parley, which the next morning was granted together with a composition by the Lord de Bricquemau, (left there to direct the siege by the Lord Admiral) the Castle thus taken, the Vicont Montamma entered with his Regiment to defend the said passage.  
The uj of this month the Prince of Conde with the Admiral and d'Andelot, and the horsemen as well of the vanguard as main battle, except the Lord of Bricquemaus regimen which was at jarnack went to Beawoir upon Matta, where was the King's brother with his army: There the Prince of Conde ringed in battle his horsemen, leaving in covert behind a hill certain drums, sounding as though his footmen had been there, notwithstanding there was nothing done that day other than certain skirmishes against the d'Andelot: The Reistres of the catholics were not as yet joined to the Catholics Camp, albeit they arrived very shortly after.  
The King's brother being defeated of his purpose and mean to pass the River of Charente at jarnac, marched up higher, and a little beneath Angoulesme, he passed the River. In his way he took the castle of Ruffel, wherein were four score soldiers, whom he put to the sword: He took also the Town & garrison of Melle, in the country of Poytou, who also tasted lamentably of the like compassion. And being thus over Charente, he came to Chasteauneuf, standing upon the shore of the River, wherein was a garrison of fifty Soldiers, who without resistance rendered the Castle.  
The Prince's understanding that the Catholics had won the passage, departed from Saints, and came to lodge at Coygnac, and the Admiral with the vauntgarde at jarnac, and thereabouts.  
The Friday the xj of this month, the King's brother with all his horsemen and certain numbers of shot, presented himself in order of battle before Coygnac, causing in the mean while to be built up again the wooden bridge of Chasteauneuf, battered and beaten down by the said garrison. The Princes were then within Coygnac accompanied only with their trains and certain Gentlemen of their retinue: (their men of arms being lodged in the Villages thereabouts) and therefore sent immediately to the Admiral for certain companies to march towards them: the d'Andelot going thither, herded news in the way, that the king's brother had drawn his men of arms afore Coignac: The d'Andelot after he had talked with the Prince's returned to jarnac.  
The morrow the xii of March, the Prince's army marched towards Chasteauneuf, the Prince of Condé with the main battle lodging at jarnac. & the Admiral with the vanguard went before Chasteauneuf to hinder the building of the bridge, and withstand the passage over the river: albeit as he was come near the place, he understood that the catholics had set up the bridge, and passed over with part of their army, entrenching themselves on the other side the Bridge, to resist all impediments to their full passage, where upon the Admiral returned to lodge at Bassac, leaving to Govern the retreat of his companies, the light horsemen of Soubise and Plweau, who remained behind, ringed in battle in a plain near the said Chasteauneuf until night. The army of the Princes was greatly dispersed in diverse Towns and Villages, being far distant one from an other.  
In the mean while the catholics camp passed over Charente all the night, with as great speed as might be. And because the prince of Condé had no intent to fight the next morning, as not having his forces near him, he dispatched the lord Perdillan to the Admiral, to advance the companies of the vanguard in such diligence as to be ●ith him at jarnac upon the dauning of the day, which the Admiral performed according to the speed & necessity of the message, albeit not all in such exact readiness as the case required, as lacking the Lord Plweaus horsemen and his regimen of footmen, left (as you have herded) to govern and guard the retreat of the vanguard.  
The morrow after being the xiij of March, the Prince with his horsemen that were already arrived, presented himself in the morning in order of battle before the enemy above the village of Bassac. When all was arrived, the said Prince returned with the battle, and drew to Matta near S. jean d'Angeli, which the Admiral did also, leaving behind to direct the retraicte, the Lord de la Nove, who retiring a reasonable pass, and not yet far off, was charged with a great host of horsiemen which forced him to take the charge and chased him to Bassac, where the Admiral was ready to resist, and repulsed the catholics until the other side of the village.  
In the mean while certain troops of shot of the Catholics entered the said village, and buckled to skirmish with the Admiral, who likewise drove them out of the village, notwithstanding they were relieved by the rest of the Camp that followed at hand and returned to the village.  
The Lord Admiral seeing the catholics army so near, dispatched a Gentleman of speed to the Prince, to advertise him that the whole Camp of the contrary side was there and almost upon his back, so that seeing no mean to retire without fight, desired him to advance such powers as he had of the battle. Immediately the Prince recoiled till he was very near the Admiral, rynging himself in battle at the foot of a hill on the left hand.  
The Admiral was in order of battle on the right hand along a little Copies, looking towards Bassac. He had about him the Lord Plweaus regimen of five ensigns of footmen, who made a long skirmish: and seeing in the mean while that the Catholics were ready to charge him, coming between the Prince and him, turned his face right upon them, and with certain Cornets which were with him, pressed upon them so hotly, that he brought to the ground a great number, and so passed further. At the same instant the Prince, after he had preferred his prayers to God, went to the charge, & with great courage entered the battle: upon whom rushed a great squadron of Reistres, & set upon him on the flank or side: at which charge his horse was killed and fell upon him, and his horsemen put to the chase, whom the catholics' pursued: albeit as they passed further, a french ●entleman named the L. of S. jean known the Prince of Condé, and also the L. d'Argence, both which promised him to save his life, or to leave there's in the adventure: whereupon as an Archer being descended on foot to help to shift the Prince from under his horse, and had set him upon his feet, one named Montesquion (thought to be the captain of the guard to the King's brother) knowing the Prince, shot him through the head with a Pistolet: the blow entering behind and came forth under his eye. The Lord Steward a Scot, and Chastelier Poitant, after they were taken, were also stabbed with daggers and murdered: the said Chastellier by one named Cosse●us, besides whom were slain in this encounter about two hundredth men, & xi prisoners: amongst others, the bastard of Navarre, the Lord de la Nove, whose horse was killed at the first charge, the L. of Teligni, de la Balbe, de Soubize, & de la Love. On the catholics side were slain the Count de la Mirande, the L. de Monsalletz, the Barons of Ingrande and Prunay, with many other.  
After this charge, one part of the horsemen drawn to S. jean d'Angely together with the Admiral, d'Andelot, the Count de la Rochefoucaut and d Acier, with great numbers of horsemen: the rest took the way to Coygnac.  
In this encounter the Prince had no other footmen than the L. Plweaux regiment heretofore mentioned, all the rest of his footmen was retired by his commandment to jarnac, as being not of mind to fight the day: there was made at jarnac a Bridge of boats to pass the River Charente in times of need, over which the footmen seeing the overthrow passed to the other side the river, and then broke it in pieces for fear of pursuits, & so retired to Coygnac. where were the Princes of Navarre and Anguyen. The Artillery led from Coygnac, was brought thither again, having made no great way.  
The said Princes of Navarre and Anguyen (now Prince of Conde) departed from Cognac the next morning with such horsemen as were retired to them: they arrived the same day at Saints in Sainctonge, leaving their footmen at Cognac, to maintain head against the Catholics, who the morrow after being the xu of March, presented themselves in battle before Cognac with horsemen and footmen, making countenance to besiege it. There was a great skirmish on the side of the park by mean of a sally made upon them by the L. de Baudine, in which encounter were left dead in the place about two hundredth bodies, and great numbers hurt, which made the catholics retire the same day returning to Jarnac.  
In the mean while, the Admiral understanding the Princes were retired to Saints, went thither to them, and with the horsemen of their train, he brought them to S. jean d'Angely, and from thence to Thome-Charante, whether the Queen of Navarre came to communicate with them of their general affairs. And now, albeit the vnwoorthynes●e of the Prince's death, did so amaze the Gentlemen and Soldiers of the army, as they seemed to waver in variety of doubts, yet the Admiral (not less wise than well advised) knit them again with new persuasions of courage by all his possible means. And sure this death was sufficient enough to cool and qualify such as had no other regard than to the loss of such a Governor of war, but considering more near the actions of this Prince, and of how long time he had been given to the sincere service of his God, King, and Country: they assured themselves more than afore. They are persuaded, that there nothing happened to him, which he did not either foresee or foretell according to the poesy written in the ensign of the company of his men of arms in these words: PRO CHRISTO ET PATRIA, DULCE PERICULUM. And besides, the said Prince was wont afore his death to say in his familiar talk, that he attended his sepulchre in the fields, in a day of battle.  
The end of the first Book.   

The second Book, of the last troubles and civil wars of France.  
THE Prince of Condé thus taken away, & his death no small loss to them of the Religion, the King's Brother, knowing the Princes of Navarre and d'anguyens were passed the river of Botoune, determined to follow them, and in that purpose departed from Janac & came to Dampierre where he passed the River: he lodged his army within half a league of S. jean d'Angeli, of purpose to execute a certain enterprise within the said town, by mean of the captain of the Castle. In the mean while the Prince's army passed Charante as well at Thonye Charante, as at Tallibourgh, keeping the boats always on their side.  
The Queen of Navarre having imparted 
The Queen of Navarre returns to Rochel.  certain special admonitions, aswell to the Prince her son, as other great lords & personages of estate returned to Rochel.  
The King's brother understanding the said army was passed over Charante, and also that his enterprise upon the town of S. jean d'Angeli, was so discovered, as he could not commit it to safe execution, returned from whence he came, that is, to larnac, Chasteauneuf and places about Angoulesme, attending his opportunity to effect an attempt which he had conspired upon that town, and that by mean of the captain of the Park, which was also discovered, as hereafter shall follow.  
The Princes being now on the other side the river Charente, began to surueye their forces, viewing first their horsemen, and then their footmen in order as hereafter shallbe showed. All the horsemen were sent for in one day into two places: The Prince of Navarre and the L. Admiral mustered the battle, and the d Andelot with the Count Rochefoucaut, the vanguard. There were viewed and enhabled about four thousand horsemen, well mounted and armed, with valiant disposition to follow the cause to a good end. It was openly read there to all the horsemen, that the prince of Navarre declared himself chief of the army, with promise not to leave the Camp till a 
The oath of the Prince of Navarre.  good and happy peace, and much less to spare his life and goods in that behalf. This being published, the horsemen likewise protested by oath not to depart the army without his leave, nor forbear life or living in the assistance of the quarrel.  
PEndureau Capteyn of a hundred light 
l'Endureau revolts.  horsemen, after the last conflict, revolted, and took part with the Count du Lude, Governor of Poytou He was grievous, (after his revolt) to the protestants in a number of heavy evils, as in pilling and robbing them without respect, and also under shadow of his white Cassakyns, wherewith he yet disguised his people: He took the Castle of Mont-agu in base Poytou, yielding to the garrison no other mercy than by the edge of the sword. He made many incursions into Poytou, & annoyed them with such general peril, that the Princes (to overcome him & his troops) dispatched thither the Lord de la Rocheenard, with twelve. Cornets of horsemen, & the regiments of footmen of the L. la Mousson, Saint Magrin, & Montamma, whose strength & travel was to small purpose, because the enemy had a special safety in his singular swiftness, as knowing well the straits and compass of that Country.  
The Princes being at Saints, got intelligence of the enterprise which the Kings brother meant to execute within Angoulesme, and thereupon (knowing also that he was upon his way thither, dispatched to intercept that purpose) the Count Montgomery with ten Cornets of horsemen, over & besides the regimen of footmen of the Lord Montbrun and Mirabel sent thither already. The Montgomery, the better to execute his charge, in the beginning of April, summoned the said ten Cornets of horsemen to be before him at Pons, the monday being the four of April in the evening. At his coming, he found only uj Cornets with whom he departed after some expectation for the other which were not yet come: he travailed all the night, and the next morning was received within the Town of Angoulesme without any let or impediment by the way: the other four cornets coming somewhat late to Pons, hasted on the way after their company, albeit as they were near Chasteauneuf neither fearing nor foreseeing any peril, they were charged by a great troop of horsemen laid of purpose in ambush to intercept them, and so pursued as the chase came to ●oygnac, from whence they returned and found safety in the swiftness of their horses. At this encounter the L. de Chaumont, Capteyn of one of the said Cornets, with certain other common soldiers were taken prisoners, and about xxx or xl. slain.  
The Count Montgomery was no sooner within Angoulesme, than he began to devise & provide for the safety of the town: wherein for his first policy, he surveyed the wards and warders of the town: And because that those which afore made the view and search of the town, passed not by the Park (which is a new building joined to the town) which cut of all advertisement of any thing done there: the place itself also not unapt to receive companies, foisted in by night without knowledge to them of the Town: The said Montgomery made pierce the walls, and open the gates of that side towards the park, so that always after the searchers of the Town passed and visyted the guards of the same. He removed also the captain of the said Park to avoid treason, with order that every night the warders of that place should be changed.  
The Duke de Roawois being led prisoner (as you have herded) to Rochel, and there continuing till the month of Januarie, was delivered upon his promise to pay within three months after twenty thousand franks to ransom, or, in default of either the time or sum, to return prisoner to Rochel. He failed and therefore was summoned to make good his word, which he refused, clearing himself by the death of the prince of Conde, to whom, as he had given his faith, so his death acquitted his promise. The King's brother kept still about Angoulesme, albeit understanding of the precise direction of the Montgomery, gave over his further attempt, and departed fronthence the twelve of April, taking his way to Perigueux, and passing by Aubeterre, he took the castle by composition, for whose guard the L. of the place did entertain about a hundred men, who enduring only certain shot of the canon, yielded themselves (their lives saved:) wherein notwithstanding they were abused, for that diverse were killed, & the L of the place arrested as prisoner: from Aubeterre he drew to Macedan a town of Perigueux, afore the which, as the Lord de Montluc attend him with his forces: so the army being arrived, they begun to batter with such fury, as a breach was speedily enforced. There were within the town seven. or eight score populair soul diours, who despairing either to fill up the breach, or to keep it longer, in respect chief of their small numbers, abandoned the town and closed themselves within the castle being sufficiently strong: The catholics being within the Town, bend their battery against the Castle, where they had no sooner battered a breach, than they cried to the assault. They within sustained the first assault, & like wise two others in the neck of it, repulsing at last the catholics', whereof a great number left their dead bodies in pawn: them the Kings brother (under their word of assurance) came to parley with them, wherein he so prevailed, as they yielded, reserving only their lives, which notwithstanding were violently taken from them all without exception, contrary to his faith and word of honour: he lost at these assaults a great company of soldiers with sundry lords and captains of choice: amongst 
Brissac slain  which was the Conte Brissac stricken with a harque bush shot in the left cheek: he was a gallant gentleman and of great hope amongst the people, of xxv years of age when he died, and of great calling and function in France. For first he was knight of the order, captain of fifty men at arms of the king's allowance, Colonel general over the French footmen in the King's Camp, and governed also in this journey a Regimen of xl ensigns of footmen: his brother succéeded him in most of his charges, saving the estate of Colonel general which was given to the Lord of Strossi: there died at that siege the Conte Pompadon, with many other 
Conte Pompadon slain.  to the number of u or vi hundred.  
Mucedan being taken in this month of April, the king's brother took way again to Angoulmois, and the Lord of Montluc returned to his government, and charge.  
The prince's horsemen being thus viewed and mustered, they would also survey their footmen, in which business the d Andelot was chief used, and therefore immediately dispatched, to the end he might peruse the garrisons in every town of their obedience: he began his first travel in this charge upon the end of April, following the garrisons and mustering them in his own presence. In the beginning of May, be returned to Saints, feeling himself somewhat sick, the same growing so upon him as he died the saturday the vii of the same 1569. to the lamentable grief & displeasure of the whole army, as being noted a most wise and valiant gentleman called commonly the knight without fear: his office of general Colonel of the French footmen was given to the Lord d'Acyer: his company of men of arms since his death hath been governed by the lord of Beawais his lieutenant. It was thought he was poisoned, and the Physicians that viewed his body were of the same opinion.  
Immediately after, in the same month and at the same place died the Lord of Boccarde having line long sick, he was of 
The Lord Boccard dead.  no less counsel in matters of consultation, than of courage in the execution, his estate of the great. Master of the artillery was given to the Lord janlis his son in law, with his cornet of horsemen.  
And now, to overslip nothing that was executed in this last Apryll, there is in the mountains of Daup 〈…〉 a castle near to B●yanson, wherein the King keeps an ordinary dead pay of certain numbres of soldiers: A capteyn called Colombyn born in Grenoble, understanding by certain of the borough of Oysans that most part of the said dead pay men were issued out of their charge, took the said castle, and finding no resistance other than the very captain of the place, who yielded being hurt with a shot, he made himself lord of it, where neglecting one first and most necessary policy in a victor, he rather laboured to deface the images, than to furnish the place with convenient provision, which being not unmarked of certain evil neigh bors, purlewing upon the castle, they forthwith environed him with a siege, & so cut off his victual, whereof they known the castle had but slender store: Their siege continuing about xv. days, enforced him at last to tender the place upon composition and only reservation of life, which notwithstanding was not kept, for that all his soldiers were cut in pieces, and he only led on live to Grenoble.  
After the general view and muster of the prince's footmen, the Lord de Pills, (returned now from G●scoyg●e) was sent to seize upon the isle of Medoc, a rich isle lying between Rochel and Bourdeaux, containing in length about xuj or xvij leagues, and four or u leagues in breadth: he provided necessary boats to pass the river of Gironde, and embarking himself with two thousand footmen, descended into the said yl●, and took haven without any let: he made himself master of the isle upon the sudden and unlooked for, finding great foison of riches, where with he & his soldiers loaded themselves plentifully.  
By mean of this isle, he besieged Bourg a town in Bordelois, but being speedily called back by the Princes, he raised his siege and came again to the Camp: At this siege died of a shot in his shoulder the Lord Valpheviere lieutenant to the late Lord d'Andelot of his Regiment of footmen, whose regimen was translated to the Lord of Rouray gentleman of France. This was upon the end of May.  
The king's brother, being now returned into the country of Angoulmois and after he had somewhat relieved his army on that side to Villebois, sent to summon the town of Angoulesme by a trumpet, wherein hae was refused, & so took way towards Berry to join his force with the Duke d'Aumall being in the said country: the Conte Mont-gomerey charged upon the tail of his camp, and discomfited certain of them.  
The Lady Marquis of Rottelyn, understanding of the death of the prince of Conde her son in law, put her upon the way to come to Rochel, where was the widowprincesse her daughter: she passed to Saint jean d'Angely, and so to Thony upon Boutonne where the said Princess met her, and so returned into France without her daughter, whom she purposed to have with her. But the Princess excused her upon her children, which were then at Rochel whether she also returned it was thought the Lady Marquis came to entreat a peace, which was not so, because her occasion was only as is asoresayd: this was in the end of May. 1569.  
In the first kindling of these wars, the Princes having true intelligence of divers numbres of strangers entered the Realm for the strength of the Catholics, determined also to fortify their army by the like mean: And therefore knowing that the Prince Wolfgange Duke de deux Pons had erected great numbres of men of arms, as well on foot as on horseback, the better to defend his own countries, sent to him with request to yield them succours in their so urgent and extreme necessity, both with his army presently in point, and also such other powers as he might possibly leute, whereunto the said duke condescended with promise to relieve them with all his forces, which albeit at that time were not fully assembled, yet he forgot not within short time after to put an army in readiness to come into France, whereof the duke d'Aumale (lying in Lorraine) being informed by special Intelligicers, dispatched forthwith a Gentleman of his, by whom he advertised the Duke of the common brute that passed of the diligence he used in the levies of men of war in Almaigne and all to assist the conspiracies of such as arm themselves against the crown of France, with displayed war against the King, which for his part as he neither had nor would believe, so looking nearer into his magnificence and parts of a Prince, he judged him of no inclination to favour rebels against their sovereign majesty, considering withal, the ancient respect of amity so long continued between the house of the electors of the county Palatines of Rhine, & the sceptre of France: Albeit, his majesty desiring to understand an absolute truth, gave him special charge to dispatch this special Messenger, he also having authority of his Majesty to withstand the entry of any stranger, ●o relieve the enterprise of the said rebell●s, which he hoped to accomplish, or else to leave his life in the charge.  
The Duke forbore to answer speedily, until his army were fully in point, albeit after that he had received his Reistres, he began to march towards the Conte of Burgogne, and as he lay upon the frontiers of France, tarrying for his Launceknyghtes, he answered the d'Aumales letter, which he sent forthwith to the King: In the beginning he laid afore him how in the years afore, many Reistermaisters' passing thorough his Duchy without leave, grieved so his country that the continual complaints of his people forced him to draw into companies of armed men, as well on horseback as on foot, to withstand further offence to his people: And that now in respect his cousyns and dearly beloved Princes of Navarre and Conde, have lamentably imparsed with him the unjust quarrel, urged upon them, as well to enforce their lives and goods, as to deprive the exercise of their Religion contrary to the king's faith and plain protestation of his Edicts: and that not only they, but all the Nobility and others, professing the same Religion, have and do endure miserable oppressions, as estranged from their own houses, thrust out of their charges and offices, their possessions and wealths, consisked into the King's hands: lastly, that there be raised huge companies of men of war aided with sundry sorts of strangers to cut them in pieces, as in other times of open hostility: in these respects together with their earnest motion and request for succours, and lastly upon an upright view and consideration of their present calamity, he could, nor aught do no less than aid them: And for their parts, the better to avouch their integrities in refusing all attempts, aspiring preiudicially to the crown of France, (as the d'Aumalles letters did sinisterly suggest) the said Princes have protested by letters, which he keepeth sealed with their own hands, that if (at his being in France) he see or know any inclination in them to conspire in any sort against the crown, that he would not only draw away his succours, but convert them to the enemy and contrary side, the rather to revenge their disloyalty: which makes him judge of the Prince's side, & believe that they are not only far from the slanderous impositions of their enemies, but also of unfeigned desire, rather to rest quietly in their houses, than follow so hard and doubtful a war, whereunto they have been drawn of force as to defend the violent oppression of their malicious enemies: he alleged besides, that when his Cousin the duke Casmir erected his army in Almaign in the like cause, he was also untruly informed (as of purpose to draw him from succouring the Prince of Conde) that it was against the majesty royal that the said Prince did conspire, which notwithstanding was found otherways, as appeareth by his majesties edicts of peace both first and last, approving always the actions of the said Prince as done for the service of his majesty. And to take away all suspicion, he declared, that besides that, his meaning was to secure the said Princes of Navarre and Conde, his enterprise in coming into France, stretched also to relieve the little one's of the Religion dispersed into their several miseries, to whom of very duty (being a Christian Prince) he could do no less than offer and lend his hand to lead them to Jesus Christ. And to the end his majesty may unfeignedly resolve in the integrity of his purpose, and that he undertakes not this journey to spoil his subjects or make pray of their wealths, or for any other particular profit, he protested that if his majesty would grant them a safe use of their religion with a free exercise of the same without limitation and distinction of persons and places, together with assurance of their goods, honours, charges, and estates, he would not only return and dismiss his army, but also defray the whole charges of the same and the said Reistremaisters in their passage, amounting in all to above a hundred thousand crowns, protesting for end, that if (in refusing his just and reasonable offers) the Quarrel do aggravate by his coming into France, to wipe his hands in innocency of all imputations hereafter, and the fault to be laid upon the authors and chief counsellors of the war, being about his majesty.  
The Duke having now received his lanceknights, entered into France, and passing by Bourgonguen, came to charity, being coasted sundry times both behind and before by the armies of of the dukes d'Aumall and Nemors, without attempting any thing upon him: he arrived without let before charity, the 
charity besieged and taken.  xuj. of May, which he battered so vehemently that he enforced forthwith a breach, in the mean while the lord of Movy, passing over Loere a little above the said town, with three hundred arquebusiers, wone the suburbs towards the bridge, the same so occupying and amazing them that were besieged, that the Duke entered the breach, and put the whole garrison to the sword: this town was taken in good time, because that if it had lingered never so little, the Duke d'Aumalle being very near with succours, had endangered the enterprise. The town was no sooner taken, than he was discovered not far of with xviij. hundred horsemen, who coming to short to withstand the duke's entry, returned in hope to hinder him to join with the prince's army, by means that he met and assembled with the kings brothers power, who knit together for this purpose in the country of Berry.  
In the end of May, the Princes informed of the approach of the Duke de deux Pons, and the taking of charity, began to march to join with his army, and leaving the Lord de la Nove, to govern in the countries of Poyctou and Sainctonge, took their way by Angoulmois, directly to Perigueux, and as they passed thorough that country, the Lord of Chaumontes' light horsemen, with certain companies of footmen, took the town of Noutron belonging to the Queen of Navarre, wherein were killed about four score men that defended it: this was the seventh of June. 1569.  
The morrow after the said Princes dispatched the Count Montgomery into Gasoyne, to command over the army of the Uicounts', who otherways would not agreed, as not acknowledging one above an other: he took his way by Solliac, where he passed the river of Dordone, and so beneath Cadenat, he passed also over Lot and came to Montauban without any let.  
They of the town of Perigueux, fearing the coming of the prince's army, desired the lord Montluc to sand them succours, to whom he dispatched immediately the Knight Montluc his son with xij. ensigns of footmen, with the which he entered the town the iiij. of June.  
In this mean while the Prince's army kept the way drawing to Lymosyn, & the duke de deux Pons hasted by great journeys to join with them, passing the river of Viene two leagues above Lymoges. The Catholics had sent thither two C. shot to defend the passage, who were all cut in pieces by the lord de Movy, the ix: of this month, on which day the prince's army arrived at Chalus a town in Lymosyn, departing the next day to join with the army of the Duke de deux Pons in a village within two leagues of Chalus belonging to the Lord d'Escars, governor of the said country.  
The lord Admiral accompanied with two hundred horsemen, went where the duke was to salute him: the duke enduring certain fits of an ague not many days afore, and not cured as yet, died the xj. of 
The Duke de deux Po●s dead.  this month 1569. in a village three leagues from Lymoges: afore his death, he called before him the chief and principals of his army, with whom he communicated in many points, but chief in persuasion and request to pursue the purpose of their coming into France, leaving for their general leader in his place, the Count Wolrard de Mansfeld, afore his lieutenant general: his body was carried to the town of Angoulesme, to be there buried.  
In the army of the said late duke, were 
Description of the duke's camp  xxviij. cornets of horsemen, containing viij. thousand and five hundredth Reistres, whereof were Colonels, Hans Boucq, Reignold Grac, Henry d'Estam, and Hans de There's: six thousand Launceknights well armed on foot, and for the most part Pikemen, divided into xxvij. ensigns, whereof were Colonels, the Lord de Gravillar, and the Lord Guieryn Gansgorff baron of Grelezee, besides ij. M. horsemen and ten ensigns of footmen of Frenchmen, whereof was Colonel (touching the footmen) one of the sons of the Lord de Bricquemau. There were also in the said arm divers personages of high estate, as the prince of Orange, his son, the Counties Lodovike & Henry de Nassau, his brethren, the Lord de Moruilliers, the Marquis of of Renel, the Lords of Movy and Esters neigh, besides many others: there were also nineteeen. pieces of artillery, and they either main pieces, or field pieces, with others somewhat less, wherofhe left two of the greatest at charity. There were in the 
Description of the prince's army.  Prince's army about thirteen thousand arquebusiers, besides Pikes, whereof were great numbers, about iiij. thousand horsemen, six cannons and two mean pieces.  
The king's brother now having received 
Succours from the Pope.  from the Pope two thousand horsemen, and four thousand footmen Italians under the conduit of the Count de saint Fiour, came to Lymoges with his army, fronting always as near as he could the Almains, but not meddling with them.  
About this time the Queen mother accompanied with the cardinals of Bourbon & Lorraine, came to Lymoges, & there desirous to see in battle the army of the duke 
The Queen mother encourageth the soldiers.  her son, she visited the battles & squadrons of his horsemen one after an other, persuading them to omit noduetie, to continued their service to his majesty, & so departed the camp, and went to Lymoges, where she remained certain days, and then retired to the Court.  
The same day the Lord de la Love marshal of the Prince's camp with his regiment of horsemen, was sent to Aesse upon Vienne, to guard the passage, whereof the king's brother having intelligence, came the next day being the xi of June, and encamped within a league of the said Aesse, making out the same day certain numbers of shot to undertake the skirmish, who being repulsed, tarried not long there, but returned to the Camp: the twelve day arrived at the said Aesse, the footmen of the vanguard of the Princes and thither came also other supplies of shot from the Caholikes camp, and that in great numbres: they at their first coming repulsed certain shot which were within the Suburbs on the other side Vyenne, albeit they were forthwith rescued, and the other driven to retire, the skirmish endured long and hot, devouring of the Catholic side about. CC. men, and of the Prince's part only twenty or thirty.  
Within two days after the Prince's army marched toward S. Tirier la perch, in the said country of Lymosyn, of purpose to refresh there the Lanceknights, wearied with so long travel: the king's brother followed them, albeit so far off as it was the xxij. of June afore he came near the Princes, & then lodged three leagues from the said S. Tirier, where the said Princes were, who sent for their army as well footmen as horssmen to come and camp there. The twenty-three. of the same month he advanced more near them, lodging within a league & an half of S. Tirier in a village called lafoy Roche, the same arguing to the Princes, that he would give them battle the next morrow, wherefore they attended to see if he would come any nearer, which he did not, albeit the Princes sent for their army to be ready in the first show of the day, who accordingly marched in good order to the said place de la Roche, where forthwith they bestowed themselves in squares: the forlorn hope were appointed to march both on the right & left hand: they of the right hand were led by the Lord de Pills, whose Regiment made the first wing, the others of the left hand were guided by the Lord de Rouray: the Lord de Movy with his regiment of horssmen kept the left hand, and the Lords de Bricquemau, & de la Love with their regiments of horsemen, the right-hand, making the wing of the vanguard: the Lanceknights were ringed in two battles, the one a vanguard and the other a battle: the vanguard carried eight field pieces which were planted before their battle.  
The skirmish began of the Lord of Pills side against the Lord de Strossi, who with ij. M. shot was behind a close pale, & sent thither for the defence of the passage, he had a great advantage upon the Lord de Pills, because his harquebushears shot in covert from behind the said close pale, & the said Lord the Pills was open & in a high place. Besides, the Lord of Strossi had to back him in time of need four cornets of Italians, who seeing that the forlorn hope of the Lord de Pills could not discharge their pieces by reason of the rain, charged so hotly upon him, as they forced him to retire a hundredth pace within the wood, kill at that charge about ten of his soldiers, albeit being rescued by two cornets of light horsemen of the Captains la Motte and Brilliam Gascones, repulsed with equal violence the Italians, and put them to flight, in which mean while, the said forlorn hope renewed more hotly the skirmish, and yet did neither hurt nor amaze greatly the said Lord Strossi, which caused the admiral to draw thither ward, who assoon as he had surveyed the place, caused to come to him the shot led by the Lord de Rouray.  
They began to skirmish on the left hand against the Lord de Strossi, beating him on the side: with constraint at last to habandon his shade and recoil: whereupon the Captains la Mote and Brilliam, with many other companies of horsemen, gave upon his troops, and put them to the chase, wherein the Lord Strossi was taken and led to the Admiral, who caused 
The Lord Strossi taken.  the victory to be pursued to a little river running fast by, and many soldiers followed the fortune of this chase even within the tents of the catholics camp, and hard to their ensigns.  
On the left hand the Lord de Movy offered to charge certain Cornets of Italian horssmen, who refused to abide him, and so he returned back.  
It reigned so vehemently that there could be no use of any harquebushe, so that without any other thing done, the army retired, the Strossi lost and left dead on the place about u or uj hundred: Among others of account was slain his 
Strosies men slain.  lieutenant, called the Lord de Saint Loup, with thirty aswell Captains in thief, as lieutenants and ensign bearers, whose Targets remained also upon the place: Of them of the Religion were slain and hurt of all sorts only fifty, whereof were two Captains of footmen called Peyrol and la Merie Dauphynois, this was the xxv of June. 1569.  
The morrow after four hundredth Italian horsemen, with certain Pikemen of the men of arms of the Duke de Nemors, came to see if the Prince's army were discamped as the king's brother was advertised, as they approached near the camp, they were discovered by the watch, and so hotly set upon, as they were enforced to retire out of order, some slain & some taken prisoners.  
The xxvij of this month, the said Princes army were driven to discampe for want of victuals, drawing toward Perigueux, to relave themselves.  
The Lord de Moruillier, comen out of 
The death of the Lord ●f Moruil.  Almaigne as you have herded with the late Duke of Deux Pons, was sick in this time at Angoulesme, of a hot Ague, the same pressing him so sore, that within few days he died in the said town.  
The Count du Lude governor of Poyctou, having assembled certain troops aswell of Touraine, and Anjou, as of Poyctou, departed from the Town of Poitiers, and the twelfth of this month of June, planted his siege before Nyort, 
The siege of Nyort.  wherein was governor the Lord de la Brosse.  
The first day of the siege the Lord 
The Lord pluucau succours it.  de Plweau, with his Regiment of footmen, and his company of light horsemen, entered the Town in despite of the Lord du Lude, who notwithstanding those succours, began his battery the next morning on the side of the tour de la Pigalle, and followed it forth with with an assault: which was so valiantly repulsed, that, he seeing the breach filled up with such speed, removed his battery, and forced a breach in an other place, albeit he dared not make it good with an assault, but understanding of supplies of succour at hand raised his siege the xxij of the month of June.  
He had four Cannons and two mean pieces: Coming again to Poitiers, he left within S. Mesent, the Lord de Anuovy, master of the camp of the Regiment of the late Count Brissac, with such companies as he had with the said Regiment, with two Canons, two field pieces and certain other munitions, leading the rest to Poitiers.  
At this siege, the Lord de Plweau was lightly hurt with a shot, and soon healed again: Of the du Ludes side were slain the Captains Flogeat, Gorbon a Gentleman of Sainctonge, Fresovet la March, the Captain Colonel of the said Regiment, the master of the mines, and Morlou guider of the Artillery carriage, with a great numbered of footmen.  
The Lord of Teligni, was sent for to go to the rescue of Nyort, with four cornets of Reistres, with certain other cornets of Frenchmen, and the regiment of footmen of the Lord Bricqueman the younger. Notwithstanding afore he came there, the siege was raised, whereupon they went to the said S. Mesent, to intercept the artillery: which in the end they abandoned, as hereafter shall be noted.  
The Prince's army being in the country of Perigueux was still pursued, but far off, by the catholics, keeping on the left hand: The Princes entered by composition within the town of Brantbome, they took also two Castles in the said Country, the one belonging to the Bishop of Perigueux, and therefore commonly called the Bishop's castle, the other called lafoy Chapelle, in which were killed about two hundred and three score men, with like numbered of the popular sort withdrawn thither, and thereabouts.  
Upon the beginning of July, the Prince's army departed from the country of Perigueux drawing to Confluence or Confolance, a little town upon Vienne. Near unto the which is a Castle called Chabavey, then in question between the vidame of Chartres & the Lord de Montluc: within the Castle was a company of footmen, whose captain refused to open the gates to the vit tailors of the Prince's army, & therefore the vanguard came and besieged them, and the same day battered and took the castle by assault, putting the soldiers to the sword: The captain only was taken, who promised for his ransom twenty thousand franks, and withal to 'cause to be sent home M Peter Viret, minister of the Gospel, taken prisoner in the territories of the Queen of Nanarre: The castle after it was taken, the sixth of July, was burned to the ground. Within two days after the Lord de Movy entered by composition the town of S. Genais in Poictou: one chief covenant in the composition was, that the Town promised to pay ten thousand Franks, so that their goods were not put to the pillage or spoil, wherein they were duly dealt withal, as they also paid truly their money. You have herded how the king's brother pursued the Prince's camp into Perigueux, who now seeing (as it seemed) into their several purposes, turned away, and passing by Lymosin and Berry, came into Touraine: Being at Loches, he licensed a great number of his horsemen, to recreate themseives abroad until the first of October, by which occasion his camp so diminished, as he had not about him of the French nation above a thousand or twelve C. horsemen, and very few footmen: almost all the Captains went to relieve and increase their companies.  
The Princes being advertised, that the town of Chastelleraut, contained not above three score soldiers in guard, dispatched thither the Lord dé la Love with his regiment of horsemen, and a company of Harquebushers on horseback: At his first coming he summoned the town, which without much resistance, was rendered unto him, reserving only that their goods should not be sacked, nor any the inhabitants hurt, upon which agreement the gates were opened, & the Lord de la Love entered at one gate, and the Lord Villiers Knight of the order, and governor of the town, issued out of an other, Upon the end of this month, the Lord de Sansac, with four or u M. footmen & certain horsemen of the Catholics, besieged the Town of charity, he battered it so vehemently, that within small time he made a breach, and suddenly marched to the assault, from whence he was repulsed with the loss of u C. men, the rest retiring from the assault to the artillery, whereof one of small experience let fall his match within a calk of cânon powder, which in a moment flushed up such a general flame & fire, that it burned a great numbered of the said soldiers, & blew one on that other side the river of Loere upon the gravel, and so burned him to death in every man's sight. They that defended the town, made great resistance, & grieved many of the Catholics by their sallies which they made out of the town: whereupon the Lord de Sansac not able to force them, was constrained to raise his siege, hearing withal, that the Princes had provided to succour them with iij. or. iiu. M. horsemen, which notwithstanding was rather incertain, than a true report.  
After the taking of the castle of Chabaney, the prince's army took way to Luzignan, a strong castle, and (as it is said) builde● long since by Mellusigne: the guard of this Castle were two hundredth soldiers under the Lord de Guron, captain and keeper of the same, who, being summoned to tender it, refused, by reason whereof it was besieged the fourteenth day of the said month, when the battery began very furiously with six Cannons on that side to the Park, they within being sore shaken with the Cannons, and almost four score of their soldiers slain, a breach being beaten open and flat, and the regiments of footmen in order of battle ready to offer the assault, began to faint in 
〈…〉 a●●le 〈…〉 ig  heart, demanding parley, and immediately rendered the place under this composition, that the said Lord Guron with the Lord de Cluseaux, should departed with bag and baggage, & the soldiers with their lives and only sword and dagger: within the castle were found four Cannons, two field pieces with great store of munition: and as some say, huge sums of money. They established there as governor the Lord de Myrambeau, a gentleman of the Country of Sainctonge, with uj hundredth harque busheares to guard it.  
The Baron of Adretz, who had been at the d'Aumals camp, and seen his ensigns but evil followed in respect of his slender numbers of men in his regiment, took way to Dauphine, very slenderly accompanied, without displaying any banner. Against his return the Lord de Gordes governor there, had put in readiness two Ensigns of footmen to sand into Languedoc, whereof he presented the conduction to the said Baron of Adretz, who refusing such charge, the expedition was used by Captain Mestral, who led them thither upon the beginning of July.  
About this time the Queen of Navarre, the Prince her son, the Prince of Conde, the Lords, Knights, Gentlemen with others that accompanied them, presented a request to the King, entreating an assured peace of the present troubles, which, for the importance of the matter, is here contained in every singular word and point as followeth.  
¶ Sir, it is a thing no less strange, than 
The Protestants requ to the king for peace.  almost incredible, that amongst so many people put under your obedience by the resolute will and provision of God, as a blissed pawn and witness of his bountiful regard to wards you, and the same contending in ordinary vaunt to be so dearly inclined to thee▪ upright proceeding of your affairs, and preservation of your crown, there is not one, not not one amongst so many numbers, that once offereth to put himself in endeavour to quench or qualify this unnatural fire so burning daily with in your reaime, as there lacks little of the utter confusion of the same: It is also no lesie true than the other marvelous, that of the contrary, infinite numbres do travel infinitely, not only to kindle the which is already burst into flame, but also by sundry sorts of artificial sleights, do study to entertain, aggravate and increase it.  
● And albeit it aught first rather to move 
whom troubles ●t to be ●uted.  from such, who of a galantness of stomach, and to satisfy some particular respect in themselves, have incensed these troubles against the will of your majesty, making both peace and war at their pleasure: then from those, who besides they are injustly assailed and pursued in their consciences, honours, lives and livelyhoods, have no other purpose & meaning, than to defend their lives against such heavy and violent tyrannies, loathing always troubles and emotions, & loving with a singular zeal both peace itself, and such as labour to entertain it: yet the Queen of Navarre, the Prince her son, the Prince of Conde, with the Lords, Knights, and Gentlemen that accompany them, moved (afore the rest) with a natural bond and affection to your Majesty, and preservation of your Crown and Realm, neither can nor will suspend or defer any longer, to search and apply for their parts (as always they have done) such most proper and convenient remedies, as they thought most apt to warrant and defend this your realm from a lamentable subversion, wherewith it both hath been, and is presently threatened: And as in respect to establish a peace and public tranquillity, they have hitherto more forwardly inclined than the rest, happening by that means into such strange perils and adventures, as if God had not kept an eye upon them, there had now remained but a lamentable remembrance of their general confusion: so these things well considered with their several circumstances, they have small reason of hope, and less cause of expectation to effect that which so earnestly they desire, if God (the incliner of all hearts) change not the minds of their enemies that govern you, and give them a disposition to desire and embrace peace. The said Princes, Lords, Knights with others parties to this humble request, persuading rather that in place to allow this their frank and liberal will, with their dutiful endeavour to advance a perfect unity and peace amongst your subjects, they shallbe charged with slanders and sinister interpretation of their godly purpose, as here to fore they have been used by those who neither hate nor fear any thing more than to see this reconcilement.  
And as the said Princes with the other parties to this motion, have neither had nor held any thing in more dear regard, than the publication to your majesty from time: to time of their actions & proceedings, the same as impressions and witnesses of their singular desire to live and die in the natural obedience and awe of your majesty, and withal to make known afore the whole face of the world, both how far their hearts and wills be from the slanderous impositions of the Cardinal of Lorraine and his adherentes (pensionary ministers and natural enemies to your crown) & also that by their forces (whereunto they have been drawn with their great evil will and grief) they intend no other than to maintain their religion, lives, honours, and such portions of goods as God hath appointed to their shares in this world: Even so they persuade that such considerations, neither can nor aught to hinder their uttermost endeavour to pursue and purchase the effect of so blessed and necessary a peace to this realm, and yielding withal unfeigned testimony of the humble and reversed respect they own to your majesty, which they had long ere this put in practice and proof, were not that their enemies would think & persuade others to believe, that the only necessity of their case have induced them to it, seeing first their untrue persuasion to your majesty, that there were no levies of men of war in Almaigne for the succours of the Princes: Secondly, that if any such were, yet the Realm was of sufficient mean and force to withstand their entry: Thirdly, if they did enter, it was impossible to join with the princes in respect of so many deep rivers and passages of danger between the one and other camp: Fourthly, albeit their armies did knit and join, yet, (the prince's poverty considered) the charges could not be long defrayed, nor the plentifully long contented: seeming by these reasons to attend & temporize, till they had both joined & paid their said forces, & assembled others which were dispersed, and (as the world knoweth) of such numbers and faculty, as besides their ability to resist easily their enemies, they wanted neither way nor mean to execute any wicked attempt if they had had any will, as is suggested and imposed upon them: If then in the former troubles, the late prince of Conde with the Lords, knights, and gentlemen of his part, received the conditions of peace concerning only the matter of religion and liberty of their consciences, and that immediately after the death of the Duke of Guise and Martial Saint Andre, and the late Constable of France taken prisoner, being three principal leaders of the army: if also in the last rising, as soon as was offered to the said prince and other lords and gentlemen of his company the restablishment of the exercise of religion, notwithstanding their great troops and strength of strangers joined with them, and upon the very point to assault the town of Chartres in the view and face of the enemy's camp, which was for the most disordered, if at the only sound & pronouncing of peace made by a trumpet sent under the name of your majesty, the said prince did not only forbear the assault, but also raised forth with his siege & retired his army, reping notwithstanding of so ready obedience, but a bloody peace & promise full of infidelity: if also during the same stir, the morrow after the battle at Saint Denys: where both the Prince had the better, & the Constable principal leader of the army was slain. The said Prince dispatched to your majesty the Lord de Theliguy, aswell ●o warn you of the ruin and desolation threatening from the instant your realm if the strangers were suffered to enter hovering there upon the frontiers, as also to mediate and solicit in means and remedies to knit an absolute peace only in the cause of religion: if (in short) your edicts have been always published, & the peace accorded, at such times as they of the religion, (if they would have abused the opinion of your purpose) might, in respect of their forces, persuade and believe, that aswell in all your parleyes and treaties of peace, there was no other mention than of the matter of religion, as also that their enemies have not been brought to it but by necessity, being unable by open force to maintain any longer against them: in what conscience or with what face, or countenance, may it be said that these troubles move and continued for the matter and cause of religion? And yet nevertheless the more to choke and convince the Cardinal of Lorraine and other his adherentes, of their lies & slanderous impositions which they publish daily: the said Princes, Lords, knights, gentlemen and others of their companies forgetting the infidelity and all disloyal attempts heretofore conspired against them, declare and protest this day both before God & your majesty, that what so ever hath been done or offered to them in evil from the beginning to this hour, they neither have nor will once impute it to your majesty, as knowing your nature to be nothing touched with such injust severities, whereof you have given so many public experiences, that there is now no cause of doubt: neither have or do they think to change or diminish in any respect their duty and natural regard which they have always bent to the true advancement of your greatness & royal estate: wherein, & also in so many effects aforesaid, if it be both known and seen, that they entertain no other purpose nor meaning, than (under the obedience and authority of your Edicts) to serve God according to his will, and as they are instructed by his holy word, with desire to be maintained with equal care as your other subjects, in their honours, lives, and goods, they are now ready to give such further manifest proof & witness, as their most enemies shall have jest cause henceforth to doubt them: And that neither to enter into any justification of their actions passed, as their innocency & justice of their cause being sufficiently known to your majesty, & all other kings, princes, & potentates what strangers so ever they be, if they be not of the faction & party of Spain: and much less to seek to capitulate with your majesty, knowing (god be praised) what is the duty of good and faithful subjects to their sou● reign prince & natural Lord But (sir) in respect of the large penny worths and common merchandise which heretofore hath been made of the faith and word of your majesty, which (above all) aught to be holy, sacred, and inviolable, and withal, with what unseming boldness your authority & name hath been abused to the extreme peril of all your people of the reform profession: it need not seem strange if the said Princes with their consociates do humbly beseech you to declare by an edict solemn, per petual & irrevocable, your resolute will in a liberty & exercise of their religion, to the end that by the same, such as heretofore at ●. several times both rashly & with all impunity have infringed and violated your former constitution in the cause, may by this third, be more bridled & restrained, where in because such as were not able to endure the unity & universal rest maintained amongst your people, by the good observation of your edicts, have taken occasion to altar & corrupt them by new constructions & modifications contrary to the true substace of the same & sincere meaning of your majesty. And y● also the said Princes with the rest of their faction confess to have born a most just judgement of god in more sorts of afflictions in time of peace, than when it was open war, as in consenting to easily to the treaties of peace which have been made, the same providing a general contentment on all sides the good should be served only in certain places of the realm, & by certain people, as though (in a sound conscience) there belonged no other thing to the service of God.  
They most humbly beseech your majesty to accord and grant generally to all your subjects of what quality and condition so ever, free use of the said religion in all cities, villages, and boroughs, and all other places & corners of your realm and countries within your obedience and protection, without any exception, reservation, modification, or restraint of people, times, or places, and that with sureties, necessary in so high a cause: and besides to ordain and enjoin to make manifest profession of the one or other religion, to the end to cut of hereafter all means and occasions to many, who abusing such benefit and grace, are slipped into Atheism and carnal liberty, and who, standing upon no exercise and profession of religion, desire nothing more than to see an universal confusion in this realm, and all order, policy and Ecclesiastical discipline reversed, and abolished, a thing so dangerous as not to be tolerated in any christian state. And because (sir) we doubt not at all, that those who hetherunto have pitched the foundation of their devices upon slanderous reproaches, impudently published to make us hateful, even to such as (God be praised) be free from the servitude and tyranny of Antichrist, will not stick to impose upon us an inctuile obstinacy, rather to defend, (without reason) that we have once resolved to believe touching the Articles of Christian Religion, than to correct or retract our errors. We declare and protest (as hereunto we have done) that if in any point of the confession of faith heretofore presented to your majesty by the reform Churches of your realm, it may be found by the word of God comprehended in the Canonical books of the holy Scripture, that we serve from the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles, we will forthwith lend our hands, and give place to such as will instruct us better in the word of GOD (if we err in any Article) than we have been from the beginning: For which cause, and the better to effect so happy a purpose, we desire nothing more, than a convocation of a council free and general, and lawfully called, wherein as every one may have hea●●ng & scope to deduce his reasons at large, so the same to be either confirmed, or convinced by the only word of GOD, the true mean used in all times of Antiquity upon like occasion. By which mean (Sir) also it is not to be doubted, that GOD (by his special grace) will not unseel the eyes of your Majesty, and so give you speedy and true sight into the hearts and wills of your Subjects, reconciled and knit with an indissoluble bond, and your Realm return into his first estate, beauty and dignity, to the shame and confusion of yours and our common enemies, who by their subtle and privy intelligences with the house of Spain, have with sinister policies translated the late storm and tempest of the low Countries to your Realm, and almost thundered it upon the type of your Crown: Humbly desiring your Majesty to enter into precise consideration and judgement, whether it be better to exspecte, of two Armies already assembled within your Realm, a fiery and bloody victory, yielding equal fruit to the Conqueror, and he that is overcome, or else to employ them together in the service of your majesties affairs, in so many goodly occasions presently offered, importing no less the rest and advancement of your Crown and Realm, than any that ever happened in your time, returning also by that mean, the storm to the place from whence it came: wherein the said Princes, Lords, Knights, Gentlemen, with all the rest of their companies, be unfeignedly resolved, (as in all other things, tending to the greatness of your noble Estate) to employ their lives, goods, with all other means wherewith GOD hath endued them, even to the last drop of their blood, acknowledging 
Office of true subjects  in this world no other sovereignty or principality than yours, in whose obedience, and subjection they do desire to live and dye. The same being also such and all that a sovereign and natural Prince is to expect or desire of his faithful loning subjects and servants.  
This request thus devised and written, the Princes sent a trumpet to the catholics Camp to obtain passport for a Gentleman to go to his Majesty which being refused the Admiral found means to send a Copy of it to the marshal Mōt●●orancy, to present to the king, who about the xix of Julie following returned a messenger to the Admiral, to let him know that he had presented the request to his majesty, who would not look on it, saying, he would neither hear nor see any thing coming from him, afore he had put himself in obedience and favour of his Majesty, who then assured him to receive and embrace him, when, and as often, as he would put himself in endeavour.  
To this message by letter, the Admiral answered the xxuj of the same month, that seeing his majesty would not receive the said request, he could not otherwise choose, than leave the matter to the judgement of all Christian Princes not touched with passion or partial affection, whither they used not endeavour to come under the dutiful obedience of his Majesty or not, labouring for their part by all their possible means to quench the manifold calamities hovering to overwhelm the wool Realm, and so set themselves within the favour and grace of the King. But now, seeing that there be some will not spare the universal destruction of the Realm, only to ravish their lives and exercise of their Religion, they would look more near than afore for the remedy.  
The King's brother being at Loches, had advertisement of the siege of Luzignan dispatching withal diligence the Duke of Guise, to get within Poitiers, as well to hinder the taking of the Town, as to turn the siege from Luzignan, notwithstanding 
Luzig. rendered.  he was there no sooner than the Castle was rendered.  
The Duke of Guise arrived at Poitiers with the Marquis du Mien his brother, on friday xxij of Julie, entering by the Bridge An●●ubert with his companies, which were about fifteen hundredth horsemen, amongst whom were four hundredth Italians, governed by the Lord Paul Sforce, brother to the Count de Saint Fiour, and one Cornette of Reistres. These succoures assured greatly them within the Town, who otherways might happily have trembled at the coming of the Princes Camp.  
There were within Poitiers afore 
Lords and Captains within Poy●yers.  the Guises coming, the Count du Lude, his three brethren, de Chastelliers, de Sautere, and de Briançon, the Lords de Ruff●c, de la Riviere, Bo●sequin, de Ferraques, d'Argence, de Rouët, and other lords and Knights of the order, and Captains of horsemen with part of their companies. There were also of footmen, the companies of the Capteynes Passac, la-Prade, lafoy Vacherie, d'Arsach, le Lis, Bois-vert, Boneau, Boulande larrie, with certain other, be sides uj. companies of footmen raised by the inhabitants of the Town. The general number of Catholic soldiers of all sorts, as well footmen as horsemen, strangers, as townsmen during this siege (whereof shall be spoken hereafter) were u or uj thousand men: they had. uj pieces of Artillery, as two or three means, and certain less pieces in the Castle.  
The Princes, after the rendering of Luzignan, and afore they besieged Poitiers, took Monstruel, Bonyn, Couché, Sasay, Vivone, with other little Castles about Poitiers, thereby to hold the Catholics more strait. In which mean while the Prince's horsemen made ordinary roads even to the gates of Poitiers, burning many abbeys, Priories, and Temples.  
The xxiv. day the said horsemen, as well French as almains, presented themselves in battle before the town, on the side, which is above the abbey of S. Cyprien, until very near S. Benoit, being divided into two great hosts: certain horsemen of the Town issued out at the gate toward the Bridge Anioubert, with certain numbers of shot on foot, who without any thing doing, retired into the town, and the horsemen of the Religion, into their several quarters.  
The xxv day of the same month, the Prince's footmen and horsemen presented again before the Town about noon. The footmen gave a hot charge upon the suburbs De la Cueille, where the Capteyn Bois-vert, with his company, (l●dged behind a little trench) making negligent watch, were suddenly set upon, and the most part killed: the rest being forced to retire more low to the suburbs S. Ladre, were valiantly followed by them of the religion even to the posts & houses joining to the gate of the suburbs: There began a hot skirmish which lasted almost five hours, until the night divided them: they (of the religion being come but to make a first view of the state of the town) retiring with loss of very few of their people. The xxuj day being tuesday, 
Poict. besieged.  the Princes beset the town on all sides, pitching their tents in the meadow beneath Hostel-dieu near to a milne, where they made forth with a bridge upon the river of Ciyn to pass on both sides the town as need required: the same day, certain principals of the army viewed the town on all sides, beginning the next day to batter the defences of the Castle with certain culuerines & other meaner pieces. There was no other thing worthy of report done this month, but making and filling of baskets, dividing of quarters, dyspesing the camp, casting trenches, ditches, and digging of earth to cover and shroud the shot.  
The battery began the Monday being 
Battery against Poye.  the first of August on the right side of the Tower of the bridge Anionbert, and the brickwall fast by, planting eight or ix pieces of battery upon the rock or hill right against the said bridge, above and between the suburbs of Pympaneau and S. Sornyn, which continued three days: the reason was, that other ways the said tower might grieve the army and other batteries: they forbore not also to provoke skirmish, wherein they that kept the suburbs beyond the bridge as captains Arsach and Bonneau with their company were forced to leave the said suburbs.  
assoon as the said suburbs were abandoned, there was brought down two Canons to beaten the foot of the brickwall, piercing of purpose to make it a house to serve for baskets of earth, the same being perceived by them in the town, forth with discharged certain volues of the cannon against it, to make it fall, and so enforced the said ij. cannon's to be haled away: in the mean while the protestants laboured to win the suburbs of Rochreull, guarded by the captain La Vacherie, skirmishing continually within a vine, lying directly between the said suburb and the castle, where was hot war without intermission. The u of August the said captain lafoy Vacherye as he maintained the skirmish was shot thorough the head with a harquebus where of he died in the field.  
I have noted before that the L. d'Aunoux, master of the camp of the regiment of the late count Brissac, was left within S. Mesen by the count Du-lude, since his return from Nyort, who now by commandment from the Duke of Guise, coolled out four or u hundred of the best soldiers in his companies to come to the succours of Poyctyers, sending the residue with his carriage to Pertnay, where was the captain Allard, and so he arrived at Poyetyers about two hours after midnight the sixt of August.  
The battery having ceased at the bridge Anionbert, from the four of this month, began again the▪ seven. of the same, albeit not on that side but against a tower of the bridge S. Cyprian next to the suburbs, by mean whereof they within were enforced to descend and leave the said tower, and 
Battery against Poye.  entrench themselves upon the bridge with vessels and hogsheads and other such like things, the Protestants from that time afterward, being unable to grieve them within the Abbay of S. Cyprian, as they did afore: The company of captain Reynaut was ordained for the guard of this tower and quarter.  
After the defences of this tower were raised, the Princes removed their pieces to the right side of the wall of the Abbot's mead, thinking that place most weak of all the town, and to that effect they planted their cannons the ninth of this month to make a breach, bestowing others in other places to batter the flank & side, having the day before set up in this quarter upon the river of Clyn a, bridge of pipes and boards tied together with great cables.  
The battery was so vehement and fierce, that in small time they had enforced two great breaches, the one near the other, scouring such defences as annoyed them by reason of a tower and miln which were there by: they within laboured to fill up their breaches, albeit with great difficulty and distress, as not able to show themselves within the Abbots mead without great peril, because the hills governed all the said meadow.  
The breaches thus battered, the Protestants were of mind to assault them, bestowing (for this purpose) their people in squares and wings, and showed themselves upon the hills in very good order. They first sent certain captains and soldiers to view the breaches, who brought report, that they could not be entered without great peril, the rather because the bridge which they had erected upon Clyn (over the which they must pass to go to the breach) was neither convenient for the matter, nor sufficient to bear the soldiers that should pass over it, neither could the horsemen (what distress or need so ever chanced) go to the succoures of the footmen within the said Abbot's mead if it happened that they were charged by the horsemen of the catholics. Besides, they within had planted a counter battery of three or four Canons fast by Carmes, which discharging right upon the breaches, might much endanger them that offered the assault: these were the causes that nothing was done that day. Captain Caluerat being in a tower near the breach, and going to see it, was killed the same day: in the night the catholics descended to the river, and cut the cords of the bridge before mentioned and so broke it, using this policy to cover and disguise their enterprise, they brought down great volues and noise of Harquebushot, bestowing them against the body of the watch being near the artillery, to the end they should be neither herded nor seen whilst they broke the bridge. These things hanging thus in train afore Poyctyers, the king, and Q. mother accompanied with the Cardinals of Bourbon and Loriain; came to Amboise, & from thence to Towars whether the King's brother came to them: there they deliberated upon means to succour Poitiers, and to that end was dyspatched speedily the knight Montluc with five hundred arquebusiers on horseback, to get (if he could) within Poyctyers, albeit he was so discovered in the way that his enterprise quailed & he returned to the camp: The king sent for the L. de Sancsac lying before the siege of La charity to come to him with all his forces: he procured also a speedy levy within Paris of .20 ensigns of footmen & certain horsemen, dispatching special letters to all the Nobility of France to repair speedily to him to the camp, which he was determined to follow in person, & that upon pain of confiscation of bodies & goods, or to be declared within the danger of contempt, he raised also his arrear banks in many provinces, who forth with came to him in the said country of Touraine, in effect he assembled with wonderful diligence as much succours as he could for the rescue of Poitiers. There were certain cornets which ordinarily used to beaten the streets & ways within half a league of Chastelleraut, amongst whom were specially, the L. of Bonivet's companies, son to the Lord of Crevecoeur, & of the baron of Numburg a Normande: which being known to the garrison of the said Chastelleraut, together with the certain place where the said Lord Bonivet was wont to come, the x. of August two or three hundredth horsemen with certain shot of the captain Norman, made a sally upon them, & took the said L. Bonivet with his company in a village near to Liguers where they entered without let as keeping negligent guard, and were found laid & lodged after the french manner, the Lord Bonivet was prisoner, and almost all the rest of his company either killed or taken. About the same time the Marquis of Rancon an Italian, was taken near to Myrebeau as he baited, and was led prisoner to Nyort The Lord of Tarri●les governor for the King in Quercy, maintained war all this while in Bern, a country belonging to the Queen of Navarte, having almost brought all the country under his authority: wherefore the count Montgomery, sent (as is said) into Gascoigne▪ assembled the forces of the two vicountes to apply speedily to the succours & rescue of the city of Navarre in Bearn besieged by the said L. of Tarrides: he divided his iornye into such diligence and speed as about the .7. of August he was very near Navarreis, at whose so sudden coming, the Lord Tarrides raised his siege, and retired into a town there joining, where the Montgomery besieged and took him with his brother and the Lord de S. Colombe and of Negr●-pelisse, with many other great lords & knights of the order, and captains to the number of thirty. The Lord of Tarrides lost his artillery with a great number of his horsemen and footmen: The count Montgomery, (by mean of this discomfeite) restored the whole country of Bearn to the obedience of the Queen of Navarre.  
Touching the siege of Poyctyers, they within were in great amaze with the breaches made in the abbots mead, the rather because they could not defend them, whereupon entering into counsel, they found most best and necessary to stem the river of Clyn to the end to make it run over his channel and so drown the said mead: this counsel was put to speedy execution, and planting stakes and pales proper for the purpose beneath the arches of the bridge of Rochercul, they dammed the river, so that in a moment the mead was all overflown with water about. iij cubits high, the same so troubling the protestants, as it drive them from their determinations, notwithstanding after they had considered well of the subtlety, they began as in a counter policy, to beaten the pales, and give vent to the water, and therefore the next morning discharged so many shots of artillery against the said waterworke, as the water retired and left the mead dry, which the catholics the night following restored and countergarded in this order: they cast behind the said dam under the arches a very thick brickwall, fastening certain fleeces or balls will to the pales to receive and damp the cannon shot, which made the water swell and overflow more high than afore: Notwithstanding the catholics were closed very near and straight, yet made they many sallies upon the protestants, who skowred them back again even to the very posterns of their cities, not without great loss to the one and other side: Among these sallies they made one of such a sudden the twelve of this month that they took a cornet of Reistres, and carried them without let into the town.  
In this month the town of Orillac in Auvergne, was taken by night by the L. de la Roche, and Bessonniere, professors of the religion in that country, accompanied only with vij or viij. score men. This was their mean and policy: there is in the said Oryllac, a gate of quarry in the brickwall towards the river, which the inhabitants of the place caused to ram and brickwall up, leaving only a postern so strait, that one person could scarcely enter.  
This postern was closed with two ports or gates of wood, the one within and the other without the Town: the said Lord of la Roche and Bessonniere came to the gate without the potterne and with a great iron instrument made a hole or crevish, by the which they cast in about a hundredth pounds of cannon powder between the said two gates, and then closing up the said hole or crevishe, and making under the said first gate a train to the same powder, they put fire to it, which forthwith flushed within the said two gates, and blewe them both up, the one carried forty pace of, and thrown upon a house within the Town, and the other enforced with the violence and strength of the powder, pushed against a brickwall without the town, and broke a breath containing his own compass, by which they entered the town, wherein was no other guard than of the inhabitants, whereof they killed a hundredth or six score resicting them in armour. The Lord of S. Heraut governor of the country appeared certain days after afore the town▪ thinking to recover it, but finding such warm resictaunce he returned forth with to S Flower  
The long continuance of this siege afore Poyctyers, brought the Catholics in a great necessity and want of victuals, alwell for men as horses, and above all, forage was so ska●t with them, that they were driven for to turn abroad part of their horses to the wines, meadows, lands, and other void places of the town: whereof the Princes having understanding by certain straggling soldiers issuing out of the town, determined to break the miln in the bottom of the meadow near to the port de Tyson.  
And for this purpose planted over two cannons in that quarter, which they discharged against the said miln, and after retired them as being discovered and annoyed by the Catholics: who pinched now with an extreme want of victuals, determined to thrust out of the town a great number of unprofitable people, which as they began to execute the xuj of this month, so the protestants (to pine and starve the town more) drive them back with force to enter the town again.  
For want of powder and bollets, the battery ceased for a time, whereof, the Princes having received a new provision from Rochel, renewed also the battery the xx. of August on that side towards the abbots mead, where the breach being forced, they sent in the evening to survey it by certain numbers of soldiers, whereof xuj or xvij. entered by the breach in to the said meadow, from whence (being discovered by the watch in S. Peter's steeple who rung the alarm bell) they were constrained to retire with speed.  
The night following the protestants builded a bridge upon Clyn towards the suburbs of S. Sornyns, to pass to the bishops mead, stretching towards the temples of S. Radegonde and S. Sulpice: the bridge was made of quarreiss of wood, hurdles, pipes, earth and planks of oak very large, also well fastened and joined with nails, cables, and cords, that the cannon might well pass over it, and of such breadth that eight or ix men might walk a front. They made an other of the same matter and fashion, and set it likewise upon the river about xl pace distant from the other. These bridges thus made and erected, they bestowed many baskets with earth, aswell near the first bridge, as on the other side that which was within the bishops mead, drawing to the suburbs of S. Sornyn near the said bridges, part of their artillery beating the defences of the brickwall, which are before and right against the said temples: Those defences thus beaten and skowred, the battery began the morrow after being the xxiij of August, in that place and the bishops mead. The catholics laboured to their best to repair their breaches, and had no assault that day: The Lord of Briançon, brother to the count Du lude, going the same day to view a platform near to Carmes, to supply some special want with his advise, had his head stricken from his shoulders with a bollet: Likewise the Lord d'Aunous, striving the same day to drive the Protestants from a Tower which they occupied near the breach of the abbots mead, was stricken in the head with a harquebus, whereof he died shortly after.  
The Lord of Prunaye also being amongst his soldiers at the breach, had his left leg taken away with a cannon and so died Of the protestants side were killed the Lord of Chanay called Francis du Fay and one of the Marshals of the camp of the vanguard hurt with a musketie in the arm, broken in two parts.  
The four and twenty of this month in the morning, the Princes renewed oftsones the battery with twelve or xiiij pieces against the brickwall before the said Temples, the same being of such vehement fury, that there was discharged that day more than seven hundredth shots of cannon, which beaten a large breach before three of the clock in the afternoon, and the protestants ringed in battle upon the top of the hills towards the subburbes, ready to give the assault, which they intended forthwith to do by the Abbot's mead, as having disposed most part of their army on that side: The catholics were busy to relieve their breaches with beds, faggots, and other matters apt to fill up.  
The Duke of Guise being at the one breach and the count Du-sude at the other, seeing the enemy prepared strongly and speedily to the assault, rung the alarm bell of the town, to the end that every one might retire into his quarter. There was a captain of the protestants, who being followed with ten or twelve and covered only with his target, ran over one of the bridges within the bishop's mead, and came even to the little corner or arm of the river that toucheth the brickwall, and so viewed the breach, which he reported to the Admiral not to be sufficiently assaultable, aswell because the ruin and breakings of the brickwall were feign within the town & had not filled up the river which runneth at the foot of the wall, as also that they within had raised great trenches and rampires, whereupon the army retired in the evening without any assault: This day captain Gascourt Knight of Mal●e, was slain with a cannon, being sent by the Guise, to view the breach, and consider what was necessary to defend it.  
The morrow being the xxv of August, the prince's army was eftsoons ringed in order as though they would go to the assault, the breaches were once again viewed, aswell that within the abbots mead as the other at S. Radegonde, by certain captains and soldiers, who in their return reported the perilous estate of the same.  
The same day, the Protestants bestowed certain shot of artillery as well against the bridge Anioubert, as Rochereul, wherein were beaten certain holes or crevices to avoid the water out of abbots mead: the same being filled and stopped again the same evening by the Catholics.  
The rest of this August passed without any great effects, saving certain light batteries to purge the waters and raze the miln of Tyson, together with certain sallies made sometime by the Bridge Ach●rd. It was thought that the sickness of the Admiral and the L. d'Acier was the cause why there were no more attempts advanced.  
The first of September, the Princes determined to win the suburbs of Rochereul, to the end by that mean the sooner to rid the waters. And because they would cut off from such as kept the said suburbs all succours and relief from the town, they bend first certain canons against the tower of the bridge of Rochereul, discharging upon it above an hundredth voleys, which battered a great part of it, winning in the end the vine whereof is spoken before, which hovered and vaulted on high over the street of the suburbs. This was almost the chiefest place of skirmish, since, and during the siege.  
The morrow, they battered the defences of the Castle and Rochereul bridge, pitching also new batteries under the Nut trees near the River, between the way that goeth to Hostel-dieu, at the parting of the suburbs drawing to the meadow towards Chastelleraut.  
The saturday the three of September, the battery began in the morning against the brickwall and gate of the suburbs, which by two of the clock in the after noon had thrown open a wide breach, whereupon the protestants did speedily ring themselves in battle, as well on high de la Cueil, (where lay a piece that governed the Offices of the Castle) as beneath the said Hostel-dieu, and in three squares near the Nut trees of the place, where the battery was made. The Catholics restored the breaches as much as they could, with vessels, wood, earth, and rampires: and there were the Capteynes Passac, Nozieres, the Lord of Mortal, and Carbonieres, with others prepared to sustain the assault. They had bestowed about four hundredth harquebusears in the Towers, galleries, and offices of the Castle, which flanked all along as they should come to the assault. All which notwithstanding, the Protestants about three of the Clock in the after noon, came to the assault, the Lord Pills, with his regimen was 
Three assaults given to the subburbes of Ro●l.  the foremost, being followed with diverse other regiments of the French footmen, who valtauntly came upon the breach, and stood till they had bestowed diverse blows with their Curtillaxes: albeit, they were constrained to turn face in respect of the flankers, which grieved them greatly. Immediately followed the second assault given by certain numbers of horsemen descended on foot with diverse footmen, and they likewise repulsed.  
These first assaults being performed by the French men, the ●ansquenets would needs follow with a third, which albeit was performed with such courage, as they fought valiantly upon the breach, yet seeing the present defence, and general danger to maintain it long, they recoiled, and retired every one into his quarter.  
In these assaults the Protestants lost an hundredth or six score soldiers, with certain numbers hurt. The Lord de Pills was hurt in the thigh with a small shot, whereof he was speedily cured. The Lord Bricquemaus son, Colonel of the footmen was also hurt with a harquebus, whereof after certain days he died. The Lord de S. Marie of Dauphinoys, with others of mark were also killed. On the Catholics part were killed, Capteyn Passac, and the Lord de Montall, with a good number of footmen.  
Before these assaults, the Catholics sent two men to the King and his brother for succours, with charge to reveal the estate of the Town and penury of victuals. The King's brother having assembled as much force as he could, came to La hay, & to Port de pill, determining to beset Chastelleraut, to the end to draw the siege from Poitiers: and therefore made to march his vanguard right to Chastelleraut, lodging the monday, being the u of September, a quarter of a league from the town. The morrow after, his horsemen and part of his footmen presented in order of battle before the Town to view it, all that day being spent in skirmishing on the other side the river of Vienne.  
The Town was governed by the L. de la loven, Marshal of the Camp of the vanguard to the Princes: He had first for the defence of it, his own company of light horsemen, and then the Lords of Valavoire, Brossay, La-motte, and de Roeysses, with vij Companies of footmen, and captain Normantes company of harquebusears on horseback.  
The suburbs defaced by fire, was no place for the catholics to lodge in, so that they were constrained to encamp further off, which they began to do the same day they viewed the Town. The Artillery brought by the Suyzers, arrived at midnight, and immediately approaches were made, and the canons ringed in battery in two several places, beating notwithstanding all one breach. It began the wednesday the vij of the said month, very early near the gate S. Catherine, between a tower of the said gate, & an other tower more near drawing to the temple S. jean. Such was the fury of the battery, as by two of the clock in the afternoon, a breach was forced of three or four score foot wide: the chance fell upon the Italians, to give the assault, which they ●●d being backed & followed with certain French men. They mounted upon them breach, where, albeit they 
Assault of Italians.  presented xvij ensigns, yet found they such sharp and speedy repulse, as they were enforced in a moment to turn their faces, receiving great loss by the sault of the said gate, wherein were bestowed uj score harquebusears well appointed. The Italians lost at this assault ● of their ensigns, which the Protestant's took from them by force.  
After this assault (and the Catholics retired from the breach) captain Bernier d'A●phinoys came to secure the Town with iiij. hundredth harquebusears, being backed with the horsemen of the Princes vauntgarde led by the L. de la Love and Telignie. The Italians were so crushed at this assault as they had no will to make it good again, neither was any other thing worthy of memory done that day.  
The same day, the siege of Poitiers raised to come to rescue Chastelleraut, marching no further that day than three leagues, by reason one of the Canons miscarried and was left on the place. The morrow after the Army approached within half a league of Chastelleraut, which made the catholics raise their siege, & retire to Port de pill, having lost in this siege five hundredth men, and almost all Italians, whereof the Colonel Fabiano de Rome was one. The next morning the Princes vauntgarde pursued the catholics, cutting off from the tail of their Camp about two hundredth footmen, and killed them all.  
The same day, the Lord de Sanzay entered Poitiers with ten or twelve companies of footmen, almost all Italians, and two hundredth horsemen. Immediately after whose coming the Duke of Guise and the Marquis du Mien his brother, accompanied with xu hundredth horsemen, departed the Town to relieve themselves with fresh air. The morrow after, being the ten of September, began a skirmish on the hither side the said Port de pill against ij. thousand harquebusears which the catholics had left there within the trenches. They were at last enforced to pass speedily over ●re●se, leaving about four or u hundredth of their company dead on the place. The Prince's army drew to lafoy Haye, to pass the said river the next morning, being the xj of the said month. There was no worthy matter performed other than certain light skirmishes.  
The monday following, the Prince's army ready ringed in battle very early, presented afore the catholics to give them battle: Albeit, because there was between the two Armies a little river with marise shores, which neither the Princes could pass themselves, nor yet convey over their Artillery. After the two armies had long remained one within view of an other, they retired into their several quarters. The prince's army, for want of vittayles, and seeing withal the catholics had small disposition to fight, passed again over Cr●use, and also Vienne, the twelve of September, retiring so to Say la Vineuse in Poyctou, of purpose chief to refresh them. The catholics' drawn to Chynon, expecting not only forses to be brought from many places in France, but also such companies of men of arms as had leave till the first of October as hath been said.  
The Prince of Orange departed from Say to return into Almaigne with a very small company, he passed by charity & Vezelay, and from thence by many countries without any let till he came into Almaigne, The brute went that he undertook this journey to hast certain succours of Reistres.  
As the Admiral lay at Fay vineuse, there was one dominic Dalbe a Gascone executed by sentence the xxi. of this month. These were the causes proved against him: First, that he being of the admiral's chamber, and sent by him to the Duke de deux Pons with letters, as well from the said Admiral his master as other Princes, was taken at Brissac, a country in the marches upon the end of May last, by the lord la Riviere, Captain of the guard to the Catholics, and being by him earnestly, solicited, he revealed to the queen mother, Duke d'Aniow her son, and Cardinal of Lorraine his journey with the purpose, with further promise, that under colour to go and deliver to the said Duke his letters of charge, to espy his camp, and sound his secret determinations, and so being presented from that time with an hundred crowns, and an estate or office roomth in the chamber of the said duke d'Aniou, he put him on the way to effect his promise touching the view and report of the Duke's camp, from whom having speedy dispatch, he returned to the said lafoy Riviere, & imparted his full expedition, not forgetting to describe at large what he had learned of the state of the dukes camp. Secondly, he was instantly persuaded and pursued as well by one Laurence de Ruze, Secretary to the duke d'Aniou, as by the said la Riviere, to kill by poison or otherways the said Lord Admiral: which he might be bold to do (say they) without fear of the Admiral's children, who also should be rooted upto the uttermost of their race, neither need he stand upon any dreadful respect of any his friends or kinsmen, seeing they assured him that no one of them should ever be well received or welcomed to the court, as first the Marshal Montmorancy his Cousin should be committed to prison, where he should never come out with honour, and that of the rest of the said Marshals brethren, there should not remain one. Finally, the (rather to allure him to such an horrible act) they sealed their last offer with a damnable promise of thirty. thousand crowns in recompense, and thirty. thousand franks of perpettritie out of the town of Paris, besides the favourable good will (all days of his life) as well of the Queen mother, Duke d'Aniow, as Cardinal of Lorraine, and the whole court. Dalbe yielded so far to their murderous enticements, as he gave his word and promise to kill the Admiral: Whereupon was delivered him by the said la Riviere certain white powder, which was known afterwards to be either Reagar, or Arsinicke, with a large passport from the said kings brother, wherewith he departed and came to the lord Admiral his master at the siege of Poitiers: his long abode in the Catholics camp, together with other suspicious circumstances appearing at his arrival, persuaded a jealous judgement of his dealing, & thereupon was committed to prison, his process pursued & ended, & sentence lastly pronounced in these terms.  
Judgement pronounced the xx. of September 1569. in the council established by the princes of Navarre and Conde present, and assisted with the Prince of Orange, the Count Wolrard de Mansfelde, lieutenant general of the Almains, under the said princes, the Countess' Lodovike and Henry de Nassau brethren, Menard de Chomber Martial of the Almains camp, Hans Boucq, Renard Gracco, Henry Destain, Hans de There's, Colonels of the Reistres, Guieryn Gangolf Baron of Grelesee, Colonel of a regiment of lanceknights, Theodore Wegger professor of the law, and Ambassador from the Duke de Deux ponts, with many other lords, knights, colonels and Reistremaisters of Almaigne: the lord of Corras councillor to the king in the parliament of Tholouse, and chancellor to the Queen of Navarre and the army, the lord of Francourt, Bricquemau, de Movy, de la Novem, de Renty, de Soubize, de Mirambeau, de la Caze, de Puch-perdillan, de Byron, de Lestrange, with many other lords, gentlemen and captains of France.  
Seeing the process made by the commissaries deputed by the said princes of Navarre & Conde, against Dominique Dalbe, groom of the chamber to the L. Gaspard Count de Coligny, lord of Chastillon, & Admiral of France, the iij. examinations of the said Dalbe afore the Provost general of the camp, & two other afore the commissioners assigned for the purpose, lastly, the confessions of the said Dalbe reiterated five three several times, wherein he acknowledgeth to have been instantly solicited, urged & pressed by la Riviere, captain of the guard and one Laurence de Ruze, secretary to the king's brother, to practise & procure the death of the said L. Admiral, either by sword or poison, which he promised to the said lafoy Riviere to effect with poison only, receiving (to that end, of the said la Riviere certain money, & poison in form of white powder, which he hath showed since to the said Provost and commissioners, seeing also the verification and proof of the said poison tried by Physicians and Apothecaries assembled at la hay in Touraine, the xiij. of this month together with a very large passport granted to the said Dalbe the 30. of the last month by the king's brother, lying then at Plessis les Tours: and now (for due punishment and revenge to such a traitorous and detestable attempt so often acknowledged, as well in his private confessions, as public assembly, the said council hath and doth condemn the said Dalbe to be delivered into the hands of the executioner of high justice, who tying him upon a hurdels, with a halter about his neck, shall draw him thorough the streets and corners accustomed of this town de Fay la Vineuse, with this inscription in parchment about his body: This is dominic Dalbe, traitor to the cause of God, his Country, and Master: trailing him first to the lodging gate of the said Lord Admiral, and there with no other garments than his shirt▪ the halter remaining still about his neck, holding in his hand a torch of burning wax, shall demand pardon of God, the king, the law, & the lord Admiral, confessing there the wickedly, disloyally, & traitorously he had professed, promised & practised to kill by poison the said L. admiral his master, & at the same instant & in his presence the said poison which he confessed to be given unto him by the said la Riviere, to be cast into the fire and burned. All which being done, he shall be led (keeping still the inscription about his body) to the place of public execution, and there to be hanged and strangled on a gallows set up for that purpose. And that also humble suit be made to the king to do justice upon the said la Riviere and Laurence, with their complices, and with all, (if his majesty be of mind) to verify more ample their said conspiracy with the said Dalbe (the same not withstanding resembling a sufficient truth against them by his voluntary confession) to proceed against them with punishment due to so horrible a fact, and the same both to terrify hereafter others of like villainous humour, and also to remain to all nations, as a Precedent of the noble nature and disposition of France, in abhoring such traitorous attempts, declaring the said la Riviere & Laurence, with all other sects & sorts of traitors (keeping school and open shop to poison people of name and virtue) to be traitors, villains, and men unworthy of honour, either in themselves or their posterity to the iiij. generation: Lastly, it is judged, that afore the execution of judgement, the said Dalbe shall be put on the rack, to the end to confess further practices with his said confederates, with other things contained in interregatories given to the Pronost: This sentence thus pronounced, the morrow after being the xxj. of September the rack was used accordingly, where he confirmed his former confessions, and so the same day the sentence was put in execution.  
Whilst the kings brother kept at Chynon in the country of Touraine whether he was retired (as is said) great numbers of men of war flocked to him from many parts of the realm, together with the horsemen to whom he gave liberty for recreation, and the xx. ensigns of footmen Parisiens, whereof we spoke before: these forces assembled, he made march his Vauntegarde out of Chynon the six and twenty of this month, under the conduct of the Lord Mont-pensier, himself following with the battle, lodging near Lodune, the Prince's camp drew towards Partney the xxix of this month, whom the Catholics followed near to provoke them to battle, as in respect of the advantage and favour of certain towns which they held thereabouts: either camp was within the view of other, and both of equal desire to gain Montgontour, using like diligence the rather to obtain it: For which cause the admiral made his footmen advance all night, his horssmen being in point of battle the last of September in the very first discovery of the morning upon a plain within a league of Montgontour. There the Admiral sent the Lord de La-louë, and the La-noven with vij cornets of horsemen, and Captain Normant, arquebusiers on horseback, to Montgontour to know if the King's brother were there, who finding no body, returned with speedy report to the Admiral accordingly, who made march forthwith the footmen of the battle, than the Artillery, and so the footmen of the vanguard, aswell French as Almains, following them himself with the horsemen of both the one and other nation: He left in the tail the Lord de Movy with charge to govern the retreat with five cornets of French horsemen, two cornets of Reistres, and a company of harquebushears on horseback of captain Montarnaunt a provincial: The catholics coasted them very near, expecting their artillery, which was not yet come. The admiral passed over a little river half a league from Montgontour, very uneasy to march over, by reason of a marish along the brink of it, the same making it impossible on all parts, saving in a little strait or gutter beneath certain houses along the high way: There lacked no more but the Lord of Movy and his troop, whom the Catholics with xl cornets of horsemen charged together with a volley of Cannons discharged also upon them. It was thought this charge was given by ● lord de Tavannes' governor for the king in Burgon: it was withstanded a little by the Lord de Movy, who unable to sustain it thoroughly, in respect of the multitude, retired: The Admiral seeing his peril, gave back with the horsemen, and returned (with no less fury) the charge upon them that had laid it upon the L. de Movy, who in the mean time retired with the rest of his troop with the loss of some few, amongst the which was the Lord de Entrichaut, ensign bearer to the Lord S. Auban Dauphynois: the Artillery was by this at Montgontour, and the footmen of the battle very near, who seeing that charge, turned back to the fight, as also the Lord de la Novem, and la-Louë with their cornets, all that day passed in skirmishing without offer of other charge.  
The Catholics shot vehemently, which albeit annoyed much the Admiral: yet he left not the field till night, and then retired with those of the Religion to Montgontour, and the Catholics encamped upon the place.  
The next morrow being saturday, and first day of the month of October, the said army issued out of Montgontour, & lodged in the villages thereabouts: leaving the Lord de Movy with his regiment of horsemen, and two regiments of footmen, within the town to guard the passage. There were certain light skirmishes, albeit neither of long fight, nor much loss: They moved by certain disordered shot of the Catholics, who thought to win the Suburbs on their side, but being repulsed, their purpose was also intercepted, and they forced to return without any other thing doing.  
The king's brother seeing that side closed from him, and that he could not easily wade the River of Vive, (the same being his only impediment to follow the Prince's camp) determined to pass above the head of the river in a village beneath Mirebeau. In the mean while the Princes, having been at Nyort to see the Queen of Navarre, returned to the camp the second of October, where they drew into counsel with resolution to take the way to Partney and Nyort, and give battle to the Catholics if they assailed them in the way, summoning (for this purpose) the whole army to be ready by the dawning of the day: and every Colonel and captain to labour accordingly in his charge.  
The Catholics were also of opinion to go to Nyort and besiege it, and by that means to provoke the Princes to battle. The Prince's camp (according to the order resolute aforesaid) was in a perfect readiness, ringed in battles and squares, pitching the next morning the third of October, upon a little hill near to Mont gontour, well disposed (as is aforesaid) to give battle if the enemy advanced, who also began to appear and discover on the left hand upon an other round hill, from the bottom whereof they might easily discern the disposition of the Prince's army, which when he had well viewed, he retired his march as though he meant to draw directly to Nyort, using notwithstanding such order as his rings and companies kept near together. The Admiral bearing an eye to their doings, espied their polity and purpose of proceeding, wherein as he suspected, that they shot at his advantage, as labouring to win way upon him, made descend forthwith the princes army from the hill where it was settled, of purpose to gain and occupy the plain afore them, whereupon the Catholics, in place to march forward, commanded a sudden stay, holding their Pikes upright, and ringing them in square and mean battles turned face to their vanguard, winning (by that means) the hill from whence the prince's army were but now descended. And being masters in this sort of the hill above the opinion & expectation of the Admiral, began to dispose themselves to the shock. And at the first descending from the hill, they ordered and ringed their footmen in the valley or side of the foot of the said hill, not without great discretion and judgement, keeping by that means their footmen in covert, and defended from the storm of the artillery, which discharged vehemently as well on the one as other side. In the mean while the king's brother dressed and disposed two batteries, not sparing his body to travel from one battle and square to an other, with persuasion to the soldiers, to have good heart, the like also did the Princes, visiting in person every rank aswell of horsemen as footmen, whose pleasant aspect, & specially in the prince of Navarre, gave cause of singular courage to the soldiers, whose stomachs besides they were firmly settled in the goodness of the cause, yet they seemed to redouble in desire, the rather at the gracious view and persuasion of the young Prince. Immediately after two of the clock in the after noon, the vanguard of the Catholics went to the charge with a square and wing of xviij cornets of Reisters', and great numbres of horsemen, as well French as italian, who charged altogether so violently upon the Lord of Movy, and la Love, that they were enforced to endure and take the charge, retiring thorough the battle of the Lanceknights which grieved them sore, notwithstanding the Admiral supplied the charge, and gave with such fury upon the Catholic Reisters', that he cut great numbres of them in pieces, and immediately with the remainder of his horsemen of the Uauntgarde, repulsed with force the Uauntgarde of the enemy: whereupon was raised a cry on the Admiral's side, Victory, Victory, the same sounding with such noise of comfort in the ears of the main battle, that divers ran thither to follow the victory: When lo the Catholics main battle advanced, bending directly upon the Prince's battle, where they were in person. To the Catholics battle joined a wing of horsemen, which came from the vanguard. At the beginning, the battle of the Princes sustained the charge, albeit finding and feeling their own weakness, as being not able to fight together (as the Catholics did) were enforced to disorder and fallen out of array, the horsemen of the vanguard dispersed here & there without order, and not drawn as yet into any safe policy or guard of war, followed also the others, whereby both the French and Almain footmen were left naked, whereof the Frenchmen were first forced to break array, and then the Papïstes horsemen on the one side, and the Suyzers on the other, begun to buckle with the Launceknights, who seeing themselves environed on all sides, neither present help, nor cause of further hope, the rather for that the Artillery was planted even at their feet, let fall their pikes and prosteate themselves upon their knees, amongst whom rushed with no small fury the horsemen and certain Suyzers using butchers mercy, and cut them all in pieces. The Count Mansfeld and Lodovike retired always in order of battle: a thing worthy to be noted in so general disorder, having about them xiij. cornets of Reistres, which had not followed the others, with whom they gathered together certain cornets of Frenchmen and so retired & never were charged. After the overthrow and spoil of the Launceknights, the king's brother pursued the victory half a league and no further, and so encamped in the plain of Cron, where the battle was given: he was far stronger in horsemen and footmen, than the princes, who had, not above uj. thousand horsemen of all sorts, as well strangers as others, viij. thousand footmen French, and most arquebusiers, and lastly, three thousand Lanceknights. In this battle the Princes lost their lanceknights, a thousand or xij. hundred French footmen, and about an hundred horses, uj. Cannons, two culverin, and three little field pieces: The lord d'Autricour captain of a hundred light horsemen, a very forward and gallant Gentleman was there killed: the Lord d'Acyer and la Nove taken prisoners, and the Lord Admiral lightly hurt in the cheek: In the catholics army were viij. or ix. thousand horsemen, and xuj. or xviij. thousand footmen with great store of artillery. They lost few footmen because they foughté not, so that their greatest loss consisted in horsemen, which, what with the chance of that day, and the encounter before touched, grew to great numbers, with divers of no small estate, as the Count Mansfelde, and the Ringrave, the Marquis of Baden, the young Count Clerimont Dauphynois, with many other Lords and knights of the order: the Duke of Guise, and the Ringraves brother hurt.  
The retreat of the Princes and their army was to Partenay about seven. leagues from the place of the battle, where, as they arrived the night following at midnight, so the next morning the iiij. of this month, they departed from thence with the Admiral, Count Mansfelde, the Count Lodovike and Henry de Nassau brethren, with other great numbers of Lords, gentlemen, and Captains: coming the same day to Nyort, where they found the Q. of Navarre, remaining there ever since they departed: in the mean time they laid the ways & quarters by the Marshals of the camp, to the end the dispersed sort might eftsoons resort to their ensigns, which was performed the same day by the most part of the horsemen.   

¶ The third Book of the civil wars and last troubles of France, under Charles the ninth.  
NOt withstanding this last success & loss at Montgontour, did both grieve & amaze the Princes, yet they were not unmindful to reassemble their forces, whereof the most part of the horsemen was forthwith under their standerdes, which the footmen could notdo with such speed in respect of their long retreat, & therefore the vantgard of the battle were disposed severally into sundry quarters and villages near to Nyort, by which mean the French footmen, who (in respect of their good order) were not much distressed in this conflict, resorted readily to their ensigns & companies. In the mean while the Princes deliberated in the said town upon the sequel of their affairs, to whom albeit the loss seemed great, yet (considering that in a general calamity every one hath his fortune, they covered their present grief, (and as the necessity of their state required) with joyful countenance they assured eftsoons the remainder of their dispersed companies: In the evening the Queen of Navarre departing from Nyort, went to Rochereul, and the princes the next morning took their way to Saintonge, leaving within Nyort both to make head against the catholics', and let them to pass further, the Lord of Movy with his regimen of horsemen, and two regimens of footmen, beside the ordinary gar rison, being perhaps three hundred shot.  
Such was the brute and heavy noise of this battle, that many companies of the Prince's army, as well footmen as horsemen, bestowed in several charges in sundry castles and towns, as well in Poyctou as Touraine, determined to leave their garrisons, as not able to endure a speedy siege, in respect they were weak within themselves, and also had small hope to be succoured in sufficient tyme. As they which were within Chavigny upon Vien at Rochposé, captain Belon within the Castle d'Angle with Chesnebrusle his ensign bearer, which was at Pruly, together with captain Teil, captain of the castle of Cleruaut, with his cornet of shot on horseback, departed, & abandoned their several charges, taking their way to charity: Captein Lornay governor of Chastelleraut, assoon as the siege was raised, left the town the seven. of October at xj. of the clock before noon with his own company of footmen, and two others, whereof one was under captain Morans, being in all about three hundred footmen, and two hundred horsemen, and took their way towards charity, passing by leblane in Berry, & from thence came to Bourgdien, a town belonging to the Bishop of Bourges, and heretofore taken by scaling by the Lord de Bournay: there they joined with the rest aforesaid, and also the Lord de Bricquemau the elder, who tarried there with his companies in respect of his sickness.  
In the mean while, the kings brother following his victory, came to Partnay, which he found desolate, directing his way from thence to Nyort to besiege it: certain forerunners of his camp were come already to the gates to terrify those that were within the town. At this alarm the Lord de Movy with certain horsemen issued speedily out of the town, who were no sooner without the gates, than the other were retired almost out of sight, whereupon he returned, and being one of the last to govern the retreat, as he was at point to enter the town, one Montrevell (yielded to him not long afore under colour of religion) discharged a Pistolet upon him, and hurt him sore in the head, flying immediately well mounted upon the 
The Lord de Movy hurt.  self same horse which the Lord de Movy had given him: who notwithstanding his hurt, determined not to departed the town, albeit being specially advised by his friends to be carried where his hurt may be cured, he left Nyort the seventh day of October, and came to Saints, and from thence he was carried to Rochel, where within few days after he died, to the grief of the army: for he was of stayed counsel in any cause of estate, of great speed and justice in execution, and of long experience in matters of war, as witness his acts as well in the battle of Dreux, as other places of worthy memory: the rest appointed under him within Niort, left also the town together with the Lord de la Brosse, governor there, retiring with three hundred shot to Rochel. This was the same Lord de la Brosse, who with the aid of the lord de Plweau made headageynst the Conte du Lude at the siege aforesaid.  
The king's brother finding the town forsaken, entered without let: whether also came very shortly after, the king, the Queen mother, and Cardinal of Lorain, being then near Chynon: they began there to devise and deliberate upon their present business, accounting it of special purpose, to recover the Castle of Lusignan, wherein was governor the L. de Mirambeau, and that afore the Protestants had either renewed their strength, or well assured their present companies: In this mind they dispatched forthwith certain to summon the Castle, who so prevailed with persuasions to the governor, that easily enough he gave up the Castle only with lives and goods saved: certain days afore the battle, there were bestowed in this hold five Cannons which descended to the catholics by covenant: this was four or u days after the battle of Montgontour. Nyort being thus abandoned, the Princes went to S. Jean d'Angely, the▪ ix. of this month, and so to Saints, and because they gathered, that the catholics would besiege it, they determined to man it with great numbres of men of war, causing to enter forthwith the horsemen of the L. de la Motte, with certain footmen: like wise captain la Mures company, being of the regimen of the L. de Virieu: At that time was governor the L. d'Oryoll, a gentleman of Sainctonge, who after was content to give order to the policy and state of the town, leaving the consideration of matters of war to the L. the Pills, whom the prince established there for that purpose, and who as yet was not fully cured of the hurt in his thigh, received at the siege of Poitiers. He with the Soldiers and the rest of the inhabitants, resolved to defend the Town, and endure the siege. The morrow after, the princes came to Saints, and there made their army pass over Charante.  
The tent he of this said month, the Lord of Montbrun and Myrabell departed from the Camp to go into Languedocke, a journey pretended by them long time before, so that they might lead thither their Regiments, and for this cause at the siege of Poic●iers, as is aforesaid, the Lord de Pontais Martial of the Prince's Camp, aswell in their own name as for other, Colonelles, Captains and Gentlemen of Dauphyne, were suitors for leave to go for a certain time into Dauphyne, and the more to enforce their motion, they showed how long they had followed the Camp, and that their soldiers wearied with so continual war, stood in need to be relieved with the fresh air and fellowship of their Country, and lastly as their general fear to be so evil wintered as the year before, drive divers numbres to retire without order to the Towns held by the Religion in Vivares, where they had sure abode, so if they be not somewhat relieved of their long and loathsome travel always in a camp, it is also to be feared that by little and little they do not abandon their Ensigns, and leave their Colonelles in the fields without Soldiers: The same being already revealed unto them by certain numbers of their Soldiers, they could do no less than commend their suit with humble request in themselves for leave and liberty to departed now that the siege of Poitiers is raised: The Princes answered that they could not order their request and satisfy the time together, because they were as yet incertain what would be the end and issue of the siege, and therefore they thought it convenient that they tarried till the end of the month of September, hoping (after they had seen the resolute proceed of the Catholyques) to bestow their army in garrisons to rest all winter: This answer qualified their requests with expectation of the end of Septembre. When the army being returned from the country of Touraive, and sojourning near to Fay la Vineuse, their suit was eftsoons put upon new terms: for which cause the gentlemen, capteins, and colonels of those country men, assembled to deliberate upon the motion: some were of opinion to pursue in general a leave and liberty of the Princes, seeing their time of September is expired: But others judged the present season most inconvenient to entreat for leave, considering the state & disposition of the war, every day inclining to battle, where they were bound in duty to be, unless they would deface the honour of their actions passed. Which last opinion, so settled into the most of them, that they resolved universally both to mortify their desire to go home, and also to give over to attempt further leave, attending either by battle, or by some happy peace, to make themselves free of the war, and so return and remain quietly in their houses.  
And thus the Lord de Montbrun and Myrabell remained in the Camp until the time wherein they thought to execute their enterprise: wherein after they had communicated with the Lord de Verbelet brother to the bishop of Puy in Auvergne, and many other as well of Dauphyne, as the countries thereabouts (as of purpose to have their company in the voyage) they went to Angoulesme, to the end to tarry there for their furniture and strength.  
This being known in the Camp, many came to Angoulesme to assist the voyage, so that they were in all, about four hundred horsemen in very good point to fight, with certain numbreof shot on horseback, with the which the said Lord de Mountbrun, mirabel, and Verbelet, departed the fourteenth day of the month of October, and taking their way by Perigueux, came to Solliac the sunday the sixteenth of October, about two of the clock at after noon. They thought there to pass Dordonne, but it was so swelled by the great rains fallen certain days before, that it was not possible to wade over. By which difficulty they were constrained to stay there, sending for such boats as they could found, by which they began to ferry the same day and all the next night, not with such speed (in respect of their few boats) but certain numbers were not yet passed in the morning. Which being espied of the Catholic garrisons thereby, and specially they of Sarba, sent out three score horsemen with certain footmen and Paysantes to view the number of such as were yet to pass, and what watch and guard they kept. Who with others to the number of two hundredth, seeing neither order used, nor any shot his match kindled, fallen upon them, and discomfited them without resistance: many were slain, and the rest stripped into their shertes, and so sent over the passage to follow their company: Some using a speed above the rest in passing the day before, the better to refresh them at their ease, were set upon in the night within their lodgings, and led away prisoners by the Catholics: Amongst whom were the Lord de Quintel, a Dauphynois, Mormoiron de Venesin, guide to the whole company, A Physician called M. M●rle with three others: the Lord de Sarraz a Gentleman of Vivares, was taken by the same a little before, but forthwith set at liberty.  
The noise which the catholics made in charging them in the water side, gave the Alarm to those that had already passed the River, being in a Town not far off, who falling forthwith into array and order of defence, after they had tarried sometime to receive them that escaped to their succours, began to march towards Acyer, wherein they entered the next morning, and from thence without other let, they went to Oryllac in Auvergne, from whence they departed, as shall be hereafter declared,  
After Niort was taken, the King's brother determined to besiege the town of S. jean de Angely in Sainctonge, and for that same effect drew his army and power on that side. The Lord of Byron, marshal of his camp, about the x. of October, accompanied with certain cornets of horsemen, came to summon the town for the King: to whom the garrison made an answer by the Lord de la Ramiere, that they meant not to surrender the town by other composition than a general peace including the public quiet and profit of the realm of France, whereupon he returned. And captain la Motte accompanied with xv. or xx. horsemen, went forthwith to skome and scour the ways within half a league about the town, and specially of that side to Niort, finding within a village certain footmen of the catholics', whereof some were slain, some put to flight, and u or uj. taken and led prisoners into the town.  
In the mean while they of the town prepared for the siege, using great devise and diligence in fortifying diverse parts of it, some did beat down part of the suburbs of Aulnis and Tailleburg, too cut from the Catholics all convenient means too encamp there. Some filled up the ditches in necessary places, in effect they left nothing imperfect which necessarily belonged to the fortification of the town, the better to endure the siege. The L. the Pills governor there for the matters of war (as is said) made a view of the footmen, which were a thousand or xj hundred of all sorts, as well strangers as others, Immediately after this muster, the L. de person arrived there with xxx or xl horsemen, and then (because they would omit nothing tending to the defence of the Town) they began to make fire works, with other artificial engines to annoy the enemies.  
About the xiiij day of this month, 
S. jean de Angeli besieged.  the King's brother planted his siege before Saint jean d'Angely, about three of the clock in the after noon. The Lord of Govas' regimen with certain other, was lodged in the Suburbs of Aul●●s: dealing not that day with the Suburbs of Taillebourg, as fearing they could not enter but with great peril. They within the Town had forsaken this Subburbe, because they would not put their men to the hazard in keeping it: Albeit, the Catholics forbore not to seize upon it the next day, and lodge within it. The Protestants fortified the Fort or place of defence without the gate d'Aulnis, & filling it with earth, rammed up the gate, omitting nothing necessary, either to force or policy, wherein, to enforce a general diligence in their fortification, proclamations were pronounced thorough the Town, that all people, as well men, women, as children, able or apt to travel, should labour and work at the rampires, and that every one should have always before his door, three or four sacks full of dung, to be employed in necessary places. According to these commandments, there was a common assistance at the rampires, as well of strangers, as people of the town, by whom was performed a wonderful endeavour.  
As soon as the catholics had made themselves Lords of the Suburbs aforesaid, the Protestants made a sally with forty horsemen, by the gate De Matta, and set upon the Suburbs of Aulnis, where they killed four or five men, and then fallen on scouring the ways towards Nyort, till the place of execution, where they found an Italian on horseback, and brought him into the Town.  
About the xviij day of this month, the Protestants made an other sally by the gate d'Aulnis, and issuing out above the fort, they descended within the ditch by a ladder: there were of this faction (and conducted by Capteyn la Motte.) Cl. soldiers with white shirts above their garments, who charging so happily upon the Suburbs d'Aulnis, found the catholics playing at Cards, and so without any watch to discover them, they killed about three score or four score soldiers, and then retired upon the false trench of the ditch by the help of their harquebusears, which were upon the fort of the gate. They wan in this exploit two footmen ensigns xl or l harquebusears, certain morrions, corcelets, and pollaxes of steel, which they carried into the town, losing not above two or three of their company.  
The catholics in the mean while drew near their Artillery which they planted so aptly in a vine towards Nyort, as it might beat as well the gate of Nyort, as the bulwark of the Port d'Aulnis, and also the tower between the two gates. Their battery which they bestowed there, was four Canons and a Colueryne: Afore they discharged any battery, they demanded to parley, & for that cause, would that the Lord of Pills should have come forth of the town upon their faith, which the Protestants thought not convenient for their safety: albeit, in his place, they sent out of the Town la Riviere, who was no sooner without, than the Canon began to beat, which caused him to cut off his further proceeding with speedy return.  
Thus the battery began the xxij. day of October, beating the Tower of the Town near to the Port d A'ulnis, and continued all the day, and toward night it enforced a breach a forty or fifty pace wide, whereupon the catholics sent one of their company to view it, who being come to the brink of the ditch, and discovering himself to survey the breach, was killed with a shot: so that that day passed without assault or any other special attempt or act. In the night the Protestants with great diligence repaired their breach, and let down to the ditch certain labourers and soldiers, to rid away the ruin and broken stuff of the Wall fallen into it. These labourers and soldiers afore they came out of the ditch, they set up a pretty Wall of a man's height, to make the place less accessible. Besides, the Protestants keeping still a careful mind of their Town and estate, considered diligently where, and how they might be annoyed by the battery planted in the vine, which had there remeyned about eight days, without discharge of Canon: whereupon they cast a trench well flanked behind the breach, upon the which they bestowed certain Vessels and hoggesheades to pavise their shot. In the effect, the breach was so supplied, as the place was stronger than afore.  
From this battery, the morrow after came certain thunders of the Canon against the Fort of the Port d'Aulnis: and likewise three or four discharges against the port of Nyort, not forbearing notwithstanding their first battery. But seeing this battery, brought forth small effect (not many days after) they bestowed in place of the Canons, five Coluerins.  
Removing the said Canons to the entry of the Suburbs d'Aulnis, both directly before and also so near the said Fort, that only the ditch was between them. From thence began a vehement battery against the said Fort, as well by these Canons as the Coluerins planted in their place, which bestowed certain bollettes flanker wise, within the said breach even to the Castle. The battery continued all the day, all that night, and all the next morrow of one violent fury without ceasing, so that both the Fort and the Portal (by which is the ordinary entry into the Town) were almost beaten to powder.  
In the mean while, the Protestants made a covert way between the Fort and the gate, to the end, that the ruin falling from the gate, should not annoy nor hinder the entry of the Fort.  
After this long and vehement battery, the L. de Guytinieres demanded to speak with the Protestants, and under the honour and virtue of their word, entered the Town the four and twenty day of this month, about two of the Clock at after noon. He laboured to induce them to tender the Town, but the Lord de Pills remained constant in his first answer, that there could no other price buy the Town, than an assured peace, to the profit and quiet of the Realm. Whereupon the Lord de Guitinieres returned again and came to the Camp without other effect of his purpose.  
He was no sooner out of the said Town, than the catholics rushed fiercely to the assault so unlooked for, that the Protestants doubted of their safety, the rather because the assault was maintained as well at the breach of the fort as on the right and left side of it within the ditch, the better to come to the gate of the town which they had battered (as you have herded). And for their more easy coming to the breach of the fort, they had provided great numbers of pyonners to bear sacks full of earth and cast them upon the breach: who besides turning up the earth, threw stones against the protestants, by which they greatly grieved diverse of them: They presented upon the breach uj target men followed with a good number of shot, who albeit ventured far to enforce the protestants, yet (being repulsed) they retired without any great effects. This assault lasted from three of the clock in the after noon till night, during the which was great waste of shot and powder by the protestants in sustaining so hot assault: in the night they fortified and repaired their breaches as well as they could, as they also for bore not to do even in the time of the battery, filling them up as fast as they were made with sacks of dung. In this night also they entrenched themselves within the fort, whereby the breaches, the morrow after, were put in defence.  
Albeit the Lord de Sansac (after the siege of charity) was sent for to go into Touraine to join with the catholics camps as is said, yet (whether it were by countermaundement or other special occasion) he stirred not from where he was: And yet in the same month of October, he besieged the town of Noyers in Bourgogne, the which without great resistance he took by composition, the same notwithstanding not observed, because forty of the soldiers that defended it, being led to Troy in Champagne, and afore they entered prison, were cut in pieces by the people.  
After he had taken Noyers, be determined to besiege Vezeley in Bourgogne governed at that time by the Lord de Sarazyn. There was for the guard of it only two companies of footmen under captain Rybaupierre, and the young Lord de Sarazyn with two cornets of horsemen of the Lord de Blosset, and of Belanseau, with certain numbers of gentlemen retired thither to aid the siege. The Lord de Sansac had to furnish this siege about xxij ensigns of footmen, whereof the Lord de Foysly was colonel of ten cornets of horsemen, four cannons and two culuerines.  
He arrived with his horsemen to survey the town the sixt of October, retiring at night to lodge at Aquiens and S. Pere. villages seituate at the hill foot, upon the top where of stands the city.  
The eleventh of the same month he made approach with three of his companies of footmen, at the gate du Barle, otherwise called S. Stephen: certain of the town, but specially the Nobility that were there, issued out, and repulsed presently the said three ensigns, whereof two were put to disorder and flight afore they could get to Aquiens, where they meant to make their retreat. In the chase were killed about six and forty, and as many hurt, all the Captains, lieutenants, ensign bearers, and sergeaunts of these two companies, were there killed, saving three which were led prisoners within the town: the third company hid themselves within a tuft of wines from whence (being not discovered) they retired in the night to Aquiens, notwithstanding this charge and chase, the Lord de Sansac, marched with his camp the saturday, the eight of this month, and towards the evening environed the town, the same evening he approached his artillery, which the tenth day following in the morning began to batter a Tower of the side of the gate du Barle, right against the watering place, the same continuing so vehemently two full days, that at the second days end, a corner of the tower fallen to the earth: The wedensday the twelfth day he removed four of his pieces of the side of S. Pere, thundering a new battery against the gate called the wickette, above the which eight ensigns of footmen came and pitched the thirteenth of this month, remaining there till the whole army discampped. The fourteenth day he removed also two of his pieces, and planted them against a Tower called the Colombs, to the end (with more ease) to batter the said wickette, against the which the battery endured till the next day. When having now beaten two breaches) he gave the assault to them both at one instant, offering to scale on that side of the Cordeliers: His assaults were resisted, and his people so repulsed, that they were out of heart eftsoons to return: and therefore the night following, about midnight, he raised his siege, and retired to Auallon having lost at the assaults & in the time of the siege iij. or four hundredth men as well footmen as horsemen: Of the Protestants side, there were slain and hurt, only ten men, whereof the Lord Sarazyn was killed with the Canon, being in the first Tower that they battered, whom the Lord de Blossar succeeded in place and charge, choose by the common voice and opinion of the multitude, in respect of his virtue and wisdom in defence of the Town. The Lord of Sansac raised not his siege for other purpose than to provide other Canons, all his others being either cracked or burst in these batteries.  
The Princes being at Saints, assoon as they were informed of the siege of S. jean d'Angely determined to go into Gascogne with two or three thousand harquebusears on foot, and all their horsemen, leaving the remainder of their footmen to aid the Towns wherein were garrisons: they had two principal reasons to induce them to this journey, as to draw the siege from S. jean d'Angely esteeming the camp would follow them, and also to join with the Uicountes forces, over whom (as is said) the Mongomery commanded. They departed from Sanctonge about the beginning of the siege, and with their horsemen as well French as Almayns, (who after this voyage had sent their carriage to Roche▪ and shot on foot, whereof some were led by the Lord de Rouray) took their way towards Montauban: And because the river of Dordoune, (by which they must pass) was not at that time passeable without vessels, the Lord de la Bessonniere (by whose means as is afore said the town of Oryllac was taken) departed with a hundred horses, and gathering together as many boats as he could find along Dordonne, caused them to be brought to Argentall, to the end the Prince's army stayed not at the passage there, albeit coming thither about the x●v. of this month, they were constrained to stay there almost eight days afore their whole army could pass. In which mean while certain of their army summoned the town of Sourd in Auvergne to be rendered to the Princes, to the obedience & use of the King. whereunto as they refused at the first: so, considering the condition of their own state, with the present force of the enemy, yielded upon covenant to set open the gates and pay six thousand franks, not to be committed to pillage: the L. of Montbrun and mirabel being come to Orillac (as is said) their companies lodged within a league of the town in a village called Arpaion, to rest their horses which were weary with long travail, where the L. de Montbrun fallen sick of a continual ague, the same partly causing the abode & stay of the army, albeit feeling by the course of his sickness, that he was not able to make present departure from thence, imparted the same with the L. mirabel, to the end the voyage lingered no longer, whereupon the L. Mirabel with .4. C. horsemen put himself on the way the .24. of the same month to perform his journey into Languedoc: he had (amongst others) in his company the L. Foulques, who not many days before came to to the said Orillac with lx horsemen, of purpose to accompany the L. mirabel: their departure was neither so secret, nor their journey so ssrely conveyed, but the Papists which were in certain towns & castles about Orillac, were speedily aduertis●ed, who commanded the towns men of every village to sound the alarun bell, to the end to warn & discover the place they passed by, & so set upon & discomfyt them. According to this charge the To●sain was sounded at the same instant that the Lord Myrabell and his troop descended from a hill two leagues from Orillac, whereupon the garrison of Roilliac (having seen the troop pass by them in negligent order, and leaving withal their own charge made no small speed by a cross way a thwart the hill, & set upon them sodamly in the village where the Tocsam was sounded & the same in such subtle season & sort, as afore they were descried) they killed uj or. seven of the Mirabells company & so retired, leading with them certain prisoner: syee troop notwithstanding mounted above the village where being ringed & drawn into battle order, they discovered in the tops of the hills concourse of people from all parts to intercept them in a straight by which they should pass their guides (besides) bringing them further increase of fere & danger by general flocks the popular sort to set upon them in that straight, whereupon they were constrained to turn back, and retire to their quarter of Orpayon, and there to consult of a safe mean to pass.  
The Lord Verbelet, in the mean while remained at Oryllac, as governor in Auvergne, under the princes, according to the authority given him at his departure from the camp. Within few days after his coming to the town, and being acknowledged of the garrison as their governor, ordained that three hundredth harquebusears on foot, and three hundredth pikemen should be entertained for the guard of the town: for whose pay he levied of the inhabitants a loan of ten thousand franks, and so mustered his men of war upon the beginning of November.  
And now (to let slip no necessary matter passed in October) The Lord of Saint Heran, governor for the King in Auvergne, departing from S. Flower, with certain Gentlemen of his train, came to the castle of S. Salpic●, wher-knocking with some incivil vehemency at the postern, the Gentlewoman of the place, whose husband with certain soldiers, and guarded the Castle▪ descended and simply opened the gate, to whom the Lord de S. Heran said he was come thither to bestow garrison in the Castle: the gentle woman answered that this errand was without need, because that as the place was already furnished, so her husband (as she thought) would not admit any new numbers, where with as she offered to have shut the gate & return into the Castle, the Lord S. Heran thrust so rudely at the gate, that the gentlewoman being thrown to the ground, he entered the gate by force upon her, by whose skrike or cry, one of the household servants descended speedily, and seeing his mistress upon the ground, discharged his pistolet, and hurt the Lord S. Heran in the arm, who also fearing further peril, flung out of the postern, which immediately was shut upon him, albeit he caused all, or most of his troop to remain still afore the said Castle, to withstand that no man should enter till he sent new forces from S. flower, whether as he speedily repaired, so he dispatched from thence certain numbers of footmen to join with the troop he had left afore the Castle, with charge not to depart till it were taken: M. de Sall●●●s, to whom both the place and charge belonged, lay very sick, who in respect of his small strength having not above six soldiers, and withal doubting speedy succours, made no great resistance but yielded the castle by composition to have only their lives saved, which albeit was faithfully promised, yet traitorously performed, because both her husband was killed, and she led prisoner to Saint Flower, charged to be the only cause of S. Heran's hurt.  
The taking of the town of Oryllac, (whereof is spoken before) amazed greatly them of Auvergne, wherefore having gathered people from many parts, determined to besiege it, afore they within could have mean to fortify themselves. And for this purpose, the Lord Rochebonne governor of Puy and the grand prior of Auvergne, with their regiments of footmen, came to Marzillac in Roargues, attending there (as it was said) certain cannons which should be sent from Rhodes to batter Orillac. In the mean while also the Lord de Saint Heran, with no less diligence advanced at S. Folure the other forces and also the Nobility of Auvergne, whom he summoned speedily to repair thither: Albeit hearing in the heat of his diligence, of the Princes coming to Argentall, be let fall his enterprise.  
The men of Auvergne fearing the princes would seize upon the low country called la Lymagne, & there to winter, in respect of the general fertility of that place, drawn in troops of paisants & commonalties into the straits of the mountains, by which they imagined the army should pass, and there hewing down great numbers of trees, bestowed them athwart the high ways to trouble the passage of the horsemen.  
The rest of the country were bestowed by the Lord de S. Heran in towns and Castles▪ to the end they should not be suddenly taken: the princes beguiled their opinion as not passing the way, but directed their journey over Dordone & so into Quercy and beneath Cadenat, passed the River of Lot, and so from thence arrived at Montaubon, in November. 1569.  
The Lord de mirabel and Foulques, (having remained about Oryllac, since the charge they had near to Rolliat) took way about this time with their troops to end their voyage: who passing the river of Lot beneath Cadenat, and after they had traversed the mountains of Rovarges and Savennes, arrived without let at Privas and Aulbenas, towns in Vivarez, held by those of the religion.  
The siege continued all this while afore S. Fean d'Angely, where the King, the Queen mother, and Cardinal of Lorraine, were in person, The morrow after that the breach of the Fort was assaulted, the King procured the protestants to be commoned withal, to the end to tender the Town by composition: Wherein they used this persuasion, the rather to entice them, that his Majesty had determined to erect a puissant Army to make war in Allemaigne, wherein as they might stead that service in special turn, so his Majesty was careful not to spill men of such experience & value, and other ways, if they would not embrace his majesties offer and composition, he would thunder upon them all his forces till he had won the Town. They answered as before, that they would not tender the Town till there were a peace assured to the profit & quiet of the whole realm: where upon the King required to speak with the Lord de person, as well in causes concerning the Town, as to send him to the Princes in the mean and matter of peace: Whereunto the Protestants condescended, and sent out of the Town the Lord de person, receiving in his pledge and hostage the Lord de Guyteniers. After the King had conferred with the Lord de person, they grew to capitulations as followed:  
First, that if the Lord de Pills were not succoured within ten days, to tender the Town to the King, their lives and goods saved.  
2 That for the assurance of this, there should be delivered in hostage two Knights of the Order, and they to be sent either to Rochel or Angoulesme, at the Protestants choice.  
3 That during this space of the ten days, truce should be between them, with charge that neither they should fortify in the Town, nor they without upon their trenches, nor yet approach the walls of the Town.  
4 lastly, that in the mean while the Lord de person should go to the Princes with a Gentleman of his Majesty, to treat of peace. According to the which the said L. the person with the King's Gentleman went to the Princes in the Gentleman's place the L. the Guytiniers was sent out of the Town to the Campe.  
They which the Princes left (as you have heard) at Saints, to defend the Town, maintained their charge till now. And hearing that Saint jean d'Angely was in parley, and at point to yield, fearing withal, that it was their lot and turn to be besieged next: They forsook the Town and retired to the other garrisones which were theraboute: wherein the King forgot not to embrace the opportunity, sending forthwith certain companies to seize upon it, to the end, that by that mean the way might be closed from them of the Religion, being at Angoulesme and Coygnac, to go or come to Rochel: Likewise they of Rochel should be hard to send succours to them.  
The Lord of Bricquemau lay all this while in the Town of Bourgdieu in Berry, (as hath been said) by reason of his sickness: During whose abode there, his troops made ordinary war upon the garrison of Chasteauroux, upon Indre, wherein the Lord of the place retained three companies of footmen for the catholics. There were often incursions & interviews between them: the same continuing almost six weeks, in which time were killed of the one and other side, almost two hundredth men. After the said Lord Bricquemau was restored to health, he retired in this month of November with his troops to Charitié.  
During the siege of S. Fean d'Angely, the town of Nimes in Languedoc was taken by the religion the xu of this month, and by this mean: There is a miln in the town near to the walls, and to make it grind, there comes a spring or fountain not far of, thorough a sluice or crevish in the brickwall dressed with grates or bars of iron: They of the religion in that country practised intelligence with the miller, by whose aid they plucked up by night the said iron grate, and so conveyed into the town by that crevish and channel, about a hundredth soldiers, who ●id themselves within the mill, attending the hour to execute their enterprise, in the mean while they sent from Pryvas and Aubenas two hundredth horsemen, and every one a harquebushear behind him, who being in good point afore the gates of the town at the hour appointed, they within the mill issued out, and got to the gate, which with certain engines and instruments apt to countermyne the lock, they set open, and so the companies without, entered & made themselves Lords of the town: the Lord of S. Andre governor there, considering of his present peril, thought to save himself in the castle, albeit as he leapt out of a window he broke his leg and so was taken, dying within two days after: there were slain in the town at this entry about a hundredth or six score men, and within few days certain ministers of Justice: Incontinently arrived at Nimes the Lord de S. Romain brother to the L. de S. Chaumont, sent thither by the Princes to govern in their absence the country of Languedocke, he had with him in company a great number of horsemen, besides many that came to him as the Lord de Foulques, with the troops which he brought from the camp. In the mean while they of the castle denied to tender, making marvelous defence, notwithstanding they were but few in number: there were sundry attempts in vain to win them, with certain mines sorting to no effect, and yet after certain months the Castle was put into the hands of them of the town.  
And now touching the siege of S. jean d'angely, it hath been said that the Lord de Pills promised to tender the town if he were not reskewed within ten days, which being passed, & he void of succours, the L. of Byron summoned him to his promiss, to whom the L. the Pills answered, that albeit he believed that either they had stayed the L. de person there, or else where, or at lest had not sent him to the Princes, yet if they would enlarge his term, he would tender the town, whereupon they gave him two days more, within the which he dispatched forth of the town by the port Matta, a gentleman to go to Angoulesme & provide succours. In the mean while, the thursday the xvij of November the L. the Guytimers entered the Town with certain captains and marshals or harbingers for lodging, with intent to take possession of the town, whereof Guytyniers gave this manifest inkling in saying to the L. de Pylles, that as that night he gave the watch their charge, so it should fall to his lot to do it the next day.  
The gentleman sent to Angoulesme for succours used such diligence as the L. de S. Severin accompanied with l or lx gentlemen on horseback, entered without let S. jean d'Angely by the port Matta, the friday being the xviij of this month, which as it chanced contrary to the general opinion of the catholics, so it amazed most of all the L. de Guityniers, thinking nothing less than to go out of the town again: albeit seeing in the friday morning certain numbers of strange gentlemen mustering in companies about the town, he changed his opinion and was forthwith put out of the town with such as entered with him not with standing the coming of these succours: the L. de Byron commoned with the L. de Pills at the gate of Nyort, whom as he summoned to perform his promise to the King in yielding the town, the day of convention being expired, so L. the Pills told him that he had received succours, and therefore discharged of his promiss to tender the town, wherein the L. Byron caveled with him in that his rescue came not from the princes, with persuasion also that he should not stand so much on the help of four or five horses come to him, and thereupon caused to be read aloud the capitulations agreed upon between them. The L. de Pills was constant in his opinion, alleging that of what value or numbers so ever his succours were, they were such as both sufficed his need and contented him, charging them upon the instant to draw back from the walls. Immediately the battery began of fresh, as well upon the old breach which was upon the fort or tower of the brickwall, as against the fort of the gate d'Aulins, and also against the castle, against which were bend three cannons: this battery brought down to the earth the castle gate, from which, they went upon a bastion or platform of earth before the castle: this being well noted of the protestants, they made an other passage within the ditch, beneath the first, and near to that bastyon of earth, they made an opening or window in the brickwall of the town, without the which and within the ditch they set up a close pale or covert to flank the Castle. In the mean while the Catholics growing cold in their battery, and yet continuing it eight days, beat down a part of a tower of the Castle of that side to the suburbs of Tailebourg, called the hangman's Tower, together with a great ruin of the walls from the castle to the old breach.  
During this battery, the protestants made a sally with fifty or forty horsemen, and three or four hundredth footmen by the gate Nyort, upon the which they erected a bridged of wood to descend to the ditch.  
The horsemen of this sally were led by captain la Motte, who charged upon two cornets of horsemen which were in guard on that side to Nyort, whereof certain were killed, and some lost their standards, and one of their ensign bearers led hurt into the town, whereof he died forthwith: the footmen were governed by divers Captains, who, charging the Papists in their trenches, made them forsake them, and loose their culuerynes, which were forthwith choked and fire put in five or six barrels of powder. They took also in this disarray an ensign of the footmen, with many other arms and armours of the Catholics, carrying all into the town whether they retired assoon as they had effected their enterprise: they killed in this sally about thirty or forty Catholics, and losing but one of their own which was hurt in the retreat, besides him that set the powder on fire, who was a little singed.  
Not many days after this sally, the Catholics removed their Canons planted in the entry of the Suburbs d'Aulnis, and pitched them upon the brink of the ditch on the right side of the castle, very near the battered fort of the gate. There were in this battery six Canons, beating as well within the entry of the said fort, as against the Wall from it to the castle, which was also beaten with the other three Canons afore said. The Coluerins ceased not also to thunder as well flankerwyse as to the old breach.  
This battery was of such violent force, that in three days and an half (which was the space it endured) there were discharged above xv. or xuj hundredth shots of Canons, and many killed that laboured to relieve the breach. In which vehement extremity, the L. the Pills sent out by the Port Matta, the same Gentleman, whom he used afore in the supply of succours: by whose second diligence, the Lord de S. Auban, a gentleman of Dauphin accompanied with xl horsemen, enterprised to come to the relief and succour of the said Town: Who (notwithstanding) was so encountered in the way, as he was forced to retire with the loss of three of his people, and also the Gentleman his guide.  
The xxix day of November, Sebastian Luxenbourg, Count de Martigue, Knight of the Order, captain of fifty men at arms, and Lieutenant general to the King in his Duchy and country of Britain, being at the battery, was strooken in the head with a harquebushot, whereof he died, to the general grief of the Papists.  
In the beginning of December, about nine of the clock in the morning the catholics demanded to parley with the Lord de Pills, whereunto he listened with less difficulty, in respect he was not furnished with munition of war for one assault more if it had been offered, neither had he hope to be so speedily succoured as his peril required: which was the cause that the two of this month, after he had established extreme acts and provisions for the guard of the said Town, he was enforced to tender it upon the covenants following:  
1 That the Protestants should departed the Town their goods saved, with their horses and armour and banner displayed.  
2 That they should not bear Arms for the general cause of Religion in four months after.  
3 That their whole companies, as well strangers as inhabitants, might retire whither they would in all surety.  
4 That they should be safeconducted to their place of surety where so ever it were, by the Lord de Byron: according to which composition▪ the morrow after, the iij. of this month, S. Fean d'Angely was yielded into the hands of the Lord de Guy●●iers. The Lord de Pills departing the same day about noon, by the Port de Matta with eight hundredth footmen of all sorts, and about. C. horsemen, taking his way to wards Angoulesme. Notwithstanding, the conduct and presence of the said Lord de Byron, the most part of the footmen were spoiled and diverse slain, and the baggage of the horsemen taken against their promiss of faith. During this siege, died in the town about a hundredth soldiers & certain numbers of labourers: of the catholics' side, without the town, died aswell of the hand of the enemy as by diseases, about two thousand, amongst which were many great Lords, gentlemen and Captains slain, as the great Master of the artillery, whose office was given to the said Lord de Byron: the government of the town was given to the Lord de Guitiniers, and for the guard of it, the king bestowed eight companies of footmen: The same day the King, Queen mother, the Cardinal of Lorraine, with diverse great Lords of the Court, entered the town, and visited aswell the fort of the ga●e▪ Aulnis, and the Castle, as the first breach of the Tower on the brickwall, & so returned to their places, where they were lodged afore.  
Certain of the Catholics (immediately after the town was given over) went towards the yles of Marans and Mare●●●es, held of long by them of the religion, from whence they were now withdrawn by special commandment from Rochel, whereby the catholics entered and seized upon them without resistance.  
In this time were erecuted in France certain judgements definitive, pronounced afore against those of the reform religion, whose processes were begun and pursued by the king's procurers from the beginning of the wars, aswell against such as were out of the realm, as those that maintained part with the Princes. The first sort sorsooke the realm immediately after the second peace, as being denied to enter their houses & goods contrary to the covenants of the same, and less able to live (without mortal peril to their people) in the towns of their proper habitation, being filled with garrisons of the contrary faction, as hath been touched in the beginning of these discourses: the other sort, (forced eftsoons to fall into arms) were knit and tied to the army of the Princes, to resist the voluntary infringers of the peace, and conjured enemies to the whole realm: both the one and other were proceeded against by personal adiornements in three short days, and for default of appearance their goods were seized to the kings use, and governed by special Commissioners of sequestration: many idle officers busied themselves to effect the execution of their goods: in many provinces the said judgements did suspend and hung, until after the battle of Montgontour, when they awarded general and speedy process against all men by defaults, proceeding to execution in Effigy and adiudication of their goods to the King, wherein (such was the liberal zeal of the Judges) that they executed by Effigy, such as were dead long time before.  
It hath been said before that the L. de Sansac left the siege of Vezeley by reason his cannons miscarried: and now having got new provision of Artillery to the number of twelve or thirteen pieces, and being withal advertised by certain of the Town of Vezeley that the Lord de Traues, with a great part of the Nobility present at the first siege, were departed and left the Town, came to besiege it of fresh: He battered still the tower of the Port du Barle, right against the watering place: soon after he removed his battery to that side of the grey Friars, following with so vehement an assault, that they came to hand strokes upon the breaches, albeit he was repulsed. During this siege, Albert de la Chasse, a Bourgeys of the Town, wrote letters to the catholics, revealing the partieular state of the Town: He threw his letters over the brickwall into a field where the catholics came and found them: and as he was going to the Wall with a letter, ready to convey to the enemy, he was taken with the fact, and charging a school master, as party to his treason, were both hanged forthwith.  
The battery was such, as there were spent above three thousand and five hundredth shots of Canon, and all not able to force the Protestants, which made the Lord Sansac raise his siege the xvij of December. 1569. losing in this siege about xu hundredth men, amongst whom the Lord de Foyssy, Colonel of his footmen was hurt to death with a shot upon the trenches. Within the Town, amongst others, M. jaques Perrin, a Minister, was killed with a Canon.  
The war did still aggravate in diverse places of the Realm contrary to the opinion of such as thought it should have qualified and utterly quenched by the battle at Montgontour. They of Charité (whereof hath been spoken before) strengthened themselves with great numbers of men of war come with the Lord de Bricquemau and Borry, with their retinue: they maintained ordinary war against the garrisons of the catholics thereabouts, making many enterprises, & one winning of an other.  
The L. de Lespau a gentleman of Berry & one called lafoy Rose, sergeant mayor to Sanserre, attempted an enterprise upon the town of Bourges in Berry, by mean of intelligence with a Soldier of the Town, called Vrsin palus, to whom was promised a great sum of money with a bill for the assurance payable within two months after he had satisfied his promise: This enterprise had been of long practised, and for the execution of it, the parties to the practice, imparted it with the Lord de Bricquemau, de Guercy (Lieutenant to the Lord Admiral, over his men of Arms, and Governor at the present of charity for the King, under the Princes) to the Lord de Borry, Baron of Reury, des Essartz, with others Lords and Captains in those quarters: Who understanding the enterprise at large with the means to execute it, judged with it as a thing very convenient to be pursued.  
This Vrsyn palus in the mean while revealed it to the Lord de la Charstre gonernour of the town of Bourges and country of Berry, and also to captain Martin keeper of the great tower of Burges, who advised him to entertain the enterprise and assure to them of charity, day, place and mean to effect it, who likewise applied himself to their instructions.  
In the mean while the said Governor of Charstres omitting no preparative fit to welcome them, devised gins of fire and trains of powder within the ditches of the place asseigned: He bestowed also two grates, the one at the entry of the little Fort, and the other at the door or false port by which they enter into the great tower: bringing lastly into the town diverse horsemen and footmen Italians, for their better surety and defence.  
The day and hour special for this purpose, was asseigned by the said palus, on S. Thomas night, the one and twentieth of December at two of the clock at after midnight, which they of charity failed not to observe in point. And because they were dispersed in diverse places, the place of general meeting was at Baugy, a Castle taken before by the baron of Reury, about six leagues from Bourges: There met about a M. or twelve. C. harquebusheares on foot of the troops of the Lord Borry and Loruaye, with three cornets of horsemen guided by the Lord Bricquemau, all which in very good point observed both the hour and place asseigned called lafoy Grange Francois half a league from Bourges, where likewise met them the said Vrsin palus, assuring them still of the facilytie of the enterprise, and that he bring them to the great tower without danger, whereunto (to cover all cause of doubt) he offered to be their first leader.  
They of the religion under the faith of his word, made march first and foremost, with him the Lord de Lespau, accompanied with twelve, aswell Captains as soldiers, and entered by a wicket toward the fort of the false port, where they pitched ladders to enter within the false port, which was five foot above ground. After him entered the baron Reury with five and twenty men, and then the Lord de Sarts with fifty soldiers to sustain the first: but as his troop entered, the cords of the grate were cut, when they also within applied their several engines to use and put fire to the trains, and at the instant the artillery bestowed in flanks thundered upon them that were to enter, as also Captain Martin, with his number of armed men, charged such as were unhappily entered, who seeing themselves and enterprise betrayed, devised and laboured for their safety aswell as they could: some leapt from the brickwall down, some got out of the grate, the same being somewhat higher because Buysiere, steward to the late Lord d'Autricour was enclosed under it, being notwithstanding taken from thence by his company, who not able otherwise to effect their enterprise, were constrained to retire.  
They killed of them of the Religion twelve or fourteen aswell captains as soldiers, and almost as many kept prisoners within the town, besides such as were hurt, the Lord de Lespau, the baron of Reurye, de Lessarts, des miles, with certain other were taken within the gross tower.  
After this, they of Bourges fearing the courses that they of the religion made even to their gates, advertised the king of their necessity, who succoured them speedily with six cornets of horsemen, which had been before at the siege of S. jean d'Angely, they arrived at Bourges upon the end of December.  
The Princes being come to Montauban, (as is said) executed the cause of their coming, adjoining to their army the forces of the two viscounts and Montgomerye.  
In this time the king sent back to Poyctyers, the Duke d'Aumall, with three cannons, and one culuerine guided by the Lord de Govas' and his regiment of footmen: And so bestowing his campin garrisons to winter (lycensing afore the Italians to go home) his Majesty came to the Town of Angiers, wherein hath been since (as is said) certain conference for peace. (⸫)    

Imprinted at London, by Henry Bynneman, dwelling in Knight rider street, at the sign of the Mermaid: For Lucas Harrison and George Bishop.