Leonora D'Orco: A Historical Romance

by G. P. R. James

  CHAPTER XXVIII.

  "From this, sire, I am of opinion," continued the Cardinal Bishop ofSt. Malo, after having given a long exposition of his views in regardto the state of Italy, "that it would be wise for your Majesty to sendsome high dignitary of the Church to confer with the pope, andendeavour to detach him from the League, of which people speak somuch, and of which Monsieur de Commines is so much afraid. HisHoliness can hardly be supposed to be sincerely attached to it, andwill doubtless yield to some slight inducements. At the same time, Iwill send messengers to Monsieur de Commines, instructing him tonegotiate with the Venetians concerning a commercial treaty and aguarantee of the coasts of Italy against the invasion of the Turks.There is nothing, to my eye, very formidable in the treaty between theItalian powers, which was fairly and openly published at the Vatican,and in which his Majesty was invited to take part. It is not usual formonarchs to be asked to fight against themselves, and I cannot butbelieve that the objects of the confederation have been plainly andcandidly stated, notwithstanding the terrors of Monsieur de Commines,who has now somewhat of the timidity of age about him."

  The prelate looked round the council-board, at which were seated someof the most distinguished soldiers of France, and it was evident, fromthe self-satisfied features of his countenance, that he thought he hadmade a very effectual and convincing speech. He was destined to bemuch disappointed, however; for, though Montpensier and several othersheld their tongues, a somewhat sarcastic smile curled the lips of theold soldiers, and La Tremouille probably spoke the universalsentiment, though in rather an abrupt and discourteous way.

  "There spoke a priest," he said, "my lord the king; this is a councilof war, I think, and though I could not probably celebrate mass aswell as monseigneur here can cook a ragout, yet I think I knowsomewhat more of war than he does, and perhaps as much of policy.Commines is not alarmed without cause.

  "Put by paltering with naked facts, and you will find the case tostand thus: The most formidable league, probably, that ever was formedagainst a King of France, has been entered into by the Venetians, theDuke of Lombardy, all the petty princes of the North of Italy, theKing of Spain, the Emperor of Germany, and the King of the Romans. Allthese are jealous of your Majesty's conquest of Naples, and the pope,knowing that he has given you good cause of offence, hates you becausehe has done you wrong, has broken his treaty with you, and fulfillednot one single promise that he made, except giving cardinals' hats tothe Bishop of St. Malo and the Archbishop of Rouen. He also has joinedthe league against you. There is one plain fact.

  "Now for another, sire. Your enemies are in an active state ofpreparation. The Venetians have levied large forces, both ofmen-at-arms, of infantry, and of light Albanian cavalry. TheseStradiotes are scouring all Lombardy. The Duke of Milan alone has aforce in the field superior in numbers to any your Majesty can bringagainst him. The houses of Este and Gonzaga are both in arms; thefleets of Genoa and Venice are both upon the sea to cut off yourreinforcements, and the King of Spain is hurrying his preparations,not alone to bar your passage into France, but to attack your Frenchdominions.

  "Now, sire, it does not behove the high officers of your Majesty'scrown and army to risk the perdition of their monarch for an oldwoman's tale or a churchman's delays. What is the advice we are boundto give you? To remain here shut up in this remote corner of Italytill your enemies gather strength every day, attack you on all sides,and sweep us up, as one of these Neapolitan fishermen sweeps up thefish in his net? Certainly not. The only course, then, is for you toreturn to France. Can you return by sea? It is impossible; we have noships at hand to carry us, and if we had, there are superior fleetsupon the water. By land, then, is the only way--I was going tosay--still open, but I can hardly say that, for De Vitry here tells methat troops are gathering fast upon the Taro. But they are not yet insufficient numbers to be of much account."

  "But, Monsieur de la Tremouille," said the king, interrupting him,"would you have me abandon Naples, after all it has cost us to acquireit?"

  "That does not follow, sire," replied La Tremouille; "You can garrisonthe principal strong places of this kingdom, and then, with the restof the army, march, lance in hand, to the frontier of France. I willundertake, upon my head, that we cut our way through if we set out atonce; if we delay, God only knows what will be the result. Ourjunction once effected with the Duke of Orleans, we have nothing moreto fear, and may then either turn upon this Ludovic the Moor andchastise his many crimes, or gathering fresh forces in France, returnto Naples, and set all our enemies at defiance. This is my advice. Iknow not what is the opinion of the other lords here present."

  "I go with my good cousin, sire," said Montpensier: "and if it beneedful, and your Majesty so commands, I am ready to remain here inNaples, and do my best to keep the kingdom for you till you can returnyourself or send me reinforcements."

  Every member of the council, with the exception of thebitterly-mortified Cardinal of St. Malo, concurred in the views of LaTremouille.

  Charles still hesitated, and ended by endeavouring to combine theadvice of his minister with that of his generals. He gave orders toprepare for immediate departure, and sent prelates to the pope, andletters to his ambassador at Venice. The appearance of the first inRome served to warn Alexander to fly from the approach of the Frencharmy; the receipt of the latter in Venice only served to hasten thepreparations of the Venetians to oppose the king's passage. But stillwith some vacillation of purpose, before the council rose hequestioned De Vitry as to the nature and source of the intelligence hehad received regarding the concentration of troops upon the Taro.

  "I have got the man here without, sire," replied De Vitry; "shall Icall him in, that your Majesty may examine him yourself?"

  The king bowed his head, and a moment after Antonio was in hispresence. The scene was somewhat imposing, for all the greatest men ofFrance--those who had served their country--those who had madethemselves a name in history, were present round that council-board;but I fear, Antonio's was not a very reverent nature. It was not alonethat he had but small respect for dignities, but that he had as littlefor what are generally considered great actions. Doughty deeds were tohim but splendid follies; and he felt more reverence in the presenceof a woman suckling her babe than he would have felt for C?sar in hishour of triumph. If he was a philosopher, it was certainly of theschool of the cynics.

  On the present occasion he appeared before the King of France withperfect unconcern; perhaps there was a little vanity in it, for heargued, "They may know more about some things, but my mother-wit is asgood as theirs, and may be better. Why should I stand in awe of men,many of whom are inferior to myself, and few superior?"

  "Well, sir, tell what you know of this matter," said the king, takingit for granted that De Vitry had told him why he was brought within.

  "Of what matter, sire?" asked Antonio; "I know a good deal of severalmatters."

  "I mean of what is taking place beyond the mountains," said the king."I thought Monsieur De Vitry had explained."

  "He merely told me to come to your Majesty's presence," repliedAntonio. "As to what is taking place beyond the mountains, sire, thereare many things I wish were not. It is now the month of May, and theprospects of the harvest are but poor. There is plenty of it, but thecrop is likely to be bad--spears and bucklers instead of wheat andfurrows, sire, and blood and tears instead of gentle rain and lightairs."

  "Be more precise, sirrah," said the Cardinal of St. Malo, sharply; "wewant facts, and not any more moralizing."

  "Heaven forbid that I should moralize in your Eminence's presence,"replied Antonio, with great gravity; "but if his Majesty wishes toknow what I saw on my journey from this place to Florence and backagain, I will deliver it at large."

  "Pray spare yourself that trouble," said De Vitry, interposing;"merely tell, and that as briefly as possible, my good friend, whatyou told me just now about the state of the country, especially on theother side of the Apennines."

  "Why, my lord, the peop
le are arming all through Romagna and the PapalStates," replied Antonio. "I have never seen such an arming in Italybefore. There is not a small baron or a vicar of the Church who is notgetting men together; and had it been know I was in the Frenchservice, I could not have passed; from which I argue that all thispreparation bodes no good to France. Then, as to the other side of themountains, I saw nothing with my own eyes. But I heard from amuleteer, who had been plundered of his packs by the Albanians, thatabout Fornovo and Badia there is a Venetian force of several thousandmen--a thousand lances, he said, at the least, besides foot-soldiers,and that the Stradiotes were scouring the country right and left, andbringing in food and fodder to a camp they are forming near Badia onthe Taro. Another told me that on the road near Placenza he had passeda force of some five thousand men marching towards the mountains; andthe report ran that his Highness of Orleans had been stopped nearNovara by a superior army and forced to throw himself into thatplace."

  "That accounts for there being no letter, sire," said La Tremouille.

  "He surely could have found means of sending us intelligence," saidCharles; "it is always customary, I believe, my lords, to send morecouriers than one, and by different routes."

  "No French courier could pass, sire," said Antonio; "there arebarriers across the whole of Italy, whose sole business is to cut offall communication between your Majesty and your French dominions."

  "Then how did you pass?" exclaimed the king, somewhat irritated by theman's boldness.

  "Because I can be a Frenchman when I like and an Italian when I like,may it please your Majesty," replied Antonio; "this time I thought fitto be an Italian, and that saved me."

  "I would fain have the man asked," said La Tremouille, "if he knows bywhom those bands are commanded, led, or instigated."

  "I know nothing but by common report," replied Antonio, "and she is astumbling jade upon whom it is not well to rest weighty matters.However, she sometimes stumbles right, and the general rumourthroughout the whole country was that his Eminence the Cardinal C?sarBorgia was at the bottom of the whole. Certain it is that the men whostopped and robbed the muleteer professed themselves to be hissoldiers."

  "I cannot believe it," said the king; "he was wrong in leaving ourcamp it is true, when he had voluntarily surrendered himself as ahostage, but in all our communications he showed reverence for thecrown of France, and professed respect and affection for our person."

  A slight smile came upon the lips of several of the counsellors, whohad learned by experience the difference between professions andrealities, but no one ventured to assail the king's opinion, andshortly after Antonio was dismissed; but it was only to give place tothe king's provost, who came to report very unmistakable signs ofmutiny and sedition in the city of Naples itself. From his account itappeared that even those who had been most discontented with theArragonese princes, and had greeted most warmly the entrance ofCharles into Naples, longed for the restoration of the old dynasty,and were, step by step, advancing towards revolt.

  "They are an ungrateful people," said Charles; "have I not freed themfrom taxes and burdens insupportable?"

  "Yes, sire," replied bluff La Tremouille; "but I must say in theirfavour that if _you_ have freed them, some of our good friends haveburdened them sufficiently. In fact, your Majesty, it has been but achange in the nature, not in the weight of the load, and the old storygoes, if I recollect right, that the ass who carried the gold, foundhis pack quite as heavy as the ass who carried the hay."

  "You are somewhat bold," replied the king, with a frowning brow.

  "I am, sire," replied the undaunted soldier; "perhaps too bold, and Ican crave your pardon on the plea that I am rendered bold by my zealfor your Majesty's service. The people of the whole kingdom we know tobe discontented at the end of three short months. Now, as your Majestyhas shown yourself full of the kindest and most liberal feelingstowards them, this discontent can only be produced by the exactionsand peculations of inferior persons. I mention it now, whatever it mayproduce, because I sincerely hope and trust that Naples may everremain a dependency of the French crown; and it will be necessary thatthese things be examined into very closely, in order that the countrymay be rendered a willing and attached dependency, rather than ahot-bed of mutiny and discontent--a sore in the side of France."

  "You mean well, I know," said the king, rising; "let all preparationsbe made with speed to commence our march at the earliest possible day.Montpensier, we will confer with you privately on the defence andmaintenance of the kingdom at the hour of noon--that is to say," hecontinued, with a faint smile, "if you can contrive to rise so earlyin the morning."

  Thus saying, Charles quitted the council chamber with a sad feeling ofthe weight and difficulty, the care and anxiety, the duty andresponsibility of a crown.