well-being of Mantua depended upon that of Milan. All the marquis
ventured to do was to send his brother Giovanni, with a troop of horse,
to help Lodovico in the siege of Novara, which he now attacked with the
aid of fifty pieces of artillery sent from Innsbruck.

Meanwhile his foes were every day gaining strength. King Louis had
hastily collected a large army of French lances and Swiss mercenaries
under La Tremouille at Asti, who entered Lombardy, and marched to
relieve Trivulzio and Ligny at Mortara. On the other hand, the French
troops who had gone with Yves d'Allegre to assist Caesar Borgia in the
siege of Forli and conquest of Romagna, speedily retraced their steps to
relieve the garrison of Novara. But they could not hold out against the
furious assaults of the Germans and Burgundians, and on the 21st of
March the castle surrendered, and the garrison marched out with the
honours of war. Two days afterwards La Tremouille reached Vercelli at
the head of his powerful army, and succeeded in effecting a junction
with Trivulzio's forces. This put an end to the Moro's brilliant
successes, and it became evident to all that the unequal contest could
not be maintained much longer. Seeing himself outnumbered and surrounded
on all sides, Lodovico threw himself into Novara, and early in April was
besieged there in his turn. But the Swiss, who formed the bulk of his
force, murmured because they were not allowed to pillage the towns, and
began to communicate secretly with their comrades in the hostile camp.
The Moro had sent Galeazzo Visconti to Berne, and at his request the
Helvetian Diet issued orders to the Swiss in both armies, forbidding
them to fight against their comrades. But the French envoy, Antoine de
Bussy, bribed the herald who bore the message to Novara, and only the
Swiss in the Moro's service received orders to lay down their arms. The
result was that when Lodovico's captains led them out to meet the enemy,
they refused to fight, and withdrew in confusion into the city. In vain
the duke offered them his silver plate and jewels, till he could obtain
money from Milan, and begged them to return to the battle. In vain
Galeazzo, at the head of his Lombards, charged the foe gallantly,
killing many of them with his artillery and putting the others to
flight. He and his brothers fought desperately, till the sword was
broken in Galeazzo's hands and Fracassa was badly wounded. But all their
heroism was of no avail. Trivulzi