pped at his own expense he was fortunate enough to assist his old
master in relieving the siege of the city.

But this was the only fortune which fell to the Gruyere banner during
the various campaigns in which he was engaged. "Fanfarront" and proud,
the new and richly embroidered flag he commanded represented the
symbolic and hitherto honorable "Grue," in a guise as "fanfarront" as
Count Michel himself. Assuming the title of prince, and for his
poverty-stricken little domain the powers and independence of a royal
principality, he was not content to furnish the two thousand men
required by the king, but rashly undertook to double the number. Still
more rashly he left the levee of these troops to a delegate, who hastily
assembled a motley and disreputable collection of untrained men from all
parts of the country, with a few ignorant peasants from Gruyere itself
who were in no way fitted to sustain the valorous reputation of their
country. Detained by the quarrels which against all advice he
continually pursued with Geneva and Berne, he delegated his command of
these troops to the same untrustworthy agent who had collected them, a
certain Sire de Cugy of Vaud. At a critical moment in the battle of
Cerisolles this helpless band of peasants not surprisingly took to their
heels and seriously endangered the victory of the French. The other
Swiss soldiers sustained their old reputation with prodigies of valor,
but upon the Gruyeriens were lavished every epithet of contempt. The
pitiful episode was the object of many royal witticisms. To the king
who "supposed that they were of the same stuff as the Confederates," his
chronicler du Bellay replied that "it was folly to disguise an ass as a
charger"----"Why pay these cowards," asked the king in return, "who fled
like _Grues hier_?"

How important the little Swiss province was considered among the great
kingdoms of Europe, was again shown in the multitude and variety of
observations in the contemporary memoirs upon the conduct of the men who
untruthfully called themselves Gruyeriens. A comment of Rabelais in his
Pantagruel, adds to the general reproach. "It has always been the custom
in war, to double pay for the day when the battle is won. With victory
there is profit and somewhat for payment; with defeat, it is shame to
demand reward, as did the runaways of Gruyere after the battle of
Serizolles." Thus Rabelais mocked the last Gruyere soldiers as Tasso
praised the first, and an