ence and Dauphiny: Henry
agreed to pay him a hundred thousand crowns for the first month; after
which he might either choose to continue the same monthly payments,
or invade Picardy with a powerful army. Bourbon was to possess these
provinces with the title of king; but to hold them in fee of Henry as
king of France. The duchy of Burgundy was to be given to Charles; the
rest of the kingdom to Henry. This chimerical partition immediately
failed of execution in the article which was most easily performed:
Bourbon refused to acknowledge Henry as king of France. His enterprise,
however, against Provence still took place. A numerous army of
imperialists invaded that country, under his command and that of the
marquis of Pescara. They laid siege to Marseilles, which, being weakly
garrisoned, they expected to reduce in a little time; but the citizens
defended themselves with such valor and obstinacy, that Bourbon and
Pescara, who heard of the French king's approach with a numerous army,
found themselves under the necessity of raising the siege; and they led
their forces, weakened, baffled, and disheartened, into Italy.

Francis might now have enjoyed in safety the glory of repulsing all his
enemies, in every attempt which they had hitherto made for invading
his kingdom; but as he received intelligence that the king of England,
discouraged by his former fruitless enterprises, and disgusted with
the emperor, was making no preparations for any attempt on Picardy, his
ancient ardor seized him for the conquest of Milan; and notwithstanding
the advanced season, he was immediately determined, contrary to the
advice of his wisest counsellors, to lead his army into Italy.

He passed the Alps at Mount Cenis, and no sooner appeared in Piedmont
than he threw the whole Milanese into consternation. The forces of the
emperor and Sforza retired to Lodi; and had Francis been so fortunate
as to pursue them, they had abandoned that place, and had been totally
dispersed;[*] but his ill fate led him to besiege Pavia, a town of
considerable strength, well garrisoned, and defended by Leyva, one of
the bravest officers in the Spanish service. Every attempt which the
French king made to gain this important place proved fruitless. He
battered the walls and made breaches; but, by the vigilance of Leyva,
new retrenchments were instantly thrown up behind the breaches: he
attempted to divert the course of the Tesin, which ran by one side of
the city and de