him of all those advantages which he
purposed to extort from him. He then paid him a visit in the castle
of Madrid; and as he approached the bed in which Francis lay, the sick
monarch called to him, "You come, sir, to visit your prisoner." "No,"
replied the emperor, "I come to visit my brother and my friend, who
shall soon obtain his liberty." He soothed his afflictions with many
speeches of a like nature, which had so good an effect that the king
daily recovered;[*] and thenceforth employed himself in concerting with
the ministers of the emperor the terms of his treaty.

* Herbert. Le Vera. Sandoval.

{1526.} At last, the emperor, dreading a general combination against
him, was willing to abate somewhat of his rigor: and the treaty of
Madrid was signed, by which, it was hoped an end would be finally put
to the differences between these great monarchs. The principal condition
was the restoring of Francis's liberty, and the delivery of his two
eldest sons as hostages to the emperor for the cession of Burgundy. If
any difficulty should afterwards occur in the execution of this last
article, from the opposition of the states either of France or of that
province, Francis stipulated, that in six weeks' time, he should return
to his prison, and remain there till the full performance of the treaty.
There were many other articles in this famous convention, all of them
extremely severe upon the captive monarch; and Charles discovered
evidently his intention of reducing Italy, as well as France, to
subjection and dependence.

Many of Charles's ministers foresaw that Francis, how solemn soever the
oaths, promises, and protestations exacted of him, never would execute
a treaty so disadvantageous, or rather ruinous and destructive, to
himself, his posterity, and his country. By putting Burgundy, they
thought, into the emperor's hands, he gave his powerful enemy an
entrance into the heart of the kingdom: by sacrificing his allies
in Italy, he deprived himself of foreign assistance; and, arming his
oppressor with the whole force and wealth of that opulent country,
rendered him absolutely irresistible. To these great views of interest
were added the motives, no less cogent, of passion and resentment; while
Francis, a prince who piqued himself on generosity, reflected on the
rigor with which he had been treated during his captivity, and the
severe terms which had been exacted of him for the recovery of his
liberty. It was also