said to him, 'My lord, I ask of you nothing save
only that you may be pleased to extend your courtesy so far as to get me
back my horse and my arms that I brought into this city, and so send me
away to my garrison, which is twenty miles hence; you would do me a very
great kindness, for which I shall all my life feel bounden to you; and,
barring my duty to the king my master and saving my honor, I would show
my gratitude for it in whatsoever it might please you to command me.'
'In good faith,' said Lord Ludovico, 'you shall have presently that which
you do ask for.' And then he said to the Lord John Bernardino, 'At once,
Sir Captain, let his horse be found, his arms and all that is his.'
'My lord,' answered the captain, 'it is right easy to find, it is all at
my quarters.' He sent forthwith two or three servants, who brought the
arms and led up the horse of the good young knight; and Lord Ludovico had
him armed before his eyes. When he was accoutred, the young knight
leaped upon his horse without putting foot to stirrup; then he asked for
a lance, which was handed to him, and, raising his eyes, he said to Lord
Ludovico, 'My lord, I thank you for the courtesy you have done me; please
God to pay it back to you.' He was in a fine large court-yard; then he
began to set spurs to his horse, the which gave four or five jumps, so
gayly that it could not be better done; then the young knight gave him a
little run, in the which he broke the lance against the ground into five
or six pieces; whereat Lord Ludovico was not over pleased, and said out
loud, 'If all the men-at-arms of France were like him yonder, I should
have a bad chance.' Nevertheless he had a trumpeter told off to conduct
him to his garrison." [Histoire du bon Chevalier sans Peur et sans
Reproche, t. i. pp. 212-216.]

For Ludovic the Moor's chance to be bad it was not necessary that the
men-at-arms of France should all be like Chevalier Bayard. Louis XII.,
so soon as he heard of the Milanese insurrection, sent into Italy Louis
de la Tremoille, the best of his captains, and the Cardinal d'Amboise,
his privy councillor and his friend, the former to command the royal
troops, French and Swiss, and the latter "for to treat about the
reconciliation of the rebel towns, and to deal with everything as if it
were the king in his own person." The campaign did not last long. The
Swiss who had been recruited by Ludovic and those who were in Louis
XII.'s service had no mi