to
prove to him that he has not kept faith with us. God shall judge betwixt
us. Father herald, and you, trumpeter, ye have heard what we had to say
to you; report it to your master. Away!" Independently of their natural
haughtiness, the Venetians were puffed up with the advantages they had
obtained in a separate campaign against the Emperor Maximilian, and
flattered themselves that they would manage to conquer, one after the
other, or to split up, or to tire out, their enemies; and they prepared
energetically for war. Louis XII., on his side, got together an army
with a strength of twenty-three hundred lances (about thirteen thousand
mounted troops), ten to twelve thousand French foot, and six or eight
thousand Swiss. He sent for Chevalier Bayard, already famous, though
still quite a youth. "Bayard," said he, "you know that I am about to
cross the mountains, for to bring to reason the Venetians, who by great
wrong withhold from me the countship of Cremona and other districts.
I give to you from this present time the company of Captain Chatelard,
who they tell me is dead, whereat I am distressed; but I desire that in
this enterprise you have under your charge men afoot; your lieutenant-
captain, Pierrepont [Pierre de Pont d'Albi, a Savoyard gentle-man, and
Bayard's nephew], who is a very good man, shall lead your men-at-arms."
"Sir," answered Bayard, "I will do what pleaseth you; but how many men
afoot will you be pleased to hand over to me to lead?" "A thousand,"
said the king: "there is no man that hath more." "Sir," replied Bayard,
"it is a many for my poor wits; I do entreat you to be content that I
have five hundred; and I pledge you my faith, sir, that I will take pains
to choose such as shall do you service; meseems that for one man it is a
very heavy charge, if he would fain do his duty therewith." "Good!" said
the king: "go, then, quickly into Dauphiny, and take heed that you be in
my duchy of Milan by the end of March." Bayard forthwith set out to
raise and choose his foot; a proof of the growing importance of infantry,
and of the care taken by Louis XII. to have it commanded by men of war of
experience and popularity.

[Illustration: Battle of Agnadello----334]

On the 14th of May, 1509, the French army and the Venetian army, of
nearly equal strength, encountered near the village of Agnadello, in the
province of Lodi, on the banks of the Adda. Louis XII. commanded his in
person, with Louis de la