ughing at this speech, and went on as far as the
bridge to finish the passing-in-review of his army, which was showing
marvellous diligence." As he was conversing with Bayard, who had come in
search of him, they noticed not far from them a troop of twenty or thirty
Spanish gentlemen, all mounted, amongst whom was Captain Pedro de Paz,
leader of all their jennettiers [light cavalry, mounted on Spanish horses
called jennets]. "The good knight advanced twenty or thirty paces and
saluted them, saying, 'Gentlemen, you are diverting your-selves, as we
are, whilst waiting for the regular game to begin; I pray you let there
be no firing of arquebuses on your side, and there shall be no firing at
you on ours.'" The courtesy was reciprocated. "Sir Bayard," asked Don
Pedro de Paz, who is yon lord in such goodly array, and to whom your
folks show so much honor?" "It is our chief, the Duke of Nemours,"
answered Bayard; "nephew of our prince, and brother of your queen."
[Germaine de Foix, Gaston de Foix's sister, had married, as his second
wife, Ferdinand the Catholic.] Hardly had he finished speaking, when
Captain Pedro de Paz and all those who were with him dismounted and
addressed the noble prince in these words: "Sir, save the honor and
service due to the king our master, we declare to you that we are, and
wish forever to remain, your servants." The Duke of Nemours thanked them
gallantly for their gallant homage, and, after a short, chivalrous
exchange of conversation, they went, respectively, to their own posts.
The artillery began by causing great havoc on both sides. "'Od's body,"
said a Spanish captain shut up in a fort which the French were attacking,
and which he had been charged to defend, "we are being killed here by
bolts that fall from heaven; go we and fight with men;" and he sallied
from the fort with all his people, to go and take part in the general
battle. "Since God created heaven and earth," says the Loyal Serviteur
of Bayard, "was never seen a more cruel and rough assault than that which
French and Spaniards made upon one another, and for more than a long half
hour lasted this fight. They rested before one another's eyes to recover
their breath; then they let down their vizors and so began all over
again, shouting, France! and Spain! the most imperiously in the world.
At last the Spaniards were utterly broken, and constrained to abandon
their camp, whereon, and between two ditches, died three or four hundr