to the
past, and he will see how every time that our internal quarrels have
brought powers from beyond the Alps into Italy, these have oppressed and
lorded over her."

Terribly verified as these words were destined to be--and they were no
less prophetic in their political sagacity than Savonarola's prediction
of the Sword and bloody Scourge--it was now too late to avert the coming
ruin. On March 1, 1494, Charles was with his army at Lyons. Early in
September he had crossed the pass of Mont Genevre and taken up his
quarters in the town of Asti. There is no need to describe in detail the
holiday march of the French troops through Lombardy, Tuscany, and Rome,
until, without having struck a blow of consequence, the gates of Naples
opened to receive the conqueror upon February 22, 1495. Philippe de
Comines, who parted from the king at Asti and passed the winter as his
envoy at Venice, has more than once recorded his belief that nothing but
the direct interposition of Providence could have brought so mad an
expedition to so successful a conclusion. "Dieu monstroit conduire
l'entreprise." No sooner, however, was Charles installed in Naples than
the states of Italy began to combine against him. Lodovico Sforza had
availed himself of the general confusion consequent upon the first
appearance of the French, to poison his nephew. He was, therefore, now
the titular, as well as virtual, Lord of Milan. So far, he had achieved
what he desired, and had no further need of Charles. The overtures he
now made to the Venetians and the Pope terminated in a league between
these powers for the expulsion of the French from Italy. Germany and
Spain entered into the same alliance; and De Comines, finding himself
treated with marked coldness by the Signory of Venice, despatched a
courier to warn Charles in Naples of the coming danger. After a stay of
only fifty days in his new capital, the French king hurried northward.
Moving quickly through the Papal States and Tuscany, he engaged his
troops in the passes of the Apennines near Pontremoli, and on July 5th,
1495, took up his quarters in the village of Fornovo. De Comines reckons
that his whole fighting force at this time did not exceed nine thousand
men, with fourteen pieces of artillery. Against him at the opening of
the valley was the army of the League, numbering some thirty-five
thousand men, of whom three fourths were supplied by Venice, the rest by
Lodovico Sforza and the German emperor. Fra