fight with enemies, of whom they say, 'Would that God had given us
such for a daily exercise in the art of war.' In fact, they raised a
warlike laugh as often as they caught a glimpse of the _landsknechts_,
not because they esteemed them cowardly and despicable antagonists, but
because they were found by them on the side of the enemy and beaten
oftener than they conquered. Although the _landsknechts_ saw the naked,
white bodies, they still fled, giving a free passage over the river.
The Confederates now marched on to Pavia, which was surrounded and
taken in a few days in the following manner. Some single combats had
preceded. Six Frenchmen had called out four confederates and were
killed. Two others challenged a chamois-hunter from the Canton of
Glarus. This pleased him. One he shot down with his gun; the other he
attacked with the sword. The French, trusting the walls as little as
their courage, meditate flight and wish to cover it by the
_landsknechts_, whom they address thus, 'You see, brave comrades, be it
chance or be it fate, the luck of war has forsaken France. We must
think of retreat, if we cannot count on victory. Our camp is full of
despair. Your former boldness must expect to-day the most illustrious
trial. Act up to your reputation! We, the heavy and the light armed,
will occupy that part of the city, which stretches along the Mincio,[6]
before the enemy presses in there and cuts off the way of escape. Thus
will we secure the safety of all. If we cannot conquer now, we must try
to keep our lives to do it hereafter, as Demosthenes says. So that no
one may suspect us of treachery we leave with you the artillery, the
pledge of our hope.' The credulous foot-soldiers (_landsknechts_),
trusting their fair speeches, permitted them to march out. But the
French have scarcely placed the Mincio (Ticino) behind them, when they
take to flight and leave the _landsknechts_ in the lurch. As soon as
the citizens of Pavia observe this, they promise, on condition that
they are exempted from pillage, a month's pay to each individual in the
Confederate and Venetian camps. The former thirsted for a contest with
the _landsknechts_, but this desire was yet to cost them much bitter
sweat. The clumsy artillery of the besieging army was drawn up in the
park, outside of the city, under the guard of a hundred picked men,
from different corps. It was not yet noon, when the women and the more
aged citizens, unsuspected by the foot-soldier