d three days later, and were
honourably received by the king, Jean d'Albret, the brother of Caesar's
wife.

From Navarre he thought to pass into France, and from France to make an
attempt upon Italy, with the aid of Louis XII; but during Caesar's
detention in the castle of Medina del Campo, Louis had made peace with
the King of Spain; and when he heard of Caesar's flight; instead of
helping him, as there was some reason to expect he would, since he was a
relative by marriage, he took away the duchy of Valentinois and also his
pension. Still, Caesar had nearly 200,000 ducats in the charge of
bankers at Genoa; he wrote asking for this sum, with which he hoped to
levy troops in Spain and in Navarre, and make an attempt upon Pisa: 500
men, 200,000 ducats, his name and his word were more than enough to save
him from despair.

The bankers denied the deposit.

Caesar was at the mercy of his brother-in-law.

One of the vassals of the King of Navarre, named Prince Alarino, had just
then revolted: Caesar then took command of the army which Jean d'Albret
was sending out against him, followed by Michelotto, who was as faithful
in adversity as ever before. Thanks to Caesar's courage and skilful
tactics, Prince Alarino was beaten in a first encounter; but the day
after his defeat he rallied his army, and offered battle about three
o'clock in the afternoon. Caesar accepted it.

For nearly four hours they fought obstinately on both sides; but at
length, as the day was going down, Caesar proposed to decide the issue by
making a charge himself, at the head of a hundred men-at-arms, upon a
body of cavalry which made his adversary's chief force. To his great
astonishment, this cavalry at the first shock gave way and took flight in
the direction of a little wood, where they seemed to be seeking refuge.
Caesar followed close on their heels up to the edge of the forest; then
suddenly the pursued turned right about face, three or four hundred
archers came out of the wood to help them, and Caesar's men, seeing that
they had fallen into an ambush, took to their heels like cowards, and
abandoned their leader.

Left alone, Caesar would not budge one step; possibly he had had enough
of life, and his heroism was rather the result of satiety than courage:
however that may be, he defended himself like a lion; but, riddled with
arrows and bolts, his horse at last fell, with Caesar's leg under him.
His adversaries rushed upon him, and one of t