overwhelming victory. The fruits of
this first victory were far-reaching. It gave the people confidence,
thousands flocked to serve under Gustavus's banner, and within a few
months the whole country, excepting Stockholm and Calmar, was in his
hands. Then the nobles, in gratitude to their deliverer, sought to
proclaim him king, but this he refused as long as a single Swedish
castle remained beneath the Danish yoke, so for two more years he ruled
Sweden under the title of Lord Protector. Then in 1523, when Stockholm
and Calmar at last surrendered, Gustavus Vasa was crowned king.[1]

[Illustration: 1 Chapman's _History of Gustavus Vasa_.]

MONSIEUR DE BAYARD'S DUEL

NOW, when Monsieur de Bayard was fighting in the kingdom of Naples, he
made prisoner a valiant Spanish captain, Don Alonzo de Soto-Mayor by
name, who, not liking his situation, complained of the treatment he
received, which he said was unworthy of his dignity as a knight. This
was, however, quite absurd, and against all reason, for, as all the
world knows, there never was a man more courteous than Monsieur de
Bayard. At length, Monsieur de Bayard, wearied with the continued
grumblings of the Spaniard, sent him a challenge. This was at once
accepted, whether the duel should be fought on foot or on horseback, for
Don Alonzo refused to withdraw anything that he had said of the French
knight.

When the day arrived, Monsieur de la Palisse, accompanied by two hundred
gentlemen, appeared on the ground, escorting their champion Monsieur de
Bayard, mounted on a beautiful horse, and dressed all in white, as a
mark of humility, the old chronicler tells us. But Don Alonzo, to whom
belonged the choice of arms, declared that he preferred to fight on
foot, because (he pretended) he was not so skilful a horseman as
Monsieur de Bayard, but really because he knew that his adversary had
that day an attack of malarial fever, and he hoped to find him weakened,
and so to get the better of him. Monsieur de la Palisse and Bayard's
other supporters advised him, from the fact of his fever, to excuse
himself, and to insist on fighting on horseback; but Monsieur de Bayard,
who had never trembled before any man, would make no difficulties, and
agreed to everything, which astonished Don Alonzo greatly, as he had
expected a refusal. An enclosure was formed by a few large stones piled
roughly one on another. Monsieur de Bayard placed himself at one end of
the ground, accompanied