to the Count de Ligny were in the hands of his company, amongst whom, as we
know, was Bayard, the Good Knight. We shall now understand how it was that
he found himself at war with the Spaniards, who had been at first the
allies of France.

Pierre de Bayard, the Good Knight, had been placed in command of a garrison
at a place called Monervine, by his captain, Louis d'Ars. There had been no
fighting in his neighbourhood for some little time, and he began to get
rather weary. So he said one evening to his companions: "Gentlemen, it
seems to me that we have been too long in one place without seeing our
foes. We shall grow weak for want of using our arms, and our enemies will
grow bolder than ever, thinking that we dare not go out of our fort. So I
propose that to-morrow we ride out towards the nearest Spanish garrisons,
Andria or Barletta, and have a little fighting if possible." The others
readily agreed, and about thirty of them arranged to start early the next
morning. It was a merry party of young gentlemen who galloped over the
country at daybreak, and it so chanced that the same idea had occurred
to a Spanish knight of Andria, Don Alonzo of Soto-Mayor, who wished to
exercise his company of men-at-arms. Such was the fortune of the two
captains, that as they turned a corner by some rising ground they suddenly
came within arrow-shot of each other, and joyful indeed they were to have
such a chance. When the Good Knight saw the red crosses he turned to his
followers and cried: "My friends, here is our chance to win honour ...
we will not wait for them to attack!"

With a shout of delight they all lowered their visors, and crying,
"_France, France_!" they galloped forward and charged their foes,
who came proudly on to meet them with the cry of "_Spain! St. Iago_!"
gaily receiving them on the point of their lances. In the shock of this
first meeting many on both sides were borne to earth. The combat lasted a
good half-hour before either side seemed to have the best of it, for they
were well matched in numbers and strength. But in the end one side must
win, and it chanced that the courage and skill of the Good Knight, and the
enthusiasm with which he inspired his men, at last succeeded in breaking
the ranks of the Spaniards, of whom about seven were killed and the same
number taken prisoner, while the rest took to flight, and amongst them
their captain, Don Alonzo. The Good Knight pursued, crying out to him:
"Turn, man-at-arms, it would be a shame to die while running away."
Presently Alonzo, like a fierce lion, turned against his pursuer with
terrible force; and they fought desperately with sword-thrusts.

At length the horse of Don Alonzo backed and refused to advance any more,
when the Good Knight, seeing that all the other Spaniards were gone,
leaving their captain alone, said, "Surrender, man-at-arms, or you are
dead." "To whom must I surrender?" he asked. "To the Captain Bayard," was
the reply. Then Don Alonzo, who had already heard of that famous name, and
knew that he had no chance of escape, gave up his sword and was taken with
the other prisoners to the garrison, where with his usual chivalrous
courtesy, the Good Knight gave Don Alonzo one of the best rooms of the
castle, and supplied him with all that he needed, on receiving his parole
that he would make no attempt to escape.

The Spanish captain was treated with the greatest kindness, being suffered
to join in all the doings of the other gentlemen, and his ransom was fixed
at 1000 crowns. But after a fortnight or more he grew tired of this life
and persuaded an Albanian in the garrison to procure him a horse and help
him to gain his freedom, for it was only fifteen or twenty miles to his own
quarters. The man agreed, tempted by a high bribe, and Don Alonzo, who was
allowed to come and go as he pleased, had no difficulty in passing out
through the gateway in the early morning, when he and his companion put
spurs to their horses and felt assured of success. But if the Good Knight
was courteous he was not careless, and when he paid his usual morning call
on his prisoner he was nowhere to be found. The watch was sounded, and the
absence of the Albanian was also discovered, whereupon Bayard sent off in
instant pursuit and Don Alonzo was overtaken within two miles of Andria,
where he had dismounted to fasten the girth of his saddle which was broken.
The Albanian managed to reach the Spanish quarter, for he knew that the
penalty of his treachery would be hanging, and the Spanish knight was
brought back to Monervine.

When Bayard met him he said: "How is it that you have broken your faith, my
lord Don Alonzo? I will trust you no more, for it is not a knightly deed to
escape from a place when you are on parole." The prisoner tried to excuse
himself by vowing that he only went to fetch his ransom as he was troubled
by receiving no news of his own people. But this did not avail him much,
for he was kept in close confinement in a tower, but otherwise very well
treated in the way of food and drink. After about another fortnight a
trumpeter arrived to announce that the ransom was coming, and when this was
duly paid, Don Alonzo took a friendly leave of his captors, having had time
to notice that the Good Knight kept not a penny of the money for himself,
but divided it all amongst his soldiers.

But the story does not end here, for this recreant knight was ungrateful
enough to complain to his friends in the most outrageous manner of the
treatment which he had received during his captivity. When this came to the
knowledge of the Good Knight he was justly indignant, as were all his
companions, and he at once wrote a letter to Don Alonzo, calling upon him
to withdraw these untrue words, or to accept a challenge to mortal combat.
This he sent by a trumpeter, and also offered his foe the choice of
weapons, and whether the contest should be on foot or on horseback.

The Spanish captain sent back an insolent answer, saying that he would not
withdraw anything he had said, and that he would prove his words in mortal
combat within twelve days, two miles from the walls of Andria. In fixing
this date he knew that Bayard was ill at the time with a quartan fever. But
the Good Knight would not let such a small matter interfere with his
knightly honours, and when the day arrived he rode to the spot appointed,
with the Sire de la Palisse and his friend Bellabre as his seconds, and
about two hundred men-at-arms as a guard of honour.

Bayard was clothed in white as a mark of humility and rode a splendid
horse, but as Don Alonzo had not appeared, a trumpeter was sent to hasten
his coming. When he was told that the Good Knight was on horseback with
the usual armour, he exclaimed: "How is this? I was to choose the arms.
Trumpeter, go and tell him that I will fight on foot." He said this,
thinking that the illness of Bayard would make it quite impossible for him;
and the trumpeter was greatly surprised, as all had been arranged for a
duel on horseback, and this looked like a way of retreat for the Spaniard.
Ill as he was Bayard showed no hesitation, and with the courage of a lion
declared that he was willing to avenge his honour in any guise. The arms
chosen were a sharp-pointed sword or rapier and a poignard, while the
armour used included a throat-piece (gorgerin) and a secrete.[1]

[Footnote 1: Secrete, a kind of steel skull-cap, often worn under the
helmet.]

When the camp was duly prepared and the champions in face of each other,
Bayard knelt down and made his prayer to God, then he bent to kiss the
earth, and rising, made the sign of the cross before he advanced to meet
his enemy. Don Alonzo addressed him in these words: "Lord of Bayard, what
do you seek from me?" And he replied: "I wish to defend my honour." Then
began the mortal combat between these two valiant men-at-arms, and never
was seen more splendid skill and courage. The rapier of the Good Knight
slightly wounded the face of Don Alonzo, who carefully guarded this most
vulnerable part, but his foe waited until he raised his arm for the next
attack, and then aimed at his neck, and notwithstanding the tempered steel
of his armour, Bayard's onslaught was so tremendous that the throat-piece
(gorgerin) was pierced and the rapier, having no sharp edges (it was only
used for thrusting) was driven in so far that it could not be withdrawn.
Don Alonzo, feeling himself wounded unto death, dropped his sword and
seized the Good Knight in his arms, the two wrestling fiercely until they
both fell on the ground.

The terrible struggle lasted for some time, until Bayard struck his foe on
the visor with his poignard and cried: "Don Alonzo, recognise your fault
and cry for mercy to God...." But the Spanish knight made no reply, for he
was already dead.

Then his second, Don Diego, said: "Seigneur Bayard, he is dead, you have
conquered;" which was proved, for they took off his visor and he breathed
no more. This was a sad trouble to the victor, for he would have given all
he had in the world to have vanquished him alive. Then the Good Knight
knelt down and thanked God humbly for his success. Afterwards he turned to
the dead knight's second and asked: "My lord Don Diego, have I done
enough?"

"Too much, indeed, my lord Bayard, for the honour of Spain," was the
pitiful reply. Then the Good Knight gave leave that honourable burial
should be accorded to Don Alonzo, and his friends bore away the body of
their champion with sad lamentation. But we may imagine the joy and triumph
with which the noble company present and the French men-at-arms accompanied
their hero back to the castle of Monervine.

This duel and the passages-of-arms before with Don Alonzo spread the fame
of Bayard throughout all Europe; indeed, his wonderful renown as the flower
of all chivalry really dates from this time. You may imagine how bitter the
Spaniards were and how they sought for revenge.

After the battle of Cerignola, fought on April 28, 1503, Gonzalvo, the
Great Captain, entered Naples in triumph. When this disastrous news reached
France, Louis XII. hastened to send a fresh army, commanded by la
Tremouille, to reinforce the troops already in Apulia and Calabria. The
French general fell ill, and his authority passed into the hands of the
Marquis of Mantua, who found himself opposed and beaten back at every point
by the genius of Gonzalvo.

At length the two armies came to a stand on either side of the River
Garigliano, one of the broadest rivers of Southern Italy, falling into the
Gulf of Gaeta. The French had possession of the right bank of the river,
close to the rising ground, and had therefore a more favourable position
than the marshy swamp on the lower side, in which the Spanish forces
remained encamped for fifty days. It was a fearful time, in the dead of
winter, with excessive rains, and the soldiers in both camps were driven to
the last verge of endurance, while numbers sickened and died. Under these
depressing circumstances the bright, cheerful spirit of Bayard, the Good
Knight, was invaluable, and his mere presence kept his company in hope and
courage. He never missed an opportunity of engaging in any feat of arms,
and his famous defence of the bridge is perhaps the best known of all his
exploits.

There was a bridge across the Garigliano which was in the hands of the
French, and one day a certain Don Pedro de Pas, a Spanish captain, small
and dwarfish in body but great in soul, conceived a plan for obtaining
possession of it. With about a hundred horsemen he set off to cross the
river by a ford which he knew of, and behind each horseman he had placed a
foot-soldier, armed with an "arquebuse." Don Pedro did this in order to
raise an alarm in the French camp, so that the whole army might rush to
defend it, and leave unprotected the bridge, which would then be seized by
the Spaniards. Bayard, who always chose the post of danger, was encamped
close to the bridge, and with him was a brave gentleman, named le Basco.
When they heard the noise they armed themselves at once, and mounted their
horses in haste to rush to the fray. But as the Good Knight happened to
look across the river he caught sight of about two hundred Spanish horsemen
riding straight towards the bridge, which they would certainly have taken
without much resistance, and this would have meant the total destruction of
the French army.

[Illustration: Bayard defends the Bridge.]

Then the Good Knight cried to his companion, "My lord the Equerry, my
friend, go instantly and fetch our men to guard this bridge, or we are all
lost; meantime I will do my best to amuse them until you come, but make all
haste." This he did, and the Good Knight, lance in rest, galloped across
the bridge to the other end, where the Spaniards were on the point of
passing. But, like a lion in his rage, Bayard rushed at them with so
furious an onset that two or three of the foremost men were driven back and
hurled into the water, from whence they rose no more, for the river was
wide and deep. For a moment they were driven back, but seeing there was
only one knight they attacked him so furiously that it was a marvel he
could resist them. But he came to a stand against the barrier of the bridge
that they might not get behind him, and made so desperate a fight with his
sword, raining blows on all who came near, that he seemed to the Spaniards
more a demon than a man.

In vain they cast pikes, lances, and other arms against him; the Good
Knight seemed to bear a charmed life. In fact, so well and so long did he
defend himself that his foes began to feel a superstitious dread of this
invincible champion when, after the space of full half an hour, his friend,
le Basco, arrived with a hundred men-at-arms.

The historian Champier adds that when Bayard saw help approaching he
cried, with a loud voice, "Haste ye, noble Frenchmen, and come to my help."
Not satisfied with driving back the Spaniards from the bridge, the gallant
little company pursued them for a good mile, and would have done more but
they saw in the distance a great company of seven or eight hundred Spanish
horsemen.

With all his dauntless courage, Bayard had the instinct of a good general,
and he said to his companions: "Gentlemen, we have done enough to-day in
saving the bridge; let us now retire in as close order as possible." His
advice was taken, and they began to retreat at a good pace, the Good Knight
always remaining the last and bearing all the brunt of the rear attack.
This became more difficult every minute, as his horse, on which he had
fought all that day, was so worn out that it could scarcely stand.

All of a sudden there was a great rush of the enemy, sweeping like a
flood over the French men-at-arms, so that many were thrown to the ground.
The horse of the Good Knight was driven back against a ditch, where he
was surrounded by twenty or thirty horsemen, who cried: "Surrender,
surrender, my lord!" Still fighting to the last, he could only make answer:
"Gentlemen, I must indeed yield to you, for, being alone, I can no longer
fight against your might."

If all the accounts of contemporary historians did not agree on the subject
we could hardly believe that one hero could keep back two hundred men at
the narrow entrance of the bridge for close upon half an hour. That after
so tremendous a fight Bayard could pursue the enemy, and defend the rear of
his retiring companions, is indeed a marvellous achievement. The wonder is
not that he was taken prisoner at last, but that he should have held out so
long.

Meantime all his companions had ridden straight to their bridge, believing
that the Good Knight was amongst them, but of a sudden a certain gentleman
from Dauphine exclaimed: "We have lost all, my friends! The Captain Bayard
is dead or taken, for he is not in our company. I vow to God that if I am
to go alone I will return and seek him...." On hearing this the whole troop
turned their horses and set off at full gallop after the Spaniards, who
were bearing away with them the flower of all chivalry. But they did not
know it, for Bayard was aware that if they heard his name he should never
escape alive, and to all their inquiries he only made answer that he was a
gentleman. They had not even taken the trouble to disarm him.

Of a sudden he heard his companions arrive in pursuit, shouting: "France!
France! Turn, turn, ye Spaniards; not thus shall you carry away the flower
of chivalry." Taken by surprise, the enemy received the French charge with
some disorder, and as men and horses gave way, the Good Knight saw his
opportunity, and without putting his foot in the stirrup, sprang upon a
fine horse whose rider was thrown, and as soon as he was mounted, cried:
"France! France! Bayard! Bayard! whom you have let go!" When the Spaniards
heard the name and saw what a mistake they had made to leave him his
arms (without requiring his parole, which he would certainly have kept),
they lost heart and turned back towards their camp, while the French,
overjoyed at having recovered their "Good Knight without Fear and without
Reproach"--their one ideal of chivalry and honour--galloped home over the
famous bridge. We do not wonder that for many days after they could talk of
nothing but this thrilling adventure and the gallant exploits of Bayard.

[Illustration: The Page presents his Prisoner.]




[Illustration: THE EMPEROR MAXIMILIAN
_from the portrait by Albert Durer_.]

CHAPTER V


The wars of Italy had a wonderful fascination for Louis XII., and he
eagerly united with the Emperor, the King of Spain, and the Pope in the
League of Cambray against Venice, hated for her great wealth and success.

In the spring of 1509 the King collected another army, in which he made a
great point of the foot-soldiers, whose importance he fully appreciated,
and for the first time he chose captains of high renown to command them. He
sent for Bayard and said to him: "You know that I am crossing the mountains
to fight the Venetians, who have taken Cremona from me, and other places. I
am giving you the command of a company of men-at-arms ... but that can be
led by your lieutenant, Captain Pierre du Pont, while I wish you to take
charge of a number of foot-soldiers."

"Sire," replied the Good Knight, "I will do what you wish; but how many
foot-soldiers do you propose to give me?"

"One thousand," said the King; "no man has more."

But Bayard suggested that five hundred of these soldiers, carefully
chosen, would be quite enough for one man to command if he did his duty
thoroughly, and to this the King agreed, bidding the Good Knight bring them
to join his army in the duchy of Milan.

The important city of Padua, which had been restored to the Emperor
Maximilian, was left through his carelessness with a small garrison of only
800 "landsknechte" (German foot-soldiers). Two Venetian captains contrived
an ingenious stratagem for recovering the city. It was the month of July by
this time, and immense waggons of hay, from the second mowing, were
entering Padua every day. A number of Venetians made an ambush under some
thick trees about a bow-shot from the walls, then they hid behind the
hay-waggons and crept in through the gates, which at a given signal they
opened to their comrades. The German soldiers, taken by surprise, were put
to death, and the command was given to the brave General Pitigliano, who
repaired and strengthened the fortifications, knowing of what immense
importance this city was to his Republic.

Maximilian was extremely annoyed by the loss of Padua, and collected a
great army, composed of men from all the allies, to besiege it. He also
brought to bear against it the strongest artillery ever used--one hundred
and six pieces of cannon and six immense mortars, "so heavy that they could
not be raised on gun-carriages, they could only be loaded with stones, and
were fired off not more than four times a day." The city was strongly
fortified and defended, and it was decided to attack the most important
gate which led to Vicenza. This being a most perilous enterprise, the
command was given to Bayard of the attacking party. The gate was approached
by a long, straight road between deep ditches, and there were four great
barriers at two hundred steps from each other, all thoroughly defended.
There was a fierce contest at every one of these barriers, and many gallant
knights fell in the attack, but the last one was the worst, for it was only
a stone's-throw from the battlements. The besieged rained stones on them
with their artillery, and the assault lasted more than an hour with pike
and battle-axe.

Then the Good Knight, seeing that this became tedious, cried to his
companions: "Gentlemen, these men give us too much play; let us charge on
foot and gain this barrier." Thirty or forty men-at-arms sprang from their
horses and with raised visors dashed at the barrier with their lances, but
the Venetians met them again and again with fresh relays of men. Then
Bayard shouted: "At this rate, gentlemen, they will keep us here for six
years; we must give them a desperate assault and let each man do as I do!"
This they promised, and the trumpet was sounded, when with one tremendous
rush they drove back the defenders by the length of a lance, and with a
ringing war-cry Bayard sprang over the barrier followed by his friends.
When the French saw the danger in which these gallant men were, there was
such a charge against the final barrier that the enemy was driven back in
disorder into the town. Thus the approaches were gained, and the Emperor's
artillery was brought forward, and remained there for six weeks until the
siege was raised.

A few days later the Good Knight heard, through one of his spies, that in
the castle of Bassano, about thirty miles off, there was a strong company
of cross-bowmen and horsemen, who made a point of sallying out from the
castle and seizing all the supplies of cattle which were on the way to the
camp. They were said to have four or five hundred oxen and cows already
within their walls. Bayard felt that this must be put a stop to, and his
picked companions readily joined him, for this fighting was their very life
and they asked for nothing better. So they set forth an hour before
daybreak and rode steadily towards Bassano, till they reached a place where
the spy pointed out to them a little wooden bridge which the band from
Treviso would have to cross, where two men could keep five hundred in
check. This the Good Knight left to be defended by a few men-at-arms and
archers, who were to remain in ambush until they had seen the troop from
Treviso go by, and await their return. Then Bayard gave directions to one
of his company to take thirty archers with him, and when he saw the enemy
well on their way he was to advance as though to skirmish with them, then
suddenly pretend to be frightened and ride off at full gallop in the
direction where the main French force was hidden behind rising ground. This
was all carried out, and the Good Knight with his men rushed forth upon the
pursuers, taking many prisoners, while the rest escaped in the direction of
Treviso, but were stopped at that wooden bridge and compelled to fight or
yield.

When the fighting was over, Bayard said: "Gentlemen, we really must take
that castle with all the spoils in it." When it was pointed out to him that
it was very strong and they had no artillery, he remarked that he knew a
way by which they might possess it in a quarter of an hour. So he sent for
the two captains who were taken and said to them: "I insist that the castle
be surrendered to me at once, for I know that you have the power to command
it, otherwise you will lose your heads." They saw that he was in earnest,
and one, who was the seneschal, sent orders to his nephew and the gates
were opened.

The Good Knight took possession of the castle, and within the walls of
Treviso found more than five hundred head of cattle and much other booty,
which was all sold later at Vicenza and divided amongst the victors. As
Bayard sat at table with the two Venetian captains, a young page of his,
named Boutieres, came in to show a prisoner he had taken during the
fighting--a big man twice his size. The boy had seen this standard-bearer
trying to escape, had made a rush at him with his lance, struck him to the
ground, and called upon him to surrender. He had given up his sword, to
Boutieres' great delight, and the lad of sixteen, with the standard he had
taken and his sturdy-looking prisoner, had caused great amusement in the
French company. When he was thus brought into the dining-hall before his
own captains, the standard-bearer looked very much ashamed of himself, and
protested that he had simply yielded to the force of numbers, not to that
boy. Thereupon Boutieres offered to give the man back his horse and his
arms and to fight him in single combat. If the standard-bearer won he
should go free without ransom; but if the young page won the man should
die. The Good Knight was delighted at this brave offer, but the Venetian
was afraid to accept it, and all the honour remained with the boy, who was
known to come of a brave race and proved himself worthy in the days to
come.

Most of the French army retired into the duchy of Milan, but Bayard appears
to have remained behind with the garrison of Verona. By one of those rapid
changes so common in Italian politics, before the end of the year Louis
XII. found himself deserted by most of the allies, the Pope, the King of
Spain, Henry VIII., and the Swiss having joined the "Holy League" to drive
the French out of Italy.




[Illustration: ANDREA GRITTI DOGE _of_ VENICE
_from the portrait by Titian Vecelli_.]

CHAPTER VI


While Bayard was with the garrison at Verona, in command of three or four
hundred men-at-arms who had been lent to the Emperor by the King of France,
he had some stirring adventures. It was winter time, and that year, 1509,
was long remembered for its severity. The soldiers in the town were obliged
to send for their horses' forage sometimes to a great distance, and they
were constantly losing both horses and varlets, who were waylaid by the
enemy, so that a large escort was necessary, for not a day passed without
some encounter.

Now there was a village called San Bonifacio about fifteen miles from
Verona, where a certain Venetian captain, named Giovanni Paolo Manfroni,
was stationed with a number of men, and he amused himself by chasing the
foraging parties up to the very gates of Verona. The Good Knight at last
became very angry at this bold defiance, and he resolved to put an end to
these raids by going out with the escort himself the next time that hay was
fetched from the farms round. He kept his plans as secret as possible, but
Manfroni had a spy in the city who managed to let him know what was on
foot, and he resolved to take so strong a force that he would make sure of
capturing the famous Bayard.

One Thursday morning the foragers set forth from Verona as usual, and in
their train were thirty or forty men-at-arms and archers under the command
of the captain, Pierre du Pont, a very wise and capable young man. The
party soon left the highroad to look out for the farms where they were to
receive the usual loads of hay. Meantime, the Good Knight, not suspecting
that his plan was betrayed, had taken a hundred men-at-arms and gone to a
little village called San Martino about six miles from Verona. From thence
he sent out some scouts, who were not long in returning with the news that
the enemy was in sight, about five hundred horsemen, who were marching
straight after the foragers. The Good Knight was delighted to hear it, and
at once set out to follow them with his company.

But Manfroni, who had heard of the whole manoeuvre from his spy, had
prepared an ambush in a deserted palace near, where he had about six
hundred pikemen and arquebusiers. These men were not to stir until they saw
him and his party in retreat, pretending to flee from the French pursuit;
then they were at once to follow and so completely enclose and defeat
Bayard's company.

The Good Knight had not gone two miles through the fields when he overtook
the Venetians and marched straight towards them, shouting, "Empire and
France!" They made some show of resistance, but soon began to retreat along
the lane towards their ambush, where they halted just beyond it, crying
"Marco! Marco!" and began to make a valiant defence. On hearing the
familiar cry of Venice, the foot-soldiers gave a tremendous shout and
rushed furiously upon the French, shooting with their arquebuses, a shot
from which struck Bayard's horse between the legs and killed him. Seeing
their dear master on the ground, his men-at-arms, who would all have died
for him, made a mighty charge, and a gentleman of Dauphine, named Grammont,
sprang from his horse and fought side by side with Bayard. But the two were
of no avail against the Venetians, who took them prisoners and were about
to disarm them.

Captain Pierre du Pont, who was with the forage party, heard the noise and
instantly galloped up, finding his captain and Grammont in evil case; for
already they were being drawn out of the crowd to be taken to a place of
safety. He was only just in time, but he struck out at the captors like a
lion, and the men, taken by surprise, let their prisoners escape, and
retreated to their troop, which was having a furious fight with the French.
The Good Knight and Grammont were soon on horseback again, and hastened
back to the relief of their men, who were now attacked front and back, with
four to one against them, and the arquebusiers were doing them a lot of
damage. Then the Good Knight said to his nephew, Captain Pierre du Pont:
"My friend, we are lost if we do not gain the highroad, but if we are once
there, we will retire in spite of them, and shall be saved, with the help
of God."

"I agree with you," replied his nephew. Then they began to retreat
steadily, step by step, towards the highroad, fighting all the way, and
they reached it at last, though not without much trouble, while the enemy
lost both foot-soldiers and horsemen. When the French at length reached the
highroad which led to Verona, they closed in together, and began to retire
very gently, turning upon the foe with a gallant attack every two hundred
feet.

But all the time they had those arquebusiers at their heels constantly
firing upon them, so that at the last charge once more the Good Knight
had his horse killed under him. Before it fell he sprang to the ground
and defended himself in a wonderful way with his sword; but he was
soon surrounded and would have been killed, but at that moment his
standard-bearer, du Fay, with his archers, made so desperate a charge that
he rescued his captain from the very midst of the Venetians, set him upon
another horse, and then closed in with the others.

The night was drawing near, and the Good Knight commanded that there should
be no more charging, as they had done enough for their honour, and the
gallant little party found a safe refuge in the village of San Martino, in
the midst of cypresses, whence they had started in the morning. This was
about four miles from Verona, and the Venetian captain felt that further
pursuit would be dangerous as help would probably arrive from Verona. So he
caused the retreat to sound, and set out to return to San Bonifacio, but on
the way his foot-soldiers, who were quite worn out, having fought for about
five hours, begged to be allowed to stay at a village some miles short of
San Bonifacio. Manfroni did not much approve of this, but he let them have
their way, while he and his horsemen rode on to their usual quarters,
feeling much disgusted that they had been galloped about all day with so
little to show for it.

That night the French lodged in the village of San Martino, and they
feasted joyfully upon such provisions as they could find, feeling very
proud of their success, for they had scarcely lost any men in comparison
with the enemy. They were still at supper when one of their spies arrived
from San Bonifacio, and he was brought before Bayard, who asked what the
Venetians were doing. He replied:

"Nothing much; they are in great force inside San Bonifacio, and the rumour
goes that they will soon have Verona, for they have a strong party within
the city. As I was starting the Captain Manfroni arrived, very hot and
angry, and I heard him say that he had been fighting against a lot of
devils from hell and not men. As I was coming here I passed through a
village which I found quite full of their foot-soldiers, who are spending
the night there, and to look at them I should say that they are quite tired
out."

Then said the Good Knight: "I warrant that those are their foot-soldiers we
fought against to-day, who would not walk any further. If you feel disposed
we will go and take them. The moon is bright to-night, let us feed our
horses and at about three or four o'clock we will go and wake them."

This suggestion was quite approved of; they all did their best with the
horses, and after having set the watch, they all went to rest. But Bayard
was too full of his enterprise to take any sleep; so towards three hours
after midnight he quietly roused his men and set forth with them on
horseback, riding in perfect silence to the village where the Venetian
foot-soldiers were staying. He found them, as he had expected, fast asleep
"like fat pigs," without any watch as far as he could see. The new-comers
began to shout, "Empire! Empire! France! France!" and to this joyous cry
the bumpkins awoke, coming one by one out of their shelter to be slain like
beasts. Their captain, accompanied by two or three hundred men, threw
himself into the market-place and tried to make a stand there; but no time
was given him, for he was charged from so many directions that he and all
his men were attacked and defeated, so that only three remained alive.
These were the captain and two other gentlemen, who were brothers, and
afterwards were exchanged for French gentlemen who were in prisons at
Venice.

Having accomplished their work, the Good Knight and his company made their
way back to Verona, where they were received with great honour. On the
other hand, when the Venetians heard of the loss of their men they were
furious, and the Doge Andrea Gritti sharply blamed Manfroni for leaving
them behind.

We may mention here that this Giovanni Paolo Manfroni was a splendid
soldier and one of the finest captains of men-at-arms in Italy at this
period.

Manfroni had a certain spy, who often went backwards and forwards between
Venona and San Bonifacio, and who served both him and the Good Knight; but
those treacherous spies always serve one better than the other, and this
one hoped for the most gain from the Venetian.

So one day Manfroni said to him: "You must go to Verona and let Captain
Bayard know that the Council of Venice wish me to be sent in command of
Lignano, a fortified town on the Adige, as the present governor is ordered
to the Levant with a number of galleys. Tell Bayard that you know for
certain that I start to-morrow at dawn with three hundred light horsemen,
and that I shall have no foot-soldiers with me. I am sure that he will
never let me pass without a skirmish, and if he comes I trust he will be
killed or taken, for I shall have an ambush at Isola della Scale (about
fifteen miles south of Verona) of two hundred men-at-arms and two thousand
foot-soldiers. If you manage for him to meet me there I promise on my faith
to give you two thousand ducats of gold."

This precious scoundrel readily promised that he would not fail to do so.
He went off straight to Verona, and to the lodging of the Good Knight,
where he was admitted at once, for all the people there believed him to be
entirely in the service of their master. They brought him in as soon as
Bayard had finished supper, and he was warmly welcomed. "Well, Vizentin, I
am glad to see you. You do not come without some reason; tell me, what news
have you?"

[Illustration: Seizure of the Spy.]

"My lord, I have very good news, thank God!" was the reply. The Good Knight
at once rose from table and drew the spy on one side, to learn what was
going on, who repeated the lesson he had learned. Bayard was delighted at
the prospect before him, and gave orders that Vizentin was to be well
feasted. Then he called together the Captain Pierre du Pont, La Varenne,
his flag-bearer du Fay, and a certain Burgundian captain of "landsknechte,"
Hannotin de Sucker, who had fought with him in most of his Italian wars. He
told these friends what he had heard from the spy, and how Manfroni was
going to Lignano on the morrow with only three hundred horsemen. Then he
added that, if his good companions would join him, these Venetians would
not finish their journey without a little fighting, but the matter must be
seen to at once.

It was settled that they should start at daybreak and take two hundred
men-at-arms. Hannotin de Sucker had his lodging at the other end of the
town, and while he was on his way home he chanced to see the spy coming out
of the house of a man who was known to be on the Venetian side. The
Burgundian captain at once suspected treason; he seized Vizentin by the
collar and asked him what he was doing. The man, taken by surprise, changed
colour and prevaricated so much that the captain at once took him back to
Bayard's lodging. He found his friend just going to bed, but the two sat
together over the fire, while the spy was carefully guarded.

Hannotin explained why he felt sure that there was something wrong. Bayard
at once sent for the spy, of whom he inquired his reason for going to the
house of Messire Baptiste Voltege, the suspected person. In his fright the
spy gave five or six different explanations; but the Good Knight said to
him: "Vizentin, tell the truth without hiding anything, and I promise, on
the word of a true gentleman, that whatever it may be, even if my death has
been conspired for, I will do you no harm. But, on the other hand, if I
catch you in a lie, you will be hung to-morrow at break of day."

The spy saw that he was caught, so he knelt down and begged for mercy,
which was again positively promised him. Then he told the whole story from
beginning to end of the proposed treachery; how Manfroni would have an
ambush of two hundred men-at-arms and two thousand foot-soldiers to make
sure of Bayard's destruction. The spy owned that he had been to the house
of Baptiste to tell him of this enterprise, and to advise him to find means
some night to have one of the city gates opened to the Venetians, but he
added that Baptiste had refused to do this.

When he had made an end of his confession the Good Knight said to him:
"Vizentin, my money has certainly been wasted upon you, for you are a bad
and treacherous man ... You have deserved death, but I will keep my promise
and you shall be safe with me, but I advise you to keep out of sight, for
others may not spare you."

The spy was taken away to be closely guarded, and Bayard said to his
friend, the Burgundian captain:

"What shall we do to this Captain Manfroni who thinks to take us by a
trick? We must pay him out, and if you do what I ask you we will carry out
one of those splendid adventures which were done a hundred years ago." "My
lord, you have only to command and you will be obeyed," was the simple
reply.

"Then go at once to the lodging of the Prince of Hainault, and with my
compliments tell him the whole story. Then you must persuade him to send us
to-morrow morning two thousand of his 'landsknechte,' and we will take them
with us and leave them somewhere in ambush. If something wonderful does not
result you may blame me!"

Hannotin de Sucker started at once and went to the quarters of the Prince,
who was asleep in bed. He was roused immediately and soon heard all that
his visitor had to tell. This courteous Prince, who loved war better than
anything else, was also such a devoted admirer of the Good Knight that he
could have refused him nothing. He replied that he only wished he had heard
of this sooner, as he would have joined the party himself, but Bayard could
dispose of his soldiers as if they were his own. He instantly sent his
secretary to four or five of his most trusted captains, who, to make a long
story short, were ready at daybreak to meet the men-at-arms who had known
of the expedition overnight. They all met at the city gate and set forth
from the city towards Isola della Scala, and the Good Knight said to
Hannotin: "You and the 'landsknechte' must remain in ambush at Servode (a
little village two miles from Isola), and do not be uneasy for I will draw
our foes under your very nose, so that you will have plenty of honour
to-day if you are a gallant comrade."

All was carried out as arranged, for when the men in ambush were left
behind, all the rest of the brave company galloped on to Isola, as if they
knew nothing of what awaited them. They were in an open plain, where there
was a good view from all sides, and presently they saw the Captain Manfroni
riding towards them with his small company of light horsemen. The Good
Knight sent forward his standard-bearer, du Fay, with some archers for a
little skirmish, while he rode after them at a good pace with the
men-at-arms. But he had not gone far when he saw, coming briskly out of the
town of Isola, the Venetian foot-soldiers and a troop of men-at-arms. He
made a show of being surprised, and bade the trumpeter sound to recall his
standard. When du Fay heard this, according to his orders, he began to
retire with his company, which closed up round him, and pretended to be
going straight back to Verona, but really went slowly towards the village
where their "landsknechte" were hiding. An archer had already been sent on
to tell Captain Sucker to make ready for the fight.

Meantime the men of Venice, with their combined troops, charged the small
company of Frenchmen, making such a noise that thunder would not have been
heard, for they felt quite sure that their prey could not escape them. The
French kept well together and skirmished so cleverly that they were soon
within a bow-shot from Servode, when the "landsknechte" of the Prince of
Hainault rushed forth in close ranks from their ambush, and at the word of
command from Bayard charged the Venetians, who were astounded. But they
were good fighting men and made a bold stand, although many were borne to
the ground by the terrible long spears of their enemies. Manfroni made a
splendid resistance, but he could do nothing to help his foot-soldiers,
who could not escape by flight, as they were too far from any refuge; and
he was compelled to see them cut up and destroyed before his eyes. The
Venetian captain soon saw that his only chance was to retreat or he must be
killed, if not taken prisoner, so he galloped off at full speed towards San
Bonifacio. He was followed for some distance, but the Good Knight then
caused the retreat to be sounded, and the pursuers returned, but with great
spoils of prisoners and horses.

The loss of the Venetians was very great, for none of the foot-soldiers
escaped, and there were about sixty prisoners of importance who were taken
to Verona, where the successful French, Burgundians, and "landsknechte"
were received with the utmost joy by their companions, whose only regret
was that they had missed the fray. Thus ended this gallant adventure which
brought great honour and praise to the Good Knight. When he returned to his