And that of the Auftrians, &c. compared. A like Inftance of Firmness and dutiful Affection, we have at this Day in the Auftrians, Hungarians, Bohemians, &c. to the Queen of Hungary, their lawful Sovereign, notwithstanding all the Misfortunes and ill Treatment that noble Princess has met with. Both which Inftances will always make future Annals fhine. The Venetian Soldiers wanted But it was the Republick's Unhappinefs, that their Troops did not fhew fo much Courage, as their Subjects did Fidelity. All that Forefight and Opulence could do, to carry on and facilitate a Siege, was to be feen in the Venetian Camp before Verona, and there was nothing wanting but good Troops; yet all the Treafure of the Republick, and all the Wisdom and Conduct of the Senate could not give Courage to their daftardly Soldiers; the Works they threw up before the Place were always demolished before they were finished; and if, by Chance, they planted Pieces of Cannon on their Batteries, the Befieged had the Spirit to march out, with their Drums beating, and carry them into the Town. This ill Conduct of the Venetian Soldiers was Reafon fufficient for raifing the Siege; but Chaumont's coming to relieve the Place, after he had played back the Swiss into their own Country, gave the Befiegers a fair Pretence for fo doing; accordingly the Venetian Army retired to St. Boniface, and encamped on a Ground that was fo covered by a River near it, and the adjoining Moraffes, that it was impoffible for the Art of Men to force them. Chaumont re lieves Verona. Pope Julius under great Perplexity. Julius the IId received at once the mortifying News of the Retreat of the Swiss, and the Raifing of the Siege of Verona; and, one Misfortune treading upon of another, the Pope now feemed willing to treat the Heels .with the King of France, and put an End to a War which he had fo haftily commenced against him and his Allies; but an Affair foon after fell out, that made him change his Mind, being very unwilling to part with his beloved Project of driving the French out of Italy. The Marquis of Mantua releafed. For, to return to the Marquis of Mantua, he was released from his Confinement by the Interceffion of his old Friend, the Grand Siegnior, Bajazet, with whom the Marquis had kept a conftant Correfpondence, with a Design to obtain his Protection against the Venetians. This formidable Protector of the Mantuan fent for the Venetian Ambaffador, refiding at the Port, and told him, in Terms very explicit, that his Masters must forthwith fet at Liberty his best Friend, the Marquis of Mantua. No fooner had the Senate (who generally took care to keep fair with the Porte) feen their Ambaffador's Dispatches, but they set the Marquis at Liberty: However, the Venetians, who knew how to improve every thing to the best Advantage, perfuaded him, that the Favour, they had fhewed him, was chiefly owing to the Pope's good Offices, and with this Perfuafion they fent him to his Holiness, full fraught with thankful Acknowledgments for the Paternal Care he had expressed for his Enlargement. The Pope, finding the Marquis prepoffeffed with the Senfe of fo great an Obligation, found it no difficult Matter to oblige him to renounce his former Alliances, particularly that at Cambray, and to enter into a new one with him and the Republick of Venice. The Pope declares War again. Upon this Event, Julius declined treating further with Lewis the XIIth, and, as his own and the Venetian Army were again got into the Field, he now talked of nothing but putting himself at the Head of those Troops; and, as fome fay, he openly declared, That, as as the Keys of St. Peter had not availed him, he would make use of the Sword of St. Paul: Upon which a Latin Epigram was made by Gilbertus Duteris, which runs thus in English, Fame fays, Pope Julius once the Sword did wield, He propofes to befiege Ferrara, About the Beginning of October he fet out from Rome, defigning to lay Siege to Ferrara. This Enterprize was far from promifing Succefs; yet the Venetians, in order to flatter the Pride and Arrogancy of the Pope, feemed to be eager for the Siege, though they were fatisfied there was no likelihood of fucceeding in it, because the Season was too far advanced, and for that Chaumont had thrown a Reinforcement into the Place. But marches off to Modena. At laft Julius himself was convinced of his Error; however, he thought it would look filly to command his Army and undertake nothing, which put him upon ordering his Generals to give Chaumont Battle; but those Officers knew better, inftead of fighting they reprefented to him the great Odds there were between his Troops and thofe of Chaumont; and in the End, after all his Holiness's Noife, both he and his Generals were glad to march off under Pretence of protecting Modena, which they accordingly did, well knowing that Place would alfo be a Protection to them. In the mean time the Venetian Forces retired into their own Territories, but promised at parting, they would be ready to march to his Holiness's Affiftance at all times. VOL. II. K The The Venetian Affairs were not more profperous at this Time than those of the Pope; they had fent a Fleet into the Adige, with Design to give a Diverfion by pillaging the Ferrarefe on the left Side of the Po; another Fleet they had in the Po, which was to attempt joining that in the Adige at Adria; but the Water of a Canal, through which they must pass, from one River to the other, was fo low, that the Duke of Ferrara, having Notice of the Condition that they were in, came upon them in this Juncture with his formidable Train of Artillery, and deftroyed that Fleet, as he had another fome time before, which had advanced up the Po as far as Ferrara. Thus all the Pope's Schemes were for the prefent defeated, which caufed him to quit his Army, and retire to Bologna with his whole Court. Lewis the XIIth affembles his Clergy. As to Lewis the XIIth, he found fcarce any Hopes of prevailing on the Pope to come to reafonable Terms with him, which induced him to affemble the Clergy of his Kingdom at Tours, where he defired to know the Opinion of that pious and wife Body, "Whether he could in Confcience, in 66 66 afferting his juft Rights, avenge himself on Julius, "for his Breach of Faith and Treaties? and how far he ought to regard the Spiritual Arms of the Church in the Hands of the Aggreffor, who made no other "ufe of them, than to fupport Injuftice, in Matters purely Temporal? Whether he might not, in or der to keep the War out of his own Dominions, take Poffeffion of a Place, which the Pope had wrefted from its lawful Sovereigns, who had been in quiet Poffeffion of it, by Right of Prefcription, for above 100 Years without Interruption? These "were the Bentivogli, whom Julius the IId had drove "out of Bologna." Their An Twer. The Opinion the Gallican Church gave was this, "That the King might, without the "leaft leaft Scruple, maintain his Quarrel with the Court "of Rome, and even act offenfively against his Ho❝linefs as an Enemy. That, Religion being no ways "concerned in the Quarrel, the Pope ought not છંદ to use his fpiritual Arms. That, if his Holinefs "did not recal the Cenfures he had already un"warrantably thundred out, or if afterwards he fhould "iffue out any other, the Party injured might with"draw its Obedience from him, and make Appli"cation to whom it belonged, by calling a gene"ral Council: And, finally, advised his Majefty to join with the Emperor, in order to ftrengthen him "to take Satisfaction of his Holinefs." Whilft this Affembly was fitting Matthew Long, Bishop of Gurck, who was Maximilian's chief Minifter, arrived at Tours, and foon after attended the King at Blois, where it was agreed that a General Council fhould be forthwith held; and Varillas tells us, that a Treaty was then concluded between the Emperor and the King of France, which aimed at. no less than depofing Julius the IId, and continuing the League of Cambray. Mariana is pofitive, that the principal Drift of Maximilian's uniting fo clofely with Lewis, in calling a general Council, &c. was that of stepping into the Papal Chair, and, by fo doing, to obtain the Title of Pontifex Maximus, in Imitation of the old Roman Emperors. William Ockham, an English Writer, many Years before Maximilian's Time, advanced fome Propofitions, in Relation to the Claims of former Emperors, that very much favoured this Prince's Emulation; from whence perhaps Maximilian might have imbibed the Notion of joining the Spiritual Power to the Temporal, in Contradiction to Julius, who laboured fo much to join the Temporal to the Spi ritual. No fooner was it known in Italy, Five Cardinals de that the Calling a general Council fert ine Pope. K 2 was |