IX. 1547. erected; but as a thick fog covered all the low grounds upon B O O K the river, they could not take aim with any certainty, and the Imperialists suffered very little; at the same time, the Saxons being much galled by the Spaniards and Italians, they set on fire some boats which had been collected near the village, and prepared to retire. The Imperialists perceiving this, ten Spanish soldiers instantly stript themselves, and holding their swords with their teeth, swam across the river, put to flight such of the Saxons as ventured to oppose them, saved from the flames as many boats as were sufficient to complete their own bridge, and by this spirited and successful action, encouraged their companions no less than they intimidated the enemy." By this time the cavalry, each trooper having a foot soldier behind him, began to enter the river, the light-horse marching in the front, followed by the men at arms, whom the Emperor led in person, mounted on a Spanish horse, dressed in a sumptuous habit, and carrying a javelin in his hand. Such a numerous body struggling through a great river, in which, according to the directions of their guide, they were obliged to make several turns, sometimes treading on a firm bottom, sometimes swimming, presented to their companions, whom they left behind, a spectacle equally magnificent and interesting d. Their courage, at last, surmounted every obstacle, no man betraying any symptom of fear, when the Emperor shared in the danger no less than the meanest soldier. The moment that they reached the opposite side, Charles, without waiting the arrival of the rest of the infantry, advanced towards the Saxons with the troops which had passed along with him, who, flushed with their good fortune, and despising an enemy who had neg lected to oppose them, when it might have been done with such advantage, made no account of their superior numbers, and marched on as to a certain victory, of the DURING all these operations, which necessarily consumed Ill conduct much time, the Elector remained inactive in his camp; and elector. d Avila, 115, a. VOL. III. IX. 1547. Mulhau sen. BOOK from an infatuation which appears to be so amazing, that the best informed historians impute it to the treache rous arts of his generals who deceived him by false intelligence, he would not believe that the Emperor had passed the river, or could be so near at hand. Being convinced, at last, of his fatal mistake, by the concurring testimony of eye-witnesses, he gave orders for retreating towards Wittemberg. But a German army, encumbered, as usual, with baggage and artillery, could not be put suddenly in motion. Battle of They had just begun to march when the light troops of the enemy came in view, and the Elector saw an engagement to be unavoidable. As he was no less bold in action than irresolute in council, he made the disposition for battle with the greatest presence of mind, and in the most proper manner ; taking advantage of a great forest to cover his wings, so as to prevent his being surrounded by the enemy's cavalry, which were far more numerous than his own. The Emperor, likewise, ranged his men in order as they came up, and riding along the ranks, exhorted them with few but effica cious words to do their duty. It was with a very different spirit that the two armies advanced to the charge. As the day, which had hitherto been dark and cloudy, happened to clear up at that moment, this accidental circumstance made an impression on the different parties corresponding to the tone of their minds; the Saxons, surprised and disheartened, felt pain at being exposed fully to the view of the enemy; the Imperialists, being now secure that the Protestant forces could not escape from them, rejoiced at the return of sun-shine, as a certain presage of victory. The shock of battle would not have been long doubtful, if the personal courage which the Elector displayed, together with the activity which he exerted from the moment that the approach of the enemy rendered an engagement certain, and cut off all possibility of hesitation, had not revived in some degree the spirit of his troops. They repulsed the Hungarian lighthorse who began the attack, and received with firmness the men at arms who next advanced to the charge; but as these were the flower of the Imperial army, were commanded by e Camerar. ap. Freher. iii. 493. Struv. Corp. Hist. Germ. 1047. 1049. IX. defeated, experienced officers, and fought under the Emperor's eye, B O O K the Saxons soon began to give way, and the light troops rallying at the same time and falling on their flanks, the 1547. flight became general. A small body of chosen soldiers, The elector among whom the Elector had fought in person, still conti- and taken nued to defend themselves, and endeavoured to save their prisoner. master by retiring into the forest; but being surrounded on every side, the Elector wounded in the face, exhausted with fatigue, and perceiving all resistance to be vain, surrendered himself a prisoner. He was conducted immediately towards the Emperor, whom he found just returned from the pursuit, standing on the field of battle in the full exultation of success, and receiving the congratulations of his officers, upon this complete victory obtained by his valour and conduct. Even in such an unfortunate and humbling situation, the Elector's behaviour was equally magnanimous and decent. Sensible of his condition, he approached his conqueror without any of the sullenness or pride which would have been improper in a captive; and conscious of his own dignity, he descended to no mean submission, unbecoming the high station which he held among the German Princes. "The fortune of war, said he, has made me your prisoner, most gracious Emperor, and I hope to be treated" Here, His harsh Charles harshly interrupted him: "And am I then, at last, by the emacknowledged to be Emperor? Charles of Ghent was the peror. only title you lately allowed me. You shall be treated as you deserve." At these words he turned from him abruptly with an haughty air. To this cruel repulse, the King of the Romans added reproaches in his own name, using expressions still more ungenerous and insulting. The Elector made no reply; but, with an unaltered countenance, which discovered neither astonishment nor dejection, accompanied the Spanish soldiers appointed to guard him f. reception THIS decisive victory cost the Imperialists only fifty men, Charles's Twelve hundred of the Saxons were killed, chiefly in the progress pursuit, and a greater number taken prisoners. About four victory. f Sleid. Hist. 426. Thuan. 136. Hortensius de Bello German. ap. Scard. vol. ii. 498. Descript. Pugnæ Mulberg. ibid. p. 509. P. Heuter. Rer. Austr. lib. xii. c. 13. p. 298. after his IX. 1547. BOOK hundred kept in a body, and escaped to Wittemberg, to gether with the Electoral Prince, who had likewise been wounded in the action. After resting two days in the field of battle, partly to refresh his army, and partly to receive the deputies of the adjacent towns, which were impatient to secure his protection by submitting to his will, the Emperor began to move towards Wittemberg, that he might terminate the war at once, by the reduction of that city. The unfortunate Elector was carried along in a sort of triumph, and exposed every where, as a captive, to his own subjects; a spectacle extremely afflicting to them, who both honoured and loved him; though the insult was so far from subdu ing his firm spirit, that it did not even ruffle the wonted tranquillity and composure of his mind. Invests Wittemberg. As Wittemberg, the residence, in that age, of the electoral branch of the Saxon family, was one of the strongest cities in Germany, and could not be taken, if properly defended, without great difficulty, the Emperor marched thither with the utmost dispatch, hoping that while the consternation occasioned by his victory was still recent, the inhabitants might imitate the example of their countrymen, and submit to his power, as soon as he appeared before their walls. But Sybilla of Cleves, the Elector's wife, a woman no less distinguished by her abilities than her virtue, instead of abandoning herself to tears and lamentations upon her husband's misfortune, endeavoured, by her example as well as exhortations, to animate the citizens. She inspired them with such resolution, that, when summoned to surrender, they returned a vigorous answer, warning the Emperor to behave towards their sovereign with the respect due to his rank, as they were determined to treat Albert of Brandenburg, who was still a prisoner, precisely in the same man. ner that he treated the Elector. The spirit of the inhabitants, no less than the strength of the city, seemed now to render a siege in form necessary. After such a signal victory it would have been disgraceful not to have undertaken it, though at the same time the Emperor was destitute of every thing requisite for carrying it on. But Maurice removed all difficulties, by engaging to furnish provisions, artillery, ammu IX. 1547. nition, pioneers, and whatever else should be needed. B O O K Trusting to this, Charles gave orders to open the trenches before the town. It quickly appeared, that Maurice's eagerness to reduce the capital of those dominions which he expected as his reward for taking arms against his kinsman, and deserting the Protestant cause, had led him to promise what exceeded his power to perform. A battering train was, indeed, carried safely down the Elbe from Dresden to Wittemberg; but as Maurice had not sufficient force to preserve a secure communication between his own territories and the camp of the besiegers, Count Mansfeldt, who commanded a body of electoral troops, intercepted and destroy. ed a convoy of provisions and military stores, and dispersed a band of pioneers destined for the service of the Imperialists. This put a stop to the progress of the siege, and convinced the Emperor, that as he could not rely on Maurice's promises, recourse ought to be had to some more expeditious as well as more certain method of getting possession of the town. ror's unge of the elec THE unfortunate Elector was in his hands, and Charles The empewas ungenerous and hard-hearted enough to take advantage nerous of this, in order to make an experiment whether he might treatment not bring about his design, by working upon the tenderness for. of a wife for her husband, or upon the piety of children towards their parent. With this view he summoned Sybilla a second time to open the gates, letting her know that if she again refused to comply, the Elector should answer with his head for her obstinacy. To convince her that this was not an empty threat, he brought his prisoner to an immediate trial. The proceedings against him were as irregular as the stratagem was barbarous. Instead of consulting the states of the Empire, or remitting the cause to any court, which, according to the German constitution, might have legally taken cognizance of the Elector's crime, he subjected the greatest Prince in the Empire to the jurisdiction of a court-martial, composed of Spanish and Italian officers, and in which the unrelenting Duke of Alva, a fit instrument for any act of violence, presided. This strange tribunal May 10. founded its charge upon the ban of the Empire, which had |