sand men. This arrangement was finally brought about through the good offices of the Venetian minister at Rome, who even advanced a considerable sum of money towards the payment of the new levies."

The appearance of this corps, with one of the most able and valiant of the Italian captains at its head, revived the drooping spirits of the camp. Soon after his arrival, Alviano strongly urged Gonsalvo to abandon his original plan of operations, and avail himself of his augmented strength to attack the enemy in his own quarters. The Spanish commander had intended to confine himself wholly to the defensive, and, too unequal in force to meet the French in the open field, as before noticed, had intrenched himself in his present strong position, with the fixed purpose of awaiting the enemy there. Circumstances had now greatly changed. The original inequality was diminished by the arrival of the Italian levies, and still further compensated by the present disorderly state of the French army. He knew, moreover, that, in the most perilous enterprises, the assailing party gathers an enthusiasm and an impetus in its career which counterbalance large numerical odds; while the party taken by surprise is proportionably disconcerted, and prepared, as it were, for defeat before a blow is struck. From these considerations, the cautious general acquiesced in Alviano's project to cross the Garigliano, by establishing a bridge at a point opposite Suzio, a small place garrisoned by the French,

• Mariana, Hist. de España, tom. ii. lib. 28, cap. 5.-Guicciardini, Istoria, lib. 6, pp. 319, 320.—Zurita, Anales, tom. v. lib. 5 cap. 48, 57. -Abarca, Reyes de Aragon, tom. ii. rey 30, cap. 14, sec. 4, 5-Daru Hist. de Venise, tom. iii. pp. 364, 365.

on the right bank, about four miles above their headquarters. The time for the attack was fixed as soon as possible after the approaching Christmas, when the French, occupied with the festivities of the season, might be thrown off their guard.3

This day of general rejoicing to the Christian world at length arrived. It brought little joy to the Spaniards, buried in the depths of these dreary morasses, destitute of most of the necessaries of life, and with scarcely any other means of resisting the climate than those afforded by their iron constitutions and invincible courage. They celebrated the day, however, with all the devotional feeling and the imposing solemnities with which it is commemorated by the Roman Catholic church; and the exercises of religion, rendered more impressive by their situation, served to exalt still higher the heroic constancy which had sustained them under such unparalleled sufferings.

In the mean while, the materials for the bridge were collected, and the work went forward with such despatch that on the 28th of December all was in readiness for carrying the plan of attack into execution. The task of laying the bridge across the river was intrusted to Alviano, who had charge of the van. The central and main division of the army under Gonsalvo was to cross at the same point; while Andrada at the

3 Giovio, Vitæ Illust. Virorum, pp. 267, 268.-Ulloa, Vita di Carlc V., fol. 22.-Guicciardini, Istoria, tom. i. lib. 6, pp. 329, 330.-Machi avelli, Legazione prima a Roma, let. 36.—Cæsar, at the battle of Pharsalia, acted on the principle mentioned in the text, in becoming the assailing party; and he severely censures Pompey for allowing the ardor of his troops to escape in inaction, as they coldly waited to re ceive his attack. De Bello Civili, lib. iii. cap. 92.

head of the rear-guard was to force a passage at the old bridge, lower down the stream, opposite to the Tower of the Garigliano.'

The night was dark and stormy. Alviano performed the duty intrusted to him with such silence and celerity that the work was completed without attracting the enemy's notice. He then crossed over with the vanguard, consisting chiefly of cavalry, supported by Navarro, Paredes, and Pizarro, and, falling on the sleeping garrison of Suzio, cut to pieces all who offered resistance.

The report of the Spaniards having passed the river spread far and wide, and soon reached the headquarters of the marquis of Saluzzo, near the Tower of the Garigliano. The French commander-in-chief, who had believed that the Spaniards were lying on the other side of the river, as torpid as the snakes in their own marshes, was as much astounded by the event as if a thunderbolt had burst over his head from a cloudless sky. He lost no time, however, in rallying such of his scattered forces as he could assemble, and in the mean while despatched Ives d'Alègre with a body of horse to hold the enemy in check till he could make good his own retreat on Gaeta. His first step was to demolish the bridge near his own quarters, cutting the moorings of the boats and turning them adrift down the river. He abandoned his tents and baggage, together with nine of his heaviest cannon; leaving even

4 Chrónica del Gran Capitan, lib. 2, cap. 110.-Bernaldez, Reyes Católicos, MS., cap. 189.-Giovio, Vita Magni Gonsalvi, lib. 3, fol 266.-Zurita, Hist. del Rey Hernando, tom. i. lib. 5, cap. 60.-Peter Martyr, Opus Epist., epist. 270.-Buonaccorsi, Diario, p. 84.

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the sick and wounded to the mercy of the enemy, rather than encumber himself with anything that should retard his march. The remainder of the artillery he sent forward in the van; the infantry followed next; and the rear, in which Saluzzo took his own station, was brought up by the men-at-arms, to cover the retreat.

Before Alègre could reach Suzio, the whole Spanish army had passed the Garigliano and formed on the right bank. Unable to face such superior numbers, he fell back with precipitation, and joined himself to the main body of the French, now in full retreat on Gaeta.5

Gonsalvo, afraid the French might escape him, sent forward Prospero Colonna, with a corps of light horse, to annoy and retard their march until he could come up. Keeping the right bank of the river with the main body, he marched rapidly through the deserted camp of the enemy, leaving little leisure for his men to glean the rich spoil which lay tempting them on every side. It was not long before he came up with the French, whose movements were greatly retarded by the difficulty of dragging their guns over the ground completely saturated with rain. The retreat was conducted. however, in excellent order; they were eminently favored by the narrowness of the road, which, allowing but a comparatively small body of troops on either side to come into action, made success chiefly depend

5 Bernaldez, Reyes Católicos, MS., cap. 189.-Ulloa, Vita di Carlo V., fol. 22, 23.-Guicciardini, Istoria, p. 330.-Garnier, Hist. de France, tom. v. pp. 448, 449.-Chrónica del Gran Capitan, lib. 2, cap. 110.— Abarca, Reyes de Aragon, tom. ii. rey 30, cap. 14, sec. 6.—Zurita, Anales, tom. v. lib. 5, cap. 60.—Senarega, apud Muratori, Rerum Ital. Script., tom. xxiv. p. 579.

on the relative merits of these. The French rear, as already stated, was made up of their men-at-arms, including Bayard, Sandricourt, La Fayette, and others of their bravest chivalry, who, armed at all points, found no great difficulty in beating off the light troops which formed the advance of the Spaniards. At every bridge, stream, and narrow pass, which afforded a favorable position, the French cavalry closed their ranks and made a resolute stand to gain time for the columns in advance.

In this way, alternately halting and retreating, with perpetual skirmishes, though without much loss on either side, they reached the bridge before Mola di Gaeta. Here, some of the gun-carriages, breaking down or being overturned, occasioned considerable delay and confusion. The infantry, pressing on, became entangled with the artillery. The marquis of Saluzzo endeavored to avail himself of the strong position afforded by the bridge to restore order. A desperate struggle ensued. The French knights dashed boldly into the Spanish ranks, driving back for a time the tide of pursuit. The chevalier Bayard, who was seen as usual in the front of danger, had three horses killed under him, and at length, carried forward by his ardor into. the thickest of the enemy, was retrieved with difficulty from their hands by a desperate charge of his friend Sandricourt."

• Guicciardini, Istoria, lib. 6, pp. 330, 331.-Garnier, Hist. de France, tom. v. pp. 449-451.-Chrónica del Gran Capitan, ubi supra.—Varillas, Hist. de Louis XII., tom. i. pp. 416-418.—Ammirato, Istorie Fiorentine, tom. iii. lib. 28, p. 273.-Summonte, Hist. di Napoli, tom. iii. p. 555. -Buonaccorsi, Diario, pp. 84, 85.-Giovio, Vita Magni Gonsalvi, fol.