engagements, bound himself to observe them by an oath on the sacrament."

On the 1st of March, 1502, the Spanish army took possession, according to agreement, of the city of Tarento; and the duke of Calabria, with his suite, was permitted to leave it, in order to rejoin his father in France. In the mean time, advices were received from Ferdinand the Catholic, instructing Gonsalvo on no account to suffer the young prince to escape from his hands, as he was a pledge of too great importance for the Spanish government to relinquish. The general in consequence sent after the duke, who had proceeded in company with the count of Potenza as far as Bitonto, on his way to the north, and commanded him to be arrested and brought back to Tarento. Not long after, he caused him to be conveyed on board one of the men-of-war in the harbor, and, in contempt of his solemn engagements, sent à prisoner to Spain.43

Zurita, Hist. del Rey Hernando, tom. i. lib. 4, cap. 52, 53.Guicciardini, Istoria, tom. i. lib. 5, p. 270.-Giannone, Istoria di Napoli, lib. 29, cap. 3.-Muratori, Annali d'Italia, tom. xiv. p. 14.—The various authorities differ more irreconcilably than usual in the details of the siege. I have followed Paolo Giovio, a contemporary, and personally acquainted with the principal actors. All agree in the only fact in which one would willingly see some discrepancy, Gonsalvo's breach of faith to the young duke of Calabria.

43 Zurita, Hist. del Rey Hernando, tom. i. lib. 4, cap. 56.-Abarca, Reyes de Aragon, tom. ii. rey 30, cap. II, sec. 10-12.-Ulloa, Vita di Carlo V., fol. 9.-Lanuza, Historias, lib. 1, cap. 14.-Martyr, who was present on the young prince's arrival at court, where he experienced the most honorable reception, speaks of him in the highest terms: "Adolescens namque est et regno et regio sanguine dignus, miræ indolis, formâ egregius." (See Opus Epist., epist. 252.) He survived to the year 1550, but without ever quitting Spain, contrary to the fond prediction of his friend Sannazaro :

The national writers have made many awkward attempts to varnish over this atrocious act of perfidy in their favorite hero. Zurita vindicates it by a letter from the Neapolitan prince to Gonsalvo, requesting the latter to take this step, since he preferred a residence in Spain to one in France, but could not with decency appear to act in opposition to his father's wishes on the subject. If such a letter, however, were really obtained from the prince, his tender years would entitle it to little weight, and of course it would afford no substantial ground for justification. Another explanation is offered by Paolo Giovio, who states that the Great Captain, undetermined what course to adopt, took the opinion of certain learned jurists. This sage body decided "that Gonsalvo was not bound by his oath, since it was repugnant to his paramount obligations to his master; and that the latter was not bound by it, since it was made without his privity!"" The man who trusts his honor to the tampering of casuists has parted with it already.45

"Nam mihi, nam tempus veniet, cum reddita sceptra

Parthenopes, fractosque tuâ sub cuspide reges

44 Zurita, Hist. del Rey Hernando, lib. 4, cap. 58.-Giovio, Vita Illust. Virorum, lib. 1, p. 234.—Mariana coolly disposes of Gonsalvo's treachery with the remark, "No parece se le guardo lo que tenian asentado. En la guerra quien hay que de todo punto lo guarde?" (Hist. de España, tom. ii. p. 675.)

-“Dolus an virtus, quis in hoste requirat?"

45 In Gonsalvo's correspondence is a letter to the sovereigns, written soon after the occupation of Tarento, in which he mentions his efforts to secure the duke of Calabria in the Spanish interests. He speaks

The only palliation of the act must be sought in the prevalent laxity and corruption of the period, which is rife with examples of the most flagrant violation of both public and private faith. Had this been the act of a Sforza, indeed, or a Borgia, it could not reasonably have excited surprise. But coming from one of a

with confidence of his own ascendency over the young man's mind, and assures the sovereigns that the latter will be content to continue with him till he shall receive instructions from Spain how to dispose of him. At the same time the Great Captain took care to maintain a surveillance over the duke, by means of the attendants on his person. We find no allusion to any promises under oath. The communication is too brief to clear up the difficulties in this dark transaction. As coming from Gonsalvo himself, the document has great interest, and I will give it to the reader in the original: “A vuestras altezas he dado aviso de la entrada de las vanderas e gente de vuestras altezas por la gracia de nuestro Señor en Tarento el primero dia de Marzo, e asi en la platica que estava con el duque don fernando de ponerse al servicio y amparo de vuestras alteças syn otro partido ny ofrecimiento demas de certificarle que en todo tiempo seria libre para yr donde quisiese sy vuestras altezas bien no le tratasen y que vuestras alteças le tenian el respeto que a tal persona como el se deve. El conde de potença e algunos de los que estan ceerca del han trabajado por apartarle de este proposito e levarle a Iscla asi yo por muchos modos he procurado de reducirle al servicio de vuestras alteças y tengole en tal termino que puedo certificar a vuestras alteças que este mozo no les saldra de la mano con consenso suyo del servicio de vuestras alteças asta tanto que vuestras alteças me embien a mandar como del he de disponer e de lo que con el se ha de facer y por las contrastes que en esto han entrevenido no ha salido de taranto porque asi ha convenido. El viernes que sera once de marzo saldra a castellaneta que es quince millas de aqui con algunos destos suyos que le quieren seguir con alguna buena parte de compañia destos criados de vuestras alteças para acompañarle y este mismo dia viernes entraran las vanderas e gente de vuestras alteças en el castillo de tarento con ayuda de nuestro Señor." De Tarento, 10 de Marzo, 1502, MS.

noble, magnanimous nature, like Gonsalvo, exemplary in his private life, and unstained with any of the grosser vices of the age, it excited general astonishment and reprobation, even among his contemporaries. It has left a reproach on his name which the historian may regret, but cannot wipe away.

CHAPTER XI.

ITALIAN WARS.-RUPTURE WITH FRANCE.-GONSALVO BESIEGED IN BARLETA.

1502, 1503.

Kupture between the French and Spaniards.-Gonsalvo retires to Barleta.-Chivalrous Character of the War.-Tourney near Trani. -Duel between Bayard and Sotomayor.-Distress of Barleta.— Constancy of the Spaniards.-Gonsalvo storms and takes Ruvo.Prepares to leave Barleta.

It was hardly to be expected that the partition treaty between France and Spain, made so manifestly in contempt of all good faith, would be maintained any longer than suited the convenience of the respective parties. The French monarch, indeed, seems to have prepared, from the first, to dispense with it so soon as he had secured his own moiety of the kingdom;' and sagacious men at the Spanish court inferred that King

Peter Martyr, in a letter written from Venice, while detained there on his way to Alexandria, speaks of the efforts made by the French emissaries to induce the republic to break with Spain and support their master in his designs on Naples: "Adsunt namque a Ludovico rege Gallorum oratores, qui omni nixu conantur a vobis Venetorum animos avertere. Fremere dentibus aiunt oratorem primarium Gallum, quia nequeat per Venetorum suffragia consequi, ut aperte vobis hostilitatem edicant, utque velint Gallis regno Parthenopeo contra vestra præsidia ferre suppetias." The letter is dated October 1st, 1501. Opus Epist.. apist. 231.