Page:History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic Vol. II.djvu/331

307 CAMPAIGNS OF GONSALVO. 307 in the hope of bringing him to a decisive action, chapter For this purpose, in addition to the garrisons dis- '. persed among the principal towns, he summoned to his aid the forces, consisting principally of Swiss infantry, stationed in the Basilicate under Precy, a brave young cavalier, esteemed one of the best officers in the French service. After the arrival of this reinforcement, aided by the levies of the An- gevin barons, D'Aubigny, whose effective strength now greatly surpassed that of his adversary, directed his march towards Seminara. ^^ Ferdinand, who had received no intimation of consaivos prudence., his adversary's junction with Precy, and who con- sidered him much inferior to himself in numbers, no sooner heard of his approach, than he deter- mined to march out at once before he could reach Seminara, and give him battle. Gonsalvo was of a different opinion. His own troops had too little experience in war with the French and Swiss vet- erans to make him willing to risk all on the chances of a single battle. The Spanish heavy-armed cav- alry, indeed, were a match for any in Europe, and were even said to surpass every other in the beauty and excellence of their appointments, at a period, when arms were finished to luxury. ^^ He had but a handful of these, however ; by far the greatest part of his cavalry consisting of ginetes, or light- armed troops, of inestimable service in the wild 14 Giovio, Vita Magni Gonsalvi, dini, Istoria, lib. 2, pp. 88, 92. — pp. 215-217. — Idem, Hist, aui Chronica del Gran Capitan, cap. 25. Temporis, pp. 83-85. — Bembo, 15 Giovio, Vita Magni Gonsalvi, Istoria Viniziana, lib. 3, pp. 160, lib. 1. — Du Bos, Ligue de Cam- 185. — Zurita, Hist, del Rey Her- bray, introd., p. 58. nando, lib. 2, cap. 8. — Guicciar-