Page:History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic Vol. III.djvu/102

76 76 ITALIAN WARS. I'ART II. Battle of Cerignola. 1^03. April 28. Dealh of Nemours. It was within half an hour of sunset when the duke de Nemours gave orders for the attack, and, putting himself at the head of the gendarmerie on the right, spurred at full gallop against the Span- ish left. The hostile armies were nearly equal, amounting to between six and seven thousand men each. The French were superior in the number and condition of their cavalry, rising to a third of their whole force ; while Gonsalvo's strength lay chiefly in his infantry, which had acquired a lesson of tactics under him, that raised it to a level with the best in Europe. As the French advanced, the guns on the Span- ish left poured a lively fire into their ranks, when a spark accidentally communicating with the maga- zine of powder, the whole blew up with a tremen- dous explosion. The Spaniards were filled with consternation ; but Gonsalvo, converting the mis- fortune into a lucky omen, called out, " Courage, soldiers, these are the beacon lights of victory ! We have no need of our guns at close quarters." In the mean time, the French van under Ne- mours, advancing rapidly under the dark clouds of smoke, which rolled heavily over the field, were unexpectedly brought up by the deep trench, of whose existence they were unapprized. Some of the horse were precipitated into it, and all received a sudden check, until Nemours, finding it impossi- ble to force the works in this quarter, rode along their front in search of some practicable passage. In doing this, he necessarily exposed his flank to the fatal aim of the Spanish arquebusiers. A shot