Page:History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic Vol. III.djvu/366

340 340 WARS AID POLITICS OF ITALY. PART down all before them. The Spaniards received the ' — shock of this formidable weapon on the mailed panoply with which their bodies were covered, and dexterously gliding into the hostile ranks, contrived with their short swords to do such execution on the enemy, unprotected except by corselets in front, and incapable of availing themselves of their long weapon, that they were thrown into confusion, and totally discomfited. It was repeating the experi- ment more than once made during these wars, but never on so great a scale, and it fully established the superiority of the Spanish arms.^^ Death of The Italian infantry, which had fallen back be- Gascon de •■ Foix. ^Qj.g jj-jg landsknechts, now rallied under cover of the Spanish charge ; until at length the overwhelm- ing clouds of French gendarmerie, headed by Ives d'Allegre, who lost his own life in the melee, com- pelled the allies to give ground. The retreat of the Spaniards, however, was conducted with admirable order, and they preserved their ranks unbroken, as they repeatedly turned to drive back the tide of pursuit. At this crisis, Gaston de Foix, flushed with success, was so exasperated by the sight of this valiant corps going off in so cool and orderly a manner from the field, that he made a desperate 21 Brantome, Vies des Hommes Machiavelli does justice to the Illuslres, disc. 6. — Guicciardini, gallantry of this valiant corps, Istoria, torn. v. lib. 10, pp. 290- whose conduct on this occasion 305. — Bernaldcz, Reyes Cat61icos, furnishes him with a pertinent il- MS., cap. 231, 233. — Memoires lustration, in estimating the com- de Bayard, chap. .51. — Du Bellay, parative value of the Spanish, or Memoires, apud Petitot, Collection rather Roman arms, and the Ger- des Memoires, torn. xvii. p. 234. man. Opcrc, torn, iv., Arte della — Flcuranfje, Memoires, chap. 29, Guerra, lib. 2, p. 67. 30. — Uembo, Istoria Viniziana, torn. ii. lib. 12.