Page:Readings in European History Vol 2.djvu/55

 Europe at the Opening of tJic Sixteenth Century 1 7 would follow. He was only thirteen or a little more, but alert as a falcon ; and his sunny face beamed as he answered, like a man of fifty : " My father, the bond of paternal love holds me so fast that I ought to forget everything else in order to serve you at the close of your life ; nevertheless the glorious tales which you have told me daily of the noble men of the past, especially those of our own house, have sunk deep into my heart, and I desire, if it please you, to follow the calling of yourself and your ancestors, namely, that of arms; for it is that, in all the world, which I most greatly desire ; and I trust, with God's grace, not to bring dishonor upon you." Then the good old man replied with tears : " My child, God grant you his grace ! You already resemble your grandfather in face and figure, and he in his time was one of the most accomplished knights in Chris- tendom. I will do everything I can to put you in the way of accomplishing your desires." The Loyal Servitor thus describes the death of Louis XII and the opening of Francis I's earliest Italian campaign, in which the Chevalier Bayard was conspicuous : The good king of France, Louis XII, after passing 233a. How through many adventures in the year 1513 [and losing all Louis XII hold on Milan, for which he had fought so hard], returned s^cceeded^ to his city of Blois, where he hoped for some respite and by Francis L enjoyment ; but his pleasure was speedily turned to great grief and sadness, for about the beginning of January his good companion and spouse, Anne, queen of France and duchess of Brittany, fell grievously ill, and, in spite of all the doctors that her husband summoned to her aid, she rendered up her soul to God in less than a week, which was an unutterable loss to France and a cause of perpetual mourning to all the people of Brittany. The good King Louis was so sore afflicted by this grievous bereavement that for a whole week he never ceased to weep, praying that it might be the pleasure of our Lord that he should