The king was, after this, conducted to his palace, where, during several days, he received embassies from different parts of his kingdom; such as Calabria, La Puglia, L'Abruzzo, to do homage, and to inquire respecting the manner in which they were to be governed by a viceroy when the king should be absent, as was natural for them. On Monday, the 18th of May, the king ordered a grand supper to be prepared at the Castel Nuovo, where he gave a sumptuous banquet, to his princes and nobles, seated at two tables, in the great hall of the castle, to which was an ascent by several stone steps. The grand seneschal of Naples served the whole of the supper, superbly mounted, and clothed in white, with abundance of trumpets and clarions sounding. After supper, the king received the homage of all the lords, and then returned to sleep at his palace. CHAP. III. KING CHARLES MAKES DISPOSITIONS TO RETURN TO FRANCE,--AND TAKES LEAVE OF HIS SUBJECTS IN NAPLES. Wednesday, the 20th of May, the king, having heard mass with great solemnity at the church of the Annonciada, dined at the palace; after which, the nobility of Naples waited on him to take leave. They were assembled in the great hall, where the king received them graciously, and kindly bade them adieu! at the same time, he presented to them the lord de Montpensier, as their viceroy and governor during his absence. When this was done, the king departed from Naples, attended by a gallant company of lords and gentlemen, men at arms, Swiss and Germans, and slept that night at Aversa, on his return to France. CHAP. IV. KING CHARLES RETURNS, FROM NAPLES TO FRANCE. The king, as I have said, left Naples on the 20th of May, and halted at Aversa. On the 21st, he marched from Aversa to Capua. On the morrow, he dined and slept at the bishop's palace in Sezza[4]; and on the Saturday, as he was about to enter Gaieta to refresh himself, the castle fell down and obstructed the road, so that he returned to Sezza,--but on the Sunday, when the damages had been repaired, he proceeded and lay at Monte Cassino. Thence he passed to Ponte-corvo, to Cyprienne, and to Fiorentino, a small city, then under an interdict from pope Alexander, because the inhabitants had murdered and cut off the arms of their bishop, who was a Spaniard, for having been obstinate in supporting king Alphonso against the king of France. This latter would not have been able to have heard mass that day, if he had not before had full powers given him to order the celebration of the mass in all places, according to his good pleasure. On Friday, the 29th, the king advanced for the night to Valmontone, wherein were many who hated the French, because they had destroyed and burnt Monte-Fortino: nevertheless, he proceeded to Marina the next day, and halted there till Sunday.