About this time, there lived in the town of Augsbourg a virgin, named Anne, who had arrived at the age of forty years, without eating, drinking, sleeping, or having any natural evacuations!!! by which it may be known, that she was under the especial grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,--and she had given herself up to devout contemplations. Another great wonder was seen in the city of Ravenna, where a monster was born with a horn on its head, wings of a bat, one foot like a bird of prey, the other like a human foot! It had an eye on its knee, and was of both sexes! It had a mark of a Y on its breast, and an appearance of a cross, with a crescent beneath,--which signs, according to my lords the philosophers and prognosticators, signify many things!! FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 41: Numbers were slain. Guicciardini says, about eight thousand of the inhabitants and venetian soldiers.] [Footnote 42: Sir John Paulle. Q. Giampaolo Manfrone and his son? Guicciardini mentions also as prisoners Antonio Justiniano, the Venetian governor of the town; il cavaliere della Golpe, Baldassare di Scipione, un figliuolo d'Antonio de Pii, Domenico Busecco, captain of the light cavalry. Count Luigi Avogaro was beheaded in the market-place.--See Guicciardini.] [Footnote 43: Ludovico Adanago. Q. Luigi Avogaro and his son?] CHAP. XXVI. THE DUKE OF NEMOURS DEFEATS THE UNITED ARMIES OF THE POPE, THE VENETIANS, AND THE SPANIARDS, NEAR TO RAVENNA,--BUT IS HIMSELF SLAIN, AFTER HE HAD GAINED THE VICTORY AND TOTALLY REPULSED THE ENEMY. We must now return to the wars in Italy, and elsewhere. During the Lent of the year 1512, the duke of Nemours marched his army before Ravenna, wherein that of the pope, the Venetians, and Spaniards were seeking opportunities to retaliate on the French,--and they had made great preparations for this purpose. The duke of Nemours, having had information of this, advanced thither, accompanied by many nobles and valiant captains, such as the lord de la Palisse, the lord d'Alegre and his son, the lord Jean Jacques of Trivulce, the lord de Châtillon governor of Paris, the lord de Molarc, Maugeron, La Crotte, and other officers of renown. When he had approached Ravenna, the French remained some time encamped from a scarcity of provision, and many suffered by it. Perceiving that their supplies had failed, like hardy warriors, stirred on by the eager desire of the duke of Nemours for the combat, they resolved, on the eve of Easter-day, to offer the enemy battle on the morrow, which was the feast of the Resurrection of our Lord.