through the whole kingdom; and fortune, which had been so propitious but two months before, began now to frown upon us; both in relation to the alliance, the king’s departure, and the great want in which he left the kingdom, and that rather in respect of officers than soldiers. The supreme command was committed to Monsieur de Montpensier[389], of the house of Bourbon, a brave soldier, and a noble gentleman; but his valour was greater than his wisdom, and, besides, he was so intolerably lazy, he would never rise till noon. In Calabria he left the Lord d’Aubigny, a Scotchman (a brave and worthy knight), to command in chief. The king had made him grand constable of the kingdom, and given him (as I said before) the county of Acri, and the marquisate of Squillazzo. At his first coming thither the king had made the seneschal of Beaucaire, Stephen de Vers, governor of Gaeta, Duke of Nola, and lord high chamberlain, and all the money in that kingdom passed through his hands; but he took more upon him than he was able to perform; yet he was very desirous of keeping the kingdom of Naples. The king created the Lord Dom Julian[390] of Lorraine, Duke of St. Angelo, in which post he behaved himself with a great deal of honour and reputation. He left Gabriel de Montfaucon[391] at Manfredonia. He was a person for whom the king had a great esteem; but he managed things imprudently there; for, though he found it well provided with corn and everything else, yet he delivered it up in four days for want of provisions. To all his followers the king gave great estates in land; but several sold whatever they found in their castles, and it was reported that Gabriel did so too. At Trani he left William de Villeneuf[392] to defend the town; but, being betrayed and sold by some of his own servants to Frederic, he was kept by him a long time in the galleys. He left Tarento to the command of George de Suilly[393], who behaved himself well, and held out till he was forced by famine to surrender, and then died there of the plague. In Aquila he placed the bailiff of Vitry[394], who discharged his duty as he ought to do; and Gratian des Guerres[395] did the same in Abruzzo. The king left them very little money, only assignments upon the revenue, and of that but very little was ever raised. The king took care to make a handsome provision for the princes of Salerno and Bisignano, who served him faithfully, as long as it was in their power to do so. He also gratified the Colonne in whatever they demanded, and gave them and their friends the possession of about thirty towns; which, if they had defended as they ought and as they swore to do, they would have done his majesty singular service, and reaped the honour and advantage of it themselves; for I do not believe they had been so great for a hundred years before. But they had no patience to stay till the king had left Italy, before they fell to caballing. It is true they were engaged with us upon the Duke of Milan’s account, for