I have already mentioned the equipment of our fleet at Nice, and its setting sail for the relief of the castles of Naples, which it was unable to effect for the above-mentioned reasons; whereupon the Lord de Montpensier, and the rest of the officers that were in the castles aforesaid (perceiving their condition), resolved to march off by the help of the army, which had been left in divers places for the defence of that kingdom, and was then drawn as near the castle as possible; but they left a number to defend the castles proportionable to the quantity of provisions which remained; for they were insufficient to sustain them all. And having given the command of the garrison to the Lord Ognas and two other officers of conduct and experience, the Lord de Montpensier, the Prince of Salerno, the Seneschal of Beaucaire and others, marched off with two thousand five hundred men, for Salerno. King Ferrand pretended it was contrary to their treaty, and that the hostages which they had given him a few days before (which were the Lord d’Alegre, Monsieur de la Marche d’Ardain[437], the Lord de la Chapelle d’Anjou, Monsieur Roquebertin, a Catalonian, and one Monsieur Genly[438]), were at his mercy, and that he might lawfully put them to death. You must understand that some three months before, by intelligence with the enemy, and our bad order, King Ferrand had got into the town of Naples[439], though our men had notice of all his designs. I would enlarge upon this, but I can say nothing of it except by hearsay (yet I had it from very good hands); however, it is not my method to insist upon any thing that I was not an eye-witness of myself. But while King Ferrand was in Naples, he received the news of our master’s being killed in the battle of Fornovo; and our men in the castle had the same news, from several letters and stories forged by the Duke of Milan, which they believed as readily as the Colonne, who revolted from us immediately, as desiring to be always on the strongest side, though (as I said before) they were under great obligations to the king. Upon these reports, but chiefly because our men were confined in great numbers in the castle (where provisions were scarce), and had lost all their horses and household stuff in the town, they came to a treaty, on the 19th of October 1495, after they had been besieged three months and fourteen days; and about three weeks after making the treaty, they marched away. They had promised, that if they were not relieved by a certain day, they would march off into Provence, and leave the castles without doing any farther act of hostility against that kingdom, either by sea or by land; for performance of which promise the said hostages were given. And King Ferrand alleged they had broken their promise by departing without leave; but our men affirmed the contrary; howbeit, the hostages were in no little danger, and not without cause. Whatever their articles were, I think our men did wisely to march