The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol. I., Part C.: From Henry VII. to Mary
David Hume · en
The domestic transactions of England were at present so interesting
to the king, that they chiefly engaged his attention; and he regarded
foreign affairs only in subordination to them. He had declared war
against the emperor; but the mutual advantages reaped by the commerce
between England and the Netherlands, had engaged him to stipulate a
neutrality with those provinces; and, except by money contributed to the
Italian wars, he had in effect exercised no hostility against any of
the imperial dominions. A general peace was this summer established
in Europe. Margaret of Austria and Louisa of Savoy met at Cambray,
and settled the terms of pacification between the French king and the
emperor. Charles accepted of two millions of crowns in lieu of Burgundy;
and he delivered up the two princes of France, whom he had retained as
hostages. Henry was, on this occasion, so generous to his friend and
ally Francis, that he sent him an acquittal of near six hundred thousand
crowns, which that prince owed him. Francis’s Italian confederates were
not so well satisfied as the king with the peace of Cambray: they were
almost wholly abandoned to the will of the emperor, and seemed to have
no means of security left but his equity and moderation. Florence,
after a brave resistance, was subdued by the imperial arms, and finally
delivered over to the dominion of the family of Medici. The Venetians
were better treated: they were only obliged to relinquish some
acquisitions which they had made on the coast of Naples. Even Francis
Sforza obtained the investiture of Milan, and was pardoned for all past
offences. The emperor in person passed into Italy with a magnificent
train, and received the imperial crown from the hands of the pope at
Bologna. He was but twenty-nine years of age; and having already, by
his vigor and capacity, succeeded in every enterprise, and reduced to
captivity the two greatest potentates in Europe, the one spiritual,
the other temporal, he attracted the eyes of all men; and many
prognostications were formed of his growing empire.