THE JOURNEY TO LANDRESY. 1544


The King raised a great army to victual Landresy. Against him the
Emperor had no fewer men, but many more, to wit, eighteen
thousand Germans, ten thousand Spaniards, six thousand Walloons,
ten thousand English, and from thirteen to fourteen thousand
horse. I saw the two armies near each other, within cannon-shot;
and we thought they could not withdraw without giving battle.
There were some foolish gentlemen who must needs approach the
enemy's camp; the enemy fired on them with light field pieces;
some died then and there, others had their arms or legs carried
away. The King having done what he wished, which was to victual
Landresy, withdrew his army to Guise, which was the day after All
Saints, 1544; and from there I returned to Paris.

A little while after, we went to Boulogne; where the English,
seeing our army, left the forts which they were holding,
Moulanabert, le petit Paradis, Monplaisir, the fort of
Chastillon, le Portet, the fort of Dardelot. One day, as I was
going through the camp to dress my wounded men, the enemy who
were in the Tour d' Ordre fired a cannon against us, thinking to
kill two men-at-arms who had stopped to talk together. It
happened that the ball passed quite close to one of them, which
threw him to the ground, and it was thought the ball had touched
him, which it did not; but only the wind of the ball full against
his corselet, with such force that all the outer part of his
thigh became livid and black, and he could hardly stand. I
dressed him, and made diverse scarifications to let out the
bruised blood made by the wind of the ball; and by the rebounds