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CHARLES the 8. at the age of 13. yeares came to the Crowne, under the Regency of Madam de Beavieu his owne Sister, and of the Duke of Bourbon her Husband: where∣upon the Duke of Orleance, the nearest to the Crowne, and had married his
other Sister, as in an indignity concei∣ved, convocated and summoned all the Statesmen to Tours. In the meane time the Duke of Orleance seeing that Madam of Beavieu managed all the affaires of the kingdome, retired himselfe into Bretagne; whereupon the King made Warre against him, and recovered a Battaile against him at St. Albins, the Duke of Orleance, and the Prince of O∣range being taken Prisoners. After this the Duke of Bretagne deceased, lea∣ving his sole Daughter Anne. Inhere∣trix: who notwithstanding that she had made a promise to Maximilian, King of the Romans, was after marryed to the King, for which cause the King of England made a preparation for Warre against him in the behalfe of Maximili∣an, but it was concluded that the King should send backe the Princesse Margue∣rite with her Dowry of the Countries of Artois and Burgundy. After, having surrendred the County of Roussillon to the Spaniard by the perswasion of his
Confessour, he went upon the recove∣ry of the succession which Renatus, the late King of Sicily, and Charles the Count of Maine his brother, had left unto him by Will, for the rights which they pretended to the kingdome of Naples.
In his journey hee was Regally enter∣tained by Ludovicus Ssorza, surnamed the Moore, in the Towne of Ast: and after having proceeded into Tuscany, by Peter de Medicis, who delivered into his command the Fortresses of Florence and the City of Pisa: From thence hee went to Rome, where nolens volens, he entered, Alexander 6. being then Pope, who working his peace with him, gave him the Title of Emperour of Constan∣tinople, and invested him to the king∣dome of Naples: whither the King ha∣ving made his entrance the 12. of May, Anno Dom. 1495, hee was crowned King of Sicily. Whereupon the Mo∣narchs and Potentates of Italy being a∣mazed, intended him an Ambuscade
in his returne at Fournoue; but the King passing another way, escaped the plot, and came safe into France: where ha∣ving intelligence of the losse of Naples, and intending a second voyage thither for the recovery of his losses, dyed of an Apoplexy, as hee was seeing a Game at Tennis in the Castle of Amboise, the seventh of April, Anno Domini 1498.
This King among other facetious sayings, gave the Florentine Embassa∣dours this merry Answer, denoting their unfaithfulnesse, in these two Itali∣an Verses:
which Verses were formerly made on this occasion: A Countrey Pesant sold a fat Goose to a faire Dame of Florence, for the fond satisfaction of Venery, but
afterward on colder thoughts growing wiser, this piece of leatherne igno∣rance, contrary to his former agree∣ment, without either fidelity or cour∣tesie, demanded the price of his Goose in the presence of her Husband, and made her, for the former sawce of the Goose, pay him againe. And with this Italian Proverb, which had this wanton Originall, the King answered the unfaithfull Embassadours of Florence. His Queene Anne having received ti∣dings of his Death, said; Gods will be done, I doubt not but I shall be as great as I was before, intimating thereby her hopes to be Queene of France; after∣wards verified by her Marriage with King Lewis the twelfth. Friar Jerosine Savonarola living at Florence, foretold in his Sermons that this King should come into Italy, and obtaine great victories, which fell out accordingly; and in those Warres nothing was gai∣ned but a stinking contagious disease, afterwards spred over all France, and
since then called the French Poxe. Af∣ter this King had ended his warres, he builded a Castle at Ambois, not know∣ing that instead of a stately Palace, hee should end his life in a base and filthy Gallery. He intending to reforme his life, it chanced the seventh of April, going after with the Queene into the Castle-ditches, hee strooke his fore∣head against the doore of a Gallery, whereas he meant to see a set at Tennis. This blow driving him to the preme∣ditation of his approaching end, hee said to his Confessour, that hee would never commit any mortall or veniall sin, if he could avoide it, which was a good reservation: upon this protestation hee fell back ward into an Apoplexy, where∣with he had beene troubled, and dyed about 11. a clocke at night, in a Cham∣ber neare to a Gallery, stinking with the urine which every one made as he passed through it, being laid on a Matresse, such as they could finde by chance. In him the direct Line failed, and the Crowne
came to the Collaterall Line, the nea∣rest whereof was Lewis Duke of Orle∣ance, and Valois his Successor.