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THe Comte Lodouick of Nassau, hauing for∣tunatlie surprised the towne of Mouns in Henault, by the aide of certaine French for∣ce•• lead by the L. Ienlis: within short time after ••••r back Ienlis himself into France, so,
respects. First to aduertise the French king (who sée∣med highlie to fauour these desseines of Lodouicke, and the reuolt of the low Countries from the obedience of the Spa∣niard) of the successe of their enterprise. What order they had giuen to the estate of the cause, of the meanes that they had to aduaunce their fortune farther, of the stirres and re∣uolts in Holand and Zeland, of the fauour that they had re∣ceiued out of England, Scotland, and Germanie, and aboue all, of the great leauie that the Prince of Orenge made in Germanie, and of the hope of their spéedie ariuall: that it would please his maiestie to pursue so braue a beginning, or at the least, to suffer men to bée leauied in France, to bée sent into Flanders, to ioyne with the Prince and the Al∣manes, against the Duke that prepared an armie to take the field. But if the king refused so to doe, then to solicite the Princes of Bearn and Condey, and the Admirall for to send as many souldiers as they could. Ienlis promised him to do what was possible, & did for his owne perticular assure him, that he would emploie all the meanes he could to leauie for∣ces, and woulde leade them himselfe into the place appoin∣ted. Hée went to the Court, and aduertised the king and his Counsell of all that I rehearsed before. The which did diuerslie mooue their mindes, according to the diuersitie of their fauours and factions. Afterward hauing receiued a good answere of the king, and a promission to leauie men, & assurance of the Admirall, that hée had alredy sent forth his commissions into all parts of France, for to leuie companies both of footmen and horsmen, & had appointed them to méete all together within one daies iourney of Paris, where by that time he hoped to haue his owne companie of men of armes, to conduct all these forces himselfe into the lowe Countries: hée rode into Picardie, where, vppon the bruite of the conquest of Flanders by the king, and of the great and rich booties and spoiles that they looked for there, hée had within few dayes leauied thrée or foure thousand footmen, & 200. men of armes, with two companies of harquebuziers on horsebacke.
The Admirall, that had tould Ienlis, that he should goe finde out the Prince, and serue him for the auantgard, wil∣led that Beauieu the Ensigne of his companie of men of armes, should take thirtie of his companie, and as for the rest he should carie them that he could get without anie re∣gard had of what religion they were. The Baron of Renty had one Regiment of nine Ensignes of foote men, Ieumel∣les of eight, Berenguaruille of sixe, Ianissac was appointed for to conduct the Auantcoureurs. The seuenth of Iuly they began to march with a thousand insolences, and misorders committed on the paisants, and namely by the footemen. As soone as Counte Lodouick vnderstood of their dismarch, hée sent Ienlis word that he should take the way by Cambresis, and goe to ioyne with the armie of the Prince his brother, as well for to assist him to passe ouer the Mase, the which the garrisons of the countrie being assembled dyd empeach, as also to auoide the hasard of being broken by the troupes, of the Dukes sonne (who was Generall of the armie that then beséeged Mouns) which he might happelie send to as∣saile him. Moreouer, he could doe him no seruice at Mouns, for he had no such number of men as were sufficient to re∣moue the seage: and therefore his troupes (séeing he lacked no menne with in the towne) could serue him to no other turne, then to eate vp his victualls, which they would soone doe, and he should be constrained in the ende, to giue vp the towne for famine. But Ienlis returned aunswere, that he feared not the enimie, and that after he had bene at Mouns, and séene his olde companions, he might passe further as should be thought best. Vpon this the troupes marched stil so carelesly, and so taking their ease in the farme houses and small villages, as though they had held themselues assured, that the enimie had not bene within an hundreth leagues of them: and that which was worse, they had not any sure guide, not well instructed what way they should take to be farre from the enimie. In fine, they being come néere to Bossu, one league and an halfe from Mouns, they sent forth an hundreth horse to make discouerie. The Regiment of the
Baron of Renty, marched formost of the footemen, Iuinelle followed next, and so the rest. Ienlis, le Ringraue, Ianissac, & others, being in the taile, thinking that the enimie would assaile thē there, but they after felt ye discouerie before them, which they neuer once thought of. As the countrie hath many seueralls, and is full of hedges and bushes (which en∣duced Ienlis to think he should preuaile because he was strōg in footemen) the scoutes aduertised that they had séene cer∣taine horsemen within a wood, which caused the Baron of Renty to choose out certaine hundrethes of his men for En∣fans perdus, and seperate them for to serue at the heade of his batta••llon, looking for the charge. But as soone as the protestant horsemen that had discouered them, sawe that the horsemen that came out of the wood into the plaine, dyd neuer make an ende, and that an number of harquebuziers were auaunced to draw them to the skirmish, they were so estonnied, that they could not retire themselues but a gal∣loppe. This was on the xvii. of Iuly. The horsemen of the Duke, who were of the ordenances of the countrie com∣maunded by Noircarmes, and others, seing these felowes retire so hotly, tooke courage to pursue them, and namely, séeing that their hundreth Mosquetaires Spaniards, had alreadie attached fight with the head of Renty his Regi∣ment, who being feared with the flight of their horsemen, and the comming vpon them of so great forces, faire & wel ranne away: whom all the whole regiment not long after followed, ouer the bellies of whome the discouerers had pas∣sed. Then the rest being dismaied with the flight, and disor∣der of so many men, were not long, but they also disban∣ded. But three thousand paisants, whome they had so tor∣mented, and that folowed them, crying to God for vengeāce, receaued them with ill courtesie, for besides those that they striped into their shirts, there were slaine there aboue 1200. Renty, the master of the Campe, assuring himselfe vpon the strength of his horse, slue aboue twenty pa••sants before he dyed. The Ringraue was slaine, Ienlis, lanissac, and the Ba∣ron of Renty yéelded, and were sent awaye prisoners to
Antwerpe or Tourney, and aboue 600. other into diuers prisons, of whome there were aboue 60. gentlemen. That night Beauieu ariued with seuen or eight at the Abbay of Epinleu, adioyning to the walles of Mouns, and kept by the Protestants, where he gaue such cognisance and markes of himselfe, that Payet let him in. And the next day 100. har∣quebuziers entred into Mouns. Ienlis dyed shortly after in prison at Antwerpe. And the Prince of Orang, not being of sufficient force to remoue the séege of Mouns, Lodouick yelded it on honorable conditions.