'In the first place, that it may be your good pleasure, when you shall return to the king, to recommend us most humbly to his good graces,—and to assure his majesty that the people of Milan will never again rise in rebellion to his power and authority. They somewhat resemble St Peter, who, having denied God the Redeemer, had afterwards such grief for his sin that he was more ardent and determined in his service than ever, continually supplicating mercy for his crime. In like manner, most reverend father in God, and in the name of the king our lord, do I, on my bended knees, for myself, the nobles, burghers, and the inhabitants of Milan, beseech you to pardon the rebellion perpetrated by us, which was contrary to the usual custom of the Milanese, celebrated for their fidelity and loyalty.
'Secondly, most reverend father, in respect to the expenses the king our lord has been put to in countermanding the troops sent hither to punish us for our ill conduct, we have promised to pay the sum of three hundred thousand crowns: fifty thousand on the 12th of this month, fifty thousand on the 1st day of May, and the remaining two hundred thousand at his pleasure. We beseech you to intercede for us to his majesty, that he would be graciously inclined to remit payment of the balance of the two hundred thousand crowns,—for it will be impossible to raise so large a sum without totally ruining the town. Its whole wealth consists in merchandize, and in cloths of silk and woollen,—and should so large a sum be withdrawn from trade, all these works must stop, to the utter ruin of the city and duchy of Milan, which depends so much upon it. The duty of a king is to enrich and not impoverish his subjects.
'Thirdly, we most humbly supplicate, that you would dismiss all the men at arms from the duchy as speedily as possible, that the fruits of the coming harvest may be preserved for the use of our lord's subjects.
'Fourthly, we beseech you, that all persons may be restored to the offices they before enjoyed.
'And, lastly, that since, out of your great mercy and wisdom, you have been pleased to separate the principal instigators of the late rebellion from the more peaceable inhabitants of the town,—and that, through the mercy of God, the cardinal Ascanius and the chiefs of that party are now, for the welfare of the country, detained prisoners,—we beseech you to use your interest with the king our lord, that such provisions be made to prevent them henceforth from troubling the city and duchy, as they have lately done, and put us again in danger of losing our lives and fortunes, whence we have been relieved by the merciful bounty of the king our lord.
'We assure you, most reverend father in God, and most noble lord, that we are determined to remain faithful to our sovereign prince in body and soul; and, by granting us our requests, you will never again hear of any disturbances or factions in this town,—for the inhabitants will, henceforward, be united in his service, as experience shall prove. We have full confidence that your benignant goodness will do every thing, in regard to us, becoming the race whence you descend, which will be agreeable to God, and worthy to be engraved on marble, as a perpetual memorial of your wisdom, and to the glory of your name: all of which I and the people of Milan now assembled here, again on our bended knees, beseech you to grant.'
Master Michael having finished his harangue, the lord-cardinal of Amboise consulted the marshal of Trivulce, the bishop of Luson[19], chancellor of Milan, the lord de Neufchatel, and others of the king's counsellors, and ordered master Michael Ris, doctor of civil and canon law, and counsellor to the king in his court of parliament of Burgundy, and in the senate of Milan, to make a reply, which he did in manner following.
'Misertus est Dominus super Ninevem civitatem; eo quod pænitentiam egit in cinere et cilicio.' My lords and gentlemen of the Milanese, the very reverend father in God and most noble cardinal here present, as lieutenant general for the king in this duchy, has more attentively listened to your humble propositions and requests than your demerits deserved. That his bounty and mercy may be more manifest, he has ordered me to lay before you your great and inexcusable rebellion, which his excellency would willingly have done himself could he have addressed you in your own language. I am, therefore, employed to do it by his command. I must, therefore, remind you, that on the day when you swore fidelity to the most Christian king, I then addressed you by his orders, and exhorted you to remain firm in your loyalty to him, whence you would derive great honour, and by acting contrary inevitable evils and disgrace would follow. I am now commanded by the most noble lord-cardinal, here present, to explain your great disloyalty and infidelity, that the exceeding clemency and pity of the king, our lord, may be the more apparent.
'Your crimes and your demerits are so enormous, O Milanese! that no punishments can be adequate to them,—and they are deserving of a similar punishment from the king as the Romans inflicted upon the Samiens, as related to us by historians: 'Ita ruinas urbis diruerunt ut hodie Samus in ipsa Samo requiratur.' Or one equal to what Archila[20] king of the Goths inflicted on the Romans, whose marks are now visible on the walls and buildings of Rome. Or what Alexander did to the Thebans. It may be seen in numerous histories, that for much smaller crimes, Charles the great, king of France, and the emperor Frederick I. punished most severely this city of Milan.