Friday, the 6th of March, the king, having heard mass, went to dine with the lord de Clerieux,—and this day many of the garrison (among whom were several of the wounded) left the Castel del Ovo. The Spaniards went to the prince of Tarentum, and the Germans surrendered themselves to the king, having passports for the purpose. The lord de Cressol, sir Gabriel de Montfaucon, by the king's command, entered the castle with a body of men under arms, and archers, to take charge of it, and the numberless stores within it.
Saturday, the 7th of March, the king went to examine the Castel del Ovo, and then departed to lay siege to the opposite castle. Towards evening, the prince of Tarentum paid another visit to the king, near to the park of artillery,—and the lords de Guise and de Ligny were hostages for his safe return. This conference was short, for it was late; and when the prince returned to his galley the above lords rejoined the king. It is worthy of remark, that on this day the prince of Salernum, who had been, five years a fugitive from Naples, through fear of king Alphonso, returned thither, and recovered a young son who had been, by Alphonso, confined in prison,—for the cardinal of San Pietro ad vincula had paid a very large sum for his ransom.
On Sunday, the 8th of March, the king having heard mass, and dined, went to amuse himself at the siege, and sent the governor of Paris, and the esquire Galiot, to summon the garrison to surrender, otherwise he would shortly batter the walls about their ears. They refused to comply; and, in consequence, the batteries were played with such effect that, on the Thursday following, the 12th, they knew not where to shelter themselves,—and the governor was constrained to come from the castle to speak with the king, then in the trenches. The governor, bareheaded and on his knees, besought the king, with uplifted hands, to grant a truce until the morrow, and to receive the garrison mercifully, which was granted. The governor was a handsome, tall figure, with white hairs; and, on having this answer, he returned by sea to the castle, accompanied by the prince of Salernum and the mareschal de Gie, to parley with the garrison in the castle. Shortly after, the captains Claude de Rabaudanges and the lord de la Vernade were appointed governors of this castle,—and nothing was taken out of it.
The king, on the following sunday, after hearing mass, returned to the castle of Capua, and remained some days, to receive the homages of the princes and princesses of the realm, together with those of the nobles and inhabitants as well of Naples as of the Terra di Lavora, Calabria, La Puglia, and of other parts subjected to the crown of Naples. He had there established his chancery, and courts of justice and finance, with presidents like as in France. The president Guennay was the chancellor, having the king's secretaries under him, with great and smaller seals for all requisite acts. He ordered money to be coined of gold and silver, and other metal; such as crowns, ducats, and various pieces, both double and single, having the arms of France impressed on one side, and on the reverse the arms of Sicily, quartered with the small crosses of Jerusalem.
The king now appointed many new officers for the city of Naples, and in other towns,—namely, judges, masters of the mint, and of various descriptions. During this interval, he visited the different churches in Naples, and every thing worth seeing there and in its neighbourhood. While thus employed, he had many very fine entertainments given him by the nobility in Naples, and others,—but it would be tiresome to detail them all.
News arrived on the Wednesday, that Gaieta was taken by the french troops: in consequence of which, the king sent the seneschal of Beaucaire on the morrow to take the government of it. During the month of April, the king inspected his artillery, and that which had been found in the castles of Naples: the greater part of the last was transported to France. The lord d'Aubigny left Naples this month for Calabria, accompanied by his men at arms and a large body of Germans. The 15th of April, the king, after hearing mass in the church of the Annonciada, was confessed, and then touched and cured great numbers that were afflicted with the evil,—a disorder that abounded much all over Italy,—when the spectators were greatly edified at the powers of such an extraordinary gift. This day the lord Virgilio Orsini and the count of Petilano waited on the king for the first time since they had been made prisoners.
The next day, which was Maunday-Thursday, the 16th of April, the king heard divine service in the church of St John, a handsome building, and attended (as if in France) on thirteen poor persons, who were washed and waited on at dinner, and presented with thirteen crowns. The sermon was preached on that and the two following days by master Pinelli, a doctor of divinity in the university of Paris.
On Easter-day, the 19th of April, the king was confessed in the church of St Peter, adjoining to his lodgings, and then touched for the evil a second time; after which he heard mass in the church of St John, and in the evening a sermon by doctor Pinelli.—Wednesday, the 22d, the king went to see the tiltings, the lists for which had been erected near to a church founded by the Anjou-race of kings of Sicily, where were many of the nobility and ladies of Italy. These justings lasted from Wednesday until the first of May: the holders of them were Châtillon and Bourdillon, and the assailants were very numerous,—and excellent deeds of arms were done on each side.
On Sunday, being the feast of St Januarius, the king heard mass in the cathedral or church of St Januarius, where many cardinals, bishops, and prelates attended. The head of St Januarius was publicly displayed to the king, and some of his blood in a glass bottle: it was congealed like a stone, as the king proved by touching it with a small rod of silver; but no sooner was it placed near to the head than it began instantly to melt and become liquid, to the astonishment of many who viewed this miracle.
The prelates of the church said, that by means of this miraculous head and blood of St Januarius, they were made acquainted with the success of their petitions to God; for when their prayers had been propitious, the blood became liquid,—but when otherwise, it remained hard. They were likewise by this means informed as to the dispositions of their prince, and whether he was to reign over them or not, which seemed very extraordinary.