Paradin relateth in his History, that after the Duke of Alba had relieved Vulpian with Victuals, which was done from the 22. of July to the first of August, a Captain of the Emperors Army named la Trinité, went out of Valfrenieres the same first day of August, to plunder the Countrey of Piemont.
He had 400 Horses, and 500 Foot: The news being brought to the Marshal of Brissac, he sent out a great number of Horses, who did utterly destroy their Foot, so that but thirty escaped, to carry the news to Valfrenieres.
The Spanish Horse, seeing the French in such a fury, ran away, and got some to Ast, some to Alexandria.
After that, the Spaniards seeking to revenge themselves, took a Castle three miles from Cazal, called Frezene, or Fracinet du Pau, where they hanged up the Captain, put to the sword all the Italians, and sent all the French to the Galleys.
This proceeding being not according to the Laws of Arms, we may believe, that the victorious discovered a malitious craft of the vanquished, who had left some Sheeps-heads poisoned, to revenge themselves of the victorious, which obliged the Spaniards to serve so the Captain, the Italians and the French; and because the French were not so ill used, as the Italians, we may judge that the Italians were the chief contrivers of this business.
Therefore the Author foreseeing this, saith, that the great Army of the French, which shall go over the Mountains, shall come to this mischief, because of the poison that was hidden in the Sheeps heads.
The Vulgar impression erreth much in putting Salmons, for Muttons; for every body knoweth that the Salmons do not come into the Mountains of Montserrat, and that in the Month of August it is not a meat fit for Souldiers, therefore in stead of Salmons, we have put Muttons, or Sheep.
The Captain was hanged with a thread of Polemars, that is, with a Match, of which, I am perswaded, that one certain Polemars was the Inventor.
The Author saith in the second Verse, that the time when this accident happened, was, when Saturn was in Aries, the Vulgar impression putteth Are in stead of Aries, but that’s false, therefore set down Aries. Saturn was in that Sign in the year 1555. from the 20th of February, to the 14th of July, where from the 12th degree and four Minutes, he began to retrograde in the same Sign of Aries, till the 18th of November, so that Saturn was almost all that year in Aries.