ANNOT.
After the Battle of St. Laurence, the Prisoners taken by the Spaniard were the Constable of France, the Dukes of Montpensier, of Longueville, the Marshal S. André, Ludovic Prince of Mantua, the Rhingrave Colonel of the Germans, the Earl of la Rochefoucaud, and several other persons of quality.
They were Prisoners from the 10th of August 1557. to the third of April 1559. that is, one year and eight Months; during which time the Pope’s Nuncios, Christierne Dutchess Dowager of Lorraine, the Constable, and Marshal St. André endeavoured to make the peace.
Among them the Constable was chief, and Philip the II. King of Spain gave him leave to go to and fro upon his Paroll; and of him it is our Author speaketh in the first Verse; After the Battle the eloquency of the wounded man, that is after the Battle of Saint Laurence, where the Constable of Monmorency was wounded in the hip. His eloquency procured the peace, which was concluded in a short time, for had it not been for the death of Queen Mary of England, that happened upon the 15 of November 1558. it should have been concluded three Months after the conference that was begun in the Abbey of Cercamp near Cambray.
The third Verse saith, that the great ones shall not be delivered, because during the Treaty of Peace, Philip the II. would not hearken to take any Ransom, but they were kept Prisoners till the Peace. It is the meaning of the fourth Verse, when it saith, but shall be left to the Enemies will, viz. the Spaniards who gave them liberty after the Peace.
LXXXI.
French.
Par feu du Ciel la Cité presqu’aduste,
L’Urne menace encor Deucalion,