11. 274 ITALIAN WARS. PART sentations of the Neapolitan exiles, who hoped, un- der his protection, to reestablish themselves in their own country. Several of these, weary with the delay already experienced, made overtures to King Ferdinand to undertake the enterprise on his own behalf, and to assert his legitimate pretensions to the crown of Naples, which, they assured him, a large party in the country was ready to sustain. The sagacious monarch, however, knew how little reliance was to be placed on the reports of exiles, whose imaginations readily exaggerated the amount of disaffection in their own country. But, although the season had not yet arrived for asserting his own paramount claims, he was determined to tolerate those of no other potentate. ^^ Charles entertained so little suspicion of this, that, in the month of June, he despatched an envoy to the Spanish court, requiring Ferdinand's fulfil- ment of the treaty of Barcelona, by aiding him with men and money, and by throwing open his ports in Sicily for the French navy. " This gracious propo- sition," says the Aragonese historian, " he accom- panied with information of his proposed expedition against the Turks ; stating incidentally, as a thing of no consequence, his intention to take Naples by the way."^^
- Zurila, Hist, del Rey Her- the enterprise, with one which may
nando, lib. 1, cap. 20. — Peter be considered the gist of the whole Martyr, Opus Epist., epist. 123. matter. " El Rey entendia bicn — Comines, Mtmoires, liv. 7, chap, que no era tan facil la causa que 3. — Mariana, Hist, de Espafia, se proponia." lib. 1, cap. 20. torn. ii. lib. 2G, cap. 6. — Zurita 25 Zurita, Hist, del Rey Her- concludes the arguments which de- nando, lib. 1, cap. 31. cided Ferdinand against assuming
