Europe at the Opening of the Sixteenth Century 5 In view of all these grudges, the Venetians thought it would be highly to their advantage if a war should be begun between our king and the house of Aragon ; hoping it would not be brought to a conclusion so soon as it was, and that it would only weaken the power of their enemies and not utterly destroy them ; and then, let happen what would, one side or the other would give them towns in Apulia, which borders upon their gulf, in order to have their assistance. And even so it fell out, though they had liked to have been mistaken in their reckoning. Besides, they thought that nobody could accuse them of inviting our king into Italy, since they had neither given him counsel nor assistance, as appeared to the world by their answer above. In the year 1493 the king advanced to Lyons, to examine into his affairs ; but nobody ever imagined he would have passed the mountains himself. . . . [Nevertheless] the king, on the 23d of August, 1494, set out from Vienne, and marched straight toward Asti. At Susa, the lord Galeazzo di St. Severino came post to meet his Majesty, who advanced from thence to Turin, where he borrowed the jewels of Madame of Savoy, daughter to the late William, marquis of Montferrat, and widow to Charles, duke of Savoy. Having pawned them for twelve thousand ducats, he removed a few days after to Casale, the residence of the marchioness of Montferrat, a young and prudent lady, and daughter to the king of Servia. The Turk having over- run her country, the emperor, whose relative she was, took care of her, and procured her a husband. She also lent the king her jewels, and they also were pawned for twelve thou- sand ducats ; by which you may see how unprosperous was the beginning of this war, had not God himself conducted the enterprise. The king continued at Asti for some time. The wines in Italy were sour this year, and therefore not at all agree- able to the French, any more than the excessive heat of the atmosphere. The lord Ludovico and his wife came with a numerous retinue to wait on his Majesty ; they stayed there two days, and then removed to a castle called Annone, about Character- istic attitude of an Italian state toward a foreign invader. How the king of France raised funds on borrowed jewels.
