Harvard Classics, vol 38 | Page 5

of cutting off an arm or a leg, or of trepanning, or of reducing
a fracture or a dislocation, I accomplished it all. The Lord Marshal sent
me now hire now there to dress the soldiers committed to me who were
wounded in other cities beside Turin, so that I was always in the
country, one way or the other.
M. the Marshal sent to Milan, to a physician of no less reputation than
the late M. le Grand for his success in practice, to treat him for an
hepatic flux, whereof in the end he died. This physician was some
while at Turin to treat him, and was often called to visit the wounded,
where always he found me; and I was used to consult with him, and
with some other surgeons; and when we had resolved to do any serious
work of surgery, it was Ambroise Pare that put his hand thereto, which

I would do promptly and skilfully, and with great assurance, insomuch
that the physician wondered at me, to be so ready in the operations of
surgery, and I so young. One day, discoursing with the Lord Marshal,
he said to him:
"Signor, tu hai un Chirurgico giovane di anni, ma egli e vecchio di
sapere e di esperientia: Guardato bene, perche egli ti fara servicio et
honore." That is to say, "Thou hast a surgeon young in age, but he is
old in knowledge and experience: take good care, of him, for he will do
thee service and honour." But the good man did not know I had lived
three years at the Hotel Dieu in Paris, with the patients there.
In the end, M. the Marshal died of his hepatic flux. He being dead, the
King sent M. the Marshal d'Annebaut to be in his place: who did me
the honour to ask me to live with him, and he would treat me as well or
better than M. the Marshal de Montejan. Which I would not do, for
grief at the loss of my master, who loved me dearly; so I returned to
Paris.

THE JOURNEY TO MAROLLE AND LOW BRITTANY. 1543
I went to the Camp of Marolle, with the late M. de Rohan, as surgeon
of his company; where was the King himself. M. d'Estampes, Governor
of Brittany, had told the King how the English had hoist sail to land in
Low Brittany; and had prayed him to send, to help him, MM. de Rohan
and de Laval, because they were the seigneurs of that country, and by
their help the country people would beat back the enemy, and keep
them from landing. Having heard this, the King sent these seigneurs to
go in haste to the help of their country; and to each was given as much
power as to the Governor, so that they were all three the King's
Lieutenants. They willingly took this charge upon them, and went off
posting with good speed, and took me with them as far as Landreneau.
There we found every one in arms, the tocsin sounding on every side,
for a good five or six leagues round the harbours, Brent, Couquet,
Crozon, le Fou, Doulac, Laudanec; each well furnished with artillery,
as cannons, demi-cannons, culverins, muskets, falcons, arquebuses; in
brief, all who came together were well equipped with all sorts and
kinds of artillery, and with many soldiers, both Breton and French, to
hinder the English from landing as they had resolved at their parting
from England.

The enemy's army came right under our cannons: and when we
perceived them desiring to land, we saluted them with cannon- shot,
and unmasked our forces and our artillery. They fled to sea again. I was
right glad to see their ships set sail, which were in good number and
good order, and seemed to be a forest moving upon the sea. I saw a
thing also whereat I marvelled much, which was, that the balls of the
great cannons made long rebounds, and grazed over the water as they
do over the earth. Now to make the matter short, our English did us no
harm, and returned safe and sound into England. And they leaving us in
peace, we stayed in that country in garrison until we were assured that
their army was dispersed.
Now our soldiers used often to exercise themselves with running at the
ring, or with fencing, so that there was always some one in trouble, and
I had always something to employ me. M. d'Estampes, to make pastime
and pleasure for the Seigneurs de Rohan and de Laval, and other
gentlemen, got a number of village girls to come to the sports, to sing
songs in the tongue of Low Brittany: wherein their harmony was like
the croaking of frogs when