Harvard Classics, vol 38 | Page 8

the wind of the ball full against his
corselet, with such force that all the outer part of his thigh became livid
and black, and he could hardly stand. I dressed him, and made diverse
scarifications to let out the bruised blood made by the wind of the ball;

and by the rebounds that it made on the ground it killed four soldiers,
who remained dead where they fell.
I was not far from this shot, so that I could just feel the moved air,
without its doing me any harm save a fright, which made me duck my
head low enough; but the ball was already far away. The soldiers
laughed at me, to be afraid of a ball which had already passed. Mon
petit maistre, I think if you had been there, I should not have been
afraid all alone, and you would have had your share of it.
Monseigneur the Due de Guise, Francois de Lorraine, was wounded
before Boulogne with a thrust of a lance, which entered above the right
eye, toward the nose, and passed out on the other side between the ear
and the back of the neck, with so great violence that the head of the
lance, with a piece of the wood, was broken and remained fast; so that
it could not be drawn but save with extreme force, with smith's pincers.
Yet notwithstanding the great violence of the blow, which was not
without fracture of bones, nerves, veins, and arteries, and other parts
torn and broken, my lord, by the grace of God, was healed. He was
used to go into battle always with his vizard raised: that is why the
lance passed right out on the other side.

THE JOURNEY TO GERMANY. 1552
I went to Germany, in the year 1552, with M. de Rohan, captain of fifty
men-at-arms, where I was surgeon of his company, as I have said
before. On this expedition, M. the Constable was general of the army;
M. de Chastillon, afterward the Admiral, was chief colonel of the
infantry, with four regiments of lansquenets under Captains Recrod and
Ringrave, two under each; and every regiment was of ten ensigns, and
every ensign of five hundred men. And beside these were Captain
Chartel, who led the troops that the Protestant princes had sent to the
King (this infantry was very fine, and was accompanied by fifteen
hundred men-at-arms, with a following of two archers apiece, which
would make four thousand five hundred horse); and two thousand light
horse, and as many mounted arquebusiers, of whom M. d'Aumalle was
general; and a great number of the nobility, who were come there for
their pleasure. Moreover, the King was accompanied by two hundred
gentlemen of his household, under the command of the Seigneurs de
Boisy and de Canappe, and by many other princes. For his following,

to escort him, there were the French and Scotch and Swiss guards,
amounting to six hundred foot soldiers; and the companies of MM. the
Dauphin, de 'Guise, d'Aumalle, and Marshal Saint Andre, amounting to
four hundred lances; which was a marvellous thing, to see such a
multitude; and with this equipage the King entered into Toul and Metz.
I must not omit to say that the companies of MM. de Rohan, the Comte
de Sancerre, and de Jarnac, which were each of them of fifty horse,
went upon the wings of the camp. And God knows how scarce we were
of victuals, and I protest before Him that at three diverse times I
thought to die of hunger; and it was not for want of money, for I had
enough of it; but we could not get victuals save by force, because the
country people collected them all into the towns and castles.
One of the servants of the captain-ensign of the company of M. de
Rohan went with others to enter a church where the peasants were
retreated, thinking to get victuals by love or by forces; but he got the
worst of it, as they all did, and came back with seven sword wounds on
the head, the least of which penetrated to the inner table of the skull;
and he had four other wounds upon the arms, and one on the right
shoulder, which cut more than half of the bladebone. He was brought
back to his master's lodging, who seeing him so mutilated, and not
hoping he could be cured, made him a grave, and would have cast him
therein, saying that else the peasants would massacre and kill him: I in
pity told him the man might still be cured if he were well dressed.
Diverse gentlemen of the company prayed he would take him along
with the baggage, since I was willing to dress him; to which