As we may expect, Bayard was not long without being sent on some perilous adventure.  He was at the siege of Pampeluna with the deposed King Jean d’Albret of Navarre and the lord of La Palisse, when they told him there was a certain castle about four leagues off which it would be well for him to take, as the garrison was a constant annoyance to the French.  The Good Knight at once set off with his own company, that of Captain Bonneval, a certain number of adventurers, and two troops of “landsknechte.”  When he arrived before the fortress, he sent a trumpeter to proclaim to those within that they must yield it to their rightful sovereign, the King of Navarre, in which case they would save their lives and goods, but if the place had to be taken by assault they would have no mercy.

The Spaniards were valiant men and loyal subjects of the King of Spain, and they made reply that they would not yield the fortress and still less themselves.  Upon this Bayard put his artillery in position and made such good use of it that a breach was soon made in the walls, but it was high up and not easy to make use of.  The Good Knight then sounded the order to assault and commanded the “landsknechte” to advance.  Their interpreter said that it was their rule, when a place was to be taken by assault, that they should have double pay.  The Good Knight would have nothing to do with their rules, but he promised that if they took the place they should have what they asked for.  But not a single man of them would mount the breach.  Thereupon Bayard sounded the retreat, and then made an attack with the artillery as though he wished to enlarge the breach, but he had another plan.  He called one of his men-at-arms, by name Little John, and said to him:  “My friend, you can do me a good service which will be well rewarded.  You see that tower at the corner of the castle; when you hear the assault begin take ladders, and with thirty or forty men scale that tower, which you will find undefended.”  So it turned out, for all the garrison went to defend the breach, while Little John and his men mounted the tower unseen and cried out, “France!  France!  Navarre!  Navarre!” The defenders, finding themselves assailed on every side, did their best; but the castle was soon taken, and the whole place was pillaged and left in charge of the King of Navarre’s men.

In this year, 1513, died Julius II., the great warrior Pope, a constant foe to the French, and he was succeeded by the Cardinal dei Medici, Pope Leo X.

Louis XII., having most reluctantly withdrawn his troops from Italy, now prepared to meet an invasion of Picardy by the English.  He sent a large body of troops to the assistance of the lord of Piennes, Governor of Picardy, commanded by the finest captains of the kingdom, and amongst these was Bayard.  In the month of June 1513 a large army had landed with Henry VIII. near Calais; a most convenient place for the invasion of France, as it was in possession of the English.  A strong force was sent on to besiege the town of Therouanne in Artois, but the King himself remained behind at Calais for some tournaments and festivities.  When he set forth, a few weeks later, to join his army he had a very narrow escape of being taken prisoner by Bayard, who met him on the way.