that the whole grace of the court was the ladies, was pleased to fill it up with them more than had been the ancient custom.  Since, in truth, a court without ladies is a garden without any pretty flowers, and more resembles a Satrap’s or a Turk’s court than that of a great Christian king. . . .  As for me, I hold that there was never anything better introduced than the ladies’ court.  Full often have I seen our kings go to camp, or town, or elsewhither, remain there and divert themselves for some days, and yet take thither no ladies.  But we were so bewildered, so lost, so moped, that for the week we spent away from them and their pretty eyes it appeared to us a year; and always a-wishing, ’When shall we be at the court?’ Not, full often, calling that the court where the king was, but that where the queen and ladies were.” [OEuvres de Brantome, edition of the Societe de l’Histoire de France, t. iii. pp. 120-129.]

Now, when so many fair ladies are met together in a life of sumptuousness and gayety, a king is pretty sure to find favorites, and royal favorites rarely content themselves with pleasing the king; they desire to make their favor serviceable their family and their friends.  Francis I. had made choice one, Frances de Foix, countess of Chateaubriant, beautiful ambitious, dexterous, haughty, readily venturing upon rivalry with even the powerful queen-mother.  She had three brothers; Lautrec was one of the three, and she supported him in all his pretensions and all his trials of fortune.  When he set out to go and take the command in Italy, he found himself at the head of an army numerous indeed, but badly equipped, badly paid, and at grips with Prosper Colonna, the most able amongst the chiefs of the coalition formed at this juncture between Charles V. and Pope Leo X. against the French.  Lautrec did not succeed in preventing Milan from falling into the hands of the Imperialists, and, after an uncertain campaign of some months’ duration, he lost at La Bicocca, near Monza, on the 27th of April, 1522, a battle, which left in the power of Francis I., in Lombardy, only the citadels of Milan, Cremona, and Novara.  At the news of these reverses, Francis I. repaired to Lyons, to consult as to the means of applying a remedy.  Lautrec also arrived there.  “The king,” says Martin du Bellay, “gave him a bad reception, as the man by whose fault he considered he had lost his duchy of Milan, and would not speak to him.”  Lautrec found an occasion for addressing the king, and complained vehemently of “the black looks he gave him.”  “And good reason,” said the king, “when you have lost me such a heritage as the duchy of Milan.” “’Twas not I who lost it,” answered Lautrec; “’twas your Majesty yourself:  I several times warned you that, if I were not helped with money, there was no means of retaining the men-at-arms, who had served for eighteen months without a penny, and likewise the Swiss, who forced me to fight at a disadvantage, which they would never have done if