In the mean time, Albert of Brandenburgh entered Lor raine, with 20,000 men, seemingly with an intention to join the French. The emperor, notwithstanding the vicinity of this army, and the advanced season of the year, for it was now the month of October, resolved to lay siege to Metz, contrary to the advice of his most experienced officers. One of his first attempts was to secure the co-operation, or at least the neutrality of Albert. This he effected, by coming up to his price, and he joined the imperial army. The emperor now flattered himself that Metz would be soon reduced ; but be was most lamentably mistaken. The winter set in with unusual rigour, in little more than a month from the commencement of the siege. The impe rial camp was exposed to almost constant alternations of snow and rain, which of course, produced disease even among the hardy Germans ; while the Spaniards and Ita lians, accustomed to more genial climates, were render ed still more sickly and ineffective. In vain the generals and officers endeavoured to animate and rouse thenr men; their exhortations, their threats, their example, scarcely produced any effect. When they were ordered to advance to the assault, they remained motionless and silent. Tho emperor, blinded by his obstinacy to the cause of this con duct in his soldiers, retired to his tent, complaining that he was deserted by them, and upbraiding them with dis affection or cowardice. In vain did his generals endea vour to persuade him to give up the hopeless and fatal enterprize ; in vain did they represent to him, that he was his own enemy, in weakening and dispiriting that army, which, though it was not equal to the task of reducing Metz, so defended, at such a season of the year, might yet, if not totally destroyed in organization, strength and spirit, be adequate to the atchievement of such conquests as would compensate for the loss of Metz. Charles was still obstinate, even when he must have lost all hope ; nor did he raise the siege, till after the lapse of 65 days, spent in fruitless efforts, and after the loss of 35,000 men. Metz, notwithstanding, was very near falling into his power, by a conspiracy of monks. The superior of the cordeliers of that city was a man of a bold and intriguing spirit, and warmly attached, either from habit, or principle, or inter est, to the cause of the emperor. This man, by his ad dress, bad contrived to insinuate himself into the good graces and confidence of the governor, and then .treache rously formed a design to deliver up the town to the.ene my. The monks of his monastery being privy to his plan, be introduced into it a number of soldiers disguised as ca• defiers, who were to open the gates to the garrison of Thion ville. The plot was so well concealed, that it was not dis covered or suspected till the N;cry day on which it was to be executed. On its discovery, the superior was condemn ed to death, with twenty of the monks. Before the sen tence was to be carried into effect, the criminals were put into a cell, for the purpose of confessing one another ; and in this place they murdered the superior, and beat to death five of their brethren, who had been chiefly instrumental in seducing the rest.
When, at length, Charles found himself under the pain ful necessity of raising the siege of Metz, A.D. 1553, his army resembled rather an assemblage of worn out, diseas ed, and undisciplined people, than those troops which he had always been accustomed to bring into the field, and with which he had advanced against this place. He was compelled to abandon a large proportion, who were utterly unable to keep up with the main body, on account of their debility ; while others, no longer under discipline, fell be hind, either for the purpose of plunder, or to throw them selves into the hands of the enemy, from whom they ex pected the infliction of less misery than they had suffered during this unfortunate siege. Under these circumstances, the Duke of Guise might easily and safely have increased the disorder and the loss—perhaps have pressed on, almost to utter destruction, the army of his opponent : but either from motives of policy, or from the influence of humanity, he did not take all the possible advantages of his success. On the contrary, his attention and care were almost exclu• sively directed to heal the wounded, and restore the famish ed ; and those who recovered he sent home, under a safe escort, and with money to bear their charges; so that the courage and skill which he had displayed during the siege were paralleled, if not exceeded, by his humane treatment of his prisoners.
The misfortunes of the emperor were not confined to Germany. In Italy, the Sienese threw off the imperial yoke ; and the fleets of Solyman, the ally of the of France, struck consternation into the city of Naples ; so that, had the latter been able to have invaded Italy at this juncture, it is probable he might have regained his footing in that country.
The disgrace which his army had suffered before Metz, sunk deeply into the bosom of Charles ; and he resolved to wipe it away by a most powerful effort. For this pur pose he invaded France. with a numerous and well ap pointed army, and laid siege to Terouane, the fortifications of which were out of repair. It was, however, defended with great courage by D'Esse ; but after his death, the Imperialists pressed the siege with increased vigour, and it was soon taken by assault. Charles immediately order ed the fortifications to be rased, and the inhabitants to be sent into the neighbouring towns. He then hastened his army, which he had placed under the command of Emanu el Philebert, the Duke of Savoy, towards Hesden, which was also carried by assault, though Henry himself, with a strong force, advanced to its relief. Charles, howeVer, carefully avoided an engagement ; notwithstanding the French threatened to lay siege to Cambray, and the latter were under the necessity of retiring without accomplish ing the object for which they had advanced.
In A. D. 1554, Henry beheld his rival's power, already too powerful for the repose of France, still farther aug mented, by the marriage of his son Philip with Mary of England. But this event only served to increase the jea lously, without intimidating the King of France. He im mediately augmented his forces, and resolved, by carryinz, on the war in Italy and the Low Countries at the same time, to compel the emperor to listen to equitable terms of peace, before the English sent any large reinforcements to him. Three large armies were accordingly equipped, with which he invaded and laid waste the provinces of Hainault, Liege, and Artois, reduced Marienburgh, took Dinant and Bou vines by assault, and invested Ronti. Charles was now broken down by years, fatigue and illness ; yet, on hearing of the rapid march of the French, he put himself at the head .of his army, and advanced to the relief of Ronti. Henry did not avoid the conflict ; an obstinate skirmish took place. The imperial army suffered the loss of a consider able number of men and artillery. The Duke of Guise behaved in a manner worthy his reputation ; and had the constable Montmorency acted with skill, vigour, activity, and courage, it is highly probable that the imperial would have been completely routed ; but the latter was jealous of the talents and fame of the Duke, and, influ enced by these dishonourable motives, he would not second his efforts. The consequences were, not only that the im perial army escaped with comparatively little loss, but the French themselves were soon afterwards under the neces sity of retiring. Charles was not slow in taking advantage of these circumstances. Immediately on the retreat of his' opponents, he entered Picardy, where he retaliated the rav ages which the French had committed in Hainault, Artois and Liege. , In Italy, the French were equally unfortunate: army there was placed under the command cf Strozzi, a Florentine .exile, who was defeated with the loss of 4000 men, in the battle of Marciano, by the Marquis de rignano, general to Cosmo _de AIediels. The Imperialists, fully sensible of the advantages that might be reaped from this defeat, immediately to Siena, which was garrisoned by French troops, under the command of Mont luc. This commander did all in his power to protract the loss of: the place; for 10 months. he:defended with-lhe greatestgallantry ; nor.is it likely that it would ultimately have fallen, had it not been for.the, ravages which famine committed among the garrison. ,The Imperialists did jus. tice to the valour of the besieged, in the terms which they granted to them, Montiuc, with his French troops, being allowed to march out with all the honours of war.