equipments, and above all in value, six or seven hundred valuable horses.
Unfortunately for the French they were not able to carry away all this, for
news arrived of the approach of the Swiss troop which had been summoned;
indeed they entered Villafranca at one gate as the French rode out with
their prisoners on the other side, but there could be no pursuit as the
Swiss were all on foot.

The chief military advantage of this wonderful raid was that it kept all
these Italian horsemen away from the coming battle at Marignano.

Francis I. was delighted to hear of Bayard's success, and finding that the
Swiss were retreating towards Milan he followed in pursuit of them, took
Novara on the way, and advanced with his army as far as Marignano.

A terrible mêlée followed, for as the light failed confusion increased. We
hear of a most striking adventure which befell the Good Knight Bayard late
in the evening. His horse had been killed under him, and the second which
he mounted became so frantic when his master charged the Swiss lances that
he broke his bridle and dashed into the midst of the enemy until he became
entangled in the vines trained from tree to tree. Bayard kept his presence
of mind, and in order to escape instant death, slipped gently from his
horse, cast off his helmet and the thigh-pieces of his armour, and then
managed to creep on hands and knees along a ditch until he reached his own
people. The first man he met was the Duke of Lorraine, who was much
surprised to see him on foot, and at once gave him a wonderful horse which
had once belonged to the Good Knight himself, and had been left for dead on
the field of Ravenna, but was found next day and brought back to Bayard,
who cured him. This was a most unexpected piece of good fortune, and he was
able to borrow a helmet from another friend and so return to the fight,
which continued for a while by moonlight.