, of an illustrious family of Italy, established in the comtat Venaissin,
, of an illustrious
family of Italy, established in the comtat Venaissin, knight
of Malta, and one of the greatest generals of his age, was
born in 1541, and entered into the service in 1557. At
the age of fifteen he was at the siege of Calais, and contributed greatly to the taking of that place, by a brilliant
action that brought him to the notice of Henry II. He
afterwards signalized himself against the Huguenots, or
protestants, at the battles of Dreux, of Jarnac, and of
Moncontour, in 1562, 1568, and 1569. The youthful hero
so greatly distinguished himself in his caravans, especially
at the battle of Lepanto in 1571, that he was made choice
of, though wounded, to carry the news of the victory to
the pope and to the king of France. We find him two
years afterwards, in 1573, at the siege of la Rochelle, and
in almost all the other considerable rencontres of that
period. He every where shewed himself worthy of the name
usually given him hy Henry IV. of the Brave Crillon.
Henrv Hi. who was well acquainted with his valour, made
him knight of his orders in 1585. The specious pretences
of the league, the mask of religion which it put on, could
never shake the fidelity of the brave Crillon, however great
his antipathy to the Huguenots. He rendered important
services to his prince in the affair of the Barricades, at
Tours, and elsewhere. Henry III. ventured to propose to
Crillon to assassinate the duke de Guise, a rebellious subject whom he was afraid to put to death by the sword of
the law. Crillon offered to fiorht him; but disdained to
hear of assassination. When Henry IV. had made the
conquest of his kingdom, Crillon was as faithful to him as
he had been to his predecessor. He repulsed the leaguers
before Boulogne. The army of Villars having invested
Villebceuf in 1592, he vigorously defended that place,
replying to the besiegers, on their summoning the besieged
to surrender, “Crillon is within, and the enemy without.
”
Henry, however, did but little for him; “because,
” said
he, “I was sure of the brave Crillon and I had to gain
over my persecutors.
” The peace of Vervins having put
an end to the wars that had troubled Europe, Crillon retired to Avignon, and there died, in the exercises of piety
and penance, the 2d of December 1615, at the age of
seventy-four. Francis Bening, a Jesuit, pronounced the
discourse at his funeral: a piece of burlesque eloquence,
printed in 1616, under the title of “Boucher d'Honnenr,
”
the “Buckler of Honour,
” and reprinted not many years
since, as a specimen of ridiculous jargon. Mademoiselle
de Lusson published in 2 vols. 12mo, 1757, the life of this
hero, called by his contemporaries I'homme sans peur (the man without fear), le brave des braves (the bravest of the brave). This was translated into English by Miss Lomax,
of Hertfordshire, and after being revised by Richardson,
the author of Clarissa, was published at London, 1760, 2
vols. 12mo. Crillon appears to have been a second chevalier Bayard, not on account of his fantastic and sullen
humour, but from the excellence of his heart and his attachment to religion. It is well known that being present
one day at a sermon on the sufferings of Christ, when the
preacher was come to the description of the flagellation,
Crillon, seized with a sudden fit of enthusiasm, put his
band to his sword, crying out, “Where wert thou,
Crillon?
” These sallies of courage, the effect of an exuberant
vivacity of temper, engaged him too frequently in duels,
in which he always came off with honour. Two instances
are recorded of an intrepidity highly characteristic of Crillon. At the battle of Moncontour in 1569, a Huguenot
soldier thought to serve his party by dispatching the
bravest and most formidable of the catholic generals. In
this view he repaired to a place where Crillon, in his return from pursuing the fugitives, must necessarily pass.
The soldier no sooner perceived him than he drew the
trigger of his piece. Crillon, though severely wounded in
the arm, ran up to the assassin, laid hold on him, and was
instantly going to thrust him through with his sword, when
the soldier threw himself at his feet and begged his life.
“I grant it thee,
” said Crillou; “and if any faith could
be put in a man that is at once a rebel to his king, and an
apostate to his religion, I would put thee on thy parole
never to bear arms but in the service of thy sovereign.
”
The soldier, confounded at this act of magnanimity, swore
that he would for ever shake off all correspondence with
the rebels, and return to the catholic religion. — The young
duke of Guise, to whom Henry IV. had sent him at Marseilles, was desirous of trying how far the fortitude of
Crillon would go. In this design he caused the alarm to
be sounded before the quarters of his brave commander,
and two horses to be led to his door. Then, running up
to his apartments, pretended that the enemy was master
of the port and town, and proposed to him to make his
escape, that he might not swell the triumph of the conquerors. Though Crillon was hardly well awake when he
heard these tidings, he snatched up his arms without the
least trepidation, maintaining that it was better to die
sword in hand, than survive the loss of the place. Guise,
finding it impossible, by all the arguments he could use, to
alter his resolution, accompanied him out of the chamber;
but, when they were about the middle of the stairs, he
burst out into a violent laughter, which plainly discovered
the trick to Crillon. He then put on a graver countenance
than when he thought he was going to fight; and griping
the duke of Guise by the hand, he said, with an oath, according to his custom, “Young man, never again amuse
thyself with putting to the test the heart of an honest man.
Par la mort! if thou hadst found me weak, I would have
poignarded thee!
” After these words he retired without
saying any thing more. We will conclude with the laconic billet written to him from the field of battle by Henry
IV. after the victory of Arques, where Crillon was unable
to be present: “Hang thyself, Crillon! We have been
fighting at Arques, and thou wert not there. Adieu, brave
Crillon! I love thee whether right or wrong.
”