emanded from
Andrea the prisoners taken by Philippin Doria at Salerno. To this Doria
returned a curt negative, whereupon Francis sent one Barbezieux to
supersede Doria and to seize upon the person of the veteran admiral. But
that seaman, now sixty years of age, was not to be taken by any king or
soldier. He moved his twelve galleys from Genoa to Lerici, on the east
coast of the Gulf of Spezzia, and when Barbezieux arrived he sarcastically
told him to take the galleys. Barbezieux had no better fortune than his
predecessor, the Vicomte de Tours, and retired discomfited and boiling over
with rage to report matters to the King.

It has been said that among the prisoners of Philippin Doria was the
Marquis de Guasto. This nobleman had been an interested spectator of the
quarrel, and now approached Doria suggesting that he should throw in his
lot with Charles. The admiral, who all through had been acting in the
interests of his native country, seeing its ruin approaching from the
ambitions of Francis, consented, and wrote to his nephew Philippin telling
him of his decision, and his reasons for that which he proposed to do.
Philippin therefore rejoined his uncle at Lerici with his eight galleys.
The negotiations were short, sharp, and decisive, and were conducted
through the medium of De Guasto. Charles offered the admiral sixty thousand
ducats a year; this was accepted. The only other stipulation made by the
Emperor was natural enough, which was that all the Spanish galley-slaves in
the fleet of Andrea should be released and their places taken by men of
other nationalities. This was of course conceded, and the transaction was
complete. Henceforward the most formidable force at sea on the Christian
side was at the disposal of the Spanish King.

This transference took place in the year 1528, and it was in the same year
that the citizens of Genoa, in recognition of the unexampled services of
the admiral to the State, elected him perpetual Doge.

This honour Doria declined, declaring that it was more glorious to have
deserved than to possess the honour, and that he considered he could be of
more use to his fellow citizens by gaining for them the protection of great
princes than by remaining as chief judge in his own country.

The Senate of Genoa, astonished by his noble modesty, hailed him as the
father and liberator of his country, ordered that a statue of him should be
erected in the public square, that in the same place a pal