well guarded, and God was
guarding the King of France."

All the same, at this moment the French were sorely pressed in the rear;
and although de Guise and de la Trimouille held out as firmly as it was
possible to hold, they would probably have been compelled to yield to
superior numbers had not a double aid arrived in time: first the
indefatigable Charles, who, having nothing more to do among the
fugitives, once again dashed into the midst of the fight, next the
servants of the army, who, now that they were set free from the
Stradiotes and saw their enemies put to flight, ran up armed with the
axes they habitually used to cut down wood for building their huts: they
burst into the middle of the fray, slashing at the horses' legs and
dealing heavy blows that smashed in the visors of the dismounted
horsemen.

The Italians could not hold out against this double attack; the 'furia
francese' rendered all their strategy and all their calculations useless,
especially as for more than a century they had abandoned their fights of
blood and fury for a kind of tournament they chose to regard as warfare;
so, in spite of all Gonzaga's efforts, they turned their backs upon the
French rear and took to flight; in the greatest haste and with much
difficulty they recrossed the torrent, which was swollen even more now by
the rain that had been falling during the whole time of the battle.

Some thought fit to pursue the vanquished, for there was now such
disorder in their ranks that they were fleeing in all directions from the
battlefield where the French had gained so glorious a victory, blocking
up the roads to Parma and Bercetto. But Marechal de Gie and de Guise and
de la Trimouille, who had done quite enough to save them from the
suspicion of quailing before imaginary dangers, put a stop to this
enthusiasm, by pointing out that it would only be risking the loss of
their present advantage if they tried to push it farther with men and
horses so worn out. This view was adopted in spite of the opinion of
Trivulce, Camillo Vitelli, and Francesco Secco, who were all eager to
follow up the victory.

The king retired to a little village an the left bank of the Taro, and
took shelter in a poor house. There he disarmed, being perhaps among all
the captains and all the soldiers the man who had fought best.

During the night the torrent swelled so high that the Italian army could
not have pursued, even if they had laid aside their fears.