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 Learn Python Programming

The Comprehensive Guide to Learn and Apply Python by learning

coding best practices and advanced programming concepts

James Herron
 Table Of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1 Preparing to figure with Python
Installing Python
The Python Prompt
Installing Setuptools
Working Environment
Chapter 2 Syntaxes Below the Class Level
List Comprehensions
Iterators and Generators
Generator Expressions
Chapter 3 |Object-Oriented programming
Inheritance
Polymorphism
Abstraction
Encapsulation
Chapter 4 Essential Programming Tools
Bash Script
Python RegEx
Python Package Manager
Source Control
Bringing It All At Once
Chapter 5 Working With Files
Creating new files
What are the binary files?
Opening your file up
Chapter 6 Exception Handling
Handling the Zero Division Error Exception
Handling the File Not Found Exception Error
Chapter 7 Python Libraries
Caffe
Theano
TensorFlow
Keras
Sklearn-Theano
Nolearn
Digits
Chapter 8 The PyTorch Library
The Beginnings of PyTorch
The Community for PyTorch
Why Use PyTorch with the info Analysis
Pytorch 1.0 – The Way To Go From Research To Production
Chapter 9 Creating Packages in Python
A Common Pattern for each Python Package
Using the ‘setup.py’ Script in Namespaced Packages
Conclusion
 Introduction
The focus of this book will primarily be divided into two portions. the
primary portion will encompass the topics which will prepare the reader to
figure with Python as effectively as possible. The latter half will specialize in
enabling the user to implement the concepts outlined previously. we'll begin
by preparing all the required tools and found out the Python working
environment on the system. this may confirm that the reader doesn't
experience any inconvenience when it involves practicing or testing out the
examples shown within the upcoming chapters. the primary chapter
introduces the tools that the reader must need to be ready to work on a system
that has Python. additionally , each tool described within the first chapter is
additionally accompanied with appropriate explanations and therefore the
methods on how the user can easily download and install them on the system.
Each OS has its own requirements and to make sure every reader can use this
book, the primary chapter encompasses not only Windows but also Linux and
macOS also . Afterward, we'll re-evaluate the syntaxes commonly utilized in
advanced programming. These syntaxes are going to be explained and
practically demonstrated on two levels, below the category level and above
the category level. After this, we'll encounter a chapter dedicated to elucidate
the art of naming in programming. most of the people underestimate the
naming process and don't provides it due attention. actually , naming
packages, modules, custom functions, modules, and classes got to be done
very carefully as these names are utilized in coding afterward .
After the primary four chapters, we'll reach the sensible portion of the book.
The last two chapters are dedicated entirely to explaining the advanced
techniques which will be wont to create packages in Pythons and
applications. These chapters will encompass the concepts discussed during
this book and therefore the techniques and practices that are commonly
taught within the intermediate level of coding. this is often especially
important because everything we learn during this book are going to be
useless if we cannot handle a project at the top of the day. within the last
chapters, we'll undergo the method adopted to make packages then also see
how package creation is correlated to putting together complete applications.
 Chapter 1

Preparing to figure with Python

In today’s day and age, Python is during all in every of the foremost popular
programming languages that has excellent usability in a big variety of high-
level niches, like machine learning, data science, penetration testing, etc.
Even for scenarios like application development and standard programming,
Python doesn't fall behind other languages like C or C++. during this chapter,
we'll comprehensively discuss the way to properly found out Python on the
system along side the acceptable tools to permit for advanced programming
and coding practices. The initial setup is extremely important because it is
extremely counter-productive to seek out that we are missing a component
and having to back and setting it up. In short, we'll specialize in ensuring that
we've everything ready and found out before we jump into practical
applications and advanced practices (such as creating packages and
applications).
Installing Python
Installing and using the Python programing language is straightforward
because it runs on basically any OS like Linus, Windows, and Macintosh.
The core team liable for the distribution and availability of this Python
programing language runs an internet site “http://www.python.org/
download” to simply download it. The people from the Python community
have also provided platforms for other users to download it, which can even
have distributions for operating systems like auld langsyne .
Different Implementations of the Python IDE
One of Python's interesting features is that the ease with which it are often
implemented in other programming languages also . as an example , because
the name suggests, the tool ‘CPython’ is an implementation of Python in ‘C’.
While for the nonce , this is often the foremost commonly used variant of a
Python implementation, other Python implementations for up and coming
fields like machine learning, data science, and database manipulation also are
becoming popular. It all depends on how successful a functional
programming arena is for the implementation to experience wide-spread use.
Jython
Just as we discussed that ‘CPython’ is just the implementation of the Python
programing language in ‘C’, similarly, Java (a popular language utilized in
web development) also has its own Python implementation sort of the tool
‘Jython ’. the most feature of this implementation is that classes that
primarily belong to the Java language are ready to be defined in Python
modules. additionally , the cross-compatibility also extends to applications
that are usually paired with Java (such as Apache). In other words, we will
leverage the features provided by these applications limited to Java and
convey them over to an application written in Python.
IronPython
Python is brought within the .NET framework with the assistance of
IronPython. The developers of IronPython performing at Microsoft have
made version 1.1 which is that the most stable and implements Python 2.4.3.
IronPython with ASP.NET allows the utilization of Python code in .NET
applications a bit like Jython in Java. this sort of implementation of Python is
beneficial for the promotion of the language. consistent with the TIOBE
community index, the .NET language is becoming increasingly popular and
features a big developer community like Java.
PyPy
This implementation may be a bit difficult to know because it's an
implementation of Python itself. To elaborate, the interpreter getting used
during this tool is essentially liable for translating Python code. While one
might wonder what’s the aim of a Python implementation for a Python
project because it doesn’t add up . But experienced programmers stack
implementations over each other to bring out truth potential of tools like this
one. for instance , if we are performing on a project, we will use the CPython
tool and have it work on the simpler instructions, and afterward , we will use
the PyPy tool to translate the code from the CPython into the Python
language. Many other examples like this demonstrate the usefulness of PyPy.
within the beginning, the most concern for this tool was its lackluster speed,
which was even more evident when it had been compared to CPython . But
with the introduction of techniques like ‘JIT ’, the speed of the PyPy tool’s
compiler has increased by a powerful margin. That said, it isn't recommended
to use PyPy as your main implementation as programmers are still
experimenting with it.
Other implementations
Apart from the commonly used implementations, other interesting
implementations and ports of Python also are available. Examples include the
Python 2.2.2 available for access within the Nokia S60 phone series, and a
port on ARM Linux which provides its availability in devices like Sharp
Zaurus.
Linux Installation
If the OS in question is Linux, then the Python language may already be
installed. To access it, just attempt to call it from the shell as:
tarek@dabox:~$ python
Python 2.3.5 (#1, Jul 4 2007, 17:28:59)
[GCC 4.1.2 20061115 (prerelease) (Debian 4.1.1-21)] on linux2
>>>
Once the shell is finished executing the command from the user, it'll either
display a mistake detailing that there's no valid installation of Python on the
system, or it'll easily replace the version of the Python installation and
perform the IDE. At the top of the shell, you'll notice three ‘greater than’
symbols (>>>). These symbols tell the user that Python will execute any valid
command written during this space. The shell also tells us the compiler that's
available for the Python and it depends on OS to OS. as an example , the
compiler on a system running Linux are going to be ‘GCC ’ while on the
opposite hand, the compiler for a system running Windows are going to be
the visual studio.
If you're indeed running a Linux-based system, you'll install other Python
versions also . With quite one Python installation, all you've got to try to is
execute the command while passing the precise version you would like the
shell to run. during this way, the shell won't execute a completely different
version of Python or all Python versions at an equivalent time. Here’s an
indication that explains this;
tarek@dabox:~$ which python
/usr/bin/python
Exploring the Variety of Random
Documents with Different Content
18th the besieger had terminated his earthwork as far as the point I,
and there he brought up a veuglaire to dismount the flank culverin C. At
this point some men were lost on both sides; for the besiegers sent
among those engaged in the works large balls of stone and leaden
bullets, fired from the bombards of the tower G, and from small cannon.

Fig. 53.

On the 18th of September, at daybreak, the bombards of the cavaliers, A

and B, redoubled their fire on the boulevard; then Messire Charles
d'Amboise, having massed a body of four hundred men at the point, I,
sheltered by gabions and fascines put up during the night; at the word
of command this body fell upon the flank, C, which was vigorously
defended for an hour. After this the Sire de Montcler, observing that the
besiegers were continually sending reinforcements to this point,
withdrew his troops into the barbican, K, and the boulevard, E, which
enabled the artillerymen posted in the tower, G, to keep up a brisk fire
from their bombard and their small cannon upon the assailants.
From the boulevard, E, the besieged, in spite of the projectiles they
received in their rear, sheltering themselves as best they could,
discharged volleys of stones with their culverins on the point occupied
by the enemy. The latter sought to avoid them by descending a short
distance below the ridge of the plateau; but they were none the less
exposed there to the fire from the tower, G. They brought up gabions
and fascines, and endeavoured to gain a footing on this flank, not
without some loss, when about three o'clock in the afternoon another
attack was contrived against the flank, D. Passing round the end of the
intrenchment, and hastening with all speed along the slopes, the enemy
attempted to take the defenders in the rear. This attack was
unsuccessful. Those who served the bombards and culverins of the
tower, H, seized the right moment for discharging volleys against this
column of assailants, which made deep lanes in the battalions. These,
moreover, who were retired within the barbican, precipitated down the
slopes those of the enemy who had already passed beyond the
intrenchment; and the struggle ceased towards evening, the besieger
occupying the point C alone, without being able to advance. He was
endeavouring to find shelter there, both against the projectiles and
against any attack in retaliation. The citizens had lost only a few men
and a culverin. The enemy reckoned one hundred and fifty dead, and a
large number of wounded.
During the night the Sire de Montcler brought up fascines, casks, and
timber débris with which he raised a barricade connecting the barbican
with the boulevard along the road, and a second connecting the eastern
extremity of the intrenchment, D, with the fausse-braie of the tower, H,
along the ridge of the plateau. He brought up one of the reserve
culverins, and mounted it in the centre of the first barricade, then, with
gabions, he strengthened the shelters and parados of the boulevard.
The bombard was remounted as well as it could be, and directed against
the point, C, of the intrenchment. And a second bombard was brought
from the abbey to the platform of the tower G.
On his side, Messire Charles d'Amboise had not remained inactive. At the
point, I, an earthwork was raised with gabionades, and two bombards
were brought thither. The point captured was strengthened by great
gabions, all covered with fascines, and well furnished with small cannon.
These works were scarcely terminated when the day broke (September
19th). It was the besieged who began to direct the fire of their bombard
from the boulevard, E, against the point C.
Immediately one of the bombards from the platform, I, replied, while
the other discharged balls on the tower G, whose pieces were not slow
in responding. Then the bombards of the cavaliers A and B joined in as
on the previous day. The fire of these five pieces, converging at once on
the boulevard, soon threw down the gabionades, killed most of the
artillerymen, and dismounted the bombard a second time. This defence
was no longer tenable. However, the governor would not yet abandon
the advanced work: protecting his men as best he could along the
interior slopes, he sent for five hundred Germans held in reserve in the
abbey, and when duly marshalled, at a signal agreed upon, all the
pieces of the tower G, the culverins of the barricade, and another
culverin that had remained in battery on the boulevard, fired at once on
the point C; and immediately putting himself at the head of the
Germans and one hundred volunteers, among whom were most of the
Burgundian men-at-arms, crossed the barricade and charged the
enemy's position, who, surprised by this bold attack, defended
themselves but feebly, and were partly driven on the slopes of the
plateau. Messire Charles d'Amboise, who was on the platform I, seeing
this rebuff, threw two large battalions, held in reserve behind the
earthwork, against the intrenchment between the point C and the
boulevard.
His men crossed the obstacle quickly enough, in spite of the barricade
and the defenders posted at this point, and attacked the troop of the
besieged in flank and in rear. In the midst of this mêlée, the artillerymen
on both sides were prevented from firing; it was a combat with sharp
weapons only. The Sire de Montcler found himself much jeopardised
when, from the barbican and the boulevard, those who were on the
field, although they had orders not to quit their posts, fell in their turn
on the troop of besiegers. Immediately dividing his forces into two
bodies, the governor was able with one to hold his ground against the
assailants thrown on the slopes, and with the other to make head
against the French, in their turn attacked on both sides.
The conflict was sanguinary. The besiegers, driven back against the
intrenchment, could neither deploy nor manœuvre. Messire Charles
d'Amboise sent a reinforcement, but the bombardiers of the tower G, at
the risk of killing some of their own party, discharged stone balls and
leaden bullets over the intrenchment at the fresh troops. Some well-
aimed shots threw this battalion into confusion, as the soldiers could not
see what was taking place in the interior, and were besides exposed to
projectiles thrown by defenders mounted on the salient of the
intrenchment. In fact the utmost these last comers could do was to
facilitate the retreat of their comrades, which had become a very
perilous one. The outwork was therefore recovered by the besieged—
were they able to keep it?
Messire Charles d'Amboise saw that it was not prudent to hurry on an
attack, and that in the face of a resolute garrison he must determine to
proceed methodically. As the last rays of daylight faded the besiegers
had all repassed the intrenchment conquered the day before, and were
leaving on the field more than a hundred dead, wounded, and prisoners.
They had been obliged to abandon the culverin they had seized. The
wounded were transported to the abbey and consigned to the care of
the monks, who attended to them as well as to the wounded among the
besieged. The prisoners were shut up in the castle, where they were
well treated. Some Swiss were among them.
It was painful to the Sire de Montcler to abandon the outwork after this
success; but it was evident that the besiegers would make new efforts
to seize it, since the place was accessible only on that side, and many
men must be sacrificed in retaining it. Now the garrison had suffered in
the last struggle losses at least equivalent to those of the enemy; and
these losses could not be repaired, while the troops of the king of
France would be reinforced, if necessary. The Swiss prisoners, when
questioned, had not concealed the fact that the enemy might reckon
upon a fresh body of their own countrymen, five hundred in number,
before long.
At nightfall therefore the governor assembled the captains of the various
posts and the Burgundian lords, and spoke to them as follows:
—"Gentlemen, our troops have displayed courage and intelligence in this
day's struggle; and this assures us success, with the help of God.
Though inferior to the enemy in numbers, we have defended and
recovered the outwork; it would therefore be possible to keep it. Yet we
cannot do so without directing all our means of resistance to this point,
and imposing a severe task on the garrison. We should be rapidly
exhausting our strength, while the enemy, which is much more
numerous than we, can employ fresh troops every day. It would seem
wise, then, to abandon this outwork, exposed to the batteries of the
enemy, and to retire behind the ramparts; but besides the disinclination
which men of honour must feel for retreating, after a success has been
gained, and not trying to avail themselves of the advantages they have
secured, there is the consideration that if we abandon the boulevard this
defence will be turned against us by the besieger, and will support him
in attacking our front. I have, therefore, resolved to unite this boulevard
with the extremities of the curtains by two intrenchments, which will be
flanked by the towers. This very night we must begin; and if we have
not finished the works to-morrow morning we must defend our present
intrenchment, that we may secure time to finish the new one. Be so
good, therefore, as to assemble the townspeople in their various
quarters within an hour, and let them be in readiness on the ground to
work at the said intrenchments."
 Fig. 54

The orders of the governor were peremptory, and about nine o'clock
four hundred workmen, and even women, issued by the north gate to
raise the earthworks marked out on the ground by the engineer (Fig.
54). This intrenchment consisted of a small ditch with an earthwork
surmounted by stakes, rubbish from the demolition of houses in the
town, fascines, and barrels filled with earth. On the western side it
started from the boulevard at N, and joined the fosse of the curtain at L,
leaving a passage of twenty-four feet between its extremity and the
ditch. On the eastern side it reached the entrance of the boulevard O,
and followed the line O M, with a similar passage at M. At R and P two
culverins were mounted, protected by strong gabionades. On the
enemy's side an embankment, with platform and gabions, had been
raised at S, and the two bombards of the cavalier, B, were mounted on
this platform. At T, Messire Charles d'Amboise had placed a culverin,
protected by a gabionade.
The bombards of the cavalier B were replaced by three veuglaires to
crush the battery S, if the besieged, taking the offensive, endeavoured
to seize it.
On the morning of the 20th of September the works of the besieged
were almost completed, or at any rate were high enough to present an
obstacle to the assailant. The boulevard, E, had been well furnished with
fascines and gabions that very night. The bombard, remounted, swept
the point C, and the two culverins the exterior. The intrenchment, C D,
was strongly occupied by the defenders at the break of day with small
cannon and powerful catapults. The barricades on the flanks, V and X,
were strengthened. The Sire de Montcler sent two hundred men to the
boulevard, E, with orders to keep under cover as far as possible, and to
use their weapons only in case of the intrenchment being forced. The
attack commenced about six o'clock. The two bombards, S, discharged
stone balls on the salient of the intrenchment and on the boulevard; at
the same time the two pieces, I and T, directed their fire on the
epaulement, C, and the interval, S T, was occupied by arbalisters and
men who served the small cannon under cover of mantelets. From the
cavalier, A, the bombards continued to discharge balls broadcast on the
boulevard E, as on the previous days. From the platform of this cavalier
A, Messire Charles d'Amboise had observed the intrenchment which the
besieged had raised during the night; he therefore resolved to bring all
his efforts to bear on the salient and the boulevard. With this view,
about eight o'clock, he brought up two culverins at Y, which, protected
by gabions, were also made to do duty. The besieged replied only with
their small cannon and the two culverins of the epaulements, C and D,
and their arbalisters. They were husbanding their fire for the moment of
assault. At noon, the salient of the intrenchment was broken down, and
the escarpment of the boulevard was greatly damaged. The defenders
were driven from their position at Z; their culverin, C, was dismounted,
and the western epaule rendered untenable. They dispersed or took
refuge along the intrenchment from Z to D, which was less exposed.
The Sire de Montcler gave orders to return within the second
intrenchment. They brought away the culverin D, which was mounted at
the extremity L; but they were obliged to leave the piece C after having
spiked it. As soon as Charles d'Amboise saw the besieged abandon his
intrenchment he ceased firing, and, having marshalled an assaulting
column furnished with ladders, poles, and cutlasses, ordered it to cross
the ruined salient and assault the boulevard without giving the enemy
breathing time. This was the moment for which the commandant was
waiting. As soon as he saw this column begin to move and pass the
intrenchment, he directed upon it a simultaneous fire from the pieces of
the two towers G and H, the two culverins mounted on the boulevard,
and all the small cannon. The assaulting column, thus taken obliquely
and in front, hesitated and fell back; when it was greeted by a shower
of crossbow bolts from the ramparts of the boulevard. It rallied,
however, behind the battery S, which discharged a volley upon the
boulevard, and, turning slightly on its right so as at least to shelter itself
from the fire of the tower H, it passed the intrenchment once more and
threw its scaling ladders on the escarpment of the boulevard. The
defenders sustained the assault resolutely. The tower, G, then began to
fire on the assailants as well as the culverins brought up at L and P.
The besiegers suffered severe losses. On two occasions some of their
number reached the parapet, but could not hold their ground. They did
not fall back, however; and most of them heated by the fight, not
obeying or not hearing the voice of their captains, advanced along the
new intrenchment N L, hoping to force it, for it was but weak. In fact, in
a few moments this defence was passed, and the assailants then
endeavoured to take the boulevard by the gorge. The defenders posted
between C and M seeing themselves taken in rear, took refuge, some in
the boulevard and others in barbican K. A hand to hand fight began in
this triangle. In this mêlée the garrison dared not shoot from the
curtain. The Sire de Montcler, who was in the barbican, then put himself
at the head of his men and encouraged them by saying that the enemy
was taken in a snare from which he could not escape; he sallied forth in
good order, driving the scattered assailants before him as far as the
gorge of the boulevard, which was crowded by the defenders, crying
"Burgundy! Burgundy!" (Fig. 55). The works of this boulevard were
commanded by a cool-headed captain, who was able to prevent his men
from being disturbed by the struggle going on behind them; and who
maintained his ground against the assault—now diminishing in vigour—
issued from the gorge, and rallying all the panic-stricken soldiers who
were massed together at this point, rushed on the enemy. The French
were then obliged to retreat as best they could, not without leaving
many of their men on the field. But it was evident that the boulevard P
could hold out no longer. Surrounded by the enemy's fire, and the outer
intrenchment taken, a fresh assault would place it in the power of the
enemy. Its parapets were ruined, and its three pieces disabled. All night
the besiegers occupied both sides of the intrenchments N, L, O, M and
kept up an incessant fire to hinder the besieged from reinforcing this
defence. The Sire de Montcler determined, though with regret, and only
to avoid a useless sacrifice of life, to give the orders required for
bringing back into the town such pieces of ordnance as were still
serviceable. He was obliged to abandon the bombard, of which indeed
the besiegers could make no use. Two of the five culverins were placed
on the platforms of the great towers, and the three others on terraces
raised behind the curtain, together with three pieces taken from the
reserve.
 Fig. 55.—Assault on the Boulevard.

On the morning of the 21st of September, the besiegers found the

outwork abandoned; but in occupying it themselves they were exposed
to the fire of the two great bombards of the towers and of ten culverins,
which did not cease to fire on the boulevard and the intrenchment.
Towards evening, however, they had succeeded in opening a wide
breach in the boulevard, opposite the gorge, and inclosing the latter.
They were occupied all night in restoring its slopes and parapets in front
of the town, and raising platforms and mounting three bombards on the
boulevard.
 Fig. 56— Attack on the old front.

At the two epaulements of the intrenchment C, D they raised two

gabioned cavaliers, and placed a bombard and two veuglaires on each
of them.
On the 21st of September, these works having been terminated by noon
in spite of the fire of the besieged, one of the bombards of the
boulevard discharged its stone balls at the gate, the two others at the
two towers. At the same time the veuglaires of the cavaliers fired on
these towers with iron balls and the bombards with their stone balls.
These projectiles left only feeble traces on the masonry, but often threw
down the gabionades and the parapets, and dismounted the pieces (Fig.
56). [17]
This artillery fight lasted till evening; on both sides pieces had been
dismounted or were silenced; and the whole of the night was employed
both by besieger and besieged in replacing the cannon on their repaired
carriages or in bringing up new pieces.
Messire Charles d'Amboise was irritated; the affair was advancing but
slowly. He had already received pressing letters from the king; for Louis
XI. was afraid that a prolonged resistance would determine the other
parts of Burgundy which had remained faithful to the court of France, to
declare for the young duchess. He knew that emissaries of Maximilian
were going through the province and endeavouring to persuade the
authorities of the great towns that the king's army was feeble and
disheartened; seeing that, in spite of formidable artillery, twenty days
had not enabled it to make any impression on the little city of Roche-
Pont.
Although the besiegers concentrated their fire, the number of pieces
mounted by them was inferior to that of the cannon of the besieged.
The stone balls of the bombards did no great damage to the defences.
Messire Charles d'Amboise, therefore, during the night intervening
between the 22nd and 23rd, raised a cavalier at A, strongly gabioned
and terraced, and armed it with three large culverins. On the morning of
the 23rd of September the corner tower, G, received the fire of five
pieces loaded with iron ball and of a bombard discharging stone balls.
After two hours' fire all the defences of the platform were knocked down
and the three pieces dismounted, the embrasures of the tower battery
shattered, and the defenders killed or wounded. Then orders were given
that the tower should be fired upon only by two pieces from the cavalier
C; and the fire of the three culverins of the cavalier A, and the three
bombards of the boulevard, concentrated their fire on the gate and its
barbican. Towards the end of the day this fine gate presented the
appearance shown in Fig. 57. In the evening the besieger's pieces that
had not been dismounted—that is to say, two culverins of the battery A,
a veuglaire of the cavalier, and one of the bombards of the boulevard—
concentrated their fire on the terrace P, of the besieged.[See Fig. 56.]
By evening the wall was dismantled, the gabionades tumbled down, and
only one of the three culverins was available. However there was no
breach, and an assault could not be attempted.
 Fig. 57

The Sire de Montcler decided that he must at all risks retard the
besieger's progress if he could do nothing more. He reckoned that in
two days the enemy would be able to effect a breach, either by his
cannon or by mining, and that then the cité must be taken; for the
garrison could not long hold out behind the interior retrenchments. In
the cannonade of the preceding days the Sire de Montcler had lost but
few men, and his reserve force had not been drawn upon. He therefore
got them under arms about nine o'clock, summoned a troop of one
hundred well-mounted horsemen, and gave the following orders:—The
hundred horsemen, accompanied by a hundred coutilliers on foot, were
to sally forth by the eastern gate against the post established at the
mills, attack the small encampment installed in the meadows below, fall
back by the road skirting the plateau on the east side, skirmish on the
outskirts of the French camp, or cut down the posts they came upon on
their way, and then return at full speed to the east gate. A second body
of a hundred foot soldiers was to be at the cross road above the mills to
protect their retreat. During these attacks, designed to attract the
enemy's attention to the left, a troop of five hundred men on foot would
issue from a masked postern giving egress below the front of the abbey
on the west, and filing off along the ramparts, vigorously attack the
cavalier C, and the battery A, spike the pieces, and do all possible
damage. It was to retire by the same way, protected by the western
ramparts.
Messire Charles d'Amboise was too experienced a warrior to fail in
pushing his advantage. He knew that success, especially in sieges,
ultimately accrues to him who leaves the enemy no repose, and does
not fall asleep when his first advantage has been gained. The north
front of the place was rendered powerless; but an energetic governor of
a town may, in a single night, accumulate many obstacles, devise a
hundred stratagems, and very greatly hinder the efficiency of an attack.
Charles d'Amboise had therefore resolved to have fascines conveyed to
the ditch by a body of a thousand men, some yards from the great
tower of the corner G, and to attempt an escalade, while the ordnance,
firing on this tower at discretion, hindered the defenders from fortifying
the platform again. He had observed the embrasure on the flank of this
tower raking the ditch, and had summoned a body of twenty men,
furnished with mattresses, and pieces of wood to mask it. As regarded
the fausse-braie, that was ruined, and could not present any serious
obstacle.
The Sire de Montcler had some reason to expect a night attack; but he
intended to be beforehand with it, and crush it in the bud. "Whatever
happens," he said to the troops ordered for the sorties, "act according to
your instructions: do not allow yourselves to be diverted by any attempt
at an assault; on the contrary, execute the orders given you to the letter.
We are still numerous enough to sustain an attack."
At a quarter past ten the two detachments were in the act of issuing
forth by the eastern gate and by the abbey postern. The governor then
mounted the débris of the defences of the tower at the corner C, and
attentively examined the attitude of the enemy. The fires they had
lighted were no longer to be seen; but, on listening, he heard indistinct
sounds along the works of the besieger. The sky was overcast, and
drops of rain were in falling. The Sire de Montcler descended to the
lower battery; all the embrasures fronting the exterior were in ruins, and
all the pieces of ordnance covered with rubbish. The embrasure of the
flank was intact, and the small piece with which it was furnished was in
good condition. He had it loaded in his presence with nails and old iron,
and gave orders to those serving it not to fire till they saw the enemy a
few paces off; behind this piece he had a second placed similarly
loaded, so that two volleys might be discharged one after the other.
Then he went up again to the rampart walk of the curtain, and himself
drew up his men, who were armed with long bills and good daggers and
axes. He next visited the ruined gate. It presented such a pile of rubbish
that the enemy would not have been able to pass it in the night;
nevertheless in every corner he posted troops, with orders not to use
their weapons till they found themselves face to face with the enemy, to
observe absolute silence, and not to shout during the fight. This done,
he placed a reserve of two hundred men behind the interior
retrenchment, and fifty men, furnished with tarred bundles of straw, on
the ridge of this retrenchment, with orders to kindle them when they
heard the cry "Burgundy!"
About three-quarters past ten the Sire de Montcler again ascended the
platform of the corner tower, and recognised the presence of the enemy
some yards from the ditch. Notwithstanding the darkness, he could see
a black mass deploying in silence; then he heard the fascines rolling into
the fosse and the wood cracking under the men's feet. In a few
minutes, about fifty ladders were set up against the curtain, and each of
them was covered by the enemy. These ladders were provided with
hooks at the top and stays along the sides, so that the defenders could
not throw them down: two, however, fell, dragging the assailants with
them.
At this moment the small pieces of ordnance on the flank of the tower
fired, and the cries of the wounded resounded from the ditch, while
three more ladders were broken and fell. The hosts of assailants surged
over on the rampart walk, and at the cry of "Burgundy!" the fires having
been kindled, the encounter with keen weapons in this narrow space
presented the strangest spectacle.
The artillery of the besieged was then directed to the flank of the curtain
and the exterior, from the platform of the corner tower; while shouts
arose from this battery, and the five hundred Burgundians who were
ordered to the sortie on the west began an attack, and the troops that
were preparing to reinforce the assault turned their backs to the town to
fall on this attacking body.
The Sire de Montcler heard shouting in the distance on the north-east
side, and saw a bright gleam through the darkness. He then went down
to bring his reserves to the curtain. The French, however, succeeded in
getting to the top of the rampart, and reached the corner tower. The
few men who were on the summit of the dismantled platform struggled
bravely until the moment when the reserve sent by the governor,
ascending the incline on which the artillery was posted, fell on the
French, and drove them back to the rampart walk of the curtain. The
assailants then forming in a column on the rampart walk, directed a
vigorous attack against the tower. From the interior retrenchment,
showers of bolts, arrows, and small-shot were discharged upon them in
flank; and although they had bucklers, the French lost a great many. As
the rampart walk was narrow, the head of the column could present
only three men abreast, and was met by a compact mass of defenders.
It was not advancing; the soldiers in the rear, who were exposed to
darts in flank, were pressing on those before them in order to force the
platform and fight. In this press many fell mutilated within the town.
One of the culverineers of the tower, aided by a dozen men, had
succeeded during the struggle in getting a culverin out of the rubbish
and carrying it without its carriage, loaded, into the midst of the group
of Burgundians defending the passage. Thrusting the mouth of the piece
between their legs, he fired it: the ball, and the stones with which the
bore of the culverin had been filled, made a frightful lane in the compact
body of the French: some leaped down into the town, others ran
towards the towers of the gateway, and several climbed the parapet to
regain their ladders. The Burgundians made another rush along the
rampart, killing all who resisted.
But at that juncture a large body of the French issued forth through the
gate of the lower battery. By aid of pickaxes and crowbars they had
succeeded, after filling up the ditch with fascines, in enlarging the
openings of two of the embrasures, already broken down by the
cannon; then, throwing into these openings lighted bundles of straw and
tar mixed with gunpowder so as to drive away the defenders, they had
made their way into the interior at the risk of being themselves
suffocated by the smoke, and rushing towards the gate, killing the few
that had remained in the battery, they had forced the doors and made
an entrance for their comrades by the same road. Issuing forth into the
town they ascended the incline at full speed.[See Fig. 50.] The cry Of
victory on the part of the Burgundians was answered by cries of
"France! d'Amboise!" These shouts revived the courage of the French
who had remained on the rampart, and they renewed the attack. The
Sire de Montcler despatched his last reserves against the new comers,
but they continued to pour out on level ground and fought valiantly.
Their number was increasing every moment, and they succeeded in
driving back the reserves to the retrenchment. The Burgundians, cooped
up on the platform of the tower, surrendered after having lost half their
men. Messire Charles d'Amboise ordered that they should be honourably
treated. The tower of the north-west salient was in the power of the
enemy, as well as the whole of the curtain stretching from this tower to
the north gate.
Day was breaking when the combat ceased, and some hours' repose
were needed on both sides. The corner tower was lost to the besieged;
the governor strongly barricaded the adjoining tower opening on to the
curtain, and placed a number of small cannon in the upper story of this
tower. He had done the same on the broken summit of the western
tower of the gate. He wished to hinder the enemy from gaining ground
on the curtains, and outflanking—particularly on his right—the
retrenchment connected with the old wall surrounding the abbey, and
meeting the tower on the north-east corner.[See Fig. 48.]
A short time before the end of the struggle, the two bodies destined for
the sorties were on their return, the foot soldiers through the abbey
postern, and the men-at-arms, not through the east gate, but through
that near the castle on the west. The foot soldiers brought in a hundred
prisoners; the horse had lost a third of their party. The fortune of these
two bodies had been as follows:—The foot soldiers, operating on the
left, had come upon the enemy unawares, making their way through the
brushwood of the western slope of the plateau as far as the gorge of
the enemy's battery, C,[See Fig. 56.] had fallen on the guard, spiked the
guns, and, taking advantage of the confusion, had taken the attacking
column in flank, had entered the battery, A, whose pieces they had also
spiked, but, seeing themselves too far advanced, had beat a retreat,
descending the slopes straight towards the west. As they were not
vigorously pursued, they had entered the lower town, surprised and
captured two bodies of guards, set fire to some huts erected by the
besiegers, and regained the town. Charles d'Amboise, at first surprised
by the audacity of the attack, but quickly perceiving that it could do him
no serious damage, had given the strictest orders that nothing should
divert his men from the assault, and had contented himself with sending
against the troops of the besieged two or three hundred men to keep
them back and compel them to seek the slopes, without troubling to
pursue them. The men-at-arms had followed the governor's instructions,
had fallen upon the small encampment above the mills, and, leaving the
coutilliers there to complete their commission (the latter had re-entered
about two o'clock in the morning by the east gate), they had pursued
the road indicated as far as the base of the plateau, and had arrived
without hindrance at the boundary of the French camp, charging the
posts in a direct line at full speed.
This attack had thrown confusion into that part of the camp which was
occupied by the baggage, the carts, and camp servants. Stacks of
forage had caught fire amid the disorder thus occasioned. But the
assailants had soon observed three or four hundred horsemen close
upon them; they had then made straight for the north, and buried
themselves in the thick woods upon their right; they next wheeled
towards the left, reached the banks of the stream, whose left bank they
followed without interruption, but with the loss of a third of their
comrades, who had strayed, or been captured or killed. They supposed
they had fallen in with a body of the French in the lower town, and were
preparing to pass it at a gallop, but they turned out to be the
Burgundian foot soldiers.
Charles d'Amboise, at the first report of this attack on the rear of the
camp, had been much disquieted, supposing that succour had arrived;
but being soon correctly informed, had sent out men-at-arms to cut off
this body of adventurers, and was only the more eager for the assault.
Messire Charles d'Amboise was accustomed (in this respect differing
from the warriors of the time) to surround himself with young captains
of intelligence and energy, who kept him constantly informed of all that
took place in the army, during the march and on the field. When the
information furnished was found to be exact, and was reported in cool
discretion and without exaggeration, Charles d'Amboise would praise
these young officers in presence of all his captains, and recompense
them liberally. If, on the contrary, the reports were false or tainted with
exaggeration, or incomplete, he would inflict severe and public censure
on the reporters, and assign them some subaltern and humiliating duty,
such as guarding the baggage or superintending the camp servants.
When Charles d'Amboise learned next morning the damage caused on
the border of the camp by a few Burgundian men-at-arms, the loss of
his men encamped at the mill and in the lower town, and the spiking of
six of his pieces of ordnance, he was much annoyed, but could not
refrain from saying to his captains: "We have to do with brave men, who
defend themselves valiantly. I beg you, gentlemen, to take care that
their wounded and prisoners be treated with all the respect due to
soldiers who do their duty." Then about the second hour of the day he
sent a herald to the retrenchment of the besieged, to ask a parley with
the governor. The Sire de Montcler having ascended the terrace, the
herald spoke as follows: "Sir Governor! Monseigneur Charles d'Amboise,
commanding the army of our lord the king of France, sends me to you
to require of you to render up the town and castle of Roche-Pont, which
you are withholding contrary to the treaties and defending against their
lawful lord. Henceforward the said cité is in the power of the army of
our lord the king of France, and a longer resistance will only cause the
useless loss of a great number of brave men. In consideration of your
brave and noble defence, Monseigneur Charles d'Amboise will let you go
forth—you and your men—with your lives and property. May God have
you in his keeping and guide you to a wise decision." "Sir messenger,"
replied the governor, "Messire Charles d'Amboise is a captain too well
acquainted with war to think himself master of the town and castle of
Roche-Pont because he has got possession of a tower and a curtain. He
knows what it has cost him to advance even so far; and there is still a
considerable space between this retrenchment and the castle, and the
castle is good and defensible. I acknowledge no other lawful lords of
Burgundy, and of this city in particular, than the Duchess of Burgundy,
daughter of the noble and puissant Duke Charles, and her illustrious
husband Maximilian. I am here to defend their property against all
comers, and I will defend it as long as I have a sword in my hand.
Nevertheless, tell Messire Charles d'Amboise that if he is willing to
exchange prisoners, man for man, I am prepared to do so. If he prefers
to leave things as they are, I give him my word of honour that his
people are being well treated."
"Well, then," said Charles d'Amboise, when the herald had conveyed this
answer to him, "this cité will be damaged for a long time to come!"
During the 24th of September, the rain did not cease to fall in torrents.
Besiegers and besieged were at a hundred paces from each other. They
were employed in burying the dead, whose numbers were especially
great on the side of the French, and both were preparing for a fresh
struggle, though the bad weather greatly impeded the workers. Figure
58 shows the position of the besieged and the besiegers.[18]
 Fig. 58— Taking of an artillery tower.

After the losses sustained since the commencement of the siege, the
garrison scarcely reckoned more than two thousand available men, for
typhus was already devastating the town; three-fourths of the wounded
crowded together in the abbey were attacked by it. The good monks
tended them with their utmost care, but they themselves were largely
sacrificed to the contagion; and of a community of a hundred and fifty in
number scarcely more than fifty survived. The progress of the besieger,
however, seemed only to increase the determination of the inhabitants,
and the women worked heartily at the defences. They were the first to
cry shame on those of the defenders who manifested despondency.
During the night between the 24th and 25th, the Sire de Montcler
strengthened the retrenchment. From A to B[Fig. 58.] he took
advantage of the ancient enclosure-wall of the abbot's pleasance, then
occupied by dwellings. A culverin was mounted on a terrace at B. The
retrenchment leading from C to D, which had been made of earth and
the débris of the houses demolished at this point, was armed with three
culverins at C, at E, and D.
The French on their side had cleared the platform of the conquered
tower, G, had well gabioned the parapet, and mounted three pieces
pointed at the retrenchment, and a spirole directed against the tower, K,
which remained in the power of the Burgundians.
The women, children, and old men were employed in strengthening also
the second retrenchment, I, M, behind the abbey wall, and the junction,
M, N. This second retrenchment was armed with three pieces. Places of
egress were reserved at the extremities and through the gate, O, of the
abbey.
The rain continued during the 25th of September, which passed without
any serious engagement. The combatants were trying one another's
strength. The garrison was not numerous enough to allow of their
leaving a post at the tête du pont. This work was abandoned on the
night between the 25th and 26th, and the enemy entered it without
striking a blow.
But as they were fired on by the bombard of boulevard I,[See Fig. 48.]
they did not advance along the ascent, but took shelter behind the
cavalier of the left bank. The Sire de Montcler conjectured, however,
that the French were preparing a real or feigned attack on this side.
During the night, thirty-six feet of the northern curtain, near the tower,
G, fell into the ditch, reaching from a to b; the miners had been working
for two days to accomplish this. On the morning of the 26th of
September, the besiegers opened fire against the retrenchment. The
dominant position of the tower, G, gave them a great advantage; and
though the garrison did their best to reply, the culverins, C and D, were
dismounted and the gabions thrown down about noon, when orders
were given for the assault. A strong column of infantry advanced
through the breach, a b, cutlasses in hand, and in fine order. But from
the platform of the tower, F, which had remained in the power of the
Burgundians, two culverins fired simultaneously on this column. Messire
Charles d'Amboise supposed that the pieces in this tower had been
silenced, and so they had been. But during the night, the Sire de
Montcler had hoisted up three of the small pieces of the lower battery
through the vault holes, and had masked them under the rubbish of the
parapets. This discharge produced disorder in the column of the
assailants. Fortunately for them, the pieces of the outer boulevard, in
the power of the French, began to fire in their turn on the platform of
the tower, P, and soon silenced the Burgundian spiroles.
The assault was vigorous, well directed and well sustained, while from
without the French did not cease firing on the gate and tower F, so that
those of the garrison who had remained in the upper works of the gate
had to abandon them and escape by the curtain and tower F.
Messire Charles d'Amboise, standing on the breach, a b, was continually
sending reinforcements to the assailants, and when he saw his people
too fatigued he would replace them by fresh troops. The Burgundians
had not enough men to do the like, so that about four o'clock they were
exhausted, and some were beginning to file off along the ramparts. At
length a vigorous effort forced the centre of the retrenchment, and the
French pushed forward through the street running along the old wall of
the abbey. The Sire de Montcler, however, retreated in good order in
three columns, two along the ramparts, and the third by the road in the
middle. When he saw his men sheltered behind the second
retrenchment, he discharged the pierrier placed at M, and the culverin
mounted at I, so that the assailants fell back in disorder. Then, followed
by some brave men—his last reserve—he fell on the French coming
along by the abbey and the western rampart. From the top of this
rampart the assailants were also exposed to a shower of darts. Night
was advancing: the brave men who had kept close to the governor were
urging forward, attempting to recapture the first retrenchment. Many of
the Burgundians who had retired behind the second retrenchment,
seeing the enemy fall back, began to issue forth in their turn, filled with
fresh ardour.
Messire Charles d'Amboise, however, was able to keep his troops at the
first retrenchment, and had some small pieces brought up which fired
on the groups of Burgundians who were still distinguishable in the
torchlight.
The combat lasted thus for two hours more, in the midst of confusion,
and the Sire de Montcler was obliged to sound the retreat several times
to rally his troops.
In this engagement he had lost nearly five hundred men taken, killed, or
wounded. About ten o'clock at night there was silence on both sides; the
Sire de Montcler, retreating to the second retrenchment, sent back all his
men who had remained on the ramparts beyond this retrenchment, and
prepared to defend this last line vigorously—the castle being his only
refuge should that be taken. But on reviewing his troops, he observed
the absence of a body of five hundred Germans, whom he had posted in
the abbey to protect the retreat of the defenders of the first
retrenchment.
These Germans, seeing the unfavourable position of affairs, and taking
advantage of the general confusion during the last struggle, had gone
away through the abbey postern.
The governor had only a thousand men remaining. He endeavoured to
persuade his men that the Germans were shut up in the castle by his
orders; but few were deceived by this, for it was evident to all that after
the taking of the corner tower the Germans scarcely cared to fight for a
cause which had no great interest for them, and which they regarded as
lost.
The fate of these runaways was, by the way, miserable enough. To
support themselves they took to plundering in the outskirts, were
surprised by a corps of French gendarmerie employed as scouts round
the camp, and put to the sword or hanged as thieves. The few who
succeeded in escaping perished under the blows of the peasants in arms
against marauders.
It seemed hard to the Sire de Montcler to abandon his second
retrenchment without awaiting an attack; so as he had scarcely any
need to economise the provisions in the town, he had a double ration
distributed to his men, and encouraged them by cheering words,
preserving his animation in mien and gesture when among them. He
told them that succour would soon arrive, and that if they resisted a few
days longer Charles d'Amboise would be obliged to raise the siege.
Having examined the retrenchment, and posted men in the houses
behind and in the northern building of the abbey, the Sire de Montcler
was preparing to take some repose, when he was informed that along
the slopes, above the bridge, the sentinels posted on the boulevards
thought they perceived some movement on the part of the enemy. He
went immediately towards that quarter, and saw in effect a black mass
that appeared to be advancing up the slope like the rising tide, opposite
to the boulevard, B.[See Fig. 48.]
To summon the garrison of the castle and to draw them up in this
boulevard—they were only two hundred in number—required only a few
minutes. The escarpment of this boulevard, whose platform was on the
level of the castle ditch, rose but slightly above the acclivities (about
twelve feet). Before the assailant had placed his ladders, the governor
fired on that moving mass, which the darkness of the night did not
completely hide from view. The balls from the culverin and the
bombards made furrows among them; shouts were heard, and the
assailants, separating into two columns, set up their ladders on the two
flanks of the boulevard.
Nearly at the same instant the second retrenchment was vigorously
assaulted, and to facilitate this night attack, the assailants set fire to the
houses between the first and second retrenchment. Thus, having the
fire at their back, they could clearly see the defenders, while the latter
were blinded by this mass of flame, whence the French seemed to issue
like black shades. The Sire de Montcler was hastening on horseback
from one point of attack to another, cheering on his men, and exposing
himself to the projectiles; and both the attacks were well sustained.
From the abbey building the arbalisters and bearers of small cannon
inflicted very serious loss on the assailants, who, despairing of forcing
the retrenchment at this point, were moving towards the junction, M N.
It was evident to the brave governor that the place was lost, and that
nothing was left for him to do but to rally the remains of the garrison in
the castle, if he could reach it. But he was determined that this retreat
should cost the enemy dear. He therefore sent a reserve which he was
keeping in the abbey to reinforce the defenders of the boulevard, B.[See
Fig. 58.] This reserve consisted of a hundred men at most; but they
were brave fellows; their orders were to defend the boulevard at all
cost, and if they were outflanked to return into the castle as soon as
possible, to raise the bridge, and not let it down again till they saw him
return with the remains of the garrison through the enemy, through
whom he would force a passage.
Then he took up his position resolutely at the head of the débris, which
still defended the retrenchment, and, availing himself of the houses and
the abbey walls, he gave way only step by step, obliging the enemy to
besiege every house and every enclosure, and taking advantage of the
lanes and passages to resume the offensive, and inflict losses on the
French. Exasperated by this, the latter set fire to the houses which they
could not break open. The abbey resisted for more than two hours after
the besieger had taken the retrenchment. The defenders, seeing their
retreat cut off, fought with desperation; for the postern was occupied
outside by a large body of men. The church and the principal buildings
were in flames.
The Sire de Montcler maintained the struggle in the streets and houses
of the town till daybreak, and then debouched with four or five hundred
men who remained to him in the open space before the castle. He found
it almost entirely occupied by the enemy, whom some brave men were
still resisting.
He rallied this greatly diminished body, and entered the castle, whose
bridge was immediately raised. The town was taken, but much
damaged, as Messire Charles d'Amboise had predicted. He gave the
strictest orders to stay the flames and stop pillage, and to save the lives
of the unarmed inhabitants. But there were many victims. The wounded
and sick shut up in the abbey had perished in the flames; women, old
men, and children, were lying on the pavement and in the houses. The
27th and 28th of September were spent by the French in re-establishing
order among the troops after the combat of the night, in removing the
wounded and burying the dead. Messire Charles d'Amboise, during the
two preceding days, had lost a thousand men; he was anxious to end
the struggle. During the night of the 28th, therefore, he had twelve
pieces of ordnance brought up in front of the castle, provided them with
gabionades, and once more sent a herald to summon the garrison to
surrender.
The reply was that the garrison would not surrender till it saw itself
incapacitated from continuing the struggle.
On the morning of the 29th the twelve pieces began to open fire against
the defences of the gate. The besieged could only answer the attack
with small pieces mounted on the summit of the towers. But in the
evening all these summits were dismantled, the roofs pierced, and the
machicolations destroyed.
Moreover, in the course of the 30th of September and 1st of October,
four large bombards were mounted in front of the outer tower of the
gate. In the evening this tower was falling in ruins into the ditch.
Messire Charles d'Amboise, before commencing the assault, again
proposed to the governor to capitulate. The latter then appeared on the
ruins, and declared that he would surrender the castle on condition of
being allowed to quit it with his troops, their lives and baggage being
spared, and with colours flying, and to go wherever they chose.
Charles d'Amboise on his side, then came forward on the breach, and
gave his word of honour that these conditions should be granted. The
two captains then approached and held out their hands to each other.
The city and castle of Roche-Pont were again subjected to King Louis XI.
The Sire de Montcler had but five hundred fighting men left; and even of
these there were a full third wounded. Messire Charles d'Amboise gave
them a safe-conduct, ordered that they should be supplied with
provisions, and entertained the Sire de Montcler and his captains at his
table. Two days afterwards they took their departure for Flanders with
the foreign troops that were still with them.
 FOOTNOTES:
[16] See the topographical map, Fig. 1.
[17] In this figure the parts coloured red indicate the works
occupied by the besieger and the direction of his fire.
[18] The black lines show the part of the defence still occupied by
the besieged, the red lines the parts gained by the besiegers.
 CHAPTER XIII.
THE CITÉ OF LA ROCHE-PONT IS FORTIFIED BY ERRARD DE BAR-
LE-DUC, ENGINEER TO THE MOST CHRISTIAN KING OF FRANCE
AND OF NAVARRE.
In 1606, Henry IV. had succeeded in subjugating the religious and
feudal factions that had imperilled France for more than thirty years.
He cherished great designs which his skilful policy, his patriotic soul,
his military talents and the advantageous alliances he was able to
form, promised to render successful. But Henry IV. left nothing to
chance, and would not embark in any enterprise after his accession
to the throne, till he had made every preparation to insure its
success.
When he saw the moment arriving at which he could effectually
intervene in the affairs of Germany—a part of which had its eyes
directed to France, and was only waiting for a signal from the Louvre
to escape from the incessant rivalries of the princes and from
religious contentions—he took measures not only to facilitate a
successful intervention abroad, but to strengthen his frontiers and
establish depôts and centres for provisioning his troops. Assured of
the good-will of the Swiss and tranquil as regarded Italy—thanks to
the alliances he had formed in that Peninsula—and wishing to act at
once in the east, and on the Pyrenean side, he turned his attention
to the defences of Roussillon and of the line which unites Burgundy
with Champagne.
Henry IV. had been engaged in partisan warfare; but then he had
only his own life at stake. As a sovereign he thought it his duty not
to run risks; and before launching into the great enterprises he had
in view, and which might change the face of Europe, he wished to
put fortune on his side as far as possible. For more than six years, in
concert with Sully, he had lost not a day or an hour in preparing for
France, which had been a prey to civil war and invasion at the end of
the sixteenth century, a future of the noblest order, and which might
have secured to it the most honourable destiny, if the hand of an
assassin had not in a single day destroyed hopes founded in a wise
policy and the most thoughtful foresight.
This prince knew by experience that in war a check is always
possible, even when fortune is, or seems to be, entirely on our side,
and that the talent of a general consists in his ability to discover new
resources after a reverse. Success in arms is secure in proportion to
the foresight exercised in preventing a first reverse from becoming a
disaster. Henry IV. therefore set about preparing a good line of
retreat and supply in the rear of the army, which he was intending to
lead in person towards the east. He put in a state of defence the
towns and important strategic points from Châlons-sur-Saône,
passing through Beaune, Dijon, Langres, along the course of the
Haute-Marne, and from Langres to Chaumont, Saint-Dizier, Châlons,
Reims, Laon, Péronne, and Amiens. Verdun and Metz had been
visited by him, with a view to examining their defences. At Metz he
had ordered works of considerable importance. The town of La
Roche-Pont was comprised in that portion of this line of defence
which lay between Dijon and Langres. The engineer Errard de Bar-
le-Duc had been entrusted with these operations, beginning with
Châlons-sur-Saône. He had, we may observe, merited the
confidence reposed in him by the king, for he had given proofs of
considerable ability and ingenuity.
Errard de Bar-le-Duc made use of the ancient walls, considering
them suitable for defence at close quarters; but he constructed
works outside which would command the country, and force the
besieger to commence his operations at a distance of one thousand
or one thousand two hundred yards. The system of boulevards was
still maintained, but these, instead of presenting only an isolated
obstacle, defended each other by crossing their fire, and were, in
fact, true bastions.
 Fig. 59.—The Bastions of Errard de Bar-le-Duc.

The three great round towers on the north of the cité of La Roche-
Pont were then much dilapidated. Errard had them terraced, and
then surrounded them with earthworks with walled escarpments.
Towards the plateau fronting the north he had a great tenaille
constructed with a double ditch and ravelin. Fig. 59 gives the plan of
the cité after the operations planned by Errard. Besides the works
just mentioned, indicated at A, B, C and D, the king's engineer
raised the bastions, E, F, G, H, and I, which crossed their fires, and
whose orillons masked small pieces designed to flank the old
ramparts.
Most of the old towers were lowered and terraced to receive cannon.
The ancient castle, of which little more than the donjon and some
outbuildings remained, was surrounded by a bastioned enclosure,
with a tenaille on the town side.
The lower town, towards the west, though reduced to narrow
dimensions, continued nearly in the condition already described. As
to the upper town, after the conflagration of the last siege, it had
been rebuilt in a very indifferent style. Under Francis I., the abbey
had been secularised, and its ancient church was served by a
Chapter. The old stone bridge near the outflow of the rivulet still
existed, and at O was a second wooden bridge connecting the two
shores. The bridge, P, had fallen into ruins and had not been rebuilt.

Fig. 60.

From the bastion, B, to the river, and from the bastion, D, to the
pool, Errard built two fronts, K and L, à crémaillères,[19] to command
the slopes of the plateau on the right and left, and to hinder an
assailant from occupying a position on the east and west flanks of
the cité.
For the time, these works appeared strong, and the axiom in
fortifications, "What offers itself as a defence ought to be defended,"
was already pretty generally adhered to. Fig. 60 gives the northern
work which was destined to sweep the plateau, and to render
difficult the approach to the cité on this its very accessible side. This
work consisted of a ravelin, A, whose height above the level of the
plateau was not more than six feet; next of a first tenaille, B, with
orillons, eighteen feet above the plateau, and a second tenaille, C,
three feet above the level of the tenaille, B. Two bastions, D and F,
enveloped the two great towers, G and H, which were terraced. The
platforms of the latter rose three feet above the platforms of the
bastions. The gate, I, of the fourteenth century, had been preserved
and repaired, and the curtains, K, terraced to receive cannon.
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