"le coup de Jarnac.") "In the end, Monsieur le
Comte de Martinengo remained the victor, and
killed his enemy on the spot. The combat was
a very furious one, as I have been told by those
who saw it, one of them being the late Monsieur
de Vassé, who was a relation of the said count.
This duel added greatly to the reputation of
Count Martinengo. To be brief, his reputation
was so great, and his valour so well known,
that war having broken out between the Turks
and Venice, the Seignory sent to him at Paris
(where he usually resided — or with the court —
when there was no war), granting him a general
pardon and absolution for the past, with a
commission of colonel to raise three thousand
men, and plenty of money for the purpose;
and, being much beloved by the soldiers, and
seeing well to their appointments, he speedily
raised more than he wanted, and proceeded
to Venice, where he was received with
rapture; he passed over into Dalmatia with his
brave Frenchmen and a few Italians, where
he vigorously conducted the war till peace was
made between the Turks and the Venetians."
In another place, Brantôme tells us that,
"when Sciarra took service with the Venetians,
the Seignory forgot the old grudge they bore
him for the death of the Avogadro, whom he
had killed at Brescia; and with good reason,
for he came at the head of two thousand French
troops whom he had collected. They received
him well, gave him good pay and appointments,
and the rank of colonel, with a white ensign."

Now, it is the history of Count Sciarra's share
in this war which is evidently apocryphal, for
during the whole of the period when he was able
to bear arms— that is to say, from the year 1540,
when he must have been quite a child, to the year
1570, when he was dead— the thirty years' peace
prevailed between the Turks and the Venetians
which preceded the war in Cyprus (Othello's war),
the sieges of Nicosia and Famagousta, and the
famous battle of Lepanto. Nevertheless, Rossi
combines with Brantôme in sending Count
Sciarra to do battle "against the Ottomites,"
and he does so with additional and romantic
particulars. "War having broken out between
the Republic of Venice and the Turks, Count
Sciarra was benignantly called from exile, and
given the command of three thousand infantry,
being named general in Albania. He defeated
the land forces of Dolcigno, but the sea armament
having arrived, he was compelled to
surrender. He was made prisoner, and was about
to be put to death by a Turkish captain, when
it was discovered, in removing his armour, that
he wore the Order of St. Michael, and the
barbarian inquiring his rank, Sciarra replied
that he was one of the knights of the King of
France. Thereupon the Turk embraced him and
gave him his liberty, releasing also three other
Christian prisoners, amongst whom was one of
the Fusari family of Brescia. The count was
greatly urged by his captor to take service with
the Turks, magnificent offers being made him,
but he declined the invitation, and passed over
to Venice, where, in the following year, he
attempted the capture of Castelnuovo, in Dalmatia,
failing, however, for want of men."

Next comes the well-authenticated fact of
Count Sciarra's death, which took place in the
year 1569, and supplies one of the reasons why
it is to be inferred that the Count Martinengo,
who fought against the Turks probably in
1537 was Sciarra's father, Count Giorgio, "il
superbo Italiano," though, considering the other
particulars given both by Brantôme and Rossi,
the mistake is a strange one.

Let us follow the original of the portrait in
the National Gallery to the closing scene of his
life. It took place— not at the battle of
Moncontour (as Mr. Wornum says in the catalogue)
— but before La Charité, a town on the Upper
Loire, in the present department of the Nièvre,
three months before the field so disastrous for
Coligny and the Protestant cause. "He"
(Count Sciarra), says Rossi, "returned to
France and served with the Duke of Anjou,
afterwards King Henri the Third, as a general
against the Huguenots; and under the walls of
La Charité, an important fortress, he was killed
by a ball from a saker (sagro), which took him
between the breast and the left shoulder, while
he was too courageously reconnoitring the place,
before giving orders for the assault. His death
caused great grief to the Duke of Anjou, and
all the captains of the army wore mourning for
him, following his remains to the grave with
many tears, his funeral, by the king's command,
being, one may say, magnificent and royal."

So perished, "frustrate of his will," this soldier
whom Brantôme describes as " the sweetest-
tempered and most gracious gentleman whom it
was possible to meet with, and a sure friend
where he gave his promise. I can say so on my
own account, for lie showed himself such to
me on one occasion."

Making allowance for Count Sciarra's Italian
blood, and considering his estimate of what was
due from filial piety, considering also the habits
and feelings of his age, it is probable that this
eulogy was not entirely undeserved.

The Eighth Journey of
THE UNCOMMERCIAL TRAVELLER,
A SERIES OF OCCASIONAL JOURNEYS,
BY CHARLES DICKENS,
Will appear Next Week.

Now ready, price 5s. 6d., bound in cloth,
THE SECOND VOLUME,
Including Nos. 27 to 50, and the Christmas Double
Number, of ALL THE YEAR ROUND.