Guillaume of Bellay

Biography

He was oldest son of Louis of Bellay and Marguerite of the Turn-Landry. He announced his courage on various occasions, and was made admire by his control and his value. Knight of the Order of Saint-Michel, the duchess of Angouleme, mother of the king, regent, sent it, in 1525, near the king François Ier, prisoner in Spain.

Governor of Turin in 1537, he was then viceroy of the Piedmont; he took again various places there on the imperial ones, and the marquis of Guast acknowledged that the lord of Langey was the most excellent captain whom he had known.

Between great points of captain, that avoit Mr. de Langey, known as Brantôme, it is that it dépenspit extremely as spies…. In what I ay yes to tell, which estant in Piedmont, it mandoit and envoyoit with the roy warning of what fesoit or devoit to make towards the Picardy or the Flanders S; if that the roy which in estoit close and more close in savoit nothing; and then after while coming to know the vray ébahissoit, how it pouvoit to discover these secrecies.

Langey had the body very broken, and the members anchylosed, in consequence of its tirednesses with the army.

It had been also useful to its sovereign in embassies in Italy near Clément VII, then in England and Germany. The year 1542, it left Piedmont, in litter, to come to deliver some important opinions to the king; but between Lyon and Roanne, it was so badly, that it was obliged to stop with the borough of Saint-Saphorin (today Saint-Symphorien-with-Lay), and there died, the January 9th 1553.

II, an author says sçait, neither when the roy rises, nor when it lies down; but it sçait well where are the enemies: it is covered and assied in front of François Ier; when it hot, it oste its strawberry and are put in jacket.

Guillaume of Bellay did not illustrate himself less in the republic of the letters than in the weapons.

Publications

There are of him several works, which one finds the list in the Chartres-native Bibliothèque of Dom Liron, and in that of the Cross of Maine and of Antoine of Verdier; the principal ones are:

Instructions on the act of war , Paris, 1548, in-fol. ;
Epitome of the antiquity of Gaules and France, follow-up of some opuscules of the same author, 1556, in-4°, reprinted in 1587. The work is divided into 4 books. II fact of descending the Gallic ones from Samothès, oldest son of Japhet; and French, of the mixture of Troyens escaped of the ruin of Troy, and Gallic which had been with the help of this city.
memories of lord Martin Of Bellay, lord of Langey. Contenans the speech of several things occurred with the Kingdom of France, since jusques year M.D.XIII with the trespas of Roy François first, into which Autheur inserted three books, & some fragmens of Ogdoades of Lord Guillaume Of Bellay, Seigneur of Langey, his brother . Paris, Abel Angelier, 1585. Of the memories on the businesses of its time , reprinted with those of Martin of Bellay, his brother, and of the marshal of Fleuranges, and the Newspaper of Louise of Savoy, Paris, 1735, 7 vol. in-12. The abbot Lambert, editor, made historical and critical notes, and corrections in the style and some deteriorations. The memories of Martin and Guillaume had been printed several times in the 16th century, in 1569, 1572, 1582, 1588, in-fol. ; 1570, 1573, 1586, in-8°, etc Langey had entitled its work the Ogdoades ( Huitaines ); it had initially composed it in Latin, then translated it into French, by order of the king. He had made his divisions of eight in eight books; from there the name of Ogdoades . Very a small portion of this work was published.

Its memories were reprinted at the 19th century in the coll Petitot and the coll Michaud. It is with these two famous brothers that returns especially the honor to have convinced François Ier to attract around him the scientists and the beautiful spirits of its time.

Langey took naturally the party of François Ier against Charles Quint; and, at the time of this partiality, Montaigne known as:

I do not want to believe only it ayt changed as for the large one of the fact; but to circumvent the judgment of the events, often against reason with our advantage, and to omit all that there is the chatouilleux one in the life of sound maistre, it makes trade of it: witnesses disgraces of Montmorenci and Biron, which are forgotten there: even the only name of Madam d' Etampesne is not there. One can cover the secret actions; but to conceal what everyone sçait, and the things which had government stock and of such consequences, it is one inexcusable defect.

While speaking about the magnificence that spread out the courtiers with the Entrevue of the gold Cloth, in 1520, between François Ier and Henri VIII, it says,

That their expenditure was such, that several their mills, their forests and their meadows related there to the shoulders.

One made him this epitaph:

Ci to lie Langey, whose feather and sword

surmounted Cicéron and Pompée.

The following one is of Joachim of Bellay:

Hic situs is Langœus! ultra nii qusere, viator

the Nile majus dici, the Nile potuit brevius.

Jean and Martin of Bellay, his brothers, made him raise a beautiful mausoleum in the church cathedral of Mans.

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