Little the king cared for the wishes of his loyal subjects when his own dignity, real or imagined, was at stake.

The war with Charles, that cursed Europe like an intermittent fever, broke out again in 1542.

Again France was the aggressor and again she was worsted.

The emperor invaded Champagne in person, arriving, in 1544, at a point within fifty miles of Paris.

As there was no army able to oppose him it looked as if he would march as a conqueror to the capital of his enemy.