any orders, or be commanded by any but his Majesty only, which thing the King
liked so well, that he granted him his request, upon that conditon, that he, with his
Troop should alwaies march in the head of his Army, and would be as a forlome
hope unto the army, the King in person going often with them, and took so good
liking upon our new Captaine, that some six moneths after he made him a Colonel
of a Regiment of horse, consisting of eight compleat Troops of horse, and with
them he performed gallant service in the Swedish army, being present at many leaguers,
pitched battles, skirmishes and encounters with the enemy, having alwayes
the honour to have contributed much to the continuation of the Kings victories, and
good successe he hath had in those warres.
In all which Actions he was in great danger of his life, his body being still exposed
to infinite perils, and so much the rather, by reason that he being a Protestant,
did really believe Predestination, being brought up from his youth in the
profession of that Religion, there being a great number in Bearn, where he was
born, he often repeating this sentence. All is gain unto me, whether life or death, provided
it be in doing service unto God and the King. In severall fights and skirmishes
he received many wounds, and among others, that Pistol-shot made at him, being
but a little distant, which wounded him fore in the right flanck, of which wound
being miraculously healed, and having escaped death, many like things having hapned
him often, during his life; this wound although throughly cured, yet hath opened
many times since, which sometimes was a means to do him much good, preserving
him from falling into sicknesse, and at other times, hath brought him into
an extream danger, being even at the point of death.
He continued in the wars of Germany in the quality of a Colonel, till after that
bloody day of the great battle of Lutzen, where the King of Sweden did triumph
on his Enemies in his death, and after he was dead; and so after his decease he returned
from thence with the Duke of Saxon Weymar, whom he accompanied into
France, having the Command of his Regiment, which he brought with him and
had that advantage given him over all the rest of the French Forces that were then
on foot; that he had the same pay as had the Colonels of F[nl]orraign Nations,
which none other French Colonel had, and also had Authority to execute martial
Law among the souldiers in his Regiment, without any other Judge to intermeddle
therewith, and further, to confer, and give places when any were voyd, without any
further Addresses to others besides himself, which thing he hath alwayes performed
with great discretion and prudence, although his Regiment increasing daily, came
in the end to be no lesse then eighteen hundred horse, divided in twenty companies,
which made him a considerable strength; for most of the strangers that came
into France to seek imployment did desire to be under him; he being so exact,
and so just in bestowing of places, that thereby he procured himself the Love of all
his souldiers from the highest to the lowest, He was also a strict observator of the
Military discipline he had learned when he. Served under the King of Sweden,
therefore he kept still the name of Colonel, although at that time it was only
given to the Auxiliary forces that then served in France.
From that time forward, Colonel Gassion was ever in some worthy action, or
design no matter of moment passing, but he would be a partaker therein and every
where something was said of Colonel Gassion. Being parted from the Duke of Saxon
Weymar, he took service under the Marshal d[nl]e la force, who was at that time
with an Army in Lorrain; this was in the year 1635.