He permitted Charles the passage through his territory which Charles was perfectly able to take for himself if refused.

There ensued an interchange of compliments between Pope and King, and early in January Charles entered Rome in such warlike panoply as struck terror into the hearts of all beholders.

Of that entrance Paolo Giovio has left us an impressive picture.
The vanguard was composed of Swiss and German mercenaries--tall fellows, these professional warriors, superb in their carriage and stepping in time to the beat of their drums; they were dressed in variegated, close-fitting garments that revealed all their athletic symmetry.

A fourth of them were armed with long, square-bladed halberts, new to Italy; the remainder trailed their ten-foot pikes, and carried a short sword at their belts, whilst to every thousand of them there were a hundred arquebusiers.

After them came the French infantry, without armour save the officers, who wore steel corselets and head-pieces.
These, again, were followed by five thousand Gascon arbalisters, each shouldering his arbalest--a phalanx of short, rude fellows, not to be compared with the stately Swiss.