In his letter of May 19th, he poured scorn on Parisian editors who said he prophesied that in a month he would be at Milan.

"That is not in my character.

Very often I do _not_ say what I know: but never do I say what will be." The better to hide his purpose, he chose as his first base of operations the city of Dijon, whence he seemed to threaten either the Swabian or the Italian army of his foes.

But this was not enough.

At the old Burgundian capital he assembled his staff and a few regiments of conscripts in order to mislead the English and Austrian spies; while the fighting battalions were drafted by diverse routes to Geneva or Lausanne.