Chapter IX: Part 9

Here the two brothers, the king of Sicily and the count du Maine, uncles to the king by the mother's side, left him, and hastened, with a large force, to prevent the dukes of Berry and Brittany from entering Normandy, or from doing mischief to any other part of the kingdom. The king remained some time in Berry, and then departed for the Bourbonnois; but he would not enter Bourges, because it was well provided with a garrison of men at arms, under the command of the bastard of Bourbon for the duke of Berry.

The 14th or 15th of August, of this year 1464, pope Pius II. departed this life, as is noted by Monstrelet. He was elected pope in the year 1458; and his name was Æneas Silvius, of the city of Sienna,[69] an eloquent man, a great orator, and poet laureat. He had been ambassador and secretary to the great emperor Sigismond, and has written a notable treatise in the support of the authority of the council of Basil, with several other fine books, of good doctrine. He canonised St Catherine of Sienna, of the order of Franciscans, in the year 1461, and wrote several elegant latin epistles to many of the Christian princes, to urge them to a croisade against the infidels, as may now be seen in his book of letters. He was, in consequence, surrounded by princes and lords from divers countries, having with them large armies of men at arms, and galleys and other vessels to transport them; so, when thus assembled, they advanced with the pope as far as Ancona, where he was met by the king of Hungary and a great army. But in the midst of these grand and salutary preparations, the good pope Pius died at Ancona, the day and year above mentioned.

In the same year, Paul II. was elected his successor. Paul was a Venetian, and gave his instant approbation for the celebration of the feast of the said glorious virgin St Catherine of Sienna. He loved justice, and was desirous of amassing wealth. He commenced the building of a grand palace beside the church of St Mark at Rome.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 67: Nogent le Roi,--a town in Beauce, near Maintenon.]

[Footnote 68: Lord de Trainel. Juvenel des Ursins.]

[Footnote 69: City of Sienna. Æneas Silvius Piccalomini was born 1405, at Corfini, in the Siennois, which name he changed to Pienza.

When he came to the pontificate, he changed the opinions he had published in defence of the supreme authority of councils, and desired that Æneas Silvius should be condemned, and the doctrines of pope Pius II. followed. 'Honores mutant mores.'

There are many editions of his epistles and works. The oldest copy of the first, in my library, is a beautiful folio, printed by Zarothus, Milan, the 31st May, 1481.]

CHAP. LX.

THE KING OF FRANCE ENTERS THE BOURBONNOIS, AND TAKES MANY TOWNS AND CASTLES.--EVENTS AT PARIS AND ELSEWHERE.--THE KING BESIEGES RIOMS, IN AUVERGNE.--OTHER INCIDENTS UP TO THE PERIOD OF THE WAR OF MONTLEHERY, OMITTED BY MONSTRELET.

The king of France now hastened to march into the Bourbonnois,--and about Ascension-day, in the year 1405, the town of St Amand[70] was taken by storm; and shortly after, the town and castle of Montluçon surrendered on terms, in which were James de Bourbon and thirty-five lances, who marched away in safety, with their baggage, having sworn never more to bear arms against the king.

At this period, arrived at Paris, the late chancellor de Trainel, master Estienne, knight, Nicholas de Louviers, and master John des Moulins, by whom the king wrote letters to his good inhabitants of Paris, thanking them for their loyalty, and exhorting them to continue and further persevere therein. He added, that he should send his queen to be brought to bed of the child of which she was now big in his city of Paris, as the town he loved in preference to all others.

It happened, that as John de la Hure, a merchant of Sens, his nephew, and others in his company, were lodging, on the last day but one of May in this year, at an inn near to a windmill at Moret in the Gâtinois, called Moulin Basset, they were attacked by a band of twenty or thirty horsemen from St Forgeiul and St Maurice, and carried away prisoners, with all their merchandise and other effects.

On the 6th day of June, a bonnet-maker called Jean Marceau, an elderly man, hung himself in his house, opposite to the sign of the Golden Beard, in the rue de St Denis. He was, when discovered, quite dead, was cut down, and carried to the Châtelet for examination,--which being over, he was carried and hung on the common gibbet at Paris. At the same time, a labourer of Aignancourt, named John Petit, cut his wife's throat.

At this period, the bastard and marshal of Burgundy won the towns of Roye and Mondidier, as mentioned by Monstrelet.

On the Sunday following, the 9th of June, was a general procession made in Paris, which was very handsome, having the shrines of the blessed St Marcel, and of the glorious virgin St Genevieve, with other holy relics from different churches. It moved with grand solemnity to the church of Nôtre Dame, where high mass was celebrated to the virgin Mary,--after which, a sermon was preached to the people by master John de l'Olive, doctor in divinity, who declared the cause of this procession was for the health and prosperity of the king and queen, and the fruit of her womb, and likewise for peace and good union between the king and the princes of the blood, and for the welfare of the realm.

While the king was in the Bourbonnois, he went to St Pourçain,[71] whither his sister, the duchess of Bourbon, came to confer with him, and to endeavour to bring about an accommodation between him and her husband, whose quarrels had much vexed her,--but at this time she failed. While this was passing, the duke of Bourbon quitted Moulins, and went to Riom in Auvergne.

The government in Paris ordered the gates of St Martin, Montmartre, the Temple, St Germain des Près, St Victor and St Michel, to be walled up, and the drawbridges taken away, and a good guard to be kept during the night on the walls.

The town of St Maurice, now occupied by the count de Dammartin, was ordered to be besieged, by the bailiff of Sens, sir Charles de Melun, with a large body of the commonalty. Sir Anthony, bailiff of Melun, was sent to reinforce him with a body of archers and cross-bows from the town of Paris.

About this time, an unfortunate accident happened to master Louis de Tilliers, notary and secretary to the king, treasurer of Carcassonne, and comptroller of salt in Berry, and attached to sir Anthony de Châteauneuf lord de Lau. An archer was trying the strength of his bow against a door, just as master Louis was opening it to come out, and the arrow passed through his body. He was laid on a couch in his chamber, where he soon after expired, and rendered up his soul to God.

On St John Baptist's day, the 24th of June, as some youths were bathing themselves in the Seine, they were drowned; which caused a proclamation to be made in all the quarters of Paris, to forbid any one in future to bathe in the river,--and to order all persons to have daily before their doors a tub full of water, under pain of imprisonment, and a fine of sixty sols parisis, for each omission or neglect.

Orders were issued, on the morrow, for the chains to be taken down from across the streets, and to remain on the ground,--but care was to be taken to have them in a proper state for being replaced, in case of necessity, under heavy penalties for neglect. It was also ordered, that every person in Paris should provide himself with sufficient armour, according to his station in life, for the defence of the town, and should hold himself in constant readiness to oppose any attack. These orders were delivered in writing to every one of the principal inhabitants.

In this year, a large army of Burgundians, Picards, and others, under the command of the count de Charolois, son to duke Philip of Burgundy, excited by malice and ambition, marched into France, and gained the town of Pont St Maixence, through the means of one called Mardé,[72] governor of it for master Peter l'Orfevre lord of Ermenonville, who delivered it up to them for a sum of money which he received from the count de Charolois. They thence advanced into the Isle of France, under pretence that they were come for the public good, but it was not so. They marched to Saint Denis, to the walls of Paris, and to Montlehery, where a great battle was fought, as described by Monstrelet. As I have, in my first chapter, recapitulated this affair, I shall not further touch on it, but relate some events that preceded it.

The king of France now laid siege to Riom in Auvergne,--in which town were the dukes of Bourbon and Nemours, the count d'Armagnac, the lord d'Albret and others. The king's army was as handsome and well appointed as could be seen, for he had with him several renowned captains,--and the whole was estimated at twenty-four thousand combatants. During this siege, the Parisians, hearing of the rapid marches of the Burgundians towards Paris, established a numerous horse-patrole, which nightly went round the walls, from midnight until day the next morning, having for their captains, each night, men of approved valour.

On Monday, the 2d of July, master John Balue, bishop of Evreux, commanded the nightly guard in Paris: he took with him the company of Joachim Rohault, and went his rounds on the walls with trumpets and clarions sounding, which had never in those times been before done by the city-watch.

Wednesday, the 4th of July, the king of France, while he was besieging Riom, sent letters by sir Charles de Charlay,[73] his knight of the Paris-watch, addressed to sir Charles de Melun, his lieutenant in Paris, and to Joachim Rohault, thanking the good citizens for their loyalty towards him, and begging them to persevere with courage in their good intentions for the welfare of his kingdom, for that within fifteen days he would be with his whole army at Paris. He likewise sent them verbal information by the mouth of the said de Charlay, of the treaty he had concluded with the dukes of Bourbon and Nemours, and the lords d'Armagnac and d'Albret, who had each of them promised loyally to serve, and live and die for him. These lords had also promised to exert themselves to the utmost of their power to bring about a reconciliation with the other princes, and a peace between them and the king.

To accomplish this, commissioners were to be sent to the king at Paris, by these four lords, on or before the feast of the Assumption of our Lady, the middle of August next, to negotiate a general peace; and in case the other princes should refuse to listen to, or accept, terms of peace, they had promised and sworn that henceforward they would never bear arms against the king, but would live and die for him in the defence of his kingdom. The four lords had sworn to these engagements at Moissac, near to Riom; and for further security of keeping these promises, they had bound themselves, in the presence of two apostolical notaries, to submit to the severest pains of excommunication should they, jointly or individually, act in any way contrary to these said engagements.

For joy of this intelligence, the Parisians resolved to have, on the Friday following, a general procession made to the church of Saint Catherine du Val des écoliers, which was done with much devotion and solemnity. The sermon was preached that day by master Jean Pain-et-Chair, doctor in divinity.

The ensuing Wednesday, the 11th of July, a proclamation was made in all the public places at Paris, that every householder should keep a lantern and candle burning before his dwelling during the night,--and that all persons having dogs must confine them, on pain of death. On the Friday, the main body of the Burgundians arrived at St Denis, to execute their intended enterprises against Paris and the royal army at Montlehery, as has been described by Enguerrand de Monstrelet.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 70: St Amand,--in the Bourbonnois, seven leagues from Bourges.]

[Footnote 71: St Pourçain,--in Auvergne, eight leagues from Moulins.]

[Footnote 72: Mardé. In the Chronique Scandaleuse, from whence this is taken, it is Madre.]

[Footnote 73: Charles de Charlay. Jean de Harlay.]

CHAP. LXI.

THE KING COMES TO PARIS AFTER THE BATTLE OF MONTLEHERY.--SEVERAL PERSONS ARE EXECUTED THERE.--EVENTS THAT FOLLOWED THE BATTLE OF MONTLEHERY, WHICH HAVE BEEN OMITTED BY ENGUERRAND DE MONSTRELET.

The king of France came to Paris, the 18th day of July, after the battle of Montlehery, and supped that night at the hôtel of his lieutenant-general, sir Charles de Melun,--where, according to the account of Robert Gaguin, a large company of great lords, damsels, and citizens' wives supped with him, to whom he related all that had happened to him at Montlehery.

During the recital, he made use of such doleful expressions that the whole company wept and groaned at his melancholy account. He concluded by saying, that if it pleased God, he would soon return to attack his enemies, and either die or obtain vengeance on them, in the preservation of his rights.

He, however, acted differently, having been better advised; but it must be observed, that some of his warriors behaved in a most cowardly manner,--for had they all fought with as much courage as the king, he would have gained a complete victory over his enemies.

On the 19th of July, a gentleman, named Laurence de Mory, near Mitry,[74] who had been imprisoned in the bastile of St Anthony, for having favoured the Burgundians, and for having led them to the houses of certain citizens of Paris, in the villages near that city, in order that they might plunder and destroy them, was tried by commissioners appointed for the purpose, who found him guilty of high treason, and consequently sentenced him to be quartered at the market-place of Paris,--and his effects were confiscated to the king's use. Mory appealed to the court of parliament; and, from respect to that body, his execution was deferred for a day. On the morrow, the parliament, having heard the appeal, sentenced Mory to be hanged on the gallows at Paris, which was done that same day.

This same Saturday, the 20th of July, master William Charretier, bishop of Paris, accompanied by other counsellors and churchmen, waited on the king, at his hôtel of the Tournelles, near the bastile of St Anthony, as Gaguin relates,--when the bishop addressed him in an eloquent and wise oration, tending to request, that the king henceforward would have the public affairs conducted and governed by wise counsellors, which the king promised that he would. In consequence of this, eighteen prudent men were selected to be of the king's council, namely, six from the court of parliament, six learned men chosen from the university, and six from the municipal counsellors of the city of Paris.

The king, finding that he had many enemies within his realm, considered on the means of procuring additional men at arms to those he had,--and it was calculated how many he could raise within Paris: for this purpose, it was ordered, that an enrolment should be made of all capable of bearing arms, so that every tenth man might be selected to serve the king. This, however, did not take place,--for such numbers of men at arms now joined the king that there was no need of such a measure.

The king was very much distressed to get money for the pay of these troops, and great sums were wanted; for those towns which had been assigned for the payment of a certain number of men at arms, being now in the possession of the rebellious princes, paid no taxes whatever to the crown, for they would not permit any to be collected in those districts. His majesty was, therefore, constrained to attempt to borrow from some of his officers and others in the city of Paris,--but when the proposal was made to them, they refused, at least to advance the whole of the sum that was demanded. For this refusal, some of them were told, in the king's name, that they were deprived of their offices,--such as master John Cheneteau, clerk to the court of parliament, master Martin Picard, counsellor in the chamber of accounts, and several others. In the interval, other means were employed.

On Friday, the 26th day of July, the king ordered two hundred lances to remain for the defence of Paris, under the command of the bastard d'Armagnac, sir Giles de St Simon, bailiff of Senlis, the lord de la Barde, Charles des Marêts, and sir Charles de Melun, who, at the request of some prelates, of the provosts and sheriffs, was appointed lieutenant for the king of the said town of Paris.

A person, called John de Bourges, clerk and servant to master John Berard, king's counsellor in the parliament, who had been confined a prisoner, together with Gratian Meriodeau and Francis Meriodeau his brother, for having quitted Paris, and gone into Brittany to the duke of Berry, conspiring against the person of the king, was, on the 27th day of July, taken out of the bastile of St Anthony, with his fellow-prisoner, Francis Meriodeau,--and, by sentence of the provost of the marshals, they were drowned in the Seine by the hangman of Paris, in front of the tower of Billy, near to the said bastile. And on the following Monday, the 31st of July, the said Gratian, who had been king's notary in the Châtelet, was likewise taken out of the bastile and drowned at the same place, and in the same manner as the two others had been.

In like manner was drowned a poor man, a mason's labourer, whom the wife of master Odo de Bucy[75] had sent from Paris with letters to her husband, an advocate in the court of the Châtelet, and then at Estampes. Odo de Bucy was attached to the brother of the count de St Pol, and with him at Estampes, with the other rebellious lords. The labourer brought back answers to the letters, and was paid, for each day he had been out, two sols parisis. For this, however, he was imprisoned, and condemned to be drowned at the same place where the others had suffered. On the morrow, the wife of Odo was banished Paris: she went to St Antoine des Champs, where she resided until peace was made between the king and the princes of France.

The princes now advanced to St Maur des Fosses, Conflans, and before Paris, after having staid some days at Estampes, as has been related in the chronicles of Monstrelet.

On the 3d of August, the king, having a singular desire to afford some comfort to the inhabitants of his good town of Paris, lowered the duties on all wines sold by retail within that town, from a fourth to an eighth; and ordained that all privileged persons should fully and freely exercise their privileges as they had done during the reign of his late father, the good Charles VII. whose soul may God pardon! He also ordered that every tax paid in the town, but those on provision, included in the six revenue-farms, which had been disposed of in the gross, should be abolished, namely, the duties on wood-yards, on the sales of cattle, on cloth sold by wholesale, on sea-fish, and others; which was proclaimed that same day they were taken off, by sound of trumpets, in all the squares of the town, in the presence of sir Denis Hesselin, the receiver of the taxes within the said town. On this being made public, the populace shouted for joy, sang carols in the streets, and at night made large bonfires.

The next day, being Sunday the 4th of August, the reverend father in God master John Balue was consecrated bishop of Evreux, in the church of Nôtre Dame in Paris; and this same day the king supped at the hôtel of his treasurer of finance, master Estienne Chevalier.

On Tuesday, the 6th of August, according to Gaguin, was beheaded at the market-place in Paris, a youth called master Pierre de Gueroult, a native of Lusignan, and afterward quartered, according to the sentence of the provost of the marshals, he having confessed that he had come from Brittany to inform the king that some of his principal captains, though serving under him, were otherwise inclined, which was meant solely to create suspicions of them in the king's mind. He had likewise accused many notable persons in Paris of being disloyal to the king. He had also confessed that he was a spy, to see and carry back to the princes and lords that were in rebellion against the king an exact account of the state of Paris, and of the king's preparations, that they might be the better enabled to carry on their damnable enterprises. It was for these crimes that he was executed, and his effects confiscated to the king.

During this time, the Burgundians and Bretons made two attempts to cross the Seine and Yonne; but two good and loyal captains on the king's side, called Salezart and Malortie, resisted them valiantly each time with the few men they had.

In this month of August, the franc-archers from the bailiwicks of Caen and Alençon, in Normandy, arrived at Paris, and were distributed into quarters, as follows: those from Caen, clothed in jackets, on which was embroidered the word 'Caen,' were lodged in the Temple and within its precincts. Those from Alençon dressed likewise in jackets, with the words 'Audi partem' embroidered on them, were lodged in the quarter of the Temple beyond the old gate thereof.

Proclamation was made throughout Paris, on the 13th of August, for all persons having willow-beds, or poplars, growing near to the walls, to cut them down within two days after this proclamation, or they would be abandoned to whoever would cut them down and carry them off. On this day, the count d'Eu came to Paris, as lieutenant-general for the king, and was decently received as such by the town.

Whilst the Burgundians were skirmishing before the walls of Paris, an usher of the court of Châtelet, called Cassin Cholet, had ran through the streets, crying out, 'Get into your houses, and shut your doors, for the Burgundians have entered the town of Paris,' which caused many women to fall in labour before their time, and others to lose their senses. For this cause, he was imprisoned, and, on the 14th of August, was sentenced by the provost of Paris to be flogged through the streets in which he had caused such an alarm, to be deprived of all his offices, and confined for a month on bread and water. He was tied to the tail of a filthy dung-cart, that had just been employed on its stinking business, flogged in all the squares, and then returned to prison.[76]

About this time, two hundred archers on horseback, tolerably well appointed, arrived in Paris, under the command of one called Mignon. In the number were many armed with strong cross-bows, veuglaires, and hand-culverins. In the rear of this company came, on horseback, eight wanton women, sinners, with a black monk for their confessor.

At this period, sir Charles de Melun, who had been the king's lieutenant in Paris, was dismissed from his office, and the count d'Eu appointed in his stead. The king made sir Charles, in lieu of his lieutenancy, grand master of his household, and gave him also the bailiwick of Evreux, of which place, and of Honnefleur, he appointed him governor.[77]

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 74: Mitry,--a town in Brie, five leagues from Meaux.]

[Footnote 75: Odo de Bucy. This may be Oudart de Bussy, who was afterwards hanged at Hêdin.--See Supplement to Comines, 4to. vol. iv.]

[Footnote 76: The king saw this execution in one of the squares, and cried out to the executioner, 'Strike hard, and don't spare the scoundrel, for he has deserved a severer punishment.'

_La Chronique Scandaleuse._]

[Footnote 77: He was called the Sardanapalus of his time,--the swallower of wines and soups. He was afterwards beheaded at Andely.--_Cabinet de Louis XI._ No. 1. vol. ii. Comines.]

CHAP. LXII.

THE BURGUNDIANS AND BRETONS QUARTER THEMSELVES ROUND PARIS; ON WHICH ACCOUNT, THE CITIZENS ADD TO THE FORTIFICATIONS OF THEIR TOWN DURING THE KING'S ABSENCE IN NORMANDY.--THE KING RETURNS TO PARIS, WHEN SEVERAL SALLIES ARE MADE THENCE ON THE ENEMY, DURING THE LIEUTENANCY OF THE COUNT D'EU.--OTHER EVENTS OMITTED BY MONSTRELET.

The Burgundians and Bretons, having recruited themselves in Brie and the Gâtinois, returned, on the feast of the Assumption of our Lady, to Lagny sur Marne, and, on the ensuing Friday, fixed their quarters at Creil, and other places on the river Seine, around Paris. The Parisians were alarmed lest an attempt should be made on their town during the king's absence, as it had been rumoured among them, that one called master Girault, a cannonier of the Burgundians, had boasted that he would plant a battery on the dung-heaps fronting the gates of St Denis and St Anthony, that should destroy that part of the town, and greatly damage the walls. It was therefore ordered, that one person from each house in Paris should go, on the morrow, with shovels and pick-axes to these dung-heaps, and level them with the ground: little, however, was done,--and the heaps remained as they were. On this occasion, sheds, bulwarks and trenches, were made on the outside of the walls, not only for the better defence of the town, but for the security of the guards.

The following Saturday, a number of the principal inhabitants, and others, waited on the count d'Eu, the king's lieutenant, and remonstrated strongly with him on the necessity of concluding a permanent peace between the king and the rebellious princes, for the general welfare and comfort of the kingdom. The count replied to them, that as the king, when he made him his lieutenant, had given him full powers to act for him, and for his kingdom, in such wise as might be the most profitable for both, the which he was bounden to do,--he would employ every possible means to bring about a general pacification, and, if necessary, would go in person to the enemy's quarters. Many fair offers were made to this effect to the Parisians by the count d'Eu, and master John de Poppincourt, his adviser.[78]

The Burgundians and Bretons advanced, on the Monday, nearer to Paris; and on the following day, the count d'Eu sent the lord de Rambures to them, to learn their intentions, and if they had any propositions to make. On the morrow, the lord de Rambures returned; but little was said of what he had done in his conference with the confederated lords. On the Thursday following, the 22d of August, the Burgundians and Bretons intended to have skirmished before the walls of Paris, but a large force issued out against them. At this moment, a breton archer of the body to the duke of Berry, accoutred in brigandines, covered with black velvet, with gilt nails, wearing a hood on his head ornamented with tassels of silver gilt, struck a horse on the flanks and thighs which bore one of the king's men at arms, who wheeling about to return to Paris, his horse fell dead under him; but an archer of the count d'Eu's company, seeing what had passed, hastily advanced, and thrust a half pike through the body of the archer, who fell dead on the spot. He then despoiled him of his dress, and carried that and his horse into Paris, leaving him naked all but his shirt.

At this time, the king removed the queen from Amboise to Orleans; and on the following Thursday he supped in Paris, at the house of the lord d'Ermenonville, where he made good cheer. He carried with him the count du Perche, William de Bischguiot, Durie, Jacques de Crevecœur, the lord de Craon, sir Yves du Sau, sir Gastonnet du Léon, Nuast de Mompedon, Guillaume le Cointe, and master Regnault des Dormans.--The women were, the damsel d'Ermenonville, La Longue Joye, and the duchess of Longueil: the other women of low degree were, Estiennette de Paris, Perrette de Châlons, and Jeanne Baillette.

On the 22d of this month, the king went to meet the confederated princes, with few attendants and without any guards, as far as La Grange aux Merciers; but the duke of Berry was not there. The duke of Bourbon had some conversation on the Thursday with the king, in the open space before Paris, beyond the ditch of La Grange de Ruilly. The king was that day more decently dressed than usual, for he had on a purple flowing robe, fully trimmed with ermine, that became him much more than those short dresses he generally wore.

On the following Saturday, the count de Charolois quitted his army, and had it proclaimed through his camp, that all should be ready prepared, under pain of death, to march instantly against the Liegeois, who were destroying his country with fire and sword.

On the Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, the duke of Berry, who was lodged at St Maur des Fossés, was attacked with fever, which lasted these three days, when he was cured.

The king had, this Monday, fires lighted, and a strict watch kept up in Paris, and the chains fastened across the principal streets, as had been always done since the re-appearance of the Burgundians.

On the Thursday, the duke of Berry, with the other princes of the blood, were lodged at the palace of Beauté, as has been told by Monstrelet; but I find in another authentic chronicle, and even in Gaguin, that he sent some of his heralds to Paris, who carried four letters,--one to the burghers and inhabitants of that town, another to the university, another to the clergy, and another to the court of parliament. The contents of all were the same, namely, that he and the other princes of the blood had assembled and come thither for the general good of France, and that the town should send to him five or six burghers of note, to hear the reasons why he and those of his kindred had thought themselves obliged to take up arms for the welfare of the kingdom.

In compliance with these letters, and that the inhabitants might learn the reasons of their conduct from their own mouths, the town delegated for this purpose, master Jean Choart, then lieutenant-civil at the court of the Châtelet, master Francis Hasle, advocate in the parliament, and Arnault L'Huillier, banker in Paris. The delegates from the clergy were master Thomas de Courcelles, dean of Paris, master John l'Olive, doctor in divinity, and master Eustache L'Huillier, advocate in the parliament. The parliament deputed master John le Boulengier, master John le Sellier, archdeacon of Brie, and master Jacques Fournier. The deputies from the university were master Jacques Ming, lecturer to the faculty of arts; master John L'Huillier, for divinity; master John de Montigny, for civil law; master Anguerant de Parenti, for physic. They were all assembled and presented to the princes by the reverend father in God master William Chartier bishop of Paris.

News arrived this day that master Pierre d'Oris,[79] superintendant of the king's finances, had left him and joined the duke of Berry.

The above-mentioned delegates having waited on the confederated princes at Beauté, returned to the hôtel des Tournelles at Paris, where they met the count d'Eu, to whom they related what had passed, and the proposals they had received from these princes.

On Saturday, the 24th of August, the university, the clergy, the court of parliament, with the municipal officers of the town, were assembled at the town-house to hear the report of their delegates, and to form resolutions thereon. It was resolved, that in regard to the request made by the princes for the assembling of the three estates of the realm, it was just and reasonable, and that a passage should be granted them through Paris, and provisions afforded them, on paying for what they should receive; at the same time, they must give good security that no riots or disorders should be committed by their men, and these resolutions were to be subject to the approbation of the king,--and the delegates were ordered to carry back this answer to the princes.

On this same Saturday, a muster was made in Paris, not only of the king's men at arms but of all others capable of bearing arms, so that it was a fine sight. First marched on foot the archers from Normandy; then the archers on horseback; then the men at arms of the companies of the count d'Eu, of the lord de Craon, of the lord de la Barde, and of the bastard of Maine, to the amount of four or five hundred well appointed lances, exclusive of infantry to the amount of sixteen hundred, all men of good courage.

This day, the king sent letters to Paris, to say that he was at Chartres with his uncle the count du Maine, and a considerable army, and that within three or four days he should come to Paris. This day also arrived at Paris the admiral de Montauban, with a large force of men at arms.

The duke of Berry, who had gone with his attendants to St Denis, returned to Beauté, fearing the king's return. Wednesday, the 28th of August, the king did return to Paris, as Monstrelet has related; but he has omitted, what I have found in another chronicle, namely, that the king was attended by the count du Maine and the lord de Penthievre and others; that he brought back the artillery he had taken with him, and a large body of pioneers from Normandy, who were all lodged in the king's hôtel of St Pol. The populace were much rejoiced at his return, and sang carols in all the streets through which he passed.

The next day, the Burgundians came to skirmish before the walls of Paris; but so great a number of the king's men at arms sallied forth, with artillery, that they were forced to return, but not without having had many of their men killed and dismounted. The following Friday, several large convoys of flour, and other provisions, arrived at Paris from Normandy: in the number, two horse-loads of eel pies of Gort were brought from Mantes, and sold in the poultry-market, in front of the Châtelet at Paris.

In the afternoon of this day, Poncet de Riviere, with his company, amounting to three or four hundred horse, made a sally, in the expectation of meeting the Burgundians or Bretons, but was disappointed, so nothing was done. On the night of this day, the Burgundians dislodged from La Grange aux Merciers, because the king's artillery were within shot of them. When they dislodged, they unroofed the building, and carried off all the wood-work, such as doors, windows, &c. to make themselves sheds elsewhere, or for fire-wood.

On this day, according to Robert Gaguin, the king banished five of the delegates who had been at Beauté from Paris: their names were, master John L'Huillier, curate of St Germain, master Eustache L'Huillier and Arnoult L'Huillier, his brothers, master John Choart, and master Francis Hasle, advocate in the parliament.

Several gallant sallies were made, on the following Saturday, from the gates of St Denis and St Antoine,--at the first of which, an archer on the king's side was killed, and on the part of the enemy many were slain and wounded. This day, the king sallied forth from his bulwark of the tower of Billy, and thence ordered three or four hundred of the pioneers from Normandy to cross the Seine, to work on the Port à l'Anglois, and opposite to Conflans, for it was said, that the Burgundians designed to throw a bridge over that part of the river,--and the king ordered a strong guard of observation to be posted there. The king followed the pioneers, and crossed the Seine by a ferry without dismounting.

On Sunday, the first day of September, the Burgundians threw a bridge over the river at the Port à l'Anglois; but the moment they were about to march over, a body of franc-archers, with others of the king's troops, made their appearance, with artillery and other engines, and attacked the Burgundians so sharply that they slew many and forced them to retreat.

While this engagement was going on, a Norman swam over the river, and cut the cables that supported the bridge, so that it fell and floated down the stream. The Burgundians were likewise forced to move their quarters further from the walls, as the king's artillery annoyed them much. The Burgundians played their artillery also against the Port à l'Anglois, by which a Norman gentleman had his head carried away by a shot from a culverin.

This day, two embassies came to the king at Paris,--one from the duke of Nemours, the other from the count d'Armagnac. A fine sally was made on the same day, by sir Charles de Melun, the captain Malortie, and their companies, who had a successful skirmish with the Burgundians. This day also, there arrived from Anjou about four hundred men, armed with large cross-bows, who were instantly marched against the enemy, when two of the king's archers were killed and one taken,--but seven Burgundians were slain, and two made prisoners.

On this Sunday, the duke of Somerset came from the confederates, under passports, to the king, with whom he had a long conversation in the bastile of St Anthony. He was then offered refreshments,--and, on taking his leave, the king, as it rained, gave him his cloak, which was of black velvet.

On Monday, the 2d of September, the count du Maine, who was lodged at Paris opposite to the king, sent to the duke of Berry two tuns of red wine, four hogsheads of vin de Beaume, and a horse-load of apples, cabbages and turnips.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 78: He was son to Jean de Popaincourt, first president of the parliament of Paris, and died president à Mortier 1480. It was he who, in December 1475, pronounced sentence of death on the constable de St Pol.--_Note in_ Comines, vol. ii. p. 25.]

[Footnote 79: D'Oris,--d'Oriole, afterward chancellor of France, and well known in the history of Louis XI.]

CHAP. LXIII.

COMMISSIONERS APPOINTED BY THE KING AND THE CONFEDERATES TO SETTLE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THEM.--THE NOBLES OF NORMANDY COME TO PARIS TO SERVE THE KING.--SEVERAL SALLIES AND ASSAULTS ON EACH SIDE.--OTHER EVENTS THAT HAPPENED IN THIS SAME YEAR MCCCCLXV, OMITTED BY MONSTRELET, UNTIL THE FINAL PEACE BETWEEN THE KING AND THE PRINCES.

On Tuesday, the 2d of September, after several parleys, commissioners were at length named by the king and the confederates to settle their differences. On the part of the king were selected the count du Maine and the lord de Precigny,[80] president of the parliament of Toulouse. On the part of the confederates, the duke of Calabria, the count de St Pol, and the count de Dunois.

This day, the magazine of gunpowder at the gate of the Temple accidentally took fire, where were eight pieces of artillery ready for firing,--and by this accident they went off, and blew away the roof of the gateway.

When these commissioners met, after some few preliminaries were settled, they agreed on a truce until the Thursday following, which prevented any hostile attempts on either side. During this term, each party fortified itself as well as it could; but, nevertheless, both parties conversed together until Thursday came. As the count du Maine was passing through the gate of St Anthony, on his return from the Burgundians, he bade the porters be of good cheer; for, if it pleased God, before eight days were over, they should all have good cause to rejoice and sing carols.

This day, the truce was prolonged to the ensuing Wednesday; and on the Friday the commissioners assembled, in consultation, at La Grange aux Merciers, in a pavilion that had been pitched for that purpose.

During the truce, about two thousand of the most decent of the Bretons and Burgundians came in great pomp, to show themselves, as far as the ditches behind St Antoine aux Champs, whither several of the Parisians came out to see and converse with them, although the king had forbidden it, and was so much displeased, when he saw them doing so, that he was tempted to fire at them with the serpentines and other cannon, that were ready loaded, from the tower of Billy.

Sunday, the 8th of September, being the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin, the king set out from the hôtel of the Tournelles, to go to the cathedral; and as he passed by the church of the Magdalen, he entered himself a companion of the great brotherhood of the burghers of Paris, in which he was followed by the bishop of Evreux and others of the nobility. The next day, the Burgundians and Bretons took possession of the vineyards at Aignancourt, La Courtille, and others round Paris, and made wine for their own drinking, although the grapes were not ripe. This forced the Parisians to do the same at other vineyards; and the wines, consequently, were thin and weak.

Many nobles from Normandy now arrived at Paris to serve the king in his wars, and were quartered, with their men, in the suburbs of St Marcel. Among them were some loose companions, who committed many robberies and riots, which being opposed by the inhabitants, made them attempt to enter Paris by force. As the burghers resisted, the Normans abused them much, by calling them Traitors and Burgundians; adding, that they would bring them to understand things better,--for that they had only come from Normandy to Paris to put them to death, and pillage them. This conduct, according to master Robert Gaguin, was heavily complained of; and examinations having taken place in consequence, the ringleader of these riots was condemned to make an amende honorable, before the town-hall, to the procurator of the said town. This was publicly done by the criminal, bareheaded, ungirdled, with a lighted torch in his hand; and when he was arrived in front of the town-hall, he declared that he had falsely and wickedly lied in uttering the above words, and begged to be pardoned for having so done; after which declaration, he had his tongue pierced with a hot iron, and was then banished for ever.

The following Monday, some of the Burgundians came to show themselves before Paris, among whom was the count de St Pol,--and the king issued out of the town to confer with him. They were about two hours in conversation; and the king gave him the count du Maine as an hostage, who remained in the burgundian camp until the return of the count de St Pol.

This same day, according to Gaguin, the king said to some of the Parisians, at the gate of St Anthony, on his return from this conference, that the Burgundians should not, in future, give them the trouble they had done, for that he would defend them well. An attorney of the Châtelet, named Pierre Beron, replied, 'Indeed, sire! but they vintage and eat our grapes without any remedy being provided against them.' The king answered, that it was better they should eat their grapes than enter Paris and seize their plate and valuables, which they had hidden in their cellars.

The following Friday, two hundred horse-loads of salt fish, and other sorts, arrived at the Paris-market, in spite of the Burgundians, Bretons, and others, who had threatened to reduce the inhabitants to eat their cats and rats.

The truce was again prolonged several times, and at length until the 18th of September,--during which, the Burgundians victualled their camps well, at the expense of the poor people in the country around. There cannot be a doubt but that if the king had been willing to have risked a general engagement, provided he had been faithfully served by his captains, he would have reduced his enemies to such a state that they would have been unable to return to the countries they had come from, and would have fully repaid them for having insulted Paris.

On Wednesday, the 18th, all hopes of a peace were at an end,--for, notwithstanding the frequent conferences of the commissioners, all was broken off; and on this day the blockade of the Port à l'Anglois was raised by the king, and the men at arms were lodged in the carthusian convent: they were six hundred men, with their horses and attendants,--which so completely filled the convent that the holy religious men were driven from their cells and places of devotion.

On the morrow, a grand council was held in the hall of the court of exchequer, at which were present all the aldermen and the deputies of the sixteen wards, together with a number of counsellors from the court of parliament and other officers. The chancellor, Morvilliers, then explained to them, in the king's name, what great offers he had made to the princes before Paris, in answer to their demands respecting the appanage of his brother, the duke of Berry, for whom they required the duchies of Guienne, Poitou, and Saintonge, or the duchy of Normandy. The king's commissioners had replied to this, that his majesty could not dismember the domains of the crown; and the king afterward offered to give his brother, in lieu of these duchies, the counties of Champagne and Brie, reserving to himself the towns of Meaux, Montereau, and Melun.

The chancellor said, that the count de Charolois and the others had made exorbitant demands for repayment of their expenses; which expenses, indeed, ought not to be greatly objected against, but they would not accept of any thing less than the whole of their demands,--and there the matter now rested until the following Friday. On this day, the young seneschal of Normandy[81] sallied out of Paris, with six hundred well-appointed horse, to skirmish with the enemy, which they did most valiantly. Among the vineyards of St Antoine des Champs, four-and-twenty Burgundians and others, pillagers, were made prisoners. They were almost all naked, and very badly drest, and sold by auction, four for a golden crown, which was then worth twenty-six sols, six deniers parisis.

The following Saturday, the Bretons won the town of Pontoise, at break of day, as Enguerrand the chronicler has simply told it; but I find in Gaguin, that one named Louis Forbier, then lieutenant-governor of Pontoise for Joachim Rohault, by false and wicked treason, conspired against his sovereign, and admitted these Bretons into the town. The said Louis had it proclaimed, that all of the company of Joachim Rohault, who would not remain, might leave the town in safety with their baggage: that, immediately on his giving up the place, he and some of his companions went to Meulan,[82] wearing the king's badge of the white cross, that they might gain admittance without difficulty. But before his arrival, those in Meulan had been informed of his treason,--and the moment he was seen from the battlements by the garrison, already under arms, they cried out to him, 'Go thy ways, for a false and disloyal traitor!' and fired some cannon at him, which forced him to retire with disgrace and shame.

The ensuing Monday, a considerable body of the enemy, by way of a morning visit, appeared at an early hour before the gate of St Anthony; but in consequence of the firing of some artillery from the walls, they retreated to a further distance, and nothing was done.

On the Monday, according to Gaguin, the watch in Paris were alarmed by an extraordinary light in the skies that looked like a comet, and seemed to move from the enemy's quarters, and to fall into the ditch near the hôtel d'Ardoise: not guessing what it could be, they thought it might have been a rocket discharged by the Burgundians, and sent immediate information thereof to the king at his hôtel of the Tournelles. He, like an active prince, mounted his horse, and went instantly on the walls, near to the hôtel d'Ardoise, where he staid some time, and sent to all the quarters of Paris, to put them on their guard; but they neither saw nor heard any thing further of the enemy that night.

The Bretons and Burgundians, quartered near Paris, made many songs, and scandalous ballads, on those in whom the king put most confidence, that he might be displeased with and dismiss them from his service, for the more easy accomplishment of their damnable designs.

One evening, about two o'clock after midnight, master John Balue, bishop of Evreux, was waylaid in the street of Barre-du-Bec, and attacked with swords and staves,--so that, being wounded, he was forced to fly, and sticking spurs into his mule, she ran away with him, like a wild thing, and never stopped until she brought him to his house, in the cloisters of Nôtre Dame, whence he had set out. The king was very angry on hearing this, and ordered inquiry to be made after the perpetrators of the deed, but in vain; for it was not known who had done it, although it was said, some time afterward, that the lord de Villier-le-bôcage was the principal, at the request of one called Jeanne du Bois, with whom he was enamoured.

At this time, Alexander l'Orget, a native of Paris, in company with four others, quitted Paris, with all his effects, and joined the duke of Berry at St Denis. On the Thursday following, toward the end of September, many of the townsmen came to make heavy complaints to the magistrates, at the town-hall, against the military, for making and singing defamatory songs against them, praying that a remedy might be provided, to prevent such conduct in future. The words complained of were in substance as follows. They swore by God, and other shocking oaths, that the wealth and riches in Paris did not belong to the inhabitants but to them, the men at arms now in the town,--saying, 'We wish you to know that, in despite of you, we will take away the keys of your houses, and throw you and all within them out of doors; and if you chatter, we are enow in Paris to master you all.'

Among others, a fool from Normandy said aloud, at the gate of St Denis, that the Parisians were simpler than he was, if they thought the chains that were across the streets could prevent them from being insulted by those now in the town. In consequence of such speeches, the magistrates ordered the heads of the different wards to have good fires lighted during the night at their places of rendezvous, and that the whole of the night-watch should be there regularly under arms: the chains were also kept up, and the town more strictly watched in the night than before, until daybreak.

This night, there was an alarming rumour that the gate of the bastile of St Anthony had been left open for the admission of the enemy, who was before it; and, in truth, several cannon were found near there with their touchholes spiked, so that they would have been useless had there been occasion for them. Some of the king's captains were uneasy at these fires in the streets, and the increase of the nightly watch, and went to the hôtel of the Tournelles to inquire of the king whether he had ordered them, or by whom these things had been thus done. The king replied, that he was ignorant of the matter, and instantly sent for sir John L'Huillier, the town-clerk, who came to him immediately, and assured the king and the said captains, that the fires and increase of the night-watch had been made with the best intentions. The king, however, ordered sir Charles de Melun to go to the town-house, and to all the quarters of Paris, to give orders that the fires should be extinguished, and that the watch should retire to bed; but the inhabitants refused to obey, and remained under arms until daybreak. Many have since maintained, that had they retired, according to the orders of sir Charles de Melun, which, through God's grace they did not, the town would have been lost and totally destroyed; for the enemy, before Paris, was ready to enter the town by means of the bastile.