Chapter IV: Part 4

Salazart was very closely pursued, and much beaten and wounded; and though his horse had suffered greatly from the pikes of the Flemings it carried him into Beauvais, when it dropped down dead. From this sally to the 21st, nothing material occurred,--when the inhabitants of Orleans sent, by way of Paris, to Beauvais one hundred tuns of wine from their vineyards, as a present to the lords and the garrison, to invigorate them against the Burgundians. They sent thither, at the same time, large supplies of arrows, cross-bows, and gunpowder, under the escort of some of the burghers of Orleans.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 38: Nesle,--three leagues from Roye.]

[Footnote 39: Seignelay,--a town in Burgundy, three leagues from Joigny.]

[Footnote 40: Beauvais--is 16 leagues from Paris.]

CHAP. XV.

THE PARISIANS ARE MUSTERED.--THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY MARCHES IN DISGRACE FROM BEFORE BEAUVAIS.--OF THE KING'S ARMY IN BRITTANY.--THE SHAMEFUL CONDUCT OF THE BURGUNDIANS IN NORMANDY, THE FRENCH RECONQUER EU FROM THE COUNT DE ROUSSI.--THE QUEEN OF FRANCE DELIVERED OF A SON, NAMED DUKE OF BERRY.--THE LORD OF BEAUJEU BETRAYED TO THE COUNT D'ARMAGNAC.--LECTOURE REGAINED, AND THE COUNT D'ARMAGNAC KILLED.--THE KING OF ARRAGON FLIES FROM PERPIGNAN.--THE DUKE OF ALENÇON MADE PRISONER.--THE KING GOES TO BORDEAUX.--THE SON OF THE COUNT D'ALBRET BEHEADED AT POITIERS.

At this time, the Parisians were mustered and reviewed by the lord de Gaucourt, lieutenant for the king in Paris, master John de Ladriesche, and sir Denis Hesselin, king's pantler. It was a fine show to see them all under arms, and so handsomely equipped; but it would have been finer, if all the banners and cross-bows that had been detached to Beauvais had been present.

Further detachments were demanded by the captains in Beauvais, to the number of three thousand men, fully equipped; but they were refused on account of the numbers already sent thither, and because it would not only put the inhabitants to great expense but much weaken the defence of Paris. Sir Denis Hesselin remonstrated so ably with the captains in Beauvais on this subject that they were satisfied with the support already given, but requested that one hundred cross-bowmen and gunners might be sent to them which was done.

About three o'clock in the morning of Magdalen-day, the duke of Burgundy commenced a disgraceful retreat from before Beauvais, having done nothing, during the twenty-six days he was encamped there, but fire his artillery day and night against the town without materially damaging it, or hurting the inhabitants. He made two violent attacks, in which he lost numbers of his most valiant warriors, besides a great quantity of artillery won by the king's garrison in Amiens.

On the departure of the Burgundians, they destroyed all the villages on their line of march, until they came before St Valery, which was instantly surrendered to them, because there was not a force within it sufficient for resistance. They then marched to Eu, which was also surrendered for the same cause.

The constable of France, the grand master of the household, and the other captains in Beauvais, marched thence, with eight hundred lances, on the 29th of July, for Arques, Monstiervillier, and the country of Caux, on the supposition that the Burgundians would advance thither, which in fact they did, and with a view of being beforehand with them. The Burgundians encamped at the village of Ferrieres, between Eu and Dieppe, and remained there some time, but without conquering any place except the new castle of Nicourt[41], which they entered, as there were none to oppose them. They held it for three days,--and on their departure set fire to the castle and town which was a pity, for it was a large and handsome place. They afterwards burnt Longueville, Fahy, and many other places in the bailiwick of Caen, which all his wealth would be insufficient to restore. These were all the noble duke's acts of valour until the first day of December.

During this interval, the king had remained inactive in Brittany, with about fifty thousand combatants, because he had been amused with different embassies from that duke, and entertained hopes of a pacification without bloodshed or loss of men; for he was much more anxious for the preservation of his subjects' lives than the duke of Burgundy, who was cruel and obstinate, as he had shown and was daily demonstrating.

The duke, having done great damages by fire to the towns and villages of that country of Caux, now advanced toward Arques and Dieppe; but his army was there so beaten that he quitted that part of the country and marched for Rouen, where he was more roughly treated than before; insomuch that, from the frequent and courageous sallies made from that town, he was forced to retreat in disgrace for Abbeville spreading abroad a report that he intended to attack Noyon, and take it by storm. The lord de Crussol hastened thither for its defence, and was joined by others of the king's captains to repulse his cursed fury; but one misfortune he was the cause of,--for these captains, to secure the town and prevent the Burgundians from posting themselves in the suburbs, caused them to be burnt and destroyed--which was a needless loss, as the enemy never appeared there.

About this time, sir Robert de Estouteville, provost of Paris, left Beauvais with the nobles of his provostship and a certain number of franc-archers, and posted himself in the suburbs of Eu, on the side of Abbeville. The same day, the marshal de Rohault took possession of the other suburbs leading toward Dieppe,--and they immediately summoned the Burgundians to surrender. They were so much frightened at the appearance of the royalists that they instantly accepted of terms,--namely, that all the knights should march away mounted on a common hackney, and that the other Burgundians should depart with nothing but wands in their hands, leaving behind all their arms, horses, and baggage, and pay, as a ransom, the sum of ten thousand crowns.

Sir Robert and the marshal lost no time in marching to St Valery, which surrendered on similar terms, and paying six thousand crowns. They thence proceeded to Rambures[42], a handsome and strong castle, in which were some Burgundians, but who came out of the castle and surrendered it to the French, on condition of being allowed to march away in safety with their arms and baggage.

While these things were passing, the partisans of Burgundy, such as the count de Roussi[43], son to the constable, and others, took the field in Burgundy, and overran the country of Tonnerre, without meeting any resistance. They destroyed that country and attempted to gain Joigny,--but by timely reinforcements sent thither by the king, were prevented. They then advanced to Troyes,--but their only acts of valour consisted in setting fire to all the villages and barns on their march. These acts were retaliated, on the part of the king, by the count dauphin of Auvergne, and other nobles in his company, who burnt and destroyed several small towns and villages in Burgundy. They did irreparable damages, in revenge for what the Burgundians had done to the subjects of the king, their supreme and true sovereign, to whom they had behaved as rebels.

In the month of September, the king, who had been some time in Brittany, concluded a truce with the duke, in which were included all his allies; and in the number, he declared the duke of Burgundy to be one, who accepted of this truce,--but he had comprehended his allies also, whom he declared to be the emperor of Germany, the kings of England, Scotland, Portugal, Spain, Arragon, Sicily, and other kings, to the number of seven, with several dukes and great lords.

At this time, the queen of France was delivered of a son, called Francis Duke of Berry, but he did not live long.

Toward the end of October, it happened, as the lord de Beaujeu, brother to the duke of Bourbon, was travelling, by the king's orders, through the county of Armagnac, as governor of Guienne, well attended by nobles and gentlemen, that while he was residing in the city of Lectoure[44], he was betrayed into the hands of the count de Armagnac,--by which means, the said count regained his city of Lectoure. Having thus won it, he set at liberty many of the lords who had accompanied the lord of Beaujeu; but they were soon after arrested by the king, on suspicion of having betrayed their governor, and some were imprisoned in the castle of Loches. The king was much grieved at the capture of the lord de Beaujeu, and, to obtain his liberty, he sent a considerable army, with artillery against that city, while he himself went to Poitiers, La Rochelle, and thereabout, until St Andrew's day, when he returned to Angers.

Among those who had been imprisoned at Loches, on suspicion of treason against the lord de Beaujeu, was a gentleman, his servant, called Jean Deymer, who was condemned and quartered for it in the town of Tours, having confessed his treachery against the king and his master. At his execution, he spoke most honourably of the lord de Beaujeu, declaring his loyalty and ignorance of the treason plotted against him, and laid the whole blame on the younger son of the d'Albret family, lord of St Basile, in whom the lord de Beaujeu had great confidence, he having been brought up in the family of Bourbon, and having received many favours from that house.

The king made a long stay in Poitou, and on the borders of Brittany, until the day fixed for the meeting between him and the duke of Brittany. Oudet de Rie, lord de l'Escun, to whom the king had been very bountiful, had taken great pains to bring this about,--and when it took place, the king gave to the duke the county of Montfort, besides a large sum of money. When the business had been concluded, the duke of Brittany sent information of it to the duke of Burgundy, and demanded to have returned the treaty of alliance that had been made between them.

On the 3rd of February, in this year, there appeared, about six in the evening, great lights in the sky resembling candles, whence issued brilliant flashes, to the terror of many; but they did not last long. On the 7th of the same month, the bishop of Paris, son to monsieur de la Forest, made his entry, as bishop, into the city.

After the service in the cathedral, he entertained, handsomely and abundantly, at dinner, the churchmen, the members of the university, of the parliament, chamber of accounts, masters of requests, secretaries, the provost, sheriffs, and principal inhabitants.

During the siege of Lectoure, a serpentine was fired from the walls, which killed the king's commander of the artillery and four gunners.

At this time, the duke of Alençon was made prisoner by sir Tristan de l'Hermite, provost of the marshals, and brought before the king, for having, as it was said quitted his country to sell and deliver up to the duke of Burgundy all his possessions in La Perche and Normandy, together with his duchy of Alençon.

On the 5th of March following, the count d'Armagnac had negotiated a capitulation for the surrender of Lectoure with sir Yves du Fau, whom the king had sent thither on purpose,--and it was agreed that the count, his lady, family and attendants, should be allowed to depart in safety. But it happened otherwise,--for the count was murdered by the king's army who stormed the town. The cause was this: several of the royalists, under cover of the capitulation, had entered the town,--which when the count saw, he would have put them to death in spite of the treaty. The French, seeing this cried out to their companions for assistance, when the seneschal of Limousin, and great numbers, forced an entrance where the breach had been made, and killed the count d'Armagnac and so many of the inhabitants, that the countess of Armagnac with three women and three or four men were the only persons who escaped death. The town was pillaged,--and the lord de Beaujeu with the other lords and gentlemen whom the count had detained in his prisons, were set at liberty, and waited on the king.

The first intelligence the king received of this event was brought by one of his post-expresses, called John d'Auvergne; and the king was so well pleased with his diligence that he appointed him his herald, and gave him one hundred crowns of gold.

The cardinal of Arras[45] having behaved with great gallantry at the siege of Lectoure, entered the town, which was afterwards burnt, and the walls razed to the ground. When news of this conquest and of the death of the count d'Armagnac, reached the king of Arragon at Perpignan, he fled thence further into his own dominions, as well on this account as because he heard that Philip of Savoy was marching an army, from Dauphiny and Savoy, against him, to offer him battle, and to recover the town of Perpignan, which he had taken from the king of France.

On Saturday morning, the 14th of March, the king, who then resided at Plessis du Parc, formerly called Montils les Tours, set off very early, and with few attendants, for Bordeaux and Bayonne. That no person living might follow him, he ordered the gates of Tours to be closed until ten o'clock had struck, and had a bridge broken down near to Tours, to prevent any one crossing the river. For further security, he commanded the lord de Gaucourt, the captain of the gentlemen in his household, to remain in Tours for the same purpose.

On the 7th of April, just before Easter, the younger son of the count d'Albret, who had betrayed the lord de Beaujeu into the hands of the count d'Armagnac, and who, on the capture of Lectoure, had been made prisoner, was brought to Poitiers, where he was tried and condemned for this offence to be beheaded, and was then executed; after which, his body was put into a coffin, covered with a pall emblazoned with his arms, and carried by the four orders of mendicant friars in Poitiers for interment, when a handsome service was performed. In this month of April, the truce between the king and the duke of Burgundy was prolonged to the end of the ensuing year.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 41: Nicourt. Q. Nicorps a village near Coutances.]

[Footnote 42: Rambures,--a town in Picardy, near Abbeville.]

[Footnote 43: Roussi,--Anthony of Luxembourg count of Roucy, son to the constable of St Pol.]

[Footnote 44: Lectoure,--a city in Armagnac, the capital of Lomagne.]

[Footnote 45: Cardinal of Arras. John Joffroy, then bishop of Alby.]

[A.D. 1473.]

CHAP. XVI.

THE SIEGE OF PERPIGNAN.--THE DUKE OF ALENÇON DETAINED PRISONER IN THE LOUVRE.--THE DEATH OF THE DUKE OF CALABRIA.--THE EXECUTION OF JOHN HARDY FOR INTENDING TO POISON THE KING.--EDICTS FROM THE KING RESPECTING THE GENS D'ARMES AND THE COIN.--AN EMBASSY FROM THE KING OF ARRAGON.--OTHER EVENTS IN THIS YEAR.

About the end of April, in the year 1473, the king of Arragon made an attack on the town of Perpignan, and gained it from the lord du Lau, who had the guard of it; but the castle remained unconquered,--and the garrison held it for the king of France a long time after the capture of the town.

When Lectoure had been destroyed, the king ordered the army to Perpignan, in which were besieged the king of Arragon and his son. With the nobles and captains of this army was the cardinal of Alby who behaved himself most prudently and courageously. This siege lasted long, even until the month of June,--when the king, to hasten it, sent thither a reinforcement of four hundred lances from Amiens and the adjacent towns, together with a large train of artillery and cannoniers.

The duke of Alençon, who had been confined in the castle of Loches, was brought to Paris, and arrived at the castle of the Louvre between nine and ten at night, the 16th day of June. He disembarked from the boats that had brought him from Corbeil, under the guard of the lord de Gaucourt and the lord de la Chaloterie, master of the household to the king, having with them fifty archers of the guards, and twenty-four gentlemen of the household. When they had left him in the castle of the Louvre, they all returned to the king, except the lord de la Chaloterie, who had the care of him,--and he was guarded by the archers of the town of Paris. The first night, he was lodged at the Silver Lion, in the street of St Honoré: and the following day, which was Corpus-Christi-day, he was brought back to the Louvre at the same hour, between nine and ten in the evening.

During this long siege of Perpignan, the king's troops had suffered greatly from the excessive heats, and from want of provisions,--which made them agree to a truce, for a short time, with the besieged, when each party was supplied as to their greatest wants. In this interval the king sent another reinforcement of men at arms, artillery and provisions, under the command of the lord de Gaucourt. He also ordered master John Bouvré and the banker of the treasury to buy up all the provisions they could lay hands on, and send them to Perpignan.

About this time, in the month of July, died the last born child of the king, called the lord Francis duke of Berry. The king was so much grieved that for six hours no one dared to speak to him.

In this same month, the duke of Calabria died of the plague, in his duchy of Lorraine. Immediately after his decease, news was brought, that a german, the commander of the late duke's forces, had taken prisoner the count de Vaudemont heir to the duchy of Lorraine, with the avowal and by the instigation of the duke of Burgundy. In order to obtain the count de Vaudemont's liberty, a youth, nephew to the emperor of Germany, and then a student at Paris, was arrested by way of reprisal, and as an hostage for the count's safety. A conference was appointed to be holden this month at Senlis, between commissioners from the king and the duke of Burgundy, to settle their differences.

The king sent thither the count de Dammartin, who went in great pomp, the lord chancellor, the lord de Craon, the first president of the parliament of Paris, master Guillaume de Cerisay, and master Nicholas Bataille, who after remaining there until the middle of August, returned without having done any thing.

At this period, the duke of Burgundy marched an army into Guelderland, to subdue and take possession of it.

On the 8th of August, as the king was coming out of the castle of Alençon, by accident a very large stone fell from the battlements on his sleeve: he narrowly escaped being killed by it, but was saved by his confidence in God, and the blessed Virgin Mary, in whom he put his whole trust.

The commissioners from the king and the dukes of Burgundy and Brittany now left Senlis without having accomplished any of the points they had met on.

In regard to the weather of this year, it was exceedingly hot from the month of June to December, more so than had been felt in the memory of any man living,--which caused the wines to be of such bad qualities that quantities were thrown away,--and there was not any frost until after Candlemas-day.

As there were now reports, that the Burgundians were marching for Lorraine and the Barrois, the king sent thither five hundred lances, under the command of the lord de Craon, whom he made his lieutenant-general. He also ordered the nobles from the Isle of France and Normandy, with the franc-archers cantoned in divers parts of Champagne, to advance toward Lorraine, where they remained for more than two months, and then returned without having seen the enemy.

The duke of Burgundy brought the emperor of Germany to Luxembourg, whence he went to the town of Metz, to exhort the inhabitants to admit the duke of Burgundy and his forces: but as they refused to comply, he returned to Luxembourg and thence into Germany.

At this time, the duke of Burgundy sent to Venice to negotiate a loan, that he might subsidize, for three months, six hundred lances from that country. These troops passed through the duchy of Milan, and proceeded to the upper parts of Burgundy, to form a junction with the subjects of the said duke, whose army was not sufficiently strong to meet that of the king which lay upon his frontiers. The king now married his eldest daughter[46], whom he had promised to the late duke of Calabria, to the lord de Beaujeu, brother to the duke of Bourbon. The Burgundians, by treason and otherwise, suddenly invaded the country of the Nivernois, and took several towns belonging to the count de Nevers, such as La Roche, Châtillon, and others.

The king's commissioners, who had before been at Senlis, now went to Compiégne, in expectation of meeting those from Burgundy, who had promised to come thither; but after waiting some time in vain, they returned to Paris, and went thither again on the 15th of January. It was now currently reported, that the duke of Burgundy, seeing he could not by open force destroy the kingdom of France, notwithstanding all the pains he had taken to accomplish it, had formed a conspiracy to poison the king; in which business he employed a person called master Ythier Marchant, who had been a servant to the late duke of Guienne, and another called John Hardy, servant to this Ythier, who, after the death of the duke of Guienne, had sought protection from the duke of Burgundy.

John Hardy undertook to manage this affair, and consequently, the poisons, were delivered to him, with promises of great wealth on his success: at the same time, fifty thousand crowns were paid him down, for him to distribute among such as he should judge able to, assist him. He had also money given him for his expenses; and this madman, Hardy, not having the fear of God before his eyes, nor foreseeing, that had his plot succeeded, (which, thanks to God, it did not) the whole of the noble realm of France would have been destroyed, set out on his journey to the place of the king's residence.

On his arrival at Amboise, forgetting that the king had formerly kindly received him and given him great sums of money, in order to execute his damnable enterprise, he addressed himself to a person who had the charge of making sauces in the royal kitchen, with whom Hardy was acquainted during the time they were both in the service of the duke of Guienne. Hardy communicated to him his plan, and offered him twenty thousand crowns if he would assist him to accomplish it. The saucemaker listened to him, but said he could not engage in the business without the consent of Colinet, the king's head cook, who had likewise been in the same service with themselves. He promised to mention the matter to Colinet, and urge him to join them,--but desired Hardy to give him the poisons to show the head cook. Soon after, the saucemaker and head cook having discussed the business together, went and informed the king of the plot, who was very much alarmed, but most honourably and handsomely rewarded them for having discovered it. John Hardy had set out for Paris, but was instantly followed and overtaken near Estampes, where he was arrested and brought back to the king, who interrogated him, and had him examined by others, as to the charges made against him,--all of which he confessed to be true.

To make the matter public, and that his trial might have the greater notoriety, the king set out from Amboise for Chartres, Meulanc, Creil, and other places in the Beauvoisis, followed by Hardy, chained with heavy irons, in a low cart, under the guard of John Blosset, esquire, captain of one hundred archers of the dauphin's guard, fifty of whom always surrounded the cart. Thus guarded, he was sent to Paris, to be delivered up to the provost and sheriffs, where he arrived on Thursday the 20th day of January, about three o'clock in the afternoon; when sir Denis Hesselin, the provost, and others, went out to receive him in the suburbs, beyond the gate of St Denis. With sir Denis were the four sheriffs, their officers and great crowds of people, and the archers of the town in handsome array.

Hardy was placed on a high chair in the middle of the cart, that he might be seen by the populace, who were strictly forbidden to abuse him by words or deeds. Thus was he conducted along the great street of St Denis, to the town-house, when he was delivered up, by John Blosset, to the provost and sheriffs, under whose guard the king had ordered him to be placed, that they might have the honour of trying and executing him.

While the king was at Creil, he issued an edict respecting the gens d'armes of his realm, by which he declared that each lanceman should not have more than six horses,--namely, three horses for himself, his page and his armour-bearer; the two archers have two horses, and one for the varlet; but they were no longer to have panniers to carry their arms. They were not to remain longer than one day in any village when on their march. And proclamation was made to forbid all merchants from selling or affording to any of the gens d'armes cloths of silk or camlets, on pain of forfeiting the money these gens d'armes might give or owe for them; and no woollen cloths were to be sold them of a higher price than thirty-two sols parisis the ell.

At the same time, he issued another edict touching the coin, and ordered the grands blancs to be exchanged for eleven deniers although before they had only been worth ten deniers,--the targes, eleven deniers tournois, that had been worth twelve,--the crown, thirty sols three deniers tournois; and so on with the rest, for the whole value of the coin was changed.

On the 20th of January, a reconciliation took effect between the king and the constable. He had possessed himself of the town of St Quentin, and driven out the lord de Creton, who there commanded one hundred lances for the king. By this reconciliation, the constable remained not only master, as before, of St Quentin, but the town of Meaux and other places were given up to him, of which he had before been deprived. Commissioners were also appointed to inquire after those who had spoken disrespectfully of the constable relative to his taking St Quentin, that they might be brought to punishment. Money was likewise given him for the pay of his troops, which was the means of preventing his town of St Quentin from being taken.

The king about this time, left Amboise for Senlis, where he remained while his commissioners and those from Burgundy were labouring to bring about a peace. At length, the truce was prolonged to the middle of the ensuing May, in the expectation of a more lasting agreement being concluded before then. The king went from Senlis to Ermenonville in Santerre, belonging to master Pierre L'Orfevre, counsellor in the chamber of accounts where he staid a month,--during which time, the duke of Bourbon, whom the king had repeatedly sent for, came at last, but did not remain more than ten or twelve days, and returned, with the king's leave, to his own country, to celebrate Easter, promising to come back the Sunday after Easter which he did.

On the 30th of March, John Hardy, before mentioned, was condemned by the court of parliament to be taken to the gate of the prisons of the Conciergerie, and there put into a tumbrel and drawn before the town-house, where a scaffold had been erected for the quartering of his body, according to the sentence, which was executed. His head, placed on the point of a lance, was to remain in front of the town-house, and his four quarters were sent to four of the principal towns, at the extremities of the kingdom,--on each of which an inscription was to be put, declaring the cause why they were thus placed,--and the body was ordered to be burnt, and reduced to cinders at the place of execution. All the houses of the said John Hardy, particularly that in which he had been born, were to be razed to the ground, and no buildings were to be thereon erected in future; an inscription was also to be placed on the spot, declaratory of the enormity of the offence, and why these buildings had been destroyed. Hardy was executed in the presence of the lord de Gaucourt, king's lieutenant, the first president of the parliament Boulenger, the two provosts, and sheriffs, and other principal persons of the town; and he had a celebrated doctor in divinity, called doctor Hue, assigned to him for the care of his soul. On the Saturday following, the head of Hardy, which had been placed on a lance before the town-house, was taken down, nobody knew how, and thrown into a cellar hard by.

This day, a handsome embassy came to Paris from the king of Arragon, and was honourably received there by the count de Penthievre[47], the lord de Gaucourt and others, who feasted them well in divers parts of Paris until Palm Sunday, when their festivities ceased on account of the approaching Passion-week. The king arrived at Paris after Easter, the 16th day of April, in the year 1474.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 46: Eldest daughter. Anne of France, a most accomplished woman. She made a great figure in the succeeding reign.]

[Footnote 47: Count de Penthievre--Jean de Brosse--had, by his wife Louisa de Laval, Réné, who married Jeanne, only daughter to the historian Philip de Comines.]

[A.D. 1474.]

CHAP. XVII.

THE PARISIANS ARE REVIEWED BY THE KING.--OF THE ARRAGONIAN AMBASSADORS.--A CONFERENCE BETWEEN THE KING AND THE CONSTABLE.--A TRUCE WITH THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY.--OTHER EVENTS.--THE DUKE OF ALENÇON CONDEMNED TO BE BEHEADED AT PARIS.--THE KING TAKES POSSESSION OF ANJOU.--THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY BESIEGES NUYS[48].--HE TAKES SEVERAL TOWNS, NOTWITHSTANDING THE TRUCE BETWEEN THE KING AND HIMSELF.

The king ordered a review of the Parisians on Saturday the 20th of April. They were drawn up from the bastile of St Anthony, along the ditches, to the tower of Billy,--and thence, in battle-array, to the Grange aux Merciers: there was another division formed on the opposite side of the town. They made a brilliant and formidable appearance,--for the whole number was estimated at one hundred and four thousand men, all in uniforms, with red hoods and white crosses. A large train of artillery was also drawn out of Paris, which added much to the beauty of the spectacle.

The king was accompanied at this review by the arragonian ambassadors, who were astonished at the numbers of men under arms that Paris alone had sent forth. The king was attended by his guards, the gentlemen of his household, the count de Dammartin in great pomp, Philip of Savoy count of Bresse, the lord du Perche, Salazart, and several other captains and gentlemen of renown. After the review, the king went to Vincennes to supper, taking with him the arragonian embassy; and shortly after, he gave to the two principal ambassadors two cups of fine gold, embossed with figures, which weighed forty marcs, and had cost three thousand two hundred crowns of gold.

The king left Paris for Senlis, where he made some stay; and during that time two embassies came to him, one from Brittany and another from Germany,--the chief of which last was the duke of Bavaria. With the embassy from Brittany came Philip des Essars, lord of Thieux, master of the household to the duke of Brittany, who had been very active against the king. He was, however, kindly received by him, presented with ten thousand crowns, and appointed general inquisitor and inspector of waters and forests in Champagne and Brie,--which office the lord de Châtillon had held, but it was taken from him to be given to Philip des Essars.

While the king was at Senlis, Ermenonville, and other places in that district, an embassy arrived from the duke of Burgundy, which remained long, but concluded nothing. The king then departed for Compiégne, Noyon, and divers places thereabout,--when a meeting was appointed between him and the constable, to settle some differences between them, near a village[49], where a bridge was thrown over a river, and each had a large party of guards for his personal security. Their mutual accusations were discussed, and particularly the capture the constable had made, by force, of St Quentin, by driving thence the lord de Creton and his garrison,--which had greatly angered the king, who, for this reason, had stopped the payments due to the constable's troop of four hundred lances, for the months of April, May, and June.

After a long conversation, the king ordered the arrears of pay to be made good, and continued as before, and they parted good friends. Peace was likewise made between the constable and the count de Dammartin,--and the king, on his going away, freely pardoned the constable, who promised and swore never to commit any more faults, but to serve him henceforward faithfully against all, without any exception whatever.

During this period, the king passed some time at Senlis, Ermenonville, Pont St Maixence, and other places near. He went almost daily to the abbey de la Victoire, to adore the statue of the Virgin, which was there in great request,--and in honour to her, made the prior very rich gifts, in money, to the amount of ten thousand golden crowns. This year, from his singular love to his people, and his wish to avoid the shedding of human blood, he agreed to a truce with his adversary the duke of Burgundy for one year, to expire the first of April in the year 1475; although several embassies had come from the emperor of Germany, humbly to desire that he would not conclude any truce, for that he would reduce the duke by force of arms to sue for his mercy,--and that whatever conquests the emperor should make, he would give to the king, without his putting himself to the smallest cost. Notwithstanding these flattering proposals, the king assented to a truce with the duke of Burgundy, to the great displeasure of all his good and loyal subjects.

The Burgundians, nevertheless, and in contempt of the truce, at first committed many outrages on the king's territories and subjects, without making any reparation; and it was scandalous thus to see a vassal of the king injure, with impunity, the country and subjects of his sovereign lord.

In the beginning of July, the king returned to Paris, but only lay there one night. On the morrow, he went to the church of Nôtre Dame, and thence to the holy chapel in the palace. He dined in the apartments of master John de Ladriesche, president of the chamber of accounts, in the conciergerie of the palace; and about four in the afternoon he embarked in a boat at the point of the palace, and went to the tower of Nesle, where he mounted his horse and rode to Chartres, Amboise,--and thence to Nôtre Dame de Behuart, in Poitou.

In this year, the king sent a very large army, with franc-archers and others, and a considerable train of artillery to conquer the kingdom of Arragon. Prayers were offered up that God would give them grace to behave well, and return in health; for it was commonly said, that Arragon was the churchyard of Frenchmen.

Monday, the 18th day of July, the duke d'Alençon was brought before the court of Parliament,--when the chancellor, master Pierre d'Oriole, recapitulated his former crimes, and the sentence that had been passed upon him by the court held at Vendôme, under the late king Charles, (whose soul may God pardon!) and the grace the present king had shown him, not only by granting him his life, but his liberty and estates, for which favours he had shown the blackest ingratitude. The present accusations were then brought forward, when he was found guilty of high treason, and condemned by the chancellor to be beheaded at Paris, saving the good pleasure of the king to order otherwise; and all his effects, hereditary and acquired, were confiscated to the king's use.

The duke, having heard his sentence, was led back to his prison in the Louvre, under the guard of sir Denis Hesselin, sir James Hesselin his brother, sir John de Harclay, commander of the night-guard in Paris, and others appointed by the king for this purpose.

When this affair was finished, the king went toward Angers, and took possession of that town and all other places and lordships in Anjou belonging to the king of Sicily, for certain reasons moving him thereto; and the government and administration of them was given to master Guillaume de Cerisay, greffier civil in the court of parliament. The king then returned through Beauce to Chartres, and to Bois-de-Malesherbes, where he staid a long time, hunting stags, wild boars, and other beasts, of which he found such plenty that he was very fond of this part of his kingdom; although otherwise, it is but a poor country.

On the king's departure, he went to Pont de Chamois, the residence of the lord de Beaujeu, were he remained until the 6th of October, and thence went to Montereau-faut-Yonne. During his absence, the members of his grand council went daily to Pont de Chamois.

The duke of Burgundy had now declared war against the Germans, and had marched an army to lay siege to Nuys, a good town near Cologne, on the Rhine, where he and his army remained long. The king sent an embassy into Brittany, composed of the chancellor, Philip des Essars, and others, who on their return, brought with them sir Pierre de Morvilliers, formerly chancellor of France, who had attached himself to the late duke of Guienne, and on his death had sought an asylum in Brittany.

The Burgundians, notwithstanding the truce, took the city of Verdun, in Lorraine, of which the king was protector; and to recover it, he sent thither three hundred lances, and four thousand franc-archers, under the command of the lord de Craon, and others. The Burgundians took also by storm a town in the Nivernois called Molins en Gibers, whither, likewise, the king sent men at arms and artillery. The Burgundians, however, regardless of the truce, never failed, when any favourable opportunities offered, to oppress the subjects, towns, and countries of the king of France.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 48: Nuys,--a town in the department of the Roer, in the present divisions of France.]

[Footnote 49: A village. The place of meeting was on a barricaded bridge, near to La Fere, three leagues from Noyon.]

CHAP. XVIII.

KING EDWARD SUMMONS THE KING OF FRANCE TO RESTORE TO HIM THE DUCHIES OF GUIENNE AND NORMANDY.--GOOD NEWS FROM THE FRENCH ARMY IN ARRAGON.--SOME ARRAGONIANS BEHEADED.--THE KING'S PHYSICIANS OPEN A MAN ALIVE, AND RECOVER HIM.--OF THE FEAST OF ST CHARLEMAGNE, KING OF FRANCE.--OF THE LOSSES OF THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY BEFORE NUYS, AND OF THE CONQUESTS GAINED OVER HIM IN PICARDY AND BURGUNDY.--SOME BARONS EXECUTED AT PARIS.--THE REDUCTION OF THE TOWN OF PERPIGNAN.

King Edward about this time, sent his heralds to the king of France, to summon him to restore the duchies of Guienne and Normandy, which he claimed as his property,--and in case of refusal, to declare war against him. The king gave his answer to these heralds, and sent by them, to king Edward, the handsomest courser in his stables; and he, moreover, sent him by Jean de Laslier, his harbinger, an ass, a wolf, and a wild boar, with which the heralds returned to their own country.

In November, the king came near to Paris, and was lodged at Ablon sur Seine, at Vincennes, Haubervilliers, and other places. He thence went to the house of master Dreux Budé, examiner to the court of chancery, called Bois-le-Comte, while the archbishop of Lyon, the lord de Beaujeu, and others of his court, were lodged at Mietry, in the Isle of France. The king, from Bois-le-Comte, went with the above-named lords to Château Thierry, where he made some stay. About the 12th of December, he came to Paris, for the feast of Christmas, and performed his devotions on that day in the church of Nôtre Dame.

Intelligence was brought to the king, on St Stephen's day, that the English were in great force at sea, and near to the coast of Normandy, at St Michel. He instantly ordered a body of archers, which he had just raised, and called The Dauphin's Guard, to mount their horses and hasten into Normandy.

Nearly at the same time, he heard from his army in Arragon, that they had taken a place near Perpignan, called Gonne, in which were several gentlemen, inhabitants of Perpignan, whom they would have put to death, had they not promised to cause the town of Perpignan to be surrendered to the king's arms within a certain time by them named. But as they failed in their promise, some of them were beheaded: in the number was one called Bernard de Douys. Soon after, an agreement was made between the king and the Arragonians, by which Roussillon was again restored to him.

In the month of January, some burgundian adventurers collected together, and made several inroads on France, even so far as Compiégne, plundering or killing all they met. They attempted to build themselves a place of security at Arson, near Roye, whither they had brought a number of pioneers. When the king heard of this, he sent orders for the garrisons of Amiens, Beauvais, and other places, to assemble with the company of the grand master, the cross-bows and archers of Paris, and to put themselves under the command of sir Robert d'Estouteville, provost of Paris, and destroy these Burgundians and their strong hold. But the Burgundians no sooner heard of these orders than they packed up their plunder, and ran away, like thieves as they were.

This same month, a franc-archer of Meudon was confined in the prisons of the Châtelet, in Paris, for divers robberies, and even sacrilege in the church of Meudon. He was condemned, for these crimes, to be hanged at Montfaucon,--but he appealed to the court of parliament, whither he was led for trial. That court dismissed his appeal, and confirmed the sentence of the provost of Paris, to whom he was remanded for execution; but the surgeons and physicians of Paris petitioned the king, that as a variety of persons were afflicted with the stone and other internal disorders, and that as this franc-archer had complaints similar to those of which the lord de Bouchage[50] now lay dangerously ill, it was requisite that the internal parts of a living man should be examined, and that no better subject could have offered than this franc-archer under sentence of death. The physicians and surgeons, in consequence of the king's permission, opened his body,--and having examined his bowels, replaced them, and sewed up the body. By the king's orders, every care was taken of him; and within fifteen days, he was perfectly cured, and was not only pardoned for his crimes but had a sum of money given to him.

On the 28th of January, the king, having a particular affection and reverence for the exalted and devout virtues of St Charlemagne, ordered, that henceforward his feast should on that day be celebrated, which was done in the city of Paris like unto a Sunday, and continued on every succeeding 28th of January.

The town of Nuys was revictualled by the Germans from Cologne, and other places under the obedience of the emperor, notwithstanding the duke of Burgundy had been so long before it, and had placed a considerable fleet on the Rhine to hinder any reinforcements, or stores, from entering the town. The duke's fleet was destroyed, and from six to seven thousand persons, that were on board of it, were killed or drowned. The Burgundians, before this, had suffered great losses in the army that was besieging Nuys.

In the month of March, the king ordered four hundred lances from the garrisons of Amiens, Beauvais, and other parts, to make an inroad on the territories of the duke of Burgundy, to retaliate the damages done by his partisans on the country round Roye, Peronne, and Mondidier, in contempt of the truce. The royalists, in consequence, invaded Artois, and advanced even to the suburbs of Arras, in which they lodged one whole night. By means of flails, and portable windmills, they thrashed and ground all the corn they could find in the barns throughout Artois and Picardy; which, together with great numbers of cattle, prisoners, and utensils, were carried off by Salazart and the other captains to Amiens, and their different garrisons.

During this, the king never stirred from Paris, but kept his Lent there, making good cheer, and, as he said, being healthy and well satisfied. In this month, a youth, son to a brigandine maker, who had been partly brought up by a fresh-water fisherman of Paris, named Jean Pensart, knowing that this fisherman had acquired a large sum of money by the sale of his fish during Lent, which he gained by purchasing from different lords the produce of the ponds by wholesale, and being instigated by the devil, entered the house of this fisherman, and seeing where he kept his money, opened the door of the house after midnight to three Scotsmen, in order that they might rob the said Pensart. One was called Mortimer, surnamed the Esquire, and the name of another was Thomas Clark. By the assistance of this youth, they carried off the money, amounting to two thousand five hundred livres tournois.

The fisherman made such diligence to recover his money that, on the same day the youth was found within sanctuary at the Carmelites in Paris. He was instantly dragged thence, and carried to the prisons of the Châtelet, for the weight of his irons prevented his walking,--and he there confessed that the Scotsmen had taken all the money. Great activity was used in seeking them; and Mortimer was seized, and would have been carried to prison, by orders of master Philip du Four, had not two of the scots guards attacked him and his sergeants, and effected the rescue of Mortimer. Thomas Clark was afterward discovered, having taken sanctuary in the church of St Catherine-du-Val-des-ėcoliers, and was made prisoner,--but not before he had courageously defended himself against the officers of the provost of Paris, having wounded several. At length he was over-powered, and confessed, at the prison, that he was guilty of this robbery,--and great part of the money was restored, which he had hidden near St Estienne des Gres.

For this and other offences, the provost condemned him to the gallows; but he appealed from this sentence to the parliament,--which appeal was dismissed, and he was sent back to the provost, who was ordered to execute his sentence, which was done on the 16th of March, on the gibbet of Paris, in the presence of sir Denis Hesselin and master Jean de Ruel, as commissioners for the lieutenant-criminal La Dehors, on account of a severe illness that prevented his personal attendance.

At this time, the town of Perpignan surrendered to the king's obedience; when the inhabitants were permitted to go whither they pleased with their effects,--but the artillery, which was very handsome and of great value, was detained.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 50: Bouchage. Imbert de Balarney, counsellor and chamberlain to Louis XI. and one of his greatest favourites.]

[A.D. 1475.]

CHAP. XIX.

AN ALLIANCE BETWEEN THE EMPEROR OF GERMANY AND THE KING OF FRANCE.--AMBASSADORS FROM FLORENCE AND FROM THE EMPEROR.--PRUDENT ACTS OF THE KING.--A DEVOUT PROCESSION AT PARIS.--TRONQUOY, ROYE, MONDIDIER AND OTHER PLACES, ARE TAKEN FOR THE KING.--THE TREACHERY OF THE CONSTABLE.--A GREAT DEFEAT OF THE BURGUNDIANS AND LOMBARDS BY THE DUKE OF BOURBON, WHEN THE COUNT DE ROUSSY AND SEVERAL GREAT LORDS OF BURGUNDY ARE MADE PRISONERS.--THE MEN OF ARRAS SUFFER ANOTHER CONSIDERABLE DEFEAT BY THE KING'S ARMY.--THE DELIVERANCE OF THE PRINCE OF ORANGE.--THE FLIGHT AND DECAMPMENT OF THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY FROM BEFORE NUYS.--A CONFERENCE AND TREATY OF ALLIANCE BETWEEN KING EDWARD OF ENGLAND AND THE FRENCH KING.--OTHER EVENTS THAT HAPPENED AT PARIS DURING THE YEAR MCCCCLXXV.

On the 7th day of April, in this year, an alliance was concluded between the emperor of Germany and the king,--which he ordered to be proclaimed first in front of the hôtels of monsieur du Maine, duke of Calabria, and of the ambassadors from Brittany, and then throughout the streets and squares of Paris. There arrived at Paris, in the course of this month, two embassies; one from Florence, and the other from the emperor of Germany; which were most honourably received and feasted, as well by the king as by other great lords of his court.

Early in April, the king left Paris for Vernon-sur-Seine, where he had appointed the rendezvous for the admiral and his other captains, to determine on the manner of concluding the war that was about to take place, for the truce would expire the last day of April. He then returned to Paris on the 14th,--and on the 25th he departed for Pont St Maixence, to prepare his army. The king took with him, besides the officers of his household, eight hundred lances well equipped, and a large train of great and small artillery, in which were five very large bombards: four of them were named London, Brabant, Bourg-en-Bresse, and St Omer. In addition to the above, he had his french and scots guard, his gentlemen, and a great company of franc-archers from the Isle of France and Normandy. Provisions were sent from all parts, for the constant supply of the army.

On the first of May, the king departed from the abbey of La Victoire, whither he had gone from Pont St Maixence, to arrange the plan of his war against the Burgundians; and detachments were sent against Tronquoy[51] and Mondidier. On the 10th, the archbishop of Lyon joined the king from Paris, where he had been appointed the king's lieutenant in the council, and reported, that a very devout and general procession had taken place at Paris on the 3d, the feast of the holy Cross.

All the children in Paris walked in procession, each holding a taper in his hand to fetch the holy Innocent, and carry it to Nôtre Dame. The archbishop of Lyon and the chancellor walked beside each other, followed by the lord de Gaucourt, lieutenant for the king in Paris, the provosts and sheriffs, the presidents and counsellors of the parliament and chamber of accounts, and such numbers of the populace that they were estimated at more than one hundred thousand persons. The holy Innocent was borne, in this procession, by the first president of the parliament, Nanterre president in the same court, Ladriesche president of the chamber of accounts, and by the provost of marchands. All the archers of the town were drawn out to preserve order, and prevent noise and rioting.

The 2d of May, the king sent to summon the town of Tronquoy to surrender,--but the Burgundians killed those who summoned them; upon which the king ordered the batteries to be opened,--and the artillery played with such success that, by five in the evening of the same day, a breach was made, and the town taken by storm. All within were killed or hanged except one, called Motin de Caulers, whom the king caused to be spared, and made him an assessor extraordinary at Paris. The place, however, was not taken without having made a strong defence, by which the governor of Pontoise, who was said to have been an excellent officer, and many of the king's troops were killed. The town was afterward destroyed and razed to the ground.

On the 3d, the royal army marched for Mondidier, because it had refused to surrender,--and on the 5th it was won by capitulation, on condition that the inhabitants might depart in safety, leaving their effects behind. This place was also destroyed. On the 6th, Roye surrendered,--and the Burgundians marched away with their baggage in safety. The castle of Moreul followed the example of Roye.