Chapter IV: Part 4

The king of France had now summoned the count de St. Pol and the lord de Genly to appear in person before him, on the 15th day of November ensuing, wherever he might then be. The reason of this was currently said to be the different journies the lord de Genly had been remarked to make to the duke of Brittany, to conclude certain treaties between that duke and the count de Charolois, to oppose the king of France should he attempt hostilities against them; for they were in his ill favour, as was apparent from the duke of Brittany having all his places fortified, and his army ready prepared to resist an invasion of his country.

It was likewise said, that the duke of Bourbon and some other princes of France were in alliance with them against the king, on account of the strange manner in which he had treated them.

On the 15th of October, a blaze of light was seen in the heavens,--and it seemed that the clouds opened to show this blaze, for the space of time in which an Ave-Maria could be repeated, and then closed again: it ended with a long flaming tail before it vanished.

The bishop of Tournay returned, at this period, from the embassy on which the duke of Burgundy had sent him to pope Pius at Rome. He reported to the duke, that the pontiff depended on having forty thousand combatants to march against the Turk, which he would lead in person, and put on the cross against the infidels, in case the duke would accompany him with six thousand fighting men, and act under him as his general.

The duke was much rejoiced at this intelligence, and dispatched his letters to all those who had made the vow of going to Turkey, and to all his knights and vassals, to prepare themselves, and assemble at Bruges on the ensuing 15th day of December. On their arrival at Bruges, he had them informed, that it was his intention to march in person against the Turks and infidels, and to be at Aiquesmortes about the middle of next May to embark for the east,--but that he would assemble them again before his departure, to inform them in what manner he should settle the government of his country during his absence on this expedition.

On the 18th of December in this year, the marriage of the eldest son of the duke of Gueldres with a princess of Bourbon, sister to the countess of Charolois, was celebrated in the city of Bruges. They were both equally related to the duke of Burgundy: the bridegroom was the son of a daughter of the duke's sister, the duchess of Cleves, who had deceased about two months before,--and the bride a daughter of his sister, the duchess of Bourbon.

Many lords of the court tilted after the wedding dinner,--among whom the lord de Renty tilted with a young esquire of Picardy, called John, only son to David de Fremessent, who met with a sad misfortune, for he was hit by a splinter of a lance so severely on the head that he died.

On the same day, two other men lost their lives, from the great crowding at this tournament, which must be attributed to their own folly in not taking more care.

About this period, Godfrey, bishop of Alby and cardinal of Arras, waited on the king of France, whom, some little time before, it was said the king did not love: nevertheless, he now received him most handsomely. It was he who, a short time prior to this, had persuaded the king to abolish the pragmatic sanction, which had been established in France by the council of Basil. In return for this, the cardinal had promised the king certain things,--which, however, he failed to perform, and it is not known how he pacified the king. He had promised that the pope should send a legate to France to dispose of the benefices when vacant; that the money for fees should not be sent to Rome, nor carried out of the kingdom; but when the pope had gotten possession of the act for the abolition of the pragmatic sanction, he never thought more of sending a legate to France. The pope had this act of abolition dragged through the streets of Rome, to please the Romans, and published every where, that the Pragmatic was done away.

The report was, that the bishop of Alby had the red hat given him, and had been created cardinal for the pains he had taken to procure this abolition of the pragmatic sanction, which, in truth, was very detrimental to poor clerks and scholars; for it gave rise to numberless questions and examinations before any benefice could be obtained,--and the rich gained benefices from their being able to support the expenses of the suits, which the poorer clerks lost, whatever nominations they might have obtained.

CHAP. XXV.

A COOLNESS TAKES PLACE BETWEEN THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY AND HIS SON THE COUNT DE CHAROLOIS.--THE COUNT MAKES HEAVY COMPLAINTS AGAINST THE LORD DE CROY TO THE DEPUTIES OF THE THREE ESTATES ASSEMBLED BY THE DUKE HIS FATHER.

The duke of Burgundy now resided at Bruges, and summoned the three estates of his country to assemble there, in his presence, on the 9th day of January. The count de Charolois was at this time in disgrace with his father, and he summoned the estates to meet him at Antwerp, on the 3d of the same month, to lay before them the reasons of his father's anger, that they might employ their means to bring about a reconciliation. But the duke, hearing of this, forbade any of the members of the estates to go near his son: however, some were already gone to him,--but others, who were on their road to Antwerp, did not go thither.

On the 9th day of January, there was a grand assembly of the estates at Bruges, consisting of three bishops, sixty abbots, a great number of nobles, and deputies from all the principal towns. When they appeared before the duke, he returned them his thanks for their diligence and obedience, by the mouth of the bishop of Tournay, adding, that he had received such intelligence concerning his son, that he was too much troubled to say more to them at that time. The duke, nevertheless, could not help telling them, that he was angered against his son, because he suffered himself to be governed by persons whom the duke did not approve of, and because he would not obey his will. He then gave a paper to one of his secretaries, ordering him to read it to the assembly, saying, that it was what his son had written to him, and it was proper they all should hear it.

The paper contained in substance, that the count de Charolois was in the utmost sorrow that his lord and father was angered against him, and entreated that he would no longer be displeased that he had not come when he had sent for him, and would hold him excused for disobeying his orders; for he could not appear before him so long as he was surrounded by those whom he suspected of intending to poison him, and who were daily seeking his death, of which he had received certain knowledge.

The count thought that the anger of his father had its origin in three things: first, because the count did not love the lord de Croy, for reasons which he had before declared to the duke his father, in the presence of the said lord de Croy; and that he had now less cause to love him than before, for through him and his friends he had procured that the king of France should regain the country and towns that had been mortgaged on the Somme, to the great prejudice of himself and his heirs after him,--which, besides, ought not to have been done, as the king had not fulfilled various articles of the treaty of Arras.

The second reason might, perhaps, be his having retained in his household the archdeacon of Avalon[28], after he had left the service of the count d'Estampes, which ought not to have troubled his father if he were acquainted with the cause, which he was ready to tell him whenever he should be pleased to hear it.

The third was, as the count imagined, because when the duke's archers had been sent into Holland to seek master Anthony Michel, he had him rescued out of their hands, but without the knowledge of the said count, who, if he knew where the said master Anthony was, would send him a prisoner to the duke.

The three estates having listened to the above, the duke gave them permission to retire home until he should summon them again, which would be very shortly after. The greater part returned home; but several remained in Bruges to attempt the bringing about a reconciliation between the father and the son,--and in this number was a very noble clerk, who was exceedingly anxious to succeed in it, the abbot of Citeaux[29].

On the re-assembling of the estates at

Bruges, the count de Charolois came to Ghent, and was, soon after, waited on by a deputation from them, with the bishop of Tournay and other counsellors of the duke. The abbot of Citeaux addressed him as the spokesman of the deputation, and having quoted many texts from the Scriptures to prove the obedience a son owes a father, supplicated him to submit in all humility to his father's will, and to dismiss certain persons from his service, the better to please him. When the abbot had ceased speaking, the bishop of Tournay cast himself on his knees before the count, and eloquently pressed him to comply with the proposals of the abbot,--saying, that he was not come to him as the servant of his father, but as bishop of Tournay, to bring about a reconciliation, if possible, and to prevent the many and grievous evils that might arise from their discord. The count here interrupted him, and said, that if he had not been the servant of the lord his father, he would never have risen to his present rank. Then turning to the deputies, he told them, that in their propositions they had only touched on master Anthony Michel, but now they were changing their ground; and he did not believe that the abbot de Citeaux had been commissioned by them to make him such requests. But the deputies avowed what the abbot had said, declaring he had been so charged by them, and that in obedience to his pleasure they were thus come to the town of Ghent. The count then pulled off his cap, bowed to them, and said, he was very happy they were come, and thanked them, as his most faithful friends, for the pain, trouble, and affection they had thus shown him, which he should never forget, but would loudly acknowledge it in all the countries whence the deputies were come.

In return for the warm affection they had shown him, he would not conceal his mind from them, but truly inform them of all the crimes and artifices that had been committed and practised by the lord de Croy and his adherents. In the first place, he said, that when he was last with the lord his father (the countess of Charolois, his lady, being then very ill), the lord de Croy had said, that if he were not afraid of vexing her, he would make him his prisoner, and place him in such security that he should be disabled from doing him or any one else mischief.

Item, the lord de Croy had told a worthy gentleman of the name of Pius, that he cared not for him (the count de Charolois), for that he had nine hundred knights and esquires, who had sworn to serve him until death.

Item, the lord de Croy had said publicly, on seeing the count return to court, 'Here is this great devil coming! so long as he lives, we shall not succeed at court.'

Item, the lord de Croy had declared, on his (the count's) retreat to Holland, that he was much afraid of him,--but that, when he should be inclined to hurt him, he would not be safer in Holland than elsewhere, for that he was like a gaufre between two irons.

Item, the lord de Croy had boasted, that, should a struggle arise between him and the count, he was sure of being assisted by all in Artois, as the whole country was at his command,--adding, 'What does my lord de Charolois mean to do? Whence does he expect aid? Does he expect it from the Flemings, or the Brabanters? if he does, he will find himself mistaken,--for they will abandon him, as they have before abandoned their lord.' 'This I do not believe,' said the count, 'for I consider them as my true and loyal friends,--nor have I the least doubt of the affections of those in Artois and Picardy.'

Item, that the lord de Croy had sent to the provost of Watten[30] the horoscope of his nativity, and that the provost, on examination, had given it as his opinion, that the person to whom it belonged would be miserably unfortunate, and that the greatest misfortunes would befal him,--all of which he had related to the duke, his father, to incense him more against him.

Item, he had also desired the provost of Watten to manage so that the duke his father might always hate him, and keep at a distance from his person.

Item, that he had sufficient evidence that the lord de Croy sought his death by sorcery and other wicked means; that he had caused to be made six images--three in the form of men, and three in the form of women--on which were written the name of the devil called Belial, and the name of him whom they were pointed at, with some other names: these images were to serve three purposes; first, to obtain favour from him to whom the image was addressed; secondly, to cause him to be hated by whomsoever they should please; and thirdly, to keep the person addressed in a languishing state of health so long as they chose: that these images had been baptised by a bishop, prior of Morocq[31] in Burgundy; and that the makers of these images had been two or three servants of the count d'Estampes,--one of whom was his physician, whom the count d'Estampes had sent prisoner to him, as his justification, and to exculpate himself. Then the count concluded by saying to the deputies, 'My friends, do not think that I have any distrust of you, if I name not all the accomplices of those who have sought my death: I abstain from doing so merely to save their honours, and from the horror you would feel were I to name them. I again thank you for your diligent affection, and beg that you would consult together and advise me how to act; for I am sure you would be displeased, should any misfortune happen unto me by my throwing myself into the hands of my enemies. By them I will not be governed, but by good and faithful servants. I entreat, therefore, that you will deliberate maturely on what I have said, for I will not depart hence until I shall have had your answer. May God grant that it may be as satisfactory as I have confidence in you!'

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 28: Avalon,--a town in Burgundy, 11 leagues from Auxerre.]

[Footnote 29: Citeaux,--an abbey in the diocese of Châlous-sur-Saone, near Nuits.]

[Footnote 30: Watten,--a town in Flanders, near St Omer.]

[Footnote 31: Morocq. Q.]

CHAP. XXVI.

THE ANSWER OF THE DEPUTIES OF THE ESTATES OF FLANDERS TO THE COUNT DE CHAROLOIS.--PEACE RESTORED BETWEEN HIM AND HIS FATHER THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY.--THE KING OF FRANCE COMES TO ARRAS AND TO TOURNAY.

When the count de Charolois had thus spoken to the deputies from the three estates, they retired together into a chamber apart, and there concluded on the answer they should make him. They then returned to his presence, and cast themselves on their knees, but he made them instantly arise; and the abbot de Citeaux spoke for the rest, and said, that they had fully considered all he had stated to them, and were unanimously of opinion to request him most humbly to regain the good graces and favour of his lord and father, by returning instantly to him, to avoid the evils that would ensue upon their discords. With regard to those he thought his enemies, God had hitherto preserved him from their snares, and would still do so, in consequence of the earnest prayers that all his future subjects would offer up to him for the purpose; and that when his father should see him return, his joy would be so great that he would sufficiently guard him against them. They entreated that, at this time, he would leave certain of his attendants behind, without formally dismissing them, which they thought would be an effectual method of regaining his father's good opinion: they offered, likewise, to exert their utmost power to obtain this desirable end.

The count, in reply, thanked them all, and said, that from love to God, to my lord his father, and themselves, he would comply with their request, and follow their advice,--desiring them, at the same time, to accompany him when he presented himself to his father, and that they would entreat him to restore his servants to his favour. This they willingly promised.

On the Monday following, the count de Charolois, accompanied by a great number of knights, esquires, and these deputies, set out from Ghent for Bruges,--and the principal persons of the duke's household, together with the magistracy of the town, and burghers, came out to meet him. He dismounted at the palace of the duke, and advanced to the presence chamber, where, on seeing the duke, he made three genuflections, and, at the third, said, 'My most redoubted lord and father, I have been told that you are displeased with me for three things, (and then stated these as he had done to the deputies, and made similar excuses): however, if in any of these things I have vexed or angered you, I crave your pardon.'

The duke answered, 'Of all your excuses, I know full well the grounds: say no more on the subject; but, since you are come to seek our mercy, be a good son, and I will be a good father:' he then took him by the hand, and granted him his full pardon. The deputies now retired, greatly rejoiced at the reconciliation that had taken place; and the duke then dismissed them, with orders to re-assemble on the 8th of the ensuing March.

On the day of this reconciliation, the lord de Croy set out very early in the morning from Bruges for Tournay, where king Louis of France then resided.

In this and the following year, corn and all other grain were so cheap in the country of Artois that the oldest persons never remembered them at such low prices.

On the 24th of January, king Louis of France came to the city of Arras[32], where he was most honourably received by the clergy and inhabitants. He dismounted at the gate, and walked on foot to the church of our Lady, where he paid his devotions, and then took up his lodgings at the house of the official, which was a good but small house,--and refused to go to the bishop's palace, although large and convenient; but it was the king's custom to prefer small lodgings to greater.

There were with the king his brother the duke of Berry, the count of Eu, the prince of Piedmont, and some few other nobles. He would not permit any of them to lodge in the town, because the inhabitants would not suffer his harbingers to mark any lodgings until all the inns were filled,--and these inns could hold from four to five thousand horse,--which behaviour was displeasing to the king; and he remained in the city from the Monday to Saturday, without entering the town of Arras until he had seen and had examined the privileges of this town of Arras.

When he entered the town on the Saturday, he found at the gate great numbers of people who had been banished thence, who requested that he would restore them to their rights, on his joyous arrival; but he replied,--'Children, you require from me a grace that is not usual for the kings of France to grant, and therefore do not depend on my doing it; for I will not invade the privileges of our fair uncle of Burgundy.' This was all they could obtain from him. He proceeded to hear high mass at the church of St Vaast, which being over, he returned to dinner in the city.

On the next day, Sunday, the king of France again visited the town of Arras, and examined, at his leisure, the abbey of St Vaast and all its buildings. He thence went to the market-place; and as he was returning by the church of St Guy, where the white bell and the town-clock were, a locksmith, who had the care of this bell, made it sound on the king's approach, and descended from the steeple in armour, when he seized the king's horse, like a clown as he was, and demanded money to drink. The king, seeing an armed man thus seize his horse, was somewhat startled at first: nevertheless, he ordered money to be given him, and forgave his misbehaviour to him. Had not the king pardoned him, he would, probably, have paid the forfeit of his life for his folly.

While this man was descending from the steeple, some children striking the bell too hardly broke it, which was a great loss to the town,--for it was the largest and handsomest bell that could be seen: it weighed from seventeen to eighteen thousand pounds of metal!

The king went into the plain to see the spot where the king his grandfather was encamped, when he besieged Arras, in the year 1414. Thence he returned to the city; and on the morrow departed suddenly, according to his custom, and was followed by his attendants to Tournay, where he was most honourably received,--for upward of three thousand men came out to meet him dressed in white, with a border of flowers de luce round their robes.

At the gate was a model, in paper, of a castle, similar to the fortifications of Tournay, which was presented to the king with the keys of the town. From the top of the gate, a virgin (the handsomest girl in the town) descended by machinery, and after saluting the king, threw aside the robe from her breast, and displayed a well-made heart, which burst open, and there came out a golden flower de luce, of great value, which she gave to the king, in the name of the town, saying, 'Sire, I am a virgin, and so is this town,--for it has never been taken, nor has it ever turned from its allegiance to the kings of France,--for all the inhabitants thereof have a flower de luce in their hearts.'

The king saw many pageants and histories represented in the streets he passed through,--and he took his lodgings at the house of a canon. From Tournay he went to Lille, where he arrived the 18th of February, then the fourth day of Lent.

The duke of Burgundy came to Lille on the eve of the first Sunday in Lent, to wait on the king,--and from that day to the Friday following there were splendid tiltings and other amusements. During their residence at Lille, the king remonstrated personally, and by the means of others, so effectually with the duke, on his intended expedition, that he postponed it for one whole year; when the king promised to give him ten thousand combatants, paid for four months, to attend him whither he should be then pleased to go. It was also said, that the king of England would aid him with a great body of archers. By this means was the expedition to Turkey broken off, to the displeasure of the duke of Burgundy, whose whole desire was to go there for once.

When this was settled, the king departed from Lille on his return to France, and found at St Cloud the duke of Savoy, quite debilitated with the gout, and his eldest son, who were there waiting for him. It was rumoured, that they were very unpopular in Savoy, by reason of their not conducting themselves according to the wishes of their people; and that they had chosen the duke's third son, Philip, for their lord, who was reported to be wise, subtle, and valiant in arms.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 32: Arras--is divided into two parts: the cité being the older, and la ville the new town.

See _Martiniere's Dictionary_]

[A.D. 1464.]

CHAP. XXVII.

OF THE EXPEDITION OF THE BASTARD OF BURGUNDY.--THE KING OF FRANCE DETAINS PRISONER PHILIP OF SAVOY, NOTWITHSTANDING HE HAD GIVEN HIM A SAFE CONDUCT.--THE COUNT DE ST POL PACIFIES THE KING OF FRANCE.--A BATTLE SHORTLY NOTICED TO HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN ENGLAND.--OTHER MATTERS.

On the 18th day of March, in the year 1463, the duke of Burgundy, dissatisfied that the king had prevailed on him to retard his expedition to Turkey, assembled the three estates of his country at Lille, and there told them, that the king of France had induced him to delay going to the east for one year; but that in order that the pope, and the other Christian princes, might be satisfied with him, he had the intention of sending thither his bastard Anthony, with two thousand combatants, accompanied by Baldwin his other bastard, then about eighteen years old; and that, should it please God, and he be neither dead nor ill, he would be in person in Turkey by St John's day, in the year 1465, with the largest army he could possibly assemble.

The king of France, at this time, sent a third summons for the count de St Pol to appear in person before him, or take the consequences, and sent him a passport. The count, fearing he should be banished if he further disobeyed, determined to go to the king; and on his arrival, he met with so many zealous friends at court that the king received him with much pleasure, and his peace was made,--and he did homage for the lands he held under the king. It was said at the time, that king Louis required that he would no longer serve the count de Charolois,--but that he had replied in excuse, that it was impossible for him to comply with this requisition, as he was under obligations, by faith and oath, to the count de Charolois, and could not break them.

Soon after Easter, in the year 1464, at the command of the king of France, Philip of Savoy, third son to the duke of Savoy, set out to wait on him. The king had sent to him his first equerry, with credential letters, to desire that he would accompany him to France. These letters were signed by the king himself, and displayed by the equerry, who assured him, in the king's name, that he should come and return in perfect safety.

Notwithstanding this, on his near approach to the king, he was arrested, and carried prisoner to the castle of Loches, in Touraine, a very strong castle, wherein he remained confined two whole years. I know not the cause of this, if it were not that the king was envious that he had greater command in Savoy than the duke, and that the people more willingly obeyed him than the duke. However, at the end of two years, the king, of his own accord, had him set at liberty.

At this time, Charles count de Nevers departed this life, without leaving male heirs, and was therefore succeeded in his counties of Nevers, Rethel, and other places, by his brother John.

The 20th of May, being Whitsunday, Anthony bastard of Burgundy, with other knights and esquires of the duke of Burgundy's household, put on the cross previous to their expedition against the infidels; and on the morrow they embarked at Sluys, in the presence of the duke. They were, in the whole, two thousand combatants; and the duke gave sir Anthony, this day, to defray the expenses of his voyage, one hundred thousand golden crowns, besides the county of la Roche and other lands.

On occasion of this croisade, numbers of young persons in different parts of Christendom had put on the cross, to march against the Turks, and had taken their road to Rome. But as they went without any order or leader, some ten, some twenty at a time, their intentions failed, and they returned home, although they would have made a respectable figure from their numbers, had they been in one body,--but God would not, for this time, permit it.

In this same month of May, another battle[33] was fought in England, between the army of king Edward, under the command of the earl of Warwick, and that of king Henry, commanded by the duke of Somerset, in the hopes of recovering the kingdom forking Henry, although in breach of his treaty with king Edward, who had pardoned him, and restored his lands and honours; but ill fortune attended him,--for he lost the battle, and his men were either killed or taken: he himself was made prisoner, and brought to Edward, who instantly ordered him to be beheaded.

On the 2d day of June, the count de Charolois came to Lille, grandly attended by the nobles of the country, to wait on the duke his father, who was then displeased with him; but the lord de Saveuses interfered with the duke, so that he spoke to his son, and forgave him. It was said, that the count addressed himself to the lord de Croy, and said, that when he should behave to him in the manner he ought, he would be a good lord to him. He could not, however, at this moment, regain the pension he was wont to receive from his father.

The 20th day of June, Pierre Louvain, one of the king's captains, and under his protection, was murdered by sir Raoul de Flavy, lord of Rubencourt, in revenge for the death of his brother William de Flavy, who had been put to death by his wife, with the knowledge, as was said, of Pierre Louvain: but no harm whatever was done to those that were in company with the said Pierre Louvain at the time of his death.

The wife of William de Flavy, who was of a noble family, caused her husband's throat to be cut by his barber while he was shaving him; but as he did not cut the throat quite through, she seized the same razor, and completed it,--which was an extraordinary circumstance, as she had had a fine son by him. In excuse for this her strange conduct, it must be said, that he was harsh and rough in his behaviour to her, and kept women of bad fame in the house, with whom he lay, to the neglect of his wife, who was young and handsome: he had also imprisoned her father, and kept him so long in confinement that he died in prison.

On the 15th of June, in this year, an extraordinary event happened at the palace at Paris, during the pleading of a cause between the bishop of Angers and a rich burgher of that town. The bishop had accused him of heresy and usury, and maintained that he had said, in the presence of many persons of honour, that he did not believe there was a God, a devil, a paradise, or a hell. It happened, that while the bishop's advocate was repeating the above words, as having been said by the burgher, the hall they were pleading in shook very much, and a large stone fell down in the midst, but without hurting any one. However, all the persons present were exceedingly frightened, and left the hall, as the cause had been deferred to the next day: but when the pleading recommenced, the room shook as before,--and one of the beams slipt out of the mortise, and sunk two feet, without falling entirely down, which caused so great an alarm, lest the whole roof should fall and crush them, that they ran out in such haste that some left behind them their caps, others their hoods and shoes; and there were no more pleadings held in this chamber until it had been completely repaired and strengthened!

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 33: The battle of Hexham.]

CHAP. XXVIII.

THE KING OF FRANCE COMES TO HÊDIN A SECOND TIME.--WHAT PASSED AT THE MEETING BETWEEN HIM AND THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY.--THE DEATH OF POPE PIUS II.

The king of France came again to Amiens in the month of June in this year, and went thence to St Pol, where he met the duke of Burgundy.

After the count had grandly feasted them, they went together to Hêdin, where the duke entertained them nobly. During their stay at Hêdin, an ambassador arrived from king Edward, to whom the duke gave a handsome reception.

The common rumour was, that, at this meeting, the king of France required of the duke that he should restore to him the castlewicks of Lille, Douay, and Orchies, in consideration of two hundred thousand livres in cash, and ten thousand livres a-year that he would pay him,--for which sums they had been pledged by a king of France to an earl of Flanders. The duke replied, that when his grandfather duke Philip of Burgundy, son to king John of France, married the lady Margaret, heiress to the earl of Flanders, these castlewicks were given him by the king of France, to be enjoyed by him and his heirs-male for ever,---but that, should there be no male heirs, these castlewicks were to be restored to the crown, on payment of the above sums to the earl of Flanders. The king, as was said, made other requests to the duke, who granted none of them, as he thought them unreasonable.

The duke, on his part, made three requests to the king: first, that he would have in his good graces the count de Charolois, having heard that the king was displeased with him. Secondly, that he would desist from constraining such of the nobility as held fiefs under the crown from taking any other but the usual oaths,--for some of the nobles had been forced to make oath to serve him against all other men whatever. Thirdly, that he would finish and fulfil all that he had promised and sworn to respecting various articles of the treaty of Arras, at the time he made his payment for the recovery of the towns on the Somme. To all which requests the king evaded giving any positive answer, and the next day departed from Hêdin, for Abbeville and Rouen. Shortly after, namely, about the end of July, the king returned to Nouvion, a village near the forest of Cressy, where he staid some time; but though the duke was still at Hêdin, they no longer visited each other,--but the lord de Croy went often to talk with the king, and then returned to Hêdin.

While the duke was at Hêdin, he hanged on a gibbet a gentleman called Jean de l'Esquerre, for many heavy crimes of which he had been guilty, notwithstanding that he was one of the most valiant men in the county of Artois, and that his friends made urgent requests to save him; but all they could obtain was liberty to take his body from the gibbet, and inter it in the church of the Cordeliers at Hêdin.

On the 15th of August, this year, died pope Pius; and on the day of his decease the lightning struck many places in the neighbourhood of Rome, and did great damage: of this event, people spoke differently. After the death of pope Pius II. pope Paul II.[34] as elected in his room.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 34: Paul II. Pietro Barbo, a Venetian.]

CHAP. XXIX.

THE BASTARD DE REUBEMPRÉ IS SENT TO HOLLAND, TO ATTEMPT TO TAKE THE COUNT DE CHAROLOIS.--HE IS ARRESTED HIMSELF.

During the king of France's stay at Hêdin, the bastard de Reubempré was ordered, by I know not whom, to embark on board a vessel of war, called a ballenier,[35] at Crotoy, with forty picked men, of good courage, and to sail for Holland, where the count de Charolois then resided. None of the crew knew whither the bastard intended to carry them, nor what orders he was charged with, except that they were told they must follow him wherever he should choose to lead them, and implicitly obey his commands.

The bastard, on his arrival at a port in Holland, left his vessel at anchor, and, taking with him three or four of his most trusty companions, advanced within a league of the town in which the count de Charolois was. But notwithstanding the great care he took to proceed as secretly as possible, he was nevertheless discovered while drinking at an alehouse, and the count informed thereof, who caused him and his companions to be arrested and put into prison. The companions were soon after set at liberty, and the bastard remained alone in confinement. The count dispatched officers to seize the vessel and crew; but they had heard of their captain's ill luck, and had put to sea instantly to return to Crotoy.

It was currently reported at the time, that the king of France had ordered the bastard de Reubempré, by letters written with his own hand, and signed by him, to seize the count de Charolois, and bring him to him dead or alive. This plan was laid while the king was at Hêdin, and while he had a powerful army on the Somme; and had it succeeded, he would have made prisoner good duke Philip, who was far from suspecting any thing of the kind, and would have had him led about in his train, like to the duke of Savoy, his brother-in-law, until he should have married the only child of the count de Charolois (a damsel not more than seven or eight years old) to whomsoever he pleased, and should have divided the territories of the duke,--namely, the duchy of Brabant to the count de Nevers, and the rest among his favourites at his pleasure.

But God, who knows the hearts of men, would not permit so great ruin to fall on the noble house of Burgundy, which is the fairest, firmest, and strongest pillar of the French crown! May God, of his especial grace, always keep the two noble houses of France and Burgundy in peace and good harmony! Although I have now written down what was the common report of the time, I can never believe the king of France capable of imagining such schemes of wickedness, against the illustrious house of Burgundy, considering the great honours and services he had received so lately from the heads of it.

As soon as the bastard de Reubempré was arrested, and had confessed his guilt to the count de St Pol, then in Holland, he was put under close confinement; and the count de Charolois sent information of what had passed to his father, then at Hêdin, where he had grandly entertained the queen of France, who had come to visit him from Abbeville and Nouvion.--At this time, the duke of Bourbon waited on the king at Abbeville, in whose good graces he was not, from the report that he, the duke of Brittany, and the count de Charolois had formed a triple alliance, and had mutually sworn to assist each other with the utmost of their power, should the king make any attempts on their persons or property.

Soon afterward, namely, on the 10th of October, the duke of Burgundy received letters from the king, to say, that he would come and see him at Hêdin on the following day. This same day, while at dinner, he had the information from his son of the imprisonment and confessions of the bastard de Reubempré, and also a warning that he was not safe at Hêdin. On hearing this, as soon as he had dined, he instantly mounted his horse, and rode off suddenly from Hêdin to St Pol, where he lay. His attendants followed him thither, leaving for the defence of the town and castle of Hêdin, sir Adolphus of Cleves and the lord de Crequy. The duke, nevertheless, ordered them, if the king came thither, to throw open the gates of the town and castle to him. But the king no sooner learnt that the duke had so suddenly quitted Hêdin than he departed from Abbeville; and the duke of Bourbon came to Lille, to the duke his uncle, passing through Hêdin. From Lille he waited on the count de Charolois at Ghent, and was nobly entertained, at Lille and Ghent, by the father and son.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 35: Ballenier,--a corsair--privateer. Du Cange, _Gloss._]

CHAP. XXX.

THE KING OF FRANCE SUMMONS DEPUTIES FROM THE TOWNS ON THE SOMME, AND FROM OTHER PLACES TO COME BEFORE HIM.--HIS HARANGUES TO THEM.--HE APPOINTS THE COUNT DE NEVERS GOVERNOR OF PICARDY,--AND SENDS AN EMBASSY TO THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY, AT LILLE.

The king, on his arrival at Rouen, summoned those of Tournay, and of all the towns regained on the Somme, to appear before him; and all of them sent deputies, excepting Cambray. He harangued them, by the mouth of his chancellor, on the reports that were current every where, through the territories of Burgundy, and which had vexed him exceedingly, that he had sent the bastard de Reubempré to Holland, to seize the count de Charolois and bring him to him, for which there was not any foundation. True it was, that the duke of Brittany was not so obedient to him as he ought to have been, and had sent his vice-chancellor to England, to form an alliance with his ancient enemies the English, which he should not have done without his permission; and for this reason he had sent the bastard de Reubempré into Holland, to seize the vice-chancellor of Brittany (if it could be done) as he was returning from England through Holland.

He added, that a preacher had publicly declared from the pulpit at Bruges, where Christians assemble from all parts of the world, that he had purposely sent the said bastard to lay hands on the said count, a thing he had never once thought of, and it was his intention to punish most severely all who should spread tales so disgraceful to his honour.

The chancellor concluded by telling them, that the king had thus called them together, to inform them, that he had appointed the count de Nevers his lieutenant and captain-general of all the lately-regained countries, as far as the river Loire, to oppose his ancient enemies, should they make any attempts to invade his kingdom, commanding them, at the same time, to yield obedience to the count de Nevers, as to his own proper person. After this harangue, the deputies returned home again.

The count de Charolois, accompanied by four score or a hundred knights and gentlemen, and fully six hundred horse, arrived at Lille on the 4th of November, which caused great joy throughout that town, and the children sang carols in all the streets. On dismounting, he waited on his father, who received him with much pleasure. The next day came to Lille, the count d'Eu, the chancellor of France, and the archbishop of Narbonne, as ambassadors from the king of France, with a noble company of attendants.[36]

The day following, they had an audience of the duke, to whom, in the presence of the count de Charolois, the chancellor displayed their commission from the king, to remonstrate with the duke on three subjects:

First, the king demanded to have the bastard de Reubempré, then a prisoner in Holland, given up to him.

Secondly, the king demanded satisfaction for the words that had been uttered to his dishonour, as to the cause of the imprisonment of the said bastard.

Thirdly, that the duke of Burgundy should send to the king a gentleman of the household of the count de Charolois, called Olivier de la Marche, by whom the words aforesaid were first published,--and also the preacher who had uttered the same from his pulpit at Bruges, for him to inflict on them such punishments as their crimes were deserving of.

The chancellor, by way of excusing the king of France for sending the said bastard to Holland, declared that it was done to arrest the vice-chancellor of Brittany on his return from England; and added, that the count de Charolois had greatly offended the king by imprisoning the said bastard, and thus preventing him from fulfilling his orders.

At these words, the count de Charolois fell on his knees before the duke, and besought him to permit him to answer what had been just said, for that it greatly affected his honour; observing, that if it pleased God to keep him in his (the duke's) good favour, there was not a man on earth he feared but him, who was his father and lord, and that he marvelled much why the king was thus pressing him. The chancellor of France then said, that they were not charged by the king to make any reply to the count de Charolois; and the duke told his son to desist from saying more until another time. This command the count obeyed, like a good son, but sore against his will.

The chancellor, continuing his harangue, said, that the king had been greatly surprised that the duke so suddenly left Hêdin, as he had said he would not depart thence until he had spoken with the king, nor without his leave,--and he was wont to be punctual to his word.

The duke allowed the chancellor to finish all he had to say, without further interruption, and then replied, article by article: first, then, as to what was said of his son being suspicious, he said, that, if he was suspicious, he had it not from him, for he had never in his life been doubtful of man or prince whatever; and if he had that character, he had it from his mother, who was ever jealous lest he should love any other woman but her. With regard to giving up the bastard of Reubempré, he would not do it, as he was arrested in Holland, of which he, the duke, was sovereign by sea and land, without acknowledging other lord but God, and in or on that country the king has not the smallest right or claim. The bastard had been imprisoned there for crimes which would be judged in that country, and punished according to its laws. He had been always esteemed of a wicked and loose character, and guilty of murder and other crimes.

Respecting Olivier de la Marche, whom the king would have sent to him, for having first uttered the words the king complains of and the preacher who published them from the pulpit at Bruges,--the duke replied, that the preacher was a churchman whom he would not touch, as it was unbecoming him so to do; and that there be preachers who are neither wise nor prudent, and who go from place to place, so that no one knows where to find them; 'but for my part,' he continued, 'I do not believe that any preacher has preached such language. As to Olivier de la Marche, he is of the household of my son; and I do not think that he has done any thing but what he ought to have done or said: should it be otherwise, I shall make proper inquiries, and punish him according to his deserts.

'With regard to not keeping my word, I will that all the world know that I have never promised any thing by my mouth to any one alive, but what I have kept to the very utmost of my power.' This he said rather in a passion; and then, smiling, he said, 'I never failed in my promises but to the ladies, and wish that you may know it; and tell my lord your king, that when I last took leave of him, I indeed said, that if affairs, or any other matters, did not require my presence elsewhere, I should not quit Hêdin until I saw him again, if he wished it; this, and nothing else, did I promise him. Now at the moment of my setting out, news was brought me of the arrest of the bastard de Reubempré, and of other affairs, that made my departure necessary; but I made no very great haste,--for I only travelled four leagues a day until I came to Lille.'

The chancellor of France then said, that considering the great respect and affection he had always borne to the crown of France, and the marked attention the king had shown by selecting for this embassy his relative, the count d'Eu, and himself, who was chancellor of France, he hoped the bastard of Reubempré would be given up, and begged of the duke to weigh this in his mind.

The duke instantly replied, that, in truth, he had ever exerted himself to pay the king every honour and love; 'but of all the things I have asked,' added he, 'he has not only never granted one, but he has failed to keep the promises he made me. Of the lands which he has regained, he promised me the enjoyment during my life; but no sooner were the payments made than he forgot what he had promised, and deprived me of the enjoyment of them, for which I am not the better.'

At these words, master Pierre de Goux, knight and doctor of laws, advanced, and said aloud to the ambassadors, that all might hear him, 'My lords, the duke, my lord, does not hold all his territories from the king of France: he holds from him, indeed, the duchy of Burgundy, the counties of Flanders and of Artois; but he has many fine dominions out of the kingdom of France,--such as the duchies of Brabant, of Luxembourg, of Lembourg, of Austria, together with the counties of Burgundy, Hainault, Holland, Zealand and Namur, and other countries, which he holds from God alone, although he be not a king.'

The duke interrupted him, and said, 'I will that all who hear may know, that if I had wished it, I might have been a king!' without declaring how, or by what means, and then simply added, that before three days were passed, he would give a more ample answer to the ambassadors. They then departed to their lodgings; but on this day, the duke wrote a letter to the king, and sent it by a pursuivant, who delivered it in person, and brought the duke an answer from the king. The pursuivant was not more than ten days in going and returning,--but what the contents of these letters were I am ignorant.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 36: This embassy consisted of the count d'Eu, Charles d'Artois, a prince of the blood, who had been twenty-three years prisoner of war in England, Pierre de Morvillier, chancellor of France,--and Anthony du Bec-Crespin, archbishop of Narbonne.

The count de Charolois was only restrained by the presence of his father from using severe language; but when the ambassadors took their leave, he said to the archbishop, who went out the last, 'Recommend me most humbly to the good graces of the king, and tell him that he has had me well dressed by his chancellor,--but that, before a year pass, he shall repent of it!'

It was probably from these intemperate speeches of the chancellor that the _war of the public good_ had its origin.]

CHAP. XXXI.

THE ANSWER OF THE COUNT DE CHAROLOIS TO THE AMBASSADORS FROM FRANCE.--THE KING OF FRANCE ORDERS CREVECŒUR, NEAR CAMBRAY, TO BE TAKEN POSSESSION OF.--THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY SENDS AN EMBASSY TO THE KING OF FRANCE.--THE DEATH OF THE DUKE OF ORLEANS.

On the 8th day of November, the French ambassadors were summoned to come into the presence of the duke of Burgundy,--when the count de Charolois, before a great company, coolly replied to the different charges that had been made against him, article by article, without showing the smallest sign of passion or trouble, to the great astonishment of all who heard him,--more particularly to the surprise of the duke, who, on the assembly's breaking up, said to some of his confidential attendants, that he did not imagine his son was so able and so prudent.