This expression set the company a laughing, and then they talked of other matters. Monstrelet, vol. v. p. 377.

Page 31, line 4.

The governor of Vaucouleur to conduct the Maid to Chinon.

Their dangerous way.

appointed deux gentilshommes "Ils eurent peine à se charger

de cette commission, à cause qu'il falloit passer au travers du pays ennemi; mais elle leur dit avec fermeté qu'ils ne craignissent rien, et que surement eux et elle arriveroient auprès du roi, sans qu'il leur arrivát rien de fâcheux.

Ils patirent, passèrent par l'Auxerrois sans obstacle quoique les Anglois en fussent les maîtres, traversèrent plusieurs rivières à la nage, entrèrent dans les pays de la domination du roi, où les parties ennemies couroient de tous côtés, sans en rencontrer aucune : arrivèrent heureusement à Chinon où le Roi étoit, et lui donnérent avis de leur arrivée et du sujet qui les amenoit. Tout le monde fut extrêmement surpris d'un si long voyage fait avec tant de bonheur.-P. Daniel.

Page 31. line 6. The autumnal rains had beaten to the earth.

"Nil Galliâ perturbatius, nil spoliatius, nil egentius esset ; sed neque cum milite melius agebatur, qui tametsi gaudebat prædâ, interim tamen trucidebatur passim, dum uterque rex civitates suæ factionis principes in fide retinere studeret. Igitur jam cædium satietas utrumque populum ceperat, jamque tot damna utrinque illata erant, ut quisque generatim se oppressum, laceratum, perditum ingemisceret, doloreque summo angeretur, disrumperetur, cruciaretur, ac per id animi quamvis obstinaṭissimi ad pacem inclinarentur. Simul urgebat ad hoc rerum omnium inopia; passim enim agri devastati inculti manebant, cum præsertim homines pro vitâ tuendâ, non arva colere sed bello servire necessariò cogerentur. Ita tot urgentibus malis, neuter a pace abhorrebat, sed alter ab altero eam aut petere, vel admittere turpe putabat.' - Polydore Virgil.

The effect of this contest upon England was scarcely less ruinous. "In the last year of the victorious Henry V. there was not a sufficient number of gentlemen left in England to carry on the business of civil government.

"But if the victories of Henry were so fatal to the population of his country, the defeats and disasters of the succeeding reign were still more destructive. In the 25th year of this war, the instructions given to the cardinal of Winchester and other plenipotentiaries appointed to treat about a peace, authorise them to represent to those of France" that there haan been moo men slayne in these wars for the title and claime of the coroune of France, of oon nacion and other, than been at this daye in both landys, and so much christiene blode shed, that it is to grete a sorow and an orrour to think or here it."

Henry. Rymer's Fœdera.

Page 32. 1. 37.- Fastolffe's better fate prevail'd. 'Dunois was wounded in the battle of Herrings, or Rouvrai Saint-Denys.

Page 33. 1. 56.

To die for him whom I have liv'd to serve. Tanneguy du Châtel had saved the life of Charles when Paris was seized by the Burgundians. Lisle Adam, a man noted for ferocity even in that age, was admitted at midnight into the city with eight hundred horse. The partizans of Burgundy were under arms to assist them, and a dreadful slaughter of the Armagnacs ensued. Du Châtel, then governor of the Bastile, being unable to restrain the tumult, ran to the Louvre, and carried away the Dauphin in his shirt, in order to secure him in his fortress.

Rapin.

Page 33. 1. 61. To reach the o'er-hanging fruit.

High favours like as fig-trees are

That grow upon the sides of rocks, where they
Who reach their fruit adventure must so far

As to hazard their deep downfall. — Daniel.

Page 33. 1. 62.

A banish'd man, Dunois! De Serres says, "the king was wonderfully discontented for the departure of Tanneguy de Chastel, whom he called father; A man beloved, and of amiable conditions. But there was no remedy. He had given the chief stroke to John Burgongne. So likewise he protested without any difficulty, to retire himself whithersoever his master should command him."

Page 33. 1. 63. ·

Richemont, who down the Loire

Sends the black carcass of his strangled foe.

Richemont caused De Giac to be strangled in his bed, and thrown into the Loire, to punish the negligence that had occasioned him to be defeated by an inferior force at Avranches. The constable had laid siege to St. James de Beuvron, a place strongly garrisoned by the English. He had been promised a convoy of money, which De Giac, who had the management of the treasury, purposely detained to mortify the constable. Richemont openly accused the treasurer, and revenged himself thus violently. After this, he boldly declared that he would serve in the same manner any person whatsoever that should endeavour to engross the king's favour. The Camus of Beaulieu accepted De Giac's place, and was by the constable's means assassinated in the king's presence.

Page 33. 1. 70. Whose death my arm avenged.

"The duke of Orleans was, on a Wednesday, the feast-day of pope St. Clement, assassinated in Paris, about seven o'clock in the evening, on his return from dinner. The murder was committed by about eighteen men, who had lodged at an hotel having for sign the image of our Lady, near the Porte Barbette, and who, it was afterwards discovered, had for several days intended this assassination.

On the Wednesday before mentioned, they sent one named Scas de Courteheuze, valet de chambre to the king, and one of their accomplices, to the duke of Orleans, who had gone to visit the queen of France at an hotel which she had lately

purchased from Montagu, grand master of the king's household, situated very near the Porte Barbette. She had lain in there of a child, which had died shortly after its birth, and had not then accomplished the days of her purification.

Scas, on his seeing the duke, said, by way of deceiving him, "My lord, the king sends for you, and you must instantly hasten to him, for he has business of great importance to you and him, which he must communicate to you." The duke, on hearing this message, was eager to obey the king's orders, although the monarch knew nothing of the matter, and immediately mounted his mule, attended by two esquires on one horse, and four or five valets on foot, who followed behind bearing torches; but his other attendants made no haste to follow him. He had made this visit in a private manner, notwithstanding at this time he had within the city of Paris six hundred knights and esquires of his retinue, and at his expence.

On his arrival at the Porte Barbette, the eighteen men, all well and secretly armed, were waiting for him, and were lying in ambush under shelter of a penthouse. The night was pretty dark, and as they sallied out against him, one cried out, "Put him to death !" and gave him such a blow on the wrist with his battle-axe as severed it from his arm.

The duke, astonished at this attack, cried out, "I am the duke of Orleans!" when the assassins continuing their blows, answered, "You are the person we were looking for." So many rushed on him that he was struck off his mule, and his scull was split that his brains were dashed on the pavement. They turned him over and over, and massacred him that he was very soon completely dead. A young esquire, a German by birth, who had been his page, was murdered with him : seeing his master struck to the ground, he threw himself on his body to protect him, but in vain, and he suffered for his generous courage. The horse which carried the two esquires that preceded the duke, seeing so many armed men advance

began to snort, and when he passed them set out on a gallop, so that it was some time before he could be checked.

When the esquires had stopped their horse, they saw their lord's mule following them full gallop: having caught him, they fancied the duke must have fallen, and were bringing it back by the bridle; but on their arrival where their lord lay, they were menaced by the assassins, that if they did not instantly depart they should share his fate. Seeing their lord had been thus basely murdered, they hastened to the hotel of the queen, crying out, Murder! Those who had killed the duke, in their turn, bawled out, Fire! and they had arranged their plan that while some were assassinating the duke, others were to set fire to their lodgings. Some mounted on horseback, and the rest on foot made off as they could, throwing behind them broken glass and sharp points of iron to prevent their being pursued.

Report said that many of them went the back way to the hotel d'Artois, to their master the duke of Burgundy, who had commanded them to do this deed, as he afterwards publicly confessed, to inform him of the success of their murder; when instantly afterward they withdrew to places of safety.

The chief of these assassins, and the conductor of the business, was one called Rollet d'Auctonville, a Norman, whom the duke of Orleans had a little before deprived of his office of commissioner of taxes, which the king had given to him at the request of the late duke of Burgundy: from that time the said Rollet had been considering how he could revenge himself on the duke of Orleans. His other accomplices were William Courteheuze and Scas Courteheuze, before mentioned, from the country of Guines, John de la Motte, and others, to the amount of eighteen.

Within half an hour the household of the duke of Orleans, hearing of this horrid murder, made loud complaints, and with great crowds of nobles and others hastened to the fatal spot, where they found him lying dead in the street. His knight and esquires, and in general all his dependants, made grievous lamentations, seeing him thus wounded and dis