CHAPTER CLI.-A GENERAL COUNCIL IS HELD AT BASIL.

In the course of this year, a general council was held at Basil with great pomp. The emperor of Germany, and many great lords, as well secular as ecclesiastic, from different countries, were present at the opening thereof. Their first object was to send ambassadors to endeavour to appease the quarrels between the king of France on the one hand, and the king of England and the duke of Burgundy on the other. During the sitting of this council the very agreeable intelligence was brought thither, that the men of Prague had been defeated, and from eight to ten thousand killed, by the nobles of Bohemia, assisted by six hundred men-at-arms, whom the members of the council had sent to their support.

Shortly after, two priests, the leaders of the Hussite heretics, were slain; one named Protestus du Tabouret, and the other Lupus, together with six thousand of their sect.* The rich city of Prague was conquered, and purged of heretics, as well as the greater part of the country. The Bohemians sent an embassy to the council to receive absolution, and a confirmation in the Catholic faith. The council laid a tax on the clergy of one-tenth.

Ambassadors arrived at Basil in great state, from the king of Castille and the Spaniards : these were attended by full four hundred persons, and two hundred mules. The cardinals de Santa Croce and de San Pietro were sent by the council to Philip Maria, duke of Milan, to recover the lands of the church which he had seized, but their labour was in vain.

CHAPTER CLII.-THE TOWN AND CASTLE OF PROVINS, IN BRIE, ARE WON BY THE ENGLISH AND BURGUNDIANS. THE FRENCH RECONQUER THE TOWN AND CASTLE OF SAINT

VALERY.

ABOUT this time, the town and castle of Provins, in Brie, was won by scalado, from the French, by the English and Burgundians. Their principal captains on this expedition were, sir John Raillart, Mando de Lussach, Thomas Girard, governor of Montereau-faut-Yonne, Richard Huçon, and others, with about four hundred combatants. The leader of the scalers was one called Grosse-tête. The castle was gained at five o'clock in the morning, although the governor, de Gueraines, with five hundred fighting men, defended themselves most valiantly for the space of eight hours, to the great loss of the assailants, who had six-score or more killed; and in the number was a gallant English man-at-arms, called Henry de Hungerford. The town and castle were, however, conquered and pillaged, and the greater part of the French put to death. The governor, perceiving all hopes of success were vain, escaped with some others. The command of the place was afterward given to the lord de la Grange t.

In the beginning of the month of January, the partisans of king Charles regained the town and castle of St. Valery, under the command of Charlot du Marests, governor of Rambures, through the negligence of the guards. It had been intrusted to the care of Robert de Saveuses, but he was then absent; and there was such a mortality in the town, that few ventured to reside therein the bastard de Fiennes, his lieutenant, with others, were made prisoners; and the whole country of Ponthieu was in great alarm at this event. Philip de la Tour was also a principal commander on this expedition with Charlot du Marests.

Here is a vast confusion of names, as usual, in the affairs of distant countries. Tabouret is evidently an invention of Monstrelet's, derived from Taborite, the general name by which the religious insurgents were then distinguished, from Tabor, a town in Bohemia, founded by their leader, John Zisca. Protestus, may, very probably, be a mistake for Procopius, surnamed "of the shaven crown,"

a celebrated leader and bishop among these Taborites during the reign of Sigismund, who was slain in a bloody battle near Prague. Of Lupus, I can say nothing.

John de la Grange, ancestor of the lords of Vesvre and Montigni, and of the marquises of Arquien. Marshal de Montigni, celebrated under Henry III, was fifth in descent from him.

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CHAPTER CLIII.-THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY RETURNS FROM BURGUNDY TO FLANDERS AND ARTOIS, HAVING WITH HIM JOHN, SON TO THE COUNT DE NEVERS. OTHER MATTERS. [A. D. 1434.]

In the beginning of this year, Philip duke of Burgundy returned from Burgundy to his territories of Flanders, Artois, and other parts, escorted by about six hundred combatants. He left his duchess and young son behind him in Burgundy, and all his castles well garrisoned with men-at-arms. He carried with him John, son to the count de Nevers, his cousingerman, on his visits to the principal towns, where he sought for succours in men and money to take back with him to Burgundy.

During this time, sir John de Luxembourg, who had posted himself on the frontiers of the Laonnois, conquered the strong abbey of St. Vincent-lez-Laon from king Charles's garrison, and made prisoner a notable gentleman, called Anthony de Cramailles, whom sir John caused to be beheaded and his body quartered at Ripelmonde. At this attack on the abbey of St. Vincent, Jarnet de Pennesach and Eustache Vaude lost their lives. Sir John re-garrisoned this place, which caused great fears in the town of Laon; and to be enabled to resist any attacks from thence, they had strong reinforcements quartered among them of well tried men-at-arms. In consequence, daily skirmishes took place between them, when many of each party were killed or wounded; and on the side of sir John de Luxembourg, a valiant knight, called Colart de Forges, was slain by a shot from a bow, which passed through his leg.

CHAPTER CLIV.-JOHN DE NEVERS IS ORDERED TO LAY SIEGE TO MOREUIL. HE HAS THE COUNTY OF ESTAMPES GIVEN TO HIM.

WHEN the duke of Burgundy was returned to Picardy with John *, son to the count de Nevers, the duke gave him the county of Estampes, which title he bore for a long time after, and was likewise appointed governor of Picardy, to take on him the charge of guarding the frontiers.

He assembled men-at-arms to lay siege to the castle of Moreuil †, in possession of the French; and was joined by the lord d'Antoing, sir John de Croy, the vidame of Amiens ‡, Valeran de Moreuil, the lord de Humieres, the lord de Saveuses, the lord de Neufville, sir Baudo de Noyelle, governor of Peronne, and the governors of Mondidier and Roye. His force consisted of one thousand combatants, whom the count d'Estampes led to the castle of Moreuil, and quartered them before it. Not more than one hundred fighting men were in the castle, who were, within eight days, so hardly pressed, that they were forced to surrender the place on having their lives spared, leaving their baggage and effects at the disposal of the count d'Estampes and his commissaries. On the treaty being signed, the French marched away under passports from the count, and the command of the place was given to Valeran de Moreuil. The count d'Estampes conducted his army then to the castle of Mortemer, near Ressons-sur-mer, which was soon surrendered, and completely demolished. After which the count marched back with his men to the places whence they had come.

* John of Burgundy, a posthumous son of Philip, and brother to Charles, count of Nevers. He succeeded to the estates of his brother in 1464, assumed the title of Duke of Brabant, and died in 1491. Elizabeth, his daughter, married the duke of Cleves, and brought the carldom of Nevers into that family. His first wife was daughter of the

Vidame of Amiens, who is mentioned immediately afterwards.

Moreuil, a town in Picardy, situated between Corbie and Mondidier.

Raoul d'Ailly, sieur de Pequigny, and Vidame of

Amiens.

CHAPTER CLV.—A QUARREL BETWEEN THE ROMANS AND POPE EUGENIUS, WHOM THEY WANTED TO DETAIN AT ROME AGAINST HIS WILL.

AT this period, pope Eugenius, who resided at Rome, had an inclination to fix his abode at Florence, which, when known to the Romans, troubled them much. They assembled in great multitudes, and went to the pope to say that he should not depart thence, for that he could be nowhere better than in Rome, the fountain of Christianity.

:

The pope and cardinals, perceiving the madness and obstinacy of the people, pretended to give up their intentions of removing nevertheless, the Romans established sufficient guards at all the gates, that they might not depart without their knowledge. However, by means of the beautiful queen of Sicily, who sent the pope some galleys and other vessels, he secretly quitted Rome, and went to Florence, to the great vexation of the Romans, who instantly arrested all whom the pope had left behind; and in the number was his nephew, the cardinal of Venice. He afterwards escaped, disguised like a monk, and thus equipped travelled alone.

CHAPTER CLVI.—THE ABBEY OF ST. VINCENT, NEAR LAON, IS DEMOLISHED.-MANY CASTLES ARE CONQUERED BY THE BURGUNDIANS.

THE duke of Burgundy now departed from Picardy, on his return to Burgundy, attended by about two thousand fighting men, and sir Simon de Lalain and Robert de Saveuses. He took his march through the Cambresis, and thence to Cressy-sur-Serre, and to Provins.

The French were, at this time, assembled in great force at Laon, with the intent to besiege the abbey of St. Vincent, which was garrisoned, as has been before said, by sir John de Luxembourg. Sir John sent messengers to the duke at Vervins to inform him of his situation, and to request that he would march back to Cressy-sur-Serre, and remain there for three or four days, in order that the French in Laon, hearing of his being so near, might give up their intentions of besieging him. The duke complied with the request, and returned to Cressy; and in the meantime a treaty was commenced between the Count de Ligny and the French in Laon, when it was agreed that the garrison should march from St. Vincent with their baggage and other effects, but that the place should be demolished. This being done, the duke continued his march through Champagne to Burgundy; and while there he greatly reinforced himself with troops from Burgundy and Picardy. thence detached a party to besiege the town and castle of Chaumont in the Charolois, held by the French; the garrison was soon so hardly pressed that it surrendered at discretion to the duke of Burgundy, who had upwards of one hundred of them hanged. Sir John bastard de St. Pol commanded the Picards in the duke's absence. Among those who were hanged was the son of Rodrigue de Vilandras. Those in the castle surrendered themselves to the duke, and were treated in like manner as the townsmen. This detachment after ward besieged Beuam, which also surrendered, but on condition that the garrison should have free liberty to depart with staves in their hands. Thus by laying siege to several castles and smaller forts, they reduced a great many to the obedience of the duke of Burgundy.

CHAPTER CLVII.-THE LORD TALBOT RETURNS TO FRANCE, AND CONQUERS MANY TOWNS AND CASTLES.

In this same year, the lord Talbot returned from England to France, bringing with him eight hundred combatants, whom he landed at Rouen. Marching thence toward Paris, he reconquered the fort of Jouy, situated between Beauvais and Gisors, and hanged all the French found within it. He continued his march to Paris, where it was determined, by king Henry's council, that he should, in company with the lord de l'Isle-Adam, marshal of France, sir Galois d'Aunay lord of Arville, and the bishop of Therouenne, chancellor of

France for king Henry, march with all their troops to lay siege to the castle of Beaumontsur-Oise, which had been much strengthened by Amadour de Vignolles, brother to La Hire. These three knights marched from Paris with full sixteen hundred well-tried combatants, but when they came before the castle of Beaumont they found it deserted; for Amadour de Vignolles, having heard of their intentions, had abandoned it, and retreated with his men and baggage to the town of Creil.

The English, having destroyed the fortifications of Beaumont, hastened to follow them, and having surrounded Creil on all sides, many severe skirmishes took place, in which the besieged made a gallant defence; but in one of them, Amadour was mortally wounded by an arrow, which greatly disheartened his men, for they held him to be a courageous and expert

man-at-arms.

During this siege, the bishop of Therouenne joined the besiegers, and at the end of six weeks the garrison surrendered, on condition of being allowed to depart with their baggage and effects. After the English had regarrisoned the town and castle of Creil, they advanced to lay siege to the Pont de St. Maixence, held by Guillon de Ferrieres, nephew to St. Trailles, who surrendered it on conditions similar to those granted at Creil. The English thence marched to Neufville en Esmoy, and to La Rouge Maison, and then to Crespy in Valois, which was taken by storm. There were full thirty French within it, under the command of Pothon le Bourguignon. They then returned to Clermont in the Beauvoisis, held by the bourg de Vignolles, who submitted to them, and thence to Beauvais ; but perceiving they could not gain anything further, they retreated to Paris and to the other garrisons whence they had come.

CHAPTER CLVIII.—THE COUNT D'ESTAMPES RECONQUERS THE TOWN OF ST. VALERY. AT the same time with the foregoing expedition, the count d'Estampes, accompanied by the lord d'Antoing, sir John de Croy, the vidame of Amiens, and most of the lords who had been with him at Moreuil, marched to lay siege to St. Valery, where they remained about one month. At length, Charles du Marests and Philip de la Tour, who had gained the town by surprise, entered into a capitulation to evacuate it within eight days, should they not before then be relieved, on receiving a certain sum of money, and on being allowed to depart in safety with their baggage and effects.

On the appointed day, no French forces appeared to offer combat to the count d'Estampes; but on the contrary, Louis de Luxembourg, chancellor of France, came thither to the support of the count with five hundred English, commanded by the lord Willoughby, sir Guy le Bouteiller, and Brunclay governor of Eu. The chancellor and his companions were joyfully received by the count d'Estampes and the other lords. The French marched away, according to the terms of their treaty, from St. Valery to Rambures, whither they were led by Charles du Marests. On their departure, a barge arrived at the port from St. Malo, laden with wines for the French, which was instantly seized by the sailors attached to the English party.

The chancellor and the English returned to their former quarters at Eu, and the count d'Estampes was lodged that night in St. Valery. On the morrow, he began his retreat to Artois, having appointed John de Brimeu governor of the town and castle, where he disbanded his forces. From the town of Eu, the chancellor marched the English to lay siege to the castle of Monchas, which in a few days surrendered by means of a sum of money given to sir Regnault de Fontaines, the governor. The whole of this castle was destroyed, although it was the finest castle in the county of Eu. During this time, the earl of Arundel resided mostly at Mantes, and in the district of Chartres, and reconquered many forts from the French in those parts, as well as in Perche. The duke of Bedford was now returned from England to Rouen, and thence went to Paris, where he resided a considerable time.

CHAPTER CLIX.-THE FRENCH GAIN THE TOWN OF HAMME ON THE SOMME, IN THE

VERMANDOIS.

In the month of August of this year, a party of French won the town of Hamme, which had been held by the count de Ligny's men. The townsmen instantly surrendered on the French appearing before it, for the garrison had abandoned the place. The count de Richemont, constable of France, the bastard of Orleans, La Hire, and many other captains, came thither with a large body of combatants.

The countries of the Vermandois, Artois, and Cambresis, were greatly alarmed at the conquest of Hamme, which was a strong situation, and gave them the passage of the river Somme, and also because their prince was absent in Burgundy. However, the counts de St. Pol, d'Estampes, and de Ligny, used all diligence to collect a sufficiency of troops to oppose any further incursions of the French. A treaty was at the same time set on foot, and the French agreed to restore the town of Hamme to its owner, sir John de Luxembourg, on receiving the sum of forty thousand crowns. The reason of this treaty being made on such easy terms was the expectation of a speedy peace being concluded between king Charles and the duke of Burgundy, for negotiations on this subject had already commenced. With the town of Hamme the fort of Breteuil was also given up to the count d'Estampes, which Blanchefort had held for a considerable time.

At this period, the duke of Burgundy caused Coulogne-les-Vigneuses to be besieged by sir William de Rochefort and Philibert de Vaudrey, with eight hundred combatants. They posted themselves in a block-house-and at the end of three months, the garrison surrendered, on having their lives and baggage spared.

CHAPTER CLX.-THE TOWN AND CASTLE OF CHASTEAU-VILAIN SUBMITS TO THE OBEDIENCE OF THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY.

ON the duke of Burgundy's return to that country, he advanced to Grantsy, which had for some time been besieged by sir John de Vergy and his allies. The inhabitants, seeing no hope of being succoured, concluded a treaty to surrender it to the duke, when the castle was not destroyed, but given to the lord de Thil, brother to the lord de Château-vilain. When this had been done, the duke ordered sir John de Vergy, and the other captains, as well from Burgundy as from Picardy, to advance before the city of Langres, and summon the garrison to submit to his obedience. This they not only refused to do, but detained the herald, called Germole, who had brought the message. The Burgundians, finding themselves unable to take the place, returned with the army to the duke.

CHAPTER CLXI.—HEAVY TAXES LAID ON THE COUNTRIES OF ARTOIS AND THOSE ADJOINING,

ON ACCOUNT OF THIS WAR.

In these days, very heavy taxes were laid on the countries of Artois, Vermandois, Ponthieu, Amiennois, and others adjoining, to pay the composition-money to the constable of France, which had been agreed to for the surrender of Hamme. The poorer ranks were sorely oppressed by them, and began to murmur and be very much discontented with the rulers and ministers to whom the duke of Burgundy had intrusted the government of these countries in his absence, but it availed them nothing: for those who refused to pay were arrested, and their effects seized without regard to justice, until their quotas were duly paid. During this time, the lord de Saveuses had been ordered by the count d'Estampes to demolish the town and castle of Breteuil in Beauvoisis, which, as has been said, was given up to him by Blanchefort, the late governor thereof. The lord de Saveuses had brought a number of workmen and labourers from Amiens, Corbie, and other places, who scor