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sir Almeric d'Orgemont, archdeacon of Amiens, dean of Tours and canon of Paris, with one of the presidents of the chamber of accounts and some masters of requests, Robert de Belloy, a very rich draper, the host of the hotel of the Bear, at the Porte Baudet, and many other considerable persons. The chancellor sent information of this conspiracy to the constable and marshal of France, then on the confines of Harfleur, who, without delay, despatched Remonnet de la Guerre, with eight hundred men, to the assistance of the princes in Paris, and concluded a truce with the English in Harfleur, from the 5th day of May to the 2nd day of June.

On Saturday, the 2nd of May, the above-mentioned prisoners were brought to the market-place and beheaded as traitors; but sir Almeric d'Orgemont, being an ecclesiastic, was, by orders from the council, delivered by the provost of Paris to the dean and chapter of Nôtre Dame, for them to try him: this was soon done; and he was sentenced to perpetual imprisonment on bread and water.

The constable, on the conclusion of the truce, came to Paris, with three hundred men-atarms, and, being attended by the provost with a very strong force, detached the iron chains from the streets, and sent them to the Bastille, at the same time taking away all armour and offensive weapons from the Parisians. Louis Bourdon came also to Paris with two hundred men-at-arms, and was followed by Clugnet de Brabant and the lord de Bosquiaux, governor of Valois, with another considerable body of men-at-arms. Those in Paris who were friendly to the duke of Burgundy were now in much perplexity, especially such as had been concerned in the late conspiracy; for they were punished without mercy, some publicly beheaded, others drowned in the Seine. The gentlemen whom the duke of Burgundy had sent to Paris escaped as secretly as they could, and were neither taken nor stopped.

When this business was over, numbers of men-at-arms were collected in the name of the king, by his ministers, throughout France; and in like manner did the duke of Burgundy, or permitted it to be done by those under him, so that the clergy and poorer sorts of people suffered greatly in various parts of the kingdom,—for there were few who defended them,— and they had no other support but their earnest prayers to God their Creator to take vengeance on their oppressors.

CHAPTER CLV.-THE EMPEROR OF GERMANY ARRIVES IN LONDON.-THE BROTHER TO THE KING OF CYPRUS COMES TO PARIS.-THE DEATH OF THE DUKE OF BERRY.-MANY EMBASSIES TAKE PLACE BETWEEN FRANCE AND ENGLAND.

[A. D. 1416.]

In the beginning of this year, the emperor of Germany arrived at London; and the king, accompanied by his princes, nobles, with great multitudes of the clergy and citizens, went out to meet him. During his stay, every honour was paid to him, and he was treated with great magnificence. A few days after his arrival, duke William of Hainault came thither also, attended by six hundred horse, to endeavour to make a peace between England and France. Ambassadors likewise arrived at London from various countries, and in the number were one hundred persons from the duke of Burgundy.

At this same time, the brother to the king of Cyprus, who was count of three cities, came to visit the king of France in Paris. The constable, Charles son to the duke of Bourbon, the provost of Paris, and many more, went to meet him; and they escorted him to the presence of the king and queen, who received him most graciously. On the 16th day of May, Jennet de Poix, Jacques de Fosseux, the lord de St. Leger, Binet d'Auffeu, Hue de Sailly, master Philippe de Morvillier, Guillaume Sanguin, and others of the Burgundy faction, were publicly banished at Amiens from the kingdom of France, on suspicion of having been concerned in the late plot against the royal family.

In these days, the duke of Berry, who was now at a very advanced age, was taken ill at his hôtel de Nesle in Paris, and was frequently visited by the king his nephew, at that time in perfect health, and by other princes of the blood. Notwithstanding the care of his physicians, he departed this life on the 13th day of June, without leaving a male heir,-su

VOL. I.

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that the duchy of Berry and county of Poitou reverted to the crown, and the king gave them to John de Touraine, his eldest son, and godson to the defunct. The heart of the duke of Berry was interred at St. Denis, his bowels in the church of St. Pierre-des-Degrez, and his body was carried to Bourges, and there buried in the cathedral church. He left two daughters; the eldest was countess d'Armagnac, mother to Amadeus duke of Savoy, and the youngest was duchess of Bourbon. The duke of Berry had, during his lifetime, given to his nephew and godson John duke of Burgundy, the county of Estampes, on certain conditions. On the duke of Berry's decease, the king appointed his youngest son Charles, afterward dauphin, to the government of Paris, under the management of his father-in-law the king of Sicily, and likewise gave him the duchy of Touraine.

The ambassadors from France, who had accompanied the emperor of Germany to England, namely the archbishop of Rheims, the lord de Gaucourt and others, now returned to the king; but, at the instance of the emperor, the bishop of Norwich and sir Thomas Erpingham, a knight of great renown, grand-master of the king's household, attended by seventy horsemen, went with him to Calais, as ambassadors from king Henry. At Calais they received passports from the king of France, and went to Montreuil, thence to Abbeville and Beauvais, where commissioners from the king met and honourably received them. A negociation was opened for a truce to take place between the two kings for a certain time, and also respecting the ransoms of some prisoners who had been carried to England in consequence of the victories of king Henry; but nothing was concluded, because the constable had besieged Harfleur by sea, and would not break up the siege, in consequence of which the English ambassadors returned home.

Soon afterward, the king of England sent the earl of Warwick and others as ambassadors to the duke of Burgundy at Lille, who concluded a truce between England and the duke, from St. John Baptist's-day, in this year, to Michaelmas-day in 1417, but only for the counties of Flanders, Artois, and the adjacent parts. The duke of Burgundy caused this truce to be publicly proclaimed at the usual places, to the great astonishment of many, whe were surprised that such a truce should have been concluded independently of France.

CHAPTER

CLVI.-JENNET DE POIX AND OTHERS, BY COMMAND OF THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY, MARCH SECRETLY TO SAINT DENIS, AND MAKE INROADS ON DIFFERENT PARTS OF FRANCE.

In the month of June, sir Jennet de Poix, with the approbation of the duke of Burgundy his lord, collected four hundred men, who, hiding their arms in casks, divided themselves into companies, and went by different roads, disguised as merchants, to the frank fair of St. Denis. As the king was at St. Germain-en-Laye, and the constable in Normandy, many hid themselves on the road-side, and others entered the town as merchants, chiefly with the intention of seizing the chancellor, and Tanneguy du Châtel, provost of Paris. But while they were eating and drinking, the chancellor and Tanneguy passed unmolested through the town, and returned to Paris. When they heard of this, they hastened back in confusion to Picardy, carrying with them some prisoners and spoils from the king's territories, which greatly incensed the people.

On the other hand, Ferry de Mailly, with many men-at-arms, invaded the towns of Quesnel and Hangest, in Santerre, where he and sir Martelet had been made prisoners, and carried off a large booty, with many captives, whom, after they had miserably tortured them, they set at liberty for heavy ransoms. In like manner, sir Mauroy de St. Leger crossed the Seine, and during the night formed an ambuscade near to the castle of Chaulnes *; and in the morning, when the draw-bridge was lowered, his men rushed into the castle, and made themselves masters thereof, which was full of rich effects. Soon afterward, the peasants of Lihons †, and from other villages, who had therein deposited their goods, entered into a treaty with sir Mauroy; and for a considerable sum of money paid him and his people, he surrendered the castle to the lady-dowager, and marched away.

Chaulnes a town of Picardy, election of Peronne.

Lihons, a town of Picardy, election of Peronne.

CHAPTER CLVII.—LIHONS, IN SANTERRE, PILLAGED BY MANY CAPTAINS WHO HAD TAKEN UP ARMS.-THE CAPTURE OF THE CASTLE OF BEAUMONT. THE STORMING THE CASTLE OF NESLE.-AND OTHER MATTERS.

SIR Mauroy de St. Leger, soon after his last expedition to Chaulnes, made another, in conjunction with Jean d'Aubigny, to Lihons, in Santerre, which, with the priory, they completely plundered, ransoming the inhabitants for large sums, all of which they carried with them into Artois.

In this manner different companies were formed of nobles or others, but attached to the party of the duke of Burgundy, under various standards: the principal leaders were, St. Mauroy de St. Leger, sir Jennet de Poix, his brother David, the lord de Sores in Beauvoisis, Jean de Fosseux, Hector and Philippe de Saveuses, Ferry de Mailly, Louis de Varigines, sir Payen de Beaufort, sir Louis de Burnel, Jean de Donquerre, Guerard, bastard de Bruneu, and numbers of others, who, with displayed banners, invaded the territories of France; in particular, the countries of Eu and Aumale, and those lands in Santerre, as far as the river Oise, that belonged to such as were favourers of the Orleans party. In these parts they committed every sort of ravage, plundering the property, and making the inhabitants prisoners, as would be done to a country against which war had been declared. There were also other companies, formed by captains under pretence of their attachment to the duke of Burgundy; such as sir Gastellin, a Lombard knight, Jean de Gaingy, Jean de Clau, and Lamain de Clau, Savoyards, Jean d'Aubigny, the bastard de Sallebruche, Charles l'Abbé, the bastard de Thian, Matthieu des Près, Panchette, the bastard Penar, and others, who amounted to two thousand horsemen when they were all assembled. They for a long time quartered themselves on the territories of Burgundy as well as France, and did incredible mischief to both. Sir Gastellin and his men even took the castle of Oisy in the Cambresis, belonging to the daughter and heiress of sir Robert de Bar, and held it for a long time, using that and its dependencies as if they had been his own property.

About the same time, the lord de Sores, with six hundred combatants, marched to Pont A vaire, and thence advanced toward Paris, and placed themselves in ambuscade at La Chappellet until the gates should be opened. Shortly after their arrival, a man rode to them on a white horse from Paris, and having said a few words to the lord de Sores, he returned thither the same road he had come. While they remained, they made several men and women prisoners for fear of being discovered by them to the Parisians; but seeing their enterprise had failed, they sounded their trumpets, and retreated hastily toward Beaumontsur-Oise. Their object had been to seize the king of Sicily by the aid of some of the Parisians. When they were near Beaumont, they sent fourteen of their men in advance, having upright crosses on their breasts, to tell the wardens of the gate that the king had sent them to guard the passes of the Oise against the Burgundians. By their speeches and appearance, they gained belief; but they had no sooner entered, than they killed the wardens, and kept possession of the gate. Their whole body attacked the castle, which they took, and slew the governor and his son. After they had made a great slaughter in the town, and pillaged it of everything, they marched away; but neither set fire to it nor the castle, carrying their plunder and prisoners with them to Mouy in Clermont, wasting all the country they passed through. From Mouy they marched by Montdidier to Nesle, in the Vermandois, belonging to the count de Dampmartin. Many other captains there joined them, among whom was sir Mauroy, before mentioned. They resolved to storm the town, and succeeded, notwithstanding the vigorous defence of the inhabitants, who well performed their duty. Many were killed and wounded, and numbers made prisoners; among the latter was the governor, sir Blanchet du Sollier. The town was plundered of everything; and it was at the time full of merchandise, on account of the fair. After remaining there about a fortnight, to sell their pillage and wait for the ransom of their prisoners, they departed, carrying on carts and cars the remnant of what they had gained, which was immense.

*Pont-Avaire. Q. if we should not read Pont-St.-Maixence, for the other is not in any map or gazetteer. + La Chappelle, a village close to Paris.

When information of these proceedings was given to the king, the constable, and the grand council, they were much incensed at the duke of Burgundy, to whom they said these captains belonged; and to provide a remedy, the following edict was proclaimed throughout the realm.

"Charles, by the grace of God, king of France, to all to whom these presents shall come, greeting.

"Since the most supreme and excellent, the sovereign King of kings, Jesus Christ our Creator, has, through his divine grace and clemency, selected us to govern and rule over the very renowned and most noble kingdom of France, it behoves us to exert our best endeavours to secure peace to our subjects, and that all disturbers thereof should be punished, in order that impartial justice be distributed, and our people live in peace and security.

"Whereas it has come to our knowledge, by the report of our council, and by others worthy of belief, and also by the great complaints, and doleful clamours of numbers of our subjects, as well as by the confessions of malefactors, justly put to death, the which we record in great sorrow and bitterness of heart, that Hector de Saveuses, Philippe de Saveuses his brother, Elyon de Jacqueville, Pierre de Sorel, Gotrant lord de St. Leger, Mauroy de St. Leger his son, Jacques de Fosseux, Calvin de Clau, Jean d'Aubigny, Fierebourg, Matthieu des Près, Jean de Poix, Daviod his brother, Camuset de Ligny, Gastellin, Cormeri, of the order of the hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, the commander de Sagestre, Panchette, Henri de la Tour, Pierson Tube, Jean de Cauffour, Henri de Caffour le Valois, Jacques de Calivray, Ramon Marcq, Denisot de Baugis, Guillaume le Glois, Martelet Testart, Jacques le Masson, Benois de Bessin, Guillemot de la Planche de Douay, le Tor d'emprès Douay, Jean Pallemargue, Robinet le vicomte, la barbe de Craon, Jean Jaully Picard, Robinet de Bray, le curé de Vaulx, prestre, Jean Louis de Cumillers, Robin d'Ays, Guillaume Mignot Brebiettes emprès Compiegne, Thomas de Plaisance, le grand Thomas Mignot, Jacquet de Clavin, Perrin de Chevrerieres, Henri de Hailly, Jean de Peresin, Jean Bertrand butcher of St. Denis, Guillaume de Cormeuil, Guillaume de Chify du Brunet, master Robert trumpeter to our cousin of Burgundy, Perrin trumpeter to Jean d'Aubigny, Jennet one of the archers of the body guard of our said cousin of Burgundy, Jean de Vienon, Jean de Tourgney governor of Champlost*, Puisse vin d'Aussorrcs, Charles l'Abbé, the bastard Cognart de l'Aussorrois, the bastard de Launois Guynis, Rousselet le batelier, Philippot Vezis de Sens, Estienne Guyart de Sens, Symon le Vigneron de Joigny, Estienne de la Croix, the son of the host at Sens, Colin de l'hôpital, the bastard de Chaullay, the bastard Guignart, three brothers du Moyne de Collanges sur Yonne, Jean de Duilly, Charlot de Duilly, and a company of fuzelaires, calling themselves Begaux, accompanied by numbers of others, disturbers of the peace, among whom are some whom the laws have for ever banished our kingdom for their wickedness, having assembled themselves in companies contrary to our will and express orders.

"This they daily persevere in doing and in overrunning divers parts of our realm, gaining by force or subtlety many towns and castles belonging to us, or to our noble vassals and clergy, and plundering them of all their wealth. Not content with this, they, like to perverse sinners, delighting in the effusion of blood, put to death and wound not only such as shall attempt to defend their properties but the peaceable and well-inclined inhabitants of the said towns and castles, who only wish to remain in tranquillity. But what has astonished us the most, and which we would not have believed if sad experience had not convinced us of it, they have frequently advanced even to the walls of our good town of Paris, the principal seat of government and justice of our realm, and have attempted to enter it by fraud, t commit similar crimes to those they had done in other towns; and more particularly, a few nights since they made one of these mad and foolish attempts. They have also marched large bodies of armed men to the gates of the said town, knowing, at the same time, that we, our very dear companion the queen, and our son the duke of Touraine, with others of our blood, were personally within it. They then endeavoured fraudulently to gain admittance, which, should they have effected, (but through God's pleasure they failed,)

Champlost, a town in Champagne, election of St. Florentin.

murders, thefts, rapines, rapes, and every horrid mischief would have ensued to the ruin of that town, and, consequently, to the destruction of the church and kingdom.

"We point out, therefore, the before-mentioned persons as guilty of these atrocious acts, and call on our faithful and loyal subjects to assist us heartily in putting an end to their very heinous misdeeds. There is very clear evidence of this last fact; for when they found they could not by any means enter our said town of Paris, like madmen they gallopped off for the town of Beaumont-sur-Oise, belonging to our very dear and well-beloved son and nephew the duke of Orleans, now prisoner in England, and on their march seized horses from the plough, and robbed and made prisoners every traveller they met. After this, they took the said town and castle by storm, plundered it, and killed or drowned very many of the townsmen. In like manner they took the town of Nesle in Vermandois, and had before done the same to our town of Chablis*, to the castle of Néant, belonging to the monks of La Charité sur Loire, with numbers of other castles, towns and villages, laying violent hands on women of all descriptions, violating them like beasts, pillaging churches and other sacred edifices, of which we are every day receiving the most melancholy accounts and lamentations. Greater mischiefs our ancient enemies the English would not, nor could not do; but these wretches, perversely wicked, add daily sin to sin, publicly showing themselves rebels, and disobedient to our positive commands. They thus render themselves deserving of the severest punishments, and unworthy of the smallest grace, by holding ourselves and our sovereign power in perfect contempt. In consideration of the many and repeated complaints and lamentations made to us, by such numbers of our vassals and subjects, calling on God, our Creator, and on us for vengeance for the innocent blood that has been so cruelly shed,— we foreseeing that unless a stop be put to these atrocities, the whole kingdom will be ruine and which we firmly believe to be the ultimate object of the before-named persons, have called together the princes of our blood, the members of our grand council and courts of parliament, with other barons and nobles of our realm, that they might advise on the best and most speedy measures to be adopted for the crushing this unnatural rebellion.

"After many consultations on the said matters, we having the utmost dread lest the divine judgment should fall on our head and on our kingdom, for the blood of the just that has been so abundantly and cruelly shed, and being ever desirous that peace and justice may be observed in our realm, do make known, and declare all the aforesaid persons, with their allies and associates, rebels to us and to our government. And because we at this moment are fully employed in the war that exists between us and our enemies the English, who have invaded our country, and cannot therefore act as we should wish against these said rebels and their allies: we therefore give full power and authority to all our loyal subjects to take up arms against them, to put them to death, or to confine them in prison to suffer the punishment due to their crimes, and to take full possession of all their properties moveable or immoveable, by force of arms, and to slay such as may oppose them, without their having cause for any letters of pardon whatever.

"We therefore command, by these presents, the bailiff of Amiens, or his lieutenant, solemnly to proclaim three times a-week, with sound of trumpet, in all the usual places where proclamations have been made within his district, full licence and authority for any one to seize the persons and effects of the before-named rebels, and to put them to death, should need be, without danger of process or suit being hereafter made against him or them for so doing. The said bailiff, or his lieutenant, will attend to the observance of the above, so that nothing arise through his neglect to our prejudice, or to that of our kingdom. That greater confidence may be put in these presents, we order, that exact copies be made, and sent to those parts where the original cannot be proclaimed, and that equal faith be given to them. In testimony whereof, we have had our seal affixed to these presents. Given at Paris, the 30th day of August, in the year of Grace 1416, and of our reign the 36th."

Thus signed by the king, on the report of his great council, and countersigned "FERRON." This edict was solemnly proclaimed in Amiens the 12th day of September, and thence sent to all the provosts within the bailiwick of Amiens, to be proclaimed by them throughout their provostships. The provosts of Beauquesnes, of Montreuil of St. Riquier, and of Dour

Chablis, diocese of Langres, famous for its wines.

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