ページの画像
PDF
ePub

on a pursuit after them,-namely, John Raullet and Pierron de Luppel, with about sixscore combatants, and killed and took a good many of them. They imagined they had gained the day, and that the Burgundians were totally defeated; but in this they were mistaken, for the duke, with about five hundred combatants of the highest nobility and most able in arms, fought with determined resolution, insomuch that they overpowered the Dauphinois, and remained masters of the field of battle.

According to the report of each party, the duke behaved with the utmost coolness and courage; but he had some narrow escapes, for at the onset he was hit by two lances, one of which pierced through the front of his war-saddle and grazed the armour of his right side; he was also grappled with by a very strong man, who attempted to unhorse him, but his courser, being high-mettled and stout, bore him out of this danger. He therefore fought manfully, and took with his own hands two men-at-arms, as he was chasing the enemy along the river-side. Those nearest his person in this conflict were the lord de Longueval and Guy de Rely, and some of his attendants, who, though few in number, supported him ably. It was some time before his own men knew where he was, as they missed his banner; and when John Raullet and Pierron de Luppel returned from their pursuit of the Burgundian runaways, expecting to find their companions victorious and on the field of battle, they were confounded with disappointment on seeing the contrary, and instantly fled toward St. Valery, and with them the lord de Moüy; others made for D'Airaines.

The duke of Burgundy, on coming back to the field of battle, collected his men, and caused the bodies of those to be carried off who had fallen in the engagement, particularly that of the lord de Viefville. Although all the nobles and great lords who had remained with the duke of Burgundy behaved most gallantly, I must especially notice the conduct of John Villain, who had that day been made a knight. He was a nobleman from Flanders, very tall and of great bodily strength, and was mounted on a good horse, holding a battle-axe in both hands. Thus he pushed into the thickest part of the battle, and, throwing the bridle on his horse's neck, gave such blows on all sides with his battle-axe that whoever was struck was instantly unhorsed and wounded past recovery. In this way he met Poton de Saintrailles, who, after the battle was over, declared the wonders he did, and that he got out of his reach as fast as he could.

When the duke had collected his men, and had caused the dead to be inspected and stripped, he returned to Abbeville, where he was joyously received, with those of the Dauphinois who had been made prisoners,-namely, the lord de Conflans, Louis d'Offemont, sir Gilles de Gamaches, his brother Louis, sir Louis de Thiembronne, Poton de Saintrailles, the marquis de Serre, his brother de Saint-Saulieu, sir Regnault de Fontaines, Sauvage de la Riviere, John de Proisy governor of Guise, sir Raoul de Gaucourt, sir John de Rogan, Bernard de St. Martin, John de Joigny, the lord de Mommor, John de Verselles, le bourg de la Hire, Yvon de Puys, John de Sommam, Hervé Dourdis, and others, to the amount of one hundred and six-score.

There were left dead on the field, of both parties, from four to five hundred men; but it was thought only from twenty to thirty were Burgundians, and chiefly belonging to the lord de Viefville and John lord of Mailly*. Those of note slain of the Dauphinois were, sir Peter d'Argensy lord of Ivry, Charles de Saint-Saulieu, Galhaut d'Aarsy, Thibaut de Gerincourt, sir Corbeau de Rieux, sir Sarrasin de Beaufort, Robinet de Verseilles, Guillaume du Pont, the bastard de Moy, and many other gentlemen, to the above amount.

The prisoners made and carried off by the Dauphinois were, sir Colart de Commines, sir Guillain de Halluyn, the lord de Sailly en Hernaise, Lamon de Lannoy, and some others. In this engagement, sir John de Luxembourg, from his too great eagerness at the onset, was made prisoner by a man-at-arms called le Mouse, and carried away to some distance, but he was rescued by a party of his own and the duke's men.. He was, however, very badly wounded on the face and across his nose. In like manner was the lord de Humbercourt taken, wounded, and rescued.

* Moreri says that the lord de Mailly himself was killed in this engagement. He was succeeded by his brother, also named John, and called le jeune, also l'Estendart,

who was afterwards a very distinguished warrior on the part of Charles VII. The lord de Viefville is mentioned to have been killed in the preceding page.

On the arrival of the duke of Burgundy at Abbeville, he went to the church of our Lady to offer up his prayers and thanksgivings for his great success, and thence to his lodgings at the hôtel of the Crown. His people, many of whom had been wounded in the battle, quartered themselves in the town as well as they could. The duke now first heard that great part of his force had deserted him and fled to Picquigny, which surprised and angered him greatly, and not without cause. He would never afterward admit any of those runaways to his presence, and dismissed all of them who had been of his household: very few men of rank, however, of the latter description, had fled.

When he had remained three days in Abbeville to refresh and recover his men, and had resolved in council not to lay siege again to St. Riquier, on account of the present state of his army, and for other reasons, he departed, and, passing by St. Riquier, fixed his quarters at Auxi. Sir John de Luxembourg was carried thither in a litter on account of the severity of his wounds. On the morrow he advanced to Hesdin, where he made some stay; and, having ordered different garrisons to oppose that of St. Riquier, he disbanded the greater part of his army. By his moderation in their ransoms, he gained over all the captains of the Dauphinois who had been made prisoners, and sent them to his castle of Lille, where they remained a considerable time. Thenceforward this engagement was called the rencounter at Mons in Vimeu, and was not deemed a battle, because the two parties met accidentally in the manner you have heard, and without any banner displayed.

Among the principal persons who had fled were, the lord de Cohen governor of Abbeville, who was not yet recovered from the wound he had received, of which mention has been made, and which prevented him from putting on his helmet: he had been advised, on leaving Abbeville, not to engage in combat; and he was held excused on account of his wound. The others were, the before-named John de Rosimbos, and the whole of those attached to the duke's banner.

CHAPTER CCXLVII.-THE NAMES OF THE PRINCIPAL LORDS WHO HAD ACCOMPANIED AND REMAINED WITH THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY IN THE LATE RENCOUNTER.-ALSO THE NAMES OF THE PRINCIPAL DAUPHINOIS.

HERE follow the names of the lords and captains who supported the duke of Burgundy in the late engagement. Sir John de Luxembourg, the lord d'Antoing, sir John de la Trimuille, lord de Jonvelle, the lords de Croy, de la Viefville, de Longueval, de Genlis, de Robais and his son, d'Auxi, de Saveuses, de Crevecoeur, de Noyelle, surnamed the White Knight, de Humbercourt, sir Pierre Kieret, sir Guy de Rely, John lord of Mailly, John de Fosseux, le Moyne de Renty, sir David de Brimeu, lord of Ligny, sir Andrew de Vallines, the lord de Saint-Simon, the lord de Framensen, Regnault de Longueval, Aubillet de Folleville, the bastard de Coussy, sir Louis de Saint-Saulieu, who was that day knighted, and on the morrow was drowned in the Somme at Abbeville, as he was giving water to a horse he had taken from the Dauphinois, John de Flavy, Andrew de Toulongeon, sir Philibert Andrenet, sir Gauvain de la Viefville, sir Florimont de Brimeu, sir Mauroy de Saint-Leger, sir Andrew d'Azincourt, the lord de Commines, his brother sir Colart de Commines, sir John d'Estenu, sir John de Hornes, sir Roland du Querque, his son sir John du Querque, sir Guillain de Haluyn, sir John and sir Andrew Vilain, sir Daviod de Poix, the lord de Moyencourt, and many other noble knights and esquires of the duke's household.

On the part of the Dauphinois were, the lord de Conflans*, the baron d'Ivry, the lord de Moy, the lord d'Eschin, Louis d'Offemont, sir Gilles de Gamaches, his son Louis de Gamaches, Poton de Saintrailles†, sir Regnault de Fontaines, sir Charles de Saint-Saulieu, John de Proisy governor of Guise, the marquis de Scare and his brother, Pierron de Luppel, John Raulet, sir John de Rogan, sir Raoul de Gaucourt, sir Louis de Thiembronne, the lord de Mommor, Bernard de St. Martin, Thibaut de Gerincourt, Galhaut d'Aarsy, sir Sarrasin de

* Probably Eustace IV., lord of Conflans, a distinguished house of Champagne.

John Poton, lord of Saintrailles, marshal of France

in 1454, a gentleman of Gascony, and a very distinguished partisan of the dauphin.

Beaufort, Robinet de Verseilles, his brother John de Joigny, Yvon du Puys, John de Sommam, Hervé and John de Dourdis and some more. They had under their command about five or six hundred men-at-arms, and from three to four hundred most able archers, whom they had selected from different garrisons.

CHAPTER CCXLVIII.-NEWS OF THE LATE VICTORY IS MADE PUBLIC IN DIFFERENT PARTS. -THE CAPTURE OF THE FORT OF DOUVRIER. THE DEPARTURE OF THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY FROM HESDIN.

On the morrow of this victory of the duke of Burgundy, the news was spread abroad in divers places, which gave great joy to all of his party, more particularly to the inhabitants of Montrieul and the adjacent country. Soon after, sir John de Blondel, who was but lately returned from his imprisonment in England, collected a body of the gentlemen of that neighbourhood, among whom was sir Olivier de Brimeu, a very ancient knight, and some of the inhabitants of Montrieul, and led them to the fort of Douvrier, then held by the men of Poton de Saintrailles. He addressed them so eloquently and ably that they agreed to surrender the place to him, on condition that they should be safely escorted to St. Riquier, which was done; and he regarrisoned it, to make head against the Dauphinois.

When the duke of Burgundy had disposed of his troops to oppose the further progress of the enemy to his satisfaction, he left Hesdin, and went to Lille; thence he made a pilgrimage to our Lady at Halle, and returned to Flanders, where he made a considerable stay, to attend to his affairs in that country.

CHAPTER CCXLIX. THE KING OF ENGLAND CONQUERS DREUX, AND PURSUES THE DAUPHIN ; HE THEN LAYS SIEGE TO MEAUX IN BRIE, AND OTHER MATTERS.

[ocr errors]

We will now return to the king of England, and relate how he conducted himself. When the duke of Burgundy left him at Mantes, as has been before mentioned, he marched thence his army, which was very large, and daily increasing from the reinforcements that joined him from Normandy and Paris, and advanced to Dreux after the dauphin had raised the siege of Chartres. He surrounded Dreux on all sides; but the garrison made a treaty, by which they were to surrender the place on the 20th of August, in case they were not succoured by their lord the dauphin before that day, and gave good hostages for the due performance of it. The dauphin sent them no assistance, so that king Henry obtained possesssion of Dreux, which he strongly regarrisoned with his own men. The Dauphinois, in number about eight hundred, retired with their baggage, after they had promised not to bear arms against the English, or their allies, for one whole year.

When this was done, the king marched toward the river Loire, in pursuit of the dauphin, whom he was very desirous to meet, to revenge the death of his brother the duke of Clarence, and the loss of the English who had fallen at the battle of Baugey. On his march, he reduced to the obedience of the king of France and of himself, the town of Beaugency on the Loire and some other castles. Finding that the dauphin would not wait to give him battle, he returned toward Beauce. He had noticed that for some days fifty or sixty Dauphinois, very well mounted, had followed his army to observe his motions: on their one day coming nearer to him than usual, he ordered them to be pursued, when they fled to the castle of Rougemont in Beauce, which the king commanded to be instantly attacked; and this was attended with such success that it was won, and all within taken, with the loss of only only one Englishman. King Henry, however, in revenge for his death, caused them all to be drowned in the Loire.

He thence marched to besiege Villeneuve-le-Roi, which soon submitted, on the garrison being allowed to march away with their baggage. It was regarrisoned by Englishmen. Toward the end of September, he fixed his head-quarters at Lagny-sur-Marne, and his army was dispersed in the adjoining villages. At this town he ordered many wooden engines to be constructed, and other necessary machines to lay seige to Meaux in Brie. He despatched

in haste his uncle the duke of Exeter, with four thousand combatants, to gain possession of the suburbs of Meaux, that the inhabitants might not set them on fire.

When king Henry had completed his machines in the town of Lagny, he marched his army thence, consisting of twenty thousand combatants at the least, and on the Cth day of October encamped before Meaux. A few days after, he had his camp surrounded with strong hedges and ditches, to prevent any surprise from the enemy, and at the same time had his engines pointed to batter the walls and gates, which they continued to do with great activity. The defence of the town of Meaux was intrusted by the dauphin to the bastard de Vaurus, captain-general of the place, Denys de Vaurus his brother, Pierron de Luppel, Guichard de Sisay, sir Philip Mallet, sir Louis Gast, the borgne de Caucun, John d'Aunay, Tromagon, Bernard de Meureville, Philip de Gamaches, and others, to the amount of one thousand picked combatants, tried in arms, without including the burghers and commonalty. They made an obstinate defence against the attacks of the king of England, and continued it for a long time, as you shall hear.

*

In these days it was enacted by the royal council at Paris, that the florettes, which were current for four deniers, should be reduced to two deniers; and that the gold crowns, current for nineteen sols, should now pass for eighteen only. These continued lowerings of the coin gave great cause of discontent among all ranks, seeing that their money-property was diminished an eighth part in value. To keep up a supply of coin, saluts of gold were issued, which were current for twenty-five sols tournois the piece: two crown-pieces were also coined, one of France and the other of England. In regard to smaller money, doubles were coined that were current for two deniers tournois: these last were in the vulgar tongue called Nicquets, but were not current for more than three years.

CHAPTER CCL.-THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY ENTERS INTO A TREATY WITH HIS PRISONERS FOR THE SURRENDER OF ST. RIQUIER, TO WHICH THE LORD D'OFFEMONT, GOVERNOR OF THE PLACE, AGREES.

THE duke of Burgundy was very desirous to get rid of the Dauphinois from the town of St. Riquier, as they committed much mischief on the country round about; and during the month of November, he had frequent conversations on this subject with the principal prisoners whom he had made at the affair of Mons in Vimeu. At length, a treaty was concluded between the duke, on the one part, and the lord d'Offemont, governor of St. Riquier, and the leaders of his garrison, on the other,—by which it was agreed, that the duke should set at liberty all prisoners whom he or his army had taken since he had first come before St. Riquier, free of ransoms; and in return sir Hemon de Bomber, sir John de Blondel, Ferry de Mailly, John de Beaurevoir, John de Crevecoeur and some others, were to be delivered from their confinement, and also the town and castle of St. Riquier were to be put in possession of the duke.

Not long after the conclusion of this treaty, sir Hemon de Bomber died in St. Riquier of a lingering disorder, which so angered the duke that he would have violated the treaty, if his counsellors had not persuaded him to the contrary. At last, he sent his prisoners under an escort from Lille to Hesdin, and thence with passports they were conducted to the lord d'Offemont, who delivered up the prisoners he had promised, and the town and castle of St. Riquier, into the hands of the lords de Roubaix and de Croy, who had been commissioned for that purpose by the duke.

The lord d'Offemont, on his departure from St. Riquier, crossed the Somme at Blanchetaque and returned through Vimeu to Pierrefons, Crespy in the Valois, and to other places under his obedience. The lords de Roubaix and de Croy, after examining the town and castle, and receiving the oaths of allegiance from the inhabitants, nominated governors thereof le borgne de Fosseaux knight, master Nicholas Mailly, and his brother Ferry de Mailly, Nycaise de Boufflers, John Doncuerre, with others, and their men, to keep the field against sir James de Harcourt.

*Saluts, an old French crown, of the value of five shillings sterling.-Cotgrave.

CHAPTER CCLI.-THE BURGUNDIAN LORDS ASSEMBLE IN ARMS TO CONDUCT THITHER THEIR DUKE FROM PICARDY.-OTHER MATTERS.

ABOUT this time, in consequence of summonses from the duke and duchess dowager of Burgundy, the nobles of that duchy assembled in arms, and went to the duke in Picardy, to escort him thither, where his presence was much desired by the duchess, to consult on public affairs that were very pressing. They amounted to six thousand horse, and began their march under the command of the prince of Orange, the lords de St. George and de Château Vilain, Sir John de Colquebrune marshal of Burgundy, and other lords and captains, through Champagne, to near Lille in Flanders. The principal lords left their men in the adjacent villages, and waited on the duke in Lille, who received them with joy.

As the duke was not quite ready to set out, they were requested by sir John de Luxembourg to join him and make an attack on the lords de Moy and de Chin, who were Dauphinois, and had greatly destroyed his own estates, as well as those of his daughter-inlaw the countess of Marle. They agreed to his proposal; and, as he had assembled about eight hundred combatants, they advanced to St. Quentin, where they lay the first night, and then continued their march. When they approached the castle of Moy, the usual residence of the lord of that name, they were told that he was absent, but had left it well provided with men, stores and provisions: he had also burnt the lower court, and several houses of the town that joined the castle. The Burgundians, foreseeing that the castle could not be won without a long siege, and great loss of men, concluded among themselves, notwithstanding the entreaties of sir John de Luxembourg, to return to Douay and Lille. They did great mischiefs to all the countries they passed through, as well going as returning, and during their stay, of which heavy complaints were made to the duke by churchmen and others, more particularly from Picardy: to all these clamours he replied, that he would very shortly deliver them from their oppressors, by remanding them to Burgundy. Sir John de Luxembourg, vexed and cast down by the Burgundian lords leaving him, disbanded his own forces, and retired to his castle of Beaurevoir.

On the 16th day of December, the duke and duchess of Burgundy arrived at Arras with count Philip de St. Pol and a grand suite of chivalry. Soon after, sir John de Luxembourg came thither, and the Burgundian lords; and on the third after his arrival the duke went to visit his aunt the countess of Hainault at Douay, and conducted her and her household to Arras, where she was honourably received by the duchess and the lords and ladies of her She remained there three or four days, during which many grand entertainments were made for her. Having held some conferences with her nephew, she returned to Quesnoy le Comte in Hainault, where she generally resided.

court.

CHAPTER CCLII.—SIR JAMES DE HARCOURT MEETS A PARTY OF ENGLISH, AND IS DEFEATED WITH LOSS.-A HEAVY TAX LAID FOR A COINAGE TO SUPPLY THE TOWNS WITH CURRENT CASH.

ABOUT this period, sir James de Harcourt, making an excursion with six or seven hundred combatants, was met by a party of English, who had accidentally assembled from Harques, Neuf-châtel, and the adjoining parts, to seek adventures on their enemies the Dauphinois. An obstinate battle ensued; but in the end the English gained the victory, and sir James lost from two to three hundred men in killed and prisoners: he himself and the greater part of the knights and esquires saved themselves by the fleetness of their horses. Among the prisoners was the lord de Verduisant, at that time one of the governors of St. Valery for the dauphin. The English were joyful at their success, and returned to the places they had come from with their prisoners.

At this time there was imposed through many parts of the kingdom, and rigorously exacted, especially in the bailiwick of Amiens, a heavy tax, which had been granted by the three estates, at the request of the kings of France and of England. The object of this tax

« 前へ次へ »