to bear arms and had been disbanded without receiving their pay, should appear before certain commissioners whom he had ordered to settle their accounts, and to relist them for his service in the wars. On the 24th, master John Prevost returned to the king from the count de Charolois, to whom he had carried a copy of the truce, with the count's answer. On the 26th, a general muster was made out of Paris, fronting the church and abbey of St. Germain des Prés, unto the river Seine, when great numbers appeared well equipped, both horse and foot. There were the treasurers of France, the counsellors and clerks of the exchequer, the masters of the mint, the officers of the treasury and of taxes, the assessors, the whole court of parliament, the practitioners in the court of the Châtelet: in all, a fine and numerous company. With the above companies were a great body of horse and foot under the standard and guidon of the Hôtel de Ville. The bishop, the heads of the university, the abbots, priors, and other churchmen of Paris, appeared there with a certain number of men, well-armed and well appointed. When these musters were over, the cardinal, and the other commissaries left Paris to wait on the king, who was between Mans and Alençon with a very great army, to oppose the further progress of the Bretons; for he was followed by more than one hundred thousand horse, and twenty thousand foot; he had also his train of artillery to besiege Alençon, or any other place, that should refuse him obedience. Truces were now in agitation, which kept the king's army idle, to the great destruction of the country for more than twenty or thirty leagues round Mans and Alençon, which was foraged by the troops. The count de Charolois, having had complete success over the Liegeois, returned to St. Quentin, and issued his summonses for all his vassals to appear there in arms on the 15th day of December, under heavy penalties. He also issued his orders throughout Burgundy, for all nobles, or others bearing arms, to appear before his commissioners at Montsavion, there to receive their pay, and to march from Montsavion on or before the 20th day of December for St. Quentin, to aid him in the support of his very dearly beloved brother the lord Charles of France and the duke of Brittany, against all their enemies and ill-wishers. Such was the substance of the proclamation. In consequence thereof, those merchants, and others, who had gone into Burgundy on their affairs, returned to Paris as speedily as they could. The count de Charolois issued fresh orders for all his troops to meet him at St. Quentin the 4th day of January. On Sunday, the feast of the Holy Innocents, the duke of Bourbon was sent to Paris by the king, to place therein, as well as in other towns, sufficient garrisons to defend them against the Burgundians, and to prevent their making any inroads through the country. The marshal de Lohéac came with him, as it was said, to be lieutenant of Paris; but he departed, two days afterwards, for Rouen, and other towns in Normandy, to put them in a proper state of defence, and remained there some time. The duke of Bourbon staid at Paris, and was feasted by all the chief persons in that town. At this time the town of Alençon was surrendered to the king by the count du Perche, son to the duke of Alençon, as he was in possession of the castle, though the Bretons had gained the town. The king, in the mean time, never quitted Mans; and while there, he sent the pope's legate before-mentioned, with Anthony de Chabannes, count of Dammartin, the treasurer Ladriesche, and others, to the lord Charles in Brittany, to negotiate an accommodation. The king, at length, consented to the assembly of the three estates; and the town of Tours was fixed on for their place of meeting, which was appointed for the first day of April *. The king now departed from Mans, and went to Montils-les-Tours, Amboise, and other places in that neighbourhood, on account of the holding of the three estates at Tours. The king was present at their opening,-when, after much discussion on the matters on account of which they were assembled, they were dissolved at Easter-day, in the year 1468. Each person now returned to his home. There were present at this meeting, besides the king, the king of Sicily, the duke of Bourbon, the count du Perche, the patriarch of Jerusalem, the cardinal of Angers, and many great barons, archbishops, abbots, and deputies from all the different provinces and towns of France. The estates were held the 6th of April, and ended the 14th of the same month.-Petite Chronique. The question was agitated at this assembly respecting the appanage for the lord Charles, brother to the king,-and after mature deliberation, it was agreed, that he ought to be satisfied with landed property, having the title of duchy or marquisate, of twelve thousand livres tournois yearly rent; and that the king, in addition, should pay him an annual pension of sixty thousand livres, but without serving as a precedent for other children of France, who should hereafter descend from the crown, to demand a similar establishment, the king having granted so very large a sum as sixty thousand livres from his brotherly affection and his wish for peace; that, in regard to the duchy of Normandy, the lord Charles could not have it, as it was not in the king's power to grant it by dismembering the crown. Respecting the duke of Brittany, who detained the lord Charles in his duchy, and had taken by force some towns in France, and was suspected of holding intelligence with the English, the ancient enemies of France, it was determined by the three estates that he should be summoned to restore these said towns to the king; and should he refuse to do so, and should the king have certain information of his connexion with the English, he must recover them by force of arms, and attack the duke wherever he might meet him. The three estates promised to support him in these measures; namely, the churchmen with their prayers and temporal effects, and the nobles and commonalty with their lives and fortunes unto death. In regard to the want of due justice being administered throughout the realm, the king had a singular desire to accomplish it, and was willing that sufficiently well informed persons should be elected from all ranks, to provide a remedy for any abuses, and establish order and equity. The three estates were of opinion that the count de Charolois ought, from his near relation to the king of France, and as a peer of the realm, to exert himself manfully in these measures. The king, on the breaking up of the estates, went to Amboise, and thence sent an embassy to those assembled at Cambray, to know their resolutions in consequence of what had passed at the meeting at Tours. CHAPTER CLXIX.-TOURNAMENTS AT PARIS AND AT BRUGES. THE KING GOES TO MEAUX. -THE PRINCE OF PIEDMONT COMES TO PARIS. THE LORD DU LAU ESCAPES FROM HIS CONFINEMENT IN THE CASTLE OF USSON, WHICH CAUSES MANY TO LOSE THEIR HEADS. THE BRETONS AND BURGUNDIANS TAKE MERVILLE. CHARLES DE MELUN BEHEADED.-THE SUBSTANCE OF WHAT PASSED BETWEEN THE KING AND THE DUKES OF BERRY AND BRITTANY. PEACE CONCLUDED WITH THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY, IN THE YEAR MCCCCLXVIII. ON Monday, the 5th day of May, the lady Ambroise de Lore, widow of the late sir Robert d'Estouteville, provost of Paris, died about an hour after midnight, and was much lamented; for she was a noble, good, and modest lady, and all decent, well-behaved persons were honourably received at her house. This same day, about nine or ten at night, a mill at Paris, belonging to the prior of St. Ladre, took fire, through the carelessness of a scoundrel servant, who had stuck his candle against the wall near his bed, which fell thereon and burnt the premises; but this servant escaped, and ran away like a fox. A tournament was held, on the 15th of this month, in front of the king's hôtel at the Tournelles, by four gentlemen belonging to the company of the grand seneschal of Normandy, who had ordered the lists, and prepared the field. They had caused proclamation to be made, that they would there be ready to break three lances against all comers. Many Parisians appeared at the lists on the appointed day: the first was Jean Raguier, overseer of the salt-magazines at Soissons, treasurer of the army in Normandy, and son to master Anthony Raguier, counsellor and treasurer of the king's armies. Raguier arrived in great haste from Rouen, to be ready for this tournament, and came late in the evening of the day to St. Ladre, attended by many gentlemen of the company of Joachim Rohault, marshal of France, and others, to the number of twenty horse. He remained secretly, and without noise, at St. Ladre, until the morrow, when his companions conducted him, with the sound of trumpets and clarions, to the lists. He was ( attended by four footmen dressed in liveries, who kept close to the side of the courser he rode, ready to serve him and hold his lance. His companions were all uniformly dressed in handsome hoods, embroidered with great letters of gold. He made several circuits of the lists before the other champions appeared, and behaved gallantly against them; for he broke five lances, and would have done more, had the judges of the field permitted it. When he had so honourably performed his courses, he paraded round the lists, thanking the ladies and damsels for their presence, and taking his leave of the judges,—from all of whom he acquired much praise. He was succeeded by an assessor of Paris, called Marc Senamy, and two sons of sir John Sanguin, who all acquitted themselves with courage and address, but did not gain equal praises with their predecessor. Then came Charles de Louviers, cup-bearer to the king, who carried himself with such gallantry and vigour that he broke several lances, and the prize of the day was adjudged to him. The four champions remained much bruised: two of them carried their arms in scarfs, and another had his hand badly wounded below his gauntlet,-so that the honour of the day belonged to the Parisians. On the preceding Sunday, the 8th of May, another tournament was performed at Bruges before the duke of Burgundy with great triumph; and there another Parisian, called Jerom of Cambray, attached to the service of the duke, tilted, and carried away the prize*. When the tiltings were over at Paris, the king left Amboise for that city, bringing with him the lords of Bourbon, of Lyont, of Beaujeu, and other great barons. He made some stay at Lagny-sur-Marne, Meaux, and other places in the neighbourhood. On the day of Ascension was an earthquake felt at Tours, Amboise, and in divers parts of Touraine. During the king's stay at Lagny and Meaux, he had his summons proclaimed in Paris, for all nobles and others to be prepared on the eighth day, in arms, to march whithersoever they should be ordered, under the severest penalties. While he remained at Meaux, a man from the Bourbonnois was there beheaded, on the 27th day of June, for having revealed the king's secrets to his ancient enemies the English. Prior to this, the king had sent the prince of Piedmont, son to the duke of Savoy, to Paris, to kindle a bonfire at the Greve, and to set at liberty all who were confined in the prisons of the parliament, the Châtelet, and elsewhere. About this time, Charles de Melun, a man-at-arms in the company of the lord admiral, having been made governor of the castle of Usson in Auvergne, had the guard of the person of the lord du Lau entrusted to him on pain of his life. But this lord made his escape, to the great vexation of the king, who, in consequence, had Charles de Melun confined in the castle of Loches, and afterwards beheaded there for his negligence. A youth called Remmonet, the son of Melun's wife, was also beheaded at Tours for this escape,—and the king's attorney at Usson suffered a similar fate at Meaux for the same cause. The king, on leaving Meaux, went to Senlis, and thence to Creil. The Burgundians and Bretons still kept possession of Normandy, and one day took prisoner the lord de Merville-which town of Merville is situated between Saint Sauveur-sur-Dive and Caen-and forced him to surrender the place, in which was a body of franc-archers. The instant they entered the town, they murdered all they found, hung the lord de Merville, and, having completely pillaged the houses and castle, set the whole on fire. The king went from Creil to Compiègne, where he made some stay, and then returned to Senlis. The duke of Burgundy came from Senlis to Paris on the feast of the Assumption of our Lady; but the king, before his departure, had sent the lord of Lyon and the lord constable to the duke of Burgundy to negotiate terms of peace between them. The king, however, did not fail to order his army into Normandy, under the command of the lord admiral. He was so diligent that in less than a month he drove away the Bretons who had possessed themselves of Bayeux. On Saturday the 20th of August, sir Charles de Melun, lord of Normanville, and lately grand-master of the household, who had been imprisoned at the castle of Gaillard †, under • Fuller particulars of this tournament may be seen in the Memoirs of Olivier de la Marche. Philip de Comines tilted with Jerom of Cambray; but it is not said that VOL. II. Jerom, in this tilting, bore off the honour. CC the guard of the count de Dammartin, was tried before the provost of the marshals for the crimes he was accused of, and was this day taken out of prison, carried to the market-place of Andeli*, and there publicly beheaded. The king remained at Noyon, Compiègne, Chauny, and other places thereabout, until the 15th of September, when news was brought him that the lord Charles his brother and the duke of Brittany were become good friends and well-wishers to his person; that the lord Charles was willing to accept of the annual pension of sixty thousand francs, and such an appanage as those lords whom he would fix upon as his arbitrators should agree to. His arbitrators were the duke of Calabria and the constable of France. The duke of Brittany offered to restore to the king the towns his men held in Normandy, if those the king had possession of in Brittany were given in exchange, which was agreed to by the king. Information of this was sent to the duke of Burgundy, then with his army near to Peronne, between Eclusiers and Cappy on the river Somme; but he was unwilling to believe it, until it was confirmed by the lord Charles and the duke of Brittany. And although this reconciliation was afterward certified to him by the herald of the duke of Brittany, he would not disband his army, but marched it to a strong position on the Somme between Eclusiers and Cappy le Doz, which he made stronger by outworks. During this time, different embassies were sent by the king to the duke of Burgundy by the lord constable, the cardinal of Angers, master Pierre d'Oriole, and others, to negotiate a pacification, which the king was greatly desirous of,-although his captains were of a different opinion, and required of the king to allow them to act, and they would deliver the duke and his whole army into his hands; but this he would never permit, and even forbade any hostile acts, on pain of death. On the 12th of October, it was publicly known that a truce until the ensuing month of April had been concluded between them, and that the king, in consequence, had determined to go to Creil and Pontoise, whither he had sent his harbingers; but he afterwards changed his mind, and returned in haste from Compiègne to Noyon, which he had just left. In this interval, Philip de Savoye, Poncet de Riviere lord Dulsé, the lord du Lau, with others who had joined them, did very great mischiefs to the country they had overrun. In consequence, a proclamation was made in Paris on the 8th day of October, for all the nobles and other vassals within the provostship and viscounty of Paris, to muster in arms at Gonesse on the Monday following, and be ready to march wherever they should be ordered. This proclamation greatly alarmed the Parisians, for fear the reports of a truce should prove unfounded. The king, hearing that the duke of Burgundy was gone to Peronne, left Noyon in a hurry to meet him there. He was accompanied by few persons, having with him only the cardinal of Angers, some few of his household, the duke of Bourbon, and others. Thus privately did he go to Peronne, to the duke of Burgundy, who received him as he was bound to do, with much respect. They were long in private conversation, and seemed so perfectly satisfied with each other, notwithstanding what had passed before, that a peace was agreed on between them. The duke of Burgundy swore that henceforward he would never do anything contrary to the king's will, and that he would remain his faithful servant and subject until death. In concluding this peace, the king confirmed the treaty of Arras; and other private articles were agreed on, as the king afterwards advertised his nobles, churchmen, court of parliament at Paris, and populace, for which great rejoicings were made, with general processions, and singing of "Te Deum laudamus," and other praises to God. Bonfires were made and tables laid out in all the streets for whoever chose to eat or drink. While this was passing, news came that the Liegeois had made prisoner and put to death their bishop, with all his officers,-which much angered the king, the dukes of Burgundy and Bourbon, and others of his brothers. This was followed by the intelligence that the duke of Burgundy was preparing to march against them in person to punish them. Imme * Andeli, Audeli le Petit, a league distant from Gaillon. The count de Dammartin was the greatest enemy to sir Charles de Melun, who once enjoyed the most unbounded power and favour with Louis XI. The executioner failed in his first attempt to behead him; on which sir Charles arose and declared himself innocent of the charges laid against him; but said, that if it was the king's pleasure for him to die, he was contented, and relaid his head on the block very quietly, when it was cut off. diately different news was brought, namely, that the bishop was neither put to death nor a prisoner, but that the Liegeois had constrained him to chaunt at mass; that ever since they had been well pleased with him, and acknowledged him for their true lord, promising him all obedience, in hopes by this conduct to efface from his mind their former behaviour to him *. CHAPTER CLX.-THE KING OF FRANCE GOES TO NOTRE-DAME OF HALLE. THE TOWN OF LIEGE DESTROYED. —THE KING RATIFIES AT PARIS HIS TREATY WITH THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY. HE HAS ALL THE GAME ROUND PARIS TAKEN ALIVE, TO SEND TO THE COUNT DE FOIX, AS A TOKEN OF FRIENDSHIP. —A GREAT INUNDATION IN HOLLAND AND ZEALAND. A PRISONER IN THE CHASTELET FOR THEFT INFORMS AGAINST HIS COMPANIONS, WHO ARE ALL HUNG.- -MCCCCLXVIII. Ar this time, the king of France went on a pilgrimage to our Lady at Halle, where he did not remain long. Philip de Savoye and others who had accompanied him made their peace with the king, through the mediation of the duke of Burgundy. When he had performed his pilgrimage at Halle, he went to meet the duke of Burgundy at Namur, and determined to accompany him in his war against Liege, during which he was lodged for some time in the suburbs of that city. With the king was the duke of Bourbon, the archbishop of Lyon, the lord of Beaujeu, and the bishop of Liege, all brothers. The bishop had come out of the town to endeavour to bring about an accommodation on the part of the inhabitants with the duke of Burgundy. His offers were to surrender the town, with all its effects, on condition that the inhabitants should have liberty to retire whither they pleased unmolested. The duke not only refused these terms, but swore that he and his army should perish sooner than not have the town and its inhabitants at his pleasure to do by as should to him seem good. He would not suffer the bishop to return, but detained him in his camp, although he had given his word to come back to Liege and live and die there. Soon after the departure of the bishop from their city, and when they knew that he was prevented from returning, the Liegeois made several sallies on the king's and duke's quarters, but when any of them were taken, they were instantly put to death. In spite, however, of all their efforts, the duke of Burgundy gave orders for a general attack on the city between eight and nine in the morning of the 30th day of October, when the Burgundians and the king's troops entered the town without resistance; for the better part of the inhabitants, hearing of the intended attack, had fled, leaving behind only the populace,women, children, old men and monks, who were indiscriminately killed, and every violence was displayed as usual in a town taken by storm. Many young women and girls were violated, and afterwards murdered. Although the king, the dukes of Burgundy and of Bourbon, the archbishop of Lyon, the bishop of Liege, and the lord of Beaujeu, had entered the city, the greatest and most cruel disorders were continued, such as forcing convents, killing of children, and priests even while officiating at their altars. When they had satisfied themselves in plundering the churches and houses, they set them on fire, and threw down the walls into the ditches. *The progress of the war with the Liegeois is detailed very much at length in the second book of Philip de Comines, where also the reader will find all the particulars of an affair which is not even hinted at in this place. The king had himself excited the commotions in Liége, the intelligence of which is here said to have so disturbed him by means of his secret envoys. After having done this, he had the imprudence (most unaccountable in one of his consummate craft) to come and meet the duke of Burgundy in the duke's own town of Peronne. The treaty between them was already far advanced when news arrived of this disturbance, and then also intelligence was brought to the duke of the infamous iutrigues by which it had been occasioned. The duke immediately ordered the gates of the town to be closed, and made Louis his prisoner; and in this state the king remained for some days, in hourly |