Gaucourt, who gave him, at his hôtel, a magnificently rich supper, to which was invited a very numerous company of both sexes. In the month of October, it was discovered, at Tours, that a person called Jeanbon, a native of Wales, who had a handsome pension from the king, and who was married to a woman from Mantes with a good fortune, had conspired, at the solicitation of the duke of Burgundy (as he himself had confessed), to poison the dauphin of France. For this crime, he was condemned, by the provost of the king's household, to be beheaded. At the place of execution, he was asked if he wished to say anything more; he replied, Nothing, except that he hoped the king would be pleased to have compassion on his wife and children. The prisoner was then told that he might have the choice of being beheaded or of having his eyes put out. He chose the last; and it was done by the provost, who then gave him up to his wife, and the king ordered that his pension should be continued in her name. CHAPTER CLXXIII.-THE DUKE OF MILAN IS MURDERED. THE TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF THE BURGUNDIAN ARMY, AND DEATH OF THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY, BY THE VICTORIOUS DUKE OF LORRAINE, BEFORE NANCY.-THE REDUCTION OF THE COUNTRIES AND TOWNS THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY HAD USURPED FROM FRANCE, SUCH AS ARRAS, HESDIN, &C.-SEVERAL BEHEADED IN ARRAS, CAMBRAY, AND IN OTHER TOWNS. IN the month of December, and during the feasts of Christmas, the duke of Milan* was unfortunately assassinated by a gentleman of that country. He had accosted him in the great church of Milan, under pretence of speaking with him, while he was walking there with a foreign ambassador, and had thrust his knife through the slashes of his robe, three or four times, into his lower belly-so that he fell down instantly dead, without saying a word. The cause of this action was, that the gentleman, his relatives and friends, had employed all their money to purchase a vacant abbey for one of their kindred, and the duke had deprived him of it to bestow it on another, and would not suffer their relative by any means to enjoy it. The gentleman, having made many fruitless requests to the duke on this business, determined to put him to death, which he did as above related. Had this gentleman failed, he had a companion bent on the same business, who would have killed the duke of Milan, because he had detained his wife as a mistress against her inclinations. By the judges and nobles of Milan, it was resolved that the whole of the families of these two persons, males and females, should be put to death, wherever they should be found,-their habitations demolished, and razed to the ground, all their possessions destroyed, and even their trees bearing fruit should be pulled up by their roots; and this sentence was carried into execution. In the month of December, the lady Agnes of Bourbon departed this life, at the castle of Moulins, in the Bourbonnois. She was the widow of the late prince Charles duke of Bourbon and of Auvergne, by whom he had a noble issue, as well males as females,-namely, the present noble prince John duke of Bourbonnois and Auvergne, who married the most excellent princess Jeanne of France, eldest daughter to the late king Charles of France; Louis lord of Beaujeu, who died young; Charles archbishop of Lyon, primate of France and cardinal of Bourbon; Pierre lord of Beaujeu, married to the eldest daughter of the present king of France; the prince bishop of Liege; the lord James, who died at Bruges; the lady Jeanne, married to the prince of Orange, lord of Arlay; the lady Margaret, married to Philip of Savoy, lord of Bresset. The defunct lady had long lived a holy life, and her loss was much regretted and bewailed by her children, family, and friends, and by all the inhabitants of the Bourbonnois and Auvergne,-and may her soul be blessed! Her remains were interred in the church of Souvigny. The duke of Burgundy, as before related, had marched to besiege the town of Nancy, and * Duke of Milan,-Galeas Maria Sforza. Having indulged his illicit passions at the cost of the most respectablo houses in Florence, two injured noblemen, Lampognano and Visconti, assassinated him. His infant son was placed under the guardianship of Ludovico Sforza, surnamed the had reduced it to such distress, by famine, that negotiations were opened for its capitulation. But on the eve of Epiphany, the duke of Lorraine arrived with twelve or fourteen thousand Swiss and Germans to raise the siege, combat the Burgundians, and secure Nancy. Four days before his arrival, which was on the 5th of January, the count of Campo Basso, the lord Ange, and the lord de Montfort, quitted the duke of Burgundy, and abandoned his camp, -and, prior to the battle, the count of Campo Basso carried away with him full nine-score men-at-arms. On the Saturday following, the other two captains, before named, took with them six-score men-at-arms, who were all resolved to turn to the French party,—but this was kept secret on account of the existing truce; and it was ordered, by those to whom they had addressed themselves, that, for the present, they should march into Lorraine. This was done, with the exception of a party which remained for the guard of Condé*, on the Moselle, through which place all the provisions for the Burgundian army passed, from the vale of Metz and the country of Luxembourg. The count of Campo Bassot joined the duke of Lorraine, and informed him minutely of the exact state of the Burgundian force. On this day, the 4th of January, the duke of Lorraine arrived at St. Nicholas de Varangeville, with his reinforcement of Swiss, who amounted, from an account taken, to ten thousand five hundred. Of Germans there were also many, beside Lorrainers and other fighting men. On Sunday, the 5th, the duke of Lorraine dislodged, about eight in the morning, and marched the Swiss to Neuville, and beyond a pond, when they formed their army in array. The Swiss were formed in two divisions; the one commanded by the count d'Abstain and the governors of Fribourg and Zurich, the other, by the governors of Berne and Lucerne‡. About mid-day, the whole began to advance,-one division along the river side, and the other on the great road leading from Neuville to Nancy. The duke of Burgundy had already drawn up his army in battle-array without his camp, having in front a rivulet that was by the hospital called La Magonne, between two strong hedges, and between him and the Swiss. On the great road by which the other division of the Swiss was advancing, he had posted the main body of his artillery. Thus, as the two divisions of the Swiss were advancing, the Burgundians fired on them when within crossbowshot, and did them some mischief; but that division which had taken the main road, wheeling through a small wood, fell on the duke of Burgundy's flank. While this was passing, the duke ordered his archers, who were on foot, to wheel and front the Swiss, and formed two wings of his men-at-arms to give them battle,- -one wing under the command of Jacques Galiot, an Italian captain, and the other under sir Josse de Lalain, high bailiff of Flanders. When the Swiss found themselves on the duke's flank, and on higher ground, they made as desperate a charge as ever men made, discharging, on their advance, their portable culverins. This discharge (which was not like a tax-gatherer's) threw the duke's army into confusion, and was followed by their flight. This division of Swiss now attacked the wing commanded by Jacques Galiot, and defeated it instantly. The other wing, under sir Josse de Lalain, had advanced on the Swiss, but were so courageously received that the infantry were soon put to flight, and followed by the cavalry as fast as spurs could make them. They made for the bridge of Bridores, half a league from Nancy, and on the road to Thionville and Luxembourg. But here their hopes of passing were destroyed by the treachery of Campo Basso, who had barricaded the passage of this bridge with carts and waggons, and was with his men drawn up under arms on the opposite side; so that when the Burgundians were thus checked and overtaken by the Lorrainers, who followed at their heels, they were forced to attempt fording the river,-and there the slaughter was much more than on the field of battle, for such as attempted to pass the river were either killed by the Swiss or drowned: very few escaped death, or being made prisoners. Some, on noticing this ambuscade of Campo Basso, fled to the woods: but they * Condé,-within two leagues of Nancy. + Campo Basso, when near to St. Nicholas, threw off the red scarf (the badge of the Burgundians), and surrendered himself to the duke of Lorraine. The army of the duke of Lorraine is thus divided, according to Du Clos. The infantry commanded by Guillaumé Harfer, general of the Swiss; the cavalry by the count of Tierstein. The corps de bataille consisted of 8000 infantry, supported by 1500 horse on the right, and 500 on the left wing. The rear guard was composed of only 800 foot. Réné commanded the whole army in person, and had with him the counts of Linange and Salins, the lords of Bassompierre, Blamont, &c. &c. were pursued by the peasants,-and for four leagues round nothing was to be seen but dead bodies. The pursuit after the Burgundians lasted during two hours after nightfall; and the duke of Lorraine inquired, on all sides, what was become of the duke of Burgundy; whether he had fled, was slain, or made prisoner: but at that moment no one could answer his questions. The duke of Lorraine, on this, dispatched a confidential servant to John Dais, town-clerk of Metz, to learn if the duke of Burgundy had passed through that town; and on the morrow, John Dais sent for answer, that assuredly he had not passed that way,-and that no one knew what was become of him, for he had not taken the road to Luxembourg. On the morrow, Epiphany-day, the count of Campo Basso brought the duke of Lorraine a page, who had been made prisoner, named Baptiste, a native of Rome, and of the Colonna family, in the employ of the count de Châlon, a Neapolitan, who was with the duke of Burgundy. On being interrogated, the page led a large company of Lorrainers to the place where the duke of Burgundy lay dead*, and naked, with fourteen others in the same state, but at some distance from each other. The duke had received a blow from a halbert on the side of his head, above the ear, which had pierced to his jaw: a pike had been thrust through his thighs, and another pike had passed through his fundament. This body was known to be the duke's from six marks: the first, and principal, was the loss of all his upper teeth, which had been caused by a fall: the second, by the scar of a wound that he had received on the right side of his throat at the battle of Montlehery: the third, by his long nails, which he wore of a greater length than any other person of his court: the fourth, by a scar of a carbuncle, which he had formerly had on his shoulder: the fifth, by an ulcer at the lower part of his belly, on the right groin and sixthly, by a nail that was wanting to one of his toes. By all these marks, he was acknowledged to be the duke of Burgundy by his own physician, a Portuguese, named Matthieu, and also by the grooms of his bed chamber, the great bastard of Burgundy, sir Olivier de la Marche, his chaplain, and others of his court, prisoners to the duke of Lorraine. The body having been so clearly ascertained to be that of the duke of Burgundy, it was carried into Nancy, washed and cleaned, and then placed on a table, and dressed in a vesture of cloth from the neck to the feet, with a pall of black velvet over the body, in a dark chamber hung with black velvet. Under his head was a pillow of black velvet; and at the four corners of the table were large lighted tapers, with the crucifix and holy water at his feet. While he lay in this state, the duke of Lorraine came to see him, dressed in mourning, and wearing a large golden beard that descended to his girdle, in imitation of the ancient Preux, and in honour of the victory he had gained over him. Having taken one of his hands from under the pall, he said, "May God receive your soul! You have done us many and grievous injuries and vexations." After which, he took some holy water, and sprinkled it over the corpse. All who pleased now entered to see him; and the duke of Lorraine had him handsomely interred, and caused a solemn service to be said over him. In consequence of the death and defeat of the duke of Burgundy and his army, the duke of Lorraine and his captains held a council, and determined instantly to enter the duchy and county of Burgundy, and other parts under the dominion of the late duke, to reduce them to the king's obedience, which was accomplished without any resistance. of the country of Auxerre submitted also, and took the oaths of allegiance to the king.-In this battle the greater part of those who had accompanied the duke were slain +. The great bastard of Burgundy was made prisoner, whom the duke of Lorraine afterwards carried to the king of France in Picardy. The bastard Baldwin of Burgundy, and several other great lords, were also taken prisoners. The king of France being assured of the death of the duke of Burgundy, and the events Underneath are two epitaphs made on the duke of Burgundy, taken from Heuterus, historian of the Low Countries, and Teschenmacher, in his history of Cleves. "To pacis piguit, te tæduit atque quietis, Carole, sicque juces? jamque quiesce tibi." "Te piguit pacis, teduitque quietis, in urna Mortue jam Carole, litis amice jaco. Æthera num patcant tibi, vel descensus averni, Among them the lords of Bievres, Contay, and la Viefville. The two bastards, Anthony and Baldwin, the counts of Nassau, Retel, Chimay, Oliver de la Marche, and others, were made prisoners. that had subsequently taken place, left Tours on a pilgrimage of devotion. He returned by Chartres Villepreux * and Aubervilliers*, to Nôtre Dame de la Victoire, and thence to Noyon and Compiégne. In this interval, very many of the places that had been occupied by the duke of Burgundy were surrendered to him; such as Mondidier, Peronne, Abbeville, Montreuil-sur-mer, and others near to Arras. But those in this last town at first refused to submit, and fortified themselves with men-at-arms, provisions, and artillery. Many agents were sent by them to the king, who at last succeeded in obtaining a truce; during which the king made the greatest preparations of gens-d'armes, artillery, and of warlike stores, that had been seen, waiting the determination of those in Arras-whether they would submit peaceably, or renew the war. To defray the expenses of so large an armament, the king borrowed great sums from Paris, and the other principal towns in his kingdom. The king, however, found means of gaining possession of the city of Arras †, into which he made his entry on the 4th of May, and fortified it more strongly against the town of Arras,—into which a number of persons attached to the Burgundian party had thrown themselves, and even many from those towns that had lately submitted to the king, who, though for the most part adventurers, and without any leader of note, had strengthened the fortifications, and uttered daily blasphemies against the king. To these they added all manner of insults,such as erecting gibbets in the town and on the walls, on which they hung his badge of the white cross, showing their naked posteriors to him, and other indecencies. During these insulting follies, some of the inhabitants of the town waited on the king, to endeavour to obtain a pacification; and, although these adventurers had persevered over long in their impudence, the king agreed to accept the submission of those in Arras, as offered to their sovereign lord, for neglect of proper homage and of different dues; and that the revenues of the said towns should be collected by his commissioners, and in his name, until the princess of Burgundy should have performed her homage by proxy. The king also promised not to send any body of men-at-arms into the town of Arras, without the consent of the inhabitants. These matters being settled, the king sent into the town the lord cardinal of Bourbon, the lord chancellor, sir Guiot Pot, bailiff of the Vermandois, sir Philip de Crevecoeur lord Desquerdes, governor of the said town, with other nobles, to receive the oaths of the inhabitants of Arras; but while this was doing, some of the townsmen rebelled, and came in arms to the abbey of St. Waast, where the cardinal and the other lords were at dinner, bawling out "Kill, kill them!" The commissioners were more frightened than they had ever been in their lives; but at this time no mischief happened. When they returned to the city of Arras, the king departed to celebrate Easter at Therouenne. He thence went to Hêdin, when the town surrendered: but some pillagers of the Burgundy party seized on the castle, against which the king ordered his artillery to play, and a wide breach was soon made; but as the royalists were preparing to enter it, those within surrendered, on having their lives and fortunes spared, and on being permitted to march away in safety. A. D. 1477. Early in the above year, after Hêdin had been gained, some of the inhabitants of Arras, under pretence of going to the king of France, obtained passports from the lord admiral. He, however, suspected their intentions, and caused them to be followed, when it was found that they were going to Flanders to the princess of Burgundy, and were in consequence arrested and brought back to Hêdin, where they were tried. It was now discovered that the object of their journey was treasonable; and they were accordingly sentenced to be beheaded in the market-place of Hêdin, to the number of eighteen: among them was master Oudart du Bucy, attorney-general of the town of Arras and country of Artois. His head was cut off in a hood of scarlet cloth lined with fur: both were nailed fast to the top of a pole, that the head might not be carried away; and under the hood was written, "This is *Towns in the isle of France. The city of Arras. Arras is divided in two parts,one called the city, the other the town. The city was surrendered to the king by the lord d'Esquerdes, or des Cordes; but it was necessary to gain the town, which was done by negotiation. the head of master Oudart de Bucy, king's counsellor in his court of parliament at Paris*" When these examples had been made, the king went on a pilgrimage to our Lady of Boulogne. He was very indignant at the rebellious conduct of the inhabitants of Arras, and declared that the town should be destroyed. To effect this, he ordered a large force to march and besiege it, which was done, and the artillery began to play on the town, when the king returned to the city about the end of April. The fortifications were much battered, and the bulwark which those in the town had erected against the city was so completely destroyed that the view of the interior of the town was laid open. The inhabitants now gave themselves up for lost; but they found means to obtain the king's mercy, although he had abandoned the town to be plundered by his men-at-arms and franc-archers, who were very much discontented thereat, considering that the pillage of the town had been solemnly promised to them. As the men of Arras had persevered in their rebellion, had insulted the king, and proceeded from bad to worse by killing many of his troops, they thought them undeserving of mercy. However, the capitulation was signed: and the royal army marched into Arras on Sunday, the 4th of May. This matter being settled, the king went to the abbey of Nôtre Dame de la Victoire ; and the lord admiral, the nobles, and franc-archers separated for their own homes. While the king was at the above-mentioned abbey, news was brought that fifty of his archers had been refused admittance into Peronne, whither they had carried five prisoners in his name. He went, therefore, to Peronne, thinking that a rebellion was intended, and stayed there some time. Having had information that the Flemings were arming, with the intent to invade his country, he issued a proclamation, which was published at Paris on Sunday the 18th of May, for all persons, of every description, whether privileged or not, to be ready in arms to resist the invasion of the Flemings. The king went to Cambray, which surrendered on capitulation, and remained there until Trinity Sunday, to recruit his men-at-arms. CHAPTER CLXXIV. -THE KING SUMMONS HIS PARLIAMENT FROM PARIS TO NOYON, TO TRY THE DUKE OF NEMOURS.-A FORGER EXECUTED AT PARIS.-OF THE VICTORY OF THE LORD DE CRAON OVER THE PRINCE OF ORANGE.OF THE DEATH OF THE DUKE OF GUELDRES BEFORE TOURNAY. THE DUKE OF NEMOURS EXECUTED AT PARIS.-A PARTY OF FLEMINGS DEFEATED.-SEVERAL PERSONS HANGED AT PARIS FOR HAVING ASSASSINATED THE SON OF THE PUBLIC EXECUTIONER. THE king sent his letters-patent to Paris, to order the presidents and counsellors of his parliament, and the masters of requests of his household, to come to Noyon, and form there a court of justice in his presence, and, in conjunction with the princes of his blood, to try the duke of Nemours, who had long been confined in the bastile of St. Anthony at Paris. The parliament, in obedience to this order, set out from Paris on the 2d of June, to arrive at Noyon the ensuing day, which had been appointed for this trial. On the 14th of June, a person who had been of the king's household was imprisoned for having forged the king's signet, and that of one of his secretaries, by which means he had sent letters to divers towns, and obtained large sums of money, which he had appropriated to his own use. He was tried before the provost, or his lieutenant, of the royal household, and sent to Paris, to have the following sentence executed upon him, namely, to be pilloried with a paper cap on his head, then burned in the forehead, his right hand cut off, to be banished the kingdom, and all his effects and inheritances to be confiscated to the king. In this month of June, the king gave the command of an army to the lord de *The townsmen of Arras had broken the terms of their late treaty, and had revolted. Oudart de Bussy was one of the principal authors of it. He had accepted from the king an office in the parliament of Paris, but instead of The king exercising it with honour, had rebelled. |