take their course, in regard to these prisoners, and that the court of parliament, as was reasonable, should take cognizance of them, they positively refused every request of the sort, and had letters drawn up as seemed good to them, and to which they had the great seal of our chancery set by force, and, besides, constrained our son to sign all their acts with our seals manual, as approving of their deeds. · That they might have the chancellor the more under their command, to seal whatever edicts they should please to have proclaimed, they dismissed from that office our well-beloved Arnold de Corbie, who had so long and so faithfully served us, and put in his place master , Eustace de Lactre, by whom letters were sealed and issued contrary to all truth, but conformable to the acts of these wicked men. We were deceived by them, from want of able counsellors, and from freedom of speech not being permitted, as has before been noticed. • All these letters, therefore, and edicts mandatory that have been published to the dishonour of our said uncle, nephews, cousins, and their friends and adherents, we holding a bed of justice in our court of parliament, in the presence of many of our blood-royal, prelates, churchmen, as well members of the university of Paris, our daughter, as from elsewhere, several great barons, and other able persons of our council, and many principal citizens of Paris, do now annul, condemn and for ever annihilate. And we forbid all our subjects, under pain of incurring our highest indignation, to act, by word or deed, any way hereafter contrary to the strict tenour of this our will and pleasure. Should any of these disgraceful acts be produced in courts of justice, we forbid any faith to be placed in them, and order them to be torn and destroyed wherever they may be found. • In consequence whereof, we command our beloved and faithful counsellors of our parliament, our provost of Paris, and all others our bailiffs, seneschals, provosts and officers of justice, or their lieutenants, each and all of them to cause this our present edict to be publicly proclaimed by sound of trumpet in the usual places where proclamations are made, that none may plead ignorance of this our will. And we also command, that it be publicly read by all prelates and clergymen, or such as have usually preached to the people, that in time to come they may not again be seduced by similar evil machinations. 229 • We also order, that as full obedience be paid to all copies of these presents, sealed with our seal, as to the original. In testimony of which, we have set our seal to these presents. Given in our great chamber of the parliament of Paris, at a bed of justice holden the 12th day of September, in the • By the king, holding his bed of justice in his court of parliament.' Countersigned, Baye.'—This ordinance was, consequently, proclaimed in Amiens * on the 15th day of December following. year 1413. CHAP. XXIV.. THE DUKE OF BRITTANY COMES TO PARIS, THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY HOLDS A COUNCIL AT LILLE. THE ACTIONS OF THE COUNT DE ST POL,—AND OTHER MATTERS THAT HAPPENED AT THIS TIME. At this period, John duke of Brittany, son in law to the king, came to Paris, with his brother * The name of the city of Amiens is inserted in this and in most of the former state-papers merely by way of The duke of Burgundy, during this time, was holding a grand council at Lille, which example. It was probably the nearest bailiwick to Monstrelet's place of residence, and the edicts, &c. which he inspected were those directed to this particular bailiff. the count de Richemont. The duke d'Evreux * and the earl of Rutland arrived there also from England, to treat of the marriage of their king with Catherine daughter to the king of France, and to prevent the alliance which the duke of Burgundy was desirous of forming between the king of England and his daughter t. These ambassadors, having explained to the king of France and his ministers the cause of their coming, returned to England. * There was clearly no such person as the duke d'Evreux ; but the earl of Rutland himself was also duke of Aumerle ; and, both being norman titles, Monstrelet might have confounded them. But I can find no mention of an embassy in which the earl of Rutland was concerned. of Monstrelet must have mistaken the names of these ambassadors; for in the Fædera mention is made of a promise from the king of England, by his commissioners, the bishop of Durham, the earl of Warwick and doctor Ware I, . De non contrahendo, citra certum diem, cum aliqua alia muliere, nisi cum Katerina Franciæ, matrimonio.'-Dated Westminster, 28th January 1414. # This, however, seems to refer to the second embassy mentioned after was attended by deputies from Ghent, Bruges, Ypres, the Quatre Mestiers, and by many nobles : among the latter was count Waleran de St Pol, constable of France, who had just concluded the negotiation with the English at Boulogne and Leulinghen. The envoys from England were the earl of Warwick and the bishop of St Davids, and others, who were commissioned to treat of a truce between the two kings, which was agreed on to last until the feast of St John the Baptist next ensuing. The count de St Pol, when on this business, received letters from the king of France, ordering him to come to Paris and surrender the constable's sword. Finding that it was intended to deprive him of this office, he came to ask advice of the duke of Burgundy, who counselled him not to obey these orders; and in consequence, he went to his castle of St Pol en Ternois, where his lady resided, and thence to Amiens, and there tarried four days. From Amiens, he sent to Paris, as ambassadors to the king of France, his nephew the count de Conversen and the vidame of Amiens, attended by master Robert le Jeusne, advocate at Amiens, to harangue the king on the subject of their embassy. On their arrival, |