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On Friday the 20th day of August* (a little before sunrise, the sky bright and clear), a white cross was seen in the heavens by the king's army, and even by the English in Bayonne, for half an hour. Those in the town, who were desirous of returning to the French, took the red crosses from their banners and pennons, saying, that since it pleased God they should become Frenchmen, they would all wear white crosses. This cross in the heavens was seen on a Friday, the day our Lord and Saviour was crucified. On the same day, at ten o'clock, the lord de la Bessiere entered the town, accompanied by the bishop, to take possession of the town and castle. The king's banners were hoisted on the citadel by his heralds, to the great joy of the people; and the fleet of Biscayners at the same time entered the harbour of Bayonne, which was a fine spectacle.

On Saturday, the 21st of August, the lieutenants-general made their public entry into Bayonne accompanied by the grand-master of the household, the count de Lautrec, brother to the count de Foix, the lord de Noailles, the lord de la Bessiere, and others, in the following procession: first, a thousand archers, who had manned the pinnaces from Biscay; then two heralds, followed by others bearing their coats of arms; sir Bertrand de l'Espagne, seneschal of Foix, in full armour, bearing the king's banner, mounted on a horse covered with crimson-velvet housings. The count de Foix came next, completely armed, and mounted on a horse very richly caparisoned: he had near him his seneschal of Béarn, as splendidly dressed and mounted: the head-piece of his horse was steel, ornamented with gold and precious stones, estimated at fifteen thousand crowns. A number of attendants followed, and then six hundred lances on foot closed the march.

The count de Dunois entered from another quarter, preceded by twelve hundred archers, then two of the king's heralds, and others, bearing different banners of arms. After them came sir Jeannet de Saveuses, mounted on a courser bearing one of the king's banners. At this entry, the count de Dunois created the said Jeannet a knight, together with the lord de Mont-Guyon, Jean de Montmorin, and the lord de Boussey. After the royal banner came the count de Dunois in complete armour, and his horse covered with crimson velvet ; then the lord de Lohéac marshal of France, the lord d'Orval, and many more great lords : the whole procession closed by six hundred lances. Both parties met at the great portal of the church, where the bishop and his clergy, dressed in their pontificals and copes, were waiting to receive them. The lords dismounted; and having kissed the holy relics which the clergy had brought for that purpose, they offered up their prayers at the great altar, and thence returned to their lodgings. The count de Foix sent the trappings of his horse, which were of golden tissue, and valued at four hundred golden crowns, to the church of Our Lady in Bayonne, to make copes of for the priests.

On the morrow, which was Sunday, these lords, accompanied by the lord d'Albreth, who had entered the town on Saturday evening, heard mass in the same church, and afterwards received the oaths of the inhabitants. Sir John le Boursier, general of France, was appointed the mayor, and sir Martin Gracien captain, who remained in Bayonne for its government and defence. On the ensuing day, the troops were dismissed to the countries assigned them for cantonments; and the barons, knights, and principal burghers of the three estates, as well from Bordeaux, the Bordelois, Bayonne, Bazadois, and the countries round, went to the king at Taillebourg, to receive the ratification of the articles of the treaties that had been agreed on by his commissioners, and to do homage to the king for their lordships. The king, at the request of those from Bayonne, remitted one-half of their fine of forty thousand crowns, on which they returned very well pleased with the king and his ministers. The king was attended at Taillebourg by the counts of Maine, of Nevers, of Clermont, of Vendôme, of Castres, of Tancarville, and very many other lords. Thither came also the counts of Foix and of Dunois, the lord d'Albreth, the lord of Lohéac, and other barons, who shortly after returned to their winter-quarters, and the king went to pass his winter in Touraine.

Thus, by the grace of God, was the whole of Guienne and Normandy reduced to the obedience of the king of France, and all the possessions the English had in that realm, excepting the town of Calais, which still remains in their hands; but God grant that it

"Twentieth day of August." There seems a confusion of dates here.

may soon share a similar fate, and then will the saying be accomplished, obedientia quam sacrificium."

"Melior est

In this same year, the emperor Frederick*, duke of Austria, was crowned, and married at Rome, by pope Nicholas, to the daughter of the king of Portugal, and the feasts and entertainments were suitable to the rank of the parties. Shortly after, the emperor returned to Germany with his empress, where they were most honourably received, acccording to the customs of that country.

In this year, also, there were great discords in England between the dukes of York and Somerset, for the government of the kingdom. The king supported the latter, who raised a large army, and took the field in handsome array. The duke of York did the same, and a general engagement was expected; but the prelates and great lords, dreading the consequences, interfered and brought about an accommodation,-when the duke of York promised never to arm again or collect forces in opposition to his king†,—and each army separated to the places they had come from.

In this same year, the cardinal de Touteville was sent by pope Nicholas to the king of France, as his legate, and to require that he would make peace with England,-for the continuation of the war was of great prejudice to the Catholic faith. The legate pressed as speedy a conclusion as possible between the two kingdoms, for the infidels were daily making conquests from the Christians. When the cardinal had explained the object of his mission, the king replied, that he was as desirous as ever to prevent further effusion of blood, and to promote the general welfare of Christendom: that he was ready to listen to any reasonable proposals, and had frequently made offers to that effect in vain: that he was willing to agree to any proper terms, and to employ his arms and finances, as much as should be in his power, to repulse the Saracens.

While the legate was employed on this business in France, the pope, having the matter much at heart, sent the archbishop of Ravenna, of the Ursini family at Rome, to England, to make similar remonstrances with king Henry, and to press him earnestly to conclude a peace with France, for the reasons stated by the legate, and that a further prolongation of the war would probably entail contempt on Christendom, as the infidels had already made great conquests in Hungary and Germany. The king's ministers made answer to the archbishop, that when they should have reconquered from the king of France what he had won from them, it would be time enough to talk of these matters. This answer was a bad precedent; and the cardinal and archbishop returned to pope Nicholas without having done anything, in regard to the mission he had sent them on.

According to the Chronicles of Arras, the inhabitants of Ghent, at this season, finding their lord was indignant against them for the opposition which their deputies had made to his laying a tax on salt, began to murmur,-and, puffed up with pride, they rose in rebellion against his authority, and seized many of the duke's officers, whom they beheaded without mercy. They chose from among themselves three leaders, called in their language Hoguemens, whom they appointed to the government. The principal was called Lieuvin Seve, a poor mason, and the other two were of low degree.

When news of this was brought to the duke, he instantly issued his summons, throughout Picardy and Hainault, for the assembling a body of men-at-arms; and sent a valiant knight, a gentleman born in Hainault, called sir Simon de Lalain, as governor of Oudenarde, and with him another knight, named the lord des Cornets. In the holy week of this same year, three of the states of Flanders, namely, Brussels, Ypres, and the Franc, sent a deputation to the duke of Burgundy at Brussels, accompanied by a Carthusian of the convent at Ghent. They were admitted to an audience on Good Friday, and, by the mouth of the Carthusian, entreated him, on their knees, and with the utmost humility, to pardon the people of Ghent for their ill conduct,—and to have pity on his country of Flanders for the love of God, and in respect to the sacred day on which they made their petition. They offered, on the part of the men of Ghent, that if he would pardon them, they would make whatever reparation

The emperor Frederick III., married to Eleanor, eldest daughter of Edward king of Portugal. Their only issue were Maximilian, afterwards emperor, and Cune

gunda, married to Albert duke of Bavaria.

† Monstrelet, or his continuator, seems to have been miserably informed respecting these quarrels in England.

his ministers should think expedient. The good prince replied, that from his reverence to God and respect to the day, he would grant their request, provided the men of Ghent would abide by the decision of his ministers as to the reparatiou they were to make for their bad conduct.

It happened, in the mean time, that some of the peasantry and farmers had placed their effects in the town of Oudenarde, as a security against the war which they thought was about to commence; and they assembled, in number about twelve hundred, and came to the gates of Oudenarde, to demand back their effects; but when sir Simon de Lalain was informed of their numbers, he refused them admittance, or to restore their goods, until he should have informed their prince. The peasants, dissatisfied with this answer, went to make their complaints at Ghent, and to supplicate their assistance in the recovery of their goods from Oudenarde,-when, without considering the consequences, the Hoguemens instantly displayed their banners, and marched fifteen thousand men of all sorts out of the

town.

CHAPTER XXXIX.- JACQUES CŒUR IS ARRESTED AND CONFINED.-THE REASONS OF IT.THE KING OF FRANCE DECLARES WAR AGAINST THE DUKE OF SAVOY, BUT PEACE IS MADE BY THE MEDIATION OF THE CARDINAL DE TOUTEVILLE.-LORD SHREWSBURY REGAINS BORDEAUX FROM THE FRENCH.

[A. D. 1452.]

In the year 1452, Jacques Coeur was arrested by the king's orders, and confined close prisoner. He was charged with various acts contrary to the Catholic faith, with high treason, and with having sent armour and all sorts of military stores to the Saracens, enemies to the Christian faith,—and likewise with providing them with workmen to teach them the art of fabricating arms, to the prejudice of all Christendom. He was confined for having, by the instigations of the enemy of mankind, through avarice or other irregular passions, sent back by force a Christian prisoner who had escaped from the hands of the Saracens (with whom he had long suffered martyrdom for the love of JESUS CHRIST), in contempt of the faith of our Redeemer. He was likewise charged with very many extortions in different parts of the realm, and of having pillaged immense sums from the king's finances, of which he had the management. The said extortions had caused several of the inhabitants of those parts to quit the country, to the great loss of the king and the realm *.

The damsel de Mortaigne was at the same time imprisoned for certain offences against the king, and for having charged Jacques Coeur and others, through malice, with crimes of which they were innocent. She was, therefore, confined for thus lying, to receive the punishment that those whom she had accused would have suffered, had they been found guilty, unless pardoned by the king's mercy.

In the month of May of this year, the king of France left Tours, and went to the castle of Tuché †, to celebrate the feast of Whitsuntide, where he staid until July following, and thence went to Mehun-sur-Yevre. He there declared war against the duke of Savoy, for

Jacques Cœur was the son of a merchant at Bourges, whose enterprising commercial genius raised for him within a short time a prodigious fortune. The ignorance of the age attributed his success to the discovery of the philosopher's stone. He was made argentier, that is to say, superintendant of the finances, to Charles VII. and master of the mint at Bourges. Through his influence his son obtained the archbishopric of his native city, and his brother the bishopric of Luçon. The conquest of Normandy was achieved, in great measure, by the sums which he supplied out of his private purse. All these services did not guard him against the consequences of malevolence and envy. Besides the accusations here mentioned, he was charged with having procured the death of Agnes Sorel by poison. But although his principal accuser on this point, Jane de Vendôme, lady of Mortagne, was condemned to perpetual banishment for her calumny, which was fully proved, Jacques Cœur did not

escape from the charges of peculation, &c., which were probably equally unjust with the former. He was condemned, chiefly, as was supposed, through the influence of Anthony de Chabannes count of Dammartin, the court favourite of the time, who certainly enriched himself considerably by his fall. By a decree of the 19th of May, 1453, he was amerced in a sum of 400,000 crowns, equal, says Du Clos, to 4,228,360 livres tournois of his time. "On pretend, peut-être sans fondement, que Jacques Cœur, après sa condemnation, passa dans l'isle de Chypre, où son crédit, son habilité, et sa réputation, que ses malheurs n'avoient point ternic, lui firent faire une for tune aussi considerable que celle qu'il venoit de perdre." -DU CLOS.

† Tuché. MS. DU CANGE, Chiré.

Mehun-sur-Yevre-two leagues from Beaugencé, four from Orleans.

certain acts done by him to the prejudice of his crown and kingdom. In the month of August, the king departed from Mehun with a large army, and a noble company of knights and men-at-arms, until he came to the country of Forez*, intending to invade Savoy; but the cardinal de Touteville, hearing of this on his road to Rome, moved by charity, returned to the duke of Savoy,—and, having learned the cause of offence, he thence went to the king, and managed the matter so well that the duke waited on the king and promised to make every amends for what had given offence, according to the king's good pleasure. Peace being restored, the French army retreated to Feurs† in Forez, and the cardinal continued his road to Rome‡.

In the beginning of September, the lord de l'Esparre and others of the inhabitants of Bordeaux, by the advice of the lord de Montferrant, the lord de Rosem, the lord de Lane, and the lord d'Anglades, found means to embark secretly for England. On their arrival they had several conferences with king Henry's ministers, and offered to return to their obedience if they would send a sufficient force to support them. The king assembled his parliament, and summoned to it his peers and captains, when it was determined to send the earl of Shrewsbury to the country of Bordelois in the ensuing month of October. On this being settled, the lord de l'Esparre and his companions, who might be compared to Judas, returned to Bordeaux; for they had sworn, on the holy evangelists, to be true and loyal subjects to the king and crown of France, and had conspired this wicked treason in direct violation of their oaths.

In consequence of the arrangements made between them and the English, the earl of Shrewsbury set sail from England with four or five thousand men, whom he landed in Medoc, and conquered some small places to serve them as quarters. He thence made inroads over that part of the country, and subdued it,—which was not difficult, for the king's army was withdrawn, and few remained in the garrisons. When their arrival was known in Bordeaux, the townsmen held several meetings to consider of the manner of their surrender to the English; and the majority were desirous that the French within the town should be allowed to depart in safety with their effects. At this time, the lord de Coictivy, seneschal of Guienne, was the governor for the king of France, the lord du Pin, mayor, and Jean du Foue, knight, his deputy.

While they were debating on this matter, some of the inhabitants opened one of the gates to the English, who entered the town on the 23d of October, and made the greater part of the French, soldiers or not, prisoners. This news grieved much the king of France; and he hastily despatched the marshals of France, the lord d'Orval, Joachim Rohault, and other experienced captains, with six hundred lances and archers, to guard the places round Bordeaux, as the lord de Clermont, his lieutenant-general in those parts, should see expedient, until he could, at a proper season, send a greater force. However, before this army could arrive, the earl of Shrewsbury and the barons of the Bordelois had subjected most of the places near Bordeaux to the government of the English. The town and castle of Châtillon, in Perigord, then occupied by the French, were surrendered by the garrison, on having their lives and fortunes spared, notwithstanding the count de Clermont did all in his power to resist the English before his reinforcement arrived.

The lord Camus, the bastard of Somerset, the lord Lisle, son to the earl of Shrewsbury, the lord Molins, now arrived from England to reinforce the earl of Shrewsbury with four thousand combatants, and eighty transports, great and small, laden with flour and bacon to victual the city of Bordeaux.

Forez-a small fertile province, bounded on the east by the Lyonnois, on the south by Languedoc.

Charles VII. was discontented with the duke of Savoy for having married his daughter Charlotte to the + Feurs-a town in Forez, four leagues from Boen, dauphin without his consent, but on his submission was sixteen from Lyon.

appeased.

CHAPTER XL.

THE MEN OF GHENT BESIEGE OUDENARDE.-THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY SENDS AN ARMY AGAINST THEM. THE PICARDS CONQUER THE PONT D'ESPIERES FROM THE GHENT MEN, AND KILL MANY OF THEM.

On the 14th day of April, after Easter, the Ghent men took the field in great numbers, followed by a large train of artillery and provision-carts, to lay siege to Oudenarde, which was but five leagues from Ghent. On their appearance, sir Simon de Lalain issued out, and a skirmish took place; but he was forced to return to the town by reason of the very great numbers of Ghent men, who attacked him on all sides,—and in his retreat he burned the suburbs on that quarter. The Ghent army blockaded the place so closely that nothing could enter it by land, or by the river Scheldt that ran through it.

The noble duke of Burgundy, when told of this siege, was greatly vexed, considering that the Ghent men had so lately sent to solicit pardon for their offences. He consequently issued a special summons throughout Picardy and Hainault; and in obedience thereto John count d'Estampes, his cousin-german, and at that time governor of Picardy, assembled the gentlemen of that country, and with a numerous body marched toward Oudenarde by the road of the Pont d'Espieres. Near to this bridge was a small castle called Helchin, occupied by the Ghent men, under a captain, a peasant called Beuterman, which means one who sells butter. They having fortified the bridge, the Picards declined attempting to pass it, on account of the numbers of the enemy; but a company of Picards found means to cross the river at a place named Waterbos, and fell on the rear of those who guarded the bridge, at the same time that the other body of Picards made an attack on the bridge. The Ghent men, finding themselves attacked in front and rear, retreated into a church hard by. The Picards crossed the bridge, and pursued them to the church, when the Ghent men, in their defence, killed three archers and wounded several more. This so enraged the count d'Estampes that he set fire to the church, and forced the Ghent men to sally forth,-but they were all put to death; none escaped save their captain, Beuterman, who had fled by another road to Ghent. Ninety remained dead on the spot for three days before they were buried!

While this was passing, the duke of Burgundy advanced toward Ghent, and fixed his quarters at Grammont, a small town five leagues distant. He was there joined by the count de St. Pol, his two brothers Thibaut and James*, Adolphus of Cleves, nephew to the duke Corneille +, bastard of Burgundy, and sir John de Croy, all grandly attended, and with a very numerous body of men-at-arms and archers.

CHAPTER XLI.-THE COUNT D'ESTAMPES, WITH THE AID OF THE PICARDS ALONE, RAISES THE SIEGE OF OUDENARDE, AND DEFEATS THE GHENT MEN, WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY.

THE Count d'Estampes, accompanied by the lords of Picardy and their vassals, halted at Waterbos and Launoy after their conquest of the Pont d'Espieres, and there resolved to attempt to raise the siege of Oudenarde before the duke of Burgundy should know anything of the matter. To accomplish their plan, it was necessary that the governor, sir Simon de Lalain, should be informed of it; and on the 25th day of April, three of their men offered to carry thither letters, on paying them fifty crowns each. These letters were to inform him of the hour on which they intended to make the attempt, that he might co-operate with them. The messengers, on approaching Oudenarde, found it so closely blockaded that they had no chance of gaining admittance on the land side; they therefore stripped themselves

Thibaud, second son of Peter, and brother of Louis count of St. Pol, was lord of Fiennes, and married Philippa of the house of Melun. James, the third brother, was lord of Richebourg, and married Isabel de Roubaix.

+ Cornelius, the eldest of the numerous illegitimate progeny of duke Philip, died unmarried, but left a bastard John lord of Delverding. See the genealogical tables affixed to Pontus Heuterus.

son,

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