*

When this business was done, the king returned to Senlis and Compiègne, whither he summoned his courts of parliament and of the exchequer, and others of his council, to whom he gave different instructions; and as he did not intend to stay there long, he ordered the cardinal of Angers to explain to them the treaty he had concluded with the duke of Burgundy, consisting of forty-two articles, which the cardinal specified unto them; telling them from the king, that it was his royal will that each article in the aforesaid treaty should be most punctually observed, and that it should be enregistered without delay or difficulty, under the severest penalties for disobedience. The king left Compiègne, and stopped at different places near Paris, without inclining to enter that city. Several of his great lords, such as the duke of Bourbon, his brothers, the archbishop of Lyon, the lord of Beaujen, the marquis du Pont, and others, kept him company.

On Saturday, the 19th of November, the treaty concluded with the duke of Burgundy was publicly proclaimed by sound of trumpets throughout Paris; and all persons were forbidden to publish anything abusive of the said duke, whether by words, writings, signs, paintings, rondels, ballads, defamatory libels, pantomimic songs, or otherwise, in respect to past circumstances; for that all who should act contrary to this prohibition would be most severely punished for their boldness, as was more particularly explained in the body of the proclamation. This same day, by virtue of a commission from the king, addressed to a youth in Paris, called Henry Perdriel, all the tame magpies, jays, jackdaws, and other birds, whether in cages or not, were seized and carried before the king t. The places whence they had been taken were registered, as well as all the words they had been taught to speak, such as "thief-lecher-son of a whore-get away-get away-Perette, give me some drink,” with many other such like expressions. By another order from the king, addressed to Merlin de Cordeboeuf, he was empowered to collect all the stags, hinds, cranes, and other game he could lay hands on, and have them conveyed to Amboise.

The count de Foix arrived at Paris in the month of December following; and while there fell most desperately in love with a very handsome woman, Estiennette de Besançon, the wife of a rich merchant, called Henry of Paris. This dame was much prized and courted by all the respectable ladies of the town, and was invited to the different banquets and entertainments then given at Paris, where she entered into joyous and amorous discourses with the count de Foix. In consequence of proposals and splendid offers made by him, it was agreed on between them, that she should quit her husband's house at Paris the 12th day of that month, and abandon her husband, children, father, mother, brothers, and sisters, her relations and friends. Thus foolishly seduced, she went away after the count de Foix with some of his attendants that had been left behind in Paris for the purpose, who conducted her to their lord, then waiting for her coming, at Blois. Having passed three days with her at Blois, the count went to Tours, to wait on the king, having Estiennette in his company. She was well received at Tours by her uncle Martin Ponchier, a rich burgher; but within a short time she was sent to her aunt, the prioress of the convent of Fontevral, where she was long detained.

The king now fixed his residence at Tours, Amboise, and at other places in that part of his kingdom, waiting for the delivery of the queen, as it was said she was with child,—but it was not so. During this period he appointed a certain number of lances from his establishment to march to Arragon, to assist the duke of Calabria in the recovery of his kingdom. With these lances, eight thousand franc-archers and a large train of artillery were ordered on the same service, but none of them took the field, although such orders had been issued. In the month of February, ambassadors came to Paris from the duke of Burgundy, for the completion of the articles of the late treaty of peace. The king sent instant and pressing orders to the provosts, sheriffs, and nobles in Paris, to show every attention, by entertainments and otherwise, to these ambassadors, which was done hand

*Balue, who at this time held both the bishoprics of Angers and Evreux. The former he obtained from the pope, by means of the most treacherous proceedings against Jean de Beauveau, its bishop, and his former patron and benefactor. See Du CLOS.

The cause of the king's ridiculous order to seize all the tame magpies in Paris was owing to many of the Pa risians having taught them to cry" Peronne!" whence he had so narrowly escaped from the duke of Burgundy.

somely and abundantly. The first feast was given by the cardinal of Angers; the second, by the first president of the parliament; the third, by master John de Ladriesche, president of the chamber of accounts and treasurer of France; the fourth, by the lord de Mery; the fifth and last, by the provost and burghers of the city, which was plentiful and magnificent. During these entertainments, all their papers were expedited through the courts of law, according to the orders before given by the king.

On Thursday, the 16th of February, Charlot le Tonnellier, surnamed La Hotte, a journeyman hosier living at Paris, was confined in the Châtelet for divers thefts he was charged with. He denied his guilt, and was ordered by the provost of Paris and the crown-officers at the Châtelet to be put on his trial. He appealed, and, by arrest of judgment, was remanded by the provost; but as he was passing from his cell to the chamber of torture, he caught up a knife that lay in his way and cut out his tongue. He was, therefore, led back again, without anything more being done on that day.

At this time, some of the dykes in Holland and Zealand that had been constructed against the sea broke down, and caused so great an inundation in the countries of the duke of Burgundy, that many towns and places were utterly destroyed. The damages were said to be much more considerable than what the duke, in his fury, had inflicted on Liege.

When Charlot le Tonnellier was cured of the wounds he had inflicted on himself by cutting out his tongue, he was again brought to the torture-chamber, because he would not confess his guilt. Having been for some time seated on the stool of torture, he said he would confess the truth, and then told the whole history of his life, and the great number of thefts that he had committed. He accused many as his accomplices, and in the number his own brother, surnamed Le Gendarme, a locksmith, a silversmith, a sergeant fieffé * named Pierre Moynet, and others, who were all immediately arrested, examined, and confronted with Charlot. Having confessed their guilt, on Tuesday in Passion-week, La Hotte, his brother, the sergeant, the locksmith, a shearman, and an old-clothesman called Martin de Coulogne, were ordered to be hanged on the gibbet at Paris by sentence of the provost of Paris.

They appealed to the parliament against this judgment, and the court confirmed the sentence in regard to four of them, namely, La Hotte, his brother, the shearman, and the locksmith, who were on the following day executed. The two others, namely, the oldclothesman and the sergeant, were detained in prison until after the feast of Easter, when the old-clothesman was given up to the provost, and executed on the eve of Low Sunday.

On Good Friday of this year was much thunder and lightning; which alarmed many persons, from the old saying, "that none should say, Alas! if thunder be not heard in

March."

CHAPTER CLXI.—THE TREASON OF THE CARDINAL OF ANGERS, WHO, IN CONSEQUENCE, 18 IMPRISONED. THE KING OF SICILY AND HIS QUEEN WAIT ON THE KING.-PEACE

MADE BETWEEN THE KING AND HIS BROTHER, NOW DUKE OF GUIENNE, WHO

COMES TO MONTILS-LES-TOURS.-AN ALLIANCE BETWEEN FRANCE AND SPAIN. THE
DUKE OF BRITTANY REFUSES TO WEAR THE KING'S ORDER.-THE BAN AND REAR BAN
SUMMONED TO OPPOSE KING EDWARD OF ENGLAND.-OTHER EVENTS THAT HAPPENED
IN THE YEAR MCCCCLXIX.

[A. D. 1469.]

THE cardinal of Angers, John Balue, who had within a short time received so much wealth and so many honours from the king, by whose recommendation the pope had created him a cardinal, and for whom the king had done more than for any prince of his blood, having unbounded confidence in him; this cardinal, forgetful of his God, and unmindful of the honour and profit of the king and kingdom, induced the king to go to Peronne, where he was, through intelligence from the cardinal, joined by the duke of Burgundy; and he

* A sergeant fieffé,-Cotgrave says, was an hereditary sergeant, employed in the collection of taxes, &c.

there established some sort of a peace, which they mutually swore in his hands to observe *. He then prevailed on the king to accompany the duke in his attack on Liege, although that city had risen in arms against the duke through the instigations and promises of the king. The consequence was, the slaughter and destruction of the Liegeois, as has been told. But the worst was, that the king, the duke of Bourbon, and his three brothers, with many of the great lords of France, were in the utmost danger of being slain, which would have been the greatest disgrace France could suffer since its becoming a monarchy. When the king was returning to Tours, the cardinal prevented him from entering his good city of Paris, and made him take a circuit of two miles, thinking to make the king believe that Paris was ill-inclined towards him, and thereby to excite the king's anger against it.

During the king's residence at Tours and Angers, he satisfied his brother in respect to his appanage, by giving him the duchy of Guienne, and other things, which greatly pleased him. But the cardinal, observing the good understanding that now subsisted between the brothers, attempted again to throw the kingdom into the same confusion he had done before, and to excite a quarrel between the king and the princes of the blood. For this purpose he sent an especial messenger to the duke of Burgundy with full accounts of all that had passed betweeen the king and the new duke of Guienne, giving him to understand that their present union was grounded solely on his ruin,—and that, so soon as they could collect a sufficient force, they would invade his territories on all sides. He advised, that in order to be beforehand with them, he should assemble the greatest army he possibly could, and lose no time in declaring war against France. He added a number of other treasonable plans, which he had written and sent by one of his servants to the duke of Burgundy; but his messenger was arrested on the road with all these papers, which were instantly laid before the king. The moment their contents had been read, the cardinal was arrested and carried prisoner to Montbason †, where he was left under the guard of monsieur de Torcy and others. All his effects and plate were next seized on for the king, after an inventory had been made of them,―and commissioners were appointed to examine him on the crimes laid to his charge. These were sir Tanneguy du Châtel‡, governor of Roussillon, sir William Cousinot, the lord de Torcy, and master Pierre d'Oriole, superintendant of the finances, who immediately began to interrogate him on the different charges. The king made a distribution of the cardinal's effects according to his good pleasure. His plate was sold, and the amount sent to the treasurers of the army for the king's use. His tapestry was given to the governor of Roussillon: his library to master Pierre d'Oriole; and a fine entire piece of cloth of gold, twenty-four ells and a quarter in length, well worth twelve hundred crowns, a quantity of sable furs, with a piece of scarlet cloth from Florence, were given to monsieur de Crussol; and his wardrobe with some of his furniture were sold to defray the expenses of the commission, and of those who had made the inventory.

About this time the king and queen of Sicily visited the king at Tours and Amboise, where they were very honourably received by him; after which, the king, accompanied by the duke of Bourbon and other lords, went toward Niort, La Rochelle, and divers parts thereabout, where they met the duke of Guienne; and, through the blessing of God and the Holy Virgin, the two brothers were completely reconciled, to the great joy of the whole realm. Te Deum was sung for this event in all the churches; bonfires were made in the streets, and tables laid out for passengers in all the great towns. The king returned to the queen at Amboise, who, like a good and noble lady, had exerted herself much in bringing

The circumstance of the king's imprisonment seems to be most studiously avoided by this historian. Perhaps he did not know of it; for Louis, who to the latest hour of his life reflected on his extreme imprudence and imminent danger with the utmost shame, not only was careful never to mention it himself, but was highly offended if he heard or suspected that it was ever mentioned by others. Comines, who gives the relation, was present at Peronne, and in the very chamber next to that where the king was confined, at the time of the adventure.

Montbason, a town of Touraine, on the Indre, five leagues from Tours.

Youngest son of Olivier lord du Châtel, and nephew of Tanneguy du Châtel, provost of Paris, who died in 1449. Tanneguy the younger was viscount of Belliere in right of his wife Jane de Raguenel, lady of Malestroit and viscountess of Belliére. He is celebrated in history for his generous attention to the funeral of Charles VII., which was shamefully neglected by his attendants. Louis XI. rewarded this service by a suitable care of his obsequies. He was killed at the siege of Bouchain in 1477, and left issue two daughters.

about this happy reconciliation; and may the Lord, out of his grace, long preserve it! It was now deliberated and determined on by the king in council, to make a conquest of the county of Armagnac, and to give it to the duke of Guienne. To accomplish this, a large train of artillery, men-at-arms, and franc-archers, were ordered to march thither; and the king left Amboise for Orleans, where he remained five or six days, and then returned to Amboise. A short time after these measures had been resolved on, monsieur de Châtillon, grand-master, and inspector-general of woods and forests, came to Paris, to muster and review the banners, officers, and men, that had been enrolled within that city.

On Saturday, the 4th of November in this year, the peace that had been concluded between the kings of France and Spain was proclaimed in Paris; and the treaty was publicly read by master John le Cornu, clerk to the provostship of Paris, in the presence of the civil and criminal lieutenants of the said provostship, and the officers of justice attached to the court of the Châtelet. The king after this resided at Amboise, and other places near, having with him the lord de Bourbon and his usual courtiers, until the 24th of December, when the duke of Guienne arrived at Montils-les-Tours, to wait on the king,, attended by a grand company of the nobles of his duchy. The king, queen, and the whole court were much rejoiced at his arrival, and set off instantly from Amboise, to welcome and entertain the duke at Montils-les-Tours. During this interval, the county of Armagnac was reduced to the king's obedience without any effusion of blood; and the whole surrendered into the hands of the lord-admiral and the count de Dammartin, the commanders-inchief of the royal army. The court of France remained with the duke de Guienne at the castle of Montils-les-Tours until Christmas, when many feasts and entertainments were given by the king. The duke of Guienne having taken leave of the king and court, departed for La Rochelle and St. Jean d'Angeli to hold his estates, to appoint officers for his duchy, and to regulate the government thereof.

When the king was returned again to Amboise, he sent ambassadors to the duke of Brittany with the collar of an order † which he had lately instituted, that he might wear it, and swear to the observance of its laws as a knight-companion, as other princes and barons of the realm had done. But although the king did him this honour, at first he refused to accept or wear it; owing, as was said, to his having accepted the order of the Golden Fleece, and thus becoming the brother and ally to the duke of Burgundy, which much offended the king, and not without reason ‡. Shortly after, the king issued orders for an army of men-at-arms, archers, and artillery, to be ready to march and make war on the duke of Brittany; but ten days were first allowed the duke, to declare his future intentions, as to his conduct toward the king; and the 15th of February was the day on which he was to give his positive answer.

On the 14th of that month, a summons from the king, signed "William de Cerisay," was published in Paris, by which the king informed the provost, that from certain intelligence he had learned how king Edward of England had established a peace with all the lords and others who had opposed his government; and that it had been unanimously resolved in parliament to invade different parts of the French coast, to destroy and conquer the country, as they had formerly done: that the king, in consequence, was determined to oppose them by every means in his power, and had ordered his ban and rear ban to be assembled. He commanded the provost, by these presents, to constrain vigorously, without admittance of excuse, all nobles and others, vassals of the crown, privileged or not, to appear in arms, and sufficiently equipped, on the first day of March next, on pain of corporal punishment and confiscation of effects. He likewise forbade the provost and all others to receive any excuses, under penalty of losing their offices, with confiscation of effects, any appeals to the contrary notwithstanding. He also declared all such as should fail to make their appearance in arms on the appointed day enemies to his crown, and that their effects should be confiscated, without hopes of pardon.

*From this expression it should appear that the writer of this chronicle committed every event to writing as soon as he was informed of it, and never afterwards revised his annals with a reference to subsequent affairs.

The order of St. Michael.

The duke of Brittany was an ally of the duke of Burgundy, but was not a knight of the Golden Fleece.

News was this day brought to Paris, that the duke of Burgundy had been seen at Ghent wearing the blue garter on one of his legs, and the red cross on his mantle, the badge of king Edward, which plainly demonstrated his friendship to the English, and that he was a capital enemy to the king of France. The duke, however, sent ambassadors to the king at Tours, who waited there a long time before they were dismissed. At this time, the viscount of Villars †, in Poitou, departed this life: he had, while living, left his fortune to the king of France, to be enjoyed by him immediately on his decease. The king, therefore, went into Poitou to receive possession of Villars and the other property, and on this account remained there the whole month of April. In this month master Pierre Durand, nephew to the cardinal Balue, who had been long confined in the castle of Mailly, escaped from prison, and went to Paris, where he was discovered by an apothecary called Chambatin. He was again arrested, and confined in the prison of the Conciergerie of the palais-royal, wherein he remained until the 26th day of April, in the ensuing year, and was then delivered into the hands of the sergeants of the provost of the marshals, to be carried whither they had been ordered.

CHAPTER CLXII.—THE EARL OF WARWICK AND THE DUKE OF CLARENCE, DRIVEN OUT OF ENGLAND BY KING EDWARD, COME TO FRANCE. QUEEN MARGARET AND HER SON ARRIVE THERE ALSO, TO THE DISPLEASURE OF THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY.—THE BIRTH OF THE DAUPHIN, CHARLES.-THE EARL OF WARWICK RETURNS TO ENGLAND.—AN ALLIANCE BETWEEN THE KING OF FRANCE AND KING HENRY OF ENGLAND.-THE FLIGHT OF KING EDWARD.-THE ENTRY OF THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND INTO PARIS.THE INHABITANTS OF AUXERRE TAKE PART WITH THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY.—THE KING'S VICTORIES IN THE DUCHY OF BURGUNDY AND THE COUNTRIES OF CHAROLOIS AND PICARDY. OF THE KING'S JOURNEYS, AND OTHER EVENTS THAT HAPPENED DURING THE YEAR MCCCCLXX.

[A. D. 1470.]

In the month of May in this year, the earl of Warwick and the duke of Clarence, whom king Edward had forced to banish themselves and their families from England, arrived at Honnefleur and Harfleur, with about four-score vessels. They found there the lord-admiral of France, who received the earl of Warwick, the duke of Clarence, and the count de Vuasanfort, and their ladies with every respect. Their vessels were admitted in the harbours; and after a short time, the ladies, with their trains, departed, and went to Valognes, where lodgings had been provided for them. The duke of Burgundy, hearing of this, wrote to the court of parliament at Paris, to say that he had received intelligence of the king having admitted the earl of Warwick and his company into some of his towns within the duchy of Normandy, contrary to the articles of the treaty of Peronne; and to entreat that the parliament would remonstrate with the king on this subject, to prevent him from favouring the said Warwick and his party, whom he styled his capital enemy, as well as the enemy of the realm of France; otherwise he would seek him wherever he could find him in the kingdom of France, to do with him as should seem to him good. Nevertheless, the earl of Warwick remained some time at Honnefleur, namely, the whole of the month of June; and during this, several of the king's garrisons made frequent sallies on the borders of Normandy and Picardy, and wasted the country. In this same month two men-at-arms under the command of the constable waylaid and murdered two young clerks of the treasurer of the army, in the plains of Beauce, to rob them of the money they were carrying to the troops. Shortly after they were taken at Honnefleur, and carried before the constable at Meaux, who had them hanged on two trees that were by the side of two different roads.

The king all this while resided at Tours, Amboise, Vendôme, and at divers places in that

The blue garter. The duke was elected knight- his daughter brought the titles of Thouars and Talmont companion of the Garter the 13th May, 1463. into the family of Tremouille by marriage with Louis I. count of Guênes, &c., who died in 1483.

+ Viscount of Villars. Q. if not Thouars? Louis d'Amboise, viscount of Thouars, dying without issue male,

Vuasanfort. John de Vere, earl of Oxford.