CHAPTER LXXXIII.—THE DEATH OF LANCELOT KING OF HUNGARY, WHICH CAUSES GREAT MOURNING AT THE COURT OF FRANCE. THE DEATHS OF JOHN OF COIMBRA, KING OF CYPRUS, AND OF THE DUKE OF BRITTANY, WHICH LAST IS SUCCEEDED BY HIS BROTHER ARTHUR COUNT DE RICHEMONT.

ON Christmas-eve, in the year 1457, news arrived at Tours of the death of Lancelot king of Hungary, while his ambassadors were feasting, as has been said. This sad event changed their feastings into sorrow, and their grief moved the compassion of all; for they well knew the ardent desire their king had to marry the daughter of the king of France, not through any wish of obtaining lands or money with her, but through a strong passion to connect himself by marriage with the king of France, as he was then but eighteen years old. They also perceived, from the great respect and attentions that had been shown them in France, that the king was equally desirous of this match: you may therefore suppose that their grief was very great. This event was concealed six days from king Charles, lest it might increase his disorder, and in order to afford time for its being broken gently to him. Funeral obsequies were performed in the church of St. Martin at Tours, before the king was made acquainted with it; but on that day it was told him, and he much lamented it. On the morrow, the ambassadors set out on their return, very sorrowful at the unfortunate issue of their embassy.

Intelligence of the king of Hungary's death was carried to the duke of Burgundy on Christmas-day, for which he testified his grief; for king Lancelot and he were nearly related; although he well knew that the projected alliance between the two kings was meant for his disadvantage, and particularly to deprive him of the duchy of Luxembourg, which he had gained, as well by arms as by purchase. King Lancelot, it was said, claimed this duchy, and it was reported that he had bequeathed it to the lady Magdalen of France, and had ordered his executor, king Charles, to put her in the possession of it. Notwithstanding that duke Philip had heard all this, he cared very little about it. Soon after Christmas, the duke ordered a grand funeral service to be performed in the cathedral church of Bruges for the soul of the king of Hungary. It was rumoured, that he had died of poison given him by some of his ministers, who feared that, should he marry the princess of France, they would be dismissed from the government; and it was said that, from the time he had swallowed the poison, he only lived three hours.

In this year died also John of Coimbra, a Portuguese, nephew to the duchess of Burgundy +. He had married the widowed queen of Cyprus, and in her right became king of that island. It was a great loss, for he had given great hopes of his being a good and virtuous prince. The duke of Brittany departed this life without leaving any male heirs, so that the duchy fell to his brother Arthur count de Richemont, constable of France, who reigned as duke in his stead.

CHAPTER LXXXIV. KING CHARLES IS DANGEROUSLY ILL.-ON HIS RECOVERY, HE SENDS
TO INFORM THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY THAT HE SHALL TAKE UNDER HIS WARD THE

ESTATES OF THE YOUTH OF RODEMAC‡.
.-THE DUKE'S ANSWER. OF THE STORMS OF
WIND, FROST, AND SNOW IN THIS SEASON.

AT this period, king Charles of France was so grievously ill at Tours that it was thought he could never recover, and processions and public prayers were made and offered up in several parts of the kingdom for the restoration of his health. He shortly after this recovered; and then sent a gentleman of his household with credential letters to the duke of * In right of his mother Elizabeth, duchess of Austria. John duke of Coimbra, son of Peter, brother of Edward king of Portugal. He married Charlotte, only daughter and heir of John III. king of Cyprus; but it seems to be a mistake of Monstrelet's, where he calls her the widowed queen. She survived the duke of Coimbra, and married for her second husband Lewis prince of Savoy. in Luxembourg.

The crown of Cyprus was usurped by James, the bastard son of John III., and never enjoyed either by Charlotte herself or by either of her husbands. Isabella duchess of Burgundy was sister of Edward king of Portugal, and of Peter duke of Coimbra.

"Rodemac." Rodemacheron, or Rodemark,—a town

Burgundy; and, having laid them before the duke, he said, that the king of France signified to him by his mouth, that he had taken under his wardship all the lands of the youth of Rodemac, as well those in France as elsewhere. The duke instantly replied, that the lands of that youth were not in France but in the duchy of Luxembourg, and that, as he was his subject, the king had nothing to do with it. "I would wish to know," added he, "whether the king means to keep the peace of Arras, which I shall not on my part infringe; tell him, I beg of you, to make me acquainted with his will, and recommend me to him; for I know that he has some in his council who are no friends of mine." When the duke had given this answer, he sent off on the morrow a secret embassy to the king.

This youth of Rodemac, whose estates lay in the duchy of Luxembourg, had always been of the party of king Lancelot, in opposition to the duke of Burgundy, and was still against him. On the other hand, the count de St. Pol, in the expectation of being constable of France, had attached himself to king Charles; so that, from these circumstances, war rather than peace was looked for between the king of France and the duke of Burgundy. In this year, the winter was so severe and long that the frost lasted from Michaelmas-day until the 18th of February, and the large rivers were so hard frozen that carriages passed over them. At length the frost broke up, with such falls of snow and rain that the country was greatly damaged by the inundations. These miseries were increased by storms of wind that blew down many houses and steeples, and chimneys without number: great damage was done to the vessels all along the coast. Toward the end of this year, there were such numerous pilgrimages of Germans and Brabanters,-men, women, and children,-to St. Michael's Mount, that the like was never seen before; nor could any one divine the reason of their being so numerous at this time, but from a sudden fit of devotion that had seized them.

CHAPTER LXXXV.—THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY, AT THE REQUEST OF THE TOWN OF GHENT, GOES THITHER.-A GREAT FEAST IS MADE THERE. [A. D. 1458.]

On the 23rd day of April, after Easter, in the year 1458, duke Philip of Burgundy made his entry into the town of Ghent, at the request of the inhabitants; but not on their first soliciting it, for they had frequently made this request through the dauphin and other great lords. He would not, however, agree to go thither until that day, when he made his entry with the dauphin; for he would not, for particular reasons, take thither the count de Charolois, nor the lord de Croy his first chamberlain. He was there received with greater honours than any prince had ever obtained, for the whole town came out to meet him, -the churchmen, in their robes and copes, as far as a quarter of a league, followed by the officers of justice, as well those of the town as of the prince, then the deacons of the different trades, to the number of seventy, each attended by ten of his trade, all variously and appropriately dressed; after them came the knights, esquires, and burghers of the town, to the amount of more than four hundred. When they approached the duke, the bailiff of Ghent advanced and addressed him, saying, that the inhabitants of the town of Ghent were come out to meet him, and he entreated that he would hear what they had to say. The chief magistrate of the town then stepped forth, and made the following harangue :-" My most redoubted lord, behold your subjects of Ghent, who request and supplicate (here they all fell on their knees, with uplifted hands,) that you would be pleased to forget and forgive all their former outrages and ill-conduct, for they are ready and willing to obey you in all things, to remain your faithful servants, and, should need be, to die for you." He added other words, nearly to the same purport.

With the duke, were the count d'Estampes, the lord de Ravenstein, and others, to the number of three hundred knights. When this harangue was finished, the duke advanced to the town, the procession that had come out to meet him taking the lead, and the duke following, preceded by his heralds and trumpets in their tabards of arms. He was surrounded by fifty archers of his body-guard, clothed in their jackets, each having a hunting-spear in his hand. When the duke approached the gates, he found them open, for they had been

thrown into the fields; and as he passed, a virgin descended by machinery, who saluted him, and said, "Inveni quem diligit anima mea."

From this gate to the ducal palace, all the streets were hung with rich cloths; and at the windows of the houses were numberless lighted torches, and the people crying for joy at seeing their lord, and conducting themselves with the utmost humility. At each of the squares on his way were temporary stages erected, whereon very magnificent historical pantomimes were acted, and great bonfires were made in every street. So many fine shows were exhibited that the whole seemed like a dream; and the duke was two hours before he arrived at his palace, from the pleasure he took in looking at such beautiful pageants. At the entrance of his palace was a man dressed in skins to represent a lion, who took his horse by the bridle, and led him into the court-yard. On the morrow, the town repeated these rejoicings, and placed tables covered with all sorts of refreshments in the streets, for all to partake of who would, showing the greatest joy and humility on the occasion.

CHAPTER LXXXVI.—THE DEATH OF THE KING OF ARRAGON.-HIS BASTARD SON FERNANDO SUCCEEDS TO THE THRONE OF NAPLES.-OF POPE PIUS AND THE EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ABOUT THAT TIME; SUCH AS THE DEATH OF THE DUKE OF BRITTANY, AND THE EMBASSY FROM ENGLAND TO THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY.

ABOUT St. John Baptist's day, in this year, Alphonso, king of Arragon, Naples and Sicily, departed this life in the city of Naples. He had been in his time very powerful, redoubted, and rich, as was apparent after his death; for it was commonly reported that he had left to his bastard son Fernando, besides the kingdoms of Naples and Sicily, six millions of florins in coin, and his chapel, which was marvellously rich, together with all his jewels, estimated at more than a million of gold. He had formed the largest ship that had ever been seen at sea, which returned to the port of Naples the very day of his decease. It happened that in so doing she struck on a bank of gravel with such force that she was dismasted, and the mainmast falling on the deck, split it into a thousand pieces, and the vessel sunk. The mast was so thick that five men could not encircle it with their united arms; and the noise of its fall was horrible to hear. Eight days after his death, a very richly gilt and painted tabernacle, that was placed over the seat he usually sat on in his hall, fell down just at the same hour that the king deceased. King Alphonso had been brother-in-arms to the duke of Burgundy; and although they had never seen each other, they were so strongly attached that they wore their different orders.

Pope Calixtus, then on the papal throne, hearing that the kingdom of Naples had escheated to him from the late king's dying without legal heirs, claimed that kingdom from Fernando the bastard; and because he would not give it up, excommunicated him and all

his adherents. However, on the death of Calixtus, which happened soon after, his successor, pope Pius, restored the kingdom to Fernando. It was currently said, that Fernando had given to Pius a very large sum of money for his absolution, and to remain peaceably king of Naples. When pope Calixtus had held the papacy about four years, he departed this life : the cardinal of Sienna, called Æneas*, was elected in his room. He had been secretary to the emperor Frederic, was an eloquent man, and took the name of Pius II.

The summer of this year was so dry, that it scarcely rained at all from the month of April to the middle of October; and never, in the memory of man, was seen so dry a season. The wines of this year were very good, and corn at a low price; yet, notwithstanding this, a fatal pestilence reigned in many places, such as Paris, Abbeville, and in other great towns. About Martinmas of this year, an embassy from England to the duke of Burgundy came to him at Mons in Hainault. It was reported, that the object was to propose a treaty of alliance by a marriage, and that the duke had replied, he could not agree to it, according to the articles of the treaty of Arras, without the knowledge and consent of the king of France, who was equally debarred from making any treaty with England without the consent of the duke. After this answer, they went to the king of France.

CHAPTER LXXXVII.-THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY MAKES HIS ENTRY INTO GHENT, AND IS MAGNIFICENTLY ENTERTAINED BY THE TOWN. THE KING OF FRANCE SENDS ΤΟ

SUMMON THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY TO ATTEND THE TRIAL OF THE DUKE D'ALENÇON. THE most excellent and potent prince the duke of Burgundy made his public entry into Ghent on Sunday after Easter, the 23d day of April, in the year 1458, about four or five o'clock in the afternoon. It was grandly conducted, and in the following order.

First, the churchmen led a procession out of the town, after paying each their devotions in their respective churches. Then the bailiff and sheriffs, with some of the burghers on

Eneas Silvius Piccolomini.

The streets,

horseback, clothed in black, went out to meet their lord, and received him with the greatest humility; the other sheriffs remaining at the gate of the town. At each place they paid him every reverence by kneeling on the ground, offering him at the same time their persons and effects. Then the deans of the guilds came forth in handsome array, each with a torch in his hand, and a deputation from the different trades, amounting to upwards of two hundred, clad in sky-coloured mantles, and as many in white mantles, sweeping the ground. Without the gate, and on both sides of the street on the other side of the river, were figures representing the prophets: the one that looked toward the duke displayed a roll, on which was written in large letters, Ecce nomen Domini venit de longinquo, Isaiah xxx. The other figure pointed to the trumpets over the gate, and on his roll was written, Canite turba pariter omnes, &c. Near to the gate was a sort of orchard or garden, in which was a young girl about ten years old, with her hair hanging down, and simply dressed in a damask mantle : on the duke's approach she flung herself on her knees, and displayed a roll with uplifted hands, on which was written, Inveni quem diligit anima mea, Cantic. iii. The portal and inside of the gate were hung with black, grey, aud crimson cloths; on the cloth over the portal, at the barrier, the following was written in letters of gold, Venit nobis pacificus Dominus, utere servitio nostro sicut placuerit tibi, Judic. iii. On the cloth over the great gateway were the arms of the duke, emblazoned with helmet and crest. from the gate to the palace of the duke, were hung on each side with cloths of the beforementioned colours, namely, black, grey, and crimson. On the black was written, in letters of silver, Venit nobis pacificus Dominus: on the grey, Utere servitio nostro and on the crimson, Sicut placuerit tibi. Above these cloths were five or six hundred torches, including those in the front of the houses, so that, comprehending all that were illuminated in the streets and in the boats on the river, there were from fifteen to sixteen thousand torches. Near the gate of entrance, and within the city, was a pageant representing the prodigal son after he had been forgiven by his father; and on a roll over it was written, Pater peccavi in cælum et coram te, Luc. xv. Not far distant was the figure of a prophet holding a roll, on which was written, Lex clementiæ in lingua ejus, Proverb. xxxi. A little farther was a scaffold, on which was acted a representation of the emperor Caius in the midst of twelve senators, and before him stood Marcus Tullius, who harangued the emperor on his clemency, in liberating many prisoners on his capture of Rome, beginning, Diuturni silentii, &c. In this oration is the following expression among others, Nulla de virtutibus tuis major clementia est. These words were written on the folds of the robes of the figure. The next pageant represented a black lion holding in his paw the banner of the arms of the duke: before him was a white lioness humbly couched on the ground, and between them lay three young lion cubs half dead; but on the roaring of the lion they recovered strength, life, and activity. There was a roll over them, with these words, Quasi leo rugiens, et formidabunt filii ejus, Hosea xi. Further on was another prophet displaying a roll with these words written thereon, Ecce venit desideratus cunctis gentibus et replebitur gloria ejus domus Domini, Haggai ii. Near to this last pageant was a representation of David's indignation against Nabal, which was appeased by Nabal's wife; and over it was written, Benedictus Dominus Deus Israel quoniam te misit, Sam. xx.

The second gate was hung with black and grey cloth, on which were the arms of the duke properly emblazoned, with the arms of all the knights-companions of the Golden Fleece. A scaffold was erected close to this gate, having in the centre a fountain, and surrounded by a representation of the triumphant state of the church, with the figure of a shepherd having recovered his lost sheep: he displayed a roll, which had written on it, Congratulamini mihi quia inveni ovem quam perdideram, Luc. xv. Near the bridge was the figure of Pompey, governor of Rome, after having made the king of Armenia prisoner for his rebellions against the Romans; but, seeing his great submission and humility, he had restored him to liberty, which showed that he thought he gained as much glory by pardoning as by conquest. Over him was written, Æque pulchrum est vincere reges, &c., Valerius, v. c. There was the representation of another prophet near the bridge, pointing with one hand to the water, and holding a roll in the other, whereon was written, Respice Domine in servos tuos, Psalm lxxxix.