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A.D. 1412. name of king which he bore it belonged to him to do and assist justice, and that it would be to him and his a great good and everlasting honour to do this, and give aid likewise [to those] of such noble blood as was the Duke of Orleans, and they were to tell him how the above-named would serve him with all their power, him, his children, and all his descendants in the time to come, which they would be well able to do against the most powerful and noble of the realm of France.

Moreover to obtain aid against the Duke of Burgundy and his allies the above-named ambassadors were to request of the King of England to have three hundred lances and three thousand archers, whom they would pay for four months. And after this there was also exhibited by the said Chancellor of Acquitaine a little treatise which the said Master Jacques Petit had made on the government of the realm of France, containing many articles, which also was publicly read, amongst which articles were that on every arpent of land there should be imposed an aid which should be called a land tax, and also that in the said kingdom they should have granaries of wheat and of oats for the king's profit; and also many other things which for brevity I will not relate, inasmuch also as the chronicles of France make full mention of them. But so great was the hatred of the above-named lords against the Duke of Burgundy that they cared little what they did so long as they could be revenged on him and get the better of him; besides there were other letters which were publicly read before the king and the council [to the effect] that lately the Dukes of Berri, Orleans, Bourbon, and Alençon, with others their allies, were assembled in the city of Bourges, and that there they had renewed their oaths, concluding to destroy the king and the Duke of Acquitaine, the realm of France, and the good city of Paris. When the

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king heard this clause, of his own accord, and weeping A.D. 1412. violently, he said, "We see well their ill will, where"fore we pray and require all who are of our blood, "and council, that you aid and counsel us against them, for it touches yourselves as well as us and the whole realm," and in like manner he prayed all present. Then King Louis of Sicily rose from his seat, and kneeling before the King of France, said to him, "Sire, for the honour and welfare of yourself and your realm, we pray that it may please you to prosecute this affair well and diligently, for there is "great need of it," and likewise knelt all the other lords, and offered themselves to serve him to the utmost of their power. After all these matters had been thus spoken of and the council was ended, all these things were divulged and published throughout Paris, and communicated to many by writing.

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In these days, Louis Duke of Bavaria, brother to the Queen of France, being then at Paris, was suspected by the Parisians of having spoken in secret to the king and the Duke of Acquitaine in favour of the said Dukes of Berri, Orleans, and their allies; for which reason and also for fear the Parisians should place him in any jeopardy, he returned to his country of Germany. About this time, or very soon after, the King of England caused to be proclaimed with sound of trumpet in his good town of Calais, and in other places on the frontier of Boullenois, that none, of whatsoever rank he might be, owing him obedience, should go into the kingdom of France at the command of either party of the disputants to serve them in arms or otherwise on pain of forfeiture of life and of all their goods, so that in the manner you have heard the affairs of France went on at that time. After these counsels and letters and instructions had been seen, heard, and examined before the king and his council, the King of Sicily by command of the King of

A.D. 1412. France and his great council left the town of Paris on Tuesday the twenty-eighth day of April, accompanied by men-at-arms and archers, and went to place garrisons in all the fortresses of the country of Maine against the Counts of Alençon and Richemont. On the other hand there were sent into the country of Alençon to reduce it to the obedience of the king, Sir Anthony de Craon, and Le Borgne de la Heuse, a knight, who came before Domfront and took the town; but the castle they could not obtain so quickly, wherefore they laid siege to it, and the besieged sent to the Count of Alençon, urgently requesting him to come and succour them. Then the count, much troubled about his town of Domfront, sent word to those in the castle to hold out and in a few days they should have succour, for he would fight the besiegers if they waited for him. Of this message the besiegers were informed, and they let the King of France know, requesting him to provide against this, which he did, for he sent thither his constable and his marshal with a great force, and likewise the King of Sicily sent thither a great company of his men-at-arms. But on the day which the Count of Alençon had appointed to fight them, he neither went nor sent thither, wherefore the Constable of France and the lords seeing that their adversaries did not come, caused a strong bastion to be constructed before the castle of Domfront, within which and in the town they were lodged; then a good garrison having been placed there to resist those of the castle, the constable departed thence and went to besiege the town of Saint Remy-ou-plain, and sent Sir Anthony de Craon to Vernon to seek bombards and other engines of war to bring to the said place of Saint Remy. In the company of the constable were then Sir John de Luxembourg, his nephew, Sir Philip d'Aurencourt, and Sir James de Beausault, his brother the Vidame of Amiens, the Lord of Auffemont, the Lord

of Channy, Le Borgne de la Heuse, Ralph de Nelle, A.D. 1412. Lolequin, son of the Vidame, the Lord of Longroy, Le Gallois de Renty, and many other notable knights and esquires to the number of twelve hundred helmets and a great number of archers; and they lodged all together in the town of Saint Remy, and around the castle, which was very strong and well garrisoned with good men-at-arms, whom they summoned to yield them to the obedience of the King of France, which they refused to do. Then by order of the constable many engines were placed in position, by which the place was greatly knocked about and damaged. But at this time, the Lord of Gaucourt, Sir John de Dreues, Sir Jennet de Garenchieres, William Boutillier, the Lord of Argilliers, John de Falloise, and other captains of the party of the Duke of Orleans, joined together with a good number of fighting men with the intention of coming secretly to attack the constable in his quarters unawares; he was informed of their coming and force, and hastily caused his trumpets to be sounded to call his men into the country, and there form his line of battle well fortified to await his enemies there. After his dispositions were made and when he saw the enemy approaching he made some new knights, as did the other lords there present, that is to say, John de Luxembourg, John de Beausault, Lolequin son of the Vidame of Amiens, Allard de Herbammez, Le Brun de Sains, Raillant des Cauffours, Regnault d'Agincourt, and many others, and, this done, the constable placed himself on foot near his banner. Then the Orleanists, who at this time were called Armagnacs, came to one point in great force galloping suddenly into the town, thinking to find their enemies there before they were aware of them, and they failed this time; but when they saw that they were drawing together they advanced towards them with great energy, and at the first onset killed eighteen or twenty;

A.D. 1412. but finally, to be brief, the Orleanists were discomfited and cut to pieces, but those who could escape took to flight; wherefore the victors began a pursuit, those of them who had horses, and pursued their enemies, in which pursuit a great number were slain or taken, and those men able to escape went to Alençon and other places subject to them. The French returning from the pursuit brought back full four and twenty prisoners to the constable, whom they found rejoicing much with his knights for the fine victory they had gained. Amongst these prisoners were the Lord of Danieres, Sir Jennet de Garenchieres, and many other gentlemen. And it is true that those who came to the said battle to fight the constable were for the most part peasants, of whom there were full three hundred slain and seven or eight score prisoners. After the victory the constable withdrew into the town of Domfront, where he made his men prepare and order matters to assault the castle, but those within placed themselves and the place in subjection to the King of France, saving their bodies and goods. Which things being thus done the constable and his people came to Paris, where the king received them gladly and with great honour for the fine victory which God had given them. And on the other hand the Dukes of Berri, Bourbon, Orleans, and Alençon, knowing the news of the ill-fortune of their people, and seeing that day by day the French and Burgundians strove to make war on them, capturing towns and castles from them, all agreed together to send to the King of England to obtain aid and succour. When their deputies were come to England they found King Henry at Eltham, not far from London, who received them kindly, and where they had not to wait long for an audience, and they told the king the cause of their coming, presenting to him their letters which contained credentials for them, which were read. Then the King asked the ambassadors to declare their

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