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daybreak. And in truth this King of England1 A.D. 1420. triumphed grandly during his reign, and was implicity obeyed and well served by his subjects, for he took a great deal of trouble during his life to accomplish his enterprise of conquering the kingdom of France, for which the English valued and loved him greatly.

At this time Peter of Luxemburg, Count of Conversan and Brienne, returning from the said siege of Melun to go to his lands, accompanied by about forty men, was met by the dauphinists, who stayed at Meaux-en-Brie, to wit, Peter de Lupel and others, who took him prisoner, himself and all his people. So they brought him to the said place of Meaux, where he was detained whilst the King of England besieged the town, as you shall hereafter hear.

During this season also, the Queen of Sicily, wife of King Louis of happy memory, but then a widow, gave her eldest son leave to go to Rome, in order that he might be crowned king by the hand of our holy father the Pope; and she committed him to the loyalty of the Florentines and Genoese who where at anchor with fifteen well armed galleys at the port of Marseilles, in the territory of the said queen; but she detained with herself as hostages for the safety of her son eight of the most distinguished barons of the Kingdom of Naples and the surrounding countries, who had come there to seek him on behalf of the cities, good towns, and great lords of the country. And this they did through the hatred which they bore to their own queen wife of Sir James de Bourbon, Count of la Marche, who was thren keeping her husband a prisoner on account of a quarrel she had

1 Was there more grandly attended at this siege than he had ever been at any other during his reign, and besides in his own person used

marvellous diligence to accomplish
his enterprise.

Whilst these things were going
on Peter of Luxemburg, &c. H.

A.D. 1420. had with him and his guardians. So the said Louis, sailing in the said galleys, entered Rome, where he solemnly received his kingdom by the hands of our holy father the Pope; and he was from that day forward called King Louis, as had been his late father, of him we will say no more for the present.

Here is made mention of several places which sur-
rendered during the siege of Melun to the Kings of
France and England, and of the arrival of the
King of Scotland. CHAPTER IV.

AT this same time, the siege continuing before Melun, the King of Scotland was brought from England to France to King Henry, where he was honourably received by the two Kings of France and England and the Duke of Burgundy. This King of Scotland, of whom we make mention at present, was a prisoner of King Henry; and the manner of his capture I will tell you, as I have been since informed by two distinguished knights, natives of the kingdom of England, who related to me that King David of Scotland had a son called James, who greatly desired to make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and was advised that to accomplish this in safety he would require a safe conduct from King Henry. This he obtained for himself and a score of gentlemen; then made his preparations, and took leave of the king, his father. So he came into England, where he was honourably entertained and grandly received by the Duke of Gloucester, brother of the king, and by the other great lords and ladies. Now it came to pass that while he was still sojourning there, he was informed of a sore disease

that had seized the king, his father, and of which A.D. 1420. he died; and for this he was greatly afflicted, when he knew the truth of it through the princes and great lords of the kingdom of Scotland, who announced it to him as the only son and heir to the crown, intimating to him that he should come back and take possession of his territories and lordships. The Duke of Gloucester, being informed of the Scotch king's death, made it known without delay to King Henry, his brother, who sent him word to detain the said James taking his parole, and to send him to the town of Melun where he was staying; saying that he had not given safe conduct to the King of Scotland, but to the son of the King of Scotland; and that from that time he was held to be King of Scotland through the death of King David, his father. In short, he was made a prisoner, and was sent to King Henry at the siege before Melun.

During this siege there were placed in the hands of the King of England by order of the French King, and by consent of the Duke of Burgundy and the Parisians, the places hereafter specified, that is to say, the bastille of St. Anthony, the Louvre, the house of Nelle, and the wood of Vincennes. The Duke of Clarence was appointed captain of Paris by the king, his brother, for the Count de Saint Pol was commissioned and sent into Picardy by the King of France, attended by Maitre Peter de Marigny and several others, to receive the oaths of the three estates and good towns of that country, to the effect that they would entirely keep and fully observe all the points of the peace lately made at Troyes between the two kings, and in future they would freely obey the King of England as regent and heir of the kingdom of France, and the said commissioners were to take letters of the oaths sealed and signed by the aforesaid three estates and good towns, of which letters, and

A.D. 1420. the power given to the commissioners by the King of France, the following is a copy :

"Charles, by the grace of God King of France, "to our very dear and beloved cousins the Count of "St. Pol, the Bishop of Terouanne, and John of Luxem

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bourg, and to our very dear and well-beloved the "Bishop of Arras, the vidame of Amiens, the Lord of "Viesville, the governors of Arras and Lille, Maitre "Peter de Marigny our advocate in parliament, and "Maitre Peter de Stendre our secretary, greeting and "love. Whereas we have lately made a final peace "for the very great good and manifest advantage of "ourselves and the whole public affairs of our kingdom, and this by the advice and deliberation "of our very dear consort the queen, of our very "dear and beloved son the Duke of Burgundy, of "the prelates and all other ecclesiastics, and of the "nobles and communities of our said kingdom, between

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[us and] our very dear son the King of England, regent and heir of France, for us and for the kingdoms of France and England; and this peace we, our consort, our son of Burgundy, the nobles, barons, " and counts aforesaid, have solemnly sworn. And further, we have determined and appointed that all "the prelates and clergy, the nobles, princes, barons, "and corporations of our said kingdom who have not sworn it shall swear it in like manner; and therefore we, confiding in the loyalty, prudence, and diligence "of you and every of you, direct and command you, "committing it to you by these present letters, that you "betake yourselves to all the cities, good towns, fortresses, " and notable places in the bailiwicks of Amiens, Lille, "Tournai, Douai, Arras, in the county of Poitou, the jurisdiction and boundaries of these countries and all "the environs, and there summon those that it seems good to you from the said places, and make them come before you for and in our name, that is to say,

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prelates, captains, deans, and other superior clergy, A.D. 1420. burgesses and corporations, and in their presence cause

"the said letter of peace to be read and solemnly published, giving them on our behalf express and special command, under pain of being considered rebellious " and disobedient to us, that in your presence they swear on the holy gospels of God, firmly to hold, and inviolably to keep the said peace, as contained in the "form which follows:

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"First, you shall swear that to the most high and mighty Prince Henry, King of England, as governor " and regent of the public state and kingdom of France, you will yield obedience loyally and diligently to his "directions and commands in all things, preserving and keeping the rule and government of the said kingdom " and the public state now subject to the most high " and mighty Prince Charles, King of France, our sovereign lord.

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Item, that immediately after the decease of our said lord, King Charles, you will be loyal men, liege

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and true subjects to the aforesaid most high and mighty Prince Henry, King of England, and his "heirs, and will honour and receive him without any opposition, gainsaying, or difficulty, as your sovereign "lord and the true King of France, and will obey him "as such, and you promise that from this time and for "ever you will obey no other as King of France, "except our sovereign lord King Charles during his life. Item, that you will not be in aid, counsel, or agreement, whereby the said King of England may "lose life or limb, or be taken by any capture, or suffer "damage or loss whatsoever in his person, estate, or "welfare whatever; but if you know or are acquainted "with any thing devised against him, you will frustrate " it as far as you can, and will let him know of it by messengers or letters. And in general you will swear "that you will keep and observe without fraud,

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