time the duke of York gained, after a long siege, St. Germain-sur-Cailly*, when about twelve of the French were hanged. In like manner were the towns of Fontaines-surPreauxt, Bourg, Blainville§, Préaux, Lillebonne ¶, Tancarville **, and other strong places reconquered, and the greater part destroyed by the English. After this, they continued to waste all the corn countries round Harfleur, with the intent of laying siege to it as speedily and as completely as they could. CHAPTER CCX.-THE DUCHESS OF BEDFORD, SISTER TO THE COUNT DE ST. POL, RE-MARRIES OF HER OWN FREE WILL. THE KING OF SICILY NEGOTIATES WITH THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY FOR HIS LIBERTY.-THE ENGLISH RECOVER THE TOWN OF PONTOISE. In this year, the duchess of Bedford, sister to the count de St. Pol, married, from inclination, an English knight called sir Richard Woodville, a young man, very handsome and well made, but, in regard to birth, inferior to her first husband, the regent, and to herself. Louis de Luxembourg, archbishop of Rouen, and her other relations, were very angry at this match, but they could not prevent it ++. About the end of the following November, Jacqueline of Bavaria, who had married Franche de Borselline‡‡, died, after a long and lingering illness. She was succeeded by the duke of Burgundy in all her possessions. The king of Sicily duke of Anjou §§, the duke of Bourbon, the constable of France, the chancellor, and many other noble princes and great lords, visited the duke of Burgundy, about St. Andrew's day, at Lille, where he held his court. He received them most honourably. During their stay, a treaty was proposed for the liberty of the king of Sicily, for he was still a prisoner to the duke of Burgundy, as has been before mentioned,—and some of his children were hostages for him in Burgundy. This treaty was concluded, on condition that the king of Sicily would engage to pay a certain sum of money for his ransom, for the security of which he was to pledge four of his towns and castles in his duchies of Lorraine and Bar, namely, Neuf-châtel in Lorraine, Clermont in Argonne, Princhy and Louye ¶¶, which were to be given up to the duke when demanded. The duke of Burgundy, shortly after, placed his own garrisons and captains in these towns and castles. Thus did the king of Sicily recover his liberty and his children; but he had only the two eldest sent to him at first, with a promise that the two others should follow, provided there was not any default of payment. In order that no delays might arise, sir Colard de Saussy and John de Chambly bound themselves, with the king of Sicily, for the due performance of all the articles of the treaty. When this business was over, the constable of France treated with sir John de Luxembourg, who was then at Lille, that all matters in dispute between him and La Hire, on the subject of the capture of Soissons, should be referred to arbitrators, and that an end should be put to the warfare now raging between them. The term for taking the oaths of allegiance to the king of France, or for declaring for one or other of the parties, was prolonged for sir John de Luxembourg until St. John Baptist's day ensuing, on his promising to abstain from all hostilities during that time. During these feasts, William de Flavy, who had been driven out of Compiègne by the constable of France, found means to re-enter it, with a large body of men-at-arms, and kept possession a long time; in which at length he was confirmed by king Charles, in spite of all the attempts of the constable to reconquer it. At this period also, the English regained by storm the town of Pontoise. The attack commenced at day-break, when great St. Germain-sur-Cailly,-in Normandy, diocese of He was afterwards created earl of Rivers, and was father Rouen. to the lady Elizabeth, queen to king Edward IV.-Pari. Hist. + Fontaines-sur-Préaux,-diocese of Rouen. Bourg Baudorion,-diocese of Rouen. § Blainville, diocese of Rouen. Préaux, diocese of Rouen. Lillebonne,-diocese of Rouen. ** Tancarville, near Lillebonne. + Sir Richard Woodville paid a fine of £1000 to the king for marrying the duchess of Bedford without a license. Francis, or Frank de Borselle. §§ René duke of Bar, who had been made prisoner as related in vol. i. page 595, soon afterwards succeeded to the duchy of Anjou and to the claims of this house on Sicily and Naples, by the death of his brother, Louis III. Princhy, Princy, in the Gatinois, near Montargis. 11 Louye,-in Maine, diocese of Mans. part of the garrison, consisting of about four hundred combatants of the lord de l'Isle-Adam and de Warembon's men, saved themselves by flight, leaving their baggage and effects behind them which conquest was very hurtful to the country of the Isle de France and the adjoining parts, for the English placed a very strong garrison in Pontoise, whence detachments made excursions, and frequently to the very gates of Paris. CHAPTER CCXI.-JAMES I. KING OF SCOTLAND IS MURDERED IN HIS BED-CHAMBER DURING THE NIGHT BY HIS UNCLE THE EARL OF ATHOL.-OTHER MATTERS. ABOUT this time a very cruel and surprising event took place in Scotland. While the king resided at Perth in the middle of his realm, and held his court at an abbey of Jacobins, situated on the river Tay, a conspiracy was formed against his life by some who hated him. The leader was his own uncle the earl of Athol*. The earl came to Perth the second Wednesday in Lent, which was one of the ember weeks, accompanied by about thirty men, and an hour after midnight made for the king's bedchamber, who was unsuspicious of what was intended. They instantly broke open the door, and having gained an entrance, most barbarously assassinated him with upward of thirty wounds, some of which went through his heart. During this transaction, his queen, sister to the earl of Somerset, endeavoured to save him, but was villanously wounded in two places by some of the murderers. When the deed was done, they hurried away, to save themselves by flight. The cries of the queen, and of her attendants, soon made the matter publicly known throughout the palace and town, when crowds hastened to the king's bed-chamber, where they found him mangled and dead, and the queen wounded. Great sorrow and lamentations were shown on the occasion,—and on the morrow the king was interred at the Carthusians'. Shortly after, the nobles and great lords of Scotland were summoned, and agreed with the queen that the murderers should be immediately pursued, which was instantly executed,— and the assassins were arrested, and put to death in various ways, and with divers torments. The earl of Athol, as principal, although uncle to the king, had his belly cut open, his bowels taken out and burnt before his face his body was then quartered, and the four parts sent to four of the greatest towns of the realm. Sir Robert Stuart, having been very active in the business, was hung on a gibbet and then quartered. Sir Robert Graham was put into a cart, having a gallows erected within it, to which was fastened one of his hands, namely, that with which he had assassinated the king, and thus led through the streets. He was surrounded by three executioners, who kept pinching his thighs, and other parts of his body, with red-hot pincers, and was afterwards quartered. All the rest were horribly tormented before they were executed; and this act of justice was done within forty days of the king's murder. The reason of the earl of Athol's committing this atrocious deed was, that on the king's return from his imprisonment in England, where he had been for a long time detained, as mentioned in my first book of this history, he had put to death many great lords, (as well those related to him by blood as others,) who had been members of the regency during his absence, for not having exerted themselves more expeditiously for his ransom. In this number were some very near relatives to the earl of Athol, who, though before this act he kept up the appearance of loyalty, had for a considerable time been plotting this assassination, which he put in practice as you have seen. King James left a son about twelve years old, who was crowned king of Scotland, with the unanimous assent and approbation of the three estates of the realm. He was placed under the governance of a knight of great renown, called sir William Crichtont, who had to the crown. The title of Athol was suspended till king James II. bestowed it upon his uterine brother, sir John Stewart of Balveny," &c.- Douglas's Peerage of Scotland. "Walter carl of Athol had innumerable favours and honours conferred upon him by the king and royal family, yet he was the chief actor in that horrid murder of his nephew king James I. for which he was most justly condemned and executed, and all his estates and honours were forfeited Lord chancellor of Scotland. been his tutor during the life of the king his father. This young monarch had a vermilion mark down one cheek, and a white one down the other. Within a short time, the queen carried away suddenly, from the knight above named, the king her son, out of the castle of Edinburgh, and put him under other governors, namely, the great lords of the country. This regency put to death the earl of Douglas* and his brother, called David de Combrebantt, for having, as they said, formed a conspiracy against the young king, to depose him from his throne. King James had six sisters, the eldest of whom was married to the dauphin of France, son to king Charles; the duke of Brittany had another; the third married the duke of Savoy's son; the fourth married the lord de Vere in Holland. The queen also married a young Scots knight called sir James Stuart, and had by him several children. It has happened, that since I had written the foregoing account, I have received more authentic information respecting the execution of the earl of Athol. It was as follows. He was stripped quite naked, all but his drawers in the streets of Edinburgh, and hoisted several times up and down a high gibbet by means of a pulley, and then let fall to within two feet of the ground. He was then placed on a pillar and crowned with a coronet of hot iron to signify that he was king of the traitors. On the morrow, he was seated on a hurdle, naked as before, and dragged through the streets; after which, he was put on a table, his belly cut open, and his entrails drawn out, and thrown into a fire before his face and while he was alive. His heart was then cast into the fire, his body quartered, and the quarters sent to the four principal towns in the kingdom as has been mentioned before. The rest of his accomplices were grievously tortured prior to their execution,—and several of their near relations and intimates, though perfectly innocent, were executed with them; and such severe punishments were not remembered to have been ever before inflicted in a Christian country. The duke of Burgundy at this time held many councils with the three estates of his dominions, to consider on the best means of opposing the English, whom he expected daily to invade them. It was determined to garrison every town as well those inland as on the sea-shores; and all the nobles, and others who had been accustomed to bear arms, were ordered to hold themselves in readiness to march with their captains in defence of their country, under the orders of John of Burgundy, count d'Estampes commander in chief. Many of the inhabitants of the city of Lyons now rebelled against the officers of the king of France, because they were overloaded with taxes and gabelles; but several of them suffered death for it, and others were imprisoned by the royal officers. The Parisians were also accused of intending to betray that city to the English, when master James Joussel and master Mille des Faulx advocates in the parliament, together with a pursuivant, were beheaded, and their effects confiscated to the king. In this year also the Ghent men rose in arms in considerable numbers and slew one Gilbert Pactetent, head deacon of the trades, for having, as they said, prevented Calais from being stormed; and they moreover accused him of treason, because their cannon and other engines had fired but little during that siege. They also insisted, among other extravagant demands, that an order should be proclaimed, forbidding any beer to be brewed within three leagues of Ghent; but as the sheriffs and other municipal officers had intermixed among them, with the banner of France displayed, in the Friday market-place, and had addressed them in moderate and good-humoured terms, telling them, that they would consider on their "William VI. earl of Douglas, third duke of Touraine, &c. a youth of a fine genius and noble spirit, and of great expectation. Soon after his father's death, he came to a meeting of the parliament at Edinburgh with a splendid and numerous retinue, and behaved with all due obedience and submission. He was in great favour with the young king, and gave all the marks of a sincere, generous, and loyal disposition. However, it seems his grandeur made him be looked upon with a jealous eye by the faction at the time, though he was then only about sixteen years of age. He and his young brother were invited to an entertainment in the castle of Edinburgh by chancellor Crichton. They went without the least suspicion or distrust, and were both barbarously assassinated, with their trusty friend sir Malcolm Fleming of Cumber- Mr. Pinkerton says, that Margaret was married to the dauphin,-Isabel to Francis duke of Brittany,Eleanor to Sigismund archduke of Austria, Mary to the count de Boucquan, son to the lord of Campvere,-Jean to the earl of Angus, and afterwards to the earl of Morton. See note, p. 142, Hist. of Scotland. demands, and provide for them in such wise that they should be contented, the mob dispersed quietly to their homes, and laid down their arms. Many councils were held by the sheriffs and magistrates on these requisitions, which were declared useless, and impossible to be carried into effect. They likewise resolved to leave things in the state in which they had prospered so long, without making any unreasonable reformation. CHAPTER CCXII.-LA HIRE, POTON, WITH MANY OTHER FRENCH CAPTAINS, ARE NEAR TAKING ROUEN.—THEY ARE ATTACKED AND DEFEATED BY THE ENGLISH, WHO SURPRISE THEM IN THEIR QUARTERS. In this year, several French commanders assembled a body of men on the frontiers of Normandy, to the amount of eight hundred or a thousand, namely, La Hire, Poton de Santrailles, the lord de Fontaines, Lavagan, Philip de la Tour, and others. They marched toward Rouen with the expectation of entering it by means of some of the inhabitants, who had promised them admittance,-but failed, from a considerable reinforcement of English having lately arrived in the town. The French captains, finding their enterprise could not be accomplished although they were close to Rouen, retreated with their men to refresh and quarter themselves at a large village called Ris, only four leagues distant from it. While they were there, the lord Scales, lord Talbot, sir Thomas Kiriel, and other English captains, having had information where they were, collected about a thousand combatants and instantly pursued them,—and, before they were aware, attacked them on different sides, having surprised their quarters. The French, unable to collect together, were very soon defeated. La Hire, however, having mounted a horse belonging to one of his men-at-arms, attempted to rally them, but in vain, and then fled. He was briskly pursued, and severely wounded in several places, but escaped by the aid of some of his men. The lord de Fontaines, Alain Geron, Louis de Basle, Alardin de Mousay, John de Lon, were made prisoners; and the other nobles, with the rest of the army, saved themselves chiefly in the woods, but they lost all their baggage, and the greater part of their horses. With regard to the killed, they did not amount to more than eight or ten. CHAPTER CCXIII.-THE TOWN OF BRUGES REBELS AGAINST ITS LORD AND HIS OFFICERS.A GREAT CONFLICT AND SLAUGHTER IS THE CONSEQUENCE. [A. D. 1437.] Ar the beginning of this year, the populace of Bruges revolted against the officers of their lord the duke of Burgundy, and suddenly put to death Maurice de Versenaire, and his brother, James de Versenaire, sheriffs and magistrates of the town, because they had gone to wait on the duke at Arras. They were sought for in the houses in which they had hidden themselves, on hearing that the mob intended to murder them; and this event greatly alarmed the principal inhabitants. The duke of Burgundy was much vexed on hearing what had passed at Bruges, and held many councils to consider how he could most effectually punish this outrage against his authority. He was advised to send secretly some trusty persons to Bruges, to learn from those supposed to be attached to his party how he could punish the offenders. Those of the highest rank wrote letters, in consequence, to the duke, to excuse themselves from having been any way concerned in the late business, and to offer their services to assist him in punishing those who had done these murders. The duke now made known his intention of going to Holland on his private affairs, and that he would pass through Bruges in his way, when he should see how he could best accomplish his object. He therefore assembled a large body of men-at-arms, with their captains, from Picardy, to the amount of fourteen hundred combatants, and, attended by many noble lords, departed from Lille, and lay at the town of Rousselaire. On the morrow, he sent his harbingers to Bruges to prepare his lodgings, escorted, as usual, by a detachment from the VOL. II. E above-mentioned men-at-arms. They entered the town, and took up their quarters as they could. The duke immediately followed them with the main army, receiving hourly intelligence from his friends in the town. In truth, the principal inhabitants would have been rejoiced to see those who had committed the before-mentioned atrocious acts properly punished, for they were men of low degree, who wished to throw things into confusion that they might master the richer ranks. The commonalty were alarmed when they heard of the duke's coming, being fearful that this armament was brought, as was the truth, against them. In consequence, they assembled by companies in divers parts of the town, and gave out that the duke and his Picards were only coming thither to plunder and destroy it. The chief inhabitants, hearing this, were more uneasy than before: the whole town was now in arms. A large party of the commonalty collected under arms in the market-place, and sent off a detachment to the gate leading to Rousselaire, through which the duke was to enter. It was on Whitsun-Wednesday; and when the duke came to the gate, thinking to enter, he was surprised to find both that and the barriers closed, and the townsmen armed and accoutred for war. They refused to admit the duke but with few attendants, which he would not agree to, saying that he and his army would enter together. A long conference now took place between the two parties in the town. The duke had with him sir Roland de Hautekirk and sir Colart de Comines, whom the men of Bruges disliked exceedingly, with many nobles of renown in war; such as the count d'Estampes, the lord de l'Isle-Adam, the lord de Therouenne, the lord de Humieres, the lord de Haubourdin, the lord de Saveuses, the lord de Crevecœur, James Kiriel, the lord de Lenternelle, Pierre de Roubaix, and others, who were astonished at the conduct of the Bruges men toward their prince. Some advised him to arrest those who had come through the barriers to the conference, and to behead all who had been concerned in these disturbances; but this was negatived, for fear those within the town would retaliate on the harbingers and their escort. However, after a space of two or three hours, it was concluded that the duke might enter; but before he made his entrance, he posted at the gate Charles de Rochefort, sir John bastard of Dampierre, Melides Breton, with others of his gentlemen, and a party of archers. The duke entered the town in handsome array, attended by many nobles and warriors; but when he was about to dismount at his hôtel, and when four or five hundred of his menat-arms had passed the gate, the townsmen (who, as I have said, were there under arms, and in great numbers), closed the barriers and gate, shutting out the remainder of the duke's army. The duke was very angry when he heard of this, and caused the magistrates to be informed, that since they would not permit his people to enter with him, he would return to them, but the magistrates excused themselves as well as they were able. In the mean time, the duke drew up those who had been allowed to follow him, in good array, in the old market-place, when a quarrel took place between them and the townsmen, and battles ensued in different parts of the town. The duke was advised to retire with part of his men towards the gate by which he had entered, to attempt gaining it, in order that he might have the support of the rest of his army, or make his retreat should it be thought necessary. This was done, and he detached a body to the ramparts, to attack those at the gate on the flank, while he marched in person down the great street. The enemy set up a grand shout, and made a desperate attack, but suddenly they fled from the gate, were pursued, and many slain. The lord de l'Isle-Adam had dismounted, and was advanced beyond some of the archers, who did not behave to please him in pursuing the townsmen, concluding, at the same time, that he should be followed by others, which was not the case, or at least by a very few, so that, seeing him thus alone, a party of the townsmen surrounded him, and, before any succour could arrive, put him to death, and tore from him the order of the Golden Fleece which he had on. The duke of Burgundy, and in general all who had accompanied him, were much grieved at his death, but now there was no remedy for it. At this moment there was not one but was in danger of suffering the like,-for the commonalty were in multitudes under arms ready to surround them on all sides, who were but a handful of men |