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A.D. 1410. King of France and appeared to him that all these things being seen and considered he might lawfully and justly make war on and do damage to this said Henry who called himself King of England and to his abettors, without giving any further respite or deferring it. Whereupon the said speaker requested each one present on behalf of the King of France to bethink himself of the most honourable and most profitable means by which things might be conducted for the good of the country and the public welfare of his realm. Thus as you hear was held in France more than one notable council from which little was carried into effect owing to divisions; notwithstanding which thing the English continued to prepare for war, for they knew well how affairs were going on in France. At this time died Pope Alexander, and Balthasar, Cardinal of Bologna, was elected to the papacy as sovereign bishop and shepherd of the whole universal church, and he was called Pope John XXII. At this time also peace was made between the Orleans children and Duke John of Burgundy, which was broken in the town of Chartres, and there were great assemblies one against the other, but in a short time they were reconciled and made friends, and this was called the peace of Bicetre1, which also did not last long, and was made in the year fourteen hundred and eleven, for immediately after the said Duke John of Burgundy sent four of his councillors as ambassadors to the king at Paris, that is to say, the Lord of Croy, the Lord of Dours, and with them them two distinguished law-clerks, on some of his business, and from thence to the Duke of Berri; when these were between Orleans and Bourges, the Lord of Croy was alone taken and detained on Wednesday the last day but one of January, but no hindrance was offered to the others or their at

i Wincestre in A.

tendants. And the cause of his seizure was that they A.D. 1410. charged him with being an accomplice or consenting

party to the death of the said Duke of Orleans, and he was carried to Blois and put there in very close prison. The other ambassadors passed on and went to Bourges to do their business with the Duke of Berri, to whom they related the capture of the Lord of Croy, at which he was ill enough pleased, but could not help it, so for the time had to suffer it. The said capture of the Lord of Croy was the just cause of the rupture of the peace of Bicetre1, and then was the war renewed between the Dukes of Orleans and Burgundy, by which the realm of France was much harassed, as in the chronicles of France may be fully seen.

How the Duke of Burgundy took the town and bridge of Saint Cloud where the Orleanists were in garrison. CHAPTER XXV.

AT this time Duke John of Burgundy, who was in A.D. 1411. his country of Artois, was informed of the capture of the Lord of Croy, whereat he was much displeased, seeing that on the Orleans side neither peace nor truce made was kept; wherefore he assembled his council in the town of Lille, where there were many speeches exchanged, and finally it was decided that with the greatest force that he could assemble of men-at-arms and archers he should go towards the King of France at Paris, and in order to do this he requested all his friends to place him beyond the power of all his ill wishers, and he even sent for aid to King Henry of England, who immediately sent to him the Earl of Arundel and the Earl of Kent, accompanied by eight hundred English fighting And the Duke of Burgundy desiring to be

men.

1 See note on p. 138.

A.D. 1411. beforehand with his enterprise to bring it to an end, left his country of Artois, and went with a great force to the town of Paris, where many councils were held with the French captains and princes, after which a conclusion having been arrived at, the ninth day of November at the hour of midnight the Duke of Burgundy sallied forth from the town of Paris by the gate of Saint Jacques largely attended by men-atarms and archers, amongst whom were the Counts of Nevers, La Marche, Vaudemont, Ponthieu, and Saint Pol, the Earls of Arundel and Kent1, Sir Bouchicaut, Marshal of France, the Lord of Vergy, Marshal of Burgundy, the Lord of Helly, who had lately been made Marshal of Acquitaine, the lord of Saint George, Enguerrand de Bornoville, the Lord of Fosseux, Sir Regnier Pot, governor of the Dauphin, the Seneschal of Hainault, Sir John de Guistelle, the Sire de Brimeu, and many other notable lords as well of the country of Burgundy as of Picardy, Flanders, and other places; and the army was by people skilled in these matters, estimated at six thousand combatants on horseback, all warriors, and four thousand footmen of the city of Paris, who when they were come into the country marched in good order, having many guides, to half a league distant from Saint Cloud, where the Orleanists were lodged; it might be eight o'clock in the morning when they arrived there, and the weather was very bad, cold and frosty. They being come there and halted without their enemies being in the least aware of it, the Duke of Burgundy sent his marshal, Sir Walter de Rupes, Sir Guy de Latremouille, and Le Veau de Bar, with eight hundred men-at-arms and four hundred archers, forward on the river Seine before Saint Denis to offer an impediment to his

1 Probably the reading should be Kyme. Gilbert de Umfraville, a a descendant by the half blood of

the sister and heir of William, last baron of Kyme, is probably meant (see next page).

enemies to prevent their crossing a new bridge which A.D. 1411. they had made over the river Seine, which lords above mentioned performed their duty very nobly, breaking down a part of the said bridge, and kept it so well that their adversaries were unable to cross And afterwards the duke being on the hill in order of battle where there are three roads, posted in one, the good Seneschal of Hainault, Sir John de Guistelle, the Lord of Brimeu, John and Philip Potier, English captains, who had altogether four hundred knights and esquires and as many archers. In the other road were posted the Lord of Helly, the Lord of Roncq, Enguerrand de Bornoville, and Ame de Verry, who had as many men as the above named. And on the third road were marshalled Omfreville Earl of Kent1 with some Picard captains, and outside the town, by the vines, were marshalled the Parisians and other footmen in great force. All which companies above marshalled and put in command by the Duke of Burgundy as they had been ordered came all at once by different ways to assault the town, which had been fortified by the Orleanists with pits, ditches, and barricades as well as they were able. At these defensible points, the Orleanists, warned of the coming of the said duke, set themselves very valiantly to the defence by order of their captains whom they had with them, that is to say, Jacques Du Placet, governor of Angoulême, the Lord of Estambours, William Boutillier, Mansart Du Bois, Le Bouc Jacob, a knight, and three other noblemen of Gascony; and they defended themselves for some time, but by reason of the great number of their enemies, who on all sides vigorously assailed them, they were obliged after no long time to lose their first barricade. And finally, to abridge this matter, seeing that the chronicles which are written about it declare it more fully, the Duke of

1 See note on p. 140.

A.D. 1411. Burgundy's

men obtained the victory over the Orleanists, and there were many slain and drowned to the number of nine hundred or more, and from four to five hundred prisoners, of which number were the Lord of Estambourg, William Boutillier, Sir Mansart Du Bois, and there were carried off by the Burgundians full twelve hundred horses which were in the town of St. Cloud. After this rout the Duke of Burgundy returned to Paris, where he was received by the King of France, the Duke of Acquitaine, and the Parisians with great glory and praise. Thus as you see went matters in France, and the war increased between the two parties above named, which was the cause of the destruction of the kingdom. Many sieges, skirmishes, and encounters, great musters, and preparations took place throughout the realm to the cost of the common people, who could do nothing in the matter; many towns, castles and fortresses, chapels and monasteries, were battered down and demolished. And at this time the said Sir Mansart Du Bois, who was taken at Saint Cloud, and was a native of Picardy, was beheaded in the market at Paris by order of the Duke of Burgundy.

How the Duke of Burgundy sent his ambassadors to
England, and of the deliverance of the Lord of Croy
and of the children of the Duchess of Bourbon.
CHAPTER XXVI.

A.D. 1412. JUST at the opening of the month of March of this year, by license of the King of France, the Duke of Burgundy sent his ambassadors to King Henry of England, that is to say, the Bishop of Arras, the Provost of Saint Donas of Bruges, the Provost of Saint Omer, and the Lord of la Vies-villes, to treat for the marriage of one of the daughters of the said duke with the Prince of Wales, eldest son of King

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