at variance somtime in open war and somtime in a dissembled truce wherein each party comprehended their confederates God shewed so great fauor to the realme of Fraunce that the ciuill wars in England were not yet fully ended notwithstanding that they began fifteene yeeres before and had continued with cruell and bloodie battels wherein many a good man lost his life For you shall vnderstand that there were in England two houses that claimed the crowne to wit Lancaster and Yorke for the which cause both the parties proclaimed their enimies traitors and the diuision of these two houses was the preseruation of the estate of Fraunce for doubt you not but that this realme had sustained great troubles if the English men had been in such estate then as in times past But to returne againe to our matter the Kings chiefe desire was to conquer Britaine both bicause it seemed easier to be subdued and of lesse defence than this house of Burgundy and also bicause the Britons receiued all his euill willers namely his brother and other his enimies that had intelligence in his realme Wherefore he practised continually with the Duke of Burgundy making him diuers offers if he would forsake the Britons and namely that he would in like maner abandon the Liegeois and all other the Dukes enimies Whereunto the Duke of Burgundy would not agree but made a new voiage against the Liegeois bicause they had againe broken the peace and taken and spoiled a towne called Huy 1 and chased his men out of it notwithstanding the hostages deliuered the yeere before vnder paine of death and the great summe of mony they had bound themselues to forfeit if they brake the said treatie The Duke leuied his armie about Louuain in Brabant and vpon the marches of Liege whither came to him from the King the Earle of Saint Paule Constable of Fraunce now become altogither French and resident continually with the King accompanied with Cardinall Balne and others who aduertised him that the Liegeois were the Kings confederates and comprehended in the truce wherefore the King would succour them if he inuaded them Notwithstanding they offered if he would abandon the Dukes of Berry and Britaine to the King that the King would then abandon the Liegeois to him Their audience was short and in open court neither staied they aboue one day The Duke excused himselfe and charged the Liegeois with breach of the peace alledging that they had inuaded his dominions wherefore he sawe no reason why he should not be reuenged on them without forsaking his confederates and this was his answer for that time Againe the next day after their arriuall the Duke being ready to take horse tolde them that he humbly besought the King to attempt nothing against the Duke of Britaine whereunto the Constable replied and said sir you choose not but take all for you will make war at your pleasure vpon your friends and constraine vs to lie still and not inuade our enimies as you do yours it may not be so neither will the King endure it Then the Duke taking his leaue said thus again the Liegeois are assembled togither within three d↑ies I looke for the battell if I be ouerthrowne I am sure you will do after your accustomed maner but if the victory fall on my side the Britaines shall liue quietly enough by you Which talke ended he mounted on horsebacke and the ambassadors repaired to their lodgings to make them ready to depart The Duke marched in armes from Louuaine with great force laid his siege before a town called Sainctron his power was maruellous great for all the strength of Burgundy was come to him so that this army was far greater than any other that I had seene with him before A litle before his departure he debated with his counsell whether he should put the Liegeois hostages to death or what he should do with them Some gaue aduise to kill them all especially the Lord of Contay so often aboue mentioned whom I neuer heard speake so cruelly as at that present Wherfore it is necessary for a Prince to haue more than one of his counsell for the wisest erre yea and that often Otherwhiles bicause they are partiall to the matters debated through hatred or loue somtime bicause they seeke to contrary some one that hath spoken before them possible also their bodies may be euill disposed for it is not to be held for counsell that is giuen after dinner But you will say that men subiect to such imperfections are vnfit to be of a Princes councill whereunto I answer that we are all men and that who so will haue no councillors but such as neuer faile to speake wisely nor are more troubled at one time then another must seeke them in heauen for he shall not finde them on earth But for redresse of this inconuenience somtime one of the councell will speake very well and wisely that vseth not often so to do and thus the one supplieth the others defects Now to return to the matter debated in this assembly two or three were of the said Contais opinion mooued thereunto by his great authority wisdome for in such assemblies a great number giue their opinion but as they haue heard some other speake before them not vnderstanding the matters debated but seeking onely to flatter some one being of credit and authority that hath already spoken After this the Lord of Himbercourt a gentleman borne neere to Amiens and one of the wisest knights that euer I knew being asked his aduise said that to the end the Duke might haue God on his side and discharge himselfe of cruelty and desire of reuenge before the world he thought it best to pardon all those hostages considering they came thither with a good intent supposing the treatie should haue been obserued notwithstanding he aduised the Duke at their departure to giue them to vnderstand how great grace and fauor he shewed them and to desire them to do their endeuor in perswading their citizens to peace which if they could not obtain yet at the least they themselues acknowledging his goodnes towards them should neuer after beare armes neither against him nor their bishop there present with him This opinion tooke place and the hostages when they were deliuered promised to do as the Duke required Farther this was told them at their departure that if any of them were herafter taken in armes against the Duke he should die and thus they were dismissed It is not amisse to reherse heere how after Monseur de Contayes cruell sentence pronounced against the hostages part of them which were come thither with a good meaning and vpon verie simplicitie one of the Counsell said thus to me in mine eare Marke well this man his bodie is healthfull ynough though he be old yet dare I laie a good wager he shall not liue a yeere to an end bicause of this cruell sentence he hath giuen and sure so it fell out
towne of Gaunt namely for a sute in law which of late the said towne had obtained by their sentence pronounced by the said Chauncellor against a particular man whom they had in sute But of all this matter of briberie they acquited themselues very honorably and as concerning that particular point where they of Gaunt charged them that they had sold iustice and taken monie of them to pronounce sentence on their behalfe they answered that the towne of Gaunt obtained their sute bicause their cause was good and as touching the monie they tooke they neuer demanded it nor caused it to be demanded but receiued it being offered The second point was that during the time they were with the late Duke Charles their Master and also being his lieutenants in his absence they had done diuers things against the priuileges and state of their towne and that whosoeuer doth against the priuileges of Gaunt ought to die But this point touched them no whit for they were neither their subiects nor citizens neither able to infringe their priuileges and if the Duke or his father tooke any of their priuileges from them they did it by the treatie made betweene them after their long wars and diuisions but the others that were left them being more than was requisite for their profit were neuer broken but kept and obserued Well notwithstanding the answers these two notable men made to these two points for of the principall matter first obiected against them no word was spoken yet the Senate of the towne condemned them to die as they stood at the barre bicause as they said they had broken their priuileges and receiued bribes after iudgement giuen vpon the matter in law aboue mentioned These two woorthie personages hearing this cruell sentence were not a little astonished and no maruell for they saw no way how to escape being in their enimies hands notwithstanding they appealed to the King and his court of Parlament trusting by this meanes to delay their death to the end their friends in the meane time might deuise some way to saue them Before their arrainment they racked them extremely against all order of law Their processe endured but sixe daies and notwithstanding their appeale after sentence pronounced they gaue them but three howers respite to confesse them and bethinke them of their soules health Which time expired they led them into their market place and set them vpon a scaffold The Ladie of Burgundie afterward Duchesse of Austrich being aduertised of their condemnation went to the townehouse to make request and supplication for their liues but perceiuing that she could do no good there she went to the market place where all the people were assembled togither in armes and there saw the two noble men aboue named standing vpon the scaffold The said Lady was in hir mourning apparell hauing nothing on hir head but a kerchiefe which was an humble and simple attire and ought of right to haue mooued them to pitie There she desired the people with weeping eies and hir haire loose about hir shoulders to haue pitie vpon these hir two seruants and to restore them vnto hir A great part of the people were willing that hir pleasure should be done and that they should not die but others would in no wise giue eare vnto hir whereupon they bent their pikes the one against the other But those that desired their death were the stronger and cried to them that stood vpon the scaffold to dispatch them immediately whereupon both their heads were striken off and in this estate returned this poore Lady to hir court sorrowfull and comfortlesse for these two were the principall persons in whom she had reposed hir whole confidence After they of Gaunt had done this exploit they remooued from about the said Lady the Lord of Rauastain and the Dowager Duke Charles widow hir mother in law bicause they had also written part of the letter aboue mentioned which Himbercourt and the Chauncellor deliuered to the King and they of Gaunt redeliuered to their Princesse after their returne as before you haue heard Further they vsurped all power and authoritie ouer this poore yoong Lady for so might she now well be called both bicause of the great dammage she had already receiued by the losse of so many notable townes irrecouerable by force considering his power in whose hands they were although by fauor friendship or composition some hope yet remained and also bicause she was in the hands of the ancient enimies and persecutors of hir house which was a great misfortune to hir Notwithstanding these citizens of Gaunt in all their publike actions haue euer shewed more grosse folly than cunning and no maruell for they that carrie credit and authoritie among them are for the most part wealthie men of occupation vnacquainted with waightie affaires and little vnderstanding what belongeth to the gouernment of a state Their cunning consisteth but in two points the one that they studie by all meanes possible how to weaken and impouerish their Prince the other that when they haue made a fault and finde the partie offended too strong for them they craue pardon with greater humilitie and buie peace with larger gifts than any people in the world yea and know what instruments to worke by and what persons to labour for obtaining of peace better than any towne that euer I knew After they of Gaunt had taken by force the gouernment of their Princesse put the two aboue mentioned to death and remooued from about hir those that misliked them they began euery where to place and displace officers at their pleasure and to banish and spoile all those that had best serued this house of Burgundy not regarding their good or euill desert but aboue all other men they hated the Burgundians especially so far foorth that they banished them all and trauelled to make them the Kings seruants and subiects as much as the King himselfe did who sollicited them thereunto by faire words wise perswasions large gifts and promises and sought also to constraine them by great force which he had in their countrey Moreouer these men of Gaunt meaning to begin their gouernment with some case of noueltie tooke out of prison as alreadie is mentioned the Duke of Gueldres who of long time by Duke Charles his commandement had been held prisoner for the causes aboue rehearsed and him they made generall of an army which they among themselues namely the townes of Bruges Gaunt and Ypre leuied and sent to Tournay to set fire on the subburbes thereof which was little for their Princesse profit For 200. soldiers sent in time to Arras or ten thousand franks to haue entertained men to put into it when the siege came before it would haue done both hir and them much more seruice than ten such armies as this For this army could do no good but fire a fewe houses in a place whereof the King made small account for he leuied neither taskes nor subsidies there but
perswaded that for one pleasant there should be found twenty displeasant He liued about threescore and one yeeres notwithstanding that he had conceiued an imagination that he should neuer passe threescore saying that no King of Fraunce of long time passed that age some saie none since Charles the great Notwithstanding the King our Master when he died was well forward in the threescore and one yeere Duke Charles of Burgundie what rest or quietnes had he more than the King our Master True it is that in his youth he was not much troubled for he attempted nothing til the two twenty yeere of his age but liued till that time in helth and at his ease But then he began to busie himselfe with his fathers officers whom his father maintained against him for the which cause he absented himselfe and went into Holland where he was well receiued and had intelligence with them of Gaunt and sometime also went thither himselfe He had not one peny of his father but this countrey of Holland was maruellous rich and gaue him goodly presents as did also diuers great townes of his other Seniories hoping thereby to winne his fauour in time to come For it is a common thing especially among the vulgare sort to loue better and seeke rather to him whose power is growing than to him who is already so great that he can be no greater 5 For the which cause Duke Philip when men told him that they of Gaunt loued his sonne maruellous wel that he could skill of their humor was woont to answer that their Prince in expectation they euer loued deerly but their Prince in possession they hated euer extremely which saying prooued true For after D. Charles began to reigne ouer them they neuer loued him and that they well declared as before I haue rehearsed he also for his part bare them as little good will notwithstanding they did his posteritie more harme than they could do him But proceed after the time that Duke Charles mooued war for the townes in Picardie which the King our Master had redeemed of Duke Philip his father and ioined himselfe with the Princes of this realme in the war called THE WEALE PVBLIKE he neuer was quiet but in continuall trauell both of bodie and minde For his hart was so inflamed with desire of glorie that he attempted to conquer all that lay about him All sommer he kept the field with great danger of his person and tooke vpon himselfe the charge and care of the whole armie all which trouble seemed yet not sufficient to him He was the first vp and the last downe as if he had beene the poorest soldier in his campe If he rested from wars at any time in winter yet was he busied all day long from sixe of the clocke in the morning either in leuying of money or receiuing ambassadors or giuing them audience In this trauell and miserie ended he his daies and was slaine of the Swissers before Nancy as you haue heard so that a man may iustly say that he neuer had good day from the time that ambition first entred into his minde till the hower of his death And what got he by all this trauell what needed he thus to haue toiled himselfe being so rich a Prince and hauing so many goodly townes and seniories vnder his subiection where he might haue liued in great ioy and prosperitie if it had so pleased him I must now speake of Edward K. of England who was so great mighty a Prince In his youth he sawe the Duke of Yorke his father discomfited and slaine in battell with him the Earle of Warwicks father 6 the which Earle of Warwicke gouerned King Edward in his youth and all his affaires yea to say the truth made him King and was the onely man that defeated his enimie King Henry who had raigned many yeeres in England and was lawfull King both in mine opinion and in the iudgement of the whole world But as touching great realmes and seniories God holdeth them in his hand and disposeth of them at his pleasure for all proceedeth of him The cause that mooued the Earle of Warwick to serue the house of Yorke against King Henry who was of the house of Lancaster was this The Earle of Warwicke and the Duke of Sommerset fell at variance in King Henries court who was a very simple man the Queene his wife being of the house of Aniou daughter to Rene King of Sicilie tooke part with the Duke of Sommerset against the Earle But considering that they had all acknowledged both King Henry and his father and grandfather for their lawfull Princes the said Lady should haue done much better to haue taken vpon hir the office of Iudge or mediator betweene them than to take part with either of them as the sequele well declared For heereupon arose war which continued nine and twenty yeeres during the which space many bloodie battels were fought and in the end all in maner both of the one partie and the other slaine Now to speake a word or two of factions surely they are maruellous dangerous especially among great men who are naturally inclined to nourish and maintaine them But you will say peraduenture that by this meanes the Prince shall haue intelligence of all things that passe and thereby hold both the parties in the greater feare In truth I can well agree that a yoong Prince vse this order among Ladies for by this meanes he shall haue pleasure and sport ynough and vnderstand of all their newes but to nourish factions among men yea among Princes and men of vertue and courage nothing can be more dangerous bicause by that meanes he shall kindle an vnquenchable fire in his house for foorthwith one of the parties will suppose the King to be against them and then to fortifie themselues take intelligence with his enimies The factions of Orleans and Burgundie prooue this point sufficiently for the wars that sprang therof continued threescore and twelue yeeres the English men being parties in them who thought to haue conquered the whole realme But to returne to King Edward he was very yoong when his father was slaine and the beautifullest Prince in the world but after he had vanquished all his enimies he gaue himselfe wholy to pleasures as to dames feasting banketting and hunting in the which delicacies he continued about sixteene yeeres 7 to wit till the Earle of Warwicke and he fell at variance in the which wars notwithstanding that the King were chased out of his realme yet continued he not long in that estate for he soone returned and hauing obtained the victorie more abandoned himselfe to all pleasures than before He feared no man but fed himselfe maruellous fat by meanes whereof in the flower of his age diseases grew vpon him so that he died in a maner suddenly of an Apoplexie and his heires males lost the crowne as before you haue heard In this our age raigned also two valiant and wise
to Venice with certaine conditions of peace which they refused and of the D. of Milans false dealings page 353 Chap. 13 How the king after his returne into Fraunce forgot those that he left behind him in the realme of Naples and how the Daulphin died whose death the king and Queene much lamented page 356 Chap. 14 How the king was aduertised of the losse of the castell of Naples and how the Florentines places were sold to diuers men of the treatie of Atelle in Pouille to the great dammage of the French and of the death of king Ferrand of Naples page 358 Chap. 15 How certaine practises-entertained by diuers noble men of Italy on the kings behalfe as well for the conquest of Naples as of the Duchie of Milan failed for lacke of sending thither and how an other enterprise against Genua sped euill also page 362 Chap. 16 Of certaine controuersies betweene king Charles and Ferrand king of Castile and of the ambassadors that were sent too and fro to pacifie them page 366 Chap. 17 A discourse of the misfortunes that hapned to the house of Castile in the Lord of Argentons time page 370 Chap. 18 Of the sumptuous buildings K. Charles began a little before his death of the great desire he had to reforme the church himselfe to diminish his reuenues to redresse the processes of the law and how he died suddenly in this good minde in his castell of Amboise page 373 Chap. 19 How the holy man frier Hierom was burned at Florence by the procurement of the pope and of diuers Florentines and Venetians his enimies page 375 Chap. 20 Of the obsequies and funerals of king Charles the 8. and of the coronation of king Lewis the 12. his successor with the genealogies of the kings of Fraunce continuing to the saide Lewis page 377 The pedegree of Charles D. of Burgundy page 379 How Elizabeth wife to king Edward the fourth was neece to the Constable of Fraunce page 380 How Brabant Lambourg Luxembourg Namurs c. came to Charles D. of Burgundy 381. page 382 How Margaret of Flaunders was heire of Flaunders c. page 383 How Arthois and the county of Burgundy descended to the said Lady Margaret c. page 384 How the King of Portugale was cosin germaue to the D. of Burgundy page 385 How the D. of Cleues was the Lady of Burgundies neerest kinsman by his mother page 386 How King Henry the 7. was right heire of the house of Lancaster page 387 The title the D. of Lorraine had to the realme of Sicilie c. page 388 Why the Venetians had no right to the realme of Naples page 390 The house of Medices page 391 How Lewis D. of Orleans pretended title to the Duchie of Milan page 392 The pedegree of Hercules D. of Ferrara page 394 The pedegree of Francis Marques of Mantua page 395 How Ferdinand King of Arragon had more right to the realme of Naples than the Kings of the house of Arragon that possessed it page 396 FINIS THE PREFACE OF THE AVTHOR TO THE ARCHBISHOP OF VIENNA in Fraunce TO satisfie your request so often mooued vnto me right reuerend father in God I send you heere a memoriall as agreeable to truth as I can possibly call to minde of all the acts and doings that I haue been priuy vnto of king Levvis the eleuenth our master and benefactor and a prince woorthy of perpetuall memory Of his youth I can say nothing but by his owne report But from the time I entred into his seruice till the hower of his death whereat I was present I was more continually resident with him than any man of my estate that serued him being euer either of his priuy chamber or employed in his weightie affaires I found in him as in all other princes that I haue knowne or serued both good and bad For men they are as we be perfection is proper to God onely But sure that prince whose vertues and good parts surmount his vices deserueth great commendation the rather bicause commonly noble personages are more prone to al kind of wantonnes than other men partly for that in their childhood they are brought vp without due chastisement correction partly bicause when they are grown to mans estate ech man seeketh to seed their humors sooth them in all they say or do But for mine own part bicause I loue not to flatter nor misreport the truth somwhat may happily be found in this historie not tending altogither to the kings praise but I trust the readers will weigh the reasons aboue alledged Sure thus much I dare boldly say in his commendation that in mine opinion he was the prince in his age all things considered least subiect to vice Yet haue I knowne and been conuersant with as many great princes both spirituall and temporall as any man in Fraunce of my time as well the princes of this realme as those also that haue liued in Britaine Flaunders Almayne Englande Spayne Portugall and Italy Diuers others also whom I haue not seene yet haue I knowne partly by conference with their ambassadors and partly by their letters and instructions which are meanes sufficient to enforme men of their natures and inclinations Notwithstanding I minde not by setting foorth his commendation in this worke to detract from the honor and good renowne of others but send you penned in haste all that I could call to minde trusting that you haue required it of me to turne it into some worke that you purpose to publish in Latine to the perfection of which toong you haue atteined whereby may appeere both the woorthines of the prince I now write of and also the excellencie of your owne wit Farther sir if I happen to faile in any point you haue my L. of Bouchage and others who are better able to enforme you of these affaires than my selfe and to couch their words in much eloquenter language Although to say the truth considering how honorablie the king entertained me how great familiaritie it pleased him to vse towards me and how liberally he bestowed vpon me neuer intermitting one of the three till the houre of his death no man hath iuster cause to remember those times then my selfe whereunto I also adde the losses I haue susteined and dangers I haue been in sithence his decease which are sufficient I thinke to put me in minde of the great benefits I receiued at his hands during his life Notwithstanding that I know it to be a matter of course that after the death of great and mightie princes great alterations ensue to the losse of some and gain of others for riches and honors folow not alwaies their expectation that hunt after them To conclude sir the better to enforme you of the time sithence I entred into the kings familiarity which is your desire I am forced first to rehearse what hapned before I came to his seruice and so orderly to proceede from the time I
coasted continually along by the Earles campe but could not endamage him for his force was so small that when the Earle drew neare to Paris he retired thither All the way as the Earle passed he made no war but what his men took they paid for wherfore the towns vpon the riuer of Somme all other townes that he passed by receiued his men in small troupes and sold them for their money whatsoeuer they would buy as men resting in suspence whether the king or the princes should haue the vpper hand 8 So far marched the Earle that he came to S. Dennis neare to Paris where all the Lords of the realme had promised to meete him but none came notwithstanding that the Vicechauncellor of Britaine the D. and Ambassadorresident in the Earles campe forged newes of their comming from time to time at his owne pleasure vpon certaine blanks that he had signed with his masters hand he was a Norman borne and a very wise and sufficient man and so it behooued him to be for the whole campe murmured against him The Earle of Charolois shewed himselfe before Paris 9 where was a hot skirmish hard at the towne gates but to the Citizens disaduantage Men of war within the towne were none saue onely the Marshall Ioachin with his companie and the Lord of Nantoillet afterward Lord great Master who did the King as good seruice in these wars as euer did subiect King of Fraunce at his neede and yet in the ende was euill recompensed rather by his enimies malice than the Kings fault though neither of both are cleerely to be excused The poore people of the citie were in so great feare the day of the skirmish that they cried often as I was afterwards credibly enformed that we were entred the towne but without cause Notwithstanding the L. of Hault-bourdin aboue mentioned who had been brought vp in the towne when it was nothing so strong as now it is gaue aduise to assault it and the soldiers desired nothing more contemning the townes men bicause the skirmishes were hard at their gates yet the contrary opinion tooke place whereupon the Earle retired to S. Denis The next day in the morning he debated with his Councill whether he should go to meet with the Dukes of Berry and Britaine or not who were at hand as the Vicechauncellor of Britaine said shewing also their letters testifying the same but he had forged them vpon his blanks and other newes knew he none In the end the Earle resolued to passe the riuer of Seine notwithstanding that the most part of his Councill gaue aduise to returne home seeing the rest of the confederates had broken day alledging it to be sufficient to haue passed the riuers of Somme and Marne and more than needed to passe this riuer of Seine Some also put foorth great doubts bicause we had no places on our backe to retire into if we should be distressed But all this notwithstanding the Earle passed the riuer and encamped at Pont S. Clou 10 wherefore the whole army murmured much against the Earle of S. Paule and this Vicechauncellor who were the principall perswaders of him thereunto The next day after his arriuall there he receiued letters from a Lady of this land written with hir owne hand wherein she aduertised him that the King was departed out of Bourbonnois and came downe with all speede to fight with him I must heere declare the occasion of the Kings voyage into Bourbonnois which was this So soone as he vnderstood that all the princes of his realme had conspired against him at the least against his gouernment he determined to preuent them and before they were assembled to inuade the D. of Bourbon who was the first that openly discouered himselfe to be of the confederacie 11 and bicause his countrey was weake he hoped soone to subdue it as in deede diuers places he tooke and would easily haue taken all had not succours come thither out of Burgundie vnder the leading of the L. Coulches the Marquesse of Rottelin the L. of Montague and others with whom Master VVilliam of Rochefort Chauncellor of Fraunce a man at this day of great estimation was also in armes This force was leuied in Burgundie by the sollicitation of the Earle of Beauieu and the Gardinall of Bourbon 12 brethren to D. Iohn of Bourbon and by them receiued into Molines Aide came also of another side to the D. of Bourbon vnder the leading of the D. of Nemours the Earle of Armignac and the L. of Albert being accompanied with a great band of soldiers some of the which were good men of armes of their countries who lately had forsaken the Kings pay and put themselus into their seruice But the greatest part of their men were vtterly vnfurnished of all things and forced for lacke of pay to liue vpon the poore people The King notwithstanding these their great forces gaue themynough to do wherefore in the end they fell to treate of peace especially the D. of Nemours who solemnly promised and sware to take part with him and yet did afterwards the contrary whereupon the King conceiued so great displeasure against him that afterward he could neuer brooke him as eftsoones he hath told me To be short the King perceiuing that he could not atchieue his enterprise in Bourbonnois so speedily as at the first he hoped and fearing if the Earle of Charolois forces which approched neare to Paris and the forces of the Duke of Berry his owne brother and of the D. of Britaine which were comming out of Britaine should ioine togither that the Parisians would receiue them into their towne bicause they all pretended the common wealth for colour of their enterprise knowing also that as the towne of Paris did so all the other townes in his realme would follow for these causes I say he resolued with all speed possible to put himselfe into Paris meaning to keepe these two great armies asunder but his purpose was not to fight as he hath himselfe diuers times told me in communing of these affaires The Notes 1. The Earle of S. Paul had betrothed his daughter to the L. of Croys sonne but seeing the Earle of Charalois hatred against the said Croy he would haue broken off the mariage againe but Croy in whose house the said daughter remained contrarie to hir fathers wil made vp the match for the which cause the Earle of S. Paul hated the said Croy to the death Annal. Burgund 2. The Earle of Charolois besides this matter heere alleaged charged Iohn L. of Croy that he had called him great diuell threatned him and sought to poison him Meyer 3. Euery French man of armes is allowed three men to accompanie him in the wars one to beare his headpeece called in Latin Ferentarius and two archers La Marche but the Burgundians had heere some 5. some 6. 4 These archers were bow-men mounted on horsebacke as harquebusiers on horsebacke are now 5 He that maketh such offer of
himselfe secketh pray not seruice wherefore this reiecting of so many was done according to the rules of the art of war 6 Of the excesse of this house of Burgundie Annal. Burgund write thus lib. 3. pa. 917. and 918. All fashions of apparell were growne in vse among the subiects of this house of Burgundie and those so indecent and dissolute that none could be more The Ladies and gentle women ware vpon their head a strange kinde of attire fashioned in pyramidal form the top thereof halfe an ell good from the crowne of their head and thereupon a carchef of lawne or some other fine linnen hanging downe to the very ground a fond attire and vvoorthy to be derided The men disguised themselues no lesse than the vvomen some vvare their clothes so short that they hardly couered those parts that nature hir selfe shameth to discouer their haire vvas curled and of such length that it hindred their sight vpon their heads they ware felt-hats copletanked a quarter of an ell high or more they stuffed their dublets about the shouldens and brest maruellous full of bombast to the end they might seeme square and broad brested a thing greatly displeasing God their clokes were not so short but their gownes were as long for they trained after them vpon the ground To be short the whole world could not deuise stranger kinds of disguising than they had and that was woorst of all is this that euery rascall and euery woman in beggers estate would be apparelled princelike and imitate the fashion of Court without regarde either of cost or calling Compare this with the excesse of England at these daies and we shall see in a glasse our owne vanities and haue iust cause to looke for the same miseries that fell vpon this house of Burgundy after this excesse 7 The 15. of May saith Meyer but the 25. Annal. Burgund the Earle departed from his father 8 The Earle of Charolois as he passed named himselfe the Duke of Berries lieutenant for the which cause the townes heere mentioned the willinglyer receiued him Annales Burgund 9 The Earles armie shewed it selfe before Paris about the 12. or 13. of Iuly at which time all the princes should haue met him there Meyer 10 The Earle of S. Paule tooke a great bote vpon the riuer of Seine in the which he passed the riuer and tooke Pont S. Clou. Annal. Burgund 11 Reade a letter written by the King to the Duke of Bourbon and his answere therunto Annal. Burgund pag. 889. 12 This Cardinall of Bourbon was Archbishop of Lyons and brother to the Duke of Bourbon Annal. Burgund for the which cause I thinke it best in the French to reade freres for frere bicause the Earle of Beauieu and this Cardinall were both brethren to the Duke of Bourbon How the Earle of Charolois encamped neere to Montl'hery and of the battell fought there betweene the King of Fraunce and him Chap. 3. THe Earle of Charolois supposing that the King being departed out of Burbonnois as before you haue heard came downe purposely to fight with him resolued likewise to set forward against the King and then read openly the contents of the letter sent him by the Lady aboue mentioned not vttering hir name and required his soldiers to play the men saying that he was fullie resolued to hazard the battell wherefore he marched and encamped at a village neere to Paris called Longiumeau and the Earle of S. Paule with the vawarde lodged at Montl'hery two leagues beyond Longiumeau from whence he sent foreriders and scoutes abroad to vnderstand of the Kings comming and what way he tooke farther in the presence of the Earle of S. Paule the Lord of Hault-bourdin and the Lord of Contay Longiumeau was assigned for the place of the battell and thither it was agreed that the Earle of S. Paule should retire with the vawarde if the King hapned to come Now you shall vnderstand that the Earle of Maine with seuen or eight hundred men of armes lay continually in face of the Dukes of Berry and Britaine who were accompanied with a number of wise and valiant knights that King Lewis had put out of pension at his first comming to the state notwithstanding the great seruices that they had done his father in the recouering and pacifying of the realme wherof afterward full often he repented him Among these knights was the Earle of Dunois a man of great experience in al matters 1 the marshall of Loheac the Earle of Dampmartin the Lord of Bueil and diuers others accompanied with the number of fiue hundred men of armes who lately had forsaken the Kings paie and retired themselues to the Duke of Britaine of whose onely subiects this whole force consisted The Earle of Maine who lay continually in face of the two Dukes campe as you haue heard finding himselfe too weake to encounter with them dislodged continually before them approching neerer and neerer to the King in like maner the Dukes of Berrie and Britaine endeuored to ioine with the Burgundians Some haue helde opinion that the Earle of Maine had secret intelligence with the Princes but I could neuer vnderstand any such thing neither do I beleeue it 2 The Earle of Charolois lying in campe at Longiumeau as you haue heard and his vawarde at Montl'hery was aduertised by a prisoner that the Earle of Maine with his whole force all the men of armes of the Kings ordinary retinue being to the number of two an twenty hundreth and the arriereban 3 of Daulphine togither with fortie or fiftie gentlemen of Sauoy excellent good soldiers were al ioined with the King The King in the meane time consulted with the Earle of Maine the high Seneschall of Normandie called De Brezey the Admiral of Fraunce who was of the house of Montauban and others what was to be don in the end whatsoeuer was said or aduised to the contrary resolued not to fight neither approch neere to the Burgundians campe but onely to enter into Paris 4 which in mine opinion was the best safest course He stood in great doubt of his high Seneschall of Normandy and therfore desired him to tell him truely whether he had giuen his faith in writing to the Princes that came against him whereunto the Seneschall answered after his merrie ieasting maner that he had that the writing should remaine with him but the bodie should serue him which his answere the King tooke in good part gaue him the leading of his vaward and put also vnder his charge the guides whose help he vsed bicause he ment to shun the battle as you haue heard But the Seneschall being wedded to his owne will saide priuily to certaine of his familiar friends that he would that day ioine the two armies so nere togither that he had need to be a good man of war that should seuer them without battel which his promise he performed though to his owne cost for the first man that was slaine was himselfe
the Earle and his brother with a great number of gentlemen and the slaughter of the poore people was also great For King Edward at his departure out of Flaunders resolued to cry no more to saue the people and kill the nobles but he had conceiued extreeme hatred against the communalty of England both for the great fauor they bare the Earle of Warwick and for other respects also wherefore at this battell he spared them not Of the Kings side died about fifteene hundred and the field was valiantly fought At the time of this battell the Duke of Burgundie lay before Amiens where he receiued letters from the Duches his wife that King Edward hir brother was not a little discontented with him alleaging that the aide he gaue him was giuen in euil sort and with euill will so far foorth that he was almost vtterly forsaken of him and to say the truth the King and he after this neuer loued one an other Notwithstanding the Duke supposing that this victory would greatly further his affaires caused the newes to be published in all places I had forgotten to tell you how King Edward finding King Henry at London lead him with him into the battell aboue mentioned This King Henry was a very simple man and almost an innocent and if I haue not heard a lie incontinent after the battell the Duke of Glocester K. Edwards brother who afterward named himselfe K. Richard slue this holy man K. Henry with his own hands or caused him to be slaine in his presence in some secret place 2 The Prince of Wales was landed in England when this battell aboue mentioned was fought hauing in his company the Dukes of Excester and Sommerset with diuers others of his kinsfolkes and ancient folowers of his house His army was to the number of forty thousand as I haue been informed by diuers that were with him and if the Earle of Warwicke would haue staied for him it is very like the victory would haue been theirs But the Earle feared both the Duke of Sommerset whose father and brother he had slaine and also Queene Margaret the Princes mother wherefore he fought alone and would not tarie for them 3 Marke heere by this example how long ancient factions and partialities endure how much they are to be feared and what great damage ensueth thereof So soone as King Edward had obteined this victory he marched incontinent against the Prince of Wales where another cruell battell was fought for the Princes force was greater than the Kings notwithstanding the lot of victory fell to the King and the Prince was slaine vpon the place 4 with diuers other great Lords and a maruellous number of common soldiers The Duke of Sommerset was taken and the next day beheaded In eleuen daies the Earle of Warwicke subdued the whole realme of England at the least brought it to obedience and in one and twenty King Edvvard recouered it hauing fought two great and cruell battels Thus you see what sudden mutations haue been in England K. Edvvard caused many of the people to be put to death in many places especially such as had made assemblies against him And from that day forward raigned peaceably in England till his death though not without great trouble and vexation of minde I will heere end my discourse of these English affaires till time and occasion serue in some other place only adding this that of all the nations in the world the English men are most desirous to try their quarrels by dint of sword The Notes 1 Our Chronicles report that the Duke turned on the Kings side at Couentrie before the Kings comming to London and they vary also in other circumstances from our author 2 Our histories report otherwise of King Henries death for he was slain in the Tower and not so soone after the battell 3 Our Chronicles report that the Duke of Sommer set was at Barnet field with the Earle of VVarvvicke and repaired afterward to the Queene and was taken in the second battell and then be he aded 4 Our histories write that the Prince was not slaine in the battell but soone after hauing had communication with King Edward How the wars reuiued betweene King Lewis and Charles Duke of Burgundy by the sollicitation of the Dukes of Guienne and Britaine Chap. 8. I Wil now return to our affairs on this side the sea wherof I haue made no mention since the Duke of Burgundies departure from before Amiens the Kings returne into the country of Touraine and the Duke of Guienne his brother into Guienne The saide Duke of Guienne continued still his sute aboue mentioned for his mariage with the Duke of Burgundies daughter whereunto the said Duke in word euer shewed himselfe willing but in deede meant nothing lesse both bicause he purposed to vse hir as an instrument whereby to entertaine all the world and a marchandise to put euery man in hope of and also for that he stomacked the euill practises they had contriued to constraine him to this mariage perforce The Earle of Saint Paul Constable of Fraunce busied himselfe in this treaty very earnestly desiring that the mariage might seeme to be effected by his onely meanes and procurement On the other side the Duke of Britaine traueled therein to the end the whole honor thereof might redound to him The King was as busie as the best to breake it off though needlesly as well for the two reasons aboue alleaged as also bicause the Duke of Burgundy was not desirous of so great a sonne in lawe wherefore in vaine the King troubled himselfe but he could not see another mans thoughts And sure he had iust cause of feare for if this mariage had taken effect his brother should haue beene so mighty that he and the Duke of Britaine ioined togither might haue put the Kings estate and his childrens in great danger In the meane time about these affaires many ambassadors passed to and fro as well secretly as openly This often passing to and fro of ambassadors is a thing very dangerous for vnder colour thereof many times euill practises are set abroch yet notwithstanding ambassadors must of force both be sent and receiued They that shall reade this historie will aske peraduenture what remedie I can deuise against this inconuenience bicause it seemeth almost remedilesse For answere whereunto I will shew mine aduise notwithstanding that I know a number far better able to discourse heerof than my selfe Ambassadors that come from perfect friends with whom no occasion of quarrell can arise must be well intertained and permitted to come often to the Princes presence I meane if the Prince be wise and of comely personage otherwise the lesse he be seene the better Notwithstanding when he must of necessitie be seene let him be well apparelled and well instructed what to say and vse short speech according to Princes amitie which vsually is but short But if ambassadors be sent openly or secretly betweene Princes that are in continuall
the King and him he caused it foorthwith to be opened and passed to our side of the riuer where vndoubtedly he was in great danger This his dooing peraduenture himselfe and his familiar friends accounted a woorthy exploit supposing the King to stand in feare of him whom also they reputed a timorous Prince And true it is that he was so at times when there was cause why but not alwaies when the world so iudged of him For you shall vnderstand that the ciuill wars with the Princes of his realme out of the which he had wound himselfe by large gifts and promises had beaten this lesson into his head not to put any thing in aduenture if he could compasse his purposes by any other means which caused a number of men to suppose all his dooings to proceede of feare But diuers that vpon this imagination attempted foolish enterprises against him found themselues much deceiued namely the Earle of Armignack and others whom their fond attempts cost full deere For the King knew when it was time to feare and not to feare Sure this praise I dare boldly giue him which though happily I haue written before yet deserueth againe to be spoken that he was the wisest man in aduersity that euer I knew But to returne to my discourse of the Constable who desired peraduenture to hold the King in feare at the least I suppose so for I will not charge him with it but write this onely for an aduertisement to those that are in Princes seruice and vnderstand not all alike the affaires of this world for mine owne part if I had a friend I would aduise him to endeuor himselfe that his Master might loue him not feare him for I neuer knew man whose authority depended of the feare his Master had of him that sped not euill in the end and that by his Masters consent Examples ynow haue been seene heerof in our time or not long before In this realm of the Lord of Trimouille and others In England of the Earle of Warwick and his faction I could name some also in Spaine and in other countries But those that shal reade this discourse may peraduenture be able to say more therin than my selfe This their presumption oftentimes proceedeth of their good seruice for they thinke their experience so great that they cannot be spared and their deserts such that their Masters ought to beare all things at their hands But Princes on the contrarie side both say and thinke that men are bound to do them seruice and desire nothing more than to be rid of such malapart fellowes Touching the which point I must needes speake somewhat of the King our Master for once he told me in talking of those that do their Prince great seruice naming withall his author from whom he receiued this opinion that good seruice sometime vndooeth men and is recompensed with great ingratitude not alwaies by the Masters forgetfulnes but many times through the seruants owne fault who presuming vpon their good seruice behaue themselues arrogantly either towards their Masters or their fellowes Further as touching those that come to preferment in Court this was his opinion that he is happier that receiueth a benefit of the Prince he serueth without great desert whereby he standeth bound to his Prince than he that hath done so great seruice that his Prince seemeth in debted to him adding that he for his part loued those better that were bound to him than those to whom he was bound Thus you see how hard it is to liue in this world in any estate wherfore greatly are they bound to God whom he hath indued with vnderstanding how to gouerne thēselues in their vocation This enteruiew between the King the Constable was in the yeere 1474. THE FOVRTH BOOKE How the Duke of Burgundy being seazed of the Duchie of Gueldres sought to encroch farther vpon the Almaines and how he laied his siege before Nuz Chap. 1. THe same sommer as I remember that the King and the Constable met the Duke of Burgundy went to conquer the Duchy of Gueldres vpon a title woorthy to be declared to the end we may therby consider the wonderfull iudgements and power of God There was a yoong Duke of Gueldres named Adolph who maried his wife being of the house of Bourbon and sister to Peter Duke of Bourbon 1 now liuing in the Duke of Burgundies court for the which cause he was wel fauored there This Duke Adolph committed an horrible fact for one euening he tooke his father named Duke Arnold prisoner as he was going to bed and led him fiue dutch miles on foote bare legged in a maruellous colde night and laid him in a deepe dungeon the space of six moneths 2 where he sawe no light but through a little hole Wherfore the Duke of Cleues whose sister the old Duke being prisoner had maried made sharpe war vpon this yoong Duke Adolph The Duke of Burgundy sought diuers meanes to agree them but no good could be done Wherefore in the end the Pope and the Emperor began to stir in this matter so far foorth that the D. of Burgundy vnder great curses was commanded to take the old Duke out of prison which he did accordingly for the yoong Duke durst not withstand him both bicause he saw so many good men against him and also bicause of the Dukes great force I haue often seene them both togither in the Duke of Burgundies chamber pleading their cause before a great assembly and once I saw the good old man present the combat to his sonne The Duke of Burgundy was very desirous to agree them and offered the yoong Duke whom he fauored the title of Gouernor 3 of Guelderland with all the reuenues thereof saue of one little towne neere to Brabant called Graue which should remaine to the father with the reuenues of three thousand florens a yeerely pension of as much and the title of Duke as was but reason I with others wiser than my self were appointed to make report of these conditions to the yoong Duke who answered vs that he had rather throw his father headlong into a Well and himselfe after than agree to such an appointment alleaging that his father had been Duke forty fower yeeres and that it was now time for him to gouerne Notwithstanding he said that he would willingly agree to giue him a yeerely pension of three thousand florens with condition that he should depart the countrey as a banished man neuer to return diuers other such like lewd speeches he vsed This hapned at the very same instant that the King wan Amiens from the Duke of Burgundy who was then with these two Dukes at Dourlans whence bicause of the wars he departed in haste to Hedin forgetting this matter This yoong Duke put on French apparell 4 and departed with one onely seruant to repaire home into his countrey But as he ferried ouer a water neere to Namur he paied a gildon for his passage whereupon a
person Then I demanded of him againe how many he had lost and he answered neuer but one which was this we now bereaued him of adding that he receiued greater dishonor by returning home after this sort than he had obtained honor in winning the other nine Of this communication I aduertised the King who said he was a dangerous knaue and that some meanes must be found to stop his mouth whereupon he sent for him and made him dine at his owne table offering him verie large offers and goodly offices if he would tarry in Fraunce But seeing he would by no meanes be woon thereunto he gaue him a thousand crownes in money promising also a good turne to his brethren that were on this side the sea and I gaue him a watchword in his eare to employ his credit to continue the friendship and amity begun betweene the two Princes The King feared especially aboue all things least some word should escape him at vnawares whereby the English men might gather that he derided them And by chaunce the next morning after this meeting as he was in his closet and not past three or fower of vs with him he spake a merrie word touching the wines and presents sent to the English campe and as he turned about espied a merchant of Gascoine that dwelt in England who was come to mooue a sute to him for a licence to ship certaine Gascoine wines into England without impost which was a sute that might much benefit the said merchant if he could obtaine it The King woondered when he saw him how he was gotten in thither and asked him of what towne he was in Guienne and whether he were a merchant and married in England The merchant answered yea but that his wealth was not great Incontinent before his departure thence the K. appointed one to accompanie him to Bordeaux and I communed with him by his commandement Further a good office in the towne where he was borne was giuen him the licence for the wines which he demanded was granted him and besides this 1000. franks were deliuered him for his wiues charges vpon the way and he sent a brother of his into England for hir but went not himselfe Thus the King condemned himselfe in this penaltie for his ouer large speech The Notes 1 The old copie saith the 19. day Meyer the 31. day Gaguin the 28. of October 2 The like reparteth Iouius of the French How the Constable after the truce made with the English men sought to excuse himselfe to the King and how truce was also concluded for nine yeeres betweene the King and the Duke of Burgundie Chap. 11. THe selfesame day aboue mentioned being the next day after the enteruiew the Constable sent letters to the King by a seruant of his named Rapine who was a trustie seruant to his Master and whom also the King preferred afterwarde Monseur de Lude and my selfe were commanded to heare his message Now you shall vnderstand that Monseur de Contay was already returned from the Duke of Burgundie to the Court about the practise aboue mentioned deuised against the Constable so that the said Constable knew not to what Saint he should vow himself but remained in vtter despaire Rapines message was very humble tending to excuse his Master of the sundry euill reports that he knew had been made of him to the King for that the end sufficiently declared that he neuer meant to do otherwise than dutie required And to the intent he might the better assure the King of his true dealing he promised so to practise with the Duke of Burgundy that he would perswade him to helpe to destroy the King of England and his whole army if it so pleased the King And it seemed by his speech that his Master was in vtter despaire We told him that we were in perfect amity with the English men and would no war But Monseur de Lude who was with me aduentured to aske him if he knew where his Masters treasure lay I maruelled to heare such a word passe him for seeing this Rapine was a very trustie seruant to his Master this speech was sufficient to haue caused the Constable to flie and to vnderstand in what estate he was and what was a brewing for him especially seeing the danger he had been in not past a yeere before But I neuer knew man in my life neither heere nor elsewhere that could dislodge in time and shun the danger hanging ouer his head some bicause they thinke they shall not be receiued nor be in safetie in strange countries and other some bicause they are too much affectionate to their goods wiues and children which two reasons haue been the cause of many a good mans vndooing After we had made report to the King of Rapines message he called for one of his Secretaries none being with him but the Lord Hovvard the King of Englands seruant who vnderstood nothing of this practise against the Constable the Lord of Contay who was returned from the Duke of Burgundy and we two that had talked with the said Rapine Then he indited a letter to the Constable wherein he aduertised him of all that was done the day before namely the treaty of peace Further he senâ—â—â—â— word that he was busied with diuers affaires of great importance and had neede of such a head as his which word was no sooner vttered but he turned to the Englishmen and the Lord of Contay saying softly to them I meane not that we should haue the body but the head without the body This letter was deliuered to Rapine who liked it maruellous well especially those words that the King had need of such a head as his Masters but he vnderstood not the mystery thereof The King of England also sent the King the two letters of credit that the Constable had written to him and disclosed all the messages that he had sent him whereby you may perceiue how the Constable had behaued himselfe towards these three great Princes and in what estate he was euery one of the three desiring his death The King of England vpon the receit of his money departed and marched in great haste towards Callice fearing the D. of Burgundies malice his subiects and not without cause for whensoeuer his men scattered singled themselues some of them came short home At his departure he left for hostages with the King till his returne into England according to his promise the Lord Hovvard and the Master of his horse called Sir Iohn Cheiny You haue heard before at the entrance into these English affaires that K. Edward had no great deuotion to this voyage into Fraunce for being come to Douer before he embarked he began to practise with vs. But there were two causes that mooued him to passe the seas one the desire his whole realme had according to their natural humor to make war in Fraunce and the rather at this present bicause the Duke of Burgundy pressed the war so
againe to the Dukes campe and then reuolted from him as you haue heard when he saw the Almains march of whom being refused he retired as I said before to this castell of Condy. The said Almains marched forward being accompanied with great force of French horse men that had leaue giuen them to be at the battell Diuers also there were that lay in ambushes neere to the place to the end if the D. were discomfited they might get som good prisoner or booty Thus you see the miserable estate this poore Duke of Burgundy was fallen into by refusing good aduise When the two armies ioined the Dukes hauing been already twise discomfited and being but small and in very euill order was incontinent broken and put to flight a great number escaped the rest were either slaine 3 or taken and namely the Duke himselfe died vpon the place Of the maner of his death 4 I will not speake bicause I was not there present but I haue communed with some that were there who told me that they saw him striken to the ground could not succor him bicause they were prisoners Notwithstanding to their iudgement he was not then slaine but after these came a great troupe which slew him in the midst of them stripped him and left him among the dead bodies not knowing who he was 5 This battell 6 was fought the fift of Ianuary 7 1476. vpon Twelfth euen 1477. begining the yeere as Newe yeeres tide The Notes 1 He departed vpon wensday with 180. Meyer saith almost 200. men of armes that is 800. horse and on saturday departed the Lords of Dauge or Augy as Meyer nameth him and Montfort with 120. men of armes that is 480. horse and vpon sunday was the battel Annal. Aquit Meyer Annal. Burgund 2 The castell of Condy was the passage vpon the bridge of the riuer of Moselle Meyer 3 The Duke lost in the battell of Nancy 3000. men Annal. Burgund 4 He had three wounds one with a halberd in the side of his head which claue his head downe to the teeth another with a pike through the haunches and the third a push also with a pike by the fundament Annal. Burg. He was born the 11. of Nouember 1433. and was 34. yeeres old when he began to gouerne he liued 43. yeeres one moneth and 26. daies and gouerned nine yeeres sixe moneths and twenty daies Meyer 5 The name of him that slue Duke Charles was Claude of Bausmont captaine of the castell of Saint Dier in Lorraine The Duke was mounted vpon a blacke courser and seeing his battel 's ouerthrowen tooke a little riuer supposing to haue saued himselfe but in the riuer his horse fell and ouerthrevv him and then this gentleman not knowing him and by reason he vvas deafe not hearing the Duke vvho cried to him for the safetie of his life ran vpon him slue him stripped him and left him lying starke naked in the ditch VVhere the next day after the battell his bodie vvas found so fast frosen in the ice that vvhen it vvas dravven foorth a peece of his cheeke tarried there behinde The Duke of Lorraine to his great honor solemnly buried him himselfe and al his nobles accompanying the corps in mourning attire The place vvhere the Duke vvas slaine vvas hard by S. Iohns Church vvithout Nancy vvhere the Duke of Lorraine erected a crosse for a memoriall thereof The gentleman that slue him died soone after of melancholie vvhen he vnderstood that he had slaine so vvoorthie and couragious a Prince Champier Annales Burgund 6 The battell at Nancy Meyer nameth the battell of Iaruilla 7 Being sunday and as others vvrite ann 1477. but the variance both in this place and diuers others betvveene Commines and them is bicause they end the yeere at Nevv yeeres tide and he not before our Lady day as by the course of his historie is most plaine A discourse vpon certaine vertues of the Duke of Burgundie and of the time his house flourished in prosperitie Chap. 9. I Saw at Milan since his death a signet that I haue often seene him weare at his brest which was a ring set with a camée hauing very curiously cut into it an iron to strike fire 1 wherein his armes were grauen This ring was sold at Milan for two ducats and he that stole it from him was a false knaue that had beene a groome of his chamber Many a time haue I seene him made ready and vnready with great reuerence and solemnitie and that by great personages But now when death came all these honors fleeted away and both he and his house were destroied as you haue heard in the selfesame place where a little before he had consented for couetousnes to deliuer the Constable to death I had knowen him in times past a mightie and honorable Prince as much yea more esteemed and sought to of his neighbours than any Prince in Christendome Further in mine opinion the greatest cause of Gods indignation against him was for that he attributed all his good successe and all the great victories he obtained in this world to his owne wisedome and vertue and not to God as he ought to haue done And vndoubtedly he was endued with many goodly vertues for neuer was Prince more desirous to entertaine noble men and keepe them in good order than he His liberalitie seemed not great 2 bicause he made all men partakers thereof Neuer Prince gaue audience more willingly to his seruants and subiects than he 3 While I serued him he was not cruell but grew maruellous cruel towards his end which was a signe of short life In his apparell and all other kinde of furniture he was woonderfull pompous yea somwhat too excessiue He receiued very honorably all ambassadors and strangers feasting them sumptuously and entertaining them with great solemnitie Couetous he was of glorie which was the chiefe cause that made him mooue so many wars for he desired to imitate those ancient Princes whose fame continueth till this present Lastly hardie he was and valiant as any man that liued in his time but all his great enterprises and attempts ended with himselfe and turned to his owne losse and dishonor for the honor goeth euer with the victorie Yet to say the truth I wot not well whether God powred out greater indignation vpon him or vpon his subiects for he died in battell without any long griefe but they sithence his death neuer liued in peace but in continual war against the which they haue not been able to make resistance bicause of their owne ciuill troubles and diuisions Yea and another thing that most greeueth them is that they that now defend them are strangers who not long since were their enimies namely the Almaines To conclude since the Dukes death neuer man bare them good will no not they that defend them Further if a man consider well their actions it seemeth that their wits were as much troubled as their Princes before his death for they despised
became his seruant till the houre of his death The occasion of the wars betweene Lewis the 11. and the Earle of Charolois afterward Duke of Burgundie Chapter 1. AFter I was past my childehood and able to ride 1 I was presented at Lisle to Charles then Earle of Charolois and after his fathers death D. of Burgundie who receiued me into his seruice the yeere 1464. About three daies after my comming thither arriued at the saide towne of Lisle the Earle of Eu the Chauncellor of Fraunce named Moruillier the Archbishop of Narbonne 2 sent thither in ambassage from the king who in presence of D. Philip of Burgundie his sonne the Earle of Charolois and their whole councill in open court had their audience Moruilliers speech was very bitter for he charged the Earle of Charolois there present that at his late being in Holland he had caused a little French ship of war of Diepe to be arrested and therein a bastard of Rubempre whom also he had imprisoned charging him that he was come thither to take him prisoner and causing this brute euery where to be published 3 especially at Bruges whither strangers of all nations resort by a knight of Burgundie named sir Oliuer de la Marche 4 wherefore the King finding himselfe wrongfully burdened heerewith as he said 5 required D. Philip to sende this sir Oliuer de la Marche prisoner to Paris there to be punished according as the case required Whereunto D. Philip answered that the said sir Oliuer was steward of his house borne in the Countie of Burgundie 6 and in no respect subiect to the crowne of Fraunce Notwithstanding if it could be duly proued that he had said or done any thing preiudicial to the Kings honor he would see him punished according as the fault should deserue And as touching the bastard of Rubempre he said that true it was that he was apprehended for great causes of suspicion giuen and strange behauior vsed by him and his men about the towne of Lahaye 7 in Holland where at that present his sonne the Earle of Charolois remained adding that if the said Earle were suspicious he tooke it not of him for he was neuer so but of his mother who had been the most ielous Ladie that euer liued But notwithstanding quoth he that I my selfe neuer were suspicious yet if I had bin in my sonnes place at the same time that this bastard of Rubempre haunted those coasts I would sure haue caused him to be apprehended as my sonne did Lastly he promised that if this bastard were not guiltie of this fact to waite a purpose to haue taken his sonne as common report said he was he would foorthwith deliuer him out of prison and sende him to the King according to his ambassadors demands The D. answer ended Moruillier began againe charging with great and heinous offences Frances D. of Britaine and alledging that at the Earle of Charolois late being at Tours whither he went to visit the king the said D. and he had giuen their faith ech to other in writing to become brethren in armes which writings he said were enterchangeablie deliuered by the hands of master Tanneguy du Chastel who since hath been gouernor of Roussillon and borne some swaie in this realme This fact Moruillier aggrauated in such sort that nothing he omitted in setting foorth this offence that might tend to the disgrace and dishonor of a Prince Whereunto the Earle of Charolois made offer eftsoones to answere being maruellously out of patience to heare such reprochfull speeches vsed of his friend and confederate But Moruillier euer cut him off saying My Lord of Charolois I am not come of ambassage to you but to my L. your Father The said Earle besought his father diuers times to giue him leaue to answer who in the end said thus vnto him I haue answered for thee as me thinketh the father should answer for the sonne notwithstanding if thou haue so great desire to speake bethinke thy selfe to day and to morrow speake and spare not Then Moruillier to his former speech added that he could not imagine what had mooued the Earle to enter into this league with the D. of Britaine vnlesse it were bicause of a pension 8 the King had once giuen him togither with the gouernment of Normandy and afterward again taken from him The next day in presence of the selfe same audience the Earle of Charolois kneeling vpon a veluetcushion directed his speech to his father and began with this bastard of Rubempre affirming the causes of his imprisonment to be iust lawfull as the course of his arraignment should well declare Notwithstanding I thinke nothing was euer prooued against him though I confesse the presumptions to haue been great Fiue yeeres after I my selfe saw him deliuered out of prison This point thus answered the Earle began to discharge the D. of Britaine and himselfe saying that true it was that the D. and he were entred into league and amitie had sworn themselues brethren in armes but that this league tended in no respect to the preiudice of the King or his realme but rather to the seruice and defence thereof if neede should so require Lastly as touching the pension taken from him he answered that he neuer receiued but one quarters benefit thereof to the value of nine thousand francks 9 and that for his part he neuer made sute neither for it nor the gouernment of Normandy for so long as he enioied the fauor and good will of his father he should not need to craue of any man I thinke verily had it not been for the reuerence he bare to his said father who was there present and to whom he addressed his speech that he would haue vsed much bitterer termes In the end D. Philip very wisely and humbly besought the King lightly not to conceiue an euill opinion of him or his sonne but to continue his fauor towards them Then the banquet was brought in and the ambassadors tooke their leaue both of the father and the sonne But after the Earle of Eu and the Chauncellor had taken their leaue of the Earle of Charolois who stood a good way from his father he said thus to the Archbishop of Narbonne that passed forth the last of the ambassadors Remember my most humble dutie to the King and tell him he hath made his Chauncellor to vse me very homely heere but before a yeeres end he shall repent it which message the Archbishop did to the King at his returne into Fraunce as heereafter you shall perceiue These Moruilliers words aboue rehearsed caused the Earle of Charolois hatred against the King to take deepe roote the seedes whereof were before sowne by the Kings late redeeming of the townes situate vpon the riuer of Somme 10 namely Amiens Abbeuille Saint Quintin and the rest which king Charles the 7. had engaged by the treatie of Arras to his father D. Philip of Burgundie to haue and to holde to him and
battle should rest twise vpon the way to the end the foote men mought breath them bicause the vaward and it were far asunder and the corne high and thicke which troubled their going yet notwithstanding the cleane contrarie was done as though men would purposely haue lost all Wherfore heerby God manifestly declared that he is the Lord of hostes and disposeth of the victorie as seemeth best to him and sure for my part I cannot be perswaded that the wisdome of one man is sufficient to gouerne such a number of men nor that an enterprise can be executed in the field as it is deuised in the chamber and farther I verily beleeue that who so ableth himselfe by his own wit and capacitie to giue order in so waightie a matter misbehaueth himselfe towards God Notwithstanding euery man ought to do his endeuour therein acknowledging the wars to be one of the accomplishments of Gods iudgements which oftentimes he beginneth vpon small occasions to the end that by giuing victorie now to one and now to another some great realmes and seniories may fall to ruine and desolation and other some increase and florish with large empire and dominion for farther proofe whereof marke this that foloweth The Earle of Charolois marched without any breathing giuen to his shot and footemen vpon the way The Kings men of armes passed through the hedge aboue mentioned at two seuerall places and when they approched so neere their enimies that they began to charge their staues the Burgundian men of armes brake their owne shot and passed through it not giuing them leaue to let one arrow flie notwithstanding that the shot were the principall force and onely hope of their armie for of the men of armes being to the number of twelue hundred I thinke hardly fifty knew how to charge a launce there were not foure hundred of them armed with quiracies and of their retinue not one armed all the which inconueniences grew partly bicause they had rested so long in peace and partly bicause this house of Burgundie for ease of their subiects entertained no soldiers in ordinarie But since that day these Seniors of Burgundie haue continued in troubles which euen at this present rather increase than diminish Thus the Burgundian men of armes as you haue heard brake themselues the chiefe force and onely hope of their armie yet notwithstanding so it pleased God to dispose of this matter that on the right side of the castle where the Earle himselfe stoode no resistance was found All this day I my selfe neuer departed from the Earle being lesse afraide than in any other battell that euer I was at since for I was yoong and knew not what perill ment but wondred how any man durst resist the Prince I serued supposing none to be comparable to him Such are the cogitations of men lacking experience which causeth them oftentimes to maintaine fond arguments grounded vpon small reason Wherefore it is good to follow his aduise that saith A man seldome repenteth him of too little speech but often of too much On the lefthand stood the Lord of Rauastin and master Iames of S. Paul with diuers others who well perceiued their force too weake to encounter with the enimie that came to charge them but they were now so neere ioined togither that it was too late to deuise any new order To be short these were vtterly ouerthrowne and persued euen hard to our carriage where certaine of the footemen relied themselues but the greatest part tooke the forrest being but halfe a league thence The principall that folowed the chase were the gentlemen of Daulphine and Sauoy with certeine companies of men of armes who supposed the victorie to haue been theirs and not without cause for sure the Burgundians flight was great on that side yea and of great personages The most part fled toward Pont S. Maxence 12 supposing it had held yet for the Earle In the forrest also a great number staied among whom was the Earle of S. Paul well accompanied for he stood neere to the forrest side and declared afterward that he held not the battell as lost The Notes 1 This Iohn Earle of Dunois was bastard to Lewis Duke of Orleans Meyer 2 Yet La Marche saith that the Earle of Maine was of the Princes confederacie 3 The Arriereban is an edict neuer proclaimed but in cases of great extremitie for all as well nobles as others are thereupon bound to repaire to the King diuers of the which before the proclamation therof are not bound by their tenure to mooue The Arriereban of Daulphine heere named were all those of the countrie of Daulphine that held by this tenure Reade the edict made by King Francis anno 1543. and Girarde of the state of Fraunce lib. 2. fol. 113. 4 The King by the perswasion of the Earle of Maine and the Seneschall Brezey resolued at the last to fight Annal. Burgund 5 Brezey had changed armor with the King which caused his death for those that slue him supposed it had been the King Annal. Aquitan but Meyer saith he was reported to be slaine by the Kings procurement vvhich I knovve not vvhere he findeth 6 Of the day of the battell Annal. Franc. agree vvith our author but Annal. Burg. Annal. Aquit say 17. Meyer hath 17. Cal. Augusti that is the 16. day of Iuly vvith him agreeth Gaguin La Marche vvho vvas present at the battell and knighted in it 7 The Duke vvas ioined vvith the English men but 15. or 16. yeeres as saith also Introduction de la Marche for the league began anno 1419. and ended anno 1435. 8 The Burgundians dismounted so suddenly that laying dovvne their complete armor they had not leasure to buckle their lighter armor about them vvhich vvas the cause of Lalains death Annal. Burgund 9 Contay vsed another reason to persvvade the Earle to assaile his enimies heere not expressed to vvit to preuent the Parisians vvho if they issued foorth should inclose him betvveene them and the King Annal. Burgund 10 This Lalain seemeth to be the father of him that vvas slaine 11 Betvveene Longiumeau vvhere the Earles battell lay and Montl'hery vvhere his vavvard ledged are fovver English miles 12 Pont S. Clou and Pont S. Maxence vvere yeelded by the Burgundians bicause the rumor was that the Earle of Charolois was slaine in the battell Meyer Of the danger the Earle of Charolois was in and how he was rescued Chap. 4. THe Earle of Charolois pursued his enimies on that side himselfe stood halfe a league beyond Montl'hery and found no resistance notwithstanding that he were but slenderly accompanied and met with maine enimies wherefore he held the victorie for his but suddenly an old gentleman of Luxembourg called Anthony le Breton came to him and aduertised him that the French were relied vpon the field so that if he followed the chase any further he should cast away himselfe But the Earle regarded not his speech notwithstanding that he repeated it twise
the rest of their talke certaine words that passed the Duke of Berry who was yoong and vnacquainted with such exploits were especially marked for he seemed already to be weary of this enterprise alledging the great number of the Earle of Charolois men that he had seene in the towne hurt and maimed of whom to shew that he had pitie and compassion he brake foorth into this speech and said that he had rather the matter had neuer been begun than that so much mischiefe should arise by his occasion and for his cause which words displeased greatly the Earle of Charolois and his men as heerafter you shall heare Notwithstanding they concluded in this assembly to go before Paris to prooue whether the towne would enter into league with them for the benefit of the common wealth which they al pretended to be the onely cause of their assembly being fully perswaded that all the townes in the realm would follow the example thereof The words aboue mentioned vttered by the D. of Berry in this assembly put the Earle of Charolois and his men into such a dumpe that they said thus one to another heard you this man speake he is discouraged for seuen or eight hundred hurt persons that he seeth in the towne who are none of his but meer strangers to him he would be otherwise troubled than if the matter should touch himselfe in any point and easely be won to agree with his brother and leaue vs in the mire and bicause of the long wars that haue been in times past betweene King Charles his father and the D. of Burgundie my father both the parties would soone consent to turne their forces against vs wherefore it is good to prouide vs of friends in time And vpon this suspicion onely VVilliam of Cluny Prenotarie who died Bishop of Poictiers was sent to England to King Edward the 4. then raigning to whom the Earle of Charolois had euer before been mortall enimie supporting the house of Lancaster against him of the which he was issued by his mother 2 And the said Clunies instructions were to treat with King Edward of a mariage betweene the Kings sister called Margaret and the Earle of Charolois not to conculde the matter but onely to put the King in hope thereof for the Earle knowing how greatly the King desired this mariage supposed by this meanes to win him to take his part if he needed his helpe at the least to staie him from attempting ought against him And notwithstanding that he ment nothing lesse then the accomplishment thereof bicause as feruently as he loued the house of Lancaster as extreemly hated he the house of Yorke yet was the matter so labored that many yeeres after the mariage was accomplished 3 and the Earle receaued also the order of the Garter and ware it till his dying day Many a such deed is often done vpon suspicion onely especially among great Princes who are much more suspicious then other men bicause of the doubts and reports that are daily brought vnto them oftentimes by flatterers vpon no occasion The Notes 1 The Britaines army was of 10600. men Anna. Aqui. and the archers here mentioned were all mounted one horsebacke otherwise the men of armes could not arise to sixe thousand 2 Charles D. of Burgundie was of the house of Lancaster after this sort Iohn of Gaunt D. of Lancaster had issue by Blaunche his first wife daughter and heire to Henry D. of Darby and Lancaster Philip which married with Iohn King of Portugall bastard of Ferraude by whom she had issue Isabell married to Philip D. of Burgundie by whom she had issue this D. Charles 3 Margaret king Edwards sister arriued in the Lowe countries 25. Iunij Ann. 1468. Meyer How the Earle of Charolois and his confederates with their whole army passed the riuer of Seine vpon a bridge made of botes how Iohn D. of Calabria ioined with them and how they all encamped before Paris Chap. 6. ALl these Princes according to their determination departed from Estampes hauing soiourned there certaine daies and marched to Saint Maturin of Larchant and Moret in Gastinois in the which two little townes the Lord Charles of Fraunce and the Britaine 's lodged but the Earle of Charolois encamped in a great medow vpon the riuer of Seine and made proclamation that euery man should bring a hooke with him to fasten his horse therewith he caried also with him seauen or eight small boates in cartes and great store of pipeboorde meaning therewith to make a bridge ouer the riuer of Seine bicause these Princes had no passage there The Earle of Dunois accompanied him riding in a litter for bicause of the goute he could not sit on horsebacke notwithstanding his ensigne was borne with him When they came to the riuer they launched foorth the boates they brought with them and tooke an Iland in the midst of the streame where certaine of our archers landed and skirmished with a companie of horsemen that defended the passage on the other side vnder the leading of the Marshall Ioachin and Sallezard The place was much to their disaduantage bicause it was high and in a goodly vine country besides that the Burgundians had great store of artillerie vnder the charge of a notable gunner named Master Girald whom they tooke prisoner at the battell of Montl'hery being then in the Kings seruice To be short the aboue mentioned horsemen were forced to abandon the passage and retire to Paris The selfesame night the bridge was made from the side of the riuer where we lay to the Iland where incontinent the Earle of Charolois caused his pauilion to be pitched and lodged there all night with fiftie men of armes of his house by day breake a great number of Coopers were set on work to make casks of the pipe boord we brought with vs who so bestirred themselues that before noon the bridge was made from the Iland to the other side of the riuer Incontinent passed the Earle of Charolois and caused his tents whereof he was well furnished to be pitched ouer the same bridge passed also his whole armie and artillerie and lodged vpon the side of a hill hanging towards the riuer by means whereof his campe made a goodly shew to those that came after It was that whole daies worke to conuey ouer the Earles owne forces but the next morning by day breake passed also the Dukes of Berry and Britaine with their whole armie commending this bridge to be very commodiously and speedily made and marched when they were passed a little beyond the Earle and encamped also vpon the hill When it was darke night we discouered a great number of fires as far from vs as we could well discerne which diuers supposed to be the Kings forces but bofore midnight we were aduertised that it was Iohn Duke of Calabria 1 onely sonne to King Rene of Sicilie 2 with nine hundred men of armes of the Duchie and Countie of Burgundie The said Duke had
strange that all these Princes should thus conspire against the King for zeale of the common wealth if other particular greifes had not more mooued them than the misgouernment of the estate 2 To the ende the reader finde it not strange that Rene is here called King of Sicily sith the house of Arragon possessed the same Realme at that time it is to be vnderstood that the race of the Normans who about the yeere 1060. subdued Sicily Calabria and Apulia and about the yeere 1102. tooke vpon them the title of Kings of Sicily being extinct in Roger the last King of Sicily of that race about the yeere 1195. the said Realme fell to the issue of the Emperor Fridericus Barbarossa by the marriage of Constantia daughter to Roger the first King of Sicill and aunt to Roger the last King of Sicill of this race with Henry the said Barbarossas sonne in which race it continuedtily Manfridus bastard sonne to Fridericus the Emperor sonne to the aboue named Henry obteined the crowne of Sicill Naples by dispossessing Conradinus his nephew the true heir therof Against this Manfridus Pope Vrbanus the 4. called into Italie Charles of Amon brother to S. Lewis King of Fraunce who slew Manfridus in battell and afterward executed also Conradinus the true heire of the crowne being taken in battell comming with an armie to conquer the said realmes of Naples and Sicily as his true inheritance and thus obteined this Charles of Aniou the crowne both of Naples and Sicily till not long after by the comming of Peter king of Arragon who had married Constantia daughter and heire to Manfridus the Sicilians arose suddenly against the French slew them all in one euening and yeelded the Realme of Sicily to the saide Peter whose posteritie euer sithens euen till this day haue continued in possession thereof Notwithstanding the posteritie of Charles of Aniou held still the Realme of Naples with the title of the Realme of Sicily till the time that the later Iane Queene of Naples to fortifie hir selfe against Pope Vrbanus Sextus adopted Alfonse of Arragon sonne to Ferrande King of Arragon which Ferrandes mother named Elenor was daughter to King Peter but after the saide Iane for displeasure conceiued against the saide Alfonse adopted secondarilie Lewis D. of Aniou brother to Charles the 5. King of Fraunce descended of the race of the first Charles King of Sicily against whom and his sonne Lewis Alfonse long warred and in the end after Queene Ianes death chased them both out of Italy and left the Realmes of Arragon and Sicily to Iohn his brother but the Realme of Naples to Ferrande his base sonne with whom Rene heere mentioned brother to Lewis the 2. of that name D. of Aniou and king of Sicily and by him with Ianes consent adopted long vvarred but preuailed not so that Rene had onely the title of Sicily and Naples by the adoption aforesaid but no possession thereof for Sicily the kings of Arragon held euer since the conquest of Peter and the realme of Naples Ferrande the bastard held of his fathers gift from vvhose posterity hovv in the end after many alterations it fell to the house of Arragon that novv possesseth it shall be set dovvne at large in the vvars of Naples made by King Charles the 8. vvho had the house of Anious title vvhereof our author treateth in the 7. and 8. booke of this historie 3 This force led by the Marshall of Burgundie vvas of 4000. men Meyer 4 This Oudet is he that acquainted the Duke of Berry vvith this confederacie and conueighed him into Britaine Meyer La Marche 5 Franck archers were these King Charles the 7. in the yeere 1449. being destitute of footemen appointed that euery threescore houses in his realme should arme a man vvho in time of vvar receiued paie of the King and vvere exempt from all subsidies and payments for the which cause they vvere all called franck that is free but King Lewis the 11. anno 1480. abolished these franck archers and waged Switzers in their place A discourse vpon ambitious hunting after offices and estates by the example of the English men Chap. 7. I Speake of these offices and estates bicause in changes they are so greedily desired and are also cause thereof as appeereth by that which hath happened not onely in this our age but also in the time of King Charles the sixt vnder whom the wars began that endured till the treatie of Arras during the which wars the English men entred into the realme and conquered so far that at the time of the saide treatie which continued 1 the space of two moneths the Duke of Bedford brother to Henry the fift King of England being maried to Duke Philip of Burgundies sister was regent in Fraunce for the English men whose monethly allowance in that office amounted to 20000. crownes at the least At the said treatie were present for the King of Fraunce fower or fiue Dukes or Earles fiue or sixe Prelates and ten or twelue Councellers of the Parliament For Duke Philip likewise diuers Noble men 2 in much greater number for the Pope 2. Cardinals as mediators and for the English men diuers noble personages Duke Philip greatly desired to acquite himselfe honorably towards the English men before he would abandon them bicause of the ancient league that had been betweene them wherefore the Duchies of Normandie and Guien were offered to the King of England with condition that he should do homage for them to the crowne of Fraunce as his predecessors had done and restore all the places he held in the Realme out of the said Duchies which condition the English men bicause of the homage refused but to their great losse for being abandoned of this house of Burgundie their good successe altered and all their intelligences within the realme failed whereby their power daily so diminished that in short space they lost Paris and by little and little all that they held in this realme After their returne into England none of them would diminish his estate but the offices within the realme sufficed not for maintenance of them all wherupon long ciuil wars arose among them in the which King Henry the sixt who had been crowned King of England Fraunce at Paris was proclaimed traitor and imprisoned in the tower of London where he remained the greatest part of his life and in the end was there murthered The Duke of Yorke father to King Edward that last died intituled himselfe right heire to the crowne soone after was slaine in the battell and had his head smitten off as had also the Earle of Warwick 3 that last died whose credit was so great in England and all the rest that were slaine in those wars The said Earle of Warwick led the Earle of Marche afterward named Edward the fourth by sea to Calais with a small companie escaped out of battell 4 for the Earle of Warwick tooke part with the house of Yorke
acquainting vs with ages past and the other by teaching vs more in a booke in three monthes than twenty men liuing successiuely can learne by experience so if a man lack wit to put that which he readeth in practise his reading serueth to no purpose Wherfore to end this discourse me think the greatest plague that God can lay vpon a realme is to giue them an vnwise Prince the roote and fountaine of all mischiefe for first diuision and ciuill wars arise thereof among his subiects bicause he giueth his authority to others which especially aboue all things he ought to reserue to himselfe After diuision ensueth famine and mortality and all other euils that accompany the wars wherefore heereby we may consider how much a Princes subiects ought to lament when they see his children wantonly brought vp and gouerned by euill conditioned persons The Notes 1 Of treasons in treaty we haue numbers of examples First of Iugurtha taken by his father in law Boccus and deliuered to the Romaines Sertorius slaine at a banquet by Perpenna In England we haue the treason of Hengist to Vortiger In Scotland we reade of William Earle of Douglasse slaine by Iames King of Scots in treaty In Germanie Albert Earle of Franconia betraied in treaty by Ottho Bishop of Mentz Iohn of Angieu slaine by Albertus Bauarus Earle of Henault and Flanders notwithstanding his safe conduct In Fraunce Iohn Duke of Burgundie slaine by Charles the 7. William Duke of Normandie by Arnulph Earle of Flanders Lewis King of Fraunce taken prisoner by the Normans and Danes at Roan Iohn Duke of Britaine taken at a banquet and imprisoned by Margaret Countisse of Pontibera Guido Earle of Flanders twice taken prisoner vnder safeconduct by Philip le Bell King of Fraunce Charles the simple slaine by the Earle of Vermandoys VVhat should I speake of the tresons of Ferrande and Alfonse Kings of Naples or of Christiern King of Denmarke with numbers of others recorded in histories as our author heere very truly reporteth 2 Others be of a contrarie opinion that our life is as long as in Dauids time appeereth by the 90. Psalme where he sheweth the vsuall age of man in his time to haue beene 70. and sometime 80. yeers which men reche to at this day also and if mans life be as long now as then it is a good consequent that his body is as strong as is to be prooued by manie reasons too long to reherse Now that our faith is as good as theirs appeereth also by the ancient histories for if this be a true saying Regis ad exemplum totus componitur orbis And the Princes in times past were so euill as none could be worse as who so list to reade without partiality shal be forced to confesse I see no reason that the world should be worse now then in times past although it seeme so to many bicause we see the worst of our owne age yea and feele too many times but commonly the histories deliuer to vs but the best of times past and burie the worst and though they did yet the euill seene with our eie is more liuely imprinted in minde then the euill we conceiue by our eare which is the cause men euer thinke better of the times past then the present estate 3 Imaruell if King Lewis were learned he would haue his sonne to learne onely this lesson Qui nescit dissimulare nescit regnare How and for what cause the King was staied and held prisoner in the castell of Peronne by the Duke of Burgundies commandement Chap. 7. YOu haue heard how the King and this army of Burgundie arriued at Peronne both in one istant for the Duke could not countermand them in time bicause they were well forward vpon the way when the Kings comming was first communed of Their arriuall troubled the feast bicause of diuers doubts that sprang thereof Notwithstanding these two Princes appointed certeine of their seruants to negotiate togither about their affaires in most louing and freindly sort But after three or foure daies communication these strange newes came from Liege which I will now reherse The K. comming to Peronne had cleane forgotten the two ambassadors sent to Liege to sollicite them to rebell against the Duke who so diligently executed their charge that before the Kings arriuall at Peronne the Liegeois had leuied great force and were gone to surprise the towne of Tongres where the Bishop of Liege and the Lord of Hymbercourt lodged accompanied with two thousand men and better and the said Bishop and Hymbercourt they tooke with certein other of the Bishops familiar friends but few they slew neither was the number of the prisoners great the rest fled as men discomfited leauing bag and bagage behinde them This done the Liegeois returned towards their citie not far distant from Tongres and vpon the way thitherward the Lord of Hymbercourt compounded for his ransome with a knight called Master VVilliam de Ville named by the French Le Sauuage who fearing lest this furious people should kill him suffered him to depart vpon his word which notwithstanding he neuer chalenged for soon after himselfe was slaine the people reioiced much for the taking of their Bishop Farther you shall vnderstand that they hated extremely certaine chanons of the Church taken prisoners that day of whom for the first repast they slew fiue or sixe one of the which was named Master Robert the Bishops speciall friend whom I my selfe haue often seene armed at all peeces waiting vpon his Master for such is the maner of the Alemaigne Prelates 1 The said Master Robert they slew in the Bishops presence and hewed him into a number of small gobbets which they threw one at another in dirision To be short before their returne to Liege which was but eight leagues from Tongres they slew sixteen chanons and others all in maner the Bishops seruants This done they receiued aduertisement that the treatie betweene the King and the Duke was alreadie begun wherefore they dismissed certaine Burgundians supposing to excuse their fault by seeming to haue attempted nothing against the Duke but only against their Bishop whom they led prisoner into the citie Those that escaped put all the countrie in an vprore as they went by means whereof this newes came soone to the Duke some said all were slaine others the contrarie for such aduertisements are neuer reported after one sort At the length certaine arriued that saw these chanons slaine who supposing the Bishop and Hymbercourt to be of the number auowed constantly that all were murthered and farther that they saw the Kings ambassadors in the companie whom also they named All this was told the Duke who foorthwith beleeued it and fell into an extreme furie saying that the King was come thither to abuse him and gaue commandement to shut the gates of the castell and the towne spreading a fond rumor that he did it bicause of a budget with iewels and monie that was lost The King
countrey of Lambourg 4 being neighbors to the Liegeois and almost of the same maners and language were appointed to fire it but to saue the churches First the great bridge built ouer the riuer of Maze was beaten downe then a great number were chosen out to defend the chanons houses about the cathedrall church to the end they might haue lodging that should say deuine seruice In like maner also diuers were appointed for defence of the other Churches This done the Duke departed into the countrey of Frachemont and immediately after he was out of the towne we saw a great number of houses on this side the riuer on fire he marched forwarde and lodged fower leagues off yet heard we the noise as easilie as if we had beene there present I wot not whether it were bicause the winde sat that way or bicause we lodged vpon the riuer The next day the Duke departed thence and those that were left behind in the towne continued still the fire as they were commanded but the Churches were all saued afew excepted and aboue three hundred houses to lodge the Church men which caused the towne so soone to be replenished againe for much people returned to dwell with these Priests Bicause of extreme frost and cold the greatest part of the Dukes army was forced to go on foote into the countrey of Franchemont which had neuer a walled towne in it but all villages The Duke lodged fiue or sixe daies in a litle valley called Polleneg his armie was deuided into two bands the sooner to destroy the countrie All the houses he commanded to be burned al the iron mils broken which is their onely trade of liuing Farther our men hunted the poore people out of great woods and forests where they lay hidden with their goods and manie they slew and tooke prisoners and there the soldiers got good booties The cold was more extreme then is almost credible for I saw a gentleman that with cold lost the vse of his foote and neuer recouered it and a Page that had two of his fingers rotted from his hand and in like maner a woman dead for cold and her childe with her whereof shee was newely deliuered Farther by the space of three daies all the wine that was drunke in the Dukes lodging was cut with hatchets for it was so frozen in the vessels that we were forced to breake them and cut the wine being a masse of yse into small peeces which men bare away in hats and baskets as best liked them I could reherse diuers other strange accidents of the cold too long to write To conclude at eight daies end hunger drew vs thence in haste and the Duke departed to Namur and so into Brabant where he was honorably receiued The Notes 1 This was the treaty of Conflans at the conclusion vvhereof these three heere named as our auhor himselfe before reherseth vvere the Dukes enimies and tooke part vvith the King vvherefore no reason it vvas that the Duke should seeke to haue them comprehended in the treatie as his freinds seeing at the conclusion thereof they vvere his enimies 2 This des Murz the old copie nameth De Meriens La Marche d'Emeries Annal. Burgund d'Aymeries The tovvnes name is Aymeries in Henault vpon the riuer of Sambre Guicci in the description of Henault yet the same author in his description generall nameth the man d'Emery Annal. Burgund in another place nameth him d'Esmeriez Meyer Aymericius and Emericius so that I suppose it best to reade it as I haue translated it but that des Murz is very corrupt I am out of doubt 3 This city vvas diuided into three quarters as appeereth by Guic. description for the vvhich cause it vvas fired at three seuerall times 4 The old copie hath Lambourg as I haue translated it the nevv Luxembourg as haue also Annal. Burgund but not vvell in mine opinion For Lambourg is hard by Liege but Luxembourg farther off How the King by subtill meanes perswaded the Lord Charles his brother to take the Duchie of Guienne for Brie and Champaigne to the Duke of Burgundies discontentment Chap. 15. THe King after his departure from the Duke returned with great ioy into his realme attempting nothing against the Duke for his euill vsage at Peronne and Liege but seeming to take all in good part Notwithstanding sharpe warre arose afterward between them but not soon neither was this the cheif cause thereof though happily it might in part further it for if this treatie had beene concluded at Paris it had passed in effect as it did at Peronne But the Duke by his officers aduise sought to aduaunce the bonds of his dominions besides that diuers subtill practises were vsed to set these two Princes againe at variance as you shall heare when occasion serueth The Lord Charles of Fraunce the Kings onely brother and late Duke of Normandie being aduertised of this treatie made at Peronne and the partage assigned to him thereby sent foorthwith to the King desiring him to accomplish the treatie and performe his promise The King sent in like maner to him about that matter and manie messengers ran to and fro betweene them The Duke of Burgundie sent also his ambassadors to the saide Lord Charles desiring him to accept no other partage then Champaigne and Brie which by his meanes was granted him shewing him withall how great good will he bare him sith notwithstanding he had abandoned him yet would not he do the like as the sequell well declared but had also comprehended the Duke of Britain in the treatie as his confederate Farther he sent him word that Champaigne and Brie lay very commodiously for them both bicause if the King should at any time attempt ought against him he might within two daies warning haue succours out of Burgundie the two countries bordering on vpon another Lastely he aduertised him that his partage was very good and that he might leuie in his countries aides customes and subsidies neither could the King claime any thing there but homage resort and soueraignity This Lord Charles was a man doing little or nothing of himselfe but wholy lead and gouerned by others notwithstanding that he were aboue fiue and twenty yeeres of age Thus passed the winter which was well spent before the Kings departure from vs messengers ran continually to and fro about this partage for the King ment nothing lesse then to giue his brother that he had promised bicause he would not haue him and the Duke of Burgundie so neere neighbours But he treated with his brother to take Guienne which is in maner all Aquitaine for Brie and Champaigne The Lord Charles feared to displease the Duke of Bourgundy and doubted if he yeelded to the Kings request and he should not keepe touch with him that then he should loose both freend and partage and so be left bare boord But the King being the subtilest prince then liuing and the cunningest dealer in such treaties perceiuing that he
Englishmen and their ships against the Duke of Burgundies nauie which was so mighty and strong that no man durst stir in these narrow seas for feare of it making war vpon the Kings subiects both by sea land and threatening them euery where All this happened the sommer before the King surprised Saint Quintine and Amiens which was as before you haue heard in the yeere 1470. The Duke of Burgundies nauie aboue mentioned was stronger than the Kings and the Earles ioined togither For he had taken at Sluse many great ships of Spaine Portugall and Genua and diuers hulks of Almaine King Edward was a man of no great forecast but very valiant and the beautifullest Prince that liued in his time He tooke no care for the Earle of Warwicks landing as the Duke of Burgundie did who perceiuing great tumults already arising in England in the Earles fauor aduertised the King often thereof But he made small account of any danger neither seemed to feare his enimy which sure was great follie considering the great preparation he saw made For the King armed all the ships to the sea that he could get and manned them well and prouided furniture also for the English men Besides this he made a mariage betweene the Prince of Wales and the Earle of Warwickes second daughter The said Prince was onely sonne and heire to King Henry of England who liued yet prisoner in the Tower of London This was a strange mariage when the Earle had deposed and imprisoned the Princes father to cause him to mary his daughter and to entertaine also the Duke of Clarence brother to the King of the other faction who had iust cause to feare his owne estate if the house of Lancaster recouered the crowne Thus we see that such enterprises are not atchieued without dissimulation At the selfe same time that this army aboue mentioned lay in a readines to saile into England I was at Calice to entertaine the Lord of Vaucler whose dooble dealing till that very instant I neuer perceiued notwithstanding that it had now continued the space of three months But at that present I desired him bicause of the newes we heard to put all the Earle of Warwicks houshold seruants being to the number of twenty or thirty out of the towne alledging that I was sure the Kings army and the Earles were ready to depart out of Normandy where they lay and if the Earle should happen sodainly to land in England some such tumult might arise in the towne of Calice by meanes of his seruants that he should not be master thereof Wherefore I pressed him earnestly in all haste to put them out of the towne which he alwaies heertofore promised me to do but now he drew me aside saying that he would be master of the town well inough and required me to do this message to the Duke of Burgundy that if he would be a friend to the realme of England he should endeuor himselfe to make peace and not war which words he spake bicause of the nauy the Duke had on the sea against the Earle of Warwick He told me farther that peace might easily be made bicause that day a gentlewoman passed through Calice to go into Fraunce to the Duches of Clarence with certaine ouertures of peace from King Edward And he said true indeed but as he abused others euen so was he himselfe deceiued by this gentlewoman for she went about a great enterprise which also she atchieued to the preiudice of the Earle of Warwick and his whole faction Of this fine practise all other that haue been managed on this side the sea I write the more at large bicause I am well assured that no man is able to make truer report of them then my selfe at the least of those that haue hapned within these twenty yeeres The secret deliuered to this woman was to counsell the Duke of Clarence not to cause the destruction of his owne house by setting vp againe the house of Lancaster but to remember their ancient harred and diuision adding that he might well assure himselfe that the Earle of Warwick hauing maried his daughter to the Prince of Wales and already done homage to him would by all meanes possible seeke to make him King This gentlewoman so wisely executed the charge committed vnto hir that she wan the Duke of Clarence who promised to reuolt to the King his brother immediately after his returne into England Shee was a woman well aduised and of few words and bicause of hir sexe had leaue granted hir to passe to hir Meistres easilier then a man should and as craftie a foxe as this Vaucler was this woman went beyond him and was the onely contriuer of the enterprise whereby the Earle of Warwick and his whole faction were vtterly destroied wherefore it is no shame to be suspicious and to haue an eie vpon those that passe to and fro but great shame it is to be deceiued and vndone through our owne follie Notwithstanding suspicions ought to be grounded vpon some good presumption for to be too suspicious is naught You haue heard already how the Earle of Warwicks army and the Kings ships appointed to wafte him ouer were in a readines to take sea and how the Duke of Burgundies nauie being at Hancy lay prepared to fight with them But it pleased God so to dispose of this voiage that the selfe same night so great a tempest arose that the Dukes nauie was forced to seuer part wherofran vpon the cost of Scotland and part into Holland and not long after the Earle hauing a good gale of winde passed into England without all danger The Duke of Burgundie had aduertised King Edward in what part rhe Earle would land and had sent men purposely to him to sollicite him to looke to himselfe but he litle regarding the danger passed foorth the time in hunting hauing none so neere him as the Archbishop of Yorke and the Marques of Montagu the Earle of Warwicks bretheren who had promised and solemnly sworne to serue him against their brother and all others wereunto he gaue credite Immediatly after the Earles landing great forces ioyned with him wherewith the King being much abashed began then but all too late to looke about him and sent word to the Duke of Burgundy desiring him that his nauie might still keepe the Sea to stop the Earle from retiring againe into Fraunce for vpon the land he would match him well ynough which message pleased no man that heard it for it had beene much better to haue kept him from landing then to be constrained to hazard his estate in battell when he was landed Fiue or sixe daies after the Earles arriuall his power was so great that he encamped within three leagues of King Edward Notwithstanding the Kings force was greater than his if all his men had beene faithfull and true and lay also in campe to fight with him Further you shall vnderstand that the King lodged as himselfe told me in
was their onely man of wisdome and experience in the countrey besides that generally the Britaines desire nothing more than peace with Fraunce bicause continually a great number of them haue good entertainment and be in good estimation in this realme not vnwoorthily for sure in times past they haue done great seruice heere Wherefore me thinke the King did very wisely in concluding this treaty notwithstanding that some not considering so deepely thereof as himselfe did thought otherwise of it He had a very good opinion of the Lord of Lescute knew there was no danger in putting those offices and places of charge that he did into his hands bicause he was a man of honor would neuer during these diuisions haue any intelligence with the English men nor consent that the townes in Normandie 2 should be yeelded to them but had beene the onely stay thereof which was the cause of all his preferment When the King had well debated this matter he commanded Sousplenuille to put in writing all that his Master required as well for the Duke as himselfe which done the King granted him all his demands being these A pension of 80000. franks for the Duke for his master the Lord of Lescute a pension of 6000. franks the gouernment of Guienne the two Seneschalships of Launes and Bordelois the captainship of one of the castels of Bordeaux the captainship of Blaye and of the two castels of Bayonne of Dax and of Saint Seuer 24000. crownes in ready mony the Kings order and the Earldome of Comminges All the which the King granted and agreed vnto saue that the Dukes pension was diminished by the one halfe and continued but two yeeres Further the King gaue the said Sousplenuille 6000. crownes which with the other 24. thousand giuen to his Master were to be paid in fower yeeres a pension of 1200. franks the Mayraltie of Bayonne the Bailywick of Montargis and certaine other small offices in Guienne All the which aboue rehearsed estates his Master and he enioied till the Kings death Philip d'Essars likewise was made Bailife of Meaux and lieutenant of the waters and forrests throughout the realme of Fraunce and had also a pension granted him of 1200. franks and 4000. crownes in ready money all the which offices and estates from that day till the King our Master his death they quietly enioied and the Lord of Comminges continued during his life his trustie and faithfull seruant The King hauing pacified all matters in Britaine marched straight toward Picardie for he and the Duke of Burgundie vsed alwaies when winter approched to make truce for sixe moneths or a yeere and some time more After the which their woonted maner they made truce at this present which the Chancellor of Burgundie with certaine others came to the King to conclude There the Kings Commissioners read the finall peace made with the Duke of Britaine whereby the said Duke renounced the league he was entred into with the English men and the D. of Burgundie wherfore the King required the Duke of Burgundies ambassadors not to comprehend the Duke of Britaine in the truce as their confederate whereunto they would not condiscend but agreed that the Duke of Britaine should be at his choise to declare himselfe within the time accustomed either the Kings confederate or theirs alleaging that heertofore also the said Duke had abandoned them by writing yet had not departed from their friendship Further adding that though he were a Prince wholy led and gouerned by others and doing little of himselfe yet in the end he euer yeelded to that which was best and most necessary for his estate All this was done in the yeere 1473. During this treatie they murmured on both sides against the Earle of Saint Paule Constable of Fraunce for the King and those that were neerest about him had conceiued maruellous hatred against him And the Duke of Burgundy hated him woorse than they as he had iust cause to do for I know the reasons that mooued them both to beare him ill will The Duke had not yet forgotten that he was the onely occasion of the losse of Amiens and Saint Quintin and perceiued well that he nourished this war betweene the King and him For in time of truce he spake him as faire as was possible but so soone as the war opened he shewed himselfe his mortall foe Further the Earle had sought to constraine him by force to marrie his daughter to the Duke of Guienne as before 〈◊〉 â—â—ue heard Besides all this there was yet another grudge for while the Duke lay before Amiens the Constable made a road into Henault and among other cruell exploits burned the castell of Seure belonging to a Knight named Master Baudouin of Launay before the which time they vsed on neither side to fire any place But in reuenge thereof the Duke this last sommer burned the countrie all the way his armie passed as before you haue heard Thus they began to practise the Constables destruction for the accomplishment whereof diuers of the Kings men conferred with such of the Dukes seruants as they knew to be his mortall enimies for the French had him in as great iealousie as the Duke of Burgundie had and accused him as the onely occasion of the war wherefore all his treaties and practises with both parties were ripped vp and discouered and they both sought his death Some man may peraduenture aske heerafter if the King alone were not of power sufficient to put him to death whereunto I answer that he was not For his lands lay iust in the middest betweene the King and the Duke further he held Saint Quintin a great and strong towne in Vermandois and of his owne Han Bohain and other very strong places neere to the said Saint Quintin the which he might man at all times with any nation at his owne pleasure He had charge vnder the King of fower hundred men of armes well paied of the which companie himselfe was controller and tooke the muster which was no small profit to him for his companies were not complete Besides all this he had a yeerely pension of 45000. franks and of euerie tunne of wine that passed through his countrie into Flaunders or Henault he receiued a crowne for impost He had also goodly seigniories and possessions of his owne inheritance and great intelligence as well in Fraunce as in the Dukes dominions where he had many kinsfolks and allies The truce betweene the King and the Duke continued a whole yeere all the which space this practise endured and the Kings men addressed themselues wholie to the Lord of Hymbercourt so often before named who of long time had beene the Constables enimy besides that their hatred was lately increased For in an assembly held at Roye where the Constable and others were commissioners for the King and the Chancellor of Burgundy and the Lord of Hymbercourt with diuers others for the Duke as they conferred togither of their affaires the
vertous Lady and sister to the Queene of Fraunce so that for hir sake he had found great friendship and fauor in our court The practise begun against him still continued which as you haue heard was almost concluded at the assembly held thereabout at Bouuines after the which the Constable neuer thought himselfe in assurance but mistrusted both the Princes especially the King who seemed to repent the reuoking of his letters there sealed Further the Earle of Dampmartin others whom the Constable feared as his enimies lay with their men of armes neere to Saint Quintins wherefore he held himselfe within the towne and put into it three hundred footemen of his owne tenants hauing but small affiance in his men of armes He liued in great trouble for the King had often sent to him to sollicite him to come foorth to do him seruice in the marches of Henault and to besiege Auennes at the same time that the Admirall with his band went to burne the countrey of Artois as you haue heard which commandement he obeied but with great feare for after he had lien a certaine space before the said towne of Auennes with a continual garde about his person he retired into his owne places and sent the King word by one of his seruants who did his message to me by the Kings commandement that he had raised his siege bicause he was certainly enformed that there were two in the army purposely hired by the King to kill him whereof also he told so many apparant tokens that he seemed indeed to haue some notice thereof so far foorth that one of them was suspected to haue disclosed somwhat to him that he ought to haue kept secret but I will name no man neither speake further heerof The Constable sent often to the Duke of Burgundies campe I suppose to perswade him to relinquish his foolish enterprise aduertising the King also vsually at his mens returne of some such newes as he thought would like him well and withall what was the cause of his sending thither hoping by this means to entertaine him with faire words Somtime also he gaue him to vnderstand that the Dukes affaires had good proceeding thereby to put him in feare Further doubting greatly that the King would inuade him he desired the Duke to send vnto him his brother Master Iames of Saint Paul being at Nuz before he was taken prisoner and the Lord of Fiennes with certaine others of his kinsmen promising to put them and their bands into Saint Quintins but without the Saint Andrews crosse 2 and to keepe the towne for the Duke and restore it him shortly after for performance also wherof he offered to giue him his faith in writing The Duke did as he required and when the said Master Iames the Lord of Fiennes and the rest of the Constables kinsmen were twise come within a league or two of the towne ready to enter the Constable thinking the storme past altered his minde and sent a countermaunde This did he thrise so desirous was he still to liue in dissimulation and swim as it were between two streams fearing maruellously both these Princes Of this matter I haue been enformed by diuers but especially by Master Iames of Saint Paul himselfe who thus reported the circumstance thereof to the King when he was brought prisoner before him where no man was present but my selfe alone The said Master Iames answered frankly and without dissimulation to all the Kings demands whereby he wan greatly his fauor First the King asked him how many men he had with him to enter the towne whereunto he answered that the last time he had three thousand Then the King inquired further if he had entred and had been Master of the towne whether he would haue held it for the King or the Constable Whereunto he likewise answered that the two first times he came but to comfort his brother but the last seeing his dissimulation to his Master and him if he had entred and had been Master of the towne he would haue held it for his Master not offring his brother any outrage nor doing any thing to his preiudice saue onely that he would not haue departed the town at his commandement Soone after the King deliuered the said Iames of Saint Paul out of prison and gaue him charge of a goodly company of men of armes and vsed his seruice till his death of which his preferment his wise answers were the onely cause The Notes 1 This ouerthrow the Duke of Bourbon gaue the Burgundians neere to a place called Grey or Gy not far from Chausteauguion and in the battell was slain the Lord of Conches others say but taken and there were taken prisoners the Earle of Roussy being gouernor of Burgundy the Marshall of Burgundie the Earle of Ioigny the Earle of Saint Martins sonne Monseur de L'Isle Monseur de Longey or Longny the bailife of Ampois and the bailife of Auxerre This battell was fought on tuesday the 20. of Iune 1475. and in it two hundred men of armes Lombards were slaine Meyer About this time also the Prince of Orenge was taken prisoner and by meanes thereof reuolted from the Duke to the King Annal. Burgund 2 The Saint Andrewes crosse is the Burgundians cognisance and if they had entred with this crosse vpon their cotes the Constable could haue no longer temporised with the King of Fraunce but should foorthwith haue been proclaimed traitor How the Duke of Burgundy leuied his siege before Nuz by composition and how the King of England his confederate sent to defie King Lewis Chap. 5. I Haue discoursed of diuers affaires since I began with the siege of Nuz bicause they all hapned in that time for the siege indured a whole yeere There were two causes especially that mooued the Duke to leuy his siege one the war the King made in Picardy where he had burned two proper townes and destoied a goodly champaine countrey in Artois and Ponthieu The other the mighty army the King of England leuied at his sute and sollicitation whom till now he could neuer perswade to passe into Fraunce notwithstanding that he had labored him thereunto al the daies of his life The said King of England and all his nobles were maruellously discontented with the Dukes delaies and besides intreaties vsed threatnings and not without cause considering the great charges they had sustained and all to no purpose the sommer being now almost spent The Duke gloried much that this Dutch army being so great that the like hath not been seene in our age nor many yeeres before and in the which were so many Princes Prelates and free cities ioined togither was not able to raise his siege 1 But this glory cost him full deere for he that hath the profit of the war reapeth also the honor thereof Notwithstanding the Legate aboue mentioned who rode continually betweene the two camps made peace in the end betweene the Emperor and the Duke 2 and the towne of Nuz
himselfe the said de Lude at the first meeting asked him what the townes would giue him to commend their cause to the King I thinke verily that this refusall the King made to these knights proceeded also of God for since that time he would haue made good account of them if he could haue drawne them to his seruice But peraduenture God would not accomplish his desire in all points either bicause of the reasons aboue alleaged or for that he would not suffer him to vsurpe this countrey of Hainault which is held of the Empire both bicause he had no title thereunto and also bicause of the ancient league betweene the Emperors and the Kings of Fraunce whereof the King himselfe also seemed afterward to take notice For he held Cambray le Quesnoy and Boissi 1 in Hainault whereof Boissi he yeelded againe and restored Cambray being an Imperiall towne to neutralitie as it was before Athough I my selfe were not present at these actions yet was I informed how they passed for I had good meanes to vnderstand of them bicause I was acquainted and had been brought vp in both these Princes dominions and haue since also communed with diuers that were the principall managers of these affaires on both sides The Notes 1 This Boissi libr. 6. cap. 3. he calleth Bouchain and so out of doubt it should be read heere How Master Oliuer the Kings barber failing to execute his enterprise at Gaunt found meanes to put the Kings forces into Tournay Chap. 14. MAster Oliuer as you haue heard was gone to Gaunt and carried letters of credit to the Ladie of Burgundie Duke Charles his daughter hauing also commission to perswade with hir apart to put hir selfe into the Kings gouernment 1 But this was not his principall charge for he doubted that he should not obtaine leaue to commune with hir apart and though he did yet supposed he that he should not frame hir to his request But his hope was to raise some great tumult in this towne of Gaunt which hath euer been inclined to rebellion and was the easier to be mooued thereunto at this present bicause vnder Duke Philip and Duke Charles they had liued in great awe and lost diuers priuileges by the treatie made with the said Duke Philip after their wars with him ended Duke Charles also had taken one priuilege from them concerning the election of their Senate for an offence made the first day he entred into the towne as Duke whereof bicause I haue made mention before I will heere write no further All these reasons encouraged Master Oliuer the Kings barber to proceede in his enterprise so far foorth that he discouered his purpose to some such of the citizens as he thought would giue eare vnto him offering besides diuers other promises to cause the King to restore them their priuileges that they had lost But notwithstanding that he were not in their Towne-house to speake publikely to their Senate bicause he meant first to assay if he could do any good with this yoong Princesse yet was his enterprise smelt out wherefore after he had soiourned a few daies in Gaunt he was sent for to declare his message whereupon he repaired to the Princes presence being apparrelled much more sumptuously than became one of his calling and deliuered his letters The said Lady sate in hir chaire of estate hauing about hir the Duke of Cleues and the bishop of Liege with diuers other noble men and a great number of hir subiects When she had read hir letter she commanded him to declare his message But he answered that he had nothing to say but to hir selfe alone Whereupon it was told him that this was not the maner of their countrie especially to commune in secret with this yoong Lady being vnmarried But he still continued his former answer that he had nothing to say but to hir selfe apart Whereupon they threatened to make him say somwhat else which words put him in feare And I thinke verily that when he came to deliuer his letter he had not bethought him what to say for this was not his principal charge as you haue heard Thus Master Oliuer departed for this time without further speech Some of the Councell began to scorne him as well bicause of his base estate as of his foolish speech and behauiour but especially they of Gaunt in a little village neere whereunto he was borne scoffed and derided him so far foorth that suddenly he fled thence being aduertised if he staide there any longer that he should be throwen into the riuer which I thinke would haue prooued true The said Master Oliuer named himselfe Earle of Melun a little towne neere to Paris whereof he was captaine From Gaunt he fled to Tournay a towne in that countrie subiect to neither Prince but maruellously affectioned to the King for it is his after a sort and paieth him yeerely sixe thousand franks but in all other respects liueth in libertie and receiueth all sorts of men it is a goodly towne and a strong as all the inhabitants thereabout can testifie The churchmen and citizens haue al their possessions and reuenues in Henault and Flaunders in both the which countries it is situate Wherefore they vsed alwaies during the long wars betweene King Charles the seuenth and Philip Duke of Burgundie to pay yeerely vnto the said Duke ten thousand franks the which summe I haue seene them pay also to Duke Charles but at the time that Master Oliuer came thither they were quit of all paiments and liued in great wealth and quietnes Although Master Oliuers charge aboue mentioned were too waightie for him to deale in yet was not he so much to be blamed as they that committed it to him for notwithstanding that his enterprise had such successe as it was euer like to haue yet shewed he himselfe wise in that he afterward did For perceiuing the said towne of Tournay to be situate vpon the frontiers of both the countries aboue named and very commodious to endammage them both if he could put the Kings forces that lay in those parts into it and knowing further that the townes men would neuer consent thereunto bicause they neuer tooke part with either Prince but shewed themselues friends indifferently to both he sent word secretly to Monseur de Mouy whose sonne was bailife of the town but not resident there that he should bring his companie which he had within S. Quintins and certaine other bands that lay in those quarters to the towne of Tournay who at the hower appointed came to the gate where he found Master Oliuer accompanied with thirtie or fortie persons who partly by fauor and partly by force caused the gate to be opened and receiued the Kings men wherewith the people of the towne were well ynough contented but not the gouernors of whom Master Oliuer sent seuen or eight to Paris whence they departed not during the Kings life After these men of armes entred also diuers other soldiers who did
of captiuitie apprehended their Senators being to the number of sixe and twenty and put them all or the greatest part to death pretending that they did it bicause the said Senators the day before had commanded one to be beheaded though not without desert yet without authority as they said their commission being determined with the Dukes death by whom they were chosen into that office They slew also diuers honest men of the towne that had beene the Dukes freinds amongst whom were some that when I serued him disswaded him in my presence from destroying a great parte of the towne of Gaunt which he was fullie resolued to haue done Further they constrained their Princes to confirm al their ancient priuileges both those they lost in the time of Duke Philip by the treatie of Gauures those also that Duke Charles tooke from them The said priuileges serued them onely for firebrands of rebellion against their Princes whom aboue all things they desire to see weake and feeble Moreouer during their Princes minoritie and before they begin to gouerne they are maruellous tender ouer them but when they are come to the gouernment they cannot away with them as appeereth by this Ladie whom they loued deerely and much tendered before hir comming to the state Further you shall vnderstand that if after the Dukes death these men of Gaunt had raised no troubles but had sought to defend the countrey they might easily haue put men into Arras and peraduenture into Peronne but they minded onely these domesticall broiles Notwithstanding while the King laie before the towne of Arras certaine ambassadors came to him from the three estates of the said Ladies countries For at Gaunt were certaine deputies for the three estates but they of the towne ordered all at their pleasure bicause they held their Princesse in their hands The King gaue these ambassadors audience who among other things said that they made no ouerture of peace but with consent of their Princesse who was determined in all matters to follow the aduise and counsell of the three estates of hir countrie Further they required the King to end his war in Burgundie and Artois and to appoint a day when they might meete to treate friendly togither of peace and in the meane time that he would cause a surcease of armes The King had now in a maner obtained all he desired and hoped well of the rest For he was certainly informed that most of the men of war in the countrie were dead and slaine and knew well that a great manie others had forsaken the said Ladies seruice especiallie Monseur de Cordes of whom he made great reckoning and not without cause for he could not haue taken by force in long time that which by his intelligence he obtained in few daies as before you haue heard wherefore he made small account of these ambassadors demaunds Further he perceiued these men of Gaunt to be such seditious persons and so inclined to trouble the state of their countrie that his enimies by meanes thereof should not be able to aduise nor giue order how to resist him For of those that were wise and had been in credit with their former Princes none were called to the debating of any matter of state but persecuted and in danger of death especially the Burgundians whom they hated extremely bicause of their great authoritie in times past Moreouer the King who sawe further into these affaires than any man in his realme knew well what affection the citizens of Gaunt had euer borne to their Princes and how much they desired to see them affeebled so that they in their countrie felt no smart thereof Wherefore he thought it best to nourish their domesticall contentions and to set them further by the eares togither which was soone done for these whom he had to do with were but beasts most part of them townes men vnacquainted with those subtill practises wherein he had been trained vp and could vse for his purpose better than any man liuing The King laide hold vpon these words of the ambassadors that their Princesse would do nothing without the consent and aduise of the three estates of their countrie and answered that they were euill informed of hir pleasure and of certaine particular men about hir for he knew very perfectly that she meant to gouerne all hir affaires by the aduise of certaine particular persons who desired nothing lesse than peace and as touching them and their actions he was well assured they should be disaduowed Whereunto the ambassadors being not a little mooued as men vnacquainted with great affaires made a hot answer that they were well assured of that they said and would shew their instructions if neede so required Whereunto answer was made that they should see a letter if it so pleased the King written by parties woorthie of credit wherein the King was aduertised that the said Lady would gouerne hir affaires by fower persons onely Whereunto the others replied that they were sure of the contrarie Then the King commanded a letter to be brought foorth which the Chauncellor of Burgundie and the Lord of Himbercourt deliuered him at their last being with him at Peronne The said letter was written partly with the yoong Ladies owne hand partly by the Dowager of Burgundie Duke Charles his widow and sister to King Edward of England and partly by the Lord of Rauastain brother to the Duke of Cleues and the said yoong Ladies neerest kinsman so that it was written with three seuerall hands but signed with the name of the yoong Lady alone for the other twaine set to their hands onely to giue it the greater credit The contents of the letter were to desire the King to giue credit to those things whereof the Chauncellor and Himbercourt should aduertise him And further it was therein signified vnto him that she was resolued to gouerne all hir affaires by fower persons namely the Dowager hir mother in law the Lord of Rauastain the aboue named Chauncellor and Himbercourt by whom onely and none others she humbly besought him to negotiate with hir bicause vpon them she would repose the whole gouernment of hir affaires When these citizens of Gaunt and the other ambassadors had seene this letter it heated them throughly and I warrant you those that negotiated with them failed not to blowe the fire In the end the letter was deliuered them and no other dispatch of importance had they neither passed they greatly of any other for they thought onely vpon their domesticall diuisions and how to make a new world neuer looking further into this busines notwithstanding that the losse of Arras ought to haue greeued them much more than this letter but they were townes men as I said before vnacquainted with these affaires They returned straight to Gaunt where they found their Princesse accompanied with the Duke of Cleues hir neerest kinsman and of hir blood by his mother 1 he was an ancient man brought vp continually in
this house of Burgundy where he receiued a yeerely pension of sixe thousand guildons wherefore besides that he was their kinsman he resorted thither ofttimes as a pensioner to do his dutie The Bishop of Liege and diuers noble men were there also partly to wait vpon this yoong Lady and partly for their owne particular affaires For the said Bishop entertained a sute there to discharge his countrey of a paiment of thirtie thousand guildons or thereabout which they gaue yeerly to Duke Charles by the treatie they made with him when the wars aboue mentioned ended All the which wars began for the said Bishops quarrell so that there was no cause why he should mooue this sute but rather seeke to keepe them still in pouertie for he receiued no benefit there more than of his spirituall iurisdiction and of his demaines which also were but small 2 in respect of the wealth of his countrey and the greatnes of his dioces The said Bishop brother to the Dukes of Bourbon Iohn and Peter now liuing being a man wholie giuen to pleasures and good cheere and little knowing what was profitable or vnprofitable for himselfe receiued into his seruice Master VVilliam de la Marche 3 a goodly valiant knight but cruell and of naughtie conditions who had been enimy of long time both to the said Bishop and also to the house of Burgundie for the Liegeois cause To this de la Marche the Ladie of Burgundie gaue fifteene thousand guildons partly in fauor of the Bishop and partly to haue him hir friend but he soone after reuolted both from hir and from the said Bishop his Master and attempted by force through the Kings fauor to make his owne sonne Bishop Afterward also he discomfited the said Bishop in battell slewe him with his owne hands and threw him into the riuer where his dead corps floted vp and down three daies But the Duke of Cleues was come thither in hope to make a mariage betweene his eldest sonne and the said Lady which seemed to him a verie fit match for diuers respects and sure I thinke it had taken effect if his sonnes conditions had liked the yoong Ladie and his seruants for he was descended of this house of Burgundie and held his Duchie of it and had been brought vp in it but peraduenture it did him harme that his behauior was so well knowen there The Notes 1 This Duke of Cleues vvas called Iohn vvhose father Adolph had married Marie sister to Duke Philip of Burgundie Meyer lib. 17. pag. 257. but Annal. Burgund saie that Adolph was sonne to one of Duke Philips sisters but corruptly as the pedegree in the end of this vvorke vvill declare 2 The Bishop of Liegeois reuenevves are nine thousand pound starling Guicchiar 3 This de la Marche vvas named Aremberg hovv he died after this murther reade Berlandus fol. 77. How they of Gaunt after their ambassadors returne put to death the Chauncellor Hugonet and the Lord of Himbercourt against their Princesses will and how they and other Flemmings were discomfited before Tournay and their generall the Duke of Gueldres slaine Chap. 17. NOw to proceede in the historie After these ambassadors were returned to Gaunt the councel was assembled and the Princesse sate in hir chaire of estate accompanied with all hir noble men to giue them audience Then the ambassadors made rehearsall of the commission she gaue them touching principally that point that serued for their purpose and saying that when they aduertised the King that she was determined to followe in all points the aduise and counsell of the three estates of hir countrey he foorthwith answered that he was sure of the contrarie and bicause they auowed their saying offered to shew the said Ladies letters in that behalfe The Princesse being therewith mooued suddenly answered in the presence of them all that it was not so assuring hirselfe that the King had not shewed hir letter Then he that spake being Recorder of Gaunt or Brucels drew the letter out of his bosome before the whole assemblie and deliuered it hir Wherein he shewed himselfe a lewde fellow and an vnciuill in dishonoring openly after such a sort this yoong Ladie who ought not so rudely to haue been delt with for though she had committed an error yet was it not publikely to be reformed It is no maruell if she were greatly ashamed thereof for she had protested the contrarie to the whole worlde The Dowager of Burgundie the Lord of Rauastain the Chauncellor and the Lord of Himbercourt were all fower there present also The Duke of Cleues and diuers others who had beene put in hope of this yoong Ladies marriage stormed maruellously at this letter then began their factions to breake foorth The said Duke was euer perswaded heeretofore that Hymbercourt would further his sute for his sonne but now perceiuing by this letter his hope to be frustrate he became his mortall foe 1 The Bishop of Liege and his minion Master VVilliam de la Marche who was there with him loued him not for the things done at Liege whereof the said Hymbercourt had beene the chiefe instrument The Earle of Saint Paule sonne to the Constable of Fraunce hated both him and the Chancellor bicause they two deliuered his father at Peronne to the Kings seruants as before you haue heard at large They of Gaunt also hated them both not for any offence made but bicause of the great authoritie they had borne whereof vndoubtedly they were as woorthie as any man that liued in their time either heere or there for they were euer true and faithfull seruants to their Master To be short the same day at night that this letter was shewed the aboue named Chancellor and Hymbercourt through the furtherance as I am perswaded of their enimies aboue named were apprehended by the citizens of Gaunt which danger notwithstanding that they were forewarned of by their friends yet had they not power to auoid as it hath often happened to diuers others With them was also apprehended M. VVilliam of Clugny then Bishop of Therouenne since of Poictiers and all three imprisoned in one place They of Gaunt proceeded against them by colour of processe contrarie to their accustomed maner in their reuenge and appointed certaine of their Senate to heare their cause with whom they ioined in commission one of this house of La Marche deadly enimie to the said Himbercourt First they demaunded of them why they caused Monseur de Cordes to deliuer the citie of Arras to the King but thereupon they stood not long notwithstanding that they had nothing else iustly to charge them with But this was not it that grieued them for neither cared they to see their Prince affeebled by the losse of such a towne neither had they the wit to consider what great damage might ensue thereof to themselues in tract of time Wherefore they rested chiefly vpon two points 2 the first they charged them that they had receiued bribes of the
their wit was not able to reach thus far After the Duke of Gueldres was come before Tournay with this armie being to the number of twelue or fifteene thousand men verie well paid by the townes aboue-mentioned he set fire on the suburbs But within the towne were three or fower hundred men of armes which sallied out and charged his men on the backe as they retired incontinent put them to flight But the D. himselfe being a valiant Prince turned against his enimies meaning to maintaine the skirmish to the end his men might haue leasure to retire but being euil followed he was ouerthrowne and slaine and a good number also of this people yet was the Kings force that did this exploit verie small The Flemmings armie retired with this losse for there was but one band of them defeated The Ladie of Burgundy as I haue heard and hir friends reioised much at this newes for the brute ran for a certaintie that they of Gaunt were determined to compell hir by force to marrie this Duke of Gueldres which willingly she would neuer haue done for diuers reasons aboue rehearsed The Notes 1 VVith the letter the King had also vttered the message that the Chauncellor and Himâ—â—rcourt brought vvhich vvas to treat of a mariage betweene the Daulphin and this Lady which also they offered the King to further and this vvas the cause vvhy the Duke of Cleues became Himbercourts enimie 2 The causes of the Chauncellors and Himbercourts death read in Berlandus fol. 69. A discourse vpon this point that wars and diuisions are permitted of God for the chastisment of Princes and euill people with diuers good reasons and examples for the instruction of Princes which happened in the authors time Chap. 18. I Cannot imagine for what cause God hath so long preserued this towne of Gaunt the fountaine of so many mischiefes and of so small importance for the benefit of the countrey where it is situate For it yeeldeth no commoditie to the common wealth much lesse to the Prince neither is it comparable to Bruges which is a place where there is greater trafficke of merchandise and resort of strangers in my opinion than in any towne in Europe so that the destruction thereof should be an irrecouerable losse But it seemeth that God hath created nothing in this world neither man nor beast without an enimie to hold it in feare and humilitie and for that purpose serueth this towne of Gaunt very well 1 For there is no countrie in Christendome more inclined to all wanton pleasures pomps and delicacies than this countrie of Flaunders notwithstanding they are good Christians there and serue and honor God well But it is not this nation onely to whom God hath giuen as it were a continuall pricke to put them in minde of their dutie For to Fraunce he hath giuen the English men for enimies to the English men the Scots to the realme of Spaine Portugale I will not say Granado for they are enimies of the faith notwithstanding hitherto the said countrie of Granado hath much troubled and endammaged the realme of Castile Against the Princes of Italie the greatest part of the which hold their lands by no title vnles it be giuen them in heauen whereof we can but diuine and who rule cruelly and violently ouer their subiects by extreme exactions and leuies of monie God hath raised vp the free states of the said countrie namely Venice Florence Genua and somtime Bononia Senes Pisa Luques and others which in diuers points are contrarie to the Princes and the Princes to them each of them hauing an eie vpon other that none grow too great But to speake more particularly of the state of Italie against the house of Arragon God hath raised the house of Aniou against the Sforces which vsurpe the place of the Vicounts in the Duchie of Milan the house of Orleans against the Venetians the Princes of Italie as before I haue said and besides them the Florentines against the Florentines their neighbors of Senes Pisa and the Genuois and against the said Genuois their owne euill gouernment and want of faith each to other which is so vniuersally knowen that euery man can tell thereof for their factions are in league the one against the other as appeereth by the Fourgouze 2 Adorni d'Orie and others Now to speake of Almaine you haue alwaies the house of Austriche and Bauiere at variance and particularly them of Bauiere diuided among themselues In like maner the house of Austriche hath particularly opposite to it the Swissers the beginning of which their variance arose but about a little village called Swisse 3 vnable to arme sixe hundred men whereof the other Swissers beare their name who are now so increased that two of the Duke of Austriches best towns namely Zurich and Fribourg be of their cantons Moreouer they haue obtained great victories and slaine of the Dukes of Austrich in the field 4 Diuers other quarrels also there are in Almaine as the Duke of Cleues against the Duke of Gueldres the Dukes of Gueldres against the Dukes of Iulliers the Easterlings who inhabite so far northward against the Kings of Denmarke And to speake generally of Almaine there are so many strong places there so many men inclined to mischiefe to spoile to rob and that vse force violence one against another vpon small occasions that it is woonder to see for a man that is able to maintaine but himselfe and his seruant will proclaime war against a great citie or a Duke that vnder colour thereof he may the better rob and spoile for he will haue some small castell situate vpon a rocke to retire into where he entertaineth twentie or thirtie horsemen which run downe to rob and spoile the countrie at his commandement These men are very seldome punished by the Princes of Almaine bicause they vse their helpe when they neede their seruice but the townes if they take any of them punish them cruelly and often besiege and destroy their castels Further the said townes haue soldiers alwaies in pay for their defence Wherefore it seemeth that these Princes and townes of Almaine are preserued the one to force the other to that is right and good And it is necessarie that such diuisions should be not onely there but through the whole world I haue hitherto spoken but of Europe for I am not well informed of Asia and Affrike yet we heare that they are diuided and make war one vpon another as we do yea after a much beastlier sort For I know in this part of Afrike bordering vpon vs diuers places where they sell one another to the Christians as also well appeereth by the Portugales who haue bought and daily do buie of them manie slaues But I doubt how well we may vpbraid this to the Sarracens sith in some part of Christendome they do the like notwithstanding those countries are either vnder the Turks dominion or next neighbors to him as for example some
part of Greece It seemeth then that such diuisions are requisite through the whole world and that these pricks and stings before spoken of which God hath giuen euery estate and in a maner euery particular person are necessarie And surely for mine owne opinion speaking as a man vnlearned and one that will maintaine no opinion not to be maintained I thinke they are necessarie indeed especially bicause of the beastlines of some Princes and the wickednes of othersome who hauing wit and experience sufficient do notwithstanding abuse it For a Prince or any other man of what estate or condition soeuer he be hauing power and authoritie where he dwelleth ouer the rest if he be learned haue seen and read much is thereby either much amended or empaired for much learning maketh the euill woorse and bettereth the good 5 Notwithstanding it is to be presumed that learning rather amendeth a man than empaireth him for if men be but ashamed of themselues when they know they do euill it sufficeth either to keepe them altogither from doing euill 6 or at the least from doing so much euill as otherwise they would For although they be not good indeed yet shame wil cause thē to make a shew of goodnes wherof I haue seen diuers examples of great personages whom learning oftentimes hath withdrawen from doing euil ioined with the fear of Gods punishments wherof they haue more vnderstanding than ignorant men which neuer sawe nor read any thing Wherfore those Princes that know not themselues but lacke wit either bicause they haue been euill brought vp or bicause nature hath graffed follie in them can neuer vnderstand how far the power and authoritie extendeth that God hath giuen them ouer their subiects For they neuer read it themselues neither are informed by them that know it nay few that vnderstand it are admitted to their presence and if some one be yet dare he not instruct them in it for feare of displeasure or if happily at any time he put them in minde thereof no man will abide him at the least he shall be accounted but a foole paraduenture also it may be taken in euill part and so turne him to displeasure But to proceede it is manifest that neither naturall reason neither knowledge neither feare of God neither loue towards our neighbor is sufficient to keepe vs from vsing violence against others from withholding other mens goods nor from rauishing by all meanes possible that which appartaineth to others For if great Princes withhold townes and castels from their kinsfolkes or neighbors none of these reasons can mooue them to restore them and after they haue giuen foorth some colour or forged some pretence to withhold them all their subiects commend their proceedings at the least such as are neere about them and hunt after their fauor Of meane persons that be at variance I speake not for they haue a superior who somtimes doth iustice to the parties at the least he that hath a good cause and followeth it earnestly and defendeth it stoutly and spendeth frankly shall in processe of time haue right vnlesse the Court that is to say the Princes authoritie vnder whom he liueth be against him Wherefore it appeereth most manifestly that God is constrained and forced as it were of necessitie to shew many examples among vs and to beate vs with many rods bicause of our negligence or rather wickednes but in Princes especially negligence and ignorance is very dangerous and much to be lamented bicause the good or euill gouernment of their Seniories dependeth wholy vpon them For if a Prince being mighty and hauing a number of soldiers in ordinarie by whose meanes he leuieth great sums of money at his pleasure as well to pay them as to spend in all kinde of wantonnes not necessary will diminish none of this foolish and excessiue expences further if all men seeke to flatter him and no man dare shewe him what is good either for feare of displeasure or bicause he knoweth it will not preuaile who can redresse this inconuenience but God alone True it is that God talketh not to men now as in times past neither are there Prophets now a daies by whose mouth he speaketh but his word is dispersed through the whole world and well inough knowne to all those that will vnderstand and know it so that no man can excuse himselfe by ignorance at the least none that haue had space and time to liue are indued with natural wit How shall those Princes then escape that gouerne their Seniories after such sort that by force they leuy what they list and by tyrannie maintaine their authoritie and hold their subiects in so great thraldome that the least commandement they giue toucheth life Some punish vnder colour of iustice and haue lawyers euer at hand ready in all points to execute their commandements and to make a deadly sinne of a veniall If they haue not matter inough against a man they finde meanes to delay the hearing of the cause or the taking of the depositions to hold the partie still in prison or to vndoo him by charges waiting continually if any man will come to accuse him that is thus held in prison and to whom they wish euill If this way be not colourable inough nor speedy inough for their purpose they deuise other readier waies alleaging that it was necessarie to do thus and thus for examples sake and make the case as hainous as pleaseth them with others that hold of them and be of some power they go more plainly to worke saying thou dost against thine allegeance thou owest me thou disobeiest me and so proceede by force to take from him that is his if they can if they do not it is no thanke to them causing him to liue in great trouble and vnquietnes Their neighbors that be strong and mighty they meddle not with but if any be weake he can rest no where for them for either they say that he hath aided their enimies or they make their men of armes to liue in his countries or buie quarrels to haue colour to assault him or finde some occasion to destroy him by aiding his neighbor against him and lending him forces to inuade him Such of their subiects as haue beene in authoritie and serued well their predecessors they put out of office bicause they liue too long and place newe men in their roomes The Church men they encomber and trouble about their benefices to the ende they may thereby wring some thing from them to enrich some one of their darlings at the sute eftsoones of those that haue not deserued it and at the request of such men and women as at times can preuaile much with them The nobilitie they hold in continuall trauell and charge vnder colour of their wilfull wars which they take in hand without the counsell or aduise of their estates and of such as they ought to make priuie thereunto before they attempt them for these they be that
spend both goods and liues in the wars wherefore it is reason they should vnderstand the cause of them before they begun Their subiects they poule in such sort that they leaue them nothing for notwithstanding that they pay them taskes and subsidies aboue their abilitie yet seeke they not to redresse the disorder of their men of armes which liue continually vpon their people without paiement dooing besides infinite mischiefes and iniuries as all the world knoweth For they are not contented with such cheere as they finde in the husband mans house and is set before them but beat also the poore men and constraine them to go foorth to buie them wine bread and victuals and if the good man haue a faire wife or a daughter he shall do wisely to keepe hir out of their sight Notwithstanding seeing these men of armes are duly paied this inconuenience might easily be redressed and order giuen that their paie should be made at euery two moneths ende at the furthest so should they not be able to alleage any pretence of their mischieuous dooings vnder colour that they want paie for the money is leuied and at the yeeres ende there is not one penie owing them I speake this for our realme which is more afflicted and plagued with these men of armes than any other countrey that I knowe But none can redresse this matter but a wise Prince other realmes bordering vpon vs haue other scourges Wherefore to continue this discourse is there any King or Prince that hath power to leuy one penie vpon his subiects besides his demaines without leaue and consent of those that must paie it vnlesse it be by tyrannie and violence A man will say that somtime the Prince can not tarie to assemble his estates bicause it would require too long time Whereunto I answer that if he mooue a war offensiue there needeth no such haste for he may haue leasure inough at his owne pleasure to make preparation And further he shall be much stronger and much more feared of his enimies when he mooueth war with the consent of his subiects than otherwise Now as touching a war defensiue that cloud is seene long before the tempest fall especially when it is forraine war and in this case good subiects ought not to complaine nor refuse any thing that is laid vpon them Notwithstanding such inuasion cannot happen so suddenly but that the Prince may haue leasure at the least to call togither certaine wise personages to whom he may open the causes of the war vsing no collusion therein neither seeking to maintaine a trifling war vpon no necessitie thereby to haue some colour to leuy money Money is also necessarie in time of peace to fortifie the frontiers for defence of those that dwell vpon them least they be taken vnprouided but this must be done measurably In all these matters the wisedome of a sage King sufficeth for if he be a iust Prince he knoweth what he may do and not do both by Gods law and mans To be short in mine opinion of all Seniories in the world that I know the realme of England is the countrey where the common wealth is best gouerned the people least oppressed and the fewest buildings and houses destroied in ciuill wars and alwaies the lot of misfortune falleth vpon them that be authors of the war Our King is the Prince in the whole world that hath least cause to alleage that he hath priuileges to leuy what him listeth vpon his subiects considering that neither he nor any other Prince hath power so to do And those that say he hath do him no honor neither make him to be esteemed any whit the mightier Prince thereby but cause him to be hated and feared of his neighbors who for nothing woulde liue vnder such a gouernment But if our King or those that seeke to magnifie and extol him should say I haue so faithfull and obedient subiects that they deny me nothing I demand and I am more feared better obeied and better serued of my subiects than any other Prince liuing they endure patiently whatsoeuer I lay vpō them and soonest forget all charges past This me thinke yea I am sure were greater honor to the King than to say I leuy what me listeth and haue priuileges so to do which I will stoutly maintaine King Charles the fift vsed no such termes neither did I euer heare such language proceede from any King but from diuers of their seruants who thought they did their Masters great seruice in vttring such speeches but in mine opinion they misbehaued themselues towards their Prince and vsed such language partly bicause they would seeme to be good seruants and partly bicause they knew not what they said But for a manifest proofe of the French mens loialty and obedience to their Prince we neede alleage none other example than that we our selues haue seene of late by experience when the three estates were assembled at Tours after the death of our Master King Lewis the eleuenth which was in the yeere of our Lord 1483. A man might then haue thought that this good assembly was dangerous for the Kings estate yea and diuers there were of meane calling and lesse honesty that said then and haue often said since that it is treason to make mention of assembling the estates and a thing tending to the diminishing of the Kings authority but they themselues are those that worke treason against God the King and the common wealth neither do any vse these speeches but either such as are in authority without desert and vnwoorthy thereof or such as are common tale-carriers and accustomed to talke of trifling matters or such as feare great assemblies least their doings should there be ripped vp and reprehended At this assembly I now speake of all men of what estate soeuer they were thought the realme much weakned and impouerished bicause it had paied by the space of 20. yeeres or more great and excessiue subsidies yea so great that they surmounted yeerely by the summe almost of three millions of francks all subsidies that euer were leuied in Fraunce For King Charles the seuenth leuied yeerely but eighteene hundred thousand franks 7 but King Levvis his sonne leuied at his death seauen and fortie hundred thousand 8 besides the charges of the artillerie and such like expences And sure it was a pitifull thing to behold the miserable estate of the poore people But one good propertie had the King our Master that he hoorded vp no treasure he tooke all and spent all and bestowed more vpon fortification of towns and places for the defence of his realme than all his predecessors ioined togither He gaue also much to churches but in some respects he had done better to haue giuen lesse for he tooke from the poore to giue to them that had no need But there is no man perfect in the whole world Well to proceed Notwithstanding that this realme were so impouerished and oppressed diuers waies did the people
his conditions As touching suspicious all great Princes are suspicious especially those that be wise and haue had many enimies and haue offended many as the King our Master had Further he knew himselfe not to be beloued of the nobilitie of his realme nor of a great number of the commonalty Besides this he had more charged his people than euer had any of his predecessors notwithstanding he was desirous now in his latter daies as before I said to haue eased them but he should haue begun sooner King Charles the seuenth by the perswasion of diuers wise and valiant Knights that had serued him in the conquest of Normandie and Guyenne which the Englishmen held was the first that began to leuy subsidies at his pleasure without the consent of the States of his realme and to say the truth cause there was then so to do for the charges were maruellous great as well for the manning of the countries newly conquered as also for the defeating of the companies of robbers which went about spoiling the realme For the which cause the nobility of Fraunce consented to the King and had certaine pensions promised them in consideration of the summes of money that should be leuied vpon their lands If this King had alwaies liued and those of his councel that were about him he would sure greatly haue enlarged his realme But considering what hapned after his death is like further to happen he charged maruellously his soule and the soules of his successors by this fact for he gaue his realme a cruell wound which will bleed this many a yeere by entertaining in continuall pay a terrible band of men of armes after the maner of the Italian Princes The said King Charles leuied in his realme at the hower of his death but 1800000. franks all maner of waies and had in ordinary about seuenteene hundred men of armes the which he kept in good order and so placed in diuers prouinces for the defence of his realme that many yeeres before his death they rid not spoiling vp and downe the countrey to the great quietnes comfort of his people But the King our Master leuied at his death 4700000. franks he had in pay fower or fiue thousand men of armes and of footemen for the campe and in garrison aboue fiue and twenty thousand wherefore it is not to be maruelled if he had many phansies and imaginations in his head and thought himselfe not welbeloued But sure as these matters caused him greatly to feare some so had he a sure confidence in many of those whom he had brought vp and highly aduanced of the which I thinke there were a number whom death it selfe could neuer haue withdrawen from dooing their duty There came into Plessis du Parc which was the place where he lay very few besides his household seruants and the archers of his guarde being fower hundred of whom a great number all the day long kept watch and warde at the gate walking vp and downe the place No noble man or great personage lodged within the castell neither might be suffered to enter in saue onely the Lord of Beauieu Duke of Bourbon his sonne in law The said stell of Plessis he had made to be enuironed with a grate of great iron bars at the entrie into the ditches thereof had caused sharpe speares of iron euery one of them hauing many heads to be masoned into the wall He caused also fower strong watch houses of iron to be built and a place to be made in them where men might stande and shoote at ease which was a sumptuous thing to behold and cost aboue 20000. franks In the end he put into these houses fortie crossebowe men which were day and night in the ditches had commission to shoote at euery man that approched neere the castell after the shutting of the gates til they opened in the morning Further he had an imagination that his subiects would be very ready to take the gouernment into their owne hands when they should see conuenient time And sure some there were that consulted to enter into Plessis and dispatch the affaires at their pleasure bicause nothing was dispatched but they durst not attempt it wherein they did wisely for the K. had giuen good order for that matter He changed often both the groomes of his chamber and al his other seruants saying that nature delighteth in varietie and he had with him to beare him company one or two very meane men and of euill report who might well haue thought if they had been wise that immediately after his death they should at the least be put out of office and spoiled of all they had as also it hapned These informed him of no message that was sent him not of any matter that was written to him were it neuer so important vnlesse it touched the preseruation of the State or the defence of his realme for that was his onely care to be in truce and peace with all men He gaue to his Phisition ordinarily euery moneth ten thousand crownes and in fiue moneths he receiued of him 54000. He gaue also goodly lands to churches but this gift was made voide and not without cause for the clergie men had too much The Notes 1 It was fortie daies but bicause the old copie hath 15. daies and that himselfe also afterward in this very chapter saith thus This sicknes held him about fifteene daies I haue been bold to amend it 2 King Lewis was suspected to haue poisoned his father by Adam Fumée his fathers physition who was imprisoned by King Charles but soone after aduaunced to honor by King Lewis who so maruellously reioiced at the first newes of his fathers death being the selfe same day that his father died which was strange King Lewis being then at Genappe in Brabant that in the selfe same place he built a chappell to our Lady 3 It was 15000. but the olde copie had 1500000. and so vndoubtedly it is to be read for for 15000. franks will hardly maintaine 100. soldiers a yeere How the King caused the holy man of Calabria to come to Tours thinking that he could heale him and what strange things the said King did to maintaine his authoritie during his sicknes Chap. 8. AMong men famous for deuotion he sent into Calabria for one Frier Robert whom he called the holy man bicause of his holy life and in whose honor the King that now is caused a Church to be built at Plessis du Parc in place of the chappell neere to Plessis at the bridge foote This heremite being twelue yeeres of age entred into a rocke where he remained till he was fortie three yeeres old or there about to wit euen till this present that the King sent for him by one of the stewards of his house whom the Prince of Tarente the King of Naples sonne accompanied thither For the said heremite would not depart thence without permission both of the Pope and of his Prince which
that happened in Britaine betweene the Duke and his Nobles and of Peter Landois death Chap. 3. ABout the same time or somewhat before that the mad tumult aboue mentioned happened in Fraunce a like stur chanced also in Britaine though not with the like euent the seedes of the which were priuily sowen in the life of Levvis the 11. but sprang not vp for feare of forren war with the which the saide King Lewis continually threatened the Britaines till after his death But then all forren feare which had hitherto preserued their peace being remooued the fire flamed out which vpon this occasion was first kindled Chauuin Chauncellor of Britaine a very woorthy man died miserably in pâ—ison in the castell of L'hermite where the Duke had imprisoned him at the request of his Treasurer Peter Landois a hosiers sonne of Touars who after the said Chauuins death wholy possessed the Duke But the nobilitie namely the Prince of Orenge and the Marshall of Rieux who were then at Nantes and hated this Landois as author of the others death conspired togither to his destruction for the executing of which their purpose they watched a time when they thought to surprise him either in the castell of Nantes with the Duke or in a house of his owne called Pabotiere a mile from the towne Wherefore they diuided their companie and part they sent to besiege the said house and with the rest entred into the castell and to the end he should by no meanes escape they shut vp the castell gates they searched euery corner of the castell yea they rushed into the Dukes chamber supposing that the saide Landois might happily haue retired himselfe thither in hope to make the D. presence the buckler of his defence But he being a mile from Nantes in his own house aboue mentioned escaped at a backe gate before the house was thoroughly beset and so saued himselfe But presently a great vprore began in the towne for one of the Dukes seruants at the noble mens first entrie into the castell being let downe the castell wall by a rope made a great outcrie in the towne aggrauating the hainousnes of the fact and affirming that the castell was forced the Duke assaulted and his life in great danger vnles he were speedily succoured The citizens ignorant that this attempt was made onely for the surprising of Peter Landois armed themselues and ran to the castell threatning all the nobilitie with death of whom not one durst shew himselfe vpon the wall to speake to the furious multitude bicause the people had planted shot against the castell meaning to spare no man so soone as he should appeere but the Duke alone The Duke being in the hands of his nobles shewed himselfe vnto his people who presently kneeled downe before him congratulating with him for his safetie and so the tumult ceased But the nobilitie for this bold attempt were banished though their liues were pardoned who presently retired themselues into Fraunce to King Charles as before you haue heard Then Peter recouered his former credit with the Duke and caused him to write to the Duke of Orleans his cosin germaine that it would please him to come to him into Britaine which the Duke of Orleans did by the perswasion of the Earle of Dunois who sought to diuorce him from the Kings sister and to marrie him with Anne the Duke of Britaines eldest daughter and heire which also happened after the said Duke of Orleans was King though it were not now accomplished The Duke of Orleans accompanied with the Duke of Alençon arriued at Nantes in the moneth of Aprill after this tumult being the yeere 1484. where they were honorably receiued of the Duke of Britaine who complained to them of the outrage done vnto him by the Prince of Orenge and the Marshall of Rieux for the reuenge whereof he desired their aide which they promised him in generall termes and then departed to go to Reimes to the coronation of King Charles After the which the Duke of Orleans fell at variance with the King and yet in the end peace was concluded betweene them in the yeere 1485. as before you haue heard Then Peter Landois seeing the Duke his Master in league with the Duke of Orleans This hapned 1485. and the said Duke of Orleans and his faction in peace with the King determined to be reuenged of his enimies wherefore the Duke of Britaine by his perswasion made an edict that all the noble mens houses that had beene of the conspiracie aboue mentioned should be rased For the execution whereof an armie was leuied in the Dukes name to rase Ancenix where the Prince of Orenge and the Earle of Comminges then remained who being aduertised therof by the aide of their friends and of the banished Barons that were returned out of exile to defend their patrimonies leuied likewise an armie to withstand Landois attempts but when those two armies were come the one in face of the other the remembrance and loue to their common countrie altered their mindes in such sort that they disarmed themselues and each imbraced other as friends Then went the Prince of Orenge and the Earle of Comminges to the Duke and recouered his fauour and the gouernment by meanes whereof all the storme fell vpon Peter Landois alone whom when the nobles knew to be within the castell with one consent they went thither being fully resolued to seize vpon him though he were in the Dukes armes Then one whom both the nobilitie and commons had by common consent chosen their new Chauncellor by their constraint spake to the Duke and aduertised him that without the deliuerie of Peter the tumult could not be appeased against whom they would proceede onely by order of lawe without executing any thing vpon him before his cause were heard and throughly examined Thus was he yeelded into their hands and presently imprisoned and for fashions sake examined many hainous crimes were obiected against him To conclude he was condemned and hanged before the Duke knew his cause to be tried who was purposed to haue granted him his pardon howsoeuer law proceeded against him for the preuenting whereof the execution was hastened But this fact of the nobilitie which the Duke accounted as a most hainous iniurie done to himselfe made them ten times more odious to the Duke than they were before The Duke created a new Chauncellor and to make head against his nobles receiued very curteously the Duke of Orleans who about this present fled to him out of Fraunce with a great company of his partakers which when the said nobles of Britaine sawe they were greatly astonied and fled for feare the second time into Fraunce where the King meaning to make war vpon the Duke of Britaine for receiuing the Duke of Orleans being fled from him welcommed them and entred into league with them as in the end of the last chapter you haue heard The report went that the Duke of Orleans had a plot in his head
commodious for the maintenance of the Kings wars and the which notwithstanding that he held it for the King he had manned with his owne tenants and seruants yeelded the place to the Duke of Britaine and sware the townes men to be true to him And further before the fame of his reuolt was spred abrode he went with a great companie to Chasteaubrian which was also held for the King and being receiued into the towne as a friend he placed a garrison of his owne soldiers in it and banished all that refused to returne to the obedience of the Duke From thence he went and laid the siege before Vennes the 25. day of Februarie which was held by If you begin the yeere at Newe-yeeres day heere beginneth 1488. the French vnder the gouernment of Gilbert of Grassay and Philip of Moulins valiant captaines who yeelded the place by composition the third day of March following On the other side the Kings army slept not for Ancenix they tooke by assault and rased the wals towers and houses by the Kings commandement so that one stone was not left vpon another which the King did in spite of the Marshall of Rieux whose the towne was and who was newly reuolted from him as you haue heard Chasteaubrian was also recouered by the Kings forces and the castell rased From thence the Kings army marched to Frougiers being a frontier towne stronge and of good resistance and laid the siege before the place whereupon the Duke of Britaine being stroken with a new feare determined to send the Earle of Dunois in ambassage to the King whereof heereafter you shall heare About this time being the beginning of the yeere 1488. the Lord of Albret who long had been resident in the Court of Spaine came by sea and landed in base Britaine with fower thousand men of war his men went to Rennes but himselfe to Nantes to the Duke of Britaine where at his first comming he demanded to haue the marriage between him and the Lady Anne the Dukes eldest daughter accomplished But the said Lady would not consent thereunto greatly to hir fathers discontentation who knew nothing that she had cast hir phansie vpon the Duke of Orleans by the practise and perswasion of the Earle of Dunois For the which cause the said Earle of Dunois to saue his honor endeuored to withdraw his seale giuen for the accomplishment of the said marriage being in the hands of the Lady Lauall sister to the said Alebert among the seales of all the other Britaine Lords which also in the end very cunningly he brought to passe For he gaue the said Lady to vnderstand that this marriage could neuer be accomplished without the Duke of Britaines seale could be obtained wherunto he as he said had mooued the Duke whose answer was that he would willingly giue his seale prouided that the instrument that he should seale were written word for word by that which the Earle of Dunois had alreadie sealed wherefore if she would cause his writing to be deliuered to him he would make his secretarie to write that which should be presented to the Duke word for word by his and so get the Dukes seale to it The Lady of Lauall supposing that he had ment good faith deliuered him the writing which afterward he neuer restored for presently after as you shall now heare he was sent with certaine lawyers in ambassage to Angiers to the King to vnderstand what the King demanded in the Duchy of Britaine and why he destroied the castels and townes thereof The Duke of Britaine as aboue is mentioned being in great feare when he sawe the Kings army before Fougieres sent the Earle of Dunois with the consent of his nobles in ambassage to Angiers to the K. The said Earle in his iourney thitherward so preached in all places the great commodities that concord and peace bring with them that all mens eies were fixed vpon him When he came to the K. being then eighteene yeeres of age he very eloquently pleaded the cause of the Duke of Britaine and of the other French noble men that were retired to him alleaging that the Duke being worne with yeeres consumed with diseases hauing buried his wife being destitute of issue male his eldest daughter being hardly twelue yeeres of age and his yoonger lesse and lastly being forsaken of his nobilitie for the hatred they bare to Peter Landois and not for any euill desert of his owne began to languish in sorow and griefe for the which cause the noble men of Fraunce that were of kin alied to him being mooued with very naturall affection were retired to him to comfort him in this distresse Among whom none were neerer to him his owne children excepted than the Duke of Orleans and the Prince of Orenge the one being his vncles sonne the other his sisters and that these and others his neere kinsemen were yet with him onely to this end adding that the Duke was not to be accused bicause he forbad them not his countries when they came to comfort him in his miseries or they for comming to relieue him in his distresse But quoth he it will be obiected that there are besides these diuers others with him of the nobilitie of Fraunce that haue leuied war against the King but what war Forsooth as the Britaine 's marched with force to leuy the siege of Ploermel being aduertised that they could not so do without a battell with the French the reuerence they bare to the Kings Maiestie was such that willingly they gaue place and forbare to fight and rather suffered their townes to be taken and spoiled than they would encounter with the Kings troupes Further so soone as the D. vnderstood the K. desire to be that the banished Nobles of Britain should return home he foorthwith receiued them into his fauor and restored them to their former estate What offence then said he hath the Duke made What cause of war against him Truly none But on the contrary side many causes of commiseration and many causes why the King should grant the Duke of Britaine peace This was the effect of the speech he was commanded as he said to deliuer to the K. which charge he would not haue taken vpon him but that he knew the D. of Britaine to carie a minde singularly well affected to the Kings Maiestie and the French nobles that were in Britaine to be the Kings deuout seruants subiects and ready to shed their blood for the defence of him and his estate This the Earles speech mooued the King to incline to peace whereof the treatie was already begun when the sudden report of a batel wherof you shal now heare as suddenly brak it off Of the battell of S. Albin wherein the Duke of Orleance was taken prisoner of the treatie of peace betweene the King and the Duke of Britaine and of the said Duke of Britaines death Chap. 5. YOu haue heard of the siege of Fougieres which endured still
vpon a sudden as the Romaines did for their bodies cannot endure such labor and trauell as theirs could bicause they are vnaccustomed therunto by reason that none of them go into their wars vpon the firme land 16 as the Romaines did saue their prouisors and paimasters which accompanied their generall 17 assist him with their counsell and prouide all things necessary for their armie True it is that their armies vpon the sea are led 18 by their gentlemen who are captaines of their gallies and ships and consist wholy of their owne subiects Moreouer another good order haue they as touching these prouisors whom they send in person with their armies vpon the land whichis that they imploie in that seruice no man of such courage and vertue as may seeme woorthy to be their Prince as the Romaines did whereby they auoid all factions in the citie which sure is a great point of wisedome And vndoubtedly against ciuill contention they haue maruellously well prouided diuers and sundry other waies for they haue no Tribunes of the people as they had in Rome which partly were cause of their ruine But the people at Venice beare no swaie neither are called to counsell in any matter 19 for all their officers 20 be gentlemen saue their secretaries 21 And the greatest part of their people be strangers Moreouer they vnderstand by T. Liuius what imperfections were in the state of Rome for they haue his historie and his body lieth buried in their palace at Padua For these reasons and diuers others which I could alleage I say yet once againe that they are in the way to be great Lords in time to come I must now declare the cause of mine ambassage to them which was to thanke them for the good answers they had made to two ambassadors sent thither by the King and for the good comfort they had giuen him in willing him vpon their word to proceede with his enterprise All the which was done before he departed out of Ast At my arriuall I discoursed vnto them of the ancient league that had beene betweene the Kings of Fraunce and them And further I offered them Brandis and the towne of Orante vnder this condition that when we deliuered them better townes in Greece they should be bound to restore these They vsed very honorable termes both of the King and his affaires supposing that he could not enter far into Italie And as touching the offer I made they answered that they were his friends and seruants and would not sell him their friendship and in deede as yet we had not the places offered Further they said that they had force sufficient in a readines to moue war against him if they were so disposed but they would not so do notwithstanding that the ambassador of Naples daily sollicited them thereunto and offered them in consideration thereof whatsoeuer they would demaund Moreouer King Alphonse who then raigned confessed that he had many waies misbehaued himselfe towards them and declared vnto them the great danger themselues should be in if the King obtained his purpose The Turke on the other side sent an ambassador to them with all speede whom I my selfe saw diuers times the which at the Popes request threatened them vnlesse they declared themselues the Kings enimies They gaue euery one of these good answers notwithstanding at the first they stood in no feare of vs but laughed at our voiage and the rather bicause the Duke of Milan sent them word by his ambassador that they should not trouble themselues about this enterprise for he would finde meanes to send the King home with emptie hands The like message sent he also to Peter of Medicis as himselfe told me But when both they and the Duke of Milan sawe all the Florentines places especially Pisa in the Kings hands they began to feare to consult how to stop him from passing further but their matters were long in debating and in the meane time while ambassadors passed to and fro betweene them the King marched forward The King of Spaine in like maner began to feare bicause of the yles of Sicilie and Sardinia And the King of Romaines enuied our Kings good successe for diuers there were that put him in doubt of the crowne imperiall saying that the King would take it and had required the Pope to giue him leaue so to do but this was most vntrue Notwithstanding for these doubts these two Kings sent honorable ambassages to Venice I being there as you haue heard The King of Romaines bicause he was their neighbor sent first the principall of his ambassage was the Bishop of Trente accompanied with two knights and a doctor of the law they were very honorably and solemnly receiued and their lodgings made and furnished as mine Moreouer they had ten ducats a day allowed them for their diet and their horses which they had left behinde them at Treuis were kept vpon the Seniories charge Soone after arriued also a worshipfull knight of Spaine 22 well accompanied and well apparelled who was in like maner honorably receiued and his charges defraied The Duke of Milan besides his ambassador there resident sent thither the bishop of Come and Master Francis Bernardin Viscount all the which began at the first to negotiate togither couertly and in the night by their Secretaries for they durst not as yet openly discouer themselues against the King especially the Duke of Milan and the Venetians bicause they doubted what successe the league which was in communication should haue These ambassadors of Milan came to visite me and brought me letters from their Master pretending that they were come bicause the Venetians had sent two ambassadors to Milan whereas they were woont to haue but one resident there no more had they in the end and this was but a colour of their lying deceit and false dealing for they were all assembled togither to conclude a league against the good King but so many strings could not be tuned on a sudden They desired me afterward if I could to informe them what the cause was of the King of Spaines and the King of Romanes ambassadors arriuall to the end they might aduertise their Master thereof But I had intelligence already from diuers places both by the said ambassadors seruants and others that the ambassador of Spaine had passed through Milan disguised that the Almaines gouerned their affaires wholy by the Duke of Milans counsell and aduice and that the ambassador of Naples deliuered howerly packets of letters from his Master For you must vnderstand that the treatie of their league was begun before the King departed from Florence and I spent monie largely to haue intelligence of all their doings and wrought by good instruments so that I knew already all their articles which were propounded but not agreed vpon for the Venetians are very long in their resolutions For these causes I seeing the league in such forwardnes would no longer pretend ignorance therein but answered these ambassadors
footemen and money or in time to retire homeward before his enimies were all assembled leauing the principall places well manned I aduertised also the D. of Orleans who lay in Ast with his houshold seruants onely for his companie was with the King of all that was done willing him to put men into the towne and assuring him that they would incontinent assaile him I wrote also to the Duke of Bourbon whom the King had left regent in Fraunce to send men to Ast with all speede possible to defend the towne bicause that place being lost no aide could come to the King In like maner I aduertised the Marchionesse of Montferrat of all these proceedings who was a great friend to vs and deadly enimy to the Duke of Milan to the end she might aide the Duke of Orleans with men if neede so required for Ast being lost the Marquisats of Montferrat and Saluces were also lost Their league was concluded one night very late 25 The next morning the Seniorie sent for me earlier then they were accustomed And when I was come and set downe the Duke told me that in the honor of the holy Trinitie there was a league concluded betweene our holy father the Pope the Kings of Romaines and Castile them and the Duke of Milan for three purposes The first for the defence of the estate of Christendome against the Turke the second for the defence of Italy and the third for the preseruation of their own estates whereof he willed me to aduertise the King They were assembled to the number of a hundred or more and looked vp with cheerfull countenances and sate not as they did the day they aduertised me of the taking of the castle of Naples The Duke tolde me moreouer that they had written to their ambassadors that were with the King to take their leaue and to returne home their names were Master Dominic Loredan and Master Dominic Treuisan I was maruellously troubled with this newes for I stood in doubt both of the Kings person and of all his companie supposing their armie to haue been readier than in deed it was as did themselues also I feared further least the Almaines had been at hand and not without cause for if they had vndoubtedly the King had neuer departed out of Italy I was resolued not to speake much in this heate but they so prouoked me that I was forced to change my minde and then I said vnto them that both the night before and diuers other times I had aduertised the King of their league and that he also had sent me word that he had intelligence thereof both from Rome and from Milan They looked all maruellous strangely vpon me when I said that I had aduertised the King thereof the night before for there is no nation vnder the sunne so suspicious as they nor so secret in their affaires so that oftentimes they banish men vpon suspicion onely for the which cause I said thus much vnto them I told them moreouer that I had sent word thereof both to the Duke of Orleans and to the Duke of Bourbon to the end they might put men into Ast which words I vttered hoping to delay their going thither For if they had indeed been as ready as they vaunted and supposed themselues to haue been they must needs haue taken the towne for it was vnmanned both then and long after Then they told me that they meant not to attempt ought against the King but onely to defend themselues adding that they would not haue him thus to abuse the world with words in saying that he would nothing but the realme of Naples and afterward go against the Turk and yet do cleane contrary and seeke to destroy the Duke of Milan and the Florentines and hold also the places of the Church Wherunto I answered that the Kings of Fraunce had euer inlarged augmented the dition of the church and defended it and that the King my Master would rather do the like than the contrarie Wherfore these I said were not the reasons that mooued them to enter into this war but that they desired to trouble the estate of Italy thereby to make their owne profit as in the end I thought they would which words they tooke in euill part as afterward I was aduertised notwithstanding it appeereth by those townes in Pouile which they haue in gage of King Ferrand to aide him against vs that I said true At this instant I would haue risen to depart but they caused me to sit downe again and then the Duke asked me if I would make any ouerture of peace bicause the day before I had offered so to do but that was vnder condition that they should haue staid the conclusion of their league fifteene daies to the end I might aduertise the King thereof and receiue his answer thereunto Our communication being ended I returned to my lodging then they sent for the ambassadors of the league one after another and as I came foorth from them I met with the ambassador of Naples who ware a faire new gowne and shewed a cheerefull countenance so had he great cause to do for these were good newes for him After dinner all the ambassadors of the league accompanied with their seruants met togither at the charges of the Seniory vpon the water which is all the pastime of Venice I thinke they were in all fortie boates euery ambassador hauing his boate garnished with a flagge of his Masters armes I saw all this company passe vnderneath my window with goodly melodie And the ambassadors of Milan at the least one of them who had been woont verie often before to beare me companie made a countenance now as though he knew me no more By the space of three daies I neuer stirred out of my lodging neither any of my seruants notwithstanding that not one man in the towne gaue me or any of mine a foule word at any time The same night they made great pastime with squibs which were set on fire a high in the steeples and turrets of the towne and a number of torches were lighted in the top of these ambassadors houses and diuers peeces of artillery discharged I was in a couered barge vpon the water to behold all this triumph about ten of the clocke at night especially before these ambassadors lodgings where was banketting and great cheere notwithstanding this was not the greate festiuall day on the which their league was proclaimed for the Pope had giuen commandement that the proclamation thereof should be deferred till Palm-sunday and that euery one of the confederated Princes when it should be proclaimed and the ambassadors that should be present thereat should beare in their hands an oliue branch in token of peace and confederacie as he said He commanded further that vpon that day it should be proclaimed both in Spaine and in Almaine Moreouer at Venice they made a scaffold of wood which they raised a great height from the ground as they
had neuer chanced All the which inconueniences hapned bicause the King dispatched nothing himselfe neither would giue the messengers audience that came from them And as touching his seruants to whom he committed the gouernment of his affaires they were men of small experience idle and negligent and some of them I thinke had intelligence with the Pope whereby it manifestly appeered that God had now altogither withdrawen his grace from the King which at his going to Naples he had poured down so plentifully vpon him After the King had soiourned at Lyons about two monethes word was brought him that the Daulphin his sonne lay at the point of death and within three daies after that he was dead which newes he tooke heauily as nature would notwithstanding his sorrow soone ended But the Queene of Fraunce and Duchesse of Britaine called Anne lamented the death of hir sonne and that a long time as much as was possible for a woman to do And I thinke verily that besides the naturall griefe that women vse to conceiue in such cases hir minde gaue hir that some greater euill hung ouer hir head The King hir husband as I haue said mourned not long but sought to comfort hir by causing certaine yoong gentlemen to daunce before hir of the which the Duke of Orleans was one being of the age of fower and thirty yeeres who seemed to reioice at the Daulphins death bicause he was heire apparant to the crowne next after the King for the which cause the K. and he saw not one another in a long time after The Daulphin was about three yeeres olde a goodly childe bold in speech and no whit fearing those things that commonly children vse to feare Wherefore to be plaine with you his fathers sorrow soone ended for he began already to doubt if this childe grew to yeeres and continued in his noble conditions that happily he might diminish his estimation and authoritie for the King himselfe was a man of very small stature and no great sense but of so good a nature that it was impossible to finde a gentler creature Heerby you may perceiue in how miserable estate Kings and Princes liue who stand in feare of their owne children King Lewis the eleuenth who was so wise and vertuous a Prince stood in feare of this King Charles his sonne but he prouided well for it and afterward died leauing his said sonne King being but fowerteene yeeres of age The said King Lewis also had put King Charles the seuen his father in feare of him for being but thirteene yeeres of age he mooued war against him with certaine noble men and gentlemen of the realme that misliked those that bare the sway in Court gouerned the estate as K. Lewis himselfe hath eftsoones told me but this broile soone ended Afterward also being come to mans estate he fell at great variance with his father and retired himselfe into Daulphine and from thence into Flaunders leauing the countrie of Daulphin to the said King his father as I haue made mention about the beginning of this historie written of King Lewis the 11. Wherefore it is manifest that no creature is exempt from trouble but that all men eate their bread in trauell and sorrow as God promised vs that we should soone after he had created man the which promise he hath truly performed to all sorts of men But great diuersitie there is of troubles and sorrowes for those of the bodie are the lesse and those of the minde the greater the sorrowes of wise men are of one sort and the sorrowes of fooles of another but much greater griefe and passion endureth the foole than the wise man and lesse comfort receiueth he in his sorrowes though many suppose otherwise The poore man that trauelleth and toileth his body to get foode to sustaine himselfe and his children and paieth customs and subsidies to his Prince should liue in too great descomfort and despaire if Princes and great men had nothing but pleasure in this world and he nothing on the contrarie side but trauell and miserie But God hath otherwise disposed thereof for if I should take vpon me to rehearse the sundrie griefes sorrowes and passions that I haue seene diuers great personages sustaine as well men as women within these thirty yeeres onely a great volume would hardly containe them I meane not such great persosonages as Bocace writeth of in his booke 1 but such as we see abound with wealth liue in health and prosperitie yea such as those that haue not beene conuersant with them as I haue been would account in all respects happie bâ—â— I haue often sâ—â—ne their sorrowes and griefes arise of so small occasions that they that were vnacquainted with them would hardly beleeue it the most part being grounded vpon ielousies and reports which is a disease that lurketh secretly in great Princes Courts and traineth with it infinite mischiefs both to their owne persons their seruants and all their subiects and so much shorteneth their liues that hardly any King of Fraunce since Charles the great hath passed the age of sixtie yeeres For the which cause when King Lewis the eleuenth approched neere to that age being sicke of this disease he accounted himselfe a dead man His father King Charles the seuenth who had done so many noble acts in Fraunce conceiued an imagination in his sicknes that his seruants went about to poison him and therefore refused to receiue sustenance Likewise his father King Charles the sixt was troubled with so many suspicions that he lost his wits and all by reports And sure this is a fault greatly to be blamed in Princes that in these cases they cause not such matters as concerne themselues be they of neuer so small importance to be ripped vp which if they did they should not so often be troubled with false tales For if they would examine the parties the one before the other I meane the accuser and him that is accused no man durst report any thing to them that were vntrue But some Princes there are of so doltish disposition that they will promise and sweare to the accusers neuer to disclose their reports whereby they are often troubled with these anguishes before mentioned and hate and iniurie their trustiest and faithfullest seruants and subiects at the pleasure and vpon the complaint many times of lewd and naughtie persons The Notes 1 Of vnfortunate noble men How the King was aduertised of the losse of the castle of Naples and how the Florentines places were sold to diuers men of the treatie of Atelle in Pouille to the great dammage of the French and of the death of King Ferrande of Naples Chap. 14. THe Daulphin the Kings onely sonne died about the beginning of the yeere 1496. which was the greatest misfortune that euer happened or could happen to the King for he neuer had childe after that liued But this mischeife came not without company for at the very same time receiued he newes that the