vnlike and also bicause the Dukes liberalitie was inferior to the Kings his attempts so impouerishing him that he had not to be liberall of as the King had Whereunto I adde that he made no such account of his seruants as the King did but attributed all his good successe to his owne braine whereby their seruice was the lesse esteemed and the woorse rewarded or rather not at all esteemed nor rewarded for he neuer vsed any mans counsell but his owne so that wise men lost but their time with him Yea Meyer himselfe reporteth him to be Durum asperum ingratum à quo milites maligne admodum stipendia accipiebant raro blande liberaliter appellarentur quanquam multis in locis extremis periculis se obiectarent plurimumque algoris inediae aestus sustinerent If then the Duke were of this disposition towards his soldiers and so euill rewarded them whose helpe he daily and howerly vsed what reward could any wise man looke for at his hands whose aduice he seldome asked and neuer followed Further the Duke was of nature very cholericke and ready to offer his seruants iniurie as for example to the Earle of Campobasso he gaue a blowe which in the end cost him his life and whether any such outrage offered to our Author caused or furthered his departure we knowe not but that aduauncement which was to be looked for at the Kings hands and not to be hoped for at the Dukes was one cause is already as I suppose sufficiently prooued The second cause of Commines departure from the Duke in mine opinion was safetie for the Duke as Commines himselfe reporteth forced not to venture his seruants into any danger were it neuer so great which all men especially despairing of reward of their seruice will seeke to auoide for as our Author himselfe saith in one place of his historie most men by seruice seeke to aduaunce themselues but all men will haue an eie to saue themselues Further Commines being a very wise man foresawe the Dukes attempts to be such as would in the end ouerthrowe both himselfe his subiects and his dominions wherefore he thought it best to dislodge in time and to saue one These in mine opinion were the principall causes of his departure from the Duke which being honest and reasonable and his departure likewise voide of al treason and trecherous practises against the Duke I see no reason why for his departure he should not rather be commended than condemned The last point that we haue to consider is whether he being the Dukes subiect might leaue his Master and depart to the King were the causes of his departure neuer so reasonable and honest Whereunto I answer that Commines was not absolutely the Dukes subiect for Flaunders was held in soueraigntie of the crowne of Fraunce and both the Earle and all the people sworne to beare no armes against the King of Fraunce and diuers examples too long to rehearse are to be read in the histories of diuers Earles of Flaunders that haue been arrested imprisoned and togither with their people fined for breach of this oth Wherefore seeing our author was a Flemming borne and Flaunders held in Soueraigntie of the King of Fraunce and the Duke of Burgundie in-hostilitie with the King of Fraunce contrarie to the oth he either tooke or ought to haue taken and further violating diuers naie I may say all those points whereunto by his allegeance he was bound to the French King I see no reason why Commines might not or rather ought not to leaue an inferior rebellious Lord and cleaue to his soueraign Prince and King to whom he ought a soueraign dutie both by allegeance and oth And if after his reuolt he gaue any aduice to the furtherance of the Kings affaires he did therein in mine opinion the dutie of a faithfull seruant and true subiect Thus much I haue beene forced to speake in defence both of Commines life and historie whereof as the former appeereth to haue beene both honest and vertuous as well by the reasons aboue alleaged as also by the notable discourses wherewith he farceth his historie which breath nothing but vertue and sinceritie so is the latter confirmed by the consent of diuers good histories and approoued by the iudgement of the noblest Princes that Europe bred these many hundred yeers as I trust is sufficiently declared Wherefore our authors credit standeth vpright as well for good conuersation of life as sincere report in historie both the which Meyer no lesse falsely slandereth than he doth in other places of his Annales the noble races of the Kings of England and Fraunce which ignorantly or maliciouslie he reporteth to be more vile and base than any honest eare can endure to heare Thus hauing I trust sufficiently defended the credit of this woorthie writer I will heere abruptly for auoiding of tediousnes staie my pen. A Table declaring the contents of all the Chapters contained in this historie The preface of the Author to the Archbishop of Vienna in Fraunce page 1 Chap. 1 The occasion of the wars between Lewis the eleuenth and the Earle of Charolois Duke of Burgundy page 2 Chap. 2 How the Earle of Charolois and diuers noble men of Fraunce leuied an army against King Lewis vnder colour of the weale publike page 6 Chap. 4 How the Earle of Charolois encamped neere to Montl'hery and of the battell fought there betweene the King of Fraunce and him page 10 Chap. 4 Of the danger the Earle of Charolois was in and how he was rescued page 15 Chap. 5 How the Duke of Berry the Kings brother and the Duke of Britaine ioined with the Earle of Charolois against the King page 19 Chap. 6 How the Earle of Charolois and his confederates with their whole army passed the riuer of Seine vpon a bridge of botes how Iohn Duke of Calabria ioined with them and how they all encamped before Paris page 22 Chap. 7 A discourse vpon ambitious hunting after offices and estates by the example of the English men page 25 Chap. 8 How King Lewis entred into Paris while the Princes of Fraunce practised with the citizens page 27 Chap. 9 How the Earle of Charolois artillery and the Kings artillery shot the one against the other neere to Charenton and how the Earle of Charolois caused another bridge to be built vpon botes ouer the riuer of Seine page 29 Chap. 10 A discourse vpon certaine vices and vertues of King Lewis the 11. page 32 Chap. 11 How the Burgundians lying neere to Paris and looking for the battell supposed great thistles to haue been launces held vpright page 34 Chap. 12 How the King and the Earle of Charolois met togither to treat of peace page 36 Chap. 13 How the towne of Roane by practise was put into the Duke of Bourbons hands for the Duke of Berry and how the treatie of Conflans was fully concluded page 38 Chap. 14 How the treatie of peace was concluded betweene the King
and the Earle of Charolois and his confederates page 40 Chap. 15 How by the diuision that hapned betweene the Dukes of Britaine and Normandy the King recouered the said Duchie which he had giuen his brother page 42 Chap. 16 How the new Duke of Normandy returned into Britaine in very poore estate and vtterly discouraged bicause he had failed in his enterprise page 43 The second Booke Chap. 1 Of the wars betweene the Burgundians and Liegeois and how the towne of Dinand was taken sacked and rased page 45 Chap. 2 How the Liegeois brake the peace with the Duke of Burgundie then Earle of Charalois and how he discomfited them in battell page 48 Chap. 3 How some of the Citizens of Liege agreeing to yeeld their towne and others refusing so to do the Lord of Hymbercourt found meanes to enter into it for the Duke of Burgundy page 52 Chap. 4 How the Duke of Burgundy made his entrie into the towne of Liege and how the citizens of Gaunt where he had beene euill intreated before humbled themselues vnto him page 55 Chap. 5 How the King seeing what had happened to the Liegeois made war in Britaine vpon the Duke of Burgundies confederats and how they two met and communed togither at Peronne page 57 Chap. 6 A discourse wherein is declared how greatly learning especially in histories profiteth Princes and Noble men page 60 Chap. 7 How and for what cause the King was staied and held prisoner in the castle of Peronne by the D. of Burgundies commandement page 62 Chap. 8 A discourse wherein is shewed that an enteruiew betweene two great Princes for treatie of their affaires hurteth more than profiteth page 64 Chap. 9 How the King to deliuer himselfe out of the castle of Peronne renounced his league with the Liegeois page 67 Chap. 10 How the King accompanied the Duke of Burgundie making war vpon the Liegeois who before were his confederates page 69 Chap. 11 How the King arriued in person with the Duke of Burgundy before the citie of Liege page 71 Chap. 12 How the Liegeois made a desperate salie vpon the Duke of Burgundies men where he and the King were in great danger page 73 Chap. 13 How the city of Liege was assaulted taken and spoiled and the Churches also page 75 Chap. 14 How King Lewis returned into Fraunce with the Duke of Burgundies consent and how the Duke proceeded in destroying the countries of Liege and Franchmont page 77 Chap. 15 How the K. 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 page 80 The third Booke Chap. 1 How the King tooke occasion to make war anew vpon the Duke of Burgundy and how he sent a Purseuant of the Parlament of Gaunt to sommon him to appeere at Paris page 82 Chap. 2 How the townes of Saint Quintin and Amiens were yeelded to the King and for what causes the Constable nourished the war between the K. and the Duke of Burgundy page 84 Chap. 3 How the Duke of Burgundy tooke Piquigni and afterward found meanes to make truce with the King for a yeere to the Constables griefe page 86 Chap. 4 Of the wars among the Princes of England during these troubles betweene King Lewis and Charles Duke of Burgundy page 89 Chap. 5 How by King Lewis his aide the Earle of Warwicke chased King Edward out of England to the Duke of Burgundies great griefe who receiued him into his countries page 92 Chap. 6 How the Earle of Warwicke tooke out of prison King Henry of England page 96 Chap. 7 How king Edward returned into England where he slew in battell first the Earle of Warwicke and then the Prince of Wales page 99 Chap. 8 How the wars reuiued betweene king Lewis and Charles D. of Burgundy by the sollicitation of the Dukes of Guienne and Britaine page 101 Chap. 9 How the finall peace treated of betweene the Duke of Burgundy and the king brake off bicause of the Duke of Guiennes death and how these two great Princes sought to deceiue each other page 105 Chap. 10 How the Duke of Burgundy seeing that he could not take Beaunais before the which he had laid his siege went to Roan page 108 Chap. 11 How the king made peace with the Duke of Britaine and truce with the Duke of Burgundy how the Earle of Saint Paul escaped for that time a conspiracie that these two Princes made against him page 110 Chap. 12 A discourse very fit for this place of the wisedome of the king and the Constable with good aduertisements to such as are in credite with Princes page 114 The fourth Booke Chap. 1 How the Duke of Burgundie being seazed of the Duchie of Gueldres sought to encroch further vpon the Almaines and how he laid his siege before Nuz page 116 Chap. 2 How the towne of Nuz was succoured by the Emperor and the Almaines against the Duke of Burgundie and of other enimies that the king procured the Duke page 120 Chap. 3 How the king wan from the Duke of Burgundie the castell of Tronquey the townes of Montdidier Roye and Corby and how he sought to perswade the Emperor Frederic to seiz vpon all that the said Duke held of the Empire page 122 Chap. 4 How the Constable began to be had in suspition againe as well of the king as of the Duke of Burgundy page 124 Chap. 5 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 page 126 Chap. 6 Of the trouble the Constable was in and how he sent letters of credit to the king of England and the Duke of Burgundy which after were in part cause of his death page 129 Chap. 7 How the king clothed a poore seruant in a cote armor with a scutchin and sent him to speake with the king of England in his campe where he receiued a very good answere page 131 Chap. 8 How truce for nine yeeres was treated of betweene the kings of Fraunce and England notwithstanding all the lets and impediments that the Constable and the Duke of Burgundy made page 133 Chap. 9 How the king feasted the English men in Amiens and how there was a place assigned for the enteruiew of the two kings page 136 Chap. 10 How the two kings met and sware the treatie before concluded and how some supposed that the holy Ghost came downe vpon the king of Englands pauilion in the likenes of a white pigeon page 140 Chap. 11 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 page 143 Chap. 12 How the Constables death was fully concluded and sworne betweene the king and the Duke of Burgundy and how he went into the Dukes dominions where by his commandement he was
by the treatie of Arras to D. Philip of Burgundy of whom King Lewis had redeemed them for the summe of fower hundred thousand crownes not past three moneths before but the Earle of Charolois alleaged that during his life the King could not redeeme them 1 putting him alwaies in remembrance how much he was beholding to the house of Burgundie which receiued him when he fled from King Charles his father furnished him of money to maintaine his estate the space of sixe yeeres 2 and accompanied him at his coronation to Reimes and Paris 3 wherefore the Earle of Charolois tooke the redeeming of these townes in very euill part This treatie of peace was so followed that one morning the King came by water directly ouer against our campe leauing his horsemen that accompanied him vpon the riuer side and hauing in the barge with him besides the water men that rowed onely fower or fiue persons namely Monseur Du Lau Monseur De Montauban then admirall of Fraunce and Monseur De Nantouillet with one or two more The Earles of Charolois and Saint Paul stood on the other side of the riuer to receiue the King who said thus to the Earle of Charolois Brother do you assure me in the word of a Prince for the Earles first wife was the Kings sister 4 whereunto the Earle answered Yea sir as one brother should assure another Then the King his company landed the two Earles receiuing him honorablie according to his estate and he hauing words at will began thus said Brother I know you to be a gentleman of the house of Fraunce why sir quoth the Earle bicause said the K. when I sent of late mine Ambassadors to mine vncle your father you to Lisle where my foolish chancellor Moruillier so much misbehaued himselfe toward you you sent me word by the Archbishop of Narbonne who is a gentleman as his behauiour there well declared that before a yeere expired I should repent me of the proud language the said Moruillier there vsed You haue kept promise indeed and that long before your daie which words the King spake with a merrie cheerefull countenance knowing his nature with whom he talked to be such that they would please him wel as vndoubtedly they did Then the King proceeded further saying I loue to deale with men that keepe promise Afterward he disauowed Moruilliers words saying that he had spoken beyond his commission To be short the King walked a long time between these two Earles a great number of the Earle of Charolois souldiers in armes standing by and marking diligently their behauiour At this meeting the Earles required the Duchie of Normandie and the townes situate vpon the riuer of Somme with diuers other particular demands for themselues and certaine ouertures lately treated of for the common wealth of the realme but vpon those they stood lest for the weale publique was now turned into wealth priuate As touching Normandie the King would hardly heare thereof but he granted the Earle of Charolois demaunds and for his sake offered the Earle of Saint Paule the office of Constable which communication ended the King tooke barge and returned to Paris and the Earles to Conflans departing each from other in very courteous and louing manner Thus passed we the time somtime in peace and somtime in war but notwithstanding that the treatie of peace at la Grange aux Merciers where the Commissioners vsed to sit were cleane broken off on both sides yet continued still the communication aboue mentioned betweene the King and the Earle of Charolois and messengers went betweene them notwithstanding the war for the Earle sent to the King VVilliam of Bische and Guillot Diusie being both his owne seruants but yet beholding to the King for when Duke Philip had banished them the King at the Earle of Charolois request entertained them Many misliked these sendings to and fro so far foorth that the Princes began now to mistrust and abandon each other in such sort that had not one thing happened soone after 5 they had all departed with great dishonor Twise I sawe them hold three seuerall assemblies in one chamber where they were togither wherewith the Earle of Charolois was maruellously offended for he thought seeing the greatest force of this armie was his that they did him wrong to sit in counsell in his chamber he being present without calling him to it wherefore he debated this matter with the Lord of Contay a very wise gentleman who aduised him to take it patiently bicause if he should alienate their mindes from him they could better make their peace than he adding that as he was the strongest so ought he to be the wisest and farther counselling him to do his endeuor by all meanes possible for their continuance togither in friendship and in no wise to fall at variance with them but to digest and winke at all these disorders Lastly he told him that all men woondered yea his owne seruants that so meane personages as the two aboue named were imploied in so weighty affaires alleaging great danger to be therein considering how liberall a Prince he was whom he had to deale with True it is that this Contay hated VVilliam of Bische notwithstanding heerin he spake but as others did and I thinke verily not vpon malice but as the case required The Earle of Charolois followed his aduise and began to sport pastime with the Princes otherwise than he had been accustomed to shew them a cheerfull countenance to commune oftener both with them their seruants and sure so was it requisite for they stood euen vpon the point to seuer themselues A wise man doth good seruice in such a companie if he may be credited neither can he be valued too deere but I neuer knew Prince in my life that could finde the difference betweene man and man till he stood in need of men and if any happily do yet make they no account of a wise man but place in authoritie about them those whom they fauor better either bicause they are of equall yeeres with them or seeke in all things to feede their humors wherein they are often nuzled by the furtherers of their wanton pleasures But wise Princes will soone reforme themselues when neede requireth such as were the King our master the Earle of Charolois at that time King Edward of England and diuers others but these three especially I haue seene at so lowe an ebbe that they haue stood in great neede of those whom before they despised Notwithstanding as touching the Earle of Charolois after he was Duke of Burgundie and highlier aduaunced by fortunes fauor than euer was any of his predecessors and growen so great that he feared no Prince of his estate God ouerthrew him in all his glorie and so bereaued him of his wits that he contemned all mens counsell but his owne wherby he miserably ended his life with a great number of his seruants and subiects leauing his house desolate
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
after the abouenamed Ambassadors departure Iohn Duke of Bourbon that last died arriued at the town of Lisle pretending that he came to visit his vncle Duke Philip of Burgundie who aboue all houses loued especially this house of Bourbon and no maruell for this Duke of Bourbons mother was Duke Philips sister She had liued a widow many yeeres and soiourned there at that time with hir brother both hir selfe and diuers of hir children to wit three daughters and one sonne notwithstanding this was not indeed the cause of the Duke of Bourbons arriuall but his comming was to perswade the Duke of Burgundie to suffer an armie to be leuied in his dominions assuring him that all the Princes of Fraunce would do the like meaning thereby to giue the King to vnderstand how euill and vniust gouernment he vsed in his realme purposing to make themselues so strong that they might constraine him by force to redresse this inconuenience if praiers could not preuaile This war was afterward called THE WEALE PVBLIQVE bicause the authors thereof vsed the common wealth for colour of their enterprise The said good Duke Philip for so is he surnamed since his death agreed that an armie should be leuied in his dominions but the bottom of the enterprise was neuer discouered to him for he thought not that the matter shoulde haue come to hand strokes as after it did Immediately began the musters through all the Dukes dominions and the Earle of Saint Paule afterward Constable of Fraunce accompanied with the Marshall of Burgundie being of the house of Neuf-chastell repaired to Cambray where D. Philip then lay to the Earle of Charolois who immediatly after their arriuall assembled his fathers Councill and a great number of his subiects in the Bishops palace at Cambray where he proclaimed all the house of Croy traitors to his father and him And notwithstanding that the Earle of S. Paule alleaged that by this proclamation he should be greatly indamaged bicause long before this he had giuen his daughter in mariage 1 to the L. of Croies sonne yet was the said house of Croy al that notwithstanding forced to abandon the Dukes dominions 2 where they lost great riches With the which dooing Duke Philip was much discontented especially bicause his chiefe chamberlaine afterward Lord of Chimay a yoong man well disposed and nephew to the Lord of Croy was forced for feare of his life to depart without leaue taken of his master being aduertised that if he did otherwise he should either be slaine or apprehended but the Dukes old age caused him to beare this matter more patiently than otherwise he would All this trouble hapned in his house bicause of the restitution of the territories aboue mentioned situate vpon the riuer of Somme which the Duke had restored to King Lewis for the sum of 400000. crownes by the perswasion of this house of Croy as the Earle of Charolois laide to their charge The said Earle after he had pacified his father and reconciled himselfe to him the best that mought be put his whole force incontinent into the field being accompanied with the Earle of S. Paule the principall gouernor of his affaires and he that had the greatest charge in his armie for he had vnder him by the Earle of Charolois commandement 300. men of armes and 4000. archers besides a number of valiant knights and esquires of Artois Haynalt and Flaunders Like bands and as great were also vnder the leading of the L. of Rauastin the D. of Cleues brother and the L. Anthony bastard of Burgundie other captaines for breuitie I passe ouer but aboue all the rest two knights there were especially in great credit with the Earle of Charolois the one named the L. of Hault-bordin an ancient knight bastard brother to the Earle of S. Paule the other the L. of Contay They had both been trained vp in the long wars betweene Fraunce and England at the same time that Henry the 5. of that name King of England raigned in Fraunce being confederate with this Duke Philip of Burgundie They were two valiant and wise knights and had the principall charge of the whole armie of yoong gentlemen there were a number but one especially very famous called master Philip of Lalain issued of a race that hath euer been so valiant and couragious that they haue in maner all died in the wars in their princes seruice The Earles force was great for his men of armes were to the number of 1400. but euill armed and vntrained bicause of the long peace these Princes of Burgundie had liued in For since the treatie of Arras by the space of 36. yeeres and more they neuer had war that indured nor almost taste of war saue a few broyles against the citie of Gaunt which were soone pacified Notwithstanding his men of armes were well mounted and well accompanied for few or none should you haue seene without fiue or sixe great horses of his retinue 3 The archers 4 were eight or nine thousand and when they mustred they were more vnwilling to depart then to giue their names but the ablest were chosen and the rest dismissed 5 The subiects of this house of Burgundie liued then in great prosperitie partly bicause of their long peace and partly bicause of their Princes goodnes who leuied but few subsidies vpon them so that these Seniors seemed comparable to the land of promise in those daies for they flowed in wealth and had continued in great quietnes the space of 23. yeeres to wit till the beginning of these wars now mentioned which till this day endure vnended their expenses in apparell both of men and women were great and superfluous 6 their feasts and banquets more sumptuous and prodigall than in any countrey that euer I sawe their bathes and other pastimes with women wanton and dissolute yea somwhat too shameles I meame of women of low estate To be short the subiects of this house thought at that time no Prince able to withstand them at the least none too mightie for them but at this present I know no countrey in the world in so great miserie and desolation as theirs and I doubt me the sins they committed in their prosperitie cause them now to suffer this aduersitie bicause they acknowledged not all these gifts and benefits to proceede from God who disposeth and bestoweth them as to his heauenly wisdome seemeth best The Earles armie thus furnished euen in a moment of all things necessarie marched forward 7 the whole force being on horseback saue those that conueied the artillerie which was mighty and strong for that time and the straglers appointed for the cariage the which was so great that the Earles owne cariage inclosed the greatest part of his campe he marched first towards Noyon and besieged a little castell called Nesle which was soone taken notwithstanding the resistance made by the garrison that was within it The Marshall Ioachin one of the fower Marshals of Fraunce issuing out of Peronne
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
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
or thrise But euen in that instant arriued Monseur de Contay who told him the selfesame tale the old gentleman of Luxembourg had done and that in so stout and bold termes that he gaue credit to his words and experience and presently returned And I thinke verily if he had passed but two bow shot farther he had been taken as diuers were that followed the chase before him As he returned hard by the village he met with a band of footemen flying whom he pursued being accompanied hardly with an hundred horse none of these footemen made resistance but one who gaue the Earle such a blowe on the brest with a iauelin that the marke thereof appeered at night the greatest part of the rest escaped through the gardens but he that strake the Earle was slaine And as we passed hard by the castell we found the archers of the Kings garde before the gate who neuer abandoned their place for our comming whereat the Earle much maruelled for he thought the battell had beene at an end but he found it otherwise for as he turned about to enter into the field part of his companie being scattered from him suddenly 15. or 16. men of armes gaue a charge vpon him and at the very first slue his caruer named Philip D'orgues bearing a gydon of his armes The Earle was there in great danger and receiued many hurts especially one in the throte with a sword the marke whereof stack by him as long as he liued by reason that his beauer being euill fastened in the morning was fallen away and I my selfe saw when it fell The enimies laid hands vpon him saying My Lord yeeld we know you well ynough be not wilfully slaine but he manfully defended himselfe And at that instant a physitions sonne of Paris that serued the Earle named Iohn Cadet being a great lubberly fellow mounted vpon a strong iade like himselfe ran through the enimies and brake them 1 wherewith they retired to the ditch side the place they had taken in the morning the rather for that they discouered one of our ensignes marching in the midst of the field and approching neere to vs being the bastard of Burgundies ensigne all to totterd and torne to the which the Earle all embrewed in his owne blood retired leauing at his archers ensigne not aboue fortie men with whom we being hardly thirtie ioined in great feare The Earle incontinent changed his horse hauing a fresh horse brought him by Symon of Quingy then his page and since a man well knowne and rode about the field to relie his men leauing vs that taried behinde him in such feare that by the space of an houre we were all fully resolued to flie if but a hundred enimies had marched against vs notwithstanding our men came to vs by ten and twentie in a troupe as well horsemen as footemen but of the footemen many were hurt and all very wearie partly bicause of the battell and partly bicause of their vnreasonable iourney in the morning Soone after returned the Earle himselfe hardly accompanied with an hundred men but by litle and litle our number increased The corne which but halfe an houre before had been so high was now troden flat downe by meanes whereof arose a terrible dust all the fields lay strawed with dead bodies of men an horses but bicause of the dust none could be knowne Immediately after this we discouered the Earle of S. Paul issuing out of the forrest accompanied with fortie men of armes and his ensigne marched straight towards vs and continually increased in number but bicause he was far from vs we sent twise or thrise to him desiring him to make haste which notwithstanding he did not neither altred his pace but caused his men to take vp the launces that lay vpon the ground and came in very good order which sight much comforted vs. With him a great number relied themselues and in the end came and ioined with vs so that we were then to the number of eight hundred men of armes but footemen fewe or none which was the onely let the Earle obteined not perfect victory for there was a great ditch and a thicke hedge betweene his battell and the Kings Of the Kings part fled the Earle of Maine with diuers others to the number of eight hundred men of armes Some haue helde opinion that the said Earle of Maine had intelligence with the Burgundians but for mine owne part I beleeue it not Neuer was in any battell so great flight on both sides but the two Princes kept the field of the Kings part there was a man of honor that fled as far as Luzignan without staie and of the Earles part a noble personage to Quesnoy le Comte these two had no great desire to bite one another 2 While the two armies stood thus in order of battell the one in face of the other the artillerie shot terribly which slue men on both sides but neither partie desired a new field Notwithstanding our band was greater then the Kings but his presence and the curteous language he vsed to his soldiers was a great stay to his people so far foorth that I am throughly perswaded both by mine owne knowledge and that I haue since heard that had it not been for him alone they had all fled Some of our company desired a new battell especially the L. of Haultbourdin alledging that he discouered a troupe of our enimies flying and vndoubtedly if he could haue recouered but a hundred archers to haue shot through the hedge aboue mentioned all had been ours While this matter was in communication and both the armies standing thus in order of battell without fight the night approched and the King retired to Corbeil but we thought he had encamped in the field bicause fire falling by chance into a barrell of powder and certaine carts laden with munition in the place where the King had stoode tooke in the end the great hedge aboue mentioned which we supposed to haue been the French mens fiers there encamped whereupon the Earle of S. Paul and the Lord of Haultbourdin who seemed to be the men of greatest experience in our army commanded our cariage to be brought to the place where we were and our campe to be enclosed therewith and so it was And as we stood there relied togither in order of battell diuers French men returnng from the chase and supposing the victory to be theirs and our campe the Kings passed through the midst of vs some of them escaped but the most were slaine The men of name that died on the Kings part were these master Geffrey of S. Belin the high Seneschall of Normandy and captaine Floquet and of the Burgundians master Philip of Lalain of footemen and common soldiers we lost more than the King but of horsemen the King more than we of prisoners the French tooke the best of those that fled There were slaine of both sides two thousand at the least 3 The field was
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
with him few footmen but was well accompanied with horsemen and those in so good order that for their number I neuer sawe a goodlier company nor a more warlike for he had with him six score men of armes barded all Italians or trained vp in the Italian wars among whom were Iames Galiot the Earle of Campobache the L. of Baudricourt now gouernor of Burgundie and diuers others his men of armes were very expert soldiers and to say the truth the flower of our armie I meane number for number With him were also fower hundred crossebow men that the Palsgraue had lent him all very well mounted and very good soldiers Besides whom he had also in pay fiue hundred Switzers footemen which were the first that euer came into this realme and these so valiantly behaued themselues in all places where they came that they purchased great renowme to their whole nation which their countreymen that haue serned heere since haue well maintained This companie the next morning approached neer to vs and passed that day ouer our bridge which a man may boldly say conuaied ouer all the power of Fraunce saue onely the Kings armie And I assure you the force was so great of valiant men well appointed and in very good order that I wish all the friends and welwillers of the realme had seen it and likewise the enimies for by that meanes the former would haue esteemed of the realme as it deserueth and the later euer after the more haue feared it The Burgundians that accompanied the Duke of Calabria were led by the L. of Neuf-chastell Marshall of Burgundie who had with him his brother the L. of Montagu the Marquesse of Rotelin and a great number of knights and esquiers some of the which had been in Bourbonnois as I haue made mention in the beginning of this historie 3 but they all ioined for their more safetie with the Duke of Calabria who shewed himselfe to be as noble a Prince and as good a soldier as any in the companie whereupon great loue and amitie grew betweene him and the Earle of Charolois After this whole force being as I suppose to the number of an hundred thousand horse good bad was passed the riuer the Princes determined to shew themselues before Paris wherfore they put all their vawards togither The Burgundians vaward was led by the Earle of S. Paule and the vaward of the Dukes of Berry and Britaine by Oudet of Rie 4 afterward Earle of Comminges and the Marshall Loheac as I remember and in this order marched they but all the Princes remained in the battell The Earle of Charolois and the Duke of Calabria were very diligent in commanding and giuing good order in the armie and rode very well armed and shewed that they meant to do their dutie but the Dukes of Berry and Britaine were mounted vpon small ambling nags and armed with slight brigandines light and thin yea and some said they were not plated but studded onely with a few gilt nailes vpon the sattin for the lesse waight but I will not affirme it for a truth Thus marched this armie to Pont de Charenton two little leagues from Paris which was taken incontinent notwithstanding the resistance of certaine franke archers 5 that were within it ouer the said bridge of Charenton passed the whole force The Earle of Charolois lodged in his owne house called Conflans situate vpon the riuer not far from thence and inclosed a great peece of ground with his cariage and artillerie and lodged his campe within it and with him lay the Duke of Calabria but the Dukes of Berry and Britaine with part of their forces lodged at S. Mor-des-fosses and the rest they sent to S. Denis being also two leagues from Paris in the which places this whole companie lay eleuen weekes during the which space these things happened that now I will rehearse The next day in the morning began the skirmishes hard at Paris gates within the towne was the Lord of Nantoillet L. great Master of Fraunce who did the King good seruice there as before I haue said and the Marshal Ioachin The poore people of the towne were in great feare but of the better sort some wished the Burgundians and the other Princes within the towne bicause this enterprise seemed vnto them good and profitable for the realme others there were borne in the said Princes dominions wherefore they furthered their affaires hoping by their meanes to obtaine some good offices in the towne which are more hunted after there than in any other place and no maruell for those that are in office make of their offices what they can not what they ought which is the cause that some offices in the towne of no fee at all are sold for eight hundred crownes and other some of very small fee for more than the fee will amount to in fifteene yeeres Seldome is any man put out of office for the Court of parlament alloweth these sales of offices as lawfull the reason whereof is bicause it is a generall case Among the Councillors are alwaies a number both of vertuous and woorthy personages and also of lewd and euill conditioned persons as are also in all other estates The Notes 1 It is requisite that I should here set downe the particular quarrell that euery one of these princes had to the King some are mentioned by our author and others in other authors The D. of Berries quarell was for a larger partage The Earle of Charaloys demanded the restitution of the territories vpon the riuer of Somme The D. of Britaine had cause to be offended and afearde because the King had picked a quarell to him by demanding of him three things neuer before demanded of any D. of Britaine The first that he should no more write in his stile Dei gratia Britanniae Dux The second that he should pay to the King a yeerly tribute The third that all the spirituall liuings in Britaine should be left to the Kings disposing For these causes the D. of Britaine ioyned with the princes the D. of Calabria had cause of offence because being entred into Italy to recouer the Realme of Naples and the King hauing promised him aide after the said D. of Calabria was ouerthrowne at Troia in Apulia the King refused to send him the aide promised so that he was forced vtterly to abandon his enterprise The D. of Bourbon had maried the Kings sister and could not get hir mariage monie the Duke of Nemours Earles of Dunois Dalebret and the rest of the noble men and gentlemen were against the King some bicause they were put out of pension and office many bicause the King sought to depriue them of the roialties they had in their seniories touching Hunting and Hawking and sought to draw all to himselfe but all in generall were offended because he contemned his nobility and entertained none but men of base estate about him Thus much I have set downe bicause it might otherwise seeme
as the Duke of Sommerset did with the house of Lancaster To be short these wars indured so long that all they of the houses of Warwick and Sommerset were either slaine or beheaded in them King Edward caused afterward his owne brother the Duke of Clarence to be drowned in a Butt of malmesey charging him that he ment to make himselfe King but after King Edwards death his other brother the Duke of Glocester murthered the said Kings two sonnes proclaimed his daughters bastards and vsurped the crowne Immediately after the which cruell deed the Earle of Richmond now King who had been prisoner many yeeres in Britaine passed into England and discomfited and slew in battell this bloody King Richard late murtherer of his two nephewes Thus haue there died in England in these ciuill wars since my remembrance aboue fowerscore persons of the blood Royall part of the which I my selfe knew part vnderstood of by the English men resident with the Duke of Burgundie at the same time that I serued him Wherfore you see it is not at Paris onely nor in Fraunce alone that men fall at variance for worldly goods and honors But sure all Kings and great Princes ought to take heed that they suffer not factions to arise in their courts for thereof kindleth the fire that consumeth their whole countrey in the end Notwithstanding such alterations happen not in mine opinion but by Gods disposition for when Princes and realmes haue long florished in great wealth and prosperitie and forget from whence all these benefits proceede God raiseth vp an enimie against them whom they neuer feared nor stood in doubt of as appeereth by the Kings mentioned in the Bible and by that also which hath hapned and daily doth happen not onely in England and in these countries of Burgundie but in diuers other places also The Notes 1 The last of Iuly arriued the French Kings ambassadors at the treaty of Arras Annal. Burg. so that the treaty began in the beginning of August and the English men departed discontented the 6. of December Annal. Bur. and the treatie ended the 21. of September but De la Marche saith the 10. of December Meyer 11. Calen. Octob. which agreeth with Annal. Burg. 2 At the treatie vvas present Philip D. of Burgundie himselfe La Marche Meyer 3 Our Chronicles report that the Duke of Yorke vvith diuers others slaine in the battell and the Earle of Salisbury father to the Earle of VVarvvick vvho vvas taken prisoner in the battell vvere behedded and their heds sent to Yorke in derision but I remember not that the Earle of VVarvvick vvas behedded after he vvas slaine and I suppose the vnskilfull corrector hath here omitted a vvord or tvvo and that vve must read in place of Luy le Comte de Warwic Luy le pere du Comte de Warwic 4 The Earles of Marche and VVarvvick vvent to Calice before the Duke of Yorke vvas slaine or ouerthrowen in battell for they fled from Ludlovv lying in campe there against the kings force bicause they found themselues too vveake and their counsels betrayed by Andrew Trowlop vvho fled from them to the King How King Lewis entred into Paris while the Princes of Fraunce practised with the citizens Chap. 8. I Haue been long in this discourse and it is now time to returne to the historie After the Princes were come before Paris they began to practise with the citizens promising offices and great rewards to diuers and omitting nothing that might further their purpose At three daies end the citizens assembled togither in the towne hall where when they had long debated these matters and heard the Princes requests demands made openly to them for the benefit of the whole realme as they pretended they determined to send ambassadors to them to treate of peace according to the which determination a great number of the best citizens came to Saint Mor where the Princes lay and Master VVilliam Chartier then Bishop of Paris a notable prelate declared the citizens embassage and for the Princes the Earle of Dunois was appointed to be mouth The Duke of Berry the Kings brother was president of this Councill sitting in a chaire and all the other Princes standing about him On the one side stood the Dukes of Britaine and Calabria and on the other the Earle of Charolois armed at all peeces saue the head peece and vantbrases and wearing vpon his quirage a short cloke maruellous rich for he came from Conflans and Bois-de-Vincennes being well manned was held for the King wherefore it stood him vpon to come armed and well accompanied The Princes request was to enter into Paris to confer with the citizens about the reformation of the state which they said was euill gouerned charging the King with diuers disorders The citizens gaue them very lowly and humble language desiring respite before they could make any resolute answer yet notwithstanding this delay the King was afterward discontented both with the Bishop and the rest that accompanied him Thus returned these ambassadors into the towne continuing still their former practise for euery one of the Princes talked with them apart and I am of opinion that some of them had agreed secretly to suffer the Princes in their owne persons to enter the towne and their men also if they so thought good by small troupes which practise if it had taken effect had not onely been the winning of the towne but the atchieuing of the whole enterprise For the citizens would easily haue been brought for diuers considerations to reuolt to them and so consequently all the other townes in the realme But God put wise counsell into the Kings head which also he executed accordingly being alreadie aduertised of all these practises Before the ambassadors that were returned from the Princes had made their report the King in person entred the towne of Paris accompanied like a prince that commeth to relieue his people for he brought with him into the towne two thousand men of armes all the nobles of Normandie a great number of franke archers and all his owne seruants pensioners and others that vse to accompanie the King in such affaires Thus this practise was broken off and all the people altered their mindes neither durst any of them that had been with vs make farther mention of the Princes demaunds Some of them also sped but euill for that they had alreadie done notwithstanding the King vsed no extremitie towards them 1 but some lost their offices and others were sent to dwell in other places for the which easie reuenge the King vndoubtedly deserued great commendation considering that if this practise begun had taken effect the best that could haue happened to him had been to forsake his realme which also was his resolution For as himselfe hath often told me if he could not haue entred into Paris but had found the towne reuolted he would haue retired to the Switzers or to Francis Duke of Milan whom he accounted
his especiall friend and so also the Duke shewed himselfe as well by the aide he sent him being fiue hundred men of armes and three thousand footemen vnder the leading of his eldest sonne Galeas afterward Duke of Milan who came as far as the countrey of Forrestz in Auuergne where he made war vpon the Duke of Bourbon and afterward returned home bicause of his fathers death as also by the counsell he gaue him at the treatie of peace held at Conflans where he sent him word to refuse no condition of peace but to seuer his companie and retain his owne forces still about him We had hardly been three daies before Paris when the King entred the towne immediately after whose arriuall sharpe war was made vpon vs especially vpon our forragers whom we were constrained to garde with great forces bicause they went far from our campe Now to speake somwhat of the towne of Paris we must needes confesse that it is maruellous well situate in the I le of Fraunce seeing the countrey about it was able to victuall two such huge armies for as touching vs we neuer lacked and they within the towne found nothing enhaunced saue onely a denier 2 vpon euery loafe of bread the reason wherof was bicause we held not the riuers aboue the towne being these three Marne Yonne and Seine besides diuers small streames that run into them Wherefore all things considered this towne is situate in the best and fruitfullest soile that euer I sawe yea it is almost incredible how great the prouision is that commeth thither I my selfe was resident there since the time I now write of halfe a yeere togither with K. Levvis being lodged at the Tournelles and ordinarily eating and lodging in the court Since his death also by the space of twentie moneths full sore against my will I was held prisoner in his pallace where I saw daily out of my windowe the prouision that came vp the streame out of Normandie and likewise downe the streame which was so great that I would neuer haue beleeued it had I not seene it Diuers bands as you haue heard issued daily out of Paris the skirmishes were great our watch being of fiftie launces stood neere to la Grange aux Merciers but our escouts rode as neere Paris as was possible the which were often beaten backe to our watch and eftsoones the enimie on their backe as far as our cariage retirng somtime a softpace and somtime a fast trot Then vsed we to renforce them with new supplies which beat backe the enimies hard to the towne gates and this was daily and howerly done for within the towne were aboue 2500. men of armes in verie good order and a great number of gentlemen of Normandy and franke archers besides that they sawe daily their Ladies which encouraged them to put foorth themselues Our force was also verie great but in horsemen we were not so strong as they for we had with vs onely the Burgundians being about two thousand launces good and bad nothing so well armed as they within Paris bicause of the long peace wherein they had liued as before is mentioned of the which number also two hundred men of armes were at Laigny with the Duke of Calabria but of footemen we had great force and those very good The Britains armie laie at Saint Denys making war on that side the towne of Paris all the waies they could and the other noblemen were disparkled some heere some there to make prouision of victuals In the end the Duke of Nemours the Earle of Armignac the Lord of Albret came to vs but their forces lodged a good way from our campe bicause they had no pay and should haue famished our armie if they had taken ought without money This I am sure of that the Earle of Charolois gaue them fiue or sixe thousand franckes and tooke order that they should come no neerer vs. They were at the least fiue or sixe thousand horse that did maruellous much harme in the countrey The Notes 1 Yet Meyer vvriteth that the King aftervvard poisoned the Bishop but Meyers vvords are no Gospell 2 A Denier is the tvvelfth part of threehalfepence starling How the Earle of Charolois artillerie and the Kings artillerie shot the one against the other neere to Charenton and how the Earle of Charolois caused another bridge to be built vpon boates ouer the riuer of Seine Chap. 9. NOw to returne to the campe before Paris you may be sure that no day passed without losse on both sides but no great exploit was done for the King would suffer no great force to issue out of the towne neither ment to hazard the battel but desired peace and wisely to disparkle this assemblie Notwithstanding one morning very early 4000. archers came and encamped along by the riuer side vpon the very banke directly ouer against Conflans The gentlemen of Normandie and certaine of the Kings ordinarie men of armes laie in a village but a quarter of a league from them and betweene them and their footemen was onely a faire plaine The riuer of Seine ran betweene them and vs and they began to dig a trench hard by Charenton which ran in length to the very end of our campe directly ouer against the which the riuer being betweene vs and them as you haue heard they built a bulwarke of wood and earth and thereon mounted greatstore of artilirie which at the verie first shot chased the Duke of Calabrias men out of the village of Charenton and forced them in great haste to come and lodge with vs with losse both of men and horses But the Duke of Calabria himselfe laie in a litle house betweene the riuer and the Earle of Charolois lodging directly ouer against the enimies This artilerie shot also into our campe and put the whole armie in great feare for the verie first shot slew certaine of our men and twise it strake through the Earle of Charolois chamber as he sat at dinner and slew a trumpetter vpon the staires bearing vp a dish of meate Wherefore after dinner the Earle remooued into a low parlor resoluing not to depart thence The next morning the Princes met at his lodging to consult what was to be done for they euer sate in counsell there and at their rising dined also there togither The Dukes of Berry and Britaine sate next to the wall vpon the bench and the Earle of Charolois and the Duke of Calabria ouer against them The said Earle placed euery one of them aboue himselfe as reason was he should some of them yea all of them seeing they were in his lodging There they deuised to countermount all the artillerie in their armie against the Kings wherof the Earle of Charolois had great store as had also the Dukes of Calabria Britaine for accomplishment of which their purpose they pearced the wals along the riuer side behinde Conflans and there mounted all the best peeces of their artillery saue the
Bombards and the other great peeces which shot not the rest also they planted in other places where they might do best seruice and by this meanes the Princes had much more artillerie on their side than the King on his The trench that the French had made was of great length and they wrought continually vpon it aduancing it towards Paris and casting the earth towards vs thereby to saue themselues from our shot for they lay all in their trench neither durst one of them peepe out bicause the medow where they lodged was as plaine as a mans hand To conclude I neuer heard in so short space such a number of Canon shot for we on our side ment to remooue them thence by force of artillerie but vnto them ordinance came daily from Paris and they plied the matter diligently and spared no powder A great number in our army digged pits in the ground before their lodging many also were made to their hands for it was a place where men wrought for stone Thus euery man shifted for himselfe the best he could and three or fower daies we passed in this estate but the feare was greater on both sides than the losse for not one man of name was slaine But when the Princes sawe that their enimies dislodged not they accounted it a thing tending greatly to their dishonor and also very dangerous for the Parisians were thereby so greatly encouraged that one day of truce it seemed all the towne was come foorth to the trenches Wherefore the Princes concluded as they sate in councel to make a large bridge of great botes the noses whereof were coupled 1 togither and the rest couered with planks and the last couple nearest to the shore fastened to the ground with great anchors besides these a number of other great botes vpon the riuer of Seine were brought thither wherein they meant to passe ouer certaine bands to assaile the Kings forces The charge of this worke was committed to Master Giralde the Master gunner who said that our bands that passed the riuer should haue great aduantage ouer their enimies bicause their trenches would be far vnderneath vs considering that they had throwen the earth on the side toward vs alleaging farther that they durst not issue foorth of their trenches for feare of our shot which reasons much encouraged our men and made them the willinger to passe ouer Thus the bridge being finished all saue the last couple of botes which also were vpon the point to be fastened to the rest and all the other botes appointed for conueiance ouer of our men being likewise in a readines suddenly one of the Kings heralds arriued there who said to Monseur de Bonillet and others there present that we had broken the truce For bicause that day and the day before were daies of truce euery man that listed came to see what we did but that night the truce ended our bridge was so large that three men of armes with their staues readie to charge might haue passed ouer it vpon a front Farther there were fiue or sixe great boates euery one of the which would haue conueied ouer a thousand men at a time besides a number of lesse boates to passe ouer the artilerie that should serue in this enterprise The bands were also named and their names enroled that should go and the Earle of S. Paul and the Lord of Haultbourdin ordained to leade them After midnight they that were appointed to this enterprise began to arme themselues and before day were al in a readines Some also went heard masse and did as good Christians ought to do in such a case The same night I was my selfe in a great tent in the middest of the armie where the watch stood being also one of the watch for no man was excused The captaine of the watch was Monseur de Chastell Guyon 2 slaine afterward at the battell of Granson 3 And as we stood there waiting when this pastime should begin suddenly we heard the French as they lodged in their trenches cry alowd Farewell neighbors farewell immediately whereupon they set fire on their lodgings and retired their artillerie The day began to breake and they that were appointed to this enterprise were alreadie vpon the riuer at the least part of them when they saw the enimies afar off retiring to Paris whereupon they returned all and vnarmed themselues reioicing much bicause of their departure But you shall vnderstand that the King sent them thither onely to beate our campe with artillerie not to fight for he would put nothing in aduenture as before I haue said notwithstanding that his force were sufficient to haue encountred with all these Princes ioined togither but his onely desire was as he well declared to treate of peace and to seuer this company without hazarding his estate and the state of this large and noble realme of Fraunce in battell than the which nothing can be more vncertaine nor dangerous Euery day they practised on both sides to with draw men ech from other diuers daies of truce were made during the which Commissioners sat on both sides to treat of peace at La Grange aux Merciers hard by our campe For the King the Earle of Maine with diuers others came thither and for the Princes the Earle of S. Paul accompanied with diuers others in like maner These Commissioners met often but no good was done notwithstanding all that time the truce endured and a number of both the armies met and communed togither at a great ditch in the midway the one on the one side and the others on the other for neither partie might passe the ditch Notwitstanding the truce no day escaped by reason of this meeting and communication but that ten or twelue and somtime more came and yeelded to the Princes and another day as many went from vs to the King wherefore this place was afterward called the market place bicause such marchandise was bought and sold there Now to shew you mine opinion in this case me thinketh that such meeting and communing togither at such times and in such sort is very dangerous especially for him that is likest to take the foile for naturally most men desire to aduance themselues at the least to saue themselues wherefore they will easilie be wonne to turne to the strongest Some there are I confesse so faithfull and constant that none of these respects can alter them but few such are to be found Farther this danger is then specially to be feared when we deale with a Prince that will endeuor him selfe to winne men which sure is a great grace of God in any Prince that can frame him selfe thereunto for it is a token that he is not infected with the foule vice and sinne of pride which all men detest and abhor But to conclude this discourse when a Prince mindeth to treat of peace he ought to employ therein the faithfullest and trustiest seruants he hath being men of ripe yeeres lest
the Duke of Burgundy where he remained till the yeere of his coronation which was in the yeere 1461. Annal. Burgund De la Marche Meyer How the Burgundians lying neere to Paris and looking for the battell supposed great thistles to haue been launces held vpright Chap. 11. I Haue been long in this discourse but it serueth to so good purpose that sooner I could not end it Now to returne to the wars you haue heard how these archers that lay in the trench along vpon the riuer of Seine dislodged at the very instant that we should haue assailed them The truce neuer endured past a day or two and when it ended sharpe war began againe and the skirmishes continued from morning till night but no great force issued foorth of the towne notwithstanding they beat backe our scoutes oftentimes whom we euer releeued with new supplies There passed no day without some skirmish great or small and I thinke the King would haue had them greater had it not been bicause he was ielous of diuers though needlesly I haue heard him say that one night he found the posterne of Saint Anthonies bastile towards the fields wide open which put him in suspicion of Master Charles of Melun whose father kept the place yet sure a faithfuller seruant than the said Charles that yeere the King had none One day they within Paris determined to issue foorth to fight with vs of the which enterprise I suppose the King vnderstood nothing but it was onely his captaines resolution they meant to assaile vs three seuerall waies their greatest band should haue come from Paris another from Pont de Charenton which two could not greatly haue endamaged vs and the third appointed to be two hundred men of armes from Bois-de-Vincennes Of this resolution we were aduertised about midnight by a Page that told vs this newes as lowd as he could crie from the other side of the riuer by the commandement of the Princes friends within the towne some of the which also he named and so departed By breake of day issued foorth Master Poncet of Riuiere before Pont de Charenton and the Lord of Lauon the other side from Bois-de-Vincennes euen hard to our artillerie where they slue one of our gunners The alarme was great in our campe for we supposed this to be the enterprise whereof the Page aduertised vs ouer night The Earle of Charolois was soone armed yet not so soone as Iohn Duke of Calabria for at all alarmes he was the first man armed and that at all points and his horse euer barded Moreouer he ware such a garment as the famous men of war vse in Italy and shewed himselfe both a noble Prince and a woorthy Captaine he rode straight to the barriars of our campe to staie our men fom issuing foorth where he was as well obeyed as the Earle of Charolois him selfe yea the whole armie obeied him more willingly than any man in the companie of the which honor vndoubtedly he was woorthie Incontinent our whole force was in armes stood in order of battell within our cariage all saue two hundred horse that kept our watch abroad To be short this day we looked assuredly for the battell but neuer before nor neuer after Soone after the Earle of Charolois and the Duke of Calabria arriued the Dukes of Berry and Britaine whom I neuer saw armed but this day onely The Duke of Berry was armed at all points notwithstanding they were but weakely accompanied in the which estate they passed through the campe and rode foorth to the Lords of Charolois and Calabria where they communed togither Our scoutes being renforced rode as neere Paris as they could and discouered a great number of our enimies scouts comming to learne what noise this was in our army Our artillerie shot terriblie when Monseur De Lau approched so neere vs the King also had good peeces vpon Paris wals that shot into our campe which was strange for we lay two leagues from the town but I thinke the peeces were mounted to the most aduantage This thundering of the artillerie caused both the parties to thinke some great enterprise to be towards The day was very darke and cloudy and our scouts approching neer to Paris discouered many enimies abroad in the field and a good way beyond them a number of launces held vpright as they supposed which they iudged to be the Kings whole force and all the people of Paris issued foorth of the towne in order of battel which imagination the darknes of the heauens put into their head They returned foorthwith to the Princes being yet without our campe aduertised them of this news assuring them of the battell The scoutes that were issued foorth of Paris approched still neerer and neerer to our campe bicause they saw ours retire which thing so much the more increased in our scoutes their former imagination Then came the Duke of Calabria to the place where a great number of the Earle of Charolois houshold seruants stood to accompanie his standard and his banner readie to be displaied and the guidon of his armes according to the custome of the house of Burgundy and there the said Duke of Calabria spake thus to vs all We haue now our desire for the King is issued foorth with his whole force and marcheth forward as our scouts tell vs. Wherefore let vs determine to play the men So soone as they be out of the towne we will enter and measure with the long ell 1 and with such like words rode he about encouraging the companie our scouts at the length perceiuing the enimies to be but weake recouered their spirits rode againe towards Paris where they discouered these battels in the selfe-same place they left them whereupon they entred into a new cogitation what they might be but when they approched neere to them the day being broken vp and cleere they perceiued them to be high thistles whereupon they rode hard to the towne gates and found not a man abroad whereof incontinent they aduertised the Princes who vpon this newes went to masse and afterward to dinner but our scoutes were ashamed of their first aduertisement notwithstanding the darknes of the day togither with the message of the Page brought vnto vs ouernight somwhat excused them The Notes 1 By the long ell he meaneth the pike wherewith souldiers at the sacke of a towne vse to measure veluets silks and cloths How the King and the Earle of Charolois met togither to treat of peace Chap. 12. THe treatie of peace continued still betweene the King and the Earle of Charolois especially bicause the principall force of both the armies was theirs The Princes demands were great namely the Duke of Berries who required all Normandy for his partage which the King would by no means condescend vnto The Earle of Charolois demanded the townes situate vpon the riuer of Somme namely Abbeuille Amiens Saint Quintin Peronne and the rest that King Charles the 7. had engaged
as you see The Notes 1 The Earles meaning was that the King could not redeeme them during the said Earles life bicause they were engaged to Duke Philip and his heires males 2 The Duke of Burgundie allowed the Dolphin being in his countries monethly 3000. florences for his entertainment Meyer 3 King Lewis was crowned anno 1461. Augusti 14. 4 The Kings sister that married the Earle was named Catherine but he had no issue by hir Annal. Burgund Meyer His second wife was Isabell daughter to Charles Duke of Bourbon by whom he had issue a daughter named Marie which also was his heire His third wife was Margaret sister to Edward the fourth King of England by whom also he had no issue 5 He meaneth the taking of Roan mentioned in the next chapter How the towne of Roan by practise was put into the Duke of Bourbons hands for the D. of Berry and how the treatie of Conflans was fully concluded Chap. 13. YOu shall now vnderstand what mooued me to discourse so long of the dangers depending vpon these treaties and why I aduised Princes to be wise and circumspect whom they employ in them especially him that hath the woorse end of the staffe For while the commissioners sat to treat of peace by means wherof men met communed togither in steede of treating of peace some practised to yeeld the Duchie of Normandie to the Kings onely brother the Duke of Berry to the end he might there take his partage and restore Berry to the King which enterprise was also executed according for the Lady of Brezey the late Seneschall of Normandies widow and certaine of hir kins folkes and seruants by hir perswasion receiued Iohn Duke of Bourbon into the castell of Roan and finally into the towne the which willingly consented to this mutation as did also all the other townes and places in the countrey a few excepted For the Normans haue euer been and yet are of opinion that it is requisite for them their countrie being so large to haue their Prince resident among them neither desire they any thing more and sure it is a goodly thing and a rich for I my selfe haue knowen the reuenues thereof nine hundred and fiftie thousand frankes 1 and some say they are greater After the towne was reuolted all the inhabitants gaue their oth to the Duke of Bourbon as the Duke of Berries lieutenant saue the bailiffe of the towne named Onaste who had been a groome of the Kings chamber in Flaunders and neere about him and another called VVilliam Piquart afterward generall of Normandie and the high Seneschall of Normandie that now is who also departed to the King against his mothers will who as you haue heard was the chiefe author of the citizens reuolt When the King heard this newes he resolued to make peace seeing he could not vndoo that was already done Wherefore incontinent he sent word to the Earle of Charolois being in his campe that he would gladly speake with him and appointed the hower when he would meete him in the fields by Conflans neere to the said campe at which hower he came accompanied with an hundred horse all in manner Scottish men of his garde The Earle of Charolois met him with a small traine without any ceremonie notwithstanding many of his seruants went after him so that in the end his company was greater than the Kings but he caused them to stay a pretie way off and when the King and he had walked togither a while the King told him that the peace was already made and aduertised him of al that was hapned at Roan whereof the Earle as yet vnderstood nothing adding that notwithstanding he would neuer willingly haue granted his brother so large a partage yet now seeing the Normans themselues had made this mutation he would agree thereunto and passe the treatie in maner and forme as before at diuers meetings was deuised for as touching the other articles they had to agree vpon they were but trifles The Earle of Charolois was glad of these newes for his army lay in great distresse of vittailes but more of money and had not this hapned all these Princes had been forced to depart with great dishonor Notwithstanding to the Earle of Charolois the same day or within two or three daies after came a new releefe both of men and money sent him by Duke Philip his father out of Burgundy vnder the leading of the Lord of Sauenses being six score men of armes and fifteene hundred archers and six score thousand crownes vpon ten sumpter horses with great store of bowes and arrowes which furnished reasonably well the Burgundians army who stood in great doubt that the other Princes would make peace without them This communication of peace pleased so well both the King and the Earle of Charolois and so desirous they were as I haue heard the Earle himselfe say to conclude the treatie that they marked not which way they walked but rode straight toward Paris so far foorth that they entred into a great bulwarke of wood and earth that the King had caused to be made a good way without the towne at the end of a trench by the which laie a way into the towne The Earle was accompanied but with foure or fiue persons who were much abased when they saw themselues within the bullwarck notwithstanding he himselfe set a good face on the matter But when this newes came to the campe the whole army began to mutter and the Earle of S. Paul the marshal of Burgundie the Lord of Contay the Lord of Hault-bourdin diuers others assembled togither blaming greatly both the Earle and those that accompanied with him of this follie and alleadging the inconuenience that hapened to his grandfather at Montereau-faut-Yonne in the presence of King Charles the 7. Wherefore incontinent they commanded all the soldiers that were walking abroad in the fields to retire into their campe And the marshall of Burgundie surnamed Neuf-chastel said thus though this foolish harebrained yoong Prince be gone to cast awaie himselfe yet let vs prouide that his house his fathers estate and we our selues fall not into danger wherefore mine aduise is that euerie man repaire to his lodging and be in a readines banishing al feare whatsoeuer hapen For we are strong inough if we seuer not to retire to the marches of Henaut or Picardie or into Burgundie When he had thus said he and the Earle of Saint Paul mounted on horsebacke and walked out of the campe to see if they coulde descrie any body comming from Paris where after they had stoode a while they discouered forty or fiftie horses being certeine of the Kings seruants as well archers as others that waited backe vpon the Earle of Charolois who so soone as he perceiued these two approch caused the French men to return he stood in awe of the marshall bicause he vsed to giue him verie sharpe language neither feared sometimes to tell him that he was
but lent him during his fathers life Wherfore minding now to preuent him he said thus Chide me not I acknowledge my great follie but I was hard by the bulwarke before I wist But this notwithstanding the marshal said more to his face then he had spoken behinde his backe and sure he was a faithfull and a trustie knight The Earle answered nothing but held downe his hed and entred into this campe where they were all glad of his returne and commended the Kings faith and sure it is to be thought that both the King and the Earle had great regard of their honor considering that each of them putting himselfe into others hands Yet neither of them receiued harme notwithstanding the Earle neuer after returned vnder the Kings power The Notes 1 That is 118750. pounds sterling How the treatie of peace was concluded betweene the the King and the Earle of Charolois and his confederates Chap. 14. IN the end all matters were fully concluded and the next day as the E. of Charolois was making his musters to know what number he had lost suddenly the King accompanied with thirty or forty horse came thither without warning giuen and rid about to view all the bandes one after another saue the marshals of Burgundy who loued him not bicause not long before the King hauing once giuen him Pinal in Loraine tooke it afterward again from him to bestow vpon Iohn Duke of Calabria greatlie to the said marshals damage The King acknowledging his error by little and little reconciled him selfe to the wise and valiant knights that serued the King his father whom he at his first comming to the crowne displaced wherefore they were with the Princes in armes against him Farther it was agreed that the next day the King should come to the Castell of Vincennes and likewise al the Princes that were to do him homage for whose safety the said Castell should be put into the Earle of Charolois hands according to which agreement the next morning thither came the King and likewise all the princes none being absent the porche and the gate being manned with Burgundians well armed there the treatie of peace was concluded 1 The Lord Charles did the King homage for the Duchie of Normandie and the Earle of Charolois for the townes in Picardie aboue mentioned as did also all the rest that had homage to do and the Earle of Saint Paul tooke his othe for the office of Constable but according to the common prouerbe neuer was so plentifull a marriage feast but some departed vndined for heere some had what them lusted and others nothing The King receiued into his seruice certaine gentlemen that were with his brother and also certaine meane persons but the greatest part remained still with his said brother the new Duke of Normandie the D. of Britain who went to Roan to take possession At their departure from the castell of Vincennes they tooke their leaue each of other and returned to their lodgings farther all letters pardons and other writings seruing for the confirmation of the peace were made On one day departed all these three Princes the Duke of Normandy and Britaine first into Normandy and the Duke of Britaine from thence into his owne countrie and the Earle of Charolois into Flaunders But when the Earle was ready to take horse the King meaning effectually to shew how greatly he desired his friendship came to him and accompanied him to Villiers-le-bell a village fower leagues from Paris where both these Princes lodged that night The Kings traine was very small but he commanded two hundred men of armes to follow him to conuey him backe whereof the Earle of Charolois being aduertised as he went to bed fell into great suspicion therof and commanded a great number of his seruants to be in armes Thus you see how impossible it is for two great Princes to agree bicause of the suspicious tales and reports that are daily and howerly beaten into their heads Wherefore two Princes that desire to continue in friendship ought neuer to come togither but to imploy vertuous and wise men betweene them who will encrease their amitie and repaire all such breaches as shall happen The next morning the two Princes tooke their leaue each of other with much courteous and wise talke and the King returned to Paris accompanied with the men of armes aboue mentioned called thither for that purpose whereby he remooued all suspicion the Earle had conceiued of their comming The said Earle rode towards Compiengne and Noyon being receiued by the Kings commandement into all the townes he passed by From thence he marched to Amiens where they did him homage as did also all the other townes vpon the riuer of Somme the territories in Picardy restored to him by this treaty which the King not past nine moneths before had redeemed for the summe of fower hundred thousand crownes as before you haue heard This done he marched incontinent into the countrie of Liege bicause they had by the space of fiue or sixe moneths made war vpon his father in his absence in the countries of Namur Brabant where also they had slain certaine of his subiects 2 but bicause the winter approched he could do no great exploit notwithstanding a number of villages were burnt and diuers small ouerthrowes giuen to the said Liegeois whereupon they made a treatie with the Duke of Burgundie and for performance thereof stood bound to him in a great summe of mony This done the Earle of Charolois returned into Brabant The Notes 1 The treatie was sworne the fift of October the conditions whereof reade in Meyer fol. 337. where he saith that by this treatie Flaunders was exempt from the Kings soueraigntie which saith Degrassalius cap. 1. pag. 6. the King could not grant Quia vltimus resortus alienari aut remitti non potest which also may well appeere to be lawe bicause we reade lib. 5. cap. 17. of our author that notwithstanding this treatie the Chauncellor of Burgundie and Himbercourt being imprisoned and condemned by the citizens of Gaunt appealed to the Parlament of Paris vvhich appeale notvvithstanding vvhether it vvere lavvfull or vnlavvfull or vvhether they appealed to delay the time for safetie of their liues hoping their friends vvould deliuer them or the King happily thereby to recouer his former soueraigntie I leaue heere to discusse Notvvithstanding if any such condition vvere in the treatie of Conflans as Meyer reporteth in my simple iudgement these tvvo vvise men vvould not haue appealed contrary to it and thereby haue made the cause of their death iust though before vniust by violating this priuilege and so infringing the liberties of the state of Flaunders obtained by this treatie of the King 2 The King persvvaded the Liegeois to rebell in Iune 1465. vvhich vvas the same sommer the Earle of Charolois vvas in Fraunce thereby to vvithdravv the Earle of Charolois out of Fraunce home vvhereupon the Liegeois about mid August defied the Duke of
as these were especially neither party inclining to reason But some there are so blinded with vaine glorie that they thinke themselues able to deale in matters that oftentimes they vnderstand not for their Masters do not alwaies discouer to them the bottom of their thoughts To such it often happeneth that they go but to furnish the feast yea many times to their owne cost for euer one by-fellow or other accompanieth them that hath some secret practise apart at the least thus haue I seene the matter ordered at all times and in all places where I haue been Wherefore as I said before that Princes ought to be circumspect whom they imploy in their affaires so say I now that those that are imploied ought to take heede how they negotiate in Princes businesses And who so can shift off the charge vnlesse he vnderstand it throughly well and perceiue his Master to be well affected thereunto is to be accounted wise for I haue knowen many a good man in a pecke of troubles with such affaires Princes also I haue seene of two contrarie dispositions the one so subtill and suspicious that a man can neuer be acquainted with their humor for they thinke all the world bent to deceiue them the other trust their seruants well ynough but they themselues are so grosse and vnderstand so little of their owne affaires that they know not who doth them good seruice or bad whereby they alter their mindes in a moment from loue to hatred and from hatred to loue And notwithstanding that of either sort few are good and constant yet I for my part had rather liue vnder the wise than the foolish bicause there are more waies to auoid their displeasure and recouer their fauour lost but with the ignorant a man can deuise no shift for no man dealeth with themselues in any matter but altogither with their seruants whom also they change as oft as the winde Notwithstanding in those countries where such Princes raigne all men are of dutie bound to serue and obey them Wherfore all things considered our onely hope ought to be in God for he alone is constant he onely is good but this lesson we learne too late yea neuer before we neede his helpe notwithstanding it is better late than neuer THE SECOND BOOKE Of the wars betweene the Burgundians and Liegeois and how the towne of Dinand was taken sacked and rased Chap. 1. IMmediately after these troubles aboue mentioned ended in France the Duke of Burgundie yeere by yeere had war with the Liegeois against whom when the King sawe him busied he vsually attempted some enterprise against the Britons sending also some small aide to the said Liegeois whereupon the Duke foorthwith either turned his force against the King to succour his confederates or they concluded some treatie or truce Now you shall vnderstand that in the yeere 1466. Dinand was taken by the Duke of Burgundie 1 being a towne in the country of Liege strong and rich for the bignes thereof by reason of their great trade of copper works commonly called Dinandrie being pots pans and such like implements Philip Duke of Burgundie who died in the moneth of Iune in the yeere 1467 in his extreme age was borne thither in a litter so much hated he the said towne bicause of their great crueltie vsed against his subiects in the countie of Namur especially against a little towne called Bouuines situate within a quarter of a league of Dinand and seuered onely with the riuer of Maze For not long before the time I now write of they of Dinand besieged the said towne of Bouuines the riuer running betweene 2 the space of eight moneths committed many cruell murthers in the countrie thereabout and shot all that space continually with two bombards and other great peeces of artillerie into the towne so that the poore people were constrained to saue themselues in their sellers and there to abide It is almost incredible the great hatred that was betweene these two towns notwithstanding that their children vsually married togither bicause there was no other good towne neere them The yeere before the destruction of Dinand being the same sommer the Earle of Charolois came before Paris with the Princes of Fraunce as you before haue hard they made a treatie with the Duke of Burgundie whereby they agreed to giue him a certaine summe of money to abandon their league with the citie of Liege and to gouerne their estate apart a manifest token of imminent destruction when they that ought to continue togither in amitie seuer themselues and forsake each other which I speake as well to great Princes in league togither as to townes and commonalties But bicause I suppose euerie man to haue seene and read a number of examples to this purpose I will lightlie passe ouer this discourse onely noting by the way that King Lewis our Master was the finest and cunningest Prince in dissoluing freindship betweene men that euer I knew for he spared neither money goods nor traueill but labored as well the seruants as the masters Now to returne to the historie they of Dinand soone repented them of the treatie aboue mentioned for they cruelly put to death foure of their best citizens that had beene the chiefe perswaders of them thereunto and began war a newe in the countie of Namur wherefore partlie for these considerations partlie bicause of the earnest sollicitation of the citizens of Bouuines D. Philip laid the siege before the towne but the charge of the whole army was committed to his son Thither came also from his own house the Earle of S. Paul Counstable of France to aide the Duke not by the Kings commandement nor with the men of armes that were vnder his charge but with such force onely as he had leuied in the marches of Picardie Once they of Dinand made a proud sallie and were repulsed to their great losse and the eight day after the towne being maruellouslie beaten with canon was taken by assault 3 so that their freinds had not leisure to bethinke them whether they should aide them or not The towne was burnt and rased and the prisoners being to the number of eight hundred drowned before Bouuines 4 Sure the reuenge was cruell vpon them but I thinke God had so ordeined it bicause of their great wickednes The next day after the towne was taken the Liegeois came thither with great force 5 to succour it contrary to their promise for by the treatie aboue mentioned they and the towne of Dinand had abandoned each other Duke Philip bicause of his old age returned home but his sonne with the whole armie marched against the Liegeois whom we met sooner than we looked for For by chance our vaward missed the way for lacke of guides by meanes wherof our battell met first with them wherin were the principall Captaines of our armie It was almost night when we arriued at the place where they lodged yet notwithstanding we marched against them but
euen at that very instant they sent ambassadors to the Earle of Charolois desiring him for the honor of the virgin Mary whose euen that was to haue compassion vpon this poore people excusing their fault the best they could Yet this notwithstanding their army made shew as though they desired the battell their behauior seemed cleane contrary to their ambassadors request But after the said ambassadors had passed twise or thrise betweene them and vs they concluded to obserue the treatie made the yeere before and to giue the Duke a certaine sum of money for the performance of the which conditions better than the former they promised to deliuer to the Earle by eight of the clock the next morning three hundred hostages 6 named in a role by their Bishop and certaine of his seruants being in our campe This night our army was in great trouble and feare for our campe was neither fortified nor inclosed besides that we lay scattered heere and there and in a place much for the Liegeois aduantage who were all footemen and knew the countrey better then we Some of them desired to assaile vs and in mine opinion if they had so done they mought easely haue defeated vs but their ambassadors that intreated for peace brake off that enterprise By breake of day our army was come togither and our battailes stoode in very good order our force was great For we were three thousand men of armes good bad and twelue or thirteene thousand archers besides great force of footemen of the countries thereabout We marched straight vpon our enimies with intent either to receaue the hostages or giue them battell if they refused to deliuer them We found them seuered into small bands and in great disorder as a people obedient to no mans commandement None drew neere the hostages being yet vndeliuered Wherefore the Earle of Charolois asked the Marshall of Burgundy there present whether he should assaile them who answered yea alledging that they mought now be discomfited without danger and that no conscience was to be made in the matter seeing the fault was theirs The like aduise gaue also the Lord of Contay adding that he should neuer haue them at such aduantage and shewing him how they went scattering heere and there in small bands wherefore he councelled him without farther delay to inuade them But the Earle of Saint Paul constable of Fraunce being asked his aduise was of the contrary opinion saying that if he assailed them he should do against his honor and promise bicause such a number of people could not so soone agree vpon the deliuery of so many hostages Wherefore he held it best to sende againe to them to know what they would do The Earle of Charolois debated this matter long with himselfe On the one side he saw his ancient and mortall enimies defeated without all danger but on the other he feared the staying of his honor if he should inuade them In the end he sent a trumpeter to them who met with the hostages vpon the way whereupon the wars ended and euery man returned home but the soldiers were much offended with the Constables aduise for they sawe a goodly booty before them Incontinent ambassadors were sent to Liege to confirme the peace 7 but the people being inconstant and wauering vaunted that the Earle durst not fight with them and discharged harquebuses vpon his ambassadors and entreated them very ill But the Earle returned into Flaunders and this sommer died his father 8 for whom he made a great and solemne funeral at Burges and aduertised the King of his death The Notes 1 The peace made the 22. of Ianuary ann 1466. wherof mention is made in the 14. Chap. of the last booke about Iune the same yeere the Liegeois brake as heere is rehearsed and againe they hung vp the image of the Duke and his sonne vvith the most barbarous insolencie that euer vvas heard of Read Annal. Burgund pag. 911. and 912. and Meyer pag. 338. vvhere also their intollerable cruelty is described 2 The Dinandois durst not passe the riuer into the Dukes dominions wherefore they planted their artilery on their owne side of the riuer meaning onely to beate the tovvne not to make any breach 3 Dinand vvas taken in August Annal. Burgund the 25. of August saith Meyer and the Dukes army before the towne vvas thirty thousandmen Meyer 4 The eight hundred drowned before Bouuines vvere those that hanged vp the image of the Duke and his sonne with such reproches Annal. Burgund 5 Others say but fiftie hostages 6 The Liegeois army vvas of forty thousandmen Annal. Burg. but Meyer saith but six and thirty thousand 7 This peace was concluded the 1. of September an 1466. the conditions read in Meyer fo 339. pag. 2. and Annal. Burgund pag. 915. Farther about the middest of September the next yeere being 1467. they brake this peace againe 8 Duke Philip died the 15. of Iune 1467. Annal. Burgund Berlandus De la Marche Meyer saith the 16. of Iuly Gaguin in one place saith Iune and in another the 14. of Iuly he gourned 48. yeeres liued 71. Meyer Farther heere is to be noted that in this place our author beginneth the yeere 1467. for that yeere died the Duke as he saith before in this chapter and these words where he saith And this sommer died his father haue not relation to the same summer Dinand was taken and the peace made with the Liegeois for if the Duke had died that summer he could not haue beene at the taking of Dinand for Dinand was taken in August and then the Duke dying in Iune must haue beene dead before if he had died that summer but these words haue relation to the Earle of Charolois returne into Flanders which was in the beginning of the sommer anno 1467. for the peace was made 1. September 1466. and all that winter to the end he might make all sure at Liege he remained in those countries and in the beginning of the next sommer anno 1467. returned into Flanders and in Iune after died his father Thus much I haue beene forced to saie lest our author by slipping ouer that winter bicause nothing was done in it should seeme to write contrarieties How the Liegeois brake the peace with the Duke of Burgundie then Earle of Charolois and how he discomfited them in battell Chap. 2. DVring these wars and euer after many secret practises were entertained betweene these Princes The King was maruellously offended with the Dukes of Britaine and Burgundie by meanes whereof they could hardly heare one from another for oftentimes their messengers were staied and in time of war forced to go by sea out of Britaine into Flaunders at the least to passe out of Britaine into England and so to trauel by land to Douer and there to crosse ouer to Calice for they could not passe the next way through Fraunce without great danger But during all the space of twenty yeeres or more that these princes were
seeing himselfe shut into this little castell and a number of archers before the gate stood in great doubt of his person the rather bicause he lodged hard by a great tower in the which an Earle of Vermandois had in times past caused a King of Fraunce one of his predecessors to be slaine 2 I was yet in seruice with the Duke and one of his priuie chamber into the which I entred at my pleasure according to the vse of this house of Burgundie The Duke when the towne gates were shut commanded all men to voide his chamber and said to two or three of vs that taried with him that notwithstanding he for his part had neuer any taste in this meeting but agreed to it onely to content the King yet the King on the contrarie side was come thither purposely to abuse him Then rehearsed he all these newes of Liege how the King had ordered the matter by his ambassadors and caused all his men to be slaine and such a rage he was in against the King and so threatened him that I thinke verily if those to whom he spake had pressed forward the matter and counselled him to worke the King some mischiefe he would haue done it at the least haue imprisoned him in the great tower aboue mentioned None were present when these words passed the Duke but my selfe and two groomes of his chamber one of the which was named Charles of Visin borne at Dyion an honest gentleman and in good credit with his master We mitigated this matter and sought to appease the Duke as much as in vs lay notwithstanding soone after he vsed also the like speech to others by meanes whereof it was blowen all ouer the towne and came at length into the Kings chamber who was in maruellous feare as vniuersally all men were bicause of the great euils they saw like to ensue a quarrell begun betweene two so great Princes who sure were both blame woorthie for that they aduertised not their seruants of this meeting who were far from them executing their commandements whereby some great inconuenience was sure to ensue The Notes 1 These were chanons of S. Lambert in Liege the which were not forced to be priests but might come foorth and marrie if they had not soong masse Guicci 2 This Earle of Vermandois was named Hebart or Herbau and the King of Fraunce Charles le Simple whom this Hebart slue in the towre heere mentioned anno 926. or after Annal. Burgund 921. bicause the King had slaine in battell Robert Duke of Aquitaine or after some of Aniou who had married this Hebarts sister But note heere poenam talionis vpon the King for as he was staied heere notwithstanding the Dukes safe conduct so had he himselfe taken and imprisoned by the space of two yeeres Philip Lord of Bresse hauing called him to him vnder his safe conduct Meyer Of the Lord of Bresses imprisonment our author maketh mention in the fift chapter of this booke A discourse wherein is shewed that an enteruiew betweene two great Princes for treatie of their affaires hurteth more than profiteth Chap. 8. IT is great folly for two Princes being in manner of equall force and estate to meete togither vnlesse it be in their youth when their mindes are wholy set vpon pleasures and pastimes but after they are come to mans estate and growen desirous to encroch each vpon other such enteruiewes do but increase their hatred and euill will though happily their persons might be there in safetie which notwithstanding I hold almost for a thing impossible Wherefore it is better to pacifie all controuersies by wise and discreete men as before I haue said for proofe whereof I will reherse certaine examples that haue happened in my tyme some of the which I my selfe haue seene and of the rest haue beene credibly enformed A few yeers after King Lewis his coronation before the war called the WEALE PVBLIQVE began a sollemne meeting was appointed between him and the King of Castile 1 which are the two neerest confederated Princes in Christendome for their league is betweene King and King Realme and Realme and man and man of their subiects which also they are both bound vnder great curses to keepe and obserue inuiolable To this meeting came Henry King of Castile with a goodlie traine to Fontarabia and the King our Master to Saint Iohn de Luz fower leagues distant both of them being vpon the frontires of their dominions I was not present my selfe at this meeting but I haue heard both the King and the Lord of Lau make report thereof and haue beene enformed of it also by certaine Lords of Castille there present with the King their Master who came to this enterview accompanied with the Lord great Master of Saint Iames and the Archbishop of Tolledo which two bare all the swaie in Castile at that time the Earle of Lodesme the King of Castils minion was there also in great brauerie and all the said Kings gard being to the number of three hundred horse all Moores of Granado and some of them Negros But K. Henry himselfe was a man of so small vnderstanding that he gaue away all his inheritance at the least suffered euery man that would to spoile him of it our King was also accompanied with a goodlie traine as you know his vse was but his gard especially was braue in verie good order To this meeting came in like maner the Queene of Arragon about a controuersie betweene hir and the King of Castile for Estell and certaine other places in Nauarre whereof the King was made arbitrator But now for proofe that such enterviews between great Princes are not meet nor conuenient you shall vnderstand that these two Kings had neuer beene at variance there was no quarrell betweene them neither saw they one another past once or twise vpon a riuer side that parteth both their realmes 2 hard by a litle castell called Heurtebise where the King of Castile passed to the hither side of the riuer At their first meeting they had no great liking one of another especially our King who perceiued the King of Castille to be but a simple man doing nothing of himselfe but whollie gouerned by the great Master of Saint Iames and the Archbishop of Tolledo aboue mentioned Wherefore he made no account of their Master but sought their freindship whereupon they came to him to Saint Iohn de Luz where he entred into amitie with them and had great intelligence by their meanes The greatest part of both these Princes traines lay at Bayonne and at the verie first meeting fell togither by the eares notwitstanding their league and no maruell For their maners and languages differed Afterward the Earle of Lodesme came also to visite the King and passed the riuer in a boate the saile whereof was cloth of gold Farther he ware a paire of buskins embrodred thicke with stone for he was a Prince of great wealth and reuenews in Castille and created
should do no good vnlesse he wan those that were in credit with his brother fell in communication of this matter with Oudet of Rie Lord of Lescut afterwards Earle of Comminges who was borne and maried in the countrey of Guienne desiring him to perswade his master to accept this partage being much better than that he demanded that they mought be friends and liue togither like brethren adding also that this partage should be much more beneficiall both for his brother and his seruants especially for the saide Oudet than the other and farther assuring him that without faile he would deliuer his brother quiet possession of the said countrey By this means was the Lord Charles won to accept this partage of Guienne to the Duke of Burgundies great discontentation and his ambassadors there present And the cause why cardinall Balue bishop of Angiers 1 and the bishop of Verdun were imprisoned was for that the said Cardinal writ to the Lord Charles aduising him to accept none other partage than that the Duke of Burgundy had procured him by the treaty of Peronne which also the King had sworne and promised laying his hand within the said Cardinals to deliuer him alledging withall such reasons to perswade him thereunto as he thought necessary wherein he did cleane contrary to the Kings purpose Thus the Lord Charles was made Duke of Guienne the yeere 1469. and the possession of the countrey togither with the gouernment of Rochell deliuered him and than the King and he sawe one another and were togither a long time The Notes 1 The Cardinals imprisonment was bicause he perswaded the King to go to Peronne and aduised the Duke of Guienne to beware of poison and not to take the partage of Guienne Meyer and for disclosing the Kings secrets by letters to the Duke of Burgundie Gaguin But if the Duke of Guienne had been wise he would of himselfe without perswasion haue refused this partage For when a mans enimie offereth him that that hath an apparance of good let him euer refuse it nam latet anguis in herba as the sequele of this matter well declared for the accepting of this partage which the King alleaged and that truly to be better than the other the Duke demanded cost the Duke of Guienne his life as heer after shall appeere THE THIRD BOOKE How the King tooke occasion to make war anew vpon the Duke of Burgundy and how he sent a purseuant of the parlament of Gaunt to sommon him to appeere at Paris Chap. 1. THe yeere 1470. the King determined to be reuenged of the Duke of Burgundie supposing he had now found a time conuenient so to do for he priuily sollicited and caused also others to sollicite the towns situate vpon the riuer of Somme namely Amiens Saint Quintine and Abbeuille to rebell against the Duke and to send for succours into France and to receiue them into their towns 1 For all great Princes if they be wise will seeke euer some collour for their doings And to the ende you may perceiue what cunnig is vsed in Fraunce I will shew you how this matter was managed for the King and the Duke were both abused whereof arose whot and sharpe war which endured thirteen or foureteen yeeres The King desired greatly to mooue these townes aboue named to rebellion pretending to the end he might haue the better means to practise with them that the Duke aduanced his limits farther then the treatie would beare whereupon ambassadors ran to and fro who vnder colour of their ambassage practised continually as they passed through these townes to the end aboue mentioned In the said townes were no garrisons but all was quiet both in the realme in Burgundie and in Britaine And the Duke of Guien liued to all mens iudgments in great amitie with the King his brother Notwithstanding when the King first mooued this war his meaning was not to take one or two of these towns onely but sought to stir all the Duke of Burgundies subiects to rebellion trusting to atchieue his enterprise by this means Diuers to obtaine his fauor entertained these practises and reported their intelligence to be far greater then it was for one promised to take this towne an other that and yet indeed all was nothing Wherefore notwithstanding that the King had iust cause to be displeased for his euill vsage at Peronne yet if he had thought this enterprise would haue fallen none otherwise out then it did he would not haue broken the treatie nor mooued war for he had made the peace to be proclaimed at Paris three months after his returne into his realme and began this war with some feare but the great hope he had conceiued of it pricked him forward and marke I pray you what cunning was vsed to further it The Earle of Saint Paule Constable of Fraunce a very wise man and certaine of the Duke of Guien his seruants with diuers others desired rather war then peace betweene these two great Princes for two respects The one they feared least their great offices and pensions should be diminished if peace continued For you shal vnderstand that the Constable had vnder his charge 4. hundred men of armes or launces paied by his owne hands euery muster without controuler farther besides the fee and profits of his office he had a yeerely pension of thirty thousand frankes and better and receiued also the reuenews of many goodly places that he kept The other respect was this they sought to perswade the King and talked also to the like purpose among themselues that his disposition was such that his head could neuer be idle wherefore vnlesse he were busied with great Princes abroad he would be in hand with his seruants and officers at home For these two reasons therefore they sought to intangle him with wars whereunto the better to perswade him the Constable promised to take Saint Quintine at all times when him listed bicause his lands lay round about it vaunting further that he had great intelligence in Flanders and Brabant so far foorth that he would make a number of townes to reuolt from the Duke The Duke of Guienne also being there present and all their principall seruants offered very earnestly and promised very faithfully to serue the King in this quarrell and to leade with them fower or fiue hundred men of armes that the said Duke held in ordinary pay but their drift was other than the King supposed as heerafter you shall heare The King bicause he would seeme to proceede with due aduise and deepe consideration called a Parlament of the three estates of his realme at Tours in the moneths of March and Aprill in the yeere 1470. which was the first and last Parlament that euer he assembled But to this Parlament came onely such as were purposely named and such as the King knew would not gainsay him in any point There he caused diuers enterprises to be discouered that the Duke of Burgundie had attempted against the crowne
was deputy of Calice and had diuers other great offices so that I haue heard his yeerely reuenewes valued at fower score thousand crownes besides his owne inheritance But in the end he fell at variance with the King his master about a yeere as I gesse before the Duke of Burgundies comming before Amiens which breach the said Duke furthered to the vttermost of his power For the Earles great authority in England much discontented him besides that they two were not friends for the Earle had continuall intelligence with the King our master To be short about this present or not long before the Earle of Warwickes force was so great that he seased the King his master into his hands and put to death diuers personages that he highly fauored namely the Lord of Scales the Queenes father 3 and two of his sonnes the third being also in great danger with them diuers other knights He entertained the King his master for a season very honorably and placed new seruants about him supposing that through simplicity he would soone forget the old The Duke of Burgundy being not a little troubled with this aduenture practised secretly how King Edvvard might escape and they two commune togither which enterprise had so good successe that the King escaped indeede and leuied men and defeated certaine of the Earles bands He was a fortunate Prince in the field for he wan at the least nine great battels fighting himselfe on foote in euery one of them The Earle of Warwicke vnable to make resistance aduertised his friends what they should do and embarked at leisure accompanied with the Duke of Clarence who had married his daughter and tooke part with him notwithstanding that he were King Edwards brother They transported with them both wiues and children and a great band of men and sailed straight towards Calais within the which was the Earles lieutenant named the Lord of Vaucler 4 and diuers of the said Earles houshold seruants who in stead of receiuing their Master presented him the canon Further you shall vnderstand that as they lay at anchor before the towne the Duchesse of Clarence daughter to the Earle of Warwicke was deliuered of a sonne and great intreatie was made before Vaucler and the rest of the towne would suffer two flaggons of wine to be brought foorth to hir which was great extremitie of the seruant towards the master For it is to be supposed that the Earle thought himselfe well assured of this place which is they very key of England and the goodliest captainship in mine opinion in the world at the least in Christendome which I dare boldly auow bicause I was there diuers times during these wars and heard also the Maior of the staple report that he would willingly farme yeerely the deputyship of Calais of the King of England for fifteene thousand crownes For the deputie receiueth the profits of all that they haue on this side the sea and of all safe conducts and placeth also the greatest part of the garrison at his pleasure The King of England fauoured highly the Lord of Vaucler for this refusall made to his Captaine and granted him by his letters patents the office of Deputie which the Earle his master before held for he was a wise and an ancient knight and one of the order of the garter The Duke of Burgundie also who then lay at Saint Omer conceiued a maruellous good opinion of him so far foorth that he sent me to him granting him a yeerely pension of a thousand crownes and desiring him to continue a true and faithfull seruant to the King his Master as he had begun which at my comming thither I found him fully determined to do so that he sware in Staple Inne in Calais laying his hand within mine to be faithfull and true to King Edward and to serue him against all men The like oth all the towne and all the garrison sware also Farther I was by the space of two months almost continually resident at Calais at the least posting daiely betweene Calais and Bullen to entertaine the said Vaucler for you shall vnderstand that during these English troubles the Duke of Burgundie came to Bullen where he prepared a great army by sea against the Earle of Warwick who at his departure from Calais tooke many ships of the Dukes subiects which aduanced forward the war betweene the King of Fraunce and vs. For the Earles men sould the bootie in Normandie whereupon the Duke of Burgundie arrested all the French Marchants that came to the Mart at Andwerp Now bicause it is meete to vnderstand as well the cunning and subtill as the iust and vpright dealings of the world not to practise them but to know how to avoide them I will rehearse vnto you a sleight or subtilitie terme it as you list that was cunningly conueighed Farther I would that men should vnderstand the practises as well of our neighbors as our selues to the end it may appeere that in all places are both good and bad When the Earle of Warwick came before Calais thinking to enter into it as his onely refuge the Lord of Vaucler being a very wise gentleman sent him word that if he entred the towne he should cast away himselfe considering that all England the Duke of Burgundie the people of the towne and a great part of the garrison namely the Lord of Duras Marshall there for the King of England and diuers others that had men in the towne were his enimies wherefore his best way should be to retire into Fraunce and as touching the towne of Calais he willed him not to trouble himselfe for he would yeeld him good account thereof when time and occasion should serue He did his Captaine good seruice by giuing him this aduise but shewed himselfe thereby a very Iudas to his Master For vndoubtedly a more traiterous part was neuer plaied considering both that the King of England had made him Deputie of the towne of Calais and the Duke of Burgundy giuen him so large a pension The Notes 1 Philippa daughter to Iohn Duke of Lancaster was married to Iohn King of Portugale and had issue by him Isabell mother to Duke Charles 2 This was Henry Holland Duke of Exceter whose wife was Anne sister to King Edward the fourth and his grandmother was Elizabeth daughter to Iohn Duke of Lancaster by his first wife but he died without issue 3 Our chronicles name the Queenes father Earle of Riuers and so doth afterward also our Author lib. 5. cap. 15. 4 This Vaucler was a Gascoine borne How by King Lewis his aide the Earle of Warwicke chased King Edward out of England to the Duke of Burgundies great greefe who receiued him into his countries Chap. 5. THe Earle of Warwicke followed Vauclers aduise and landed in Normandie where the King honorably receiued him and furnished him largely of mony for his mens expences and appointed also the bastard of Bourbon Admirall of Fraunce being well accompanied to defend the
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
a strong village at the least a strong house into the which no man could enter but by a draw bridge which was a happy chance for him the rest of his armie lay in other villages round about But as he sat at dinner suddenly one came running in and brought newes that the Marques of Montague the Earles brother and certaine other were mounted on horsebacke and had caused all their men to crie God saue King Henry Which message the King at the first beleeued not but in all haste sent other messengers foorth and armed himselfe and set men also at the barriers of his lodging to defend it He was accompanied with the Lord Hastings Lord Chamberlain of England a wise Knight and of the greatest authoritie about him who was maried to the Earle of Warwicks sister yet notwithstanding was true and faithfull to his Master and had three hundred horse vnder his charge in the Kings armie as himselfe told me With the King was also the Lord of Scales the Queene of Englands brother and diuers other valiant Knights and Esquires who all perceiued that this busines went not well for the messengers brought word that the report was true and that the enimies assembled to assault the King But God so prouided for the King that he lodged hard by the sea side neer a place where a little ship laden with victuals that followed his armie and two hulks of Holland fraughted with merchandise lay at anchor he had no other shift but to run to saue himselfe in one of them 1 The Lord Chamberlaine staied awhile behinde him and talked with the lieutenant of his band and diuers other particular men in the Kings armie willing them to go to the enimies but to beare true and faithfull harts to the King and him which talke ended he went aboord to the rest being ready to depart Now you shall vnderstand that the custome in England is after the victorie obtained neither to kill nor raunsome any man especially of the vulgar sort knowing all men then to be ready to obey them bicause of their good successe Wherfore these soldiers after the Kings departure receiued no harme Notwithstanding K. Edward himself told me that in albattels that he wan so soon as he had obtained victory he vsed to mount on horsebacke and cry too Saue the people and kil the nobles for of them few or none escaped Thus fled King Edward the yeere 1470. with two hulks and a little bote of his owne countrie accompanied with seuen or eight hundred persons hauing none other apparell than they ware in the wars vtterly vnfurnished of mony and hardly knowing whither they went Strange it was to see this poore King for so might he now well be called to flie after this sort pursued by his owne seruants and the rather for that he had by the space of twelue or thirteene yeeres liued in greater pleasures and delicacies than any Prince in his time for he had wholy giuen himselfe to dames hunting hawking and banketting in such sort that he vsed when he went a hunting in the sommer season to cause many pauilions to be pitched to solace himselfe there with the Ladies And to say the truth his personage serued aswel to make court as any mans that euer I knew for he was yong as goodly a gentleman as liued in our age I meane in this time of his aduersitie for afterward he grew maruellous grosse But behold now how he fel into the trobles aduersities of the world He sailed straight towards Holland and at that time the Easterlings were enimies both to the English men and the French and had many ships of war vpon the sea wherefore they were much feared of the English men and not without cause for they were very good soldiers and had done them great harme that yeere and taken many prises These Easterlings discried afar off the ships wherin the King fled and seuen or eight of them began to make saile after him but in vaine for he was far before them and fell vpon the coast of Holland or somwhat lower for he arriued in Freezland by a little towne called Alquemare 2 as neere the which as was possible his mariners cast anchor for bicause it was ebbing water they could not enter the hauen The Easterlings came in like maner and anchored hard by them minding to boord them the next tide Thus we see that one mischiefe neuer commeth without company King Edwards good successe was now cleane altered and his thoughts quite changed for not past fifteene daies before this misfortune he would little haue beleeued him that had told him that the Earle of Warwicke should chase him out of England and subdue the whole country in eleuen daies for in that smal space he brought it to due obedience Further he mocked the Duke of Burgundie for spending his treasure in defending the sea and wished that the Earle were already landed in England But what excuse could he make now for himselfe receiuing so great losse through his owne fault saue this that such a mishap was not to be doubted of which excuse a Prince growen to mans estate ought to be ashamed for it will not serue Wherefore let King Edwards example teach all Princes that thinke it shame to feare their enimies to be wise in time for notwithstanding that the greatest part of their seruants through flatterie vphold their sayings and that themselues also by such words suppose to purchase an opinion of great courage yet sure whatsoeuer is said to their face wise men account such language but meere folly for it is great honor to feare that which is to be feared and to prouide for it accordingly Further a wise man in a Princes companie is a great treasure and iewell if he may be beleeued and haue leaue to speake the truth By chance the Lord of Gruteuse the Duke of Burgundies lieutenant in Holland was at that present in the place where King Edward arriued who being aduertised by certaine that the King sent to land both of his arriuall and of the danger he was in of the Easterlings gaue commandement foorthwith to the said Easterlings not to touch him and went also himselfe into the Kings ship to welcome him And thus he landed 3 being accompanied with his brother the Duke of Glocester who afterward named himselfe King Richard and a traine of fifteen hundred persons The King had not one peny about him but gaue the Master of the ship for his passage a goodly gowne furred with martins promising one day to do him a good turne and as touching his traine neuer so poore a company was seen But the Lord of Gruteuse dealt very honorably with them for he gaue much apparel among them defraied the King to La Hay in Holland whither he himselfe also waited vpon him Afterward he aduertised the Duke of Burgundie of this aduenture who was maruellously abashed at the newes and had much rather haue heard of the
league should remaine firme and vnuiolable between vs and the King and the realme of England saue that for Edward we named Henry This appointment pleased well the Duke of Burgundy for the Earle of Warwick was sending fower thousand English men to Calice to make sharp war vpon his dominions neither could the D. pacifie him by any meanes Notwithstanding the rich merchants of London diuers of the which were then at Calice in the end perswaded him to peace bicause their staple of wools is there which is a far goodlier thing than a man would beleeue for it is almost incredible of how great value the wooll is that is transported thither twise a yeere and lieth there till merchants come to buy it The chiefe vent whereof is into Flaunders and Holland which was the principall cause that mooued these merchants to labour so earnestly for peace and for stay of the soldiers the Earle was sending ouer which sure was a happy chance for the Duke of Burgundie for it was euen at the very same instant that the King tooke Amiens and Saint Quintine and if both the realmes had made war vpon him at once vndoubtedly he had been vndone He trauelled to appease the Earle of Warwick by all meanes possible alleging that he would attempt nothing against King Henry seeing he was himselfe of the house of Lancaster and vsing such words as might best serue for his purpose Now to returne to King Edward he came to Saint Paule to the Duke of Burgundy and pressed him earnestly for aide to return home assuring him that he had great intelligence in England and desiring him for Gods loue not to abandon him considering he had maried his sister and that they were brethren of one order The Dukes of Somerset and Excester labored him to the contrary to wit to take part with King Henry The Duke could not tell whom to please and either party he feared to displease But in the end bicause sharpe war was already begun vpon him euen at his very nose 3 he inclined to the Duke of Somerset and others aboue named accepting their promises against the Earle of Warwick their ancient enimy Wherwith King Edvvard there present was woonderfully disquieted But the Dukes seruants alleaged the best reasons they could in excuse herof saying that the Duke vsed this dissimulatiō to auoid war with both the realms at once adding therto that if he should be ouerthrowne he could not after aide him at his ease Notwithstanding the Duke seeing that he could no longer stay the King there but that needs he would returne into England and fearing for diuers considerations altogither to discontent him pretended openly that he would not aide him and made proclamation that no man should go to his seruice but couertly he deliuered him 50000. gildons of the Saint Andrewes crosse and caused three or fower great ships to be armed for him at La Vere in Zeland 4 which is a hauen where all nations are receiued Besides all this he entertained for him secretly fowerteen ships of the Easterlings well appointed who promised to serue him till he were landed in England and fifteen daies after which was great aide considering the time The Notes 1 He meaneth whether he should aide the King or no. 2 Our author reporteth this ragged staffe to be blacke but bicause the Earles of VVarwicke neuer gaue it blacke but the Earles of Kent I haue translated it white no whit doubting but that either the printer hath faulted heere or our authors memory failed him 3 To wit by the Englishmen sent ouer by the Earle of VVarwick 4 La Vere otherwise called Camphere is in the I le of VValkeren in Zeland not in Holland and is the Scottish staple wherefore I haue beene bold to amend the booke How King Edward returned into England where he slew in battell first the Earle of Warwick and then the Prince of Wales Chap. 7. KIng Edward departed out of Flanders the yeere 1471. at the selfe Heere our English affaires begin the yeere 1471. same instant that the D. of Burgundie went to Amiens against the King The said Duke thought now howsoeuer the world went in England he could not speede amisse bicause he had friends on both sides King Edward immediatly after his landing marched straight towards London bicause three or fower hundred Knights and Esquires of his faction togither with others of the meaner sort to the number of two thousand and better had retired themselues into the Sanctuaries of the citie which was a happy chance for him for if he landed with small force The Earle of Warwick being in the north parts with a great armie hearing these newes made haste to be at London before him rather for other respects than for that he greatly feared the reuolt of the towne notwithstanding the contrarie happened For King Edward was receiued into the citie with great ioy and triumph the tuesday before Easter contrarie to the expectation of most men for all the world accounted him as vtterly vndone And vndoubtedly if they had shut the gates against him he had been past all recouerie for the Earle of Warwicke was but a daies iourney behinde him There were three things especially as I haue heard that caused the towne to reuolt First the gentlemen that were in the sanctuaries and the yoong Prince lately borne The second the great debts that the King owed in the towne in respect whereof the merchants to whom he was indebted thought it their best way to take part with him The third a great many women of honor and rich merchants wiues with whom in times past he had been familiar perswaded their husbands and friends to incline to him He staied not past two or three daies in the towne for vpon Easter euen he departed with all the force he could leuy and marched against the Earle of Warwicke whom he met the next morning being Easter day and as they stood in order of battell the one in face of the other suddenly the D. of Clarence the Kings brother who was reconciled to the King as before you haue heard reuolted to the King with twelue thousand men and better 1 which no lesse astonied the Earle than encouraged the King whose force was not great But all this notwithstanding the battell was cruell and blooddy They were all footemen on both sides of the Kings vaward a great number were slaine then his battell and the Earles met and ioined so fiercely togither that the King himselfe fought in person more valiantly than any man of either army The Earle of Warwick vsed neuer to fight on foote but his maner was when he had led his men to the charge to take horse and if the victory fell on his side to fight among his soldiers otherwise to depart in time But at this battel he was constrained by his brother the Marques of Mountacute a valiant knight to light on foote and send away his horse To conclude in this battell died
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
that I now write of the D. of Guienne at the least his seruants and the D. of Britaine desired the Duke of Burgundy in no wise to call the Englishmen to his aide for seeing all that they did was for the good and benefite of the realme they would not bring the ancient enimies of the crowne into the realme adding farther that if he would be in a readines they should be strong ynough of themselues aswell bicause of their great forces as also of the good intelligence they had in the realme with diuers Captaines and others And once it was my chance to be present when the Lord of Vrfé had communication with the Duke to this effect and withall pressed him earnestly with all speede to leauy his army The Duke stoode at a window and called me to him and said Heere is my Lord of Vrfé that presseth me earnestly to leauy the greatest force that possible I may alleaging that it shall be greatly for the benefite of the realme what thinke you of this motion if I enter into the realme with my army shall I do any great good there I answered him merily that I thought no then said he I loue the realme of Fraunce better than my Lord of Vrfé weeneth for where it hath one King I would it had six During the treaty of mariage aboue mentioned Edward King of England who thought verily that the mariage should haue bin accomplished wherein he was deceiued as was also the King traueled earnestly with the Duke of Burgundy to breake it off alleaging that the K. had no issue male wherfore if he hapned to die the crown should descend to his brother whereby if this marriage tooke effect the realme of England shuld stand in great danger so many seigniories being vnited to the crown This matter troubled maruellously though needlesly not onely the King of England but also his whole Councell in such sort that they would giue no credite to the Duke of Burgundy what promise soeuer he made to the contrary The saide Duke notwithstanding the request aboue mentioned made vnto him by the Dukes of Guienne and Britaine for not calling in strangers to his aide was very desirous that the King of England should inuade some part of the realme and himselfe would haue pleaded ignorance therein But the Englishmen would not be woon therunto for they so much feared the annexing of the house of Burgundy by this mariage to the crown of Fraunce that they would at that time rather haue aided the King than inuaded him You see heere all these Princes throughly busied and accompanied with a number of wise men who as the sequele well declared foresawe a far of more by the one halfe than in their life time tooke effect for they all through this continuall toile and trauell in short space one after another ended their liues each man reioicing at others death as of a thing most desired Soone after also followed their masters leauing their successors troubles enow all saue the King our master who left his realme to his sonne quiet both from foraine wars and ciuill dissention so that he did more for him than euer he either would or could do for himselfe for I neuer knew him in peace saue onely a litle before his death The Duke of Guienne at this present lay sicke and in danger of death as som said but others affirmed the contrary his men pressed earnestly the Duke of Burgundy to put himselfe into the field bicause the time of the yeere serued fitly for that purpose and aduertised him that the Kings army was abroad and lay at Saint Iohn d' Angelie or at Xainctes or thereabout To be short they labored the Duke so importunately that he went to Arras and there assembled his forces and marched towards the townes of Peronne Roye and Montdidier his army was maruellous great yea the greatest that euer he had before for in it were twelue hundred Launces of his ordinary retinue euery one of them accompanied with three archers well armed and well mounted farther in euery company of these Launces were ten men of armes for a supply besides the lieutenant and ensine bearer The gentlemen of the Dukes dominions were likewise in very good order for they were very well paid and led by valiant knights and esquires And sure at that time these countries were maruellous rich The Notes 1 This Nicolas is named in other histories Marques du Pount 2 The King made war vpon his brother bicause he had restored the Earle of Armignac to all his possessions in Guienne whom the King before had banished Annal. Aquit How the finall peace treated of betweene the Duke of Burgundie and the King brake off bicause of the Duke of Guiens death and how these two great Princes sought to deceiue each other Chap. 9. WHile the Duke was leuying his armie aboue mentioned the Lord of Cran and the Chauncellor of Fraunce named Master Peter Doriole came to him twise or thrise from the King and secretly treated with him of a final peace which heertofore could neuer be concluded bicause the Duke required the restitution of Amiens and Saint Quintine whereunto the King would neuer condiscend but now partly bicause of the great preparation he saw made against him and partly in hope to compas certaine purposes whereof heerafter you shall heare he agreed to yeeld them The conditions of this peace were that the King should restore to the Duke Amiens and Saint Quintine and whatsoeuer else was in controuersie betweene them That he should abandon the Earles of Neuers and Saint Paule Constable of Fraunce and permit the Duke to do with them and all their possessions at his pleasure and seize them into his own hands if he could That the Duke in like maner should abandon the Dukes of Guienne and Britaine and permit the King to do with them and their seigniories at his pleasure I was present when the Duke of Burgundie sware this treatie and likewise the Lord of Cran and the Chauncellor of Fraunce in the Kings name who also at their departure from the Duke aduised him not to dismisse his armie but to march still forward to the end the King their Master might make the speedier deliuerie of the two places aboue named Further Simon of Quinchy was sent with them to see the King sweare and confirme this treaty which his ambassadors had concluded but the King delaied the confirmation a certaine space and in the meane time happened his brothers death The D. being readie to depart from Arras receiued two seuerall aduertisements one that Nicholas Duke of Calabria and Loraine heire of the house of Aniou and sonne to Iohn Duke of Calabria was comming to him about his daughters marriage whom the Duke honorably receiued and put in great hope of his sute But the next day being the 15. of May 1472. as I remember came letters from Simon of Quinchy the Dukes ambassador to the King wherein he aduertised his Master
breake of day the Dukes battterie was bent against the wals but soone after we saw two hundred men of armes enter the towne and had it not beene for their comming I thinke the citizens would haue treated of a composition which notwithstanding the Duke in this fury would neuer haue granted for he desired to take the towne by assault and if he had so done vndoubtedly he would haue burnt it which had been great pitie sure it was preserued by very miracle After these men of armes were entred the Dukes artillerie shot continually the space of fifteen daies and the place was as well beaten as euer was any in such sort that the breach was saultable but the ditch of the one side of the burned gate stood full of water so that we were forced to build a bridge ouer it but on the other side we might come hard to the wals without any danger saue of one flanker which was so low that our artillerie could not beat it It is great danger and folly to assault a towne so well defended as this was for within it was the Constable 2 as I remember or lay by it I wot not wel whether the Marshall Ioachin the Marshall of Loheac the Lord of Crussoll VVilliam of Valleu Mery of Croy Sallezarde Theuenot of Vignoles being all ancient captaines accompanied with an hundred men of armes of the Kings ordinary retinue besides a great number of footemen and others that were come thither with them Yet the Duke contrary to the opinion of his whole army determined to giue the assault And the night before as he lay on his field bed in his clothes according to his accustomed maner he asked certaine there present whether they thought the town would abide the assault who answered that they thought yea seeing they were force sufficient to defend it at the which answer he scoffed saying that they should not finde a man there the next day In the morning by breake of day the assault was giuen very couragiously and the breach no lesse valiantly defended A great number went thronging on our new made bridge in such sort that an ancient knight of Burgundy called Despiris was smothered there who was the best man that died before the towne On the other side of the gate certaine of our men got vp to the top of the wall but some of them neuer returned They fought hand to hand a great while and the assault continued so long that fresh bands were appointed to succeede the first being wearied but bicause the Duke saw his men to labor in vaine he caused them to retire yet notwithstanding they within salied not for they saw company ynough ready to receiue them At this assault were slaine twelue hundred soldiers 3 and the best man that died there was the aboue named Despiris It was thought at the first that many more had been lost for aboue a thousand were hurt The next night they within salied foorth but bicause their number was small and the most of them on horsebacke and therby encombred with the cords of our tents they did no great exploit but lost two or three gentlemen of their company and hurt one of ours named Master Iames d'Orson a very honest gentleman and master of the Dukes Ordinance who a few daies after died of the said hurt Seauen or eight daies after this assault the Duke would haue diuided his army into two bands and lodged part thereof at the gate towards Paris contrary to all mens aduise and to all reason considering the great number of soldiers within the town This should haue been done at the beginning but now it was too late Wherfore seeing no remedy he raised his campe in very good order 4 hoping that they within would issue forth to the skirmish which notwithstanding they did not From thence he marched into Normandy bicause he had promised the Duke of Britaine to come as far as Roan where the said Duke of Britaine had promised in like maner to meete him But bicause of the Duke of Guiennes death he altered his minde and stirred not out of his country The Duke of Burgundy came before Eu which was yeelded vnto him as was also Saint Valery and he burnt all this quarter euen hard to Diepe He tooke likewise Neuf-chastell and burnt both it and all the country of Caux or the greatest part euen hard to Roan gates further he presented himselfe in person before the said towne of Roan he lost many of his foragers whereby his army was in great distresse of victuals In the end bicause winter approched he departed homeward and his backe was no sooner turned but the French recouered Eu and Saint Valery and tooke prisoners by composition seauen or eight Burgundians that were within them The Notes 1 The French hath Chastellenies which were places where certaine courts of the inferior iurisdiction vvere held to the which the countrey there about was bound to repaire 2 Annal. Franc. report that the Constable lay hard by the tovvne but mooued not to defend it for the vvhich cause it vvas thought he had intelligence vvith the Duke 3 Gaguin saith that there vvere slaine at the assault of Beauuais 1500. men 4 The Duke lay before Beauuais sixe and tvventy daies and leuied his siege the 22. of Iuly Meyer How the King made peace with the Duke of Britaine and truce with the Duke of Burgundy and how the Earle of Saint Paul escaped for that time a conspiracy that these two Princes made against him Chap. 11. ABout this time I came to the Kings seruice in the yeere 1472. who receiued also the selfesame yeere the greatest part of his brother the Duke of Guienne his seruants He lay then at Pont de See making war vpon the Duke of Britaine whither certaine ambassadors came to him out of Britaine and from whence also he sent his ambassadors thither Among the rest that came to him to the said towne of Pont de See were Philip of Essars seruant to the Duke and VVilliam of Sousplenuille seruant to the Lord of Lescute the which Lord of Lescute seeing his Master the Duke of Guienne at the point of death tooke sea at Bordeaux and departed into Britaine fearing to fall into the Kings hands he embarked in time and carried away with him the Duke of Guiennes Confessor 1 and a rider of his stable who were charged with the Dukes death and remained prisoners in Britaine many yeeres after When these runnings to and fro had indured a while the King in the end determined to haue peace with the Duke of Britaine and to deale so liberally with the Lord of Lescute that he would thereby asswage the euil wil he bare him and win him to his seruice For as he knew the Duke of Britaines forces being gouerned by so woorthy a man greatly to be feared so was he assured if he could win the Lord of Lescute to his seruice that the Britons would labor for peace bicause he
harme to be good seruice to God The spoiles of his campe enriched maruellously these poore Swissers who at the first knew not what treasures were fallen into their hands especially those of the ruder sort one of the goodliest richest pauilions in the world was torne al to peeces There were that sold a number of siluer plates and dishes for two souse a peece supposing them to be pewter The Dukes great diamond being the goodliest iewell in Christendome at the which hung a great orient pearle was taken vp by a Swisser who put it againe into the boxe where it was kept and threw it vnder a cart but after returned to seeke it and sold it to a Priest for a guldon who sent it to the Lords of their countrey of whom he receiued three franks for it They wan also three goodly ballais rubies called the three brethren bicause they were in all points like and another great ballais rubie called La hotte with a goodly stone called the round ball of Flaunders the greatest and fairest stones in the world Other infinite treasures they gained also which since hath taught them to know what is money woorth Further the victories they obtained the account the King made of them euer after and the summes of money he bestowed vpon them haue maruellously enriched them Euery ambassador of theirs that came to him at the beginning of these wars receiued goodly presents of him either in money or plate wherby he asswaged the displeasure they had conceiued against him for not declaring himselfe the Duke of Burgundies enimy for he sent them home well contented with full purses and clothed in silkes and veluets Then began he also to promise them a yeerely pension of 40000. guldons which afterward he truly paied but the second battell was past first Of this pension twenty thousand guldons were for the townes and the other twenty thousand for the gouernors of the townes And I thinke verily I should not lie if I said that betweene the first battell of Granson and the King our Masters death these townes and gouernors of the Swissers receiued out of Fraunce aboue a million of florens When I name townes I meane but these fower Berne Lucerne Friburge and Zurich togither with their cantons situate in the mountaines Swisse also is one of their cantons though but a village Yet haue I seene an ambassador of that village clothed in very simple apparell giue his aduise in euery matter as well as any of the rest The other two cantons are called Soleurre and Vnderwalde The Notes 1. For Prouence was held of the crowne of Fraunce and therefore the King would not suffer his enimie the Duke of Burgundy to possesse it How the Swissers vanquished the Duke of Burgundy in battell neere to the towne of Morat Chap. 3. NOw to returne to the Duke of Burgundie he leuied men on all sides so that within three weeks he had assembled a mighty armie for a great number of his soldiers that fled the day of the battell repaired againe to his campe He lay at Losanna 1 in Sauoy where you my Lord of Vienna assisted him with your counsell in a dangerous sicknes he was fallen into for sorow and griefe of the dishonor he had receiued which so much altered him that I thinke after this battell of Granson his wits were neuer so fresh nor so good as before 2 Of this new army he now leuied I speake vpon the Prince of Tarentes report who made relation thereof to the King in my presence For you shall vnderstand that the said Prince about a yeere before the battell was come to the Duke of Burgundy with a goodly traine in hope to marrie his daughter and heir And notwithstanding that his behauiour apparell and traine shewed him indeed to be a Kings sonne and his father the King of Naples to haue spared no cost in setting him foorth yet did the Duke but dissemble with him and fed at the selfe same time with faire promises the Duches of Sauoye putting her in hope of this marriage for hir sonne Wherefore the Prince of Tarente called Don Frederick of Arragon and his Counsell misliking these delaies sent to the King our Master a herault of armes a wise fellow who humbly besought him to grant the Prince his safe conduct to passe through his realme to the King his father who had sent for him which he easily obtained of the King bicause it seemed to tende to the Duke of Burgundies dishonor and discredit Notwithstanding before the Princes messenger was returned to his Master a great number of these confederated townes were assembled and encamped hard by the Duke of Burgundie The said Prince obeying the King his fathers commandement tooke his leaue of the Duke the night before the second battell was fought for at the first he was present and behaued himselfe like a valiant gentleman Some say my Lord of Vienna that he vsed your aduise heerein for when he was heere with the King I haue heard both him and the Duke of Ascoly commonly called the Earle Iulio and diuers others affirme that you wrote in Italy of the first and second battell and told what should ensue therof long before they were fought At the Princes departure great forces of these confederate townes were incamped as I haue said hard by the Duke of Burgundy and came to giue him battell meaning to leuie the siege he held before Morat 3 a little towne neere to Berne belonging to the Earle of Romont The said townes had in their army as some that were at the battell haue informed me 35000. men whereof fower thousand were horsemen the rest footemen well chosen and well armed that is to say 11000. pikes 10000. halberds and ten thousand harquebusiers Their whole force was not yet assembled and these onely fought the battell neither needed any more helpe The Duke of Lorraine arriued at their campe a little before the battell with a very small traine which his comming turned afterward to his great profit for the Duke of Burgundy helde then all his countrey and a happy turne it was for him that they waxed weary of him in our Court as al those that maintaine a noble man ouerthrowen vsually do notwithstanding he neuer vnderstood thus much The King gaue him a smal summe of money and sent a good troupe of men of armes to conueigh him safe through Lorraine who brought him to the frontiers of Almaine and then returned home This Duke of Lorraine had not onely lost his Duchy of Lorraine the County of Vaudemont and the greatest part of Barrois the rest being withheld from him by the King so that he had nothing left but his subiects also yea his household seruants had voluntarie done homage to the Duke of Burgundy so that his estate seemed almost irrecouerable Notwithstanding God remaineth alwaies iudge to determine such causes at his pleasure After the Duke of Lorraine was passed through Lorraine into Almaine and had iourneied a
matter that this siege should take no effect For he would finde meanes that such things as were necessary both for the siege and battery should be lacking which promise he was well able to performe for the principall charge thereof was committed to him neither had any man so great authority in the army vnder the Duke of Burgundy as he But his practises with the Kings captaines touched the quick neerer for he continually promised them either to kill his Master or take him prisoner demaunding for recompence thereof the charge of these fower hundred launces twenty thousand crowns to be deliuered him in ready money and some good Earledome in Fraunce While this Earle was practising these treasons certaine of the Duke of Lorraines gentlemen attempted to enter the towne of Nancy Some of the which entred and some were taken among whom was one Cifron a gentleman born in Prouence who was the onely man that entertained these practises betweene the Earle of Campobache and the said Duke of Lorraine The D. of Burgundy presently commanded this Cifron to be hanged alleaging that by the law of armes after a Prince hath laid his siege before a place and made his battery if any man attempt to enter to comfort those that are besieged he ought to die Yet is this law not practised in our wars which are much crueller then the wars of Italy or Spaine where it is put in vse But law or no law the D. would that in any wise this gentleman should die who seeing no remedy sent word to the D. that if it would please him to giue him audience he would reueale a secret to him that touched his life whereof certaine gentlemen to whom he vttered this speech went to aduertise the Duke with whom at their arriuall they found the Earle of Campobache come thither either by chance or of purpose to be alwais at hand fearing least Cifron whom he knew to be taken should reueale all his conspiracies for he was priuy to them all and that was indeed the secret he would haue discouered The Duke made answer to these gentlemen that brought him this message that he vsed this delay onely to saue his life commanding him to open the matter to them vpon the which word the Earle of Campobache laid hold perswading the Duke that so it should be best For you shall vnderstand that none of the Dukes counsell neither any other persons were present with him at the debating of this matter but this Earle onely who had charge of the whole army and a Secretary that was writing The prisoner answered that he would vtter it to no man but to the Duke onely whereupon the Duke commanded him againe to be led to execution and so he was But vpon the way thitherward he desired diuers gentlemen to intreat the Duke their Master for him affirming this to be such a secret as the Duke would not for a Duchy but know Many that were acquainted with him pitied him went to desire the Duke to vouchsafe him the hearing But this traiterous Earle who kept the Dukes chamber being of timber so straightly that no man might enter in refused the doore to these gentlemen saying that the Duke had commanded him to be hanged with speed and further sent diuers messengers to the Prouost to hasten the execution Thus was this Cifron hanged to the Duke of Burgundies great preiudice and better had it been for him to haue vsed lesse cruelty and gently to haue heard this gentleman which if he had done peraduenture he had been yet liuing his house florishing his dominions in safety yea and much inlarged considering the broiles that haue hapned since in this realme But it is to be thought that God had otherwise disposed heereof bicause of the dishonorable part the Duke had plaide the Earle of Saint Paule Constable of Fraunce not long before For you haue already heard in this historie how notwithstanding his safe conduct he took him prisoner deliuered him to the King to put him to death and sent also all the letters and writings he had of the said Constables seruing for his processe And although the Duke had iust cause to hate him euen to the death and to procure his death for diuers considerations too long to rehearse so that he might haue done it without stayning his honor yet all the reasons that may be alleaged on his behalfe cannot excuse his fault in that contrarie to his promise honor hauing giuen him a sufficient safe conduct he tooke him and sold him for couetousnes partly to recouer the towne of S. Quintin with other the said Constables places lands and goods and partlie to stay the King from hindering his enterprise at Nancy when he first besieged it For lying at that siege after many delaies he deliuered the Constable fearing least the Kings army being in Champaigne would haue hindered his said enterprise if he had done otherwise For the King threatened him by his ambassadors bicause it was agreed betweene them that whether of them could first lay hands vpon him should deliuer him to the other within eight daies or put him to death But the Duke had passed the terme of the Constables deliuerie many daies as you haue heard so that the onely feare of losing Nancy and the greedie desire of hauing it caused the Duke to deliuer him to the King But euen as in this place of Nancy he committed this foule fault and afterward also in the same place at the second siege put Cifron to death refusing to heare him speake as one hauing his eares stopped and wits troubled euen so in the selfesame place was he himselfe deceiued and betraied by him whom he most trusted and peraduenture iustly punished for his false dealing with the Constable in deliuering him for couetousnes to haue the said towne But the iudgement heerof appertaineth to God alone neither speake I it to any other end but to declare this matter at large and to shew how much a good Prince ought to eschew such false and faithlesse dealing what counsell soeuer be giuen him thereunto For oftentimes those that giue a Prince such aduise do it either to flatter him or bicause they dare not gainsay him and yet when the fault is committed they are sorrie for it knowing the punishment both of God and man that is like to ensue But such councellors are better far from a Prince than neere about him You haue heard how God appointed this Earle of Campobache his deputie in this world to take reuenge of the Constables death committed by the Duke of Burgundie in the selfesame place and after the same manner or rather a crueller For euen as the Duke contrarie to his safe conduct and the trust the Constable had reposed in him deliuered him to death euen so was himselfe betraied by the trustiest man in his armie I meane by him whom he most trusted and whom he had receiued into his seruice being old poore and destitute of liuing and
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
raigning for notwithstanding that the said King Edward were a most valiant Prince and had woon in England eight or nine battels wherein he fought alwaies himselfe on foote greatly to his renowme yet were these troubles but by fits so that his head was not continually busied in matters of state for immediately after the victorie obtained he returned to his former sports and pleasures till another storme arose For you shall vnderstand that when war beginneth in England in ten daies or lesse the one or the other getteth the garland But our affaires in Fraunce passed not after that sort for besides the war it selfe the K. was forced to haue an eie continually vpon diuers places as well of his owne realme as of his neighbors but especially by all means possible to content the King of England and to entertain him by ambassadors presents and smooth words to the end he should not entermeddle with our affaires For the K. knew well the English men as well Nobles and Commons as the Cleargie to be naturally inclined to make war vpon this realme aswell vnder colour of the title they pretende thereunto as also in hope of gaine For they trust to haue euer such successe heere as their predecessors haue had whom God permitted to obtaine in this realme many great victories and large dominion both in Normandie and in Guienne the which they had possessed by the space of three hundred and fiftie yeeres 2 when King Charles the seuenth first recouered it During the which time they inriched the realme of England with great spoiles and much treasure that they got aswell of the Princes and noble men of Fraunce a great number of whom they tooke prisoners as also of the townes and places which they subdued Notwithstanding they should hardly haue had such successe in the King our Masters time for he would neuer haue indangered his estate in battell as King Charles the sixt did at Agincourt where all the nobility of Fraunce lighted on foote to fight with the English men but would haue proceeded more warily if the matter had come to execution as you may perceiue by the course he held in sending King Edvvard home Wherefore the King well perceiued that he must in any wise keepe the King of England and his principall seruants his friends whom he sawe altogither inclined to quietnes and very greedy of his money for the which cause he paid duly at London the pension of fiftie thousand crownes which they called tribute And further gaue yeerely sixteene thousand crownes to the said Kings principall seruants whose names were these the Lord Chauncellor the Master of the Rols who now is Chauncellor the Lord Hastings Lord great Chamberlaine a man of singular wisdome and vertue and in great authority with his Master and not without cause for he euer serued him faithfully Sir Thomas Montgomery the Lord Hovvard afterward Duke of Norfolke partaker with the wicked King Richard the Master of the Horse called Master Cheiny Master Challenger and the Marques Dorset the Queene of Englands sonne by hir first husband Further he gaue goodly presents to all the ambassadors that came to him were their messages neuer so sharpe and bitter and sent them home with such goodly words Princely rewards that they returned well contented And notwithstanding that some of them vnderstood that he did all this onely to win time the better to atchieue his enterprise in the conquest of the Duke of Burgundies dominions yet winked they at it bicause of the great riches they receiued at his hands To all these aboue named he gaue besides their pensions many goodly presents so largely that the Lord Hovvard ouer and aboue his pension receiued of him in lesse then two yeeres space in money and plate fower and twentie thousand crownes To the Lord Hastings also L. great Chamberlaine of England he gaue at one time a present of plate to the value of ten thousand marks The acquittances of all which great personages are yet to be seene in the chamber of accounts at Paris saue of the Lord Hastings Lord great Chamberlaine of England which is an high office for there is neuer but one alone in it This L. Chamberlaine was long labored before he would become the Kings pensioner my selfe being the onely man that perswaded him thereunto For I wan him first to Charles Duke of Burgundies friendship during the time I serued him who gaue him yeerly a pension of a thousand crownes whereof when I had aduertised the King he would in like maner that I should be a meanes to make him his friend and pensioner for in times past during Duke Charles his life and after his death also in fauor of the Lady of Burgundy he had alwaies beene the Kings extreme enimy and trauelled once to perswade the King of England to aide the said Lady against the King our Master I began this friendship by letters and the King gaue him a pension of two thousand crownes which was double the summe he receiued of the Duke Further the King sent to him one of the stewards of his house called Peter Cleret charging him to bring with him the said Lord Chamberlains acquittance to the end heereafter it might appeere that the great Chamberlaine Chauncellor Admirall and Master of the Horse of England besides diuers others had beene the French Kings pensioners The said Peter Cleret was a wise fellow and communed priuily alone with the Lord Chamberlaine at his lodging in London where after he had declared his message from the King he presented him his two thousand crownes in golde for the King neuer gaue but gold to strangers which money when the Lord Chamberlaine had receiued Peter Cleret humbly besought him for his discharge to giue him an acquittance wherein the said Lord Chamberlaine made difficultie Then Cleret desired him to giue him onely a letter of three lines to the King to testifie the receit of the money least the King being a suspitious Prince should thinke that he had conuerted it to his owne vse Which reasonable demand the Lord Chamberlaine hearing answered thus Sir you require but reason but this gift proceedeth of the King your Masters liberality not of my request if it please you that I shall receiue it put it heere into my sleeue and other letter or testimoniall get you none of me For I will not for my part that any man shall say that the Lord great Chamberlaine of England hath beene pensioner to the French King nor that my acquittances be found in his chamber of accounts Whereunto the said Cleret replied not but departed leauing the money behinde him and at his returne made report thereof to the King who was not a little displeased with him for that he brought no acquittance but as touching the said Chamberlaine he commended and esteemed him more than all the King of Englands other seruants and his pension was euer after paied without acquittance After this sort liued the King with
and the Queene his wife had so greatly desired that they would neuer credit any man that aduertised them to the contrarie were he English man or stranger For the Councell of England had debated this matter with him at the same time that the King conquered that part of Picardie that ioineth to Calice alleaging that after he had subdued that he might easily attempt to take Calice and Guisnes The like was also told him by the ambassadors resident in England for the Duke and Duchesse of Austriche and by the Britons and diuers others but he beleeued no whit of all this which incredulitie turned much to his losse Notwithstanding I suppose it proceeded rather of couetousnes than ignorance for he feared the losse of the fiftie thousand crownes the King paid him besides that he was loth to leaue his ease and pleasures whereunto he was maruellously addicted About the conclusion of this marriage an assembly was held at Halots in Flaunders whereat the Duke of Austriche now King of Romans was present togither with certaine deputies for the three estates of Flaunders Brabant and the other countries belonging to the saide Duke and his children The citizens of Gaunt did many things there contrarie to the Dukes minde for some they banished and some they remooued from about his sonne in the end they told him how great desire they had to see this marriage accomplished therby to obtaine peace forced him to consent therunto The Duke was very yoong and accompanied with few noble men for all the subiects of this house of Burgundie very few excepted I meane of great personages that could haue giuen him counsell or aide in these affaires were as you haue heard either dead or reuolted to the King As touching himselfe he was come thither very slenderly accompanied and now hauing lost his wife being Lady of the countrie he durst not giue them so stout language as before he was accustomed To be short the King being aduertised of all these actions by Monseur de Cordes reioiced much thereat and a day was appointed when this Lady should be brought to Hedin Not long before the conclusion of this marriage to wit in the yeere 1481. the towne of Ayre was yeelded for a summe of monie to Monseur de Cordes by the Lord of Croy of the countrie of Artois who held it for the Duke of Austriche and the Lord of Beures his captaine The towne is very strong situate in the countrie of Artois and the deliuerie thereof increased the Flemmings desire to further this marriage bicause it standeth vpon the very entrance into Flaunders For notwithstanding that they wished the weakening of their Prince yet were they not willing to haue the King so neere a neighbor to their frontiers After these matters aboue mentioned were fully concluded ambassadors came to the King out of Flaunders and Brabant but all depended vpon them of Gaunt both bicause of their force bicause the children were in their hands and for that they were alwaies the ringleaders of all tumults There came also from the King of Romanes for the pacifying of his dominions certaine Knights yoong men like himselfe and of small experience whose names were Master Iohn de Bergues and Master Baudouin de Launoy and certaine Secretaries The King was brought maruellous low with sicknes so that hardly he suffered himselfe to be seene and made great difficultie to sweare the treatie bicause he was loth to come abrode in sight notwithstanding in the end he sware it It was very auantageous for him for in all assemblies that had beene held heeretofore about this marriage he neuer required but the countie of Artois or Burgundie one of the two but now the Lords of Gaunt as he termed them caused them both to be yeelded vnto him togither with the counties of Masconnois Charolois and Auxerrois yea and if it had lien in them to haue put into his hands Hainault and Namur and all the seniories of this house of Burgundie being of the French language they would willingly haue done it thereby to affeeble their Prince The King our Master being a wise Prince vnderstood well that no account was to be made of Flaunders nor the Earle thereof without he had the countrie of Artois which lying betweene the King of Fraunce and the Flemmings is as it were a bridle to them For in the countrie of Artois are leuied very good soldiers to scourge the Flemmings when they play the fooles Wherefore by taking away from the Earle of Flaunders the countrie of Artois he left him the poorest Prince in the world and without all obedience of his subiects saue onely at the pleasure of them of Gaunt After this ambassage was returned home the said Lady was led to Hedin and deliuered into the hands of Monseur de Cordes in the yeere 1483. She was conueied thither by the Lady of Rauastain bastard daughter to Duke Philip of Burgundie and was receiued there by the Duke and Duchesse of Bourbon that now are and by the Lord of Albret and diuers others sent thither by the King who led hir to Amboise where the Daulphin lay If the Duke of Austriche could haue rescued hir before she was passed out of his dominions from them that conueied hir he would willingly haue done it but they of Gaunt had sent hir well accompanied And as touching the said Duke all his subiects began to disobey him so far foorth that a great number tooke part with them of Gaunt bicause they had his sonne in their hands and remooued from him and placed about him such as pleased them and among the rest that were resident at Gaunt was the Lord of Rauastain brother to the Duke of Cleues principall gouernor of the said yoong infant called Duke Philip who is yet liuing and like to be a great Prince if God spare him life Whosoeuer reioiced at this marriage the King of England was highly displeased therewith for he accounted it great reproch and dishonor to be thus deluded and feared both the losse of the pension the King paid him which the English men called Tribute and also that the contempt heereof would stir his subiects to rebellion against him bicause he would giue no eare to good aduice Further he saw the King with great force neere to his dominions for the which causes he conceiued such inward griefe when he heard these newes that soone after he ended his life some say of a catarrhe But whatsoeuer his disease were the report goeth that the sorrow conceiued of this marriage caused the disease whereof he died soone after in the moneth of Aprill anno 1483. It is a foule fault in a Prince to trust more to his owne braine than to the aduice of a great number for it causeth oftentimes both great sorrow and also losse irrecouerable Immediately after King Edvvards death the King our Master was aduertised therof and seemed nothing ioifull of the newes but soone after receiued letters from the D. of
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
gouernment of his roiall person according to the testament of King Levvis the 11. that the priuy Councell should consist of twelue chosen out of the body of the Nobility by whose aduise all matters should be gouerned and dispatched but all in the Kings name and vnder the signature of his hand Further Iohn Duke of Bourbon was created Constable But by little and little the whole gouernment was deriued to the said Lady of Beauieu bicause the King hir brothers person was in hir hands But Levvis Duke of Orleance being the neerest Prince of the blood royall by the perswasion of those that were about him who gaped for great preferment if the gouernment were committed to his charge and especially by the instigation of the Earle of Dunois named Francis sonne to Iohn commonly called the Bastard of Orleance a man of a subtile spirit and of great enterprise abode still at Paris and entered daily into the councell notwithstanding the decree of the three estates as one that would vnderstand of all that was done there Wherewith the Lady of Beauieu was not a little discontented which when the Prince of Orenge the Marshall of Rieux and the rest of the Barons of Britaine that were at that time fugitiues in Fraunce as heerafter shall be declared vnderstood they came to the said Lady of Beauieu and offered hir and the King their seruice which the Duke of Orleance greatly stomached Further the said Duke sought by all meanes possible to discredit the womanish gouernment of the said Lady but his perswasions little preuailed bicause the Duke himselfe being not as yet fower and twenty yeeres old was vnder the gouernment of his mother and it seemed no reason to commit the managing of the common wealth to him that was vnable to gouerne his owne priuate estate so that the same reason barred him from the gouernment now that excluded his grandfather in times past during the phrensie of King Charles the sixt But this reason satisfied not the Duke nor his friends Wherefore the Lady of Beauieu seeing that the Duke of Orleance remaining in Paris wan daily those that were in authoritie to his side seeking by that meanes to obtaine the regencie of the realme sent by the resolution of the Kings councell certaine to Paris to arrest the body of the said Duke Who being aduertised therof as he was at tenice withdrew himselfe and pretending that he went to his lodging departed in the company of Guyot Pot and Iohn of Louen one of the gentlemen of his chamber whom he greatly fauoured lodged that night at Pontoise The next day he went to Vernueil and from thence to Alençon where he remained a certaine space during the which he practised to draw to his partie the Earle of Angoulesme the Duke of Bourbon and the Lord of Alebret who in the end declared themselues to be his friends and assistants in this enterprise But all these bicause of this their confederacie with him were foorthwith remooued from all their offices and estates and lost al their pensions and their charge of men of armes yet notwithstanding they leuied a great army of the people of their countries and found meanes to win to their side the Duke of Lorraine the Prince of Orenge and the Earle of Foix. Vnder the assurance of all the which Princes the D. of Orleance assembled his army at Blois to marche therewith to Orleance but the citizens of the towne perceiuing that their Duke came thither with a purpose to supprise it and to make it the seate of the wars shut their gates vpon him and would not suffer him to enter in Wherefore with an army of fower hundred launces and a great number of footemen he went to Bougencie accompanied with the Earles of Dunois and Foix an with Carqueleuant and other French captaines where they remained a certaine space and thither the King sent to besiege them But bicause they sawe the place not to be of defence and further that the Malcontents of the realme flocked not to them as they supposed they would they made a sudden peace with the King whereby it was agreed that the Duke of Orleance should repaire to the King and so he did and that the Earle of Dunois the contriuer of all this enterprise should depart the realme which also he did and retired himselfe to Ast But this notwithstanding the Duke of Bourbon and the Earle of Angoulesme who had leuied their armies to succor the Duke of Orleance marched toward Bourges whither the King went with a great army accompanied with the Duke of Orleance who was constrained to arme himselfe against his allies and confederates Notwithstanding by the wisedome of the Marshall of Gie and the Lord of Grauille which two had great authoritie in the Court vnder the Lady of Beauieu peace was concluded betweene the King and his nobles wherein the Lord of Albret was also comprehended and thus departed all these armies without any bloodshed and the K. went to Amboise the Duke of Orleance to Orleance and the Earle of Foix and the Cardinall his brother to Nantes to the Duke of Britaine who had married their sister This tumult was called the mad war and hapned in the yeere 1485. 1485. After al this the Earle of Dunois returned from Ast and went to his owne towne of Partenay in Poitou which was then a strong towne with a double ditch and a triple wall Heerof the King being aduertised and withall that he fortified himselfe in the said towne and knowing the said Earle of Dunois to be full of practise and a man of great enterprise he sent to the Duke of Orleans who was at Orleans holding solemne iusts and turneies to come to him to Amboise And after three or fower messengers the last whereof was the Marshall of Gié the Duke of Orleans went to Blois and the next day being twelfe euen in the said yeere 1485. he departed out of Blois early in the morning with his haukes faining that he went to flie in the If you begin the yeere at Newyeeres day it was 1486. field and without any bait rode that night to Fronteraulx whereof his sister was then Abbesse from thence he went to Clisson and from Clisson to Nantes where he was very honorably receiued of the Duke This was the Duke of Orleans second comming into Britaine as by that which followeth heerafter shall more plainly appeere The King being aduertised of his departure determined to besiege the Earle of Dunois in his towne of Partenay and found meanes before any brute was made thereof to drawe to his seruice the Marshall of Rieux and the other Barons of Britaine that were then retired to Chasteaubrian to the Lady of Laual who was Lady thereof bicause the Duke of Britaine by aide of the Duke of Orleans and the Earle of Dunois sought to auenge himselfe of the said Barons for the death of Peter Landois Treasurer of Britaine whereof I will now begin to speake Of the troubles
to diuorce himselfe from the Ladie Iane the Kings sister as forced vpon him against his will by King Levvis the 11. and to marrie with Anne the Duke of Britains eldest daughter and heire the hope wherof was the cause of this his voiage into Britaine but the selfesame hope entertained also Monseur d' Alebret and drew him to the Duke of Britains part the rather bicause he had receiued assurance of the marriage in writing vnder the hands of all the noble men that were about the said D. of Britaine saue of the D. of Orleans alone Of the war the King made in Britaine and of the Earle of Dunois ambassage to the King for peace Chap. 4. THe onely care of the banished nobles of Britaine was to returne and remaine in safetie in their countrie and the Kings onely desire was to be reuenged of the Duke of Britaine for receiuing the Duke of Orleans Wherefore the King as before is said entred into league with these nobles and in their fauour leuied an armie and began war vpon the Duke of Britaine in the yeere 1486. This armie inuaded Britaine three seuerall waies for the 1486 Lord of Saint André with fower hundred launces and fiue or sixe thousand footemen entred on one side the Earle of Montpensier with a great band vpon another side and Lewis of Trimouille Vicount of Touars who had married Gabriell of Bourbon the said Earle of Montpensiers sister vpon the third in such sort that the countrie of Britaine was couered with French soldiers with whom also the barons of Britaine aboue mentioned were ioined who caused diuers castels in Britaine to be yeelded to the Kings armie by those that were of their faction whereat the Duke of Britaine was greatly astonied But the Duke of Orleans the Earle of Dunois and the Earle of Comminges being with him comforted him and vnder colour of a marriage to be made betweene the Lady Anne the Duke of Britaines eldest daughter and the Lord of Alebret who had a hundred launces vnder his charge and was able to leuie great forces of footemen in Gascoine and Guienne where he was mightie and of goodly reuenues the Earle of Dunois wan the said Lord of Alebret to ioine with them who presently forsooke the Kings seruice and tooke part with them accordingly yet that notwithstanding the Duke of Britaine leauing Nantes in the hands of his cosin the Prince of Orenge retired himselfe to the castell of Malestroit being a strong place where he leuied an armie of sixe hundred launces and 16000. footemen to succour Ploermel distant three or fower leagues from Malestroit which the Kings armie then besieged But as this Britaine armie marched thitherward one of the company brake foorth into these speeches and asked what this war meant and what was the end thereof alleaging that their Duke was wholy gouerned by the French and that the French made the Britaines at their pleasure to reuenge French quarrels vpon the French wherefore he perswaded them to returne home to their wiues and children and not to spend their liues for other mens quarrels Whereupon all the armie disparkled and returned home by meanes whereof Ploermel seeing no hope of succours yeelded by composition and yet notwithstanding was spoiled and the rich men taken prisoners and put to raunsome The Dukes of Britaine and Orleans and the other Lords that were with them at Malestroit being aduertised of the departure of their armie and of the taking of Ploermel went to Vennes vpon Whitson euen being the yeere 1487. whither the Kings armie so speedily followed them that hardly they escaped by sea and went to Croisick and from thence by the riuer of Loire to Nantes being constrained to leaue part of their carriage 1487 in the said towne of Vennes which presently after their departure yeelded without any resistance Further not long after the taking of this towne the French in a skirmish at a place called Ioue betweene Chasteaubrian and Nantes defeated a great band of Britaines led by Amaulry of la Mossay towards Nantes at the which time the King in person lay at Ancenix After the taking of Vennes the Kings armie marched to Nantes and laid the siege before the towne the 19. day of Iune in the said yeere 1487. Within the towne were the Duke of Britaine and his two daughters Anne and Isabell the Duke of Orleans the Prince of Orenge the Lady of Lauall and of Chasteaubrian the Bishop of Nantes called du Chaffault a man of holy life the Earle of Comminges and diuers other Lords all the which dislodged out of the castell and lodged in the towne And bicause the companie had some ielousie of the said bishop of Nantes and the Lady of Lauall that they were not thoroughly to be trusted they were put in garde into certaine of the townes mens hands At this siege were ten thousand French men and great store of artillerie wherewith the wals towers and vaumures of the castell and towne were throughly battered but they without were as well plied by them within both with shot and with salies of valiant men where many a goodly feate of armes was done both on the one side and the other Further you shall vnderstand that the Earle of Dunois being in base Britaine there to embarke towards England to haue aide from thence and perceiuing that the winde would not suffer him so to do brought with him to succour the towne of Nantes aboue fiftie thousand of the commons of Britaine which the French suffered to passe supposing them not to be men of seruice But the King seeing the extreme heate of the weather and perceiuing that he could do no good before the towne leuied his siege the sixt day of August and departed Then marched the Kings armie before the towne of Dolle which they tooke without resistance and spoiled and all the Britaines and soldiers that were within it were taken prisoners Further the Kings armie spoiled all the countrie slue the people and draue away their cattell But the Marshall of Rieux and the greatest part of the banished nobles of Britaine that were in the Kings seruice lamenting the miserable estate of their country waxed wearie of the wars and alleaged that their league with the King was onely to this end that they might recouer their countrie and the French that liued in Britaine be constrained to returne home into theirs Wherfore seeing the French nobles being in Britaine protested that they would willingly returne home if the King would pardon their departure to the Duke and that the Duke on the other side with the consent of all his subiects had offered these banished nobles of Britaine pardon and restitution to all their goods and lands they sawe no cause why the wars should endure but that each partie should returne home in peace but the French and diuers also of the Britaines themselues were little mooued with these allegations Wherefore the said Marshal being Lord of Ancenix a towne very
hired a brother of the captains to kill the said Lodouic as he entred into the castel whom the captaine withheld frō executing the fact for the which cause he now saued his life Notwithstanding if he had been giltie of so heinous a crime as a purpose to yeeld the place to the Emperor who might haue laid claim to it both as Emperor Duke of Austrich for that house pretendeth some title thereunto I thinke he would not haue pardoned him for it would haue made a great alteration in Italie and the whole estate of Milain would haue reuolted in one day For when they liued vnder the Emperors euerie household paid but halfe a ducat for tribute but now they are cruelly and tyrannouslie gouerned both the Spiritualtie Nobilitie and Commons The Lord Lodouic seeing himselfe seized of the castell and all the force of the countrie at his commandement determined to attempt further for he that possesseth Milan possesseth the whole estate both bicause the chiefe of the countrie be resident there and also bicause those that haue the charge and gouernment of the other places be all Milanois borne Sure for the quantitie of this Duchie I neuer saw a pleasanter nor plentifuller peece of ground For if the Prince would content himselfe with the yeerely reuenues of fiue hundred thousand ducats his subiects should be but too rich and the Prince liue in suretie but he leuieth yeerely sixe hundred and fiftie thousand or seuen hundred thousand which is great tyrannie and therefore the people desire nothing more than change of their Prince Which the L. Lodouic considering togither with the other reasons aboue rehearsed and being already married to the Duke of Ferraraes daughter by whom he had many children determined to accomplish his intent and endeuored to win friends not onely in the said Duchie but also abrode in Italie Wherefore first he entred into league with the Venetians for the preseruation of their estate whereunto he was great friend to his father in lawes preiudice from whom the said Venetians not long before had taken a little territorie called the Polesan enuironed with water and maruellously abounding with all kinde of wealth This country being distant but halfe a league from Ferrara the Venetians possesse yet at this day There are in it two prety townes which I haue been in my selfe the one named Rouigue the other Labadie The Duke of Ferrara lost it in the war that himselfe first mooued against the Venetians for notwithstanding that before the end of those wars Alphonse Duke of Calabria his father King Ferrande yet liuing the Lord Lodouic with the force of Milan the Florentines the Pope and the towne of Bolonia came to his aide by meanes whereof the Venetians were brought altogither vnder foote or at the least to great extremitie being vtterly vnfurnished of monie and hauing lost diuers places yet the said Lodouic concluded a treatie to their honor and profit for euery man was restored to his owne saue the poore Duke of Ferrara who was forced to leaue vnto them the Polesan which they yet hold notwithstanding that he had mooued this war at the request of the Lord Lodouic and of King Ferrande whose daughter he had married The report went that Lodouic receiued threescore thousand ducats of the Venetians for making this treatie Whether it were so or no I know not but sure I am that the Duke of Ferrara was once perswaded that it was so for at that time the said Lodouic was not married to his daughter From that day forward amitie euer continued betweene the Venetians and the said Lodouic No seruant nor kinsman of Iohn Galeas Duke of Milan sought to impeach and stop the Lord Lodouic from seizing the Duchie into his own hands saue onely the Duchesse his wife who was yoong but a very wise Lady She was daughter to Alfonse Duke of Calabria before mentioned sonne and heire to Ferrande King of Naples In the yeere 1493. the said Lodouic sent to King Charles the 8. now raigning to perswade him to come into Italie to conquer the realme of Naples and to vanquish and subdue those that possessed it for so long as they florished and were of force he durst neuer attempt that which afterward he accomplished At that time the said Ferrande King of Naples and Alphonse his sonne were puissant rich of great experience in the wars and accounted Princes of hautie courages though afterward their actions declared the contrarie The said Lodouic was also a very wise man but maruellous timorous and humble when he stood in feare and void of all faith if the breach thereof might turne to his profit I speake as one that knew him throughly well bicause I haue dealt with him in many matters But to proceede in the yeere 1493. as before I said the Lord Lodouic began to tickle this yoong King Charles being but two and twenty yeeres of age with the ambition and vaineglorie of Italie shewing him what right he had to this goodly realme of Naples which I warrant you he skilfully blazed and painted foorth In all these negotiations he addressed himselfe to Stephan de Vers then newly made Seneschall of Beaucaire and maruellously enriched though not satisfied and to the Generall Brissonet a rich man skilfull in matters of the receit and great friend at that time to the said Seneschall by whose meanes the Lord Lodouic perswaded the said Brissonet to become a priest promising to make him a Cardinall but the Seneschall himselfe he promised to make a Duke And to set all these practises on foote the said Lodouic sent in the same yeere to Paris a goodly ambassage to the King the chiefe whereof was the Earle of Caiazze sonne and heire to the aboue named Robert of Saint Seuerin who found there the Prince of Salerne his cosin for the said Prince was chiefe of the house of Saint Seuerin as I haue alreadie made mention and liued in Fraunce being banished by King Ferrande of Naples as before you haue heard and therfore trauelled earnestly that this voiage to Naples might go forward With the said Earle of Caiazze came also Charles Earle of Belleioyeuse and Master Galeas Viscount of Milan who were both in very good order and well accompanied but openly they vsed salutations onely and generall speeches This was the first great ambassage that came from the Lord Lodouic to the King True it is that he had sent before this one of his Secretaries to negotiate with the King to send his deputie into Italie to receiue homage of his cosin the Duke of Milan for Genua which was granted him against all reason 8 notwithstanding I will not denie but that the King of especiall fauor might assigne one to receiue it of him for when this Duke Galeas was warde to his mother I being then ambassador for King Lewis the 11. receiued his homage in the castell of Milan hauing an expresse commission from the King so to do But Genua was then out of
had beene prisoners about fower or fiue and thirtie yeeres Further the said Moore immediately after the execution done departed into Barbarie to the end no man should know what was become of them To be short neuer was man more cruell than this King Alphonse more wicked more vicious more filthie nor a greater glutton Notwithstanding his father had been the more dangerous for no man could be acquainted with his humor nor know when he was pleased or displeased so that at feasts and bankets he tooke and betraied men as for example the Earle Iames sonne to Nicholas Picinio whom after that sort he tooke and murthered villanously being ambassador to him from Duke Francis of Milan whose base daughter he had married True it is that the said Francis was consenting to the murther notwithstanding he were his father in law for they both feared the said Earle Iames bicause the Braciques 4 in Italie were wholy at his deuotion After the like maner also tooke this Ferrande the Princes of his realme aboue mentioned and as touching pardon or mercie neuer was any to be obtained at his hands as diuers of his neerest kinsmen and friends haue often told me neither had he at any time pitie or compassion vpon his poore people to ease them of paiments and subsidies Moreouer he vsed within his realme all trade of merchandise himselfe so far foorth that he deliuered swine to his people to feede which they were constrained to fat to further their sale and if any of them happened to die they were forced to make them good In those places where the oile oliue groweth namely in Pouille he and his sonne bought it all vp at their owne price and in like maner the corne yet greene vpon the ground which they sold againe as deere as was possible and if the price thereof happened to fall they constrained their subiects to buie it besides that during the time of their sale all other were forbidden to sell If any of their noblemen were a good husband and thought to spare some good thing for himselfe they would foorthwith desire to borrow it and if he made refusall he was constrained to deliuer it perforce so that they vsed to take from them the races of their horses wherewith that countrie aboundeth and to cause them to be broken kept to their own vse yea and that such numbers as well of horses as of mares and colts that they were esteemed many thousands which also they sent to feede in diuers places in the pastures of their noble men and other their subiects to their great losse and dammage Both of them had forced many women and as touching the Church they had it in no reuerence neither would obey the lawes thereof so far foorth that they sold Bishoprikes for monie as for example the Bishoprike of Tarente sold to a Iew by King Ferrande for thirteene thousand ducats to bestow vpon his sonne who he said was a Christian Abbeies they gaue to faulconers and others to bestow vpon their children with this condition that some of them should enter them a certaine number of hauks and keepe them flying to their vse and other some entertaine a number of soldiers at their owne proper costs and charges The sonne neuer obserued Lent neither seemed to thinke there was any and many yeeres togither neuer confessed himselfe neither receiued the holy sacrament To conclude it was impossible for any man to commit more hainous crimes than both they had done yet some reported the yoong Ferrande to be woorse than them both notwithstanding that he were humble and curteous at his death and no maruell for he was then in great distresse The readers may happily thinke that I vtter all this of some priuate hatred against them which in good sooth I do not but rehearse it onely to continue my historie in the verie beginning whereof I haue declared that this enterprise could neuer haue been atchieued by those that were the chiefe managers thereof had not God alone gouerned it and giuen it good successe to the end he might make this good yoong King being so slenderly prouided both of good counsell and all other things necessarie his deputie to chastise these Princes so wise so rich of so great experience so well accompanied with wise and noble personages whom the defence of the realme touched as neere as themselues so allied and friended yea and the which saw the storme a far off and yet neuer could prouide for it nor make resistance in any place For out of the castle of Naples there was not one man that staied the King a daie and a night whereupon Pope Alexander now liuing saide that the French men came thither with wooden spurs and chalke in their harbingers hands to make their lodgings without further trouble which similitude of wooden spurs he vsed bicause yet at this daie when the yoong gentlemen of this realme rid about the streets on horsebacke their Pages thrust little sticks into their showes or pantofles wherewith they prick forward their mules And to confesse the truth this was so easie a conquest that our men very seldom armed themselues in all this voiage Besides that from the Kings departure out of Ast till his entrie into Naples it was but fower moneths and ninteene daies An ambassador would almost haue been as long in iourneying thither I conclude therfore agreeably to the opinion of diuers holie religious men and others and to the voice of the people which is Gods voice that God ment to punish these Princes so visibly that euery man might behold it to warne thereby all other Princes to liue well and according to his commandements For these Princes of Arragon lost both honor and realme with great riches goodly furniture of diuers and sundry sorts the which is so dispersed heere and there that a man can hardly tell what is become thereof besides that they ended their liues three in a yeeres space or little more but I trust their soules be in Paradise For you shall vnderstand that this old Ferrande bastard to King Alphonse a wise vertuous and honorable Prince was maruellously disquieted when he saw this French war first mooued against him which he could finde no meanes to pacifie For he was wise and knew that he and his sonne had liued ill and were maruellously hated in their realme diuers also of those that were neerest about him haue informed me that as he raced a certain chappell he found a booke whereon these words were written Truth vvith hir secret counsell 5 the which contained all the euils that afterward fell vpon him There were but three that sawe the booke for immediately after he had read it he threw it into the fire Another thing that greatly troubled him was this his sonne Alphonse and Ferrand his sonnes sonne could neuer be perswaded that the King would come into Italy Wherefore they vsed proude and threatning words against him and spake very contemptuously of him saying
verie keie as it were of his realme and a place much for his aduantage as well bicause of the riuer as of the mountaine Further he had sent men to defend the straight of Cancello lying among the mountaines sixe miles from Saint Germain yet notwithstanding all this preparation before the Kings arriuall at S. Germain he raised his campe and departed in great disorder abandoning both the towne and the passage Our vaward was led that day by the L. of Guise the L. of Rieux was sent to this strait of Cancello against the Arragonnois but they also before his comming abandoned the place and then entered the King into S. Germain K. Ferrande rid straight to Capoua where they refused to giue his soldiers entrance but receiued his person with a fewe that attended vpon him he staied not there but desired them to continue true and faithfull subiects to him promising the next daie to returne and so departed towards Naples fearing the rebellion that afterwards happened All his force or the greatest part should haue tarried him at Capoua but the next daie when he returned he found them all departed The Lord Virgile Vrsin with his cosin the Earle of Petillane went to Nola where they and all their company were taken prisoners by our men They alleaged that they had a safe conduct and that we did them wrong so had they indeed but their safe conduct was not yet in their hands notwithstanding they paied no ransome but much they lost when they were taken and sure in mine opinion they had wrong done them From Saint Germain the King remooued to Mingamer and to Triague and lodged at Calui two miles from Capoua whither they of Capoua came and yeelded themselues by composition and the King entered into the towne with his whole army From Capoua the next daie he marched to Auersa being in the midway between Capoua and Naples and fiue miles distant from each of them Thither came they of Naples and yeelded themselues in like maner by composition hauing receiued assurance of the King that their ancient liberties should not be infringed nor empaired The King sent thither before him the Marshall Gié the Seneschall of Beaucaire the president Ganay keeper of the Seale and certaine Secretaries whereof King Ferrande being aduertised and seeing the people and Nobles of his realme in armes against him who also at his first arriuall thither had spoiled his stable being maruellous great tooke sea and sailed into Iscle an Iland eighteen miles from Naples 2 then the King was receiued into the towne with great ioy and triumph For all the people came foorth to meete him yea and those first that were most bound to the house of Arragon namely all the Carraffes who held of the saide house of Arragon to the value of forty thousand ducats of yeerely reuenues partly of inheritance and partly of gift from the Prince for the Kings of Naples may giue away their crowne lands so do they also other mens and I thinke there are not three in the realme whose lands be not crowne lands or other mens Neuer people shewed so great affection to Prince or nation as they shewed to the King the reason whereof was bicause now they thought themselues deliuered from all tyranny so that they voluntarily yeelded vnto vs. For al Calabria became French incontinent whither Monseur d'Aubigny and Peron of Basche were sent themselues alone without any force All the countrey of Abrousso 3 yeelded likewise the town of Aquila which hath euer been great friend to the French being the first beginner In like maner all Pouille turned sauing the castle of Brandis which was strong and well manned and Gallipoli which had a garrison in it otherwise the people would haue turned also In Calabria three places held for King Ferrand two of them were Mantie and Turpie ancient partakers with the house of Aniou the which at the first had set vp the armes of Fraunce but bicause the K. gaue them to the L. of Persi and would not receiue them as percell of the demaines of his crowne 4 they reared vp againe the armes of Arragon The third was the castle of Reges which held also for King Ferrande But it was our owne fault that ought held for we sent no forces thither no I am well assured that into Pouille and Calabria there went not men sufficient to haue defended one castell for the King Tarente yeeded both castle towne so did also Otrante 5 Monopoli Trani Manfredonne Barle all the other places the aboue named onely excepted Moreouer the people came from their cities three daies iourney to meet our men and to yeeld themselues To be short the whole realme sent to Naples and all the Princes and noble men repaired thither to do homage to the King sauing the Marques of Pescaire 6 whose brethren and nephewes came notwithstanding The Earle of Acri and the Marques of Squillazo fled into Sicilie bicause the King had giuen their lands to the Lord of Aubigny At Naples also arriued the Prince of Salerne newely come from the sea but hauing done no seruice Thither came also his brother the Prince of Bisignan and his sonnes being accompanied with the Dukes of Melfe of Grauine and the olde Duke of Sora who not long before had solde his Duchie to the Cardinall Petriad Vincula whose brother yet at this day possesseth it 7 To Naples also repaired the Earles of Montorio of Fondi of Tripalda and of Celano who had long been banished out of the realme and was now newely returned with the King The Earle of Troy was there in like maner who was a yoong gentleman of Scotland brought vp in Fraunce and the Earle of Popoli whom we found prisoner at Naples The yoong Prince of Rosane before mentioned after his long imprisonment with his father who had lien in prison fower and thirtie yeeres was at the length deliuered and went with King Ferrand whether willingly or by constraine I know not To Naples came also besides these aboue named the Marques of Guefron with all the Caldoresques and the Earles of Matalon and Merillano the which had both they and their ancestors euer gouerned the house of Arragon To conclude thither repaired all the nobles of the realme the three aboue named onely excepted The Notes 1 For the Coulonnois and certaine of the Kings captaines had been sent about to come vpon King Ferrandes backe These tooke the tovvne of Aquila and all those parts and heere ioyned againe vvith the King bicause they looked for the battell 2 Guicciar saith thirtie miles 3 Samnium or Samnites 4 These vvere lands held in Capite of the King of Naples 5 Hydruntum first yeelded to the French then reuolted againe Guicciar 6 Alphonse Daualo Marques of Pescare Guicciar 7 Iohn de Rouuere prefect of Rome vvas the cardinals brother and he it vvas that held this Duchie How King Charles was crowned King of Naples of the faults he committed in the defence
the Prince of Wales at the battell of Poictiers paied for his raunsome three millions of franks and yeelded to the English men all Aquitaine at the least all that he held in his hands with a number of other cities townes and places yea in a maner the thirde foote of his realme whereby he brought his realme into such pouertie that manie yeeres after they vsed leather monie with a little stud or naile of siluer in the middest thereof And all this gaue he and his sonne King Charles surnamed the VVise for his raunsome And if they would haue giuen nothing yet would not the English men haue put him to death but his greatest paine had beene imprisonment But admit they had put him to death yet had not that pain been so great by the hundred thousandth part as the least paine in hell Why gaue he then all this great raunsome aboue rehearsed destroying his children and subiects but onely bicause he beleeued that which he saw and perceiued well that he could not otherwise be deliuered But peraduenture when he committed the fault for the which this punishment fell vpon him his children and subiects he beleeued not firmely that the offence he made against God and his commandements should be punished Now to conclude there is no Prince or very few that will restore one towne they withhold from their neighbor for the loue of God or to eschew the paines of hell and yet King Iohn gaue all this to deliuer his bodie out of prison I asked a question before who will search out great mens faults who will informe the Iustice of them and who will be the Iustice to punish them Whereunto I now answer that the information shall be the lamentable crie and plaint of their subiects whom they tyrannize and oppresse so many waies without any compassion the sorrowfull lamentation of widowes and orphans whose husbands and fathers they haue wrongfully put to death by meanes whereof their wiues and children haue euer after liued in affliction and miserie and generally the complaints of all those whom they haue persecuted either in their persons or goods These I say shall giue information against them by their great mourning wailing and pitious teares and shall accuse them before the Lord God who will be the iust iudge thereof and peraduenture will not delay the punishment till the world to come but will also punish them in this world which punishment proceedeth of lacke of faith bicause they had not a firme and stedfast beleefe in Gods commandements We must therefore of necessitie confesse that God is forced to shew such tokens and examples to the end both Princes themselues and all the world may beleeue that these punishments fall vpon them for their misbeleefe and sinnes and that God sheweth his mightie power and iustice vpon them bicause none other in this world but he hath power ouer them At the first happily they amend not their liues for Gods scourges be they neuer so great and long But no misfortune falleth vpon a Prince vpon those that gouerne his affaires or vpon those that rule great commonalties but the issue is hurtfull and dangerous to the subiects When I say misfortunes I meane none but such as cause the subiects to smart for to fall from a horse to breake a leg to be punished with a sharpe ague are no misfortunes to a Prince bicause he may be cured of them and peraduenture they may do him good and teach him wit but I call these misfortunes when God is so displeased with a Prince that he will no longer suffer him to raigne but shew his power and iustice vpon him For then first he weakeneth his wits which is a shrewd blowe for all those that haue to do with him he troubleth his house and suffereth it to fall into diuision and disquietnes and the Prince himselfe is so far in Gods disgrace that he flieth the counsell and companie of the wise and aduaunceth none but yoong fooles voide of wit oppressors flatterers and such as soothe him in all his sayings If he take one penie they bid him take two if he threaten a man they bid hang him and after that sort in all other actions Further they giue him counsell in any wise to cause himselfe to be feared and they also behaue themselues cruelly and proudly trusting by this meanes to hold men in awe of them as though authoritie were their inheritance Those whom such Princes by the aduise of these new Counsellors haue banished and displaced hauing serued many yeeres and being well acquainted and friended in their countrie will storme at this vsage and for their sakes their friends and well willers also and peraduenture such iniurie shall be offered them that they shall be forced either to defend themselues or to flie to some Prince their neighbor who perchance is enimy to him that banisheth and chaseth them and so by inward diuision stangers shall enter into the land Is any plague or miserie so great as wars betwixt friends and acquaintance Is any malice so ranke and deadly As touching forren enimies when the subiects are linked togither they may easily make resistance bicause their enimies haue no intelligence nor acquaintance in the realme Thinke you that an vnwise Prince being accompanied with fooles can smell a far off how great a mischiefe diuision among his subiects is or beleeue that it can hurt him or proceedeth of God he eateth and sleepeth no whit the woorse for it he hath neither fewer horses in his stable nor fewerrobes in his wardrobe but many mo companions For he allureth men vnto him by promises and by parting among them the spoiles and offices of those whom he hath banished he giueth also of his owne to win thereby fame and renowme but when he shall least thinke of it God will raise vp an enimie against him whom peraduenture he neuer mistrusted Then will he waxe pensiue and suspect those whom he hath iniuried yea he will feare such as indeede owe him no euill will yet notwithstanding he will not haue his refuge to God in this extremitie but seeke to redresse this inconuenience by force Haue we not seene in our daies examples heerof euen among our next neighbors Haue we not seene the late King of England Edward the fourth of that name heire of the house of Yorke vtterly destroy the house of Lancaster vnder the which both his father and he had liued many yeeres Further the said King Edward hauing done homage to King Henry the 6. being of the house of Lancaster did he not afterward hold him prisoner many yeeres in the tower of London the chiefe citie of the realme where in the end he was put to death Haue we not also seene the Earle of Warwicke principall gouernor of all the said King Edwards affaires after he had put to death all his enimies especially the Duke of Sommerset in the end become deadly enimy to his Master giue his daughter in mariage to the
Prince of Wales sonne to King Henry attempt to set vp againe the house of Lancaster passe with the said Prince into England discomfited in the field and slaine both he his brethren and kinsfolks and diuers other noble men of England who in times past had done the like to their enimies After all this the children of these when the world turned reuenged themselues and caused in like maner the others to die which plagues we may be assured hapned not but by the wrath of God But as before I said the realme of England hath this speciall grace aboue all other realmes and dominions that in ciuill wars the people is not destroied the towns be not burned nor razed but the lot of fortune falleth vpon the soldiers especially the gentlemen whom the people enuy to too beyond reason for nothing is perfect in this world After King Edvvard was quiet in his realme and receiued yeerely out of Fraunce fifty thousand crownes paid him in the tower of London and was growen so rich that richer he could not be he died suddenly as it were of melancholy bicause of our Kings mariage that now raigneth with the Lady Margaret the Duke of Austriches daughter For so soone as he was aduertised thereof he fell sicke and began then to perceiue how he had been abused touching the mariage of his daughter whom he made to be named the Lady Daulphinesse Then also was the pension which he receiued out of Fraunce taken from him which he called tribute although indeed it were neither the one nor the other as before I haue declared 10 K. Edward left by his wife two goodly sonnes one Prince of Wales the other D. of Yorke and two daughters The D. of Glocester his brother tooke vpon him the gouernment of his nephew the Prince of Wales being about ten yeeres of age and did homage to him as to his soueraigne Lord and lead him to London pretending that he would there crowne him King hoping by that meanes to get the other brother out of the Sanctuary at London where he was with his mother who began already to be iealous of his proceedings To be short by meanes of the Bishop of Bathe who hauing been somtime of K. Edwards Councell fell afterward into his disgrace and was put in prison and made to fine for his deliuerance the D. of Glocester executed this exploit which you shall now heare This Bishop aduertised the Duke that K. Edvvard being in loue with a certaine Lady promised hir mariage vpon condition that he might lie with hir wherunto she consented so far foorth that the said Bishop maried them togither none being present but they two and he himselfe Which matter this Bishop being a iolly courtier neuer disclosed during K. Edvvards life but caused also the said Lady to conceale it so that it was kept secret After this the said King falling againe in loue maried the daughter of an English knight called the Lord Riuers being a widow and mother of two sonnes But after K. Edvvards death this Bishop of Bathe reuealed this matter to the D. of Glocester whereby he egged him forward not a little to the executing of his mischieuous pretended enterprise For the said D. murthered his two nephewes crowned himselfe King by the name of Richard the third proclaimed his brothers two daughters bastards in open parlament tooke from them their armes and put to death all the faithull seruants of the late King his brother at the least as many as he could lay hands on But this cruelty remained not long vnpunished for when the said King Richard thought himselfe safest and liued in greater pride than any King of England did these hundred yeeres hauing put to death the Duke of Buckingham and hauing a great army in a readines God raised vp an enimy against him of no force I meane the Earle of Richmond then prisoner in Britaine but now King of England of the house of Lancaster though not This error of Commines touching K. Henry the 7. you shall finde controuled by the peâ—egree in the end of this booke the neerest to the crowne 11 whatsoeuer men say at the least so far as I can learne The said Earle told me a little before his departure out of this realme that from the fift yeere of his age he had liued continually like a prisoner a banished man And indeed he had been fifteene yeeres or therabout prisoner in Britaine to Duke Frances that last died into whose hands he fell by tempest of the sea as he fled into Fraunce accompanied with the Earle of Pembroke his vncle I my selfe saw them when they arriued for I was come of a message to the D. at the same time The Duke entreated them gently for prisoners after King Edwards death lent the said Earle great force of men a great nauie with the which he sent him hauing intelligence with the Duke of Buckingham who for this cause was afterward put to death to lande in England but the winde was against him and the seas so rough that he was forced to returne to Diepe and from thence by land into Britaine From whence soone after he departed with his band into Fraunce without taking leaue of the Duke partly bicause he feared to ouercharge the Duke for he had with him fiue hundred English men and partly bicause he doubted lest the Duke would agree with King Richard to his preiudice for he knew that King Richard practised with him to that ende Soone after the King that now is appointed three or fower thousand men to waft him ouer onely and deliuered those that accompanied him a good summe of money and certaine peeces of artillerie and thus passed he ouer in a ship of Normandie to land in Wales where he was borne King Richard foorthwith marched against him but a kinght of England called the Lord Stanley who was married to the Earles mother ioined himselfe with the Earle and brought vnto him at the least 26000. men 12 The battell was giuen King Richard slaine and the Earle crowned King in the field with the said Richards crowne Will you saie that this was fortune No no it was the iudgement of God and for further proofe thereof marke this also Immediately after the King had murthered his two nephews he lost his wife whom some say he murthered also Further he had but one onely sonne who died in like maner incontinent after this murther This example would haue serued better heereafter when I shall speake of King Edwards death for he was yet liuing at the time my former Chapter treateth of but I haue rehearsed it heere to continue my discourse which I am fallen into In like maner we haue seene of late the crowne of Spaine altered after the death of Dom Henry that last died For the said Dom Henry had to wife the King of Portugales sister last deceased by whom he had issue a goodly daughter which notwithstanding succeeded not hir father but was
bicause he was neere about him I asked his aduise whether I should presse forward the matter whereunto he earnestly perswaded me for al men desired to repaire home The King was in a garden and when I came to him I began to perswade with him as the daie before in presence of the Cardinall who answered me that it appertained to him being a church man to be the first moouer of the King to peace whereunto I replied that if he would not I would For I perceiued well that both the King and those that were neerest about him desired to returne home Then I tooke my leaue and at my departure told the Prince of Orenge who had the principall charge of the army that if I entred into any communication of peace I would addresse my selfe wholy to him This being done I tooke my iourney towards Casall where I was well receiued by the whole kinred of this house of Montferrat and found the greatest part of them inclined to the Lord Constantine whose gouernment was thought by them all most conuenient for the childrens safetie bicause he could pretend no title to the succession as the Marques of Saluce did I assembled by the space of certaine daies both the Nobles of the countrey the Spirituall men and the Burgesses of the good townes and at the request of them at the least the greatest part of them declared the Kings pleasure to be that the Lord Constantine should remaine gouernor For I was sure they would not withstande the Kings commandement both bicause of the force he had then on that side the mountaines and also bicause of the good affection the whole countrey beareth to the house of Fraunce About three daies after my arriuall at Casal the Marquesse of Mantua the Venetians Generall sent the steward of his house thither to condole the late deceased Marchionesse death for the said Marquesse was of kin to this house of Montferrat The same Steward and I entered into communication how we might agree these two armies without battell for both the parties disposed themselues to fight and the King lay in campe neere to Verceil but to say the truth he did but passe the riuer onely 2 and lodge his campe which was vtterly vnprouided of tents and pauilions for our men had brought foorth but few with them and those few also were lost Moreouer the ground was wet both bicause winter approched and bicause the countrey lieth low The King lodged in his campe but one night and the next day returned to the towne but the Prince of Orenge abode still with the army so did also the Earle of Foix and the Earle of Vendosme who fell into a fluxe there whereof he died which sure was great pitie for he was a goodly gentleman yoong and wise and was come thither in poste bicause the brute ran that there we should fight For you shall vnderstand that he had not beene with the King in this voiage into Italy Besides these the Marshall of Gie abode also in the campe and diuers other captaines but the greatest force were the Almaines that had beene with the King in this voiage for the French men would by no meanes lodge abrode the towne being so neere besides that diuers of them were sicke and many returned home some with leaue some without leaue Nouarre was distant from our campe ten great Italian miles containing six French leagues at the lest the way is cumbersome for the ground is tough and soft as in Flaunders bicause of ditches that are on both sides of the way much deeper than the ditches of Flaunders In winter the waies there are very foule and in sommer maruellous dustie Moreouer betweene our campe and Nouarre there was a little place which we held called Bourg about a league from vs and another that they held about a league from their campe called Camarian But the waters were risen so high that a man could hardly passe between vs and them The Marquesse of Mantuas steward aboue mentioned that was come to Casall and I continued still our communication of peace and diuers reasons I alleaged to him to perswade his Master to shun the battell First I put him in minde of the great danger he had beene in at Fornoue secondarily I told him that he fought for them that neuer had aduaunced him notwithstanding the great seruices he had done them wherefore his best way should be to incline to peace which I for my part promised to further on our side as much as in me lay He answered that his Master desired nothing more than peace but that we must make the first motion thereof as word had been sent me heertofore considering that their league that is to say the Pope the Kings of Romanes and Spaine the Venetians and the Duke of Milan were more woorthie than the King alone I answered that to make such a ceremonie about so small a trifle was meere follie notwithstanding if any ceremonie were to be obserued that the King ought to haue the preheminence and honor thereof considering that himselfe was there in person and the others had but their lieutenants there But to auoid all such fond cauillation I offered that he and I iointly as mediators if he so thought good would breake the yce so that I were sure his Master the Marquesse of Mantua would agree therunto and proceeded accordingly Whereupon we concluded that the next day I should send a trumpeter to their campe by whom I should write to Master Lucas Pisan and Master Melchior Treuisan the two Venetian Prouisors the which are officers appointed to consult with their captains and to prouide things necessarie for their armie According to the which resolution the next morning I writ vnto them the effect of that I had said before to the steward for I had good colour to continue still a mediator bicause I had promised so to do at my departure from Venice Besides that I was sure the King desired peace and me thought that also our affaires required it Lastly there are euer men ynow to breake off a good appointmēt but few that haue skil wil withal to trauel for the pacifying of so great a controuersie nor that will endure so many hard speeches as are vsed of them that deale in such affaires for in great armies all are not of one humor The said Prouisors were glad of these newes and promised that I should shortly haue answer of my letter whereof foorthwith they sent word to Venice in post and receiued answere with great expedition from the Seniorie and not long after sent an Earle that serued the Duke of Ferrara to our campe The said Duke had men in their armie for his eldest sonne was in pay with the Duke of Milan 3 but another of his sonnes with the King our Master This Earles name was Albertin and he pretended openly that the occasion of his arriuall was to visite Master Iohn Iames of Treuoul with whom he had a sonne
in seruice 4 He addressed himselfe to the Prince of Orenge according to the stewards agreement and mine at our departure from Casal and aduertised him that he had a commission from the Marquesse of Mantua the Prouisors and the other captaines of their armie to demaund a safe conduct for the said Marquesse and others to the number of fiftie horses to come and treate with such as it should please the King to appoint for they acknowledged that it was reason they should first come to the King and his Commissioners and declared also that they would do him that honor Afterward the said Earle desired to commune with the King apart which his request being granted he then counselled him not to make peace reporting our enimies armie to be in so great feare that shortly they would raise their siege depart by which words he seemed rather desirous to break off the treatie than to further it notwithstanding that his commission openly were such as you haue heard At this communication M. Iohn Iames of Treuoul was present who bicause he was great enimie to the Duke of Milan would also gladly haue broken off the treatie But aboue all others the Duke of Ferrara the said Earle Albertins Master being newly arriued at the Duke of Milans campe who had married his daughter desired war for he was great enimie to the Venetians bicause they withheld from him diuers countries namely the Polesan and others After the King had communed with this Earle he sent for me and debated with his Counsell whether he should grant this safe conduct or not Those that would gladly haue broken off the treatie as Master Iohn Iames and others who spake in fauor of the Duke of Orleans as they pretended desired the battell saying that they were sure the enimies would shortly dislodge bicause they starued for hunger but the greatest part of those that gaue this aduise were clergie men who would not haue been at the battell themselues Diuers others and my selfe among the rest were of the contrarie opinion saying that we should sooner starue for hunger than they being in their owne countrie And as touching their dislodging we answered that their force was too great to flie for feare of vs by that means to cast themselues away Wherfore these words we said proceeded of men that would haue vs fight hazard our liues for their particular quarrels To be short the safe conduct was granted and sent and promise made that the next day by two of the clocke at after noone the Prince of Orenge the Marshall of Gie the Lord of Piennes and my selfe should meete the said Marquesse and his collegues betweene Bourg and Camarian neere to a towne where they kept their watch to the end we might there commune togither According to the which appointment the next day thither we went accompanied with a good band of soldiers and there the said Marquesse of Mantua and a Venetian that had the charge of their Estradiots met vs 5 and gaue vs very courteous language saying that for their parts they desired peace Further we there concluded that to the end we might the more conueniently commune togither they should send certaine Commissioners to our campe and afterward the King certaine of his to them whereunto they agreed and sent vnto vs the next day on the Duke of Milans behalfe Master Francisco Bernardin Viscomte and with him one of the Marquesse of Mantuas Secretaries with whom we aboue named and the Cardinall of S. Malo began to negotiate They demanded Nouarre where the Duke of Orleans was besieged and we Genua saying that it was held of the King by homage and that the Duke of Milan had taken it by confiscation 6 Then they made their excuses saying that they had attempted nothing against the King but onely in their owne defence that the Duke of Orleans had taken the said citie of Nouarre with the Kings forces and had first mooued this war and further that they thought their Masters would neuer agree to such conditions but willingly do any other thing to content the King They were with vs two daies and afterward returned againe to their campe whither the Marshall of Gie Monseur de Piennes and I were sent after them to demand the said citie of Genua and as touching Nouarre we offered to deliuer it to the King of Romans men that were in their campe vnder the leading of Master George de Pietreplane and Master Frederick Capelare and one named Master Haunce For we could not succour it but by battell and that we desired not wherefore this offer we made to discharge our selues of it with honor for the Duchie of Milan is held by homage of the Emperor Diuers messengers ran to and fro betweene our campe and theirs but nothing was concluded Notwithstanding I lodged euery night in their campe for the Kings pleasure was that I should so do bicause he would breake off no ouerture In the end all we aboue named returned againe to them being accompanied with the President of Gannay and Moruillier Bailife of Amiens which two went with vs to pen the articles in Latin for hitherto I had negotiated with them in such bad Italian as I had Our order of proceeding was this When we arriued at the Dukes lodging he and the Duchesse came foorth to receiue vs at the end of a gallerie and then we entred all before him into his chamber where we found two long ranks of chaires set neere togither the one before the other in the one of the which they sate downe and we in the other They sate in this order first one for the King of Romanes then the ambassador of Spaine then the Marquesse of Mantua and the two Prouisors of Venice and an ambassador of Venice then the Duke of Milan and his wife and last of all the ambassador of Ferrara of their side none spake but the Duke alone and of our side but one But our maner is not to proceede so calmly nor so orderly as they for we spake somtimes two or three togither but then the Duke vsed to reclaime vs saying ho one to one When we came to pen our articles all that was agreed vpon was written by one of our Secretaries and likewise by one of theirs which also at our departure the two Secretaries read the one in Italian and the other in French and likewise at our next meeting as wel to the end that nothing should be altered as also for the more expedition and sure it is a good maner of proceeding in great and waightie affaires This treatie endured about fifteen daies or more but it was agreed the first day that the Duke of Orleans might depart out of the towne and the selfesame day we made truce which continued from day to day till the peace was concluded Moreouer the Marquesse of Mantua put himselfe in hostage into the Earle of Foix his hands rather for his owne pleasure than for any doubt we