FOOTNOTES:
[44] I am obliged to my friend, the Rev. W. Shepherd, for the translation of these verses.
[CHAP. XXXIV.]
KING HENRY EMBARKS AT CALAIS FOR ENGLAND, WHERE HE IS JOYFULLY RECEIVED ON HIS LATE SUCCESSES.—THE COUNT DE LA MARCHE GOES TO ITALY.
On the 6th day of November, when king Henry had refreshed his army in Calais, and when those prisoners who at Harfleur had promised to meet him there were arrived, he embarked for Dover. The sea on his passage was very rough, so that two vessels full of sir John de Cornewall's men were in great danger; and some of the fleet were driven to different parts in Zealand, but none of them were lost.
The king of England, on his return home from such a victory, and his conquest of Harfleur, was most joyfully received by the nobles, clergy, and all ranks of men: he proceeded to London, accompanied by the french princes his prisoners. A little before this unfortunate battle, sir James de Bourbon, count de la Marche, had gone to Italy, magnificently attended, and had married queen Johanna of Naples, and thus acquired the kingdoms of Sicily and Naples: indeed, he for some time held quiet possession of them. He appointed sir Lourdin de Salligny his constable; and one of his captains was sir Here de Bruneul, lord de Thiembronne.
[CHAP. XXXV.]
THE KING OF FRANCE AND HIS PRINCES ARE MUCH GRIEVED ON HEARING THE MELANCHOLY EVENT OF THE BATTLE OF AZINCOURT.—OF THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY,—AND OTHER MATTERS.
When news was brought to Rouen of the unfortunate loss of the battle of Azincourt, and the deaths of so many noble persons, the king of France and the princes with him were in the utmost consternation and grief. Nevertheless, within a very few days, at a council held in the presence of the king, the dukes of Acquitaine, Berry, and Brittany, the count de Ponthieu his youngest son, and some of his ministers, the count d'Armagnac was nominated constable of France, and orders were dispatched to him in Languedoc, for him instantly to come to the king.
Duke John of Burgundy was in that duchy when he heard of the defeat and loss of the French. He, like the others, was much grieved thereat, particularly for the death of his two brothers, the duke of Brabant and the count de Nevers. Notwithstanding his sorrow, he made preparation to march a large force of men at arms to Paris without delay; but as the report of his intentions had reached the king at Rouen, he, with the princes, hastened to return thither before the duke should arrive, and came there on the eve of St Catherine's day.
In company with the duke of Burgundy were the duke of Lorraine and ten thousand men.
The Parisians, suspecting the object of the duke in this expedition, sent a solemn embassy to the queen of France at Melun, where she lay dangerously ill; but, in consequence of the information she received, she caused herself to be carried in a litter to Paris, where she was lodged in the hôtel d'Orleans with the duchess of Acquitaine, daughter to the duke of Burgundy.
True it is, that the Parisians, and some of the king's ministers who had been favourable to the Orleans faction, against that of Burgundy, were very much alarmed, because the duke had in his company many who had been banished France, such as sir Helion de Jacqueville, sir Robinet de Mailly, master Eustace de Lactre, master John de Troyes, Caboche, Denisot de Chaumont, Garnot de Sanction and several more. They therefore prevailed on the king and the duke of Acquitaine to order sir Clugnet de Brabant, the lord de Barbasan and the lord de Bocquiaux, to hasten to Paris with a sufficient body of men at arms for its defence, and for the security of the duke of Acquitaine.
The count d'Armagnac was again commanded to push forward to Paris as speedily as possible, and with as many men at arms as he could raise.
The duke of Burgundy, on his march thither, passed through Troyes and Provins, to Meaux in Brie, where he was refused admittance by orders from the duke of Acquitaine and the council, who had written to the governor on no account to suffer him to enter the town, which displeased him much. Upon this he proceeded to Lagny sur Marne, and quartered himself in the town, and his men in the country around, which suffered severely from them.
On the other hand, many captains had raised their forces in Picardy, namely, sir Martelet de Mesnil, Ferry de Mailly, the brothers Hector and Philippe de Saveuses, sir Mauroy de St Leger, sir Payen de Beaufort, Louis de Varigines, and others. They despoiled all the country they marched through by Pont St Mard to Lagny, whither the duke of Burgundy had summoned them. His army was so much increased that it now amounted to twenty thousand horse.
The king of Sicily, knowing that he was not beloved by the duke of Burgundy for having sent back his daughter, left Paris in an ill state of health, and went to Angers; but before his departure, he was desirous of submitting their differences to the king and his council, provided he should be heard in his defence. The duke of Burgundy would not listen to his proposal, and returned for answer, to those who had brought the offer, that for the wrongs and disgrace the king of Sicily had done to him and his daughter, he would have his revenge when time and opportunity should serve.
While he remained at Lagny sur Marne, he sent to the king and council at Paris, sir John de Luxembourg, the lord de St George, and other able counsellors, to explain fully the cause of his coming, and to request that he and his men might be admitted peaceably into Paris for the security of his royal person. No other reply was made to this, but that the king would shortly send an answer to their lord the duke of Burgundy. John de Vailly, president of the parliament, with others of the council were dispatched to the duke; but after various embassies and conferences, he could not prevail on the king or the Parisians to admit him into the capital. They told him, that if he would consent to enter Paris simply as the duke of Burgundy, with his usual attendants, the king and council would not object to it; but this the duke would not do, for he knew that those who governed the king were his mortal enemies, and he would not trust his person with them.
[CHAP. XXXVI.]
THE PARISIANS AND MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PARIS WAIT ON THE DUKE OF ACQUITAINE TO PROPOSE CERTAIN MEASURES OF PUBLIC SAFETY. THE DEATH OF THE DUKE OF ACQUITAINE.—THE ARRIVAL OF THE CONSTABLE IN PARIS.
The Parisians, and principally those of the university, seeing the discords and quarrels daily increase between the princes of the blood, to the ruin and the overturning of the kingdom, and the destruction of the people, went one day in a body to the duke of Acquitaine; and in the presence of the duke of Berry, the count de Penthievre, and several nobles and prelates, demanded an audience, and liberty to state their grievances. Having obtained this, the first president of the parliament began an oration, choosing for his text, 'Domine salva, nos perimus,' from the gospel of St Matthew: 'Lord save us, or we perish.' He very clearly and eloquently pointed out the various grievances the nation was labouring under, and named several evil doers, who were endeavouring to throw the kingdom into confusion by harrassing and oppressing the people.
When he had ended, the duke of Acquitaine instantly swore, on the word of a king's son, that henceforth all evil doers, whatever might be their rank, should be indiscriminately punished according to their crimes; that justice should be impartially administered, and the clergy and people be maintained in peace.
On this, they departed, perfectly satisfied with the answer of the duke of Acquitaine; but he had not time to carry his intentions into execution, for a few days after he was seized with a fever, and died on the 18th of December, in the hôtel de Bourbon.
His death occasioned many tears and lamentations among numbers of the nobility, and his servants; and it was reported to have been caused by poison,—for which reason, his body was kept in a leaden coffin four days at the above hôtel. The different orders of clergy came thither to pray beside it; after which, it was carried to St Denis, and interred near to his royal ancestors.
Eight days afterward, the count d'Armagnac, who had been sent for by the council, arrived at Paris to receive the investiture of his constableship, by receiving from the king the sword of constable, and taking the usual solemn oaths. He thanked the king for the high honour he had conferred on him.
The new constable had now a force of six thousand combatants at least, including those whom he found in Paris, and very shortly dispatched Raymonnet de la Guerre with four hundred helmets to garrison St Denis, and defend it against any attack from the duke of Burgundy. He strengthened in like manner other towns on the Seine, and had all the bridges and ferries destroyed.
The king, at this period, filled up the vacant offices caused by the misfortune at Azincourt, and appointed Jean de Corssay, a native of Berry, master of the cross-bows of France; sir Thomas de Lersies, bailiff of the Vermandois, and the lord de Humbercourt, bailiff of Amiens; the lord d'Aunay, a native of la Rochelle, to the same office at Senlis; sir Mansart d'Asne, bailiff of Vitry, and sir Brunet de Bans to the same at Tournay, with very many others.
[CHAP. XXXVII.]
THE DUKE OF BRITTANY ARRIVES AT PARIS. THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY LEAVES LAGNY SUR MARNE.—THE CAPTURE OF SIR MARTELET DU MESNIL AND FERRY DE MAILLY.
The duke of Brittany at this time came to Paris to treat with the king, that the duke of Burgundy with his army might march into Brittany, but he was unsuccessful. Before he departed from Paris, he was violently enraged against sir Taneguy du Châtel, provost of Paris, and abused him much, because he had imprisoned in the Châtelet the minister of the Mathurins, a doctor of theology, for having, in his presence, harangued the populace in favour of the duke of Burgundy. In a few days, however, he gave him his free liberty.
When the duke of Burgundy had remained at Lagny sur Marne six weeks without having been able to prevail on the king and his council to permit him to enter Paris any otherwise than in his simple state, he marched away to Dampmartin, thence toward Rheims, and through the Laonnois, Tierrache and Cambresis, to the town of Douay, and thence to Lille. He was, all the time, accompanied by a strong body of men at arms, who much oppressed the poor people on their march.
On his departure from Lagny, some of the king's soldiers advanced to Pont à Vaire, and slew and made prisoners many of his men, at which he was highly displeased. From his long residence at Lagny, the Parisians, and others attached to the king, called him, in common conversation, Jean de Lagny. After some short stay at Lille, he went to visit his nephews in Brabant, namely, John and Philip, sons to the late duke Anthony of Brabant, taking with him Philippe Maisne, by whom he governed that country. He appointed officers to those places in the counties of Ligny and St Pol, that had been formerly held by count Waleran de St Pol, maternal grandfather to these children.
When he was returned to Flanders, he ordered the lord de Fosseux, governor of Picardy, to cause his captains and their men at arms to retire from his territories of Artois and the adjoining lands; and, as many of these captains harrassed the king's subjects, Remonnet de la Guerre, the provost of Compiegne and the lord de Bocquiaux, the king's governor of the Valois, secretly assembled, on the night of the 24th of January, a number of men at arms, and surprised the quarters of sir Martelet du Mesnil and Ferry de Mailly, in the country of Santerre[45], where they had posted full six hundred men among the villages, who made havoc on all the country round about. Excepting such as escaped by flight, they were all slain or made prisoners: among the last were the two captains, sir Martelet du Mesnil and Ferry de Mailly, who were carried to Compiegne.
On the day of the Purification of the Virgin Mary, the said sir Martelet and four other gentlemen, after having been tortured by the king's officers, were hung on the gibbet of Compiegne; but Ferry de Mailly, through the intercession of friends, obtained his free deliverance.