CHAP. LXX.
DUKE PHILIP OF BURGUNDY CARRIES THE DAUPHIN TO BRUGES, WHERE HE IS JOYFULLY RECEIVED WITH MANY HONOURS.—OTHER EVENTS MENTIONED AND REPEATED.
Soon after Easter in this year, the duke of Burgundy, accompanied by the dauphin, set out from Brussels for Bruges, passing through the towns of Oudenarde and Courtray. In both these towns, the dauphin was received most honourably. Thence they proceeded to Bruges,—and the principal inhabitants, to the amount of eight hundred, very richly dressed, came out to meet them, with a great concourse of common people, to do honour to the dauphin, and to please their lord.
On the first day of July, in this year, a meeting was held between St Omer and Gravelines, by the count d'Estampes and the bastard of Burgundy, on the part of the duke of Burgundy, and the earl of Warwick for the king of England, to repress and check the enterprises of the English on several parts of the duke's territories. The matter was so well managed that a truce was settled between them for eight years.
The 10th of this month, the lady Charlotte of Savoy, daughter to the duke of Savoy, and married to the dauphin, was conducted to him in the town of Namur by the lord de Montagu, whom he had sent to escort her; and then the marriage was perfectly consummated,—for although they had been married five years, it was said that they had never lain together. Duke Philip was not then at Namur, but in Picardy, whither he had gone to learn the intentions of the towns on the Somme, namely, St Quentin, Corbie, Amiens, and Abbeville; for it had been rumoured that the king of France had raised a large army, but no one knew how he intended to employ it,—and it was also reported that the king was much displeased with the duke of Burgundy, for detaining his son (as he thought) against his will, and out of contempt to him. The duke had therefore gone to these towns, which belonged to him by the treaty of Arras, to put them on their guard, and to entreat them not to admit any men of arms that the king might send to their towns. But should the king come in person, they were to admit him with every honour, as their supreme lord. These requests the several towns willingly complied with.
About the end of this month of July, upward of two thousand houses were destroyed by fire in the town of Dordrecht in Holland: many persons were also burnt to death, which was a most melancholy case.
The latter end of August, a large body of French sailed from Normandy, giving out that they were going to aid the Scots against the English; but they made a descent near to Sandwich, which they took by storm, before the country could be raised to oppose them. They, however, only staid there one tide; for had they remained longer, they would not have returned, from the great numbers of English that were hastening thither from all quarters. The commander in chief of the French was the lord de Varennes, seneschal of Normandy; and new knights were made, to the number of twenty gentlemen,—among whom were Flocquet, Charlot de Mares, Porrus de Liques, and others. At this attack, three hundred English were killed, and about thirty French. They sailed back to Normandy with their plunder, which was very considerable.
Some short time before this, a party of Bretons had invaded the English coast, and burnt and pillaged some villages: they made no long stay, for the English assembled in force to destroy them, had they not departed.
In the month of September, of this year, the king of France sent the bishop of Constance and a few others, as his ambassadors to the duke of Burgundy at Brussels, to remonstrate with the duke on several matters, especially on the dauphin's remaining so long with him, to the great displeasure of the king.