'Given at Paris the last day but one of October, in the year of Grace 1413, and of our reign the 33d.' Signed by the king in his great council,—present the king of Sicily, the dukes of Berry, of Orleans, the counts de Vertus, d'Eu, de Richemont, de Vendosme, the constable of France, the archbishop of Sens, and several others. Countersigned, 'Gontier.'
This edict was proclaimed in Amiens the 15th day of December, in the same year.
The king was at this period busied in making some regulations respecting the coin, and in consequence issued an edict, which he ordered to be promulgated throughout the kingdom: the tenour of it was as follows:
'Charles, by the grace of God, king of France, to the bailiff of Amiens, or to his lieutenant, greeting.
'Know ye, that in order to provide for the security of the public welfare of our kingdom, and to obviate the great varieties of coins that for some time have had currency in our realm, we do ordain, after mature deliberation with our council, that a coin be struck of the form of deniers, called Gros, which shall be current for twenty deniers tournois, and of five sols to five deniers, the fourth part of a denier of the poids de marc of Paris,—and coins of half a gros and half a quarter of a gros, twenty sols six deniers tournois being the value of each,—also small crowns, of the value of fifteen sols tournois each. Those gros, half gros, quarter gros, which have been formerly coined, and blancs of ten deniers, and of five deniers, shall have currency with the new money.
'We therefore command and enjoin you to make this our will respecting the regulation of our coin as public as possible, so that no one may plead ignorance of it,—and you will cause this edict to be proclaimed in all the usual places of your bailiwick. You will observe its regulations without favour or affection to any one, and punish such as may act contrary thereto, that they may be examples to others.
'Given at Paris the 13th day of November in the year of Grace 1413, and of our reign the 33d.' It was thus signed by the king on the report of the council held in the chamber of accounts,—present the archbishop of Bourges, the bishop of Noyon, the members of the chamber of accounts, the officers of the treasury, the master and monoyers of the mint, and countersigned, 'Le Begue.'
It is true, that the king was fearful beyond measure of the peace being interrupted; and, anxiously desirous of preventing it from being infringed, he issued another edict much stronger than the preceding ones to all the bailiffs and seneschals in his kingdom.
'Charles, by the grace of God, king of France, to the bailiff of Amiens, or to his lieutenant, greeting.
'Whereas during the time we were last at Auxerre, through the Divine Providence, and great deliberation of council, we succeeded in the establishment of peace between some of the princes of our blood, and between our subjects, which was afterward confirmed in our good town of Paris. Our princes then faithfully promised to keep this peace without any way infringing it, or suffering it to be infringed by others.