In the center division were the king of Sicily and the dukes of Acquitaine and of Orleans, followed by a very considerable body of men at arms. The rear battalion was commanded by the count d'Armagnac, Louis Bourdon and the lord de Gaule, who, like the other commanders, rode all three in front of their men. The whole was estimated at eleven thousand horse. On their coming to the town-house, a trumpet was sounded, when the chancellor of Acquitaine made his appearance, and, by orders of the duke, told the people of Paris, who were following them, that he, as eldest son and heir to the king and kingdom of France, thanked them for their loyalty and affection, which they had now shown to him, and that he hoped they would exert themselves to the utmost of their power to oppose the duke of Burgundy in his wicked projects, who, in defiance of the king's positive commands, and in violation of the peace, had marched an armed force into the heart of the realm; that he affirmed and assured them, that he had never sent for him, nor written to him to come to Paris, notwithstanding he had declared he had received letters from him to the above purport.
The chancellor then asked the duke if he would vouch for what he had said, who replied, that he would vouch for it, as he had spoken nothing but the truth. After this had been said, they marched away in the same order as before, to the Place du Croix du Tiroir, where they again halted, when the chancellor from horseback, in front of the duke of Acquitaine, repeated to the numerous populace there assembled what he had before said in the Place de Gréve, which speech was again avowed by the duke of Acquitaine, after which he retired to the Louvre. The duke of Orleans went to the priory of St Martin des Champs, the king of Sicily to the bastille of St Anthony, the count of Armagnac and Louis Bourdon to the hôtel d'Artois, and the others elsewhere. Shortly after, the duke of Berry came from his hôtel de Neelle to visit the duke of Acquitaine in the Louvre, and thence retired to the Temple, where he and his men had their quarters. The different lords went diligently about the streets of Paris to check any tumults that might arise,—and they had all the gates closed excepting those of St Anthony and of St James.
Notwithstanding they were so numerous in men at arms, they were very fearful of the populace rising against them, in favour of the duke of Burgundy, more especially those who lived in the quartier des Halles.
The duke of Burgundy advanced from Dampmartin to St Denis, which was open to him, for the inhabitants had fled. He there quartered his whole army, and lodged himself at the hôtel of the Sword. His force might consist of full two thousand helmets, knights and esquires, from Artois, Picardy, Flanders, Rethel and Burgundy, with from two to three thousand combatants, archers, cross-bows and armed varlets. He was accompanied by sir John de Luxembourg, with all the vassals of his uncle the count Waleran de St Pol.
On the third day after the duke of Burgundy's arrival at St Denis, he sent his king at arms, Artois, to Paris, bearing letters to the king, the queen, the duke of Acquitaine, and the commonalty of the town,—in which he requested that they would permit him to wait on them, to explain the cause of his thus coming to St Denis, which, he said, was only with good intentions, no way to make war, nor to demand redress from any person, but solely in obedience to the commands of the duke of Acquitaine, whom he was bound to serve and obey.
When the king at arms arrived at the gates of Paris, he was led to an hôtel,—when shortly after, a man came to him, whom he did not know, and told him to make haste to quit the town, or his person would be rudely treated. Perceiving that he should not be heard, nor allowed to deliver his letters, he was mounting his horse, when the count d'Armagnac advanced and said to him, that should he or any others come again to Paris from the duke of Burgundy, he would have their heads cut off. Upon this, he returned to his lord the duke of Burgundy, at St Denis, and related to him all that had passed, and how rudely he had been dealt with, which so much displeased the duke that he resolved, by the advice of his council, to march thither in person with his whole force.
On the morrow morning, therefore, the army was drawn up in the fields in battle-array as if they were about to engage an enemy, and thus marched to the gate of St Eustache, which was closed; and there they remained in battle-array for a considerable space, which was a handsome sight. The duke again sent his king at arms to the gate of St Honoré, which was also closed, to demand from those stationed over the gate that four of his most confidential knights, who were near at hand to the king at arms, might be admitted with him, to explain the causes of his coming, which tended to nothing but a solid peace. He was answered by those above the gate, that if he did not speedily withdraw, they would discharge bolts and arrows at him,—adding, that they would have nothing to say to the duke of Burgundy nor to his knights. Upon this, they retired to the army.
During this time, Enguerrand de Bournouville, with about four hundred combatants, had dismounted, and, with the standard of the duke, had advanced to the gate of St Honoré, to see if he could do any thing; for they had great hopes that the populace would rise in sufficient force to give them entrance through one of the gates, which, however, did not happen.
Enguerrand, nevertheless, said a few words to Bourdon, who was over the gate, but who made him no reply; and, finding nothing was to be done, he retreated to the main body. In his retreat, some cross-bows were discharged at him, and one of his men was wounded, although neither himself nor any of his companions had shown the least offensive intentions, by arrows or otherwise, against those of Paris,—for it had been forbidden them by the duke out of respect to the king and the duke of Acquitaine.
The duke, seeing the matter hopeless, marched his army back to St Denis, and caused letters to be written, which, during the night, some of his partisans affixed to the doors of the church of Nôtre Dame, of the palace, and elsewhere in Paris. He sent copies also to the principal towns in France, the tenour of which was as follows.