[A.D. 1463.]
OF THE MANY DIFFERENT EVENTS THAT HAPPENED DURING THE COURSE OF THE ABOVE YEAR.—OF THE HARD FORTUNE OF MARGARET QUEEN OF ENGLAND.
On the 19th of April, this year, after Easter, died master Robert le Jeune, governor of Arras, aged ninety-two years. He began life as an advocate at Amiens, and was afterward retained of the counsel of king Henry V. of England, who made him a knight, and gave him great riches. After the death of king Henry, the duke of Burgundy made him bailiff of Amiens, in which office, he governed so partially, towards the duke and the English, that he put to death, by hanging, drowning, or beheading, upwards of nineteen hundred persons,—and many more of the French party, called Armagnacs, than of the other,—for which the populace of Amiens so much detested him that he dared not longer abide there, but went to Arras, of which place the duke of Burgundy made him governor! In whatever place he resided, he managed so well for his own interest that his two sons became great and rich lords. One of them was bishop of Amiens, and afterward bishop and cardinal of Therouenne, the richest of all the cardinals, but he died when only forty years old,—and it was said that his death was hastened by poison. The other son was a knight at arms, and a considerable landholder, who had the greater share of the government of the duchess of Burgundy's household, and afterward of that of her son the count de Charolois. The daughter of sir Robert le Jeune was nobly and richly married.
The 6th day of July, the duke of Burgundy came from Bruges to Lille, where he had not been since his severe illness the preceding year. The townsmen received him with greater honours than at any former time; for a procession of upwards of four hundred of them went out of the town to meet him, with lighted torches in their hands, not to mention the principal burghers who went out in numbers. The streets were all hung, and illuminated so brilliantly that it appeared like noon-day, and many pageants and mysteries were exhibited, although it was late, and the night very dark. In this state was the duke escorted to his hôtel.
Duke Philip, ever anxious to fulfil the vow which he had made in the town of Lille, in the year 1454, to attack the grand Turk, and drive him back to his own territories beyond the Straits of St George, would most cheerfully have gone thither in person, had he not feared that, during his absence, the king of France would attack and perhaps conquer his country. For this reason, therefore, he sent a notable embassy to pope Pius, the principal of which were the bishop of Tournay, the lord de Montigny, and the lord de Forestel, knights, to learn the will of the pope respecting his vow, which, as has been said, he was unable to accomplish, making offer, in lieu thereof, to send six thousand good combatants at his own costs and charges against the Turk, in any way the pope might be pleased to order.
I must mention here a singular adventure which befel the queen of England. She in company with the lord de Varennes and her son, having lost their way in a forest of Hainault, were met by some banditti, who robbed them of all they had. It is probable the banditti would have murdered them, had they not quarrelled about the division of the spoil, insomuch that from words they came to blows; and, while they were fighting, she caught her son in her arms and fled to the thickest part of the forest, where, weary with fatigue, she was forced to stop. At this moment, she met another robber, to whom she instantly gave her son, and said,—'Take him, friend, and save the son of a king.'
The robber received him willingly, and conducted them in safety toward the seashore, where they arrived at Sluys, and thence the queen and her son went to Bruges, where they were received most honourably. During this time, king Henry, her husband, had retired into the strongest parts of Wales.