The king of France had now summoned the count de St. Pol and the lord de Genly to appear in person before him, on the 15th day of November ensuing, wherever he might then be. The reason of this was currently said to be the different journies the lord de Genly had been remarked to make to the duke of Brittany, to conclude certain treaties between that duke and the count de Charolois, to oppose the king of France should he attempt hostilities against them; for they were in his ill favour, as was apparent from the duke of Brittany having all his places fortified, and his army ready prepared to resist an invasion of his country.
It was likewise said, that the duke of Bourbon and some other princes of France were in alliance with them against the king, on account of the strange manner in which he had treated them.
On the 15th of October, a blaze of light was seen in the heavens,—and it seemed that the clouds opened to show this blaze, for the space of time in which an Ave-Maria could be repeated, and then closed again: it ended with a long flaming tail before it vanished.
The bishop of Tournay returned, at this period, from the embassy on which the duke of Burgundy had sent him to pope Pius at Rome. He reported to the duke, that the pontiff depended on having forty thousand combatants to march against the Turk, which he would lead in person, and put on the cross against the infidels, in case the duke would accompany him with six thousand fighting men, and act under him as his general.
The duke was much rejoiced at this intelligence, and dispatched his letters to all those who had made the vow of going to Turkey, and to all his knights and vassals, to prepare themselves, and assemble at Bruges on the ensuing 15th day of December. On their arrival at Bruges, he had them informed, that it was his intention to march in person against the Turks and infidels, and to be at Aiquesmortes about the middle of next May to embark for the east,—but that he would assemble them again before his departure, to inform them in what manner he should settle the government of his country during his absence on this expedition.
On the 18th of December in this year, the marriage of the eldest son of the duke of Gueldres with a princess of Bourbon, sister to the countess of Charolois, was celebrated in the city of Bruges. They were both equally related to the duke of Burgundy: the bridegroom was the son of a daughter of the duke's sister, the duchess of Cleves, who had deceased about two months before,—and the bride a daughter of his sister, the duchess of Bourbon.
Many lords of the court tilted after the wedding dinner,—among whom the lord de Renty tilted with a young esquire of Picardy, called John, only son to David de Fremessent, who met with a sad misfortune, for he was hit by a splinter of a lance so severely on the head that he died.
On the same day, two other men lost their lives, from the great crowding at this tournament, which must be attributed to their own folly in not taking more care.
About this period, Godfrey, bishop of Alby and cardinal of Arras, waited on the king of France, whom, some little time before, it was said the king did not love: nevertheless, he now received him most handsomely. It was he who, a short time prior to this, had persuaded the king to abolish the pragmatic sanction, which had been established in France by the council of Basil. In return for this, the cardinal had promised the king certain things,—which, however, he failed to perform, and it is not known how he pacified the king. He had promised that the pope should send a legate to France to dispose of the benefices when vacant; that the money for fees should not be sent to Rome, nor carried out of the kingdom; but when the pope had gotten possession of the act for the abolition of the pragmatic sanction, he never thought more of sending a legate to France. The pope had this act of abolition dragged through the streets of Rome, to please the Romans, and published every where, that the Pragmatic was done away.
The report was, that the bishop of Alby had the red hat given him, and had been created cardinal for the pains he had taken to procure this abolition of the pragmatic sanction, which, in truth, was very detrimental to poor clerks and scholars; for it gave rise to numberless questions and examinations before any benefice could be obtained,—and the rich gained benefices from their being able to support the expenses of the suits, which the poorer clerks lost, whatever nominations they might have obtained.