Soon afterward, namely, on the 10th of October, the duke of Burgundy received letters from the king, to say, that he would come and see him at Hêdin on the following day. This same day, while at dinner, he had the information from his son of the imprisonment and confessions of the bastard de Reubempré, and also a warning that he was not safe at Hêdin. On hearing this, as soon as he had dined, he instantly mounted his horse, and rode off suddenly from Hêdin to St Pol, where he lay. His attendants followed him thither, leaving for the defence of the town and castle of Hêdin, sir Adolphus of Cleves and the lord de Crequy. The duke, nevertheless, ordered them, if the king came thither, to throw open the gates of the town and castle to him. But the king no sooner learnt that the duke had so suddenly quitted Hêdin than he departed from Abbeville; and the duke of Bourbon came to Lille, to the duke his uncle, passing through Hêdin. From Lille he waited on the count de Charolois at Ghent, and was nobly entertained, at Lille and Ghent, by the father and son.
FOOTNOTES:
[35] Ballenier,—a corsair—privateer. Du Cange, Gloss.
THE KING OF FRANCE SUMMONS DEPUTIES FROM THE TOWNS ON THE SOMME, AND FROM OTHER PLACES TO COME BEFORE HIM.—HIS HARANGUES TO THEM.—HE APPOINTS THE COUNT DE NEVERS GOVERNOR OF PICARDY,—AND SENDS AN EMBASSY TO THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY, AT LILLE.
The king, on his arrival at Rouen, summoned those of Tournay, and of all the towns regained on the Somme, to appear before him; and all of them sent deputies, excepting Cambray. He harangued them, by the mouth of his chancellor, on the reports that were current every where, through the territories of Burgundy, and which had vexed him exceedingly, that he had sent the bastard de Reubempré to Holland, to seize the count de Charolois and bring him to him, for which there was not any foundation. True it was, that the duke of Brittany was not so obedient to him as he ought to have been, and had sent his vice-chancellor to England, to form an alliance with his ancient enemies the English, which he should not have done without his permission; and for this reason he had sent the bastard de Reubempré into Holland, to seize the vice-chancellor of Brittany (if it could be done) as he was returning from England through Holland.
He added, that a preacher had publicly declared from the pulpit at Bruges, where Christians assemble from all parts of the world, that he had purposely sent the said bastard to lay hands on the said count, a thing he had never once thought of, and it was his intention to punish most severely all who should spread tales so disgraceful to his honour.
The chancellor concluded by telling them, that the king had thus called them together, to inform them, that he had appointed the count de Nevers his lieutenant and captain-general of all the lately-regained countries, as far as the river Loire, to oppose his ancient enemies, should they make any attempts to invade his kingdom, commanding them, at the same time, to yield obedience to the count de Nevers, as to his own proper person. After this harangue, the deputies returned home again.