THE VARIOUS ACCOUNTS OF THE SUCCESS OF THE BATTLE OF MONTLEHERY THAT WERE REPORTED IN DIVERS PLACES.
Of those who fled from the battle of Montlehery at the beginning of the engagement, and could not know the event, some crossed the river Oise, and proclaimed that the count de Charolois had been totally routed: others passed by Compiègne, one of whom told the count de Nevers, that indeed the van of the royal army had been thrown into confusion at the beginning, but that the king was victorious,—and that the count de St Pol and the lord de Hautbourdin were slain. He said, that he was ignorant whether the count de Charolois or his brother, the bastard, were killed or taken.
This news was immediately written to the duke of Burgundy, by the governor of Mondidier; and as the messenger passed through Arras, the intelligence of the count's defeat was soon spread all over the country, which caused much sorrow and lamentation,—for they were ignorant how to act.
When the lord de Saveuses heard it at Corbie, he set out for Bray sur Somme, and told the lord de Roubais, the governor, to guard it well,—and, if he had not a sufficient garrison, he would send him men enough. He then departed for Bapaumes, attended by about twenty archers; but at first he was refused admittance, which so irritated him that he said, if they did not instantly open the gate, he would enter by force. On hearing this, they admitted him. This refusal surprised many, for Bapaumes legally belonged to the duke of Burgundy, as part of the county of Artois.
From Bapaumes, the lord de Saveuses went to Arras, where he assembled the inhabitants, and remonstrated with them on the necessity there was for the well guarding the town, and to raise men for the defence of the country, and succour their lord with the utmost possible diligence,—offering, that if they would lend him twenty thousand francs on the security of his lands, he would immediately employ them to subsidize troops for the assistance of the count de Charolois, and for the security of the country. Notwithstanding this generous offer, he could not find any one that would lend him money on these or on other terms: he, however, assembled as many men as he could,—so that they amounted to four or five hundred, horse and foot, well equipped.
For these exertions, the duke of Burgundy sent him letters-patent, appointing him governor general of all Artois, and ordered the whole of the towns within the castlewick of Lille to send to him every man capable of bearing arms,—by which means, in less than fifteen days, he had with him more than two thousand combatants, but the greater part were infantry.
The lords de Roubais, de Fosseux, and others who had the guard of Bray, having heard of the proceedings of the lord de Saveuses, abandoned Bray, and joined him, who blamed them much for having quitted their garrison, so that several of them returned thither in less than eight days, when different intelligence was brought them.
The governor of Compiègne no sooner heard of the defeat of the count de Charolois than he assembled a body of troops, and took the town of Sainte Maixence, and thence went to attack Roye; but the lord du Fay, the governor, defended it so valiantly that they made no impression, and lost many of their men,—but on their marching off, they said they would soon return again with a larger force. This caused the garrisons of Roye and of Mondidier to send in haste to the duke of Burgundy for succour,—when the lord de Saveuses sent them as many men as he could spare, having detachments at Bray and elsewhere.
While these things were passing, the rivers Seine and Oise were so strictly guarded by the French that no one could cross them with letters or baggage without being stopped and plundered by them,—so that by this means no true intelligence of the battle of Montlehery was known until some carmelite monks and preaching friars had passed these rivers in a boat, and brought the real history of the event of this engagement, by publishing that the count de Charolois had gained the honour and victory!