Page 128. last line. Butchers] Audi alteram partem. "The duke of Burgundy sent a trumpet to the inhabitants of Nesle commanding them to open their gates to him. They ask a truce for a few days to consult concerning the terms of capitulation to be proposed. But leave being granted, while the business was still in agitation, they rise upon the duke's trumpeter and his companions and murder them when peaceably walking in the streets. Moved to excessive anger by this act of treachery, the duke commands the lady of Nesle to quit the place, and no sooner was she departed than he gave orders for a general massacre." Heuterus. Thus, though the historian of Burgundy admits the massacre, (stating at the same time a provocation by which it is almost justified) he says not a word about the violation of sanctuary, or about the savage expressions which the duke is here said to have uttered.
Page 130. line 11. Lord de Crussol.] Charles de Crussol, seneschal of Poitou, grand pannetier, and knight of St Michael; one of the few servants of Louis who were faithful to the king without abusing their trusts. He was made governor of Dauphiné the ensuing year and died soon after. As grand pannetier he was succeeded by his son James de Crussol, and in his new government by John de Daillon seigneur du Lude. Du Clos. In Morery he is called Louis.
Page 145, line 6 from the bottom. Lord de l'Escou.] Should be Odet Daidie, lord de Lescun. He has been mentioned before in the course of this work. As bailiff of the Cotentin he rendered considerable services to the crown in the wars of Charles VII. Among the sweeping changes made by Louis on his accession, Lescun was deprived of his office and retired into Bretagne where he was much in the confidence of the duke and also of the unfortunate duke of Guienne. But it does not appear that in a single instance he acted contrary to the interests of the crown. He has been charged by some writers with (and sometimes as an instrument, at others as a principal in) the supposed poisoning of the king's brother. But besides that there is no good reason to believe that this prince was poisoned at all, it is not consistent with any other action of Lescun's life to imagine him in any manner concerned in such an act of villainous iniquity. He was afterwards in favour with the king who gave him the county of Comminges on the death of the bastard d'Armagnac; and this, perhaps, was the only motive for the absurd suspicion.
Page 147. line 6 from the bottom. Count d'Armagnac.] John V. count of Armagnac, whose life was but a tissue of crimes, of murder, incest, and treason. His sister he seduced, and afterwards pretended to make his wife, under circumstances of scandalous imposition. He was killed by a soldier named Gorgia whom the king afterwards promoted to the office of archer de la garde. A writer of the reign of Charles VIII. pretends that he was assassinated while the treaty was on foot; but the present account seems to contradict that report. See Du Clos.
Page 148. line 2 from the bottom. John Joffroy then bishop of Alby.] Joffredy. See note, vol. x. p. 139.
Page 149. line 10 from the bottom. Count d'Albret.] Charles d'Albret lord of St Basile, commonly called le cadet d'Albret. It seems there was sufficient proof of his guilt; but James de Lomagne lord of Montignac, the governor of Leitoure, though the principal person concerned in the same transactions, was pardoned in consideration of the testimony he could produce against others.
Page 153. line 6. Duchy of Lorraine.] Nicholas, only son of John duke of Calabria (who died, greatly regretted for his princely virtues, three years before) and grandson of René king of Sicily. For some time before his death, this young prince had been in treaty with the duke of Burgundy, for a marriage with Mary his only daughter and presumptive heir to his vast dominions. This negotiation was most obnoxious to Louis; and the interruption of it by the young man's death just then when there appeared to be no farther obstacle to its accomplishment gave occasion to the suspicion of another poisoning which on some accounts seems to be attended with greater probability than that to which the death of the king's brother was attributed. By the death of this duke of Calabria, the male line of René became extinct and the inheritance of Lorraine passed to Iolante the daughter of René who by her marriage with Frederic count of Vaudemont (dead in 1470) had issue René count of Vaudemont and afterwards duke of Lorraine; whom the duke of Burgundy (probably enraged at the failure of his hope of uniting the duchies of Burgundy and Lorraine by the marriage of his daughter) imprudently as well as unjustly contrived to make prisoner as related in the text; but he was very shortly obliged to set him at liberty.
Page 154. line 6. It.] The cause of this expedition was briefly as follows. Some years before, Adolphus the son of Arnold duke of Gueldres rebelled against his father, deposed and imprisoned him and took possession of his estates. Complaint of this outrage being made at the papal and imperial courts, the duke of Burgundy was appointed umpire and awarded to the old duke a portion only of the hereditary state for his maintenance, with which he seemed to be well satisfied. His son on the contrary swore "that he would rather throw the old man into a well and himself afterwards than acquiesce in such a sentence." Justly indignant at this monstrous ingratitude, the duke upon this deprived the unnatural villain of his estates which he thereupon purchased of the father at the price of 92,000 florins. Arnold died five years afterwards, having by his last will disinherited his son and confirmed his sale to the duke of Burgundy. The duke of Juliers however, had some claims to the succession which it was more difficult to compromise; and these, together with the opposition made by some of the towns of Guelderland and Zutphen to the duke's possession involved him in an expensive and sanguinary warfare. Du Clos.
Page 190. line 19. Lord de L'isle.] Qu. William de l'Isle lord of Marivaux, &c. maître d'hôtel to the cardinal of Bourbon in 1484, who died in 1511.
Page 190. line 5 from the bottom. Count de Joigny.] John de Châlons lord of Viteaux was second son of John, and brother of Louis prince of Orange. He married Jane sister and heir of Louis de la Tremouille, count of Joigny who died s. p. in 1467; and his eldest son by this lady had the title of count de Joigny in right of his mother.