The truce between France and Burgundy, which would have expired on the 4th of May, was prolonged until the 15th of the ensuing month of June. In the month of May, the duke of Calabria, nephew to the king of Jerusalem and Sicily, whom the king had honoured by promising him his eldest daughter in marriage, went from his duchy of Lorraine to the duke of Burgundy, to treat of a marriage with the duke's daughter, thus leaving the daughter of the king,—which astonished every one, that he should thus falsify his faith by neglecting a princess of France, to seek to unite himself with a daughter of Burgundy, a subject and vassal to the king of France. Prior to this, the duke of Burgundy had made a severe war on France, in favour of the duke of Guienne, and under pretence of giving him his daughter in marriage,—which he never accomplished, but acted quite contrary, and abused many others, under shadow of giving them his daughter.
On the 14th of May, an unfortunate accident happened to the church of Nôtre Dame of Clery, near Orleans, which the king had lately rebuilt, and covered with a handsome roof of carpentry, slates, and lead. A plumber at work on the roof had inadvertently come down leaving a fire, which had served to heat his soldering irons, unextinguished, which being blown by the wind, set the wood on fire, and the whole was burnt to the ground.
The king received, this day, certain intelligence by the lord de Malicorne, a confidential servant to the duke of Guienne, that his brother was dead, at Bordeaux. The lord de Craon, master Pierre d'Oriole, master Olivier le Roux, with other ambassadors to the duke of Burgundy, now returned, to inform the king what they had done, and of the truce they had prolonged to the 15th of June. During the truce, the duke, nevertheless, took the field with his army, and posted his park of artillery between Arras and Bapaumes, at a place called Hubuterne, in Artois.
The king, in consequence of the death of his brother being confirmed, departed from Plessis, near Tours, and proceeded toward Guienne, and appointed new officers in La Rochelle, St Jean d'Angeli, Bordeaux, and other places. He made the lord de Beaujeu, brother to the duke of Bourbon, governor of the duchy of Guienne.
The duke of Burgundy, still persevering in his wickedness, and mad attempts against France, sent his army before the town of Nesle[38], in which was captain for the king one called the Petit Picard, having under him five hundred franc-archers from the Isle of France. They endeavoured to gain it by storm, and make several furious attacks, but were gallantly opposed by Picard and his companions. The next day, about five in the morning, Picard, in company with the countess of Nesle, issued out of the town to meet the bastard of Burgundy, who commanded the army, and endeavoured to conclude a treaty.
But the bastard would only consent to the following terms of capitulation,—namely, that Picard and his men should be allowed to march away in safety, on surrendering the place, but leaving behind their arms and baggage. On Picard's return to Nesle, he told the franc-archers of the terms he had obtained; but though their lives were spared, they were to leave their horses, arms and baggage; when some of them immediately pulled off their armour, even before the terms were signed,—and, in this interval, the townsmen admitted the Burgundians, who notwithstanding the capitulation, charged these disarmed archers, and murdered all they could. A party fled for safety to the church of Nesle, but were followed by the Burgundians, and barbarously put to death. When this slaughter had been completed, the duke of Burgundy arrived, on horseback, and entered the church, which was half a foot deep of blood, from the poor creatures who there lay naked and dead. On looking around, he said, it was a fine sight! and he was glad to have with him such excellent butchers!!
The ensuing day, Saturday the 13th, the petit Picard and others that had been made prisoners, were ordered by the duke to be hanged,—and the town was razed and set on fire. On the morrow, the burgundian army marched from before Nesle to Roye, wherein were fourteen hundred of the company, and under the command of Pierre Aubert, bailiff of Melun and Nugnon. There were also other captains, such as Loiset de Belagny governor of Beauvais, the lord de Mouy, the lord de Rubempré, having full two hundred lances, well appointed. But notwithstanding the fortifications had lately been repaired and strengthened by the king, and the town well victualled, with plenty of artillery on the walls, they surrendered on the 16th, with the loss of all their horses, armour, baggage and artillery, to the detriment of the king of more than one hundred thousand golden crowns. They were obliged to march out naked all but their purpoints, with wands in their hands,—and the duke remained there a long time.
The duke marched from Roye, to lay siege to Beauvais, and arrived before it on the 27th of June, when he instantly began to attack it. In the course of that night, Guillaume de la Vallée, lieutenant to the seneschal of Normandy, entered the town with two hundred lances, which greatly succoured the garrison and inhabitants, for he arrived very opportunely as the Burgundians were recommencing their attack,—when, mounting the walls, they made them to retreat. On the morrow, there arrived, the lord de Crussol, Joachim Rohault, the company of the lord de Bueil, Guevin le Groing, the lord de Torcy, and other nobles from Normandy, to the amount of more than three hundred lances. They made a vigorous defence, and were strongly supported by the city of Paris, who sent thither a body of pioneers, with pickaxes, shovels, flour, wine, gunpowder, and plenty of all sorts of stores, which were of great relief to those in the town. Several sallies and skirmishes took place before the town, in which many Burgundians were killed and wounded.
At this time, a number of the inhabitants of Auxerre sallied out of their town on a foraging party, to collect cattle and whatever else they should find in the countries attached to the king, for the victualling of Auxerre, and advanced as far as Joigny, and Seignelay[39]. The bastard of Seignelay, the lord de Plancy, and others, to the number of three hundred, took the field to fight them,—and they no sooner came in sight than these gentlemen charged them so vigorously that eight score were killed, and four score made prisoners; the rest escaped by flight, or were drowned.
As the Burgundians had approached so near to Paris as Beauvais[40], sir Denis Hesselin, pantler to the king and provost of the merchants, made great preparations against them,—such as repairing the walls and the battlements, cutting deep and wide trenches, having the chains to barricade the streets in good order, walling up some of the gates, strengthening others, and causing abundance of cannon to be prepared.