It used to be said that this diamond was called cent-six, from weighing 106 carats. I believe the emperor Napoleon has it attached to his sword.
[64] Count de Campo Basso. 'Every author who mentions him calls him by this name; but his true one was Nicholas de Montfort. He probably descended from some lord of the house of Montfort l'Amaury, several of whom established themselves in the kingdom of Naples, and took the title of Campo Basso from lands situated in the province of Molissa of that kingdom. Cifron, maitre d'hôtel to the duke of Lorraine, when made prisoner by the duke of Burgundy, who caused him to be hanged, would have told him of the intended treachery of Campo Basso, but he would not hear him. Louis XI. informed him that Campo Basso was a traitor; but he refused to believe it, thinking it only a device of the king to gain Campo Basso to his service.'—Comines.
[A.D. 1476.]
CHAP. XXI.
THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY BORROWS MONEY TO RAISE FORCES TO RETALIATE ON THE SWISS FOR HIS LATE ILL SUCCESS.—THE ARRIVAL OF THE KING OF SICILY AT LYON, WHERE THE KING OF FRANCE THEN WAS.—WHAT PASSED BETWEEN THEM.—OF THE SENESCHAL OF NORMANDY, WHO MURDERED HIS WIFE AND HIS HUNTSMAN FOR ADULTERY.—THE DUKE OF LORRAINE OPPOSES THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY AT MORAT IN SWISSERLAND, AND IN THE COUNTY OF ROMONT[65].—THE KING OF FRANCE MAKES SEVERAL PILGRIMAGES.—THE DUKE OF LORRAINE RECOVERS THE TOWN OF NANCY.—THE KING OF PORTUGAL ARRIVES IN FRANCE.—OTHER EVENTS THAT TOOK PLACE IN THE YEAR ABOVE MENTIONED.
In the month of May, in this year, the duke of Burgundy, smarting from the defeat at Granson, was more eager than ever to be revenged on the Swiss and Germans, and determined to lay siege to the town of Strasbourg; but this he was unable to do without reinforcements of men, and without obtaining a loan of money from his different towns. To succeed in this business, he dispatched his chancellor, master William Gounet, and other delegates to the number of twelve, to the principal towns under his government, to relate to them his distress from the defeat at Granson, and to express his determination to be revenged on the Swiss, which induced him to apply to them for money and men. He wanted them to advance him a sixth part of their property, and six men each town, one of whom was to be equipped in armour.
The towns in Ghent, Bruges, Brussels, Lille, and the estates of Flanders, replied to this application from the delegates, that in regard to the duke of Burgundy, whom they considered as their natural lord, if he were hardly oppressed by the Germans, or had not a sufficiency of men to return to his own country in safety, they would expose their lives and fortunes in the bringing of him home; but in respect to continuing the war, they had resolved not to afford him any further assistance in men or money.
In this interval, the king of France had made Lyon his chief residence, making good cheer; and thither came to him his uncle the king of Sicily, to whom he gave a cordial reception on his arrival, carrying him to see the fair and the handsome citizens' wives and daughters of Lyon. Thither also came a cardinal, nephew to the pope, who had committed some outrages against the king at Avignon, and also against the archbishop of Lyon legate from the pope. The cardinal waited some time for an audience,—but at length the disputes between him, the king, and the archbishop, were amicably settled.
At the same time, the king of Sicily entered into engagements with the king, that the county of Provence after his decease, should revert, with all its rights and privileges, to the king, and be united for ever to the crown. In return for this, queen Margaret of England daughter to the king of Sicily, and widow of Henry VI. was released from her imprisonment by the king of France who paid king Edward fifty thousand golden crowns for her ransom. In consequence, queen Margaret joined in the cession of the county of Provence to the king after her father's death, on having a sufficient pension secured to her annually for her life.
On the 13th day of June, the seneschal of Normandy, count of Maulevrier, and son to the late sir Pierre de Brézé, killed at the battle of Montlehery, went to the village of Romiers, near Dourdan, which belonged to him, for the sake of hunting. He took with him his lady, the princess Charlotte of France, natural daughter of the late king Charles VII. by Agnes Sorel. After the chace, when they were returned to Romiers to sup and lodge, the seneschal retired to a single-bedded room for the night. His lady retired also to another chamber,—when, moved by her disorderly passions (as the husband said), she called to her a gentleman from Poitou, named Pierre de la Vergne, who was head huntsman to the seneschal, and made him lie with her. This was told to the seneschal by the master of his household, called Pierre l'Apothicaire; when he instantly arose, and, taking his sword, broke open the door of the chamber where his lady and the huntsman were in bed. The huntsman started up in his shirt,—and the seneschal gave him first a severe blow with his sword on the head, and then thrust it through his body, and killed him on the spot. This done, he went into an adjoining room where his children lay; and, finding his wife hid under the coverlid of their bed, dragged her thence, by the arms, along the ground, and struck her between the shoulders with his sword. On her raising herself on her knees, he ran his sword through her breast, and she fell down dead. He sent her body for interment to the abbey of Coulons, where her obsequies were performed,—and he caused the huntsman to be buried in the garden of the house wherein he had been killed.