The duke of Burgognie commeth in hast to the king of England.
Abr. Fl. ex Edw. Hall. fol. Ccxxxj.
When the duke of Burgognie heard that there was a peace in hand betwixt king Edward and the French king, he came in no small hast from Lutzenburg, onelie accompanied with sixteene horsses into the king of Englands lodging, and began as one in a great chafe sore to blame his dooings, declaring in plaine termes how dishonorable this peace should be vnto him, hauing atchiued nothing of that about the which he came. The king of England, after he had giuen him leaue to speake his fansie, answered him somewhat roundlie againe, openlie reproouing him for his promise-breaking and vncourteous dealing with him: where for his cause cheeflie he had passed the seas, and now found him not to keepe touch in anie one point which he had couenanted. ¶ But to adde more weight to the matter in hand, sith it was so seriouslie debated betwéene the two potentats, let vs heare what talke historiens report to haue béene interchanged betwéene them. The king of England (saith mine author) not a little abashed both at the dukes sudden comming, and his fierce countenance, like one that would rather bite than whine, demanded of him the cause of his sudden comming. The duke sharpelie answered, to know whether he had either entered into anie communication, or onelie had absolutelie concluded a peace betwéene the French king and him. King Edward declared how that for sundrie and diuerse great and vrgent causes, touching as well the vniuersall publike wealth of the whole christianitie, as their owne priuate commoditie and the quietnesse of their realmes, he and the French king had concluded a peace and amitie for terme of nine years, in the which were comprised, as fellowes and fréends, both he and the duke of Britaine, requiring him to condescend and agrée to the same.
"Oh Lord, oh saint George (quoth the duke of Burgognie) haue you thus doone in deed? Haue you passed the seas, entered into France, and without killing of a poore flie, or burning of a séelie shéepecote, and haue taken a shamefull truce? Did your noble ancestor, K. Edward the third, euer make armie into France (as he made manie) in the which he did not either game victorie in battell, or profit in conquering cities, townes, and countries? That victorious prince, as neere kin to me, as you to king Henrie the fift, I meane whose bloud you haue either rightfullie or wrongfullie (God knoweth) extinguished & destroied, with a small puissance entered into France, conquered whole Normandie, and not alonelie conquered it, but peaceablie kept it, and neuer would either commen or agrée to anie league, vntill he had the whole realme of France offered him; & was thereof made regent and heire apparant. And you without anie thing dooing, or anie honour or profit gaining, haue condescended to a peace, both as honourable and as profitable to you as a peasecod, and not so wholesome as a pomegranat. Think you that I either mooued you, or once intised you to take this iournie for my peculiar aduantage or commoditie (which of my power am able to reuenge mine owne causes, without helpe of others) but onelie to haue you recouer your old rights and possessions, which were from you both tortiouslie and wrongfullie withholden? And to the intent that you shall know that I haue no néed of your aid, I will neither enter into your league, nor take truce with the French king, till you be passed the sea, and haue beene there thrée moneths."
When duke Charles had thus said, he furiouslie threw downe his chaire, and would haue departed. But the king him staid and said: "Brother Charles, sith you haue spoken at leasure what you would, you must and shall heare again what you would not. And first, as concerning our entrie into France, no man liuing knoweth that occasion, neither so well, nor hath cause halfe so well to remember it as you: for if you haue not fullie put your greatest things (to be had in memorie) in your box of obliuion, you be not yet out of mind how the French king, for all your power, tooke from you the faire towne of Amiens, and the strong pile of saint Quintins, with diuerse other townes, which you neither durst nor yet were able either to rescue or defend. Since which time, how he hath plagued you, how he hath taken from you your fréends; yea, of your priuie chamber and secret councell (by whome all your secrets be to him reuealed and made open) you know or haue better cause to remember, and not to forget them. And when you determined to besiege the towne of Nusse, you thought your selfe in a great doubt, whether you should loose more at home by your absence (the French king dreaming and waiting like a fox for his preie) or gaine more in Germanie by your power and presence. And to kéepe the woolfe from the fold, that is, the French king from your castels and dominions, was the cheefe and principall cause whie you so faire praid me, so sore laboured and intised me to passe ouer the sea, promising mounteins of gold, which turned into snow and wasted into water, boasting and craking to send horssemen and footmen; and yet shewing neither lackie nor page. If we had made our enterprise for our selfe solie and in our owne quarell, thinke you that we would haue expected your comming? If the aduenture had béene for to haue recouered our right, imagine you that we would haue passed the sea so slenderlie as we did, looking for your aid? Nay, nay, you should haue well knowen, if we had intended a conquest, that we would haue so stronglie inuaded & set on the realme of France, that what with sauour of burning of townes, and infection of the aier, corrupted by the multitude of dead carcases of our slaine enimies, your countries of Flanders & Brabant should haue had causes enow to wonder at: trusting that that which we had gotten, we would haue kept as well as anie of our ancestors haue doone.
"But bicause the verie occasion of the warre was yours, and that you wilfullie (I will not saie cowardlie) did not prosecute the same, the French king, who neuer offended me nor my subiects (except in mainteining the earle of Warwike, for the displeasure that you bare him against me) offered me, being destitute of all your succour and aid, both honourable and honest ouertures of peace, which offers I was in maner inforced (by verie reason) to incline to and accept, and so haue concluded a truce, which (God willing) I will both keepe and obserue." "God send you ioy" (quoth the duke) and so abruptlie ended his talke for that time.
He departeth from the king in a rage.
The constable of France his offer to K. Edward.
Heerwith (being in a great rage) he bad the king of England farewell, and suddenlie tooke his horsse, and rode againe to Lutzenburgh, promising not to enter into anie league with the French king, till king Edward was passed the seas againe into England, and had béene there thrée moneths: but this promise was not performed, for of necessitie he tooke a wiser waie, and agréed with the French king vpon a truce immediatly after the departure of the English armie out of his countrie. The constable of France also, doubting that his vntruth would be disclosed to his destruction, by means of this agréement betwéene the kings of England and France, as soone as he heard they were entred into communication thereof, sent to king Edward, requiring him not to credit the French kings promises, which he would no longer obserue, than vntill he should once vnderstand, that he was on the other side of the sea: and rather than he should agrée for want of monie, he offered to lend him fiftie thousand crownes. But the king of England, sith the accord was passed and agréed, would not change anie thing for the promises of so slipper a merchant as he knew the constable to be.
Abr. Fl. ex Edw. Hall. fol. Ccxxxij, Ccxxxiij.