certain acts done by him to the prejudice of his crown and kingdom. In the month of August, the king departed from Mehun with a large army, and a noble company of knights and men-at-arms, until he came to the country of Forez, intending to invade Savoy ; but the cardinal de Touteville, hearing of this on his road to Rome, moved by charity, returned to the duke of Savoy,—and, having learned the cause of offence, he thence went to the king, and managed the matter so well that the duke waited on the king and promised to make every amends for what had given offence, according to the king's good pleasure. Peace being restored, the French army retreated to Feurs+ in Forez, and the cardinal continued. his road to Rome‡.

In the beginning of September, the lord de l'Esparre and others of the inhabitants of Bordeaux, by the advice of the lord de Montferrant, the lord de Rosem, the lord de Lane, and the lord d'Anglades, found means to embark secretly for England. On their arrival they had several conferences with king Henry's ministers, and offered to return to their obedience if they would send a sufficient force to support them. The king assembled his parliament, and summoned to it his peers and captains, when it was determined to send the earl of Shrewsbury to the country of Bordelois in the ensuing month of October. On this being settled, the lord de l'Esparre and his companions, who might be compared to Judas, returned to Bordeaux; for they had sworn, on the holy evangelists, to be true and loyal subjects to the king and crown of France, and had conspired this wicked treason in direct violation of their oaths.

In consequence of the arrangements made between them and the English, the earl of Shrewsbury set sail from England with four or five thousand men, whom he landed in Medoc, and conquered some small places to serve them as quarters. He thence made inroads over that part of the country, and subdued it,—which was not difficult, for the king's army was withdrawn, and few remained in the garrisons. When their arrival was known in Bordeaux, the townsmen held several meetings to consider of the manner of their surrender to the English; and the majority were desirous that the French within the town should be allowed to depart in safety with their effects. At this time, the lord de Coictivy, seneschal of Guienne, was the governor for the king of France, the lord du Pin, mayor, and Jean du Foue, knight, bis deputy.

While they were debating on this matter, some of the inhabitants opened one of the gates to the English, who entered the town on the 23d of October, and made the greater part of the French, soldiers or not, prisoners. This news grieved much the king of France; and he hastily despatched the marshals of France, the lord d'Orval, Joachim Rohault, and other experienced captains, with six hundred lances and archers, to guard the places round Bordeaux, as the lord de Clermont, his lieutenant-general in those parts, should see expedient, until he could, at a proper season, send a greater force. However, before this army could arrive, the earl of Shrewsbury and the barons of the Bordelois had subjected most of the places near Bordeaux to the government of the English. The town and castle of Châtillon, in Perigord, then occupied by the French, were surrendered by the garrison, on having their lives and fortunes spared, notwithstanding the count de Clermont did all in his power to resist the English before his reinforcement arrived.

The lord Camus, the bastard of Somerset, the lord Lisle, son to the earl of Shrewsbury, the lord Molins, now arrived from England to reinforce the earl of Shrewsbury with four thousand combatants, and eighty transports, great and small, laden with flour and bacon to victual the city of Bordeaux.

Forez-a small fertile province, bounded on the east by the Lyonnois, on the south by Languedoc.

Feurs-a town in Forez, four leagues from Boen, sixteen from Lyon.

Charles VII. was discontented with the duke of Savoy for having married his daughter Charlotte to the dauphin without his consent, but on his submission was appeased.

CHAPTER XL.

THE MEN OF GHENT BESIEGE OUDENARDE,-THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY SENDS AN ARMY AGAINST THEM. THE PICARDS CONQUER THE PONT D'ESPIERES FROM THE GHENT MEN, AND KILL MANY OF THEM.

On the 14th day of April, after Easter, the Ghent men took the field in great numbers, followed by a large train of artillery and provision-carts, to lay siege to Oudenarde, which was but five leagues from Ghent. On their appearance, sir Simon de Lalain issued out, and a skirmish took place; but he was forced to return to the town by reason of the very great numbers of Ghent men, who attacked him on all sides,—and in his retreat he burned the suburbs on that quarter. The Ghent army blockaded the place so closely that nothing could enter it by land, or by the river Scheldt that ran through it.

The noble duke of Burgundy, when told of this siege, was greatly vexed, considering that the Ghent men had so lately sent to solicit pardon for their offences. He consequently issued a special summons throughout Picardy and Hainault; and in obedience thereto John count d'Estampes, his cousin-german, and at that time governor of Picardy, assembled the gentlemen of that country, and with a numerous body marched toward Oudenarde by the road of the Pont d'Espieres. Near to this bridge was a small castle called Helchin, occupied by the Ghent men, under a captain, a peasant called Beuterman, which means one who sells butter. They having fortified the bridge, the Picards declined attempting to pass it, on account of the numbers of the enemy; but a company of Picards found means to cross the river at a place named Waterbos, and fell on the rear of those who guarded the bridge, at the same time that the other body of Picards made an attack on the bridge. The Ghent men, finding themselves attacked in front and rear, retreated into a church hard by. The Picards crossed the bridge, and pursued them to the church, when the Ghent men, in their defence, killed three archers and wounded several more. This so enraged the count d'Estampes that he set fire to the church, and forced the Ghent men to sally forth,-but they were all put to death; none escaped save their captain, Beuterman, who had fled by another road to Ghent. Ninety remained dead on the spot for three days before they were buried!

While this was passing, the duke of Burgundy advanced toward Ghent, and fixed his quarters at Grammont, a small town five leagues distant. He was there joined by the count de St. Pol, his two brothers Thibaut and James*, Adolphus of Cleves, nephew to the duke Corneille +, bastard of Burgundy, and sir John de Croy, all grandly attended, and with a very numerous body of men-at-arms and archers.

CHAPTER XLI.-THE COUNT D'ESTAMPES, WITH THE AID of the PICARDS ALONE, RAISES THE SIEGE OF Oudenarde, and defeats the GHENT MEN, WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY.

THE Count d'Estampes, accompanied by the lords of Picardy and their vassals, halted at Waterbos and Launoy after their conquest of the Pont d'Espieres, and there resolved to attempt to raise the siege of Oudenarde before the duke of Burgundy should know anything of the matter. To accomplish their plan, it was necessary that the governor, sir Simon de Lalain, should be informed of it; and on the 25th day of April, three of their men offered to carry thither letters, on paying them fifty crowns each. These letters were to inform him of the hour on which they intended to make the attempt, that he might co-operate with them. The messengers, on approaching Oudenarde, found it so closely blockaded that they had no chance of gaining admittance on the land side; they therefore stripped themselves

Thibaud, second son of Peter, and brother of Louis count of St. Pol, was lord of Fiennes, and married Philippa of the house of Melun. James, the third brother, was lord of Richebourg, and married Isabel de Roubaix.

+ Cornelius, the eldest of the numerous illegitimate progeny of duke Philip, died unmarried, but left a bastard son, John lord of Delverding. See the genealogical tables affixed to Pontus Heuterus.

naked and plunged into the Scheldt, which is there wide and deep, swam into the town, and delivered their letters. Sir Simon was much pleased with the intelligence. In the mean time, the count advanced with his Picards in three battalions: the van under the command of Anthony bastard of Burgundy, the lord de Saveuses, and others: the centre under the count himself, grandly accompanied; and in the rear division were very many valiant men at arms and archers. When they were nearly approached to the enemy, the lord de Saveuses knighted, with his own hand, the lord d'Estampes, who had not before received that honour; and then the count instantly made fifty-two more knights, the first of whom was Anthony bastard of Burgundy.

When arrived within a quarter of a league from Oudenarde, they fell in with a body of four or five hundred Ghent men, posted there to defend a narrow pass. The Picards advanced to attack them, but came to a hollow way, of difficult descent, which forced them to make a circuit. Their leaders were sir James de Lalain, the lords de Bauf-segnies, de Crevecœur, de Bosqueaux, and du Bos,-and one called le Bourgognon was with them. Having passed the hollow way, they pushed through the Ghent men, who were drawn up; and wheeling round, sir James de Lalain charged them sword in hand. He was instantly surrounded by the enemy, and had it not been for the timely succour of the Bourgognon, who extricated him from this danger, he must have been killed.

When the Ghent men perceived that the main body of the Picards had passed the hollowway, they fled for a church near Oudenarde, where they were almost all put to death. This done, the count d'Estampes ordered the archers to dismount,-but the blockade was so complete that no sally was attempted from the town. However, the Ghent men on the other side of the Scheldt were cut off, for want of a bridge, from succouring the division on this side, which, as it afterward turned out, proved their destruction. The Ghent men, on seeing the Picards, advanced from their intrenchments in handsome array, well furnished with pikes and cannons, to give them battle; but they no sooner felt the arrows of the Picards, which, by reason of their being badly armed, pierced their bellies and backs, than they instantly gave way and fled. The Picards pursued them, and slaughtered so many that few escaped. It was commonly reported that upwards of three thousand were killed, while the count d'Estampes lost only one man, called Jean d'Athies, a man-at-arms and a native of Arras, who was slain through his own breach of duty.

During this time, the noble duke of Burgundy had left Grammont grandly accompanied, as I have said, to raise the siege of Oudenarde. He had learnt that the Ghent men had,

on the opposite side of the river, been forced to raise the siege, and that the division on this, through fear, were on their march back to Ghent. In consequence of this intelligence, he pushed forward, and soon overtook them, and the pursuit lasted to the gates of Ghent, killing and wounding all that came in his way, until the night forced him to give it over. The duke lay on the field this night, and on the morrow, early, entered Oudenarde, where great rejoicings and feasts took place between the duke, the count, and their companions. The artillery the men of Ghent had left behind them was secured in the town of Oudenarde, and their baggage plundered. Among those who escaped to Ghent were their three Hoguemans*,-but they had scarcely entered the town when the populace seized them, beheaded them without mercy, and elected five new ones.

CHAPTER XLII.-THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY ESTABLISHES GARRISONS ROUND GHENT.-HE MAKES SEVERAL INROADS INTO THE COUNTRY OF WAES ↑.

THE siege of Oudenarde being raised, the duke of Burgundy, nobly attended, went to Dendermonde, the count d'Estampes remained in Oudenarde,—the count de St. Pol was sent to Alost, and the Marshal of Burgundy, with some Picardy gentlemen, to Courtray. Shortly after, the count d'Estampes sallied out of Oudenarde, with the intent of advancing to Ghent; and passing by the castle of Gave, he attacked it, but was forced to retire, as it

* Hogueman-should be, according to Du Cange's Glossary, Hocquemant, Hoga, captain, governor.

+ Waes-a district in Flanders, on the Scheldt, between Ghent and Ysendic.

was too strong, and the garrison outnumbered his force. He then continued his march toward Ghent, where a sharp skirmish took effect, but without much loss on either side; the Ghent men re-entered the town, except, indeed, that sir John de Miraumont was struck so severely with a cross-bow bolt that he died of it soon after: the Picards marched back to Oudenarde.

The count de St. Pol, on another day, advanced from Alost to before the walls of Ghent, and gallantly repulsed those who sallied out against him; and this he did repeatedly. The count d'Estampes returned thither also, and not only repulsed them back into Ghent but slew upwards of forty: he lost, however, seven of his archers. Between Ghent and Antwerp lies a fertile country, called the country of Waes: it is very strong from its bogs and ditches, and has several rich towns and villages dependent on Ghent, and would not own any other superior lord than the municipality of Ghent. During the different wars that had taken place, this country had never been overrun or pillaged, and therefore was plentifully supplied with all things. The Ghent men had likewise strongly fortified it with ditches and bulwarks, so that it was of difficult entrance, more especially as those of Ghent were very assiduous in guarding it.

The duke, being anxious to possess this country, had a strong bridge thrown over the Scheldt, before Dendermonde ; and when it was finished, a valiant knight called sir James de Lalain, with leave of the duke, was the first who passed over, accompanied by the archers of the duke's body-guard and a few men-at-arms. This was on the 18th of May; and he had not advanced far when he was met by a large body of Ghent men, who instantly attacked and surrounded him on all sides. He behaved himself most valorously: no knight could have done better: but sir John bastard of Renty, captain of these archers, did not do the same, for he let fall the duke's banner which he bore, and saved himself as fast as his horse could carry him. In this encounter, seven or eight archers were slain, three of whom were of the duke's guard. The horse of a gallant young knight, sir Philip de Lalain †, was killed under him in a bog, while he defended himself like a wild boar at bay: had it not been for the exertions of his brother sir James, who dashed into the midst of those that held him in such peril, he could not have escaped alive; but sir James, by his valour, remounted his brother in spite of them, and having collected around him the few men he had, he marched off, himself closing their rear, to withstand all attempts of the enemy to hurt them. The archers who had remained with him, throwing off their jackets, made such excellent use of their bows that they forced the Ghent men to retreat to a respectful distance, and sir James carried his men and archers safely back to Dendermonde.

In another quarter, the count de St. Pol, accompanied by his two brothers, Adolphus of Cleves, Corneille, the bastard, and many men-at-arms and archers, with those from Dendermonde, under the command of John de Croy, set off to enter the country of Waes. They gained two bulwarks which the Ghent men occupied at Overmeer, a large village in that country, after a sharp attack, when the Ghent men fled, as many as could save themselves, to Ghent. The duke's army then advanced to Lokeren, another large village, in which were three thousand men, who had promised assistance to those at Overmeer, and were preparing to march thither when it was too late.

The Ghent men, seeing their enemies coming, advanced boldly to meet them; but before they were approached near enough for battle, the count de St. Pol, who led the van, made some new knights, namely, Adolphus of Cleves, Thibault lord de Fiennes, brother to the count, Corneille bastard of Burgundy, at that time governor of Luxembourg, a prudent and valiant youth, universally beloved by all who knew him, and a few more. The count marched the van on the flank of the Ghent men, while they continued to advance in front against the body under the command of sir John de Croy, who pushed forward to meet them they were so roughly attacked on two sides that they were almost all slain or made prisoners. In this engagement, four or five of the duke's body-archers did wonders in arms, more especially Hoste le Sur and Le Martre. This army now returned to their quarters.

* Killed soon after at the siege of the castle of Poulcres.

Afterwards killed at Montl'hery.

Son of the duke of Cleves. He was lord of Ravestein, and not only nephew but son-in-law to the duke of Burgundy, having married Anne, one of bis bastard daughters.

CHAPTER XLIII.-THE GHENT MEN FORTIFY NIENEVE.

THE COUNT D'ESTAMPES DEFEATS THEM THERE. THE MEN OF GHENT ATTEMPT TO DESTROY A DYKE, TO DROWN THE COUNTRY OF WAES, BUT ARE AGAIN DEFEATED BY THE COUNT DE ST. POL.

BETWEEN Ghent and Oudenarde is a large village called Nieneve, which the Ghent men had strongly fortified with intrenchments and bulwarks, and had posted there a numerous garrison to harass the Picards in Oudenarde. The count d'Estampes having summoned the garrison of Courtray to join him, advanced to gain this village; and on the 25th of May he won by storm the outworks and the village, putting the Ghent men to the rout without much difficulty. The count then took the field, and, while a party of his men were pursuing the runaways, others had dismounted in the village to refresh themselves. They had not been there long before a large body of Ghent men, who had assembled unobserved, suddenly entered the village, and immediately put to death all they could find, for they were far from suspecting such an attempt. Among the slain were the lord de Herin, knight, Ciboy Boucly, Jennequin le Prevost, Jean Dinde, and some others, to the amount of thirteen, all valiant men-at-arms of the count's household, and full fifty archers. The whole would have perished, had not the lord de Saveuses hastened to their succour, and behaved with great valour. The count instantly returned with the army, and a dreadful slaughter ensued: the men of Ghent were a second time defeated, and twelve hundred killed on the spot: the rest saved themselves in the woods and hedges. After this defeat the count caused those of his men who had been slain to be carried to a house hard by, and then set fire to the village; after which he returned to Oudenarde.

The duke of Burgundy, during his residence at Dendermonde, was very desirous of marching a great force to conquer the country of Waes, and had sent to Picardy for reinforcements of archers and cross-bows, which the towns had readily complied with. He ordered the garrisons of Courtray, Oudenarde, and Alost, to join him, and sent thither the reinforcements from Picardy to supply the place of these garrisons during the time he should be in the country of Waes. When the Ghent men heard of this great force being assembled,