to his pleasure they were thus come to the town of Ghent. The count then pulled off his cap, bowed to them, and said he was very happy they were come, and thanked them, as his most faithful friends, for the pain, trouble, and affection they had thus shown him, which he should never forget, but would loudly acknowledge it in all the countries whence the deputies were come.

In return for the warm affection they had shown him, he would not conceal his mind from them, but truly inform them of all the crimes and artifices that had been committed and practised by the lord de Croy and his adherents. In the first place, he said, that when he was last with the lord his father (the countess of Charolois, his lady, being then very ill), the lord de Croy had said, that if he were not afraid of vexing her, he would make him his prisoner, and place him in such security, that he should be disabled from doing him or any one else mischief.

Item, the lord de Croy had told a worthy gentleman of the name of Pius, that he cared not for him (the count de Charolois), for that he had nine hundred knights and esquires who had sworn to serve him until death.-Item, the lord de Croy had said publicly, on seeing the count return to court, "Here is this great devil coming! so long as he lives we shall not succeed at court."-Item, the lord de Croy had declared, on his (the count's) retreat to Holland, that he was much afraid of him,—but that, when he should be inclined to hurt him, he would not be safer in Holland than elsewhere, for that he was like a gaufre between two irons.—Item, the lord de Croy had boasted, that, should a struggle arise between him and the count, he was sure of being assisted by all in Artois, as the whole country was at his command,-adding, "What does my lord de Charolois mean to do? Whence does he expect aid? Does he expect it from the Flemings, or the Brabanters? if he does, he will find himself mistaken, for they will abandon him as they have before abandoned their lord." "This I do not believe," said the count, "for I consider them as my true and loyal friends; nor have I the least doubt of the affections of those in Artois and Picardy."

Item, that the lord de Croy had sent to the provost of Watten* the horoscope of his nativity, and that the provost, on examination, had given it as his opinion that the person to whom it belonged would be miserably unfortunate, and that the greatest misfortunes would befal him; all of which he had related to the duke his father, to incense him more against him.—Item, he had also desired the provost of Watten to manage so that the duke his father might always hate him, and keep at a distance from his person.-Item, that he had sufficient evidence that the lord de Croy sought his death by sorcery and other wicked means; that he had caused to be made six images,-three in the form of men and three in the form of women,- -on which were written the name of the devil called Belial, and the name of him whom they were pointed at, with some other names: these images were to serve three purposes; first, to obtain favour from him to whom the image was addressed; secondly, to cause him to be hated by whomsoever they should please; and thirdly, to keep the person addressed in a languishing state of health so long as they chose that these images had been baptised by a bishop, prior of Morocq † in Burgundy; and that the makers of these images had been two or three servants of the count d'Estampes,—one of whom was his physician, whom the count d'Estampes had sent prisoner to him, as his justification, and to exculpate himself. Then the count concluded by saying to the deputies, "My friends, do not think that I have any distrust of you if I name not all the accomplices of those who have sought my death: I abstain from doing so merely to save their honours, and from the horror you would feel were I to name them. I again thank you for your diligent affection, and beg that you would consult together and advise me how to act; for I am sure you would be displeased should any misfortune happen unto me by my throwing myself into the hands of my enemies. By them I will not be governed, but by good and faithful servants. I entreat, therefore, that you will deliberate maturely on what I have said, for I will not depart hence until I shall have had your answer. May God grant that it may be as satisfactory as I have confidence in you!"

Watten, a town in Flanders, near St. Omer

+ Morocq. Q.

CHAPTER CXIII.-THE ANSWER OF THE DEPUTIES OF THE ESTATES OF FLANDERS TO THE COUNT DE CHAROLOIS. PEACE RESTORED BETWEEN HIM AND HIS FATHER THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY.-THE KING OF FRANCE COMES TO ARRAS AND TOURNAY.

WHEN the count de Charolois had thus spoken to the deputies from the three estates, they retired together into a chamber apart, and there concluded on the answer they should make him. They then returned to his presence, and cast themselves on their knees, but he made them instantly arise; and the abbot de Citeaux spoke for the rest, and said, that they had fully considered all he had stated to them, and were unanimously of opinion to request him most humbly to regain the good graces and favour of his lord and father, by returning instantly to him, to avoid the evils that would ensue upon their discords. With regard to those he thought his enemies, God had hitherto preserved him from their snares, and would still do so, in consequence of the earnest prayers that all his future subjects would offer up to him for the purpose; and that when his father should see him return his joy would be so great that he would sufficiently guard him against them. They entreated that, at this time, he would leave certain of his attendants behind, without formally dismissing them, which they thought would be an effectual method of regaining his father's good opinion; they offered, likewise, to exert their utmost power to obtain this desirable end. The count, in reply, thanked them all, and said, that from love to God, to my lord his father, and themselves, he would comply with their request, and follow their advice,-desiring them, at the same time, to accompany him when he presented himself to his father, and that they would entreat him to restore his servants to his favour. This they willingly promised.

On the Monday following, the count de Charolois, accompanied by a great number of knights, esquires, and these deputies, set out from Ghent for Bruges,-and the principal persons of the duke's household, together with the magistracy of the town and burghers, came out to meet him. He dismounted at the palace of the duke, and advanced to the presence-chamber, where, on seeing the duke, he made three genuflexions, and, at the third, said, "My most redoubted lord and father, I have been told that you are displeased with me for three things (and then stated these as he had done to the deputies, and made similar excuses): however, if in any of these things I have vexed or angered you, I crave your pardon." The duke answered, “Of all your excuses I know full well the grounds: say no more on the subject; but, since you are come to seek our mercy, be a good son and I will be a good father:" he then took him by the hand, and granted him his full pardon. The deputies now retired, greatly rejoiced at the reconciliation that had taken place; and the duke then dismissed them, with orders to re-assemble on the 8th of the ensuing March. On the day of this reconciliation, the lord de Croy set out very early in the morning from Bruges for Tournay, where king Louis of France then resided.

In this and the following year, corn and all other grain were so cheap in the country of Artois that the oldest persons never remembered them at such low prices.

On the 24th of January, king Louis of France came to the city of Arras*, where he was most honourably received by the clergy and inhabitants. He dismounted at the gate, and walked on foot to the church of Our Lady, where he paid his devotions, and then took up his lodgings at the house of the official, which was a good but small house, and refused to go to the bishop's palace, although large and convenient; but it was the king's custom to prefer small lodgings to greater. There were with the king his brother the duke of Berry +, the count of Eu, the prince of Piedmont, and some few other nobles. He would not permit any of them to lodge in the town, because the inhabitants would not suffer his harbingers to mark any lodgings until all the inns were filled,—and these inns could hold from four to five thousand horse, which behaviour was displeasing to the king; and he remained in the city from the Monday to Saturday, without entering the town of Arras until he had seen and had examined the privileges of this town of Arras.

*Arras is divided into two parts: the Cité being the

+ Charles, duke of Berry, afterwards of Normandy and older, and la Ville the new town. (See Martiniere's of Guienne, the only brother of the king then alive. Dictionary.)

When he entered the town on the Saturday, he found at the gate great numbers of people who had been banished thence, who requested that he would restore them to their rights, on his joyous arrival; but he replied, "Children, you require from me a grace that is not usual for the kings of France to grant, and therefore do not depend on my doing it; for I will not invade the privileges of our fair uncle of Burgundy." This was all they could obtain from him. He proceeded to hear high mass at the church of St. Vaast, which being over, he returned to dinner in the city. On the next day, Sunday, the king of France again visited the town of Arras, and examined, at his leisure, the abbey of St. Vaast and all its buildings. He thence went to the market-place; and as he was returning by the church of St. Guy, where the white bell and the town-clock were, a locksmith, who had the care of this bell, made it sound on the king's approach, and descended from the steeple in armour, when he seized the king's horse, like a clown as he was, and demanded money to drink. The king, seeing an armed man thus seize his horse, was somewhat startled at first: nevertheless, he ordered money to be given him, and forgave his misbehaviour to him. Had not the king pardoned him, he would probably have paid the forfeit of his life for his folly. While this man was descending from the steeple, some children striking the bell too hardly broke it, which was a great loss to the town, -for it was the largest and handsomest bell that could be seen it weighed from seventeen to eighteen thousand pounds of metal!

The king went into the plain to see the spot where the king his grandfather was encamped when he besieged Arras, in the year 1414. Thence he returned to the city; and on the morrow departed suddenly, according to his custom, and was followed by his attendants to Tournay, where he was most honourably received,—for upward of three thousand men came out to meet him dressed in white, with a border of flowers-de-luce round their robes.

At the gate was a model, in paper, of a castle, similar to the fortifications of Tournay, which was presented to the king with the keys of the town. From the top of the gate, a virgin (the handsomest girl in the town) descended by machinery, and after saluting the king, threw aside the robe from her breast, and displayed a well-made heart, which burst open, and there came out a golden flower-de-luce, of great value, which she gave to the king, in the name of the town, saying, “Sire, I am a virgin, and so is this town,-for it has never been taken, nor has it ever turned from its allegiance to the kings of France, -for all the inhabitants thereof have a flower-de-luce in their hearts." The king saw many pageants and histories represented in the streets he passed through, and he took his lodgings at the house of a canon. From Tournay he went to Lille, where he arrived the 18th of February, then the fourth day of Lent.

The duke of Burgundy came to Lille on the eve of the first Sunday in Lent, to wait on the king; and from that day to the Friday following there were splendid tiltings and other amusements. During their residence at Lille, the king remonstrated personally, and by the means of others, so effectually with the duke, on his intended expedition, that he postponed it for one whole year; when the king promised to give him ten thousand combatants, paid for four months, to attend him whither he should be then pleased to go. It was also said, that the king of England would aid him with a great body of archers. By this means was the expedition to Turkey broken off, to the displeasure of the duke of Burgundy, whose whole desire was to go there for once.

When this was settled, the king departed from Lille on his return to France, and found at St. Cloud the duke of Savoy, quite debilitated with the gout, and his eldest son, who were there waiting for him. It was rumoured that they were very unpopular in Savoy, by reason of their not conducting themselves according to the wishes of their people; and that they had chosen the duke's third son, Philip, for their lord, who was reported to be wise, subtle, and valiant in arms*.

*The unpopularity of the old duke of Savoy, and Amadeus, his eldest son, was principally owing to their unwarlike and devotional temper, so adverse to the notions and habits of a martial nobility. Lewis, the second son, had married the heiress of Cyprus after the death of her first husband, the duke of Coimbra; and possibly the adven

turous spirit of the times anticipated the glory of an expedition for the recovery of a kingdom which had been snatched from a female sovereign by an illegitimate usurper, aided by the forces of the infidels. Another and more just ground of discontent was the manifest subjection in which both father and son held themselves enthralled

CHAPTER CXIV.-OF THE EXPEDITION OF THE BASTARD OF BURGUNDY.-THE KING OF FRANCE DETAINS PRISONER PHILIP OF SAVOY, NOTWITHSTANDING HE HAD GIVEN HIM A SAFE-CONDUCT.-THE COUNT DE ST. POL PACIFIES THE KING OF FRANCE.-A BATTLE SHORTLY NOTICED TO HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN ENGLAND.-OTHER MATTERS. [A. D. 1464.]

On the 18th day of March, in the year 1463, the duke of Burgundy, dissatisfied that the king had prevailed on him to retard his expedition to Turkey, assembled the three estates of his country at Lille, and there told them, that the king of France had induced him to delay going to the East for one year; but that in order that the pope, and the other Christian princes, might be satisfied with him, he had the intention of sending thither his bastard Anthony, with two thousand combatants, accompanied by Baldwin his other bastard *, then about eighteen years old; and that, should it please God, that he be neither dead nor ill, he would be in person in Turkey by St. John's day, in the year 1465, with the largest army he could possibly assemble.

The king of France, at this time, sent a third summons for the count de St. Pol to appear in person before him, or take the consequences, and sent him a passport. The count, fearing he should be banished if he further disobeyed, determined to go to the king; and on his arrival, he met with so many zealous friends at court, that the king received him with much pleasure, and his peace was made, and he did homage for the lands he held under the king. It was said at the time, that king Louis required that he would no longer serve the count de Charolois; but that he had replied in excuse, that it was impossible for him to comply with this requisition, as he was under obligations, by faith and oath, to the count de Charolois, and could not break them.

Soon after Easter, in the year 1464, at the command of the king of France, Philip of Savoy, third son to the duke of Savoy, set out to wait on him. The king had sent to him his first equerry, with credential letters, to desire that he would accompany him to France. These letters were signed by the king himself, and displayed by the equerry, who assured him, in the king's name, that he should come and return in perfect safety. Notwithstanding this, on his near approach to the king, he was arrested, and carried prisoner to the castle of Loches, in Touraine, a very strong castle, wherein he remained confined two whole years. I know not the cause of this, if it were not that the king was envious that he had greater command in Savoy than the duke †, and that the people more willingly obeyed him than the duke. However, at the end of two years, the king, of his own accord, had him set at liberty.

At this time, Charles count de Nevers departed this life, without leaving male heirs, and was therefore succeeded in his counties of Nevers, Rethel, and other places, by his brother John ‡.

The 20th of May, being Whitsunday, Anthony bastard of Burgundy, with other knights and esquires of the duke of Burgundy's household, put on the cross previous to their expedition against the infidels; and on the morrow they embarked at Sluys, in the presence of the duke. They were, in the whole, two thousand combatants; and the duke gave sir Anthony this day, to defray the expenses of his voyage, one hundred thousand golden crowns, besides the county of La Roche and other lands. On occasion of this crusade,

to the pleasure of the king of France. On the other hand, Philip, count of Bresse, (a younger son of the duke of Savoy, not the third as here stated, but the eighth of his numerous male issue) was a prince of the greatest promise, of high military spirit, and a commanding person; and the duke his father (who, in the course of his religious exercises, had probably paid great attention to the history of David and Absalom) was so afraid of the popularity whieh these endowments ensured him, that he actually abandoned his dominious to seek the protection of Louis XI. against this imaginary danger. He was at this time very infirm in body; and Amadeus, his eldest son, who followed the steps of his father in all things, was no less so from his cradle.

* Baldwin, the eighth son of this numerous family of bastards, was lord of Falaise and Somergheim, and had several children by his marriage with a lady of the house of la Cerda.

The historians of Savoy relate that this act of violence and injustice was committed at the suit of the duke of Savoy his father. He was not released till after the old duke's death, in 1465.

Before called the count of Estampes. His only daughter and heir conveyed the counties of Nevers, &c., into the house of Cleves, by marriage with John duke of Cleves.

numbers of young persons in different parts of Christendom had put on the cross, to march against the Turks, and had taken their road to Rome. But as they went without any order or leader, some ten, some twenty at a time, their intentions failed, and they returned home, although they would have made a respectable figure from their numbers, had they been in one body; but God would not, for this time, permit it.

In this same month of May, another battle was fought in England, between the army of king Edward, under the command of the earl of Warwick, and that of king Henry, commanded by the duke of Somerset, in the hopes of recovering the kingdom for king Henry, although in breach of his treaty with king Edward, who had pardoned him, and restored his lands and honours; but ill-fortune attended him, for he lost the battle, and his men were either killed or taken: he himself was made prisoner, and brought to Edward, who instantly ordered him to be beheaded.

On the 2d day of June, the count de Charolois came to Lille, grandly attended by the nobles of the country, to wait on the duke his father, who was then displeased with him ; but the lord de Saveuses interfered with the duke, so that he spoke to his son, and forgave him. It was said that the count addressed himself to the lord de Croy, and said that when he should behave to him in the manner he ought, he would be a good lord to him. He could not, however, at this moment, regain the pension he was wont to receive from his father. The 20th day of June, Pierre Louvain, one of the king's captains, and under his protection, was murdered by sir Raoui de Flavy, lord of Rubencourt, in revenge for the death of his brother William de Flavy, who had been put to death by his wife, with the knowledge, it was said, of Pierre Louvain: but no harm whatever was done to those that were in company with the said Pierre Louvain at the time of his death.

The wife of William de Flavy, who was of a noble family, caused her husband's throat to be cut by his barber while he was shaving him; but as he did not cut the throat quite through, she seized the same razor, and completed it; which was an extraordinary circumstance, as she had had a fine son by him. In excuse for this her strange conduct, it must be said, that he was harsh and rough in his behaviour to her, and kept women of bad fame in the house, with whom he lay, to the neglect of his wife, who was young and handsome : he had also imprisoned her father, and kept him so long in confinement that he died in prison. On the 15th of June, in this year, an extraordinary event happened at the Palace at Paris, during the pleading of a cause between the bishop of Angers and a rich burgher of that town. The bishop had accused him of heresy and usury, and maintained that he had said, in the presence of many persons of honour, that he did not believe there was a God, a devil, a paradise, or a hell. It happened, that while the bishop's advocate was repeating the above words, as having been said by the burgher, the hall they were pleading in shook very much, and a large stone fell down in the midst, but without hurting any one. However, all the persons present were exceedingly frightened, and left the hall, as the cause had been deferred to the next day: but when the pleading recommenced, the room shook as before, and one of the beams slipt out of the mortise, and sunk two feet without falling entirely down, which caused so great an alarm lest the whole roof should fall and crush them, that they ran out in such haste that some left behind them their caps, others their hoods and shoes; and there were no more pleadings held in this chamber until it had been completely repaired and strengthened!

CHAPTER CXV.-THE KING OF FRANCE COMES TO HEDIN A SECOND TIME.-WHAT PASSED AT THE MEETING BETWEEN HIM AND THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY.-THE DEATH OF POPE PIUS II.

THE king of France came again to Amiens in the month of June in this year, and went thence to St. Pol, where he met the duke of Burgundy. After the count had grandly feasted them, they went together to Hêdin, where the duke entertained them nobly. During their stay

The battle of Hexham