THE PARISIANS PROPOSE WHATEVER MEASURES THEY PLEASE, IN THE PRESENCE OF THE DUKE OF ACQUITAINE AND THE OTHER PRINCES.—CRUELTIES COMMITTED BY THEM.
ON Thursday the 11th of May, the Parisians held a great assembly, and made various propositions, in the presence of the dukes of Acquitaine, Berry, Burgundy and Lorraine, the counts of Nevers, Charolois, and many nobles and prelates, with others, wearing white hoods by way of uniform, who were said to exceed twelve thousand in number. Toward the conclusion, they presented a roll to the duke of Acquitaine, which he would have refused to accept; but they constrained him not only to take it, but to read its contents publicly. Sixty persons, as well absent as present, were charged in this roll as traitors: twenty of whom were instantly arrested, and confined in prison. In this number were the lord de Boissay, master of the household to the king, Michel Lallier, and others to the number above mentioned. The absent that had been thus accused were summoned by sound of trumpet, in all the squares of Paris, to appear within a few days, under penalty, in case of disobedience, of having their properties confiscated to the king's use.
On the 18th day of this same month, the king recovered his health, and went from his hôtel of St Pol to the church of Nôtre Dame, wearing a white hood like the other princes. When he had finished his prayers, he returned home accompanied by a vast multitude of people. On the Monday following, the Parisians had their city surrounded by numbers of men at arms, so that no person might leave it without permission: the gates were closely shut, and the bridges drawn up and watched by a numerous guard at each, armed with all sorts of weapons. They also appointed armed divisions of tens in all the streets; and when this was done, the provost of the merchants, the sheriffs, and other leaders marched a large body of armed men to the hôtel of St Pol, which they surrounded with a line three deep; and having given their orders how they were to act, they waited on the king, the queen, and the dauphin, who were perfectly ignorant of their proceedings.
There was at this time a grand assembly of nobles in Paris, namely, the dukes of Berry, Burgundy, Lorraine, and duke Louis of Bavaria, brother to the queen, who was on the morrow to marry, at the hôtel de St Pol, the sister of the count d'Alençon, the widow of the lord Peter de Navarre, count de Mortain. The counts de Nevers, de Charolois, de St Pol, constable of France, and many more great barons and prelates, were likewise present. They there ordered a carmelite friar, called friar Eustache, to harangue the king, who, having taken for his text 'Nisi Dominus custodierit civitatem suam, frustra vigilat qui custodit eam,' discoursed well and long upon it, and made some mention of the prisoners, of the bad state of the government of the kingdom, and of the crimes that were committed.
When he had ended his speech, the chancellor of France bade him say who were his protectors, when instantly the provost of merchants and the sheriffs acknowledged him. But as there were but few people present, and as they did not speak loud enough, according to the will of the chancellor, some of them descended to the court to call those of the greatest birth and weight that had remained armed below.
The principal leaders returned with them to the king's apartment, and with bended knees avowed that what father Eustache had said was conformable to their sentiments; that they had the sincerest love for him and for his family, and that their sole wish was to serve his royal majesty with clean and pure hearts; that every thing they had done had been for the welfare of himself and his kingdom, as well as for the preservation of his person and family.
While this was passing, the duke of Burgundy, noticing the line of armed men that were drawn up three deep, and surrounding the king's hôtel, went down and earnestly entreated of them to retire, demanding of them what they wanted, and why they were thus come armed; for that it was neither decent nor expedient that the king, who was so lately recovered from his illness, should thus see them drawn up, as it were, in battle-array. They replied, they were not assembled with an ill intent, but for the good of the king and his kingdom: they concluded by giving him a roll, and said, they were on no account to depart thence until those whose names were therein inscribed should be delivered up to them, namely, Louis of Bavaria, brother to the queen, and the following knights: Charles de Villers, Courard Bayer, Jean de Neelle lord d'Ollehaing, the archbishop of Bourges, master William Boisratier, confessor to the queen, Jean Vincent, Colin de Pieul, Jeannet de Cousteville, Mainfroy, treasurer to the duke of Acquitaine, and a courier of the duke of Orleans, who happened accidentally to be in Paris, having brought letters from his master to the king; the lady Bona d'Armagnac, lady of Montauban[16], la dame du Quesnoy, la dame d'Avelays, la dame de Noyon, la dame du Chastel, and four other damsels.
When the duke of Burgundy found that every thing he could say was vain, he went to the queen, and showed her the list they had given to him, telling her what they required. She was much troubled thereat, and, calling her son the dauphin, bade him return with the duke of Burgundy, and entreat them most affectionately in her name to desist for only eight days from their present demands, and that on the eighth day she would without fail deliver up her brother, or suffer them to arrest him, and carry him a prisoner to the Louvre, to the palace, or whithersoever they should please.
The duke of Acquitaine, hearing these words from his mother, retired to a private chamber and wept bitterly,—but was followed by the duke of Burgundy, who exhorted him not to weep, which he complied with, and wiped away his tears. They descended to the Parisians, and the duke of Burgundy explained in a few words the request of the queen; but they positively refused to grant it, and declared they would go up to the queen's apartment,—and should those contained in the list be refused to be given up, they would take them by force, even in the king's presence, and carry them away prisoners.
The two dukes, hearing this answer, went back to the queen, whom they found in conversation with her brother and the king. They reported their reception from the Parisians,—when the duke of Bavaria, seeing he could not escape, full of bitterness and distress, descended down to them, and desired that he alone might be taken into custody; that if he were found guilty, he might be punished without mercy,—otherwise that he might instantly have his liberty, and go to Bavaria, never more to return to France.
The others also, with the ladies and damsels, were forced to surrender themselves, but it was not without great lamentations and effusion of tears. They were directly put two and two on horseback, each horse escorted by four men at arms, and carried, some prisoners to the Louvre, and others to the palace, followed by a large body of the Parisians under arms. When this was done, the king went to his dinner, and the queen with her son retired in great grief to their apartments.
Within a short time, the courier was set at liberty,—and so was the lord d'Ollehaing, who was reinstated in the office of chancellor of Acquitaine, from which he had been dismissed.
The duke of Burgundy had under his guard his cousin-german the duke of Bar, sir Peter and sir Anthony des Essars, with other prisoners confined in the Louvre, whom he caused to be attended by his servants, and for whose security he had pledged himself. But he acted quite contrary, and returned them to the Parisians, who imprisoned them closely, and caused twelve knights to be nominated by the king as commissaries, and six examiners, to inquire into their offences, and to condemn and punish them according to the heinousness of their crimes and the exigence of the case.
In consequence of this, a statement was drawn up by directions of the duke of Berry, uncle to the duke of Bar, the countess de St Pol, and others his friends, and given to the Parisians, who sent it to the university of Paris for their advice and approbation of what they had done. The university replied, that they would no way intermeddle nor advise in the business; and they moreover declared, in full council before the king, that so far from having advised the arrest of the duke of Bar and the other prisoners, they were much displeased that it had taken place.
The Parisians, therefore, seeing that the university was disunited from them, and fearing that their conduct would, in after times, be examined into, obtained from the king and his council a royal edict, as an indemnity and excuse for their actions, the tenour of which was as follows.
'Charles, by the grace of God, king of France, to all to whom these presents shall come, greeting, on the part of our dear and well-beloved, the provost, sheriffs, citizens and inhabitants of this good town of Paris.
'We make known, that for our urgent profit and welfare, and also for that of our very dear son the duke of Acquitaine, dauphin of Viennois, and for the public welfare, for the security of our good town of Paris, and to obviate inconveniences that might have arisen from the malversation of some of our ministers, as well those of justice as others, and in order to prevent such malversations from increasing, certain arrests have lately taken place on divers men and women, as well of our blood and household as of those of our very well beloved consort the queen, of our son, and our very dear daughter the duchess of Acquitaine, and countess of Charolois, for the effecting of which arrests a large assemblage of men at arms was thought expedient, considering the rank and power of those to be arrested, who are now confined in our prisons of the Louvre, of our palace, and in different prisons in our good town of Paris.
'The crimes alledged against them are for treasonable practices committed against us, our said son, the welfare of the kingdom and that of our good city of Paris, and also concerning the government of our person, of our son, and of the police of our said town and kingdom, for all of which sufficient judges have been appointed, who will examine into their various delinquencies, and punish in such wise as the public good may require, so that our good city of Paris, which is the head of our realm, may not again suffer any alarms through their fault, or that of their accomplices, who, fearing the consequences, have escaped out of the city.
'For these causes, and from the great love and loyalty they bear to us, who are their sovereign and natural lord, as well as to our said eldest son, the aforesaid provost, sheriffs, and citizens of Paris, have requested these presents, in order that good government may be restored, the security and welfare of our person and state be provided for, and that such arrests and imprisonments may be considered as solely done out of the purity of their loyal intentions towards us, our family, and the public good of the realm.
'We will, therefore, that such arrests and imprisonments be so considered, and that they be regarded as done for the true honour and profit of us and of our crown; and that all who have been abettors or aiding in the above arrests and imprisonments, noble or not noble, shall be deemed praiseworthy; and by the advice of some of our kindred, as well as by that of our great council, we do approve of and avow such acts.
'By the tenour of these presents we acknowledge and hold them for agreeable, and forbid that for these causes, or for any others that may be connected with them, those who have thus acted be any way harrassed or molested in body or estate, or any suit be preferred against them in our courts of justice, by any means or pretext whatever, but that they shall be held acquitted in perpetuity.
'We give this, therefore, in command to all our beloved and faithful counsellors, who now hold or shall hereafter hold our courts of parliament at Paris, all masters of requests in our household, and those holding similar situations in our royal palace, all officers in our exchequer, and all commissaries named to inspect our finance and domain, as well as those lately appointed to examine into the charges brought against the prisoners in our castle of the Louvre, and elsewhere in our prisons in Paris, to the provost of Paris, to all our seneschals, bailiffs, provosts, judges and other officers of justice at present and in times to come, and to each as in duty bound, that they do proclaim these presents in the accustomed public places, and that they do see that the commands herein contained be not infringed or disobeyed, so that the engagements we have entered into with the parties demanding these presents may be punctually observed.
'And as the parties may wish hereafter to renew the publicity of these presents, we will that there be exact copies made of them under the seal of the Châtelet, or other royal seals, to make them as authentic as the original, and that they may be of equal efficacy. Given at Paris the 24th day of May, in the year of Grace 1413, and of our reign the 33d.'
It was thus signed by the king in council; at which were present the dukes of Berry and Burgundy, the constable of France, the archbishop of Bourges, the bishop of Evreux, the bishop of Tournay, the grand master of the household, the lord de la Trimouille governor to the dauphin, sir Anthony de Craon, sir Philippe de Poitiers, the chancellor of Burgundy, the abbot of St Jean, master Eustace de la Chere, the lords de Viefville, de Mont-Beron[17], de la Rochefoucault[18], the provost of Paris, sir Charles de Savoisy, the hermit de Faye, Jean de Courcelles, the lord d'Allegrez[19], master Mille d'Orgemont, Raoul le Saige, Mille d'Angeul, Jean de Longneux, and many others. 'P. Naucron.'