THE DUKE OF BRITTANY COMES TO PARIS.—THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY HOLDS A COUNCIL AT LILLE.—THE ACTIONS OF THE COUNT DE ST POL,—AND OTHER MATTERS THAT HAPPENED AT THIS TIME.
AT this period, John duke of Brittany, son in law to the king, came to Paris, with his brother the count de Richemont. The duke d'Evreux[23] and the earl of Rutland arrived there also from England, to treat of the marriage of their king with Catherine daughter to the king of France, and to prevent the alliance which the duke of Burgundy was desirous of forming between the king of England and his daughter[24]. These ambassadors, having explained to the king of France and his ministers the cause of their coming, returned to England.
The duke of Burgundy, during this time, was holding a grand council at Lille, which was attended by deputies from Ghent, Bruges, Ypres, the Quatre Mestiers, and by many nobles: among the latter was count Waleran de St Pol, constable of France, who had just concluded the negotiation with the English at Boulogne and Leulinghen. The envoys from England were the earl of Warwick and the bishop of St Davids, and others, who were commissioned to treat of a truce between the two kings, which was agreed on to last until the feast of St John the Baptist next ensuing.
The count de St Pol, when on this business, received letters from the king of France, ordering him to come to Paris and surrender the constable's sword. Finding that it was intended to deprive him of this office, he came to ask advice of the duke of Burgundy, who counselled him not to obey these orders; and in consequence, he went to his castle of St Pol en Ternois, where his lady resided, and thence to Amiens, and there tarried four days.
From Amiens, he sent to Paris, as ambassadors to the king of France, his nephew the count de Conversen and the vidame of Amiens, attended by master Robert le Jeusne, advocate at Amiens, to harangue the king on the subject of their embassy. On their arrival, the advocate opened his harangue in full council before the king, the chancellor and the other members of it, saying, that the constable, the count de St Pol, his lord and master, had never been of any party which had disturbed the realm; that he had never raised any troops, nor had attacked any of the king's castles, as several others had done.
When he had finished his speech, he was required to produce those who would vouch for what he had said, as had been done in similar cases; but the ambassadors would not support him, and he was instantly arrested and confined in the prisons of the Châtelet, where he remained for two days; and it was with great difficulty that the duke of Bar, brother in law to the count de St Pol, by his entreaties, obtained his liberty.
On Saturday, the day after the feast of St Mor[26], the count de St Pol left Amiens, and returned dispirited and melancholy to his own county.
Other royal edicts were now published at Paris and sent to all parts of the kingdom for proclamation, complaining of the great disorders that had been committed in the capital by the Parisians, to the great displeasure of the queen and the duke of Acquitaine.—I shall not particularise these edicts, for the atrocious acts of the Parisians have been already sufficiently declared.
Soon after these proclamations, the duke of Orleans, conformably to the articles of the peace, demanded of the king restitution of his castles of Pierrefons and Coucy, which the count de St Pol had refused to surrender to him. His request was granted, and orders were sent to sir Gasselins du Bos, bailiff of Sens, to go thither and receive the homage due to the king,—and thus they were restored to the duke of Orleans.
On the following Saturday, the count d'Armagnac, and Clugnet de Brabant, knight, came to Paris with a numerous company of men at arms, and were received by the king, lords and barons, with great joy. All, or the greater part of those who had followed the faction of the duke of Orleans, now came to Paris,—and the affairs of the nation were governed according to their good pleasure, for the king and the duke of Acquitaine were at this time under their management. With regard to the Burgundy-faction, they were kept at a distance, and could scarcely ever obtain an audience, how high soever their rank might be, insomuch that such as had remained in the town were forced to hold down their heads, and to hear many things that were neither pleasant nor agreeable to them.