CHAP. LXXX.
THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY INSTITUTES, THIS YEAR, THE ORDER OF THE GOLDEN FLEECE.
IN this year, the duke of Burgundy established, in honour of God and St Andrew, whose cross he bore in his arms, an order or fraternity of twenty-four knights without reproach, and gentlemen from four generations, to each of whom he gave a collar of gold handsomely wrought with his device, namely, 'Du Fusil,'—to each of which, collars were suspended in front, like as great ladies wear crosses, clasps or diamonds,—and in the centre thereof was a golden fleece, similar to what Jason conquered in old times as is written in the history of Troy, and which no Christian prince had ever before made use of. The duke, therefore, called this order, The Order of the Golden Fleece.
He, in conjunction with his council selected twenty-four knights to be of this order: the names of some of them follow First, the duke, the founder, then William de Vienne lord de St George, sir Regnier Pot lord de la Roche, the lord de Roubaise, the lord de Montagu, sir Roland de Huquerque, sir Anthony du Vergy count de Dammartin, sir David de Brimeu lord de Ligny, sir Hugh de Launoy lord de Santes, sir John lord de Commines, sir Anthony de Toulongeon marshal of Burgundy, sir Petro de Luxembourg count de Conversan, sir John de la Trimouille lord de Jonvelles, sir John de Luxembourg lord de Beaurevoir, sir Gillebert de Launoy lord de Villerval, sir John de Villiers lord de l'Isle-Adam, sir Anthony lord de Croy and de Renty, sir Florimont de Brimeu lord de Massincourt, sir Robert lord de Mamines, sir James de Brimeu lord de Grigny, sir Baudouin de Launoy lord de Moulembais, sir Peter de Bauffremont lord de Chargny, sir Philip lord de Ternant, sir John de Crequi, sir John de Croy lord de Tours sur Marne.
These knights and their successors were, on receiving the order, to enter into and sign solemn statutes and engagements for its preservation, and the maintaining it in due splendour, which shall be hereafter more fully detailed when the order shall have had its full number of knights,—for after the first institution of it, many others were added to those above named. The heirs of any knight were bounden, on his decease, to deliver up the collar of the order to the duke of Burgundy, for him to give it to another knight.