THE COUNT D'ESTAMPES RECOVERS THE CASTLE OF ROULLET FROM THE MEN OF THE LORD DE MOY.—OTHER MATTERS.
PRIOR to this melancholy famine, the men of the lord de Moy, in the Beauvoisis, gained the castle of Roullet (two leagues distant from Mondidier) from those of Guy de Roye, who had the guard of it, and made war against Mondidier and the country around.
As this district was within the government of the count d'Estampes, and under his charge, he detached a body of men under the command of some of his captains—namely, Waleran de Moreul, Guy de Roye, and others—against this castle of Roullet, who attacked it so sharply that it was surrendered unconditionally to the will of the count d'Estampes, who hanged from twenty to thirty of the garrison, and again placed it under the guard of Guy de Roye.
The lord de Moy, who was governor of Clermont, from vexation at this loss, carryed on a severer war than before on Mondidier, which made it necessary to post garrisons of men at arms in all the towns and castles round to oppose it. Thus did the country suffer greater hardships from both parties than before peace was concluded, as each destroyed it at their pleasure.
In another quarter, the English won the castles of St Germain en Laye and Gerberoy by storm, and strongly garrisoned them, to the great annoyance of the Parisians.
At this time, a shocking and unheard of crime was detected at a village near Abbeville. A woman was arrested on the charge of having murdered several children, of cutting them in pieces, and of having kept them when salted in her house. She was accused of this crime by some robbers, who, having entered her house by night, had discovered parts of the bodies of these children. She confessed herself guilty, and was publicly burnt at Abbeville, according to the sentence of the law.
Great quarrels and dissensions now arose between those of Brussels and the towns of Lovain, Mechlin, and other places in Brabant, for having constrained all the farmers within the district of Antwerp to carry to them their corn, in prejudice to the inhabitants of Brussels; which caused a war against Mechlin,—and this last town closed the passage of the river with chains, so that no boats could go to Brussels. They met in arms, and very many were slain and wounded on each side; but the duke of Burgundy and his council found means to appease these discords.