CHAP. I.
THE CARDINALS D'ORSINI AND DI SAN MARCO COME TO FRANCE TO APPEASE THE QUARRELS OF THE PRINCES OF THE BLOOD ROYAL.—A PEACE IS MADE AT MONTEREAU, BUT NOT KEPT.
THE CARDINALS D'ORSINI AND DI SAN MARCO COME TO FRANCE TO APPEASE THE QUARRELS OF THE PRINCES OF THE BLOOD ROYAL.—A PEACE IS MADE AT MONTEREAU, BUT NOT KEPT.
Duringthe time the Duke of Burgundy resided in his duchy, he was visited by the cardinals d'Orsini and di San Marco, who had been sent by the pope to France to endeavour to make up the quarrels between the king, the queen and the duke of Burgundy. The duke paid them every respect, and feasted them magnificently, and declared that he was ready to makepeace with all who wished it; and for this purpose had sent ambassadors to Bray-sur-Seine to meet others from the king.
On this the cardinals left Burgundy, and, passing through Troyes, went to Bray and Montereau, where they were handsomely received by the ambassadors from each party. Thence the cardinal di San Marco went to Paris, and in the presence of the king, his constable and ministers, explained the object of his mission, and the infinite advantages that would result from a peace. After he had been much honoured by the lords of the court, he returned to the ambassadors at Montereau, where he and the cardinal d'Orsini remained the whole time of the negotiations, going daily to the church of La Tombe, wherein the conferences were held.
They laboured so diligently in this business that a treaty was drawn up and sworn to by the ambassadors, in the presence of the cardinals, on condition that the ambassadors should carry copies of it to their respective lords; and if the terms were not approved of by them, each party was to remain in the same state as beforeany negotiations were begun. Thus some of them went to Paris, to wait on the king and constable; and others to Troyes, to the queen and the council of the duke of Burgundy.
These last, on being shewn the treaty, very much approved of it, and sent it to the duke for his approbation,—who, having examined it with his ministers, returned for answer, that he accepted it wholly without exception; that he would cheerfully swear to its observance, and cause all of his party to do the same.
In like manner, the ambassadors from the king and the constable, on their arrival at Paris, laid a copy of the treaty before the king, the dauphin, some of the principal ministers, and most leading citizens, who were well satisfied that the king should sign it. But when it was shewn to the count d'Armagnac, to the chancellor, the provost of Paris, and Raymonnet de la Guerre, they were highly indignant thereat, and said plainly, that they would never remain in the room where the king should sign it as it then was. The chancellor evendeclared, that the king might seal it himself, for that he never would.
The bishop of Paris, many of the citizens, and several of the ministers of the king and dauphin, who were very desirous of peace, were thunderstruck on hearing these declarations, and advised the dauphin to call a meeting at the Louvre on this matter. He did so; but the constable would not attend, saying, that those who had agreed to such a peace, and those who advised the king to consent to it, were traitors.
By these means the peace was prevented: all negotiations were broken off, and both parties remained in the state they were in before, without peace or truce. This, however, created very great hatred among the Parisians to the constable, who nevertheless ordered detachments against the castles of Montlehery and Marcoussy, possessed by the Burgundians, but who were obliged to surrender them to the king's forces. The constable regarrisoned them for the king.