CHAP. XII.
THE PARISIANS AGAIN PUT TO DEATH THE PRISONERS.—THE SIEGE OF MONTLEHERY.—THE CAPTURE OF SOISSONS BY THE LORD DE BOCQUIAUX AND HIS COMPANIONS.
THE PARISIANS AGAIN PUT TO DEATH THE PRISONERS.—THE SIEGE OF MONTLEHERY.—THE CAPTURE OF SOISSONS BY THE LORD DE BOCQUIAUX AND HIS COMPANIONS.
Toadd to the tribulations of these times, the Parisians again assembled in great numbers,as they had before done, and went to all the prisons in Paris, broke into them, and put to death full three hundred prisoners, many of whom had been confined there since the last butchery. In the number of those murdered were sir James de Mommor, and sir Louis de Corail chamberlain to the king, with many nobles and churchmen.
They then went to the lower court of the bastille of St Anthony, and demanded that six prisoners, whom they named, should be given up to them, or they would attack the place. In fact, they began to pull down the wall of the gate,—when the duke of Burgundy, who lodged near the bastille, vexed to the heart at such proceedings, to avoid worse, ordered the prisoners to be delivered to them, if any of their leaders would promise that they should be conducted to the Châtelet prison, and suffered to be punished according to their deserts by the king's court of justice.
Upon this, they all departed,—and, by way of glossing over their promise, they led their prisoners near to the Châtelet, when they put them to death, and stripped them naked. They then divided into severallarge companies, and paraded the streets of Paris, entering the houses of many who had been Armagnacs, plundering and murdering all without mercy. In like manner as before, when they met any person they disliked, he was slain instantly; and their principal leader was Cappeluche, the hangsman of the city of Paris.
The duke of Burgundy, alarmed at these insurrections, sent for some of the chief citizens, with whom he remonstrated on the consequences these disturbances might have. The citizens excused themselves from being any way concerned, and said they were much grieved to witness them: they added, they were all of the lowest rank, and had thus risen to pillage the more wealthy; and they required the duke to provide a remedy, by employing these men in his wars.
It was then proclaimed, in the names of the king and the duke of Burgundy, under pain of death, that no persons should tumultuously assemble, nor any more murders or pillage take place, but that such as had of late risen in insurrection should prepare themselves to march to the sieges ofMontlehery and Marcoussi, now held by the king's enemies. The commonalty made reply, that they would cheerfully do so, if they had proper captains appointed to lead them.
Within a few days, to avoid similar tumults in Paris, six thousand of the populace were sent to Montlehery, under the command of the lord de Cohen, sir Walter de Ruppes and sir Walter Raillart, with a certain number of men at arms, and store of cannon and ammunition sufficient for a siege. These knights led them to Montlehery, where they made a sharp attack on the Dauphinois within the castle.
The duke of Burgundy, after their departure, arrested several of their accomplices, and the principal movers of the late insurrection; some of whom he caused to be beheaded, others to be hanged or drowned in the Seine: even their leader Cappeluche, the hangsman, was beheaded in the market-place. When news of this was carried to the Parisians who had been sent to Montlehery, they marched back to Paris to raise another rebellion; but the gates were closed against them, so that they wereforced to return to the siege. Within a short time, however, they were recalled thence,—for negotiators from the two parties were busily employed to establish peace.
The lord de Château-vilain, at this period, came to wait on the duke of Burgundy in Paris: he was preceded by a fool, who, riding some paces before him as he entered the gate of St Anthony, shouted aloud, 'Armagnac for ever!' and was instantly put to death by the guards at the gate, to the great anger of his lord, but he could not amend it.
The Dauphinois, to the amount of three hundred combatants, under the command of the lord de Bocquiaux, won by storm at break of day the city of Soissons from the lord de Longueval, governor of it for the king and the duke of Burgundy. The lord de Longueval escaped with much difficulty on foot, in company with Robert de Saveuses and others, by leaping down from the walls. The city was, in great part, plundered of every thing.