CHAP. I.

THE KING THANKS THE PARISIANS FOR THEIR LOYALTY AND COURAGE, CONFIRMS THEIR PRIVILEGES, AND OFFERS THEM NEW ONES.—HE RESTORES SIR ROBERT D'ESTOUTEVILLE TO THE PROVOSTSHIP OF PARIS.—HE DISPLACES SOME AND APPOINTS OTHERS TO FILL THEIR OFFICES, AND THEN GOES TO ORLEANS.—CHARLES, THE KING'S BROTHER, IS RECEIVED BY THE NORMANS AS THEIR DUKE.—THE KING GOES INTO NORMANDY.—OTHER EVENTS.

TheMonday following, sir Robert d'Estouteville[1], knight, lord of Beyne, whohad been provost of Paris during the former reign,—but the king had deprived him of that office, and given it to Jacques de Villiers, lord of l'Isle-Adam,—who was now restored by him to the provostship. He presided this day at the town-house, and the watchword for the night was given to him as provost of Paris.

On the Tuesday, the king supped at the town-hall, where was a handsome service of flesh and fish,—and many of the nobility, with their ladies, were invited to meet him. Before supper, the king addressed some of the heads of the wards, who were come thither for the purpose, and said, that he thanked them all, generally and individually, for their great loyalty, and the services they had done him; that, in return, he was disposed to do every thing possible for them; and that as he had, during the war, remitted several imposts, which some might think was done from the necessity he was then in for their assistance and support, and that after a peace he would renew them, he therefore declared that such was not his intention, for that he had, from hisgreat affection, freely remitted them, never to be renewed,—and that if there were any other things they wished from him, they need only mention them, and he would grant their requests. He added, that he should leave in their town the lord de Beyne as their provost, to whom they would pay the same obedience as to himself, because he had well served him at the affair of Montlehery, and for other causes, which he told to the provost des marchands, and to the sheriffs of the city of Paris. He begged of them to be always true and loyal to him and to the crown of France, without any partiality being found in their town.

This day, the natural daughter to the king was betrothed to the bastard of Bourbon; and, after supper, dancings and other amusements took place: the lord bastard there danced and made good cheer.

On the ensuing Monday, the 7th of November, sir Robert d'Estouteville was conducted to the Châtelet of Paris, by sir Charles de Melun and master John Dauvet first president of the parliamentof Toulouse, whom the king had ordered to receive the oaths of office from sir Robert, as he had nominated him provost of Paris in the room of Jacques de Villiers, lord of Isle-Adam, who had received the appointment on his joyous entry into Paris, and to institute sir Robert into the same. When the letters of his patent were read before the court of the Châtelet, sir Robert was instituted into the office of provost, without prejudice to any appeal from the said lord de l'Isle Adam.

When this was done, the king summoned before him the presidents of his court of parliament, and addressed them nearly as follows: 'On my coming to the throne, I constituted sir Helie de Thorettes first president of our court of parliament, who soon after died. Our affections were then fixed to replace him by master John Dauvet, our first president of our parliament of Toulouse, now present; but through the importunities of several, and at the particular solicitation of sir John Bureau, we appointed the president de Nanterre, who has enjoyedthe office, until the arrival of some princes of our blood before Paris, who have remonstrated with us on various existing abuses within our realm, and even in our court of parliament; for which, and other causes, we declare the said de Nanterre to be no longer first president of our said court of parliament, but do appoint, in his place, the said master John Dauvet, to hold the same during our good pleasure.'

The next day, Saturday, sir Pierre de Morvilliers, chancellor of France, was dismissed from that office, and sir John Juvenal des Ursins, who had been chancellor at the time of the decease of king Charles, was re-appointed in his stead. At the same time, sir Pierre Puy was displaced from his office of master of requests in ordinary to the king's household, and master Regnault des Dommans succeeded him.

The king set out for Orleans when he had made the above arrangements, and took with him Arnoult L'Huillier, burgher and banker at Paris, charging him expressly always to follow and be near him. He carried also with himmaster John Longue-Jove, the younger, who had lately married the damsel Genevieve, daughter to master John Baillet, and made him of his great council. Just as he was leaving Paris, he created master Charles d'Orgemont lord of Mery, treasurer of France, Arnoult L'Huillier treasurer of Carcassonne, and master Pierre Ferteil, the husband of Terteau, master of the requests of his household, but without pay or emolument.

On the Monday following, a great comet appeared at Paris, about six in the morning, and so resplendently bright that a man crossing the square of the Greve at that hour, to hear the mass of the Holy Ghost, was so frightened by it that he lost his senses and became mad.

The king's brother, as I have said, was gone into Normandy, and had arrived at St Catherine's on the mount, near to Rouen, where he remained some days, until the preparations making by the townsmen for his entry into Rouen were ready. During this interval, a great quarrel arose between the duke of Brittany and the count de Dammartin, when it was told to the duke of Normandy, that the twosaid lords intended to arrest and carry him into Brittany. Sir John de Lorraine, hearing of this, went instantly to the town-house in Rouen, when the magistrates ordered the inhabitants under arms; and sir John led a numerous body of them to St Catherine's on the Mount, where admittance was at first refused him,—but sir John, in despite of the duke of Brittany and the count de Dammartin, and without much ceremony, made the new duke mount a horse, that had a saddle, indeed, but no housings, and in this simple state, with only a black velvet robe on, led him through the town of Rouen to the church of our Lady, where 'Te Deum laudamus' was chaunted, and thence to the castle of Rouen.

While the king resided at Orleans, he made many ordinances and regulations for the better government of the realm, and displaced several of his captains. Among the rest, he took from Poncet de Riviere, the command of a hundred lances, but made him bailiff of Montferrant; and he acted thus to many others. Poncet de Riviere, on loosing his command, wenton a voyage to Jerusalem, and thence to St Catherine's on mount Sinai. The king re-appointed the lord de Lohéac marshal of France, in the place of the count de Cominges, bastard of Armagnac.

Having done this, the king left Orleans, and marched his whole army, his franc-archers and his artillery, great and small, into Normandy, by way of Argentan, Eynes, Falaise, Caen, and other places, to gain possession of them. At the last town, he met the duke of Brittany, and they were together for some time. The duke of Bourbon, in consequence of the king's orders, had entered another part of Normandy, and came before Evreux, which would not surrender on his first summons; but the garrison afterward capitulated, and the duke and his men were admitted into the town. He thence advanced to Vernon on the Seine, which also demurred at first, but afterwards admitted him. Sir Charles de Melun, grand master of the king's household, took possession of several towns in Normandy, such as Gisors, Gournay, and others: he also overthrew six score Scots,who were marching to the lord de Bueil[2]for the duke of Normandy,—which affair took place at a village, called Cailly, in the bailiwick of Caen.

At this time, the lord d'Esternay was general of Normandy,—but, for fear of the king's anger, he had fled from Rouen, disguised as a cordelier friar, in company with an augustin monk. They were met, however, by some of the men of the grand master at Pont St Pierre, four leagues from Rouen, who taking them prisoners, they were afterwards searched, and much money and other precious effects found on them and seized. The new duke of Normandy had gone from Rouen to Louviers, expecting to meet the duke of Bourbon; but being disappointed, he instantly returned to Rouen,—when the principal persons conducted him to the town-house, and invested him with the duchy, by placing a ring (as was customary) on his finger, and he promised to preserve and defend all their rights and privileges. He, atthe same time, reduced the taxes they had paid before his investiture to one-half, and the whole assembly of clergy, nobles, and populace swore obedience to him, and to support him, as his loyal subjects, to the last drop of their blood.

They then caused to be read to him aloud an extract from an old chronicle preserved in the town-house, which contained in substance, that there was formerly a king of France who left two sons on his decease, the eldest of whom succeeded to his throne, and the younger had for his appanage the duchy of Normandy, which his brother wanted to annex to his crown, and great wars ensued. The Normans, however, so successfully supported their duke that the king was forced into exile, and the duke was crowned in his stead.

After this had been read, they told him not to be uneasy at any thing, for that henceforward the townsmen would supply him with so many engines of war, and other means of defence, that no harm should come to him or to their town.

FOOTNOTES:[1]He had been confined in the bastile by Louis XI.[2]Lord de Bueil,—Anthony count of Sancerre.

[1]He had been confined in the bastile by Louis XI.

[2]Lord de Bueil,—Anthony count of Sancerre.

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