CHAP. IV.
THE KING SENDS COMMISSIONERS TO MAKE REFORMS AT PARIS.—THEIR PAGES AND THE CLERKS OF THE PALACE QUARREL.—A MURDEROUS WAR BETWEEN THE LIEGEOIS AND THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY.—A GREAT MORTALITY IN PARIS AND ITS ENVIRONS.—THE KING APPOINTS CERTAIN LORDS FOR THE GUARD AND DEFENCE OF HIS REALM.—EVENTS THAT HAPPENED AT PARIS IN THIS YEAR MCCCCLXVI.
THE KING SENDS COMMISSIONERS TO MAKE REFORMS AT PARIS.—THEIR PAGES AND THE CLERKS OF THE PALACE QUARREL.—A MURDEROUS WAR BETWEEN THE LIEGEOIS AND THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY.—A GREAT MORTALITY IN PARIS AND ITS ENVIRONS.—THE KING APPOINTS CERTAIN LORDS FOR THE GUARD AND DEFENCE OF HIS REALM.—EVENTS THAT HAPPENED AT PARIS IN THIS YEAR MCCCCLXVI.
Inthe month of July, many prelates, lords, knights, churchmen, and others of the king's council arrived at Paris, by the king's orders, as commissioners to inspect the courts of justice, and to reform whatever they should find irregular, having had very great powers given them for the purpose. They were twenty-one commissioners in all, and the lord John bastard of Orleans, count of Dunois and of Longueville, was their president; but no business couldbe transacted unless thirteen members were present, the count de Dunois being always one.
They were called 'The Reformers of the Public Welfare,' and opened their sittings on the 16th day of July; and, that their measures might be salutary, they commenced by hearing a fine mass to the Divine Spirit chaunted in the holy chapel in the palace at Paris. This was celebrated by Juvenel des Ursins, archbishop of Rheims, who had been chosen one of the commissioners. This day twelve-month, the king met the count de Charolois at Montlehery.
On the morrow, some of the pages of the counsellors in the court of parliament, while waiting for their masters, sought a quarrel with the pages of these commissioners, and a great riot and noise ensued, because they had refused to pay their welcome-money at the palace. This quarrel was renewed with more earnestness the next day, when their masters returned to the court, and proceeded at length to blows with fists, knives, and stones; so that many were much beaten and bruised, and someeven had their eyes knocked out,—and force was employed to separate them. Several said, that this was only done as an anniversary of the battle of Montlehery.
This year was very moist, so that although the corn was good in some parts of France, in others it was spoilt and mildewed. There were many tempests, and storms of thunder and lightning, which did much damage in divers places of the kingdom, more particularly in the Soissonnois, where several houses were destroyed, churches unroofed,—and infinite mischief was done to the vineyards and corn-fields.
A serious war now took place between the Liegeois and the duke of Burgundy, who, on this occasion, resumed his arms, and advanced to his army carried in a litter, attended by his son the count de Charolois, with all his nobles, and the whole of his artillery. He began the campaign, by laying siege to Dinant, as has been amply detailed in the chronicles of Monstrelet.
The heat of the weather in the months of August and September, of this year, was so excessive that it brought on a great mortality in and about Paris, insomuch thatmore than forty thousand persons of both sexes died. In the number, was master Arnoul, the king's astrologer, a very good kind of man, wise and pleasant. Several physicians, and officers of the king died; and such numbers were buried in the churchyard of the holy Innocents, and the great hospital being full of dead and dying, it was ordered, that in future all buryings should be made in the churchyard of the Holy Trinity, which church was appertaining to the town-house of Paris. This mortality continued until the month of November. Public prayers were offered up to God that it might cease,—and solemn general processions were made by the different parishes, in which were carried holy relics, and the shrines of saints, and even the shrines of our Lady, of Saint Genevieve and Saint Marcel, when the number of deaths decreased some little.
At this period, there were great alarms in Paris, from the number of thieves and housebreakers, who did great mischiefs during the night. Some were arrested and whipped at a cart's tail, and others hanged, for these crimes, on the gibbet at Paris. In this year was hanged at Paris, a large Norman,a native of Coutantin, in Normandy, for having long cohabited with his own daughter, by whom he had several children, whom they put to death as soon as born. He was hanged,—and she was burnt at Maigny, near Pontoise, where they resided on quitting Normandy. The shrines of St Crespin and St Crespinian were now brought to Paris, in the hopes that they would stop the mortality, and also to solicit alms for the new-roofing of their church at Soissons, which had been destroyed in the summer by lightning, as has been mentioned.
During this time, the king and his ministers resided at Orleans, Chartres, Bourges, Mehun, Amboise, and other places, where he received divers embassies from England, Burgundy, and elsewhere. The king now determined to make war on the duke of Burgundy, and on his son the count de Charolois; and for this purpose issued his summons for the assembly of the ban and arriere-ban, in the different towns of his realm. He created a large body of franc-archers beyond their established number, andmade several regulations for the more effectual defence of his kingdom. He appointed the marshal de Lohéac his lieutenant for the town of Paris and the Isle of France. To the lord de Châtillon was given the guard of Champagne. The care of Normandy was intrusted to the count de Saint Pol, constable of France, who, a little before, had been the king's enemy, in conjunction with the duke of Burgundy and the count de Charolois.
In the month of February, an embassy came to the king from Brittany, who, having heard what they had to say, received them well. They afterwards pursued their journey into Flanders, to wait on the duke of Burgundy and his son. The report was now current, that the king and his brother had made up their quarrel, to the great joy of the nation. I should have mentioned, that, prior to this, the king had sent master John Hebert and the bishop of Troys, with others, on an embassy to the Liegeois.
It happened, about this time, that three sergeants at mace of the Châtelet, of badrepute, forcibly entered, during the night the chamber of a priest of St Paul's church, while he was quietly asleep, and beat and mutilated him much; but not content with this, they dragged him through the streets, and, having sorely wounded him in many places, went their way. The priest prosecuted them; in consequence of which they were confined in the prisons of the Châtelet, and were sentenced to be banished from France, to have their effects confiscated to the king, and to make an amende honorable. From this sentence, they appealed to the court of parliament, and the king's attorney appealed thither also against the sentence, as being too mild for such an outrage. The court, therefore, confirmed the judgment of the provost at the Châtelet, and condemned them, in addition, to be whipped through all the squares of Paris, which was done.