CHAP. V.
THE KING APPOINTS THE COUNT OF DAMMARTIN GRAND MASTER OF HIS HOUSEHOLD.—HE GOES WITH THE QUEEN TO ROUEN, WHERE HE HAD APPOINTED THE EARL OF WARWICK TO MEET HIM.—THE DEATH OF DUKE PHILIP OF BURGUNDY.—THE KING GOES TO CHARTRES, WHITHER HE SUMMONS SOME OF THE PARISIANS, AND COMMANDS THEM TO HAVE BANNERS MADE ACCORDING TO THE DIFFERENT PROFESSIONS AND TRADES.—A MONK IS MURDERED IN THE TEMPLE.—THE QUEEN MOST HONOURABLY RECEIVED IN PARIS.
THE KING APPOINTS THE COUNT OF DAMMARTIN GRAND MASTER OF HIS HOUSEHOLD.—HE GOES WITH THE QUEEN TO ROUEN, WHERE HE HAD APPOINTED THE EARL OF WARWICK TO MEET HIM.—THE DEATH OF DUKE PHILIP OF BURGUNDY.—THE KING GOES TO CHARTRES, WHITHER HE SUMMONS SOME OF THE PARISIANS, AND COMMANDS THEM TO HAVE BANNERS MADE ACCORDING TO THE DIFFERENT PROFESSIONS AND TRADES.—A MONK IS MURDERED IN THE TEMPLE.—THE QUEEN MOST HONOURABLY RECEIVED IN PARIS.
OnThursday, the 22d day of April, in this same year, Anthony de Chabannes, count of Dammartin, who had escaped out of the bastile, and had afterward done many mischiefs to the king's subjects in Auvergne and elsewhere, on his arrival before Paris with the confederated princes, was created grand master of the royal household in the room of the lord deCroy,—and letters were granted him by the king, to certify that the said Chabannes had sworn to serve him loyally and faithfully against all the world.
In the month of June, the king set out from Paris for Rouen in Normandy; and during his stay there, he sent for the earl of Warwick, who, for some cause, had been forced to leave England. The earl landed at Harfleur, and thence went in a boat, with his company, to the village of La Bouille on the Seine, five leagues from Rouen. He arrived there on Saturday, the 7th of June, in time for dinner, which he found ready prepared for him; for the king was come thither to receive him, and feasted him and his company very grandly. After dinner, the earl reimbarked in his boat for Rouen, whither the king and his attendants went by land. The inhabitants of the town went out to meet the earl as far as the gate of the Quay St Eloy, where the king had ordered all the parishes to give him a most honourable reception, with banners, crosses, and holy water presented to him by the priests in theircopes. He was thus conducted in procession to the cathedral, where he made his offering, and thence went to the lodgings that had been prepared for him at the Jacobins.
The queen and princesses came likewise to Rouen,—and the king remained there with the earl of Warwick the space of twelve days, when the earl returned to England. On his departure, the king sent with him the lord admiral, the bishop of Laon, master John Poupaincourt his minister, master Olivier le Roux, and others. During his stay at Rouen, the king made him many rich presents; such as pieces of gold plate, and a cup of gold ornamented with precious stones: the lord de Bourbon presented him also with a handsome diamond ring,—and the whole of the expenses of himself and his attendants were defrayed by the king, from his landing at Harfleur to his re-embarkation. The king, on his departure returned to Chartres, where he made some stay.
In the month of June, in this year, died Philip duke of Burgundy, in the town of Bruges: his body was afterward carriedto Dijon, and interred at the carthusian convent. But this has been fully described in the last chapter of the chronicles of Enguerrand de Monstrelet.
The king while at Chartres, ordered the inhabitants of Paris to have banners made, for their respective professions and trades to range themselves under: each banner to have a leader and a deputy-leader, who were to have the management and care of them; and those enrolled under their governance were to be armed in jackets, brigandines, light helmets, and other sorts of offensive and defensive armour, according to their several stations, as well tradesmen as officers, nobles, merchants, churchmen, and persons of other ranks, which was done.
In this same month of June, the king summoned before him at Mellay, near Chartres, some of the principal persons in Paris, among whom was master John Boulenger, president in the court of parliament, master Henry de Livres, counsellor in the said court, sir John Clerbout, master-general of the mint, Jacques Rabours, procurator of the town of Paris, masterEustache Milet, another counsellor in the aforesaid court, Nicholas Laurens, Guillaume Roger, Jean de Hacqueville, and other principal merchants, whom the king sent to his council at Chartres, where they remained some time.
About this time, two persons, called Robert de la Motte and Jean Raoul, had been long detained prisoners, on the accusation of a monk of Saint Lo, at Rouen, named master Pierre le Marêchal, who had charged them, and others, with being enemies to the king, and with having conspired against his life. These charges he could not however, prove,—and they were found to be nothing but lies; on which the accuser was sentenced to death, and was accordingly drowned the 14th day of July. De la Motte, Raoul, and the others, were acquitted, and sent to their homes.
The king, soon after this, sent an ordinance to be sealed at Paris: it was signed Michel de Ville-Chartre: by which the king villed, for the repeopling of Paris, which had been much depopulated by wars, mortalities, and other events,that people of all nations and countries might come and freely reside in that town, suburbs, and within its jurisdiction, and enjoy all the privileges attached to the citizens of Paris, relative to the crimes of murder, theft, and all others, excepting that of high treason,—and during their residence they were to bear arms for the service of the king, against all his enemies. This was proclaimed, by sound of trumpet, in all the squares of Paris, according to the privileges granted to such as had been exiled to the towns of St Malo and Valenciennes.
This month, the king issued another proclamation, for all nobles holding fiefs or arriere-fiefs, to be ready in arms; and for those in Paris, and in the Isle of France, to be prepared on the 15th day of August to march whithersoever he might be pleased to lead them.
On the 3rd day of August, a melancholy event happened at Paris. One of the monks of the Temple called friar Thomas Lovecte, who was the receiver of his house, had his throat cut by one of his brethren, named friar Henry, inconsequence of some dispute that had happened between them. Friar Henry on committing the deed, absented himself, and was not discovered until the 10th of that month, when, about 10 o'clock at night, an examiner at the Châtelet called master John Potin, accompanied by three sergeants at mace, made such diligence that he was found hid in a closet in the hôtel of St Pol at Paris, dressed in a rocquet of white cloth, and a black hat on his head. In this state, he was carried prisoner to the Châtelet, and thence surrendered to the court of parliament, to which he had appealed against his arrest,—alleging, that the place whence he had been taken was a place of sanctuary, and claiming to be returned thither. The monks of the Temple claimed him as a priest of their order,—and he was given up to them and led to their prison. On the 12th of August, in the year 1467, the grand prior of France, attended by many great lords, assembled at the Temple to sit in judgment on friar Henry, when he was condemned to a perpetual imprisonment in a dark dungeon, andhad to be fed, so long as he should live, on the bread of pain and water of sorrow.
At this time, the admiral, and those before mentioned, who had accompanied the earl of Warwick to England, returned to France, after having staid there some time and concluded nothing. The king of England sent, however, to the king of France, presents of hunting horns, bottles of leather, and other things, in return for the very rich presents that had been made the earl and his attendants by the king and other lords on his leaving Rouen.
Friday the 18th of August, the king came to Paris about eight o'clock in the evening: he was attended by the duke of Bourbon and many other lords. On Tuesday, the first of September, the queen arrived at Paris by water, and landed near to the church of Nôtre Dame, where she found, in waiting to receive her, all the presidents and counsellors of the court of parliament, the bishop of Paris, and numbers of others of the nobility, handsomely dressed.
Near this landing place, several rich pageants had been prepared by the city of Paris,—and when it was known that she approached the city, a grand procession of boats filled with the principal inhabitants, and decorated with silks and tapestries, went out to meet her. In some of these boats were placed choristers of the holy chapel at Paris, who sang most melodiously certain virelays and pastorals adapted to the occasion. There were also numbers of clarions and a band of instrumental music, that saluted the queen and her ladies, as they entered their boats, with a variety of melodies. The citizens had placed in the queen's barge a beautiful stag of confectionary, having her arms emblazoned hanging on his neck. There were likewise plenty of salvers full of sweetmeats and fresh fruits of all sorts, with a quantity of violets and other sweet smelling flowers scattered about every part of the barge. Wines of different sorts were abundantly distributed to all who pleased to partake of them.
The queen, having performed herprayers in the church of Nôtre Dame, returned to her barge, and was rowed down the river to the gate in front of the church of the Celestins, where she found other pageants. Here she again landed, and, with her ladies, mounted the beautiful hackneys and palfreys that were there, waiting for them, and rode to the king's hôtel at the Tournelles, where, in front of the gate, was another pageant. That night, bonfires were lighted in all the streets, and round tables placed at different squares and open places, where meat and drink was given to all comers.
The Thursday following, the 3rd of September, master Nicholas Balue, brother to the bishop of Evreux was married to the daughter of sir John Bureau, lord of Montglat. The marriage-feast was held at the hôtel de Bourbon, and was abundantly splendid. Great honour was done to this wedding, by the presence of the king, the queen, the duke and duchess of Bourbon, the count de Nevers, madame de Bueil, and all their attendants, who partook of the feast,and made them many and very rich gifts.
The king and queen afterwards accepted of many invitations to entertainments given by several of their courtiers. Among others, on Thursday, the 10th of the same month, the queen, accompanied by her sister, the lady Bona of Savoy, and the duchess of Bourbon, with other ladies of their attendants, supped at the hôtel of master Jean Dauvet, first president of the parliament, where most handsome preparations were made for their reception,—and among other things were four beautiful baths, in the expectation that the queen would bathe; but she declined it from being unwell, and because the season was unfavourable. In one of them, however, the duchess of Bourbon and the lady Bona bathed, as did madame de Montglat and Perrette de Châlons, a Parisian, in the adjoining one, and made good cheer there.