CHAP. XX.

THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY DELIVERS THE CONSTABLE, LOUIS DE LUXEMBOURG, INTO THE HANDS OF THE KING'S OFFICERS, BY WHOM HE IS CARRIED PRISONER TO THE BASTILLE? AT PARIS.—THE COUNT DE ROUSSY IS CONDUCTED A PRISONER FROM BURGES TO MONTILS LES TOURS.—THE CONVERSATION BETWEEN THE KING AND HIM.—THE TRIAL AND EXECUTION OF THE CONSTABLE AT PARIS.—SOME OF THE OFFICERS IN THAT CITY ARE DISPLACED.—THE DUKE D'ALENÇON DELIVERED FROM THE LOUVRE.—A COUNCIL ORDERED BY THE KING.—THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY DEFEATED BY THE SWISS AT GRANSON.—THE DUKE OF NEMOURS MADE PRISONER AT CARLAT, IN THE KING'S NAME, BY THE LORD DE BEAUJEU.—OTHER EVENTS IN THIS YEAR OF MCCCCLXXV.

Inone of the articles of the truce, between the king of France and the duke of Burgundy,was a stipulation for the delivery of the constable de St Pol into the hands of the king's officers. This was complied with by the duke; and the constable was given in charge to the lord admiral bastard of Bourbon, the lord de St Pierre, the lord de Bouchaige, master Guillaume de Cerisay, and others, by whom he was carried prisoner to Paris. They led him on the outside of the walls to the entrance of the bastile from the fields; but as that gate was closed, they took him to the gate of St Anthony, and thence through part of the town to that fortress.

The constable had on a short cloak of camlet, lined with black velvet, in which he was wrapped up, and mounted on a small courser in fine condition. When he dismounted, he was met in the court of the bastile by the lord chancellor, the first president of the court of parliament, and all the other presidents and councellors of that court; there was also sir Denis Hesselin, master of the king's household, to receive him. Those who escorted him delivered him over to the care of Philip L'Huillier, governor of the bastile: butthe lord admiral, before their departure, addressed the chancellor and the presidents, in the presence of the constable, nearly in the following words: 'My lords who are here present, behold the lord de Saint Pol, whom the king ordered me to demand from the duke of Burgundy, in consequence of an article in the last truce concluded between them, and who performed his promise by delivering him into my hands. I have taken every care of him, and now surrender him up to you, for you to proceed on his trial with as much diligence as may be,—for this the king has charged me to say to you.' After which, the lord admiral quitted the bastile.

The constable being thus left in the hands of his judges, they lost no time in proceeding to his trial, and examined him on the various charges laid against him. To the interrogatories he made verbal answers, as to the different points of his imputed crimes, which were all put down in writing, copied out fair, and sent to the king.

On the 4th of December, one of the king's heralds, called Montjoye, a nativeof Picardy, and who had resided mostly with the count de St Pol, while constable, came to Paris with his son, to wait on master John de Ladriesche, president of the chamber of accounts, and treasurer of France, who was from the country of Brabant. He brought to him letters from the count de Marle, his wife and children, to induce him to aid, with all his interest, the constable, father to the count de Marle.

The president refused to receive the letters brought by the herald, except in presence of the lord chancellor and the other ministers of the king,—and, for this reason, carried the herald to the chancellor, that the letters might be opened and examined. But as John de Ladriesche remained long in conference with the chancellor, the herald and his son returned to their lodgings, and, mounting their horses, set out for Bourget[59]; although they told their host to say, if any one should inquire after them, that they were gone to sleep at Bourg la Reine. When John de Ladriesche had quitted the chancellor, he sought Montjoye, to havethe letters, and, not finding him, sent for him to Bourg la Reine, where he had never been; but two archers of Paris discovered him at Bourget, and brought him and his son back to Paris. They were carried to the town-hall, and examined separately by some of the king's council, and their depositions were reduced to writing by sir Denis Hesselin. They were then delivered over to the care of Denis Baudart, an archer of Paris, in whose house they were confined twenty-five days, and strictly guarded by three archers of Paris.

At the beginning of December, the count de Roussy[60]was conducted, as a prisoner of war from the great tower in Bourges to Plessis du Parc, formerly called Montils les Tours, where the king then resided. The king remonstrated sharply with him on the foolish conduct he had long persevered in, and the great and manifold outrages he had done to his country and subjects as marshal of Burgundy for the duke, and how disgracefully he had been made prisoner,while bearing arms against his sovereign, by the duke of Bourbon. The count had pledged his word to the lord de Combronde, from whom the duke of Burgundy had purchased him for twenty-two thousand golden crowns. Of all this the king reminded him,—and frightened him so effectually that the count's blood ran cold.

At length, however, the king agreed to his ransom, for forty thousand crowns,—but only two months were allowed him for the payment; and he was assured, that on his failure he would be put to death.

The trial of the constable now proceeded rapidly before the chancellor, presidents, and councellors of the court of parliament, the lord de St Pierre, and others nominated for the purpose. It was ordered that on Tuesday the 19th of December, the constable should appear before the parliament, to hear his sentence read. On Tuesday morning, the lord de St Pierre, who had the care of him, came into his chamber, in the prison of the bastile, and said, 'My lord, what are you about? are you asleep?' The constable replied, 'Ohno! It is long since I have slept; but I am amusing myself with thinking, and other fancies.' St Pierre then said, that he must rise to appear before the court of parliament to answer some questions which the members wanted to put to him, and which could not be well done out of court. In saying this, St Pierre added, that it had been ordered that he should accompany him, as well as sir Robert d'Estouteville, the provost of Paris. This somewhat alarmed the constable for two reasons, which he then declared.

First, because he thought it was intended by this measure to take him from under the guard of Philip L'Huillier, governor of the bastile, by whom he had been attentively treated, and place him in the hands of d'Estouteville, whom he reputed his enemy, and who, he thought, would use him harshly; and, secondly, he was afraid of being insulted, should he pass through the populace of Paris.

These alarms were removed by the lord de St Pierre, who assured him, that it was not intended to carry him to another prison,—and he engaged to convey him,without insult, to the court of parliament. On this he mounted his horse, and set out from the bastile, and went to the palace of justice riding between the lords de St Pierre and d'Estouteville, who made him dismount at the steps, opposite the Porte aux Merciers in the court.

As he mounted the steps, he met the lord de Gaucourt and Hesselin, who saluted him, and bade him welcome. The constable returned their salutes, and, when at the top, was led to the 'tour criminelle' of the court of parliament, where he found the lord chancellor, who addressed him nearly as follows:—'My lord of St Pol, you have hitherto been reputed a knight of the utmost courage and fortitude: since that has been your character, you will now have greater need to display it than ever.' He then added, 'My lord, you must take from your neck the collar of the king's order, which you now wear.' The count replied, that he would willingly do so, and applied his hand to take it off his neck; but as it was fastened by a pin behind, he desired St Pierre to aid him, which he did. He then kissed it, and delivered it to the chancellor.He was then asked by the chancellor for the sword which had been given him when he was created constable: he replied, that he had it not,—for when he was arrested, and carried to the bastile, every thing was taken from him but what he now appeared in. The chancellor held him excused for not producing the sword, and departed.

Immediately after came master John de Poupaincourt, one of the presidents of the court of parliament, and spoke as follows:—'My lord, you know, that, by the king's orders, you have been confined in the bastile for certain crimes that have been laid to your charge. These crimes have been inquired into, and you have been heard, and you have put in your answers and justification. But after long and mature deliberations on the evidence on both sides, I am to declare to you, that in the judgement of the court, you have been guilty of high treason, and, in consequence, are sentenced to death by the said court, without delay,—that is to say, you are to be beheaded in the course of the day, in front of the town-house of this city,—andall your effects, personal and real, are confiscated to the king's use, together with all your lordships, and every sort of inheritance, hereditary or acquired.'

This sentence greatly astonished him, for he did not imagine that either the king or the parliament would have adjudged him to death; and he said, 'Ah, God be praised! this is a very harsh sentence,—and I supplicate and entreat that he would give me the grace to acknowledge all his bounties this day.' Then, turning to the lord de St Pierre, he said, 'This is contrary to all you have before told me would happen.' He was then transferred to four doctors in divinity, one of whom was a cordelier friar, called master John de Sordun,—another an augustin monk,—the third, the grand penitentiary of Paris,—and the fourth, master John Hugh, rector of St André des Arts, and dean of the faculty of theology in Paris. He requested of them and of the chancellor, that he might have the sacrament administered to him, which was not granted; but he had a mass chaunted, with which he was forced to content himself. They gave him holy water and holy bread, ofwhich he ate some, but never drank of any thing from that time.

He remained with these his confessors until one or two o'clock after midday, when he descended from the palace, and mounted his horse, to go to the town-house, where the scaffolds were erected for his execution. He was attended by the greffier and ushers of the court of parliament,—and on his arrival at the town-house, he dismounted, and was conducted into the office, against which a large scaffold had been placed, from whence a gallery of wood led to a smaller scaffold, which was to be the place of his execution. He made, during his stay in the office, many pitiful lamentations to his confessors, and dictated his last will, under the good pleasure of the king, to sir Denis Hesselin, who wrote down his dispositions[61]. Having staid in the office until three o'clock, he advanced on the scaffold,—and throwing himself on his knees, with his face to the church of Nôtre Dame, he was long at his prayers with much devotionand contrition; during which, master John Sordun held a crucifix before him, which he often kissed with the utmost reverence, and crying bitterly. When his prayers were ended, he rose up, and one called Petit Jean, son to Harry Cousin, the chief executioner at Paris, came to him, and, with a small cord, tied his hands, which he most patiently suffered; after which, he led him further on to the small scaffold, where he stopped and looked at the chancellor, the lord de Gaucourt, the provost of Paris, the lord de St Pierre, the greffier civil of the parliament, sir Denis Hesselin, and others the king's officers in great numbers, praying for the king, and entreating them to pray for his soul,—'not,' as he said, 'if it should cost them any thing, and be any way injurious to their interests.' He then turned to the populace, and besought them to pray for his salvation. Having done this, he placed his two knees on a small woolen cushion, having on it the arms of the town, and moved it with one of his feet more conveniently. His eyes were now bandaged by Little John, while he was praying to God, talking to his confessors,and earnestly kissing the cross. Little John now took the sword, which was given to him by his father, and instantly made his head fly from his shoulders so expeditiously that the body fell at the same time on the scaffold with the head.

Little John took up the head, and, having washed it in a pail of water placed there for the purpose, fixed it on the rails of the scaffold for the view of the spectators, who amounted, as was thought, to more than two hundred thousand persons. After some little time, the body was stripped, and, with the head, wrapped in a fine linen cloth, and put in a wooden coffin which sir Denis Hesselin had caused to be prepared. A body of cordelier friars now approached, to carry away the corpse, to inter it in their church at Paris,—to whom sir Denis Hesselin ordered forty torches to be given, to convoy the body to their church, where, on the morrow, a handsome funeral service was performed. Another was also celebrated in the church of Saint John en Grève, where a grave had been dug, on the supposition that his body would have been there buried. Indeed, thiswould have been the case, had not master John Sordun told the constable, that a countess de St Pol, had been buried in their church which made it desirable that he should be there interred likewise. This the count assented to, and prayed his judges that his body might be carried to the church of the Cordeliers.

After the execution, the whole of the crimes of the said constable, and the sentence passed on him, were publicly read in the court of parliament, with open doors, when divers enormous treasons by him committed, were now divulged. Among others, it was declared, that the duke of Burgundy in conjunction with the count de St Pol had sent ambassadors, namely, sir Philip Bouton and sir Philip Pot, knights, on the part of the duke, with Hector de l'Ecluse, on the part of the constable to the duke of Bourbon, to prevail on him to join them in arms against the king, and abjure his allegiance to him; and although the lord de Fleurac had told them, that their attempt was vain, for that the duke would rather die than forfeit his loyalty, the said L'Eclusehad again returned thither with information from the constable, that the English were about invading France, and, with the assistance of the duke of Burgundy and the constable, would doubtless conquer the kingdom. He strongly advised the duke of Bourbon, that, to avoid the ruin that must ensue to his towns and country, he should join them as he would find it most profitable so to do,—for should any misfortunes befal him after this notice, he would have himself solely to blame for them. The duke of Bourbon replied to L'Ecluse, that he should not follow his advice,—for that he would rather die, with the loss of all he possessed, and be reduced to the poverty of Job, than consent, in art or part, to any thing that should be to the prejudice of the king or his kingdom. Hector, therefore, went back again as unsuccessful as before.

The duke of Bourbon had, during these negotiations, transmitted the constable sealed proposals to the king, which clearly discovered the constable's treason in this instance, and also in others which he had confessed on his trial. The examinationswere all read,—but as they were of great length, I omit them for the sake of brevity.

After the constable had confessed himself, and was preparing to mount the scaffold, he told his confessors, that he had sewed up in his doublet seventy half-crowns of gold, which he took out and gave to the Cordelier, to be distributed in charity from his love to God and for the ease of his conscience. The Cordelier replied, that they would be well employed if distributed among the poor novices of his convent: the Augustin said the same. In order to satisfy them, he desired that they would divide the sum among themselves, and make such distribution in charities as their consciences should approve of. He then took a gold ring set with a diamond from his finger, and, giving it to the penitentiary, desired that he would offer it to the image of the virgin Mary, and place it on her finger, which he promised to perform. Addressing himself to master John Sordun, he said, 'Reverend father, here is a stone that I have long worn round my neck, and which I lovedmuch for its virtue of preserving the wearer from all poison and pestilence,—which stone I beg of you to bear to my young son, to whom you will say, that I entreat he will be careful of it, out of love to me.' The friar promised to obey his wishes.

After his execution, the chancellor demanded of the four confessors if he had given them any thing; and they informed him of the half-crowns, the ring, and the stone. The chancellor said, that in regard to the half-crowns and the ring, they must obey the injunctions of the deceased; but as to the stone, it must be delivered to the king, for him to do with it according to his pleasure. In consequence of the execution of the constable the following short epitaph was made:

'Mille quatre cens l'année de GraceSoixante quinze, en la grande place,A Paris, que l'on nomme Gréve,L'an que fut fait aux Anglois treve,De Decembre le dix-neuf,Sur un échauffaut fait de neuf,'Fut amenè le connetable,Accompagnié grand et notable,Comme le veut Dieu et raison,Pour sa grande trahison:Et là il fut décapité,En cette très noble cité.'

On Saturday, the 23d of December, an edict was published at Paris, by sound of trumpet, to notify the displacing of the master and officers of the mint, and the causes for the same. In their places, the king appointed only four persons, namely, sir Germain de Merle, Nicholas Potier, Denis le Breton, and Simon Ausoran. It was ordered by this edict, that the crowns of gold bearing the stamp of the king, and which had been current for twenty-four sols parisis three deniers tournois; should be current for thirty-five unzains, equivalent to twenty-five sols eight deniers parisis; and that the other crowns that were marked with a crescent instead of a crown, should pass for thirty-six unzains, worth twenty-six sols six deniers parisis,—and the new twelve-penny pieces were to pass for twelve pennies tournois.

This day, by permission from the king the remains of Regnault Veloux, who had been executed for treason, were collected together,—his body from the gibbet of Montfaucon and his head from the lance to which it had been affixed, fronting the town-house,—and carried to the church of the Cordeliers for interment, where a handsome funeral service was performed for the salvation of his soul, all at the cost and expenses of the friends and relatives of the late Regnault Veloux.

On St Stephen's day, in this year there appeared before the town-house in Paris a lombard knight, called sir Boufillé, who had been challenged to mortal combat on foot by an arragonian knight, but who had failed to keep his engagement on the day appointed for the combat. To obtain such damages as in reason he ought to have, the said Boufillé had come before the count de Dammartin, whom the king had nominated judge to decide the differences between them. Boufillé appeared in full armour, with his battle-axe on his wrist ready for the combat, and was preceded by his banner and threetrumpets, followed by many servants, one of whom bore another battle-axe. After he had stated his case, and made his appeal to the count de Dammartin, he retired to his lodgings at the sign of the Great Cup, near to the town-house.

Sunday the 28th of December, the duke of Alençon, who had long been confined in the prisons of the Louvre, was, by orders from the king, taken thence about six in the evening, to be lodged in any private house that should be by his guards thought sufficiently secure. Sir Denis Hesselin, Jacques Hesselin his brother, and sir John de Harlay, commander of the night-guard of Paris, were appointed to conduct him; which they did, to the house of the late Michael L'Huillier, whither he was preceded by four lighted torches.

In the month of January following, the king caused proclamation to be made in Paris, that whereas, from long antiquity, the kings of France had been allowed by the different popes to assemble every five years, the prelates of France for the reformation of the church; and whereas this had been neglected for someyears, the king, desirous to guard and preserve the rights of the gallican church, now ordered a council of the prelates and churchmen to be holden at Lyon, or in some town near; and for this purpose the king commanded all archbishops, bishops, and other dignitaries, to be resident in their several dioceses, that they might be in readiness to attend this council at whatever place it should be appointed to be holden, under pain of having all their temporal property seized on by the king, should they fail of obeying this edict as to their residence, within six months after the proclamation of the said edict.

Another proclamation followed the above, stating, that whereas the king, to answer some urgent demands respecting the public welfare, had ordered a crown to be paid for every pipe of wine that was exported and that all other provision, was to pay in proportion, which taxes had for some time been neglected to be raised: he therefore ordered the tax of a crown to be paid from one extremity of the kingdom to the other, on everypipe of wine exported, but that the taxes on other provision were to cease and be annulled. Master Laurence Herbelot, king's counsellor, and Denis Chevalier, formerly notary to the Châtelet, were appointed to collect this tax,—although the king had, a little before, nominated master Pierre Jouvelin inspector of accounts, who was now displaced by this new appointment.

In the month of February, the king left Tours and Amboise for the Bourbonnois and Auvergne. He there performed a nine-days devotion at the church of our Lady at Puy, and afterwards went into the Lyonnois and Dauphiny. During his stay at Puy, he received intelligence that the Swiss had met the duke of Burgundy and his army as they were on their march to enter Swisserland, and had defeated him with the loss of sixteen or eighteen thousand men, and taken all his artillery.

It was thus told:—When the duke of Burgundy had won the town of Granson, he marched his army along the lake of Neufchâtel, toward Fribourg, andfound means to gain two castles at the entrance of Swisserland. The Swiss though informed of this as well as of the capture of Granson, kept advancing to meet him, and, on the Friday preceding the first Sunday in Lent, surrounded these castles so effectually that none could come out. They posted two ambuscades in a small wood hard by, and near to the main body of the Burgundians. On the morrow very early, the duke began his march with the artillery; but he had no sooner passed the ambuscades than the Swiss, who did not amount to more than six thousand infantry armed with culverins, began to fire with such success on the enemy that the duke's van, panicstruck, took to flight with very great loss[62]. The Swiss charged the main body, which fled also; and the duke himself escaped with great difficulty, attended by only four persons: he never stopped, but often looked behind him, until he came to Joigné, which was eight country leagues from theplace of his defeat, and equal to sixteen leagues of pretty France, which may God preserve and guard! The duke lost the greater part of his best captains,—and there was great slaughter among the Burgundians. After this disgraceful flight, and after the Swiss had taken all his artillery, plate, and baggage[63], they wonthe two castles, and hanged all the Burgundians within them. They also regained the town of Granson, and took down from the gibbets the Swiss and Germans, to the number of five hundred and twelve, whom the duke had caused to be hanged, and buried them. At the same time, they seized on an equal number of Burgundians then in Granson, and tied them up with the same ropes, and at the same places where the Germans and Swiss had been hanged.

The king, during the month of March had sent the lord of Beaujeu to besiege the duke of Nemours, in the town of Carlat in Auvergne, with a considerable force and a large train of artillery. The duke surrendered himself into the hands of the lord of Beaujeu, who conducted him to the king then in Dauphiny,—whence he was, by the king's orders, carried prisoner to the castle of Vienne. During the siege of Carlat, the duchess of Nemours, daughter to Charles d'Anjou duke of Maine, was brought to bed in the castle,—but whether from vexation at the situation of her husband's affairs,or from illness in childbirth, she died: it was a pity, for she was a good and honourable lady. The duke was afterwards removed from the castle of Vienne to Pierre-en-cise, near Lyon.

In the month of April, the count de Campo Basso[64], a Lombard or Milanese, who had the command of two hundred lombard lances at the siege of Nuys, and had also been with the duke at the defeat at Granson, left the duke of Burgundy, and went to Brittany, claimingrelationship with that duke, under pretence of going on a pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint James in Gallicia. The duke of Brittany received him well, and made him handsome presents in money. Campo Basso published abroad, that the duke of Burgundy was cruel and inhuman,—that all his enterprises would prove abortive,—and that he was only losing time, people, and money by his foolish obstinacy.

FOOTNOTES:[59]Bourget,—within a league of Paris.[60]Count de Roussy,—Anthony of Luxembourg, son to the constable.[61]It was a codicil he now added to a will he had just before made at Peronne. See the particulars of both, and his trial, in the third volume of Comines,—Preuves.[62]Comines says, that he lost but seven men at arms. Louis de Châlons, lord of Château Guyon, was the only man of note killed.[63]The spoils of the duke greatly enriched the poor Swiss, and would have been of more advantage had they known the value of the prize. They sold his silver plates and dishes for pewter. The largest diamond then in the world, having an immense pearl fastened to it, was picked up by a Swiss, replaced in its case, and thrown under a cart, and sold afterward to a priest for a florin, who again resold it for three francs. This diamond was, for some time, the first in the crown of France: it is now the second, and known under the name of Sanci, from having been last in the possession of Nicholas de Harlai, lord of Sanci, celebrated in the reigns of Henry III, Henry IV. Sanci bought it of don Antonio, prior of Crato, who died at Paris, and his pretensions to the crown of Portugal with him. Varillas in his Hist. of Henry III. makes a fine but false story of this diamond.—Comines.It used to be said that this diamond was calledcent-six, from weighing 106 carats. I believe the emperor Napoleon has it attached to his sword.[64]Count de Campo Basso. 'Every author who mentions him calls him by this name; but his true one was Nicholas de Montfort. He probably descended from some lord of the house of Montfort l'Amaury, several of whom established themselves in the kingdom of Naples, and took the title of Campo Basso from lands situated in the province of Molissa of that kingdom. Cifron, maitre d'hôtel to the duke of Lorraine, when made prisoner by the duke of Burgundy, who caused him to be hanged, would have told him of the intended treachery of Campo Basso, but he would not hear him. Louis XI. informed him that Campo Basso was a traitor; but he refused to believe it, thinking it only a device of the king to gain Campo Basso to his service.'—Comines.

[59]Bourget,—within a league of Paris.

[60]Count de Roussy,—Anthony of Luxembourg, son to the constable.

[61]It was a codicil he now added to a will he had just before made at Peronne. See the particulars of both, and his trial, in the third volume of Comines,—Preuves.

[62]Comines says, that he lost but seven men at arms. Louis de Châlons, lord of Château Guyon, was the only man of note killed.

[63]The spoils of the duke greatly enriched the poor Swiss, and would have been of more advantage had they known the value of the prize. They sold his silver plates and dishes for pewter. The largest diamond then in the world, having an immense pearl fastened to it, was picked up by a Swiss, replaced in its case, and thrown under a cart, and sold afterward to a priest for a florin, who again resold it for three francs. This diamond was, for some time, the first in the crown of France: it is now the second, and known under the name of Sanci, from having been last in the possession of Nicholas de Harlai, lord of Sanci, celebrated in the reigns of Henry III, Henry IV. Sanci bought it of don Antonio, prior of Crato, who died at Paris, and his pretensions to the crown of Portugal with him. Varillas in his Hist. of Henry III. makes a fine but false story of this diamond.—Comines.It used to be said that this diamond was calledcent-six, from weighing 106 carats. I believe the emperor Napoleon has it attached to his sword.

It used to be said that this diamond was calledcent-six, from weighing 106 carats. I believe the emperor Napoleon has it attached to his sword.

[64]Count de Campo Basso. 'Every author who mentions him calls him by this name; but his true one was Nicholas de Montfort. He probably descended from some lord of the house of Montfort l'Amaury, several of whom established themselves in the kingdom of Naples, and took the title of Campo Basso from lands situated in the province of Molissa of that kingdom. Cifron, maitre d'hôtel to the duke of Lorraine, when made prisoner by the duke of Burgundy, who caused him to be hanged, would have told him of the intended treachery of Campo Basso, but he would not hear him. Louis XI. informed him that Campo Basso was a traitor; but he refused to believe it, thinking it only a device of the king to gain Campo Basso to his service.'—Comines.

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