CHAP. XXV.

THE KING, ON HIS RETURN FROM PICARDY, SETS AT LIBERTY THE PRISONERS IN THE CHASTELET.—OF THE PRINCE OF ORANGE AND SIR CLAUDE DE VAUDRAY IN THE COUNTRY OF BURGUNDY.—THE STATUES OF ST LOUIS AND ST CHARLEMAGNE REMOVED.—THE KING HAS TWELVE GREAT BOMBARDS MADE.—EDWARD KING OF ENGLAND CAUSES HIS BROTHER THE DUKE OF CLARENCE TO BE DROWNED IN A BUTT OF MALMSEY.—AN ACCUSATION IS LAID AGAINST DANIEL THE SERVANT TO OLIVIER LE DAIM.—ON THE RETURN OF THE KING FROM PICARDY, GREAT ENTERTAINMENTS ARE GIVEN AT PARIS IN THE YEAR MCCCCLXXVIII.

Theking of France, before he left Picardy, appointed the lord bastard of Bourbon, admiral of France, his lieutenant-general for the management of the war in that country. He assigned, for the cantonments of his men, the cities and towns of Arras, Tournay, Lens, La Bassée, and other places onthe frontiers of Flanders, which still held out for the princess of Flanders, daughter to the late duke of Burgundy. Having arranged these matters, the king went to pay his devotions to Nôtre Dame de la Victoire, whose image was richly ornamented, and thence proceeded to Paris. As he arrived on the feast-day of St Denis, from his reverence to the saint, he delivered all the prisoners confined in the Châtelet.

The king made no long stay in Paris, but went to Tours, Amboise, and places in that district, where he the more willingly resided.

During this interval, the Burgundians and other enemies to the king, under the prince of Orange, and sir Claude de Vaudray, committed great devastations in Burgundy, and defeated many parties of the royal forces, more especially at the town of Gray sur Saone, wherein they were quartered. The Burgundians killed a number of gentlemen of the companies of Salazart and Coninghame, a scots captain.

The king had this year great devotion for St Louis and St Charlemagne, and ordered that their statues of stone, whichhad been placed in their rank with those of the other kings of France in the great hall of the palace, should be removed and placed beside the chapel at the upper end of the said hall,—which was done, and the expenses of their removal were paid by Robert Cailletel, receiver of taxes in the city of Paris.

In the month of December, the king, to increase his artillery, ordered twelve great bombards to be cast of a prodigious length and weight. Three of them were to be cast at Paris, three at Tours, three at Orleans, and three at Amiens; and at the same time a quantity of iron bullets were cast at the founderies at Creil, of which charge was given to master John de Reilhac his secretary. In the quarries near to Peronne, were also made many stone bullets for the bombards,—and great stores of scaling ladders and small pieces of ordnance were constructed, for the attack of several towns in Flanders and Picardy that remained to be reduced.

At this period, king Edward of England, having been assured that his brother the duke of Clarence had intentions ofcrossing the sea to give assistance to his sister. The widowed duchess of Burgundy, ordered him to be arrested and confined in the tower of London, where he remained for some time. During his confinement, the king assembled his council, who condemned him to be drawn on a sledge from the tower to a gibbet, and thereon hanged,—after which, his entrails were to be thrown into a fire, his head cut off, and his body quartered. But this sentence was changed at the intercession of his mother, and the execution deferred until the month of February following, when he was taken out of prison, and, after he had confessed himself, was thrown alive into a butt of malmsey Madeira, which had one of its ends taken off, and held therein, with his head downwards, until he expired. He was then taken out: his head was cut off, and carried to be buried at the Carmelite's church, beside his duchess, daughter to the late earl of Warwick, who had been slain at the battle of Coventry, at the same time when the prince of Wales, son to the sainted Henry of Lancaster, fell[84].

An event happened at this time, at Paris, that made some noise. Daniel de Bar, servant to master Olivier le Daim[85],first barber and valet de chambre to the king, was arrested and imprisoned by the court of parliament, in consequence of several informations laid against him, andespecially on the complaint of Marion, the wife of Colin Panier, and another dissolute woman, who charged the said Daniel with having forced them and with having committedupon them the beastly and abominable sin of sodomy. When the parliament and the provost began to examine more minutely into these charges, the women contradictedthemselves, and denied the facts, confessing that they had been induced to make such accusations at the instance of Panier, the husband of Marion, and of another calledJanvier, enemies of the said Daniel, in order to be revenged on him. The two women were therefore sentenced, by the provost, to be whipped naked and banished the realm; and their effects were to be confiscated to the king, out of which sufficient damages should first be taken for the said Daniel, as an indemnification for these false charges. This sentence was executed in all the squares of Paris, on Wednesday, the 11th day of March.

In this month, the king came from Tours toward Paris, and staid two days at Ablon sur Seine, at the house of Marc Senamy, assessor of Paris; whence he cameto his palace of the Tournelles, and on the morrow morning, paid his devotions at the cathedral to the blessed virgin Mary. This done, he went to Louvres, and places in that neighbourhood, where he staid some time, and then proceeded to Hêdin, Amiens, and other towns in Picardy. While he was there, the lord Howard came to him from the king of England, to endeavour to conclude a peace between him and the Flemings. The king appointed the lord de St Pierre to confer with him on the subject; and in the interval, the king marched the whole of his army and artillery into Picardy.

A.D. MCCCCLXXVIII.

After Low Sunday, in the month of March of the above year, the duchess of Orleans arrived at Paris, in company with the duke of Orleans,—a young son of the duke of Cleves, nephew to the duchess,—madame de Narbonne, daughter to the late duke of Orleans, and wife to the viscount of Narbonne, son to the count of Foix,—the son of the count of Vendôme, and anumber of lords, gentlemen, ladies and damsels, who were twice most magnificently feasted in the city of Paris.

The first entertainment was given by the cardinal of Foix, in the hôtel d'Estampes, near the bastile,—and the second, by the lord cardinal of Bourbon, at his hôtel, where he gave a grand supper on Wednesday the last day in March. At this supper, there was the greatest plenty of every delicacy that could be procured, with music and singing, mummeries, farces, and other gallant amusements. This supper was served up in the gilt gallery, where all the guests attended but madame de Narbonne,—who, on account of her being far gone with child, and to be more at her ease, supped with her husband and seven more, in the lower apartments of the said hôtel, belonging to John Roye, secretary to the duke of Bourbon, who had the care of his hôtel.

FOOTNOTES:[84]The earl of Warwick was killed at the battle of Barnet,—and the prince of Wales was ungenerously murdered after the fatal battle of Tewkesbury, for a spirited answer to an insolent demand from Edward IV.[85]Never was the proverb of 'like master like man'—'tel mâitre, tel valet,' so truly exemplified as in Louis XI. and Olivier le Diable, Olivier le Mauvais, or, as the king ordered him to be called in his letters of nobility, Olivier le Daim. I copy from the 222d number of Proofs to Comines what M. Godefroy said of this infamous character.'Philip de Comines cries out justly against the choice the king made of a man of such a character as his ambassador to the princess of Burgundy. Master Olivier (for thus he was called in the low countries, where, to this day, the masters of any trade are called by their Christian names only) was born in the little town of Thielt, a dependancy on the castlewick of Courtray in Flanders. He went to France and became barber to the king, whose confidence he gained by his intrigues.'Having acquired great riches, the desire of appearing with eclat in the country of his birth, which is the usual presumption of persons suddenly raised from the dregs of the people to high rank, blinded him so much that he accepted of an embassy, which he naturally should have refused, if he had not been devoured with pride.'The magnificence of his equipage only served to make him more despised by his countrymen—and the barber was plainly seen under the dress of a prince. The ghent men would have made his time pass unpleasantly, and, if he had not avoided it by a precipitate retreat, would have suffered what he afterward could not escape from.'He was one of the most profligate and unprincipled men in the world.'Here follows what a french author, named Boitel, relates of the latter end of his life, in the 321st page 'des intentions morales, civiles, et militaires d'Antoine le Pipre,' printed at Antwerp in the year 1625.'You must know that Louis XI. king of France, bewitched with friendship for Olivier le Daim, (whose first trade was that of barber) made him governor of the castle of Loches, which was and is at this moment, a handsome establishment, appointed him to the government of St Quentin, in Picardy, and made him one of the gentlemen of his bed-chamber. He had purchased considerable lordships from the great riches he possessed, and plunged into all kinds of luxuries, as well during the king's life as after his death.'It happened one day that a young gentleman committed a crime, for which the provost of the king's household had him confined. His wife, fearing the consequences might be fatal to her husband, solicited every one whom she thought had credit with king Charles VIII. Thinking that Olivier le Daim might enjoy the same favour as with the late king, from seeing him richly dressed, followed by many of the courtiers, and having admittance to the king's apartments when he pleased, she addressed herself to him, and entreated that he would obtain her husband's liberty. Olivier observing that the suitress was young, handsome, and elegantly made, promised the deliverance of her husband, provided she would yield to his desires, which after many difficulties, she consented to.'To perform his promise, he went to the provost and desired that he would not criminate the gentleman, which he refused. He then begged that he would allow him to escape, as if he had forced his way out of prison; but this he more obstinately refused. Master Olivier, seeing himself thus disappointed, began to reproach the provost for his ingratitude,—for he had given him his place, and had also obtained for him, from Louis XI. many rich presents; and when that king was much irritated against him for bad management in his office, he had appeased the king's anger. In short, these reproaches had such an effect on the provost that he told him to consider on some means for the prisoner to escape, provided that he were not brought into trouble, nor implicated,—for those who had caused him to be confined had great power. Master Olivier replied, that the most secure method would be to strangle him in his dungeon, and to throw the body into the river; for then his enemies would be satisfied, and his wife, by avoiding the infamy of a public execution, would likewise be contented,—and this would be the means of gratifying all parties.'Having fixed on their plan, master Olivier solicited the lady to come that night to his lodgings, which she complied with, assuring herself that on the morrow she should obtain her husband's liberty; but she was deceived; for while master Olivier, was caressing her in bed, his valet de chambre Daniel, with another called Oyac, strangled the miserable gentleman in the provost's prison, and then dragged the body to the Seine. The corpse floated on the water, as they were unable to sink it. The boatmen drew it to the bank, where it lay the whole day, and was viewed by numbers, who immediately recognised it for the body of such a gentleman. The wife, who had risen early in the expectation of meeting her husband, was told that he had been drowned, and was then lying on the bank of the river. Thither she hastened and found the report but too true.'This unfortunate lady flung herself on the corpse, and, with bitter tears, cursed Olivier le Daim, who had deceived her, and ravished her honour, under promise of procuring her husband's liberty. Her lamentations excited the pity of the populace in so great a decree that they informed the officers of justice of what had happened. On this, master Olivier was arrested, and sentenced to the torture; but without suffering much, he confessed the fact, imagining his judges would not dare to condemn him, and, if they should, he trusted to his favour with the king. He was, however, completely mistaken; for, being hated for his abuse of authority under Louis XI. he was sentenced to be hanged and strangled. His servant Daniel was condemned to make a pecuniary restitution to the widow.'With regard to Oyac, he was not hanged, because it had appeared on the trial that he would not assist to strangle the gentleman in prison, although he had aided to throw him into the river; for which he was condemned to have his ears cut off, his tongue pierced, and to be banished the realm.'Master Olivier was pitied by none: and it may be shown, from an infinity of examples, that a disgraceful or an unfortunate death is commonly the lot of such as put their trust in the favour of princes, abuse their authority, and only make use of their great riches in the commission of the most enormous crimes. God becomes tired of their iniquities, and commences even in this world to punish them for their wickednesses.'This crime may be nearly matched by that of another monster in our own country. Colonel Kirke, when pursuing the duke of Monmouth's partisans at Taunton, was guilty of an act attended with rather more insulting cruelty; and to him likewise may be applied the motto, 'Tel mâitre, tel valet.'There is also a similar story told in 491. of the Spectator; but it is not mentioned by Comines, or by any other historian of that period that I am acquainted with.

[84]The earl of Warwick was killed at the battle of Barnet,—and the prince of Wales was ungenerously murdered after the fatal battle of Tewkesbury, for a spirited answer to an insolent demand from Edward IV.

[85]Never was the proverb of 'like master like man'—'tel mâitre, tel valet,' so truly exemplified as in Louis XI. and Olivier le Diable, Olivier le Mauvais, or, as the king ordered him to be called in his letters of nobility, Olivier le Daim. I copy from the 222d number of Proofs to Comines what M. Godefroy said of this infamous character.'Philip de Comines cries out justly against the choice the king made of a man of such a character as his ambassador to the princess of Burgundy. Master Olivier (for thus he was called in the low countries, where, to this day, the masters of any trade are called by their Christian names only) was born in the little town of Thielt, a dependancy on the castlewick of Courtray in Flanders. He went to France and became barber to the king, whose confidence he gained by his intrigues.'Having acquired great riches, the desire of appearing with eclat in the country of his birth, which is the usual presumption of persons suddenly raised from the dregs of the people to high rank, blinded him so much that he accepted of an embassy, which he naturally should have refused, if he had not been devoured with pride.'The magnificence of his equipage only served to make him more despised by his countrymen—and the barber was plainly seen under the dress of a prince. The ghent men would have made his time pass unpleasantly, and, if he had not avoided it by a precipitate retreat, would have suffered what he afterward could not escape from.'He was one of the most profligate and unprincipled men in the world.'Here follows what a french author, named Boitel, relates of the latter end of his life, in the 321st page 'des intentions morales, civiles, et militaires d'Antoine le Pipre,' printed at Antwerp in the year 1625.'You must know that Louis XI. king of France, bewitched with friendship for Olivier le Daim, (whose first trade was that of barber) made him governor of the castle of Loches, which was and is at this moment, a handsome establishment, appointed him to the government of St Quentin, in Picardy, and made him one of the gentlemen of his bed-chamber. He had purchased considerable lordships from the great riches he possessed, and plunged into all kinds of luxuries, as well during the king's life as after his death.'It happened one day that a young gentleman committed a crime, for which the provost of the king's household had him confined. His wife, fearing the consequences might be fatal to her husband, solicited every one whom she thought had credit with king Charles VIII. Thinking that Olivier le Daim might enjoy the same favour as with the late king, from seeing him richly dressed, followed by many of the courtiers, and having admittance to the king's apartments when he pleased, she addressed herself to him, and entreated that he would obtain her husband's liberty. Olivier observing that the suitress was young, handsome, and elegantly made, promised the deliverance of her husband, provided she would yield to his desires, which after many difficulties, she consented to.'To perform his promise, he went to the provost and desired that he would not criminate the gentleman, which he refused. He then begged that he would allow him to escape, as if he had forced his way out of prison; but this he more obstinately refused. Master Olivier, seeing himself thus disappointed, began to reproach the provost for his ingratitude,—for he had given him his place, and had also obtained for him, from Louis XI. many rich presents; and when that king was much irritated against him for bad management in his office, he had appeased the king's anger. In short, these reproaches had such an effect on the provost that he told him to consider on some means for the prisoner to escape, provided that he were not brought into trouble, nor implicated,—for those who had caused him to be confined had great power. Master Olivier replied, that the most secure method would be to strangle him in his dungeon, and to throw the body into the river; for then his enemies would be satisfied, and his wife, by avoiding the infamy of a public execution, would likewise be contented,—and this would be the means of gratifying all parties.'Having fixed on their plan, master Olivier solicited the lady to come that night to his lodgings, which she complied with, assuring herself that on the morrow she should obtain her husband's liberty; but she was deceived; for while master Olivier, was caressing her in bed, his valet de chambre Daniel, with another called Oyac, strangled the miserable gentleman in the provost's prison, and then dragged the body to the Seine. The corpse floated on the water, as they were unable to sink it. The boatmen drew it to the bank, where it lay the whole day, and was viewed by numbers, who immediately recognised it for the body of such a gentleman. The wife, who had risen early in the expectation of meeting her husband, was told that he had been drowned, and was then lying on the bank of the river. Thither she hastened and found the report but too true.'This unfortunate lady flung herself on the corpse, and, with bitter tears, cursed Olivier le Daim, who had deceived her, and ravished her honour, under promise of procuring her husband's liberty. Her lamentations excited the pity of the populace in so great a decree that they informed the officers of justice of what had happened. On this, master Olivier was arrested, and sentenced to the torture; but without suffering much, he confessed the fact, imagining his judges would not dare to condemn him, and, if they should, he trusted to his favour with the king. He was, however, completely mistaken; for, being hated for his abuse of authority under Louis XI. he was sentenced to be hanged and strangled. His servant Daniel was condemned to make a pecuniary restitution to the widow.'With regard to Oyac, he was not hanged, because it had appeared on the trial that he would not assist to strangle the gentleman in prison, although he had aided to throw him into the river; for which he was condemned to have his ears cut off, his tongue pierced, and to be banished the realm.'Master Olivier was pitied by none: and it may be shown, from an infinity of examples, that a disgraceful or an unfortunate death is commonly the lot of such as put their trust in the favour of princes, abuse their authority, and only make use of their great riches in the commission of the most enormous crimes. God becomes tired of their iniquities, and commences even in this world to punish them for their wickednesses.'This crime may be nearly matched by that of another monster in our own country. Colonel Kirke, when pursuing the duke of Monmouth's partisans at Taunton, was guilty of an act attended with rather more insulting cruelty; and to him likewise may be applied the motto, 'Tel mâitre, tel valet.'There is also a similar story told in 491. of the Spectator; but it is not mentioned by Comines, or by any other historian of that period that I am acquainted with.

'Philip de Comines cries out justly against the choice the king made of a man of such a character as his ambassador to the princess of Burgundy. Master Olivier (for thus he was called in the low countries, where, to this day, the masters of any trade are called by their Christian names only) was born in the little town of Thielt, a dependancy on the castlewick of Courtray in Flanders. He went to France and became barber to the king, whose confidence he gained by his intrigues.

'Having acquired great riches, the desire of appearing with eclat in the country of his birth, which is the usual presumption of persons suddenly raised from the dregs of the people to high rank, blinded him so much that he accepted of an embassy, which he naturally should have refused, if he had not been devoured with pride.

'The magnificence of his equipage only served to make him more despised by his countrymen—and the barber was plainly seen under the dress of a prince. The ghent men would have made his time pass unpleasantly, and, if he had not avoided it by a precipitate retreat, would have suffered what he afterward could not escape from.

'He was one of the most profligate and unprincipled men in the world.'

Here follows what a french author, named Boitel, relates of the latter end of his life, in the 321st page 'des intentions morales, civiles, et militaires d'Antoine le Pipre,' printed at Antwerp in the year 1625.

'You must know that Louis XI. king of France, bewitched with friendship for Olivier le Daim, (whose first trade was that of barber) made him governor of the castle of Loches, which was and is at this moment, a handsome establishment, appointed him to the government of St Quentin, in Picardy, and made him one of the gentlemen of his bed-chamber. He had purchased considerable lordships from the great riches he possessed, and plunged into all kinds of luxuries, as well during the king's life as after his death.

'It happened one day that a young gentleman committed a crime, for which the provost of the king's household had him confined. His wife, fearing the consequences might be fatal to her husband, solicited every one whom she thought had credit with king Charles VIII. Thinking that Olivier le Daim might enjoy the same favour as with the late king, from seeing him richly dressed, followed by many of the courtiers, and having admittance to the king's apartments when he pleased, she addressed herself to him, and entreated that he would obtain her husband's liberty. Olivier observing that the suitress was young, handsome, and elegantly made, promised the deliverance of her husband, provided she would yield to his desires, which after many difficulties, she consented to.

'To perform his promise, he went to the provost and desired that he would not criminate the gentleman, which he refused. He then begged that he would allow him to escape, as if he had forced his way out of prison; but this he more obstinately refused. Master Olivier, seeing himself thus disappointed, began to reproach the provost for his ingratitude,—for he had given him his place, and had also obtained for him, from Louis XI. many rich presents; and when that king was much irritated against him for bad management in his office, he had appeased the king's anger. In short, these reproaches had such an effect on the provost that he told him to consider on some means for the prisoner to escape, provided that he were not brought into trouble, nor implicated,—for those who had caused him to be confined had great power. Master Olivier replied, that the most secure method would be to strangle him in his dungeon, and to throw the body into the river; for then his enemies would be satisfied, and his wife, by avoiding the infamy of a public execution, would likewise be contented,—and this would be the means of gratifying all parties.

'Having fixed on their plan, master Olivier solicited the lady to come that night to his lodgings, which she complied with, assuring herself that on the morrow she should obtain her husband's liberty; but she was deceived; for while master Olivier, was caressing her in bed, his valet de chambre Daniel, with another called Oyac, strangled the miserable gentleman in the provost's prison, and then dragged the body to the Seine. The corpse floated on the water, as they were unable to sink it. The boatmen drew it to the bank, where it lay the whole day, and was viewed by numbers, who immediately recognised it for the body of such a gentleman. The wife, who had risen early in the expectation of meeting her husband, was told that he had been drowned, and was then lying on the bank of the river. Thither she hastened and found the report but too true.

'This unfortunate lady flung herself on the corpse, and, with bitter tears, cursed Olivier le Daim, who had deceived her, and ravished her honour, under promise of procuring her husband's liberty. Her lamentations excited the pity of the populace in so great a decree that they informed the officers of justice of what had happened. On this, master Olivier was arrested, and sentenced to the torture; but without suffering much, he confessed the fact, imagining his judges would not dare to condemn him, and, if they should, he trusted to his favour with the king. He was, however, completely mistaken; for, being hated for his abuse of authority under Louis XI. he was sentenced to be hanged and strangled. His servant Daniel was condemned to make a pecuniary restitution to the widow.

'With regard to Oyac, he was not hanged, because it had appeared on the trial that he would not assist to strangle the gentleman in prison, although he had aided to throw him into the river; for which he was condemned to have his ears cut off, his tongue pierced, and to be banished the realm.

'Master Olivier was pitied by none: and it may be shown, from an infinity of examples, that a disgraceful or an unfortunate death is commonly the lot of such as put their trust in the favour of princes, abuse their authority, and only make use of their great riches in the commission of the most enormous crimes. God becomes tired of their iniquities, and commences even in this world to punish them for their wickednesses.'

This crime may be nearly matched by that of another monster in our own country. Colonel Kirke, when pursuing the duke of Monmouth's partisans at Taunton, was guilty of an act attended with rather more insulting cruelty; and to him likewise may be applied the motto, 'Tel mâitre, tel valet.'

There is also a similar story told in 491. of the Spectator; but it is not mentioned by Comines, or by any other historian of that period that I am acquainted with.

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