CHAP. XXVII.

THE KING OF FRANCE PRESENTS RICH GIFTS TO SEVERAL CHURCHES.—A COUNCIL HELD AT ORLEANS ON THE PRAGMATIC SANCTION.—AN ALLIANCE BETWEEN THE KINGS OF FRANCE AND OF CASTILLE.—A TAME LION ESCAPES IN AUVERGNE, AND DOES MUCH MISCHIEF.—THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL OF ARTOIS BEHEADED AT TOURS.—A NEW BOMBARD ON TRIAL BURSTS, AND KILLS MANY PEOPLE AT PARIS.—A GASCON CAPTAIN, NAMED ORIOLE, AND HIS LIEUTENANT BEHEADED AT TOURS.—OTHER EVENTS THAT HAPPENED IN THE COURSE OF THIS YEAR MCCCCLXXVIII.

Theking, on his return from Picardy, made many rich presents to divers churches and saints. When he was at the abbey of Nôtre Dame de la Victoire, near Senlis he gave two thousand francs to be employed in procuring silver lamps to hang before the altar of the Virgin. He covered the shrine of St Fiacre with silver,which amounted to the weight of seven or eight score marcs. From his great and singular faith in St Martin, he ordered a handsome trellis of silver to be made round his shrine, in his church at Tours,—which was done, and weighed from sixteen to seventeen thousand marcs, and cost, when finished and put up, full two hundred thousand francs. It should be known, that to furnish silver sufficient for all these great works, commissioners were appointed to seize on all the plate they could find in Paris and other towns, which was reasonably well paid for; but notwithstanding this, great quantities were hidden and no longer seen in those places where they were used to be visible,—and henceforward, on this account, when any weddings or other feasts took place, where much silver plate was wont to be exhibited, nothing was seen but handsome cups of glass and dishes of earthen ware.

About this period, the king held a grand council of prelates, churchmen, and learned men, as well from the universities of Paris and Montpellier as elsewhere, in the town of Orleans, to consult on the best means ofrecovering the pragmatic sanction, and of preventing the money for the vacant benefices being sent out of the kingdom to Rome. At this assembly the lord de Beaujeu presided, as representative for the king,—and the lord chancellor, with other lords of the council, attended.

The lord chancellor, in the presence of the lord de Beaujeu and the rest, opened the meeting, by declaring the cause of this assembly being held at Orleans, and the reasons which had moved the king to call them together. He was replied to by master John Hue, dean of the faculty of theology, in the name of the university of Paris, who made many remonstrances on the subject, and spoke loudly and boldly, because he was supported by the university. Another learned clerk spoke also, as representative of the university of Montpellier. When this assembly had continued some time, the king came to pay his devotions to our Lady at Clery[88], and thence came to Orleans, where he only staid half a day. The assembly now broke up, without having concludedany thing,—and it was adjourned to Lyon, to be there holden on the first day of May following.

While the king was in Touraine, he sent sealed letters to his good citizens of Paris, to make known to them, that having sent ambassadors to the king of Castille and Leon, respecting some differences that had arisen between them, they had reported, on their return, that the king of Castille was perfectly satisfied with what the ambassadors had said from the king, and had promised and sworn to observe a strict alliance with him. For this the king was desirous that public thanksgivings should be offered up to God and to the blessed Virgin; that a general procession should be made at Paris, with bonfires in all the streets. A procession was, consequently, made from the church of Nôtre Dame to that of St Genevieve, where a sermon was preached by the prior of the carmelite friars, in which he detailed at length the honourable intentions of the king, and the contents of his letter.

A gentleman in Auvergne having kept a tame lion, he, after some time, escaped,and was the terror of the country,—for he devoured men, women, and children, whenever he chanced to meet them. The country people rose against him, to kill him, and his master accompanied them. On meeting the lion, he recognised his master, and came up to him, when he was instantly put to death. Another extraordinary event happened also in Auvergne, by a spring bursting forth where no water had been before, which event was preceded by an earthquake.

In the month of November of this year, Simon Courtois, whom the king had made his attorney-general for the county of Artois, taking advantage of the truce, left Arras, under pretence of looking after his concerns in Flanders; instead of which, he went to the princess of Flanders, consort to Maximilian of Austria, and, unmindful of the honour the king had just conferred on him, by making him his attorney-general, told the princess that he was her very humble servant, as all his family had been. He added, that if she would accept of his allegiance, and make him her attorney-general, Artois should be restored to her,—forhe would rather that it was in her hands than in the king's. This was told to the king's governor in Arras, who had Simon Courtois arrested and sent to Tours, where, having confessed the above, he was beheaded.

A great bombard, that had been cast at Tours, was brought to Paris the Monday before Epiphany to be proved, and was, for this purpose, drawn out into the fields in front of the bastile of St Anthony. It was pointed toward Charenton, and when first fired threw the ball as far as the gallows on the bridge of Charenton; but as those present did not think it had discharged all the powder that had been put into the chamber, they ordered it to be recharged, and the chamber perfectly cleaned of all that remained within it, which was done, and an iron ball, weighing five hundred weight, put into its mouth, before which stood John Maugué the founder of it. As the ball rolled down the bombard, by some unknown accident the powder in the chamber took fire before the match was put to it, and by its discharge tore in pieces John Maugué and fourteen other persons, whoseheads, legs, arms and bodies, were blown into the air. The ball killed a poor innocent bird-catcher that was attending his nets in the fields; and the bursting of the bombard maimed fifteen or sixteen others, several of whom died; so that by this accident twenty-two or twenty-three persons lost their lives. The remains of John Maugué were collected, put on a bier, and carried to St Merry for interment; and proclamation was made through the streets of Paris, that all people should pray for the soul of John Maugué, who had lost his life in the king's service.

The 22d of May, the body of Laurence Garnier, of the town of Provins[89], which, by sentence of the court of parliament, had been hanged on the gibbet a year and half, for his having murdered a receiver of taxes in the town of Provins (but for which a pardon had been granted, though not confirmed by the court,) was taken down, at the request of his brother, by Henry Cousin, the executioner at Paris. The body was put on a bier, covered with a pall, and from the gibbet carried into Paris by thegate of St Denis; four of the town-criers preceded the body, ringing their bells, and having the arms of Garnier emblazoned on their breasts. Round the bier were four wax-tapers, and eight lighted torches, borne by men in mourning, having on their breasts similar arms to the criers. In this state was the body carried through Paris to the gate of St Anthony, when it was placed on a mourning car, to be conveyed for interment at Provins. One of the before named criers went first, crying aloud, 'Good people, say your Pater-nosters for the soul of Laurence Garnier, who, while living, resided at Provins, and whose body has been lately found dead under an oak, that God may have mercy on his soul!'

On the 18th of March, a gentleman of Gascony, named Oriole, was brought prisoner to Tours. He had commanded a company of one hundred lances for the king: but his company having been lately broken with some others, he was disgusted,—and it was reported to the king that he had used threatening language, and that he was plotting with his lieutenant to quit the service and attach himself to the duke of Austria.He was convicted of high treason, and, for this and other offences, was beheaded at Tours, in company with his lieutenant. After the execution, master Henry Cousin, who had beheaded them, carried their heads and part of their members to be fastened to the gates of Bethune and Arras.

The lord de Mauves, whose company of a hundred lances had been broken, was also confined a prisoner in Paris. He was arrested at the hôtel du Cornet, near to St Jean en Gréve, by Philip L'Huillier, governor of the bastile, and was afterward carried by him or others to the king at Tours, where he was set at liberty, as innocent of the crimes laid to his charge.

FOOTNOTES:[88]Clery—is two or three leagues from Orleans.[89]Provins,—an ancient town in Brie, diocese of Sens.

[88]Clery—is two or three leagues from Orleans.

[89]Provins,—an ancient town in Brie, diocese of Sens.

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