with God's aid, he would act,--and promised it on the word of a king.
The archbishop of Bourges then, according to the custom in France,
demanded permission to speak, and said, 'O king! how canst thou,
consistently with honour and justice, thus wish to dethrone, and
iniquitously destroy the most Christian king of the French, our very
dear and most redoubted lord, the noblest and most excellent of all the
kings in Christendom. O king! with all due reverence and respect, dost
thou think that he has offered by me such extent of territory, and so
large a sum of money with his daughter in marriage, through any fear
of thee, thy subjects or allies? By no means; but, moved by pity and
his love of peace, he has made these offers to avoid the shedding of
innocent blood, and that Christian people may not be overwhelmed in the
miseries of war; for whenever thou shalt make thy promised attempt, he
will call upon God, the blessed virgin, and on all the saints, making
his appeal to them for the justice of his cause,--and with their aid,
and the support of his loyal subjects and faithful allies, thou wilt
be driven out of his dominions, or thou wilt be made prisoner, or thou
wilt there suffer death by orders of that just king whose ambassadors
we are.
'We have now only to entreat of thee, that thou wouldst have us safely
conducted out of thy realm; and that thou wouldst write to our said
king, under thy hand and seal, the answer which thou hast had given to
us.'
The king kindly granted their requests; and the ambassadors, having
received handsome presents, returned by way of Dover to Calais, and
thence to Paris. They reported to the duke of Acquitaine in the
presence of the members of the grand council, many knights and other
persons, the ill success of their embassy. At the same time, the
duke of Acquitaine and the council received letters from the king of
England, dated from Winchester, containing his final answer to the
proposals that had been made him.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 22: The _commissioners_ were Richard Clitherow and Symon
Flecte, esquires.--_Foedera._
I would refer the reader to this excellent work for the whole detail
of the negotiations with France respecting the marriage of Catherine.
The demands of the english ambassadors are detailed at length, with the
handsome proposals on the part of France, in answer to such exorbitant
and unjust pretensions.]
[Footnote 23: See the Foedera.]
CHAP. XXIV.
THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY SENDS AMBASSADORS TO THE DUKE OF ACQUITAINE. THE
ANSWER THEY RECEIVE.--HE TAKES THE OATH.
The duke of Burgundy, tormented by the clamours of those who had
been banished from Paris and the kingdom France, and whom, as I have
noticed, he had taken under his protection, was very desirous of
alleviating their distress, and for this purpose sent ambassadors to
Paris, to his son-in-law the duke of Acquitaine, and to the grand
council of the king. These ambassadors were sir Regnier Pot and the
lord d'Ancre, knights, the bishop of Tournay, and an advocate of
Dijon: they were instructed to solicit the recal of those who had been
banished the kingdom by royal authority, and that the five hundred
who had been excepted by the articles of the peace should be fully
pardoned, and that all which had passed should be forgotten. They were
also to insist, that the duchess of Acquitaine, whom the duke had sent
to reside at St Germain en laye, should inhabit the Louvre with him,
and that he should put away a female friend who lived with him in place
of his said wife.
If these things were complied with, he promised to take the prescribed
oath to preserve the peace,--otherwise not.
The duke of Acquitaine was so much angered, when he first heard these
proposals, that the ambassadors did not experience a very agreeable
reception. They waited, therefore, on him another day, in hope of
receiving more favourable answers; but finding that they could no way
succeed in what had been ordered by their lord the duke of Burgundy,
they addressed the duke of Acquitaine as follows: 'Most renowned
prince, and very noble lord, with reverence be it known to you, that
if you do not grant what our aforesaid lord requires of you, he will
never swear to the observance of the late peace; and should the English
invade France, neither he himself nor his vassals will bear arms in
your service, or for the defence of the kingdom.'
The duke, hearing this, was more exasperated than before; but,
dissembling his feelings, he replied, that he would advise with his
council on the subject of their coming, and within a short time would
send an answer to their lord by a confidential person. Upon this, the
ambassadors returned to Burgundy.
The duke of Acquitaine consulted the grand council on the above; and in
consequence, sir Guichard Daulphin, the lord de Viel-pont, and master
John de Vailly, president of the parliament, were sent, in the king's
name, to Burgundy, where they treated so effectually with the duke,
whom they met at Dijon, that he took the same oaths the others had
done; and they brought back his certificate under his seal, which was
given to Estienne Mauregard, master of the rolls.
The duke of Burgundy, however, kept up a very large force of men at
arms and archers, in the duchy and county of Burgundy, and the adjacent
parts, to the great loss of the poor inhabitants, to aid and defend
him, should there be occasion.
On the 23d day of July, those five hundred persons whose names had
been excepted from the amnesty on the conclusion of the peace between
the duke of Burgundy and the other princes of the blood, were publicly
banished, by sound of trumpet, from France, in the presence of the
ambassadors from the duke of Burgundy, at that time in Paris.
CHAP. XXV.
HENRY KING OF ENGLAND MAKES GREAT PREPARATIONS TO INVADE FRANCE. HE
SENDS LETTERS TO THE KING OF FRANCE AT PARIS.
It is proper that we now return to the king of England, who was making
vast preparations of warlike stores, and every other necessary, to
accomplish his projected invasion of France. He had marched his army to
Southampton, and to the neighbouring sea-ports; and after the 2d day of
August, when the truce between the two kingdoms expired, the garrisons
of Calais and other places began to overrun and despoil the country of
the Boulonois, and divers other parts.
The king of France instantly ordered thither, to oppose them, the lord
de Rambures, master of the cross-bows, and the lord de Louroy, with
five hundred combatants, for the defence of the country. Within a few
days after the expiration of the truce, king Henry, whose preparations
were now completed, sent one of his heralds called Glocester[24], to
Paris to deliver letters to the king, of which the contents were as
follows:
'To the very noble prince, Charles our cousin and adversary of France.
Henry, by the grace of God, king England and of France. To give to
every one what is their due, is a work of inspiration and wise council,
very noble prince, our cousin and adversary. The noble kingdoms of
England and France were formerly united, now they are divided. At that
time it was customary for each person to exalt his name by glorious
victories, and by this single virtue to extol the honour of God, to
whom holiness belongs, and to give peace to his church, by subjecting
in battle the enemies of the public weal. But alas! good faith among
kindred and brotherly love have been perverted; and Lot persecutes
Abraham by human impulsion, and Dissention, the mother of Anger, has
been raised from the dead.
'We, however, appeal to the sovereign Judge, (who is neither swayed by
prayers nor gifts from doing right), that we have, from pure affection,
done every thing in our power to preserve the peace; and we must now
rely on the sword for regaining what is justly our heritage, and those
rights which have from old time belonged to us; and we feel such
assurance in our courage that we will fight till death in the cause of
justice.
'The written law in the book of Deuteronomy ordains, that before any
person commences an attack on a city, he shall first offer terms
of peace; and although violence has detained from us our rightful
inheritances, charity, however, induces us to attempt, by fair means,
their recovery; for should justice be denied us, we may then resort to
arms.
'And to avoid having our conscience affected by this matter, we make
our personal request to you, and exhort you by the bowels of JESUS
CHRIST, to follow the dictates of his evangelical doctrine. Friend,
restore what thou owest, for such is the will of God, to prevent
the effusion of the blood of man, who was created in his likeness.
Such restitution of rights cruelly torn from us, and which we have
so frequently demanded by our ambassadors, will be agreeable to the
supreme God, and secure peace on earth.
'From our love of peace, we were inclined to refuse fifty thousand
golden crowns lately offered us; for, being more desirous of peace
than riches, we have preferred enjoying the patrimony left us by
our venerable ancestors, with our very dear cousin Catherine, your
noble daughter, to iniquitously multiplying our treasures, and thus
disgracing the honour of our crown, which God forbid!
'Given under our privy seal, in our castle of Southampton, the 5th day
of the month of August.'
The above letter having been presented by the herald to the king of
France, he was told that the king and council would examine it, and
consider more at length its contents,--and that the king would provide
accordingly, in such time and place as should seem good to him,--and
that he might return to his lord the king of England when he pleased.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 24: Hollingshed styles him 'Antilope, pursuivant at arms.']
CHAP. XXVI.
THE KING OF ENGLAND, WHILE AT SOUTHAMPTON, DISCOVERS A CONSPIRACY OF
HIS NOBLES AGAINST HIM.--HE LAYS SIEGE TO HARFLEUR, AND WINS THAT TOWN.
While the king of England remained at Southampton, to embark his army
which was now ready to sail for France, he was informed that many
lords of his household had entered into a conspiracy against him, with
the intent to place the earl of March, the rightful successor and heir
to Richard the second, on the throne of England. True it is, that the
earl of Cambridge, with others, had plotted to seize the persons of
the king and his brothers, to accomplish the above purpose, and had
revealed their plan to the earl of March, who had discovered it to the
king, advising him, at the same time, to be on his guard, or he would
be betrayed, and named to him the conspirators. King Henry was not
long in having them arrested, when the three principal were beheaded,
namely, the earl of Cambridge, the lord Scrope of Masham, who every
night slept with the king, and sir Thomas Grey. Some others were
afterward executed.
This matter being ended, the king hastened the embarkation of his
army, and put to sea. On the vigil of the assumption of our Lady, they
made in the night-time a harbour[25], which lies between Harfleur and
Honfleur, where the river Seine enters the sea, and landed without any
effusion of blood. Their fleet might consist of about sixteen hundred
vessels of all sorts, full of soldiers, and every sorts of warlike
stores.
When the whole of the army was landed, the king fixed his quarters at
a a priory in Graville[26], and his brothers the dukes of Clarence and
Glocester near to him. His uncles, the dukes of York and Dorset, the
bishop of Norwich, the earls of Windsor, Suffolk, earl marshal, Warwick
and Kent, the lords de Camber, Beaumont, Willoughby of Trompington, sir
John de Cornewall, Molliflac[27], with many more, lodged themselves as
well as they could. They marched the army to besiege, with vigour, the
town of Harfleur, the commanding sea-port of all that coast of Normandy.
The king's army was composed of about six thousand helmets and
twenty-three thousand archers, exclusive of cannoneers, and others
employed with the engines of war, of which he had great abundance.
About four hundred picked men at arms had been sent by the french
government, to defend Harfleur, under the command of the lords
d'Estouteville, governor of the town, de Blainville, de Bacqueville,
de Hermanville de Gaillart de Bos, de Clerè de Bectou, de Adsanches,
de Briautè, de Gaucourt, de l'Isle-Adam, and several other valiant
knights and esquires, to the amount aforesaid, who gallantly opposed
the English. But their attempts were vain against so superior a
force, and in their sallies they had great difficulty to re-enter the
town. They took up the pavement, which was between Montivilliers and
Harfleur, to make the road as bad as possible, and carried away the
stones. Notwithstanding this, the English scoured the country, made
many prisoners, and gained much booty, and planted their large engines
in the most convenient spots for battering the town, which greatly
damaged its walls.
The besieged were not slack in their defence, but made such good use
of cross-bows and other weapons that many of the English were slain.
The town had but two gates, namely, that of Caltinant and that of
Montivilliers, whence they made several vigorous sallies on the enemy;
but the English defended themselves well. An unfortunate accident befel
the besieged, for a supply of gunpowder sent them by the king of France
was met by the English and taken.
While these things were passing, the king of France sent against the
English a considerable body of men at arms to Rouen, and other parts on
the frontier under the charge of the constable, the marshal Boucicaut,
the seneschal of Hainault, the lords de Ligny, de Hamede, sir Clugnet
de Brabant, and several other captains.
These commanders so well guarded the country that the English were
unable to gain any town or fortress, while part of their army was
engaged at the siege, although they took great pains so to do; for
they frequently made excursions in large bodies over the low countries
in search of provision, and to meet the enemy: they did very great
damage wherever they passed, and carried off large booties to their
head-quarters.
However, by the prudent conduct of the french commanders, the English
were very much straitened for provision, for the greater part of the
stores they had brought with them had been spoiled at sea. Add to
this, that an epidemical bowel-complaint raged in their camp, of which
upwards of two thousand died. The principal persons thus carried off
were, the earl of Stafford, the bishop of Norwich, the lords Beaumonte,
Willoughby of Trompington, Burnel and many other noblemen.
The king of England, nevertheless, pushed on the siege with great
diligence and labour. He had caused three mines to be carried under the
walls, and his engines had nearly demolished the gates, which being
made known to the inhabitants, and that they were daily liable to be
stormed, they offered to surrender themselves to the king, provided
they were not within three days succoured from France: they gave
hostages for the due performance of this treaty, and thereby saved
their lives by paying ransoms.
The lord de Bacqueville was sent by the captains in Harfleur to the
king of France and the duke of Acquitaine, who were at Vernon sur
Seine, to make them acquainted with their situation, and to tell them,
that unless they were succoured within three days, they would lose
their town, and all within it. He was in reply told, that the king's
forces were not yet assembled, or prepared to give such speedy succour:
upon which, the lord de Bacqueville returned to Harfleur,--and it was
surrendered to the king of England, on St Maurice's day, to the great
sorrow and loss of the inhabitants, and displeasure of the French; for,
as I have said, it was the principal sea port of that part of Normandy.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 25: Probably Quillebouef.]
[Footnote 26: Graville,--a small town in Normandy near Harfleur.]
[Footnote 27: Molliflac. Q. Molins.]
CHAP. XXVII.
THE CANONS OF ST GERY IN CAMBRAY QUARREL WITH THE INHABITANTS.--THE
DUKE OF BURGUNDY, IN CONSEQUENCE, MAKES WAR ON CAMBRAY.
At this time, there was a great quarrel between the citizens and
inhabitants of Cambray and the canons of the chapter of St Gery, within
that town. The inhabitants, foreseeing that the present war between
England and France might be carried on near their country, determined
for the greater security of themselves and their town, to repair and
enlarge its walls and bulwarks; and consequently, they demolished, by
force or otherwise, many walls of the gardens of the townsmen, which
had encroached too near them. They particularly destroyed the gardens
belonging to the aforesaid canons, taking a large portion of their land
without intending to make them any recompence for what they had done.
The inhabitants also wanted to prevent the canons selling wine from
their cellars, although they had for a long time done so from their
own vintage. For these several offences and grievances, the canons
having frequently demanded, but in vain, redress from the townsmen,
made heavy complaints of what they had suffered, and were still
suffering, to the duke of Burgundy and his council, because, as earl
of Flanders, he was the hereditary guardian and defender of all the
churches within Cambray. For this guardianship a certain quantity of
corn was annually paid to the duke, as protector of the churches within
the Cambresis, and this impost was called the Gavenne[28] of Cambresis.
The duke of Burgundy was very much displeased at this conduct of
the Cambresians, and sent solemn messengers to inform them, that if
they did not make instant and full satisfaction to the canons who
were under his protection, for all the damages they had done them,
he should take such measures as would serve for an example to all
others. Not receiving an answer which was agreeable to him, and being
then in Burgundy, he wrote to his son, Philippe count de Charolois,
in Flanders, to order him to secure the canons of St Gery from all
oppression and violence, and to constrain the inhabitants of Cambray to
make reparation for the wrongs they had done them.
The count of Charolois, knowing the temper of his father, again
summoned the townsmen to make satisfaction to the canons; and because
they sent evasive answers, he secretly advised the canons to leave
Cambray and go to Lille, at which town he would find them a handsome
dwelling. The canons, on this, placed the better part of their effects,
in safety, and then secretly left Cambray and went to Lille, or at
least the greater number of them.
Soon after their departure, the count de Charolois sent his defiance
to the town of Cambray by Hector de Saveuses, who had assembled full
three hundred combatants. On the feast-day of the exaltation of the
holy cross, he suddenly entered the Cambresis, and advanced almost to
the gates of Cambray, when, it being market-day, he plundered, killed
and wounded very many of the town, and perpetrated other cruel deeds.
Hector did not make any long stay, but departed, with an immense booty,
to quarter himself near to Braye-sur-Somme, saying, that what he had
done was by orders from the count de Charolois.
This attack much astonished those of Cambray, and put them in great
fear. They conceived a greater hatred than before against the canons of
St Gery, increased every preparation for the defence of their town, and
made daily seizures of the effects of these canons, such as wine, corn,
wood and other necessaries of life.
The citizens, however, having suffered several inroads, and great
losses, and considering that in the end the war must be the destruction
of their town, solicited duke William count of Hainault, guardian of
Cambray for the king of France, that he would negotiate a peace for
them with his nephew the count de Charolois, and that they were willing
to make every reasonable restitution to the canons for the losses they
might have suffered.
By the interference, therefore, of duke William and others, the dispute
was referred to some doctors of civil law, who sentenced the citizens
to rebuild all the walls they had destroyed of the canons' gardens,
and to bind themselves to pay annually to the said canons one hundred
francs of royal money, on condition that the said canons were not to
sell any wines from their cellars. The citizens were allowed liberty
to buy up this annuity of a hundred francs for a certain sum, whenever
they shall have the power and inclination so to do. On these and some
other terms was the quarrel appeased, and the canons returned to their
church in Cambray.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 28: Gavenne,--the right of protection due to the counts of
Flanders, in quality of guardians, or gaveniers, of Cambresis.--_Dict.
du vieux Language._]
CHAP. XXVIII.
THE KING OF FRANCE COLLECTS A GREAT BODY OF MEN AT ARMS FROM ALL PARTS
OF HIS KINGDOM TO OPPOSE THE ENGLISH.--THE SUMMONS HE ISSUES ON THE
OCCASION.
When the king of France and his council heard of the surrender of
Harfleur to the king of England, they consequently expected that he
would attempt greater objects, and instantly issued summonses for
raising in every part of the kingdom the greatest possible force of men
at arms. The better to succeed, he ordered his bailiffs and seneschals
to exert themselves personally throughout their jurisdictions, and
to make known that he had sent ambassadors to England, to offer his
daughter in marriage to king Henry, with an immense portion in lands
and money, to obtain peace, but that he had failed; and the king of
England had invaded his realm, and besieged and taken his town of
Harfleur, very much to his displeasure. On this account, therefore,
he earnestly solicited the aid of all his vassals and subjects, and
required them to join him without delay.
He also dispatched messengers into Picardy, with sealed letters to
the lords de Croy, de Waurin, de Fosseux, de Crequi, de Heuchin, de
Brimeu, de Mammez, de la Viefville, de Beaufort, d'Inchy, de Noyelle,
de Neufville, and to other noblemen, to order them instantly to raise
their powers, under pain of his indignation, and to join the duke of
Acquitaine, whom he had appointed captain-general of his kingdom.
The lords of Picardy delayed obeying, for the duke of Burgundy had
sent them and all his subjects orders to hold themselves in readiness
to march with him when he should summon them, and not to attend to the
summons of any other lord, whatever might be his rank. This was the
cause why the above-mentioned men at arms were in no haste to comply
with the king's summons: fresh orders were therefore issued, the tenour
of which was as follows.
'Charles, by the grace of God, king of France, to the bailiff of
Amiens, or to his lieutenant, greeting.
'Whereas by our letters we have commanded you to make proclamation
throughout your bailiwick, for all nobles and others accustomed to
bear arms and follow the wars, instantly to join our very dear and
well beloved son, the duke of Acquitaine, whom we have nominated our
captain-general of the kingdom.
'It is now some time since we have marched against our adversary of
England, who had, with a large army, invaded our province of Normandy,
and taken our town of Harfleur, owing to the neglect and delay of you
and others, in not punctually obeying our orders; for from want of
succours our noble and loyal subjects within Harfleur, after having
made a most vigorous defence, were forced to surrender it to the enemy.
'And as the preservation and defence of our kingdom is the concern
of all, we call on our good and faithful subjects for aid, and
are determined to regain those parts of which the enemy may be in
possession, and to drive them out of our kingdom in disgrace and
confusion, by the blessing of GOD, the holy Virgin Mary, and with the
assistance of our kindred and loyal subjects.
'You will therefore, by these presents strictly enjoin every one within
your jurisdictions, on the duty they owe us, to lose no time in arming
themselves, and in hastening to join our said well beloved the duke of
Acquitaine; and you will proclaim these our orders in the most public
manner, and in the usual places, that no one may plead ignorance of
the same; and that under pain of being reputed disobedient, and having
their goods confiscated, they fail not to come to our assistance,
sufficiently armed and mounted.