uneasiness, by the bad example they afford as well to the head as the
other members, to the producing of subversion and total ruin. This good
kingdom has long been prosperously governed, chiefly by its regular
police and strict justice, which are founded on three things, and have
caused it to excel all other kingdoms.
'First, by its great learning, by which the Christian faith has been
defended, and justice and equity maintained.
'Secondly, by its noble and gallant chivalry, by which not only this
kingdom, but the whole of the faith has been supported and encouraged.
'Thirdly, by the numbers of loyal subjects, who, by their subordination
and obedience, have given strength to the government.
'But now these three things, by the present perverse mode of acting,
will be completely overturned; for all seems running to disorder, and
one fills an office suited to another, so that the feet which ought
to support the body, head and arms, now want to take the place of
the head, and thus every thing will fall into confusion, and all the
members quit the situations they were naturally designed for, as the
civil law says, 'Rerum commixtione turbantur officia.'
'For these reasons, my lords have sent us to supplicate the king, the
queen, and my lord of Acquitaine, and to request of you, our very dear
and redoubted lords, and of you gentlemen of the great council of the
king and the duke of Acquitaine now present, that each of you would,
according to the exigence of the case, apply a sufficient remedy.
It seems to my lords, that, according to the opinion of physicians,
abstinence is the grand preservative of the body natural from sickness:
we therefore pray you, that all such acts as have lately taken place
may be put an end to, and that all extraordinary commissions may
cease, that honour and justice may have due attention paid to them, and
that liberty and the accustomed prerogatives be restored to the king
and the duke of Acquitaine, as to the eyes of justice; and that they
may be preserved from all offence from churchmen, nobility, and people,
as the body, the arms, and the legs are bound to guard and defend the
head,--for this will be the only and secure means of establishing
peace, and as the Psalmist says, 'Quia justicia et pax osculatæ sunt.'
'St Augustin declares, that every one wishes for Peace in his house;
but Justice, who is her sister, lodges in the house of another; and all
who wish for true Peace must have also her sister Justice. Should any
one say, that abstinence would be dangerous from fear of two different
things, such as war and rigorous justice, we reply, in the name of our
lords, that they will eschew both to the utmost of their power, and
will employ themselves heartily in following this abstinence, and in
the expulsion of all such men at arms as shall injure the country by
every means they can use.
'In regard to rigorous justice, they intend to follow in this the
manner of all princes, keeping in mind the sentence of Plato, that when
a prince is cruel to the commonwealth, he resembles the guardian who
unwisely chastises his ward, whom he had undertaken to watch over and
defend. They will carefully imitate the conduct of their predecessors
of the most noble house of France, who have been accustomed to show
nothing but good humour and kindness, laying aside all rancour against
the good city of Paris, and all other towns that may have been guilty
of improper acts; and they supplicate the king, the queen, and my lord
of Acquitaine, that an entire oblivion may be passed over what may have
been done on one side as well as on the other.
'My lords are particularly desirous that the king, the queen, and the
duke of Acquitaine should have full liberty to make their residence at
Rouen, Chartres, Melun, Montargis, or at any other place more suitable
than Paris, for their loyal subjects to have access to them; not
through any malevolence toward this town, or against its inhabitants,
but to avoid any sort of riot that might take place between their
servants and some of the citizens.
'And I beg the lords now present to consider on the most secure means
for the meeting of my lords with their majesties and the duke of
Acquitaine, and to obviate all pretence of suspicion or alarm, when
my lords shall attend at any proper place to provide for the better
government of the kingdom, and for the establishment of a solid peace.
Let this matter be well weighed, for our lords and ourselves are
perfectly well inclined to attend to the honour and advantage of the
head and of all its members.
'Should I have said too little, my lords and companions will be eager
to amend it; and should I have said too much, or any thing that may
have angered any of my lords here present, they will be pleased
to attribute it to my simplicity and ignorance, and to the strong
affection I bear to the king, and my earnestness that a firm and
lasting peace may be concluded. I am naturally bound to this by my oath
of fidelity, and also from the anxiety my lord the king of Sicily has
to promote this desirable end. Should I therefore have said more than
was necessary, you will not of course attribute it to any rashness, or
disaffection that I may feel; for such has never entered my thoughts,
or those of my lord of Sicily or his companions.'
After this, several propositions for peace were made on each side, that
tranquillity might be restored to the kingdom, and an end put to the
present disorders. Some articles were drawn up, of the following tenour.
'First, there shall be perfect union and love between the princes
of the blood, which they will keep, and swear to observe, like
affectionate relatives and friends, and shall mutually interchange
letters to this purpose; and, for a greater confirmation of the above,
the principal officers and servants of each lord shall do the same.
'Item, the princes of the blood who have sent ambassadors will cease
from all acts of warfare, and will not summon any more men at arms; and
if any summonses should have been issued, they will instantly annul
them.
'Item, they will do every thing in their power to recal those who form
the companies of Clugnet, Louis Bourdon, and others their adherents, by
every possible means. Should these companies refuse to comply, these
lords would then unite themselves with the king's forces, and compel
them to obedience, or destroy them, and all others the king's enemies,
who might wage war against him or his kingdom.
'Item, they will promise that they will not bear any malice or revenge
for whatever things may have been done in the city of Paris, nor do by
themselves or others any mischief to that town, or its inhabitants,
under pretext of justice, or any other cause whatever; and should any
security be required for the observance of this article, they shall
suffer it to be given, and even afford every assistance thereto to the
utmost of their power.
'Item, these princes will make oath upon the true cross of God, on the
holy evangelists, and on the word of honour of a prince, that they
will strictly observe every article of this treaty, without any fraud
or subterfuge, and will give to the king letters containing the above
oath, signed with their seals.
'Item, on the accomplishment of the above, the ambassadors from the
aforesaid princes require, that the king would be pleased to annul
and revoke all his summonses for assembling men at arms, and order
all warfare to cease in the realm, except against the above mentioned
companies.
'Item, he will also revoke all orders lately issued, to take possession
of different castles and forts, and to dismiss from them the governors
appointed by the princes, placing others in their room; and all such
castles and forts shall be delivered up in the same state in which
they were taken possession of; and, after a certain time, all who for
any act by them committed, in opposition to the king's ministers,
may have been imprisoned or banished, shall have their liberties,
and be recalled home; and this shall take place in the course of the
king's ordinary justice, without any commissioners being appointed, or
interfering therein.
'Item, when all these things shall have been done, the king, the
queen, and my lord of Acquitaine shall, on an appointed day, come out
of Paris to a fixed place of meeting, where the princes of either
party shall meet, to confirm the good union among them, and to advise
on the necessary business for the welfare of the king and his realm;
and should any one suspect that these princes, or any of their party,
have the intention of instigating the king, the queen, or my lord of
Acquitaine, to take vengeance on the town of Paris, or, in revenge to
any of its inhabitants, seize on the government, or to carry off the
king and my lord of Acquitaine, or that this meeting was proposed with
any evil design, they are willing to give whatever security may be
thought advisable.'
These propositions having been reduced, to writing, and agreed to by
the different lords who had been commissioned for that purpose, each
party returned to the places they had come from. The dukes of Berry and
Burgundy, with their companions, reported to the king the points of
their embassy, as contained in the memorial which had been drawn up for
the good of the kingdom.
When this matter had been well considered, in a council to which the
members of the university and of the municipality of Paris had been
admitted, it was agreed on by the king and the duke of Acquitaine,
that what had been settled by the commissioners on each side should
be confirmed. In consequence, various ordinances were drawn up, to
be transmitted to the bailiwicks and seneschalships in the realm, in
order to their promulgation at the usual places, of which copies follow
underneath.
During this melancholy time, Clugnet de Brabant, sir Louis de Bourdon,
and other captains of that party, advanced with sixteen thousand
combatants, wasting and despoiling the country of the Gâtinois, and
giving out that they were on their march to make war on the Parisians.
These latter were much angered thereat, and dispatched sir Elyon de
Jacqueville with sixteen hundred helmets, and a large body of other
combatants, to meet them as far as Montereau-faut-Yonne; but the two
armies did not meet,--and that of the Parisians was disbanded without
fighting.
At this time, the constable and admiral of France were, with the
bishop of Tournay, sent by the king to Boulogne-sur-mer, to meet
ambassadors from the king of England, namely, the earl of Warwick, the
bishop of St Davids and others, who had arrived at Calais. They met at
Leulinghen, and, after some negotiations, agreed on a truce between the
two kingdoms, to last until the ensuing Easter, which was proclaimed
throughout both realms.
Here follows a copy of those royal ordinances before mentioned.
'Charles, by the grace of God, king of France, to the bailiff of
Amiens, and to each of the inhabitants of that town, greeting.--We make
known to you, that on account of the improper and unjust imprisonment
of our very dear and well beloved cousin and brother in law, the dukes
of Bar and of Bavaria, with other of our officers, as well as of the
households of our dear companion the queen, and of our well beloved
son the duke of Acquitaine, and other ladies and damsels attached
to them; our very dear cousin and nephew, the king of Sicily, the
duke of Bourbon, the counts of Alençon and of Eu, have made heavy
complaints, as well respecting the manner in which these imprisonments
were made, as likewise regarding the disgust which these events, and
others that have taken place in our good town of Paris, have caused to
our very dear son; and on this occasion the disaffected princes have
lately come to the town of Verneuil, whither we sent, on our part,
properly-instructed ambassadors, and also with them our very dear
uncles the dukes of Berry and of Burgundy.
'Some of the inhabitants of Paris went by our orders to Pontoise;
and our aforesaid cousin and nephews the king of Sicily, the dukes
of Orleans, of Bourbon, and the counts d'Alençon and d'Eu, came to
the town of Vernon, and thence sent their ambassadors to explain and
signify to our aforesaid uncle and cousin the dukes of Berry and of
Burgundy, and to our ambassadors, the cause of their complaints, and to
remonstrate on the perils of the war that would speedily ensue unless
their grievances were redressed.
'These matters having been fully discussed, proposals of peace and
union between all parties were brought forward to avoid the miseries of
a civil war. Many articles were agreed on: the first was, that a solid
peace should be established between the princes of the blood royal,
which they were solemnly to swear to observe, and mutually to exchange
deeds to this effect; but every one was to have the same liberty as
before of declaring his opinion.
'The whole of the articles seemed very reasonable to the members of
the university of Paris and of our court of parliament, as well as
to many of the good citizens of our town of Paris, who were ready to
examine them more fully, and report their opinion to us on the Thursday
following.
'But notwithstanding this approbation, there were some of low degree
and narrow minds, who by their own authority had seized on the
government of the city of Paris, and who have been the cause of the
war continuing so long, in order the better to keep their authority.
These persons excited some of the princes of the blood and others to
war by their false machinations, with the hope that their murders
and robberies would remain unpunished, and that they should escape
the vengeance due to their crimes. In consequence, by persevering
in their wickedness, they practised so effectually that the meeting
which had been appointed for Thursday was put off to Saturday the 5th
of the month, in the expectation that they should before that day be
enabled, by their base intrigues, to prevent peace from being agreed
to,--the truth of which, under the pleasure of God, shall shortly be
made public. But through the grace of God, the university of Paris,
our chambers of parliament and of accounts, the different religious
orders, and the principal inhabitants of Paris assembled,--and having
many fears of the ill-intentioned preventing that peace which they most
earnestly wished for, by every attempt to obstruct so great a blessing
as peace and union throughout the kingdom, came to us at our hôtel
of St Pol in the afternoon, and desired an audience for the purpose
of remonstrating on the happy effects that would ensue from the
establishment of peace.
'They demonstrated the blessings of peace and the evils of war, and the
necessity there was for proceeding instantly to the completion of the
articles that had been agreed to by the ambassadors on each side,--and
demanded, that the Saturday which had been fixed on should be
anticipated, by naming the ensuing Friday, and that proper regulations
should be made for the security of the city.
'On the Friday, those who were desirous of peace went to the town-house
in the Greve, thinking to meet their friends, and come with them to us
in our hôtel of St Pol; but they were prevented by those ill inclined
to peace, who, though of low degree, had before come to our said hôtel,
and with them some varlets, all armed under authority of the government
which they had usurped over the city of Paris.--On this account,
therefore, these prudent wellwishers to peace assembled in the square
of St Germain de l'Auxerrois in Paris, and in other places, in great
numbers and with firm courage; and though the others did every thing in
their power to throw obstacles in their way, in all their attempts they
were baffled.
'This assembly, on breaking up, left St Germain in regular order, as
they had determined on; and on appearing in our presence, as well
as in the presence of our son, our uncle and cousins, the dukes of
Acquitaine, Berry, and Burgundy, with others of our council, a peace
was agreed on, and the articles ordered to be carried into execution.
Punishment was at the same time, to the great joy of the sober
citizens, ordered to be inflicted, according to reason and justice, on
all who had any way attempted to prevent a peace being made.
'Immediately after this had been done, and our will declared, our son,
our uncle and our cousin aforesaid, mounted their horses, and went to
set at liberty our cousin and brother-in-law the dukes of Bar and of
Bavaria, who had for a long time been confined in the Louvre, and also
many other knights and officers of our own and our son's households,
who had been imprisoned for some time in the dungeons of the palace
and of the Châtelet, by force of the aforesaid evil minded and low
persons, who, now perceiving that good government was likely to be
restored, according to reason and justice, hid themselves like foxes,
or fled,--and since that time, it has not been known where they may be
found or arrested.
'This inclines us to fear that they may seduce others to follow their
wicked example, by their dangerous and false lies, as they have before
done, and that events more pernicious may ensue than what we have
lately experienced, and which it concerns every one, through the grace
of God, to prevent with all diligence.
'This peace is considered as so advantageous to all parties that the
king of Sicily, the dukes of Orleans, of Bourbon, and the counts of
Alençon and of Eu, have since sent their ambassadors to Paris, who
daily attend to the due execution of all the articles of it, having
fully approved of it and of every thing that has been done by us; and
the rupture of this peace at this moment would cause the destruction of
us, our kingdom, and of all our faithful and good subjects.
'For this cause, we expressly enjoin and command you not to give
credence to any thing you may hear to the contrary,--for what we have
assured you above is the real truth,--by any of these evil-minded
persons who are inimical to the peace, nor to show them any manner of
favour,--but, on the contrary, to throw them into prison, and send them
to us, that we may inflict such punishment on them as the heinousness
of the case may require.
'And you, bailiff, will cause the above to be proclaimed in all the
considerable towns and villages within your jurisdiction; and you will
also require from the clergy of the different churches, collegiate and
others, within your bailiwick, that they do make processions, and offer
up devout prayers to Heaven, for the effecting of the above peace, and
that our Lord, through his grace, would incline to make it perpetual.
You will also personally be careful that there be no failing on your
part in the due execution of this our will and pleasure.
'Given at Paris the 12th day of August, in the year of Grace 1413, and
of our reign the 33d.' Signed by the king and his council, present the
dukes of Acquitaine, of Berry, and of Burgundy, the marshal Longny.
'Ferron.'
Another edict was published by the king against men at arms and other
warriors, and to secure the people against their inroads, which was
sent to all the bailiwicks and seneschalships in the kingdom, of the
following tenour.
'Charles, by the grace of God, king of France, to the bailiff of
Amiens, or to his lieutenant, greeting.
'It has come to our knowledge, that within a short time many men at
arms, archers and cross-bowmen, and other warriors, without any licence
from us given, either by written orders or otherwise, have unlawfully
assembled, and continue so to do, in very many places and towns of our
kingdom, with the intent of marching toward our good city of Paris, and
pillaging and murdering our poor subjects, and committing other ruinous
acts and excesses, by which our faithful subjects are sorely oppressed,
in addition to what they had before suffered, as well from the effects
of the late war as from the epidemic disorder and mortality which
ensued in consequence, causing the country to be deserted, whence great
and irreparable evils may fall on us and our kingdom, if not speedily
prevented.
'We therefore, desirous of guarding and preserving, to the utmost of
our power, our people from such like plunderings and ill treatment,
as we are bounden so to do,--and beside seeing a probability that the
discords which have taken place between several of our blood and
kindred are likely to be put an end to,--shall use (with God's good
pleasure) every means in our power to have it accomplished.
'We therefore command and strictly enjoin you, that on the receipt of
this letter, you lay aside all other business whatever, and instantly
cause our commands to be publicly proclaimed with a loud voice, and
with sound of trumpet, in such places where proclamations have been
usually made. You will also make this our pleasure known to all
our captains, governors, and men at arms within any fort, castle,
or forming any garrisons within your said bailiwick; and you will
strictly enjoin, that no person shall dare to assemble in arms without
our especial licence first had and obtained, under pain of corporal
punishment and confiscation of goods. And should any such assemblies
have taken place within your bailiwick, they must, on hearing the
proclamation of this our pleasure, instantly disperse, and return to
their homes.
'Should any bodies of men at arms have taken possession of a town or
fortress within your district, you will command them, in our name,
instantly to surrender it to you, and depart thence; and you will renew
the garrison with such persons as you shall judge expedient, and take
the command of such town or fort yourself, until you shall receive
further orders. Should they refuse to surrender themselves to you, you
will make them your prisoners, and execute such justice upon them as
their case may require; and should it seem necessary, you will employ
force against them to reduce them to obedience, and summon to your aid
all the nobles resident within your bailiwick, taking care to have a
superior force to those you are about to attack, and keeping it up so
long as you shall judge it right for the maintaining tranquillity in
the country. And we order all our nobles, on the fealty they owe to us,
to obey your orders whenever the case shall require it.
'Should it happen, that during any engagements that may take place
between you and our rebellious subjects, any of them be killed or
wounded, we will not that such murders be prejudicial to any one
employed under your orders, but that they be acquitted and freed
from all pursuits for the same hereafter, as we grant them our full
pardon. We will likewise, that all arms, horses, or baggage that may be
taken from any of our rebellious subjects, shall be converted toward
paying the expenses of those who shall have taken and imprisoned such
disobedient rebels.
'We therefore give full licence and authority to all our subjects,
should they be constrained to employ force against these rebels, to
seize and hold possession of any parts of their territories without
ever being called to account hereafter for so doing. And we especially
command all our civil officers and subjects to afford you every aid in
their power, and to obey your commands.
'We also direct, that our well-beloved members of the courts of
justice, all masters of requests, as well of our hôtel as of the
parliament, all bailiffs and sergeants, and every other dependant
on the courts of law, do suspend all processes that may have been
proceeding against any of the nobles employed in executing our orders,
from the day they shall have set out until fifteen days after their
return, without their suffering any thing prejudicial to themselves or
their possessions, or to those who may have been securities for them.
Should any such acts have taken place, you will order every thing to
be replaced on the same ground as before the nobles had set out on the
expedition; for such is our pleasure, according to the tenour of this
present letter,--a copy of which, under our royal seal, we shall send
you, because the original cannot be exhibited in all places where
there may be occasion for it; and to this copy you will give equal
credence as to the original letter.
'Given at Paris, the 5th day of August, in the year of Grace 1413, and
of our reign the 33d.' It was signed by the king in council,--present
the dukes of Acquitaine, Berry, Burgundy, Bar, the duke Louis of
Bavaria, and others. Countersigned, 'Ferron.' These two edicts were
carried to Amiens, and proclaimed the 20th day of the same month.
CHAP. XXIII.