THE KING SENDS COMMISSIONERS TO MAKE REFORMS AT PARIS.--THEIR PAGES
AND THE CLERKS OF THE PALACE QUARREL.--A MURDEROUS WAR BETWEEN THE
LIEGEOIS AND THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY.--A GREAT MORTALITY IN PARIS AND ITS
ENVIRONS.--THE KING APPOINTS CERTAIN LORDS FOR THE GUARD AND DEFENCE
OF HIS REALM.--EVENTS THAT HAPPENED AT PARIS IN THIS YEAR MCCCCLXVI.
In the month of July, many prelates, lords, knights, churchmen, and
others of the king's council arrived at Paris, by the king's orders, as
commissioners to inspect the courts of justice, and to reform whatever
they should find irregular, having had very great powers given them for
the purpose. They were twenty-one commissioners in all, and the lord
John bastard of Orleans, count of Dunois and of Longueville, was their
president; but no business could be transacted unless thirteen members
were present, the count de Dunois being always one.
They were called 'The Reformers of the Public Welfare,' and opened
their sittings on the 16th day of July; and, that their measures might
be salutary, they commenced by hearing a fine mass to the Divine Spirit
chaunted in the holy chapel in the palace at Paris. This was celebrated
by Juvenel des Ursins, archbishop of Rheims, who had been chosen one
of the commissioners. This day twelve-month, the king met the count de
Charolois at Montlehery.
On the morrow, some of the pages of the counsellors in the court of
parliament, while waiting for their masters, sought a quarrel with
the pages of these commissioners, and a great riot and noise ensued,
because they had refused to pay their welcome-money at the palace. This
quarrel was renewed with more earnestness the next day, when their
masters returned to the court, and proceeded at length to blows with
fists, knives, and stones; so that many were much beaten and bruised,
and some even had their eyes knocked out,--and force was employed to
separate them. Several said, that this was only done as an anniversary
of the battle of Montlehery.
This year was very moist, so that although the corn was good in some
parts of France, in others it was spoilt and mildewed. There were many
tempests, and storms of thunder and lightning, which did much damage
in divers places of the kingdom, more particularly in the Soissonnois,
where several houses were destroyed, churches unroofed,--and infinite
mischief was done to the vineyards and corn-fields.
A serious war now took place between the Liegeois and the duke of
Burgundy, who, on this occasion, resumed his arms, and advanced to his
army carried in a litter, attended by his son the count de Charolois,
with all his nobles, and the whole of his artillery. He began the
campaign, by laying siege to Dinant, as has been amply detailed in the
chronicles of Monstrelet.
The heat of the weather in the months of August and September, of this
year, was so excessive that it brought on a great mortality in and
about Paris, insomuch that more than forty thousand persons of both
sexes died. In the number, was master Arnoul, the king's astrologer,
a very good kind of man, wise and pleasant. Several physicians,
and officers of the king died; and such numbers were buried in the
churchyard of the holy Innocents, and the great hospital being full
of dead and dying, it was ordered, that in future all buryings should
be made in the churchyard of the Holy Trinity, which church was
appertaining to the town-house of Paris. This mortality continued until
the month of November. Public prayers were offered up to God that it
might cease,--and solemn general processions were made by the different
parishes, in which were carried holy relics, and the shrines of saints,
and even the shrines of our Lady, of Saint Genevieve and Saint Marcel,
when the number of deaths decreased some little.
At this period, there were great alarms in Paris, from the number of
thieves and housebreakers, who did great mischiefs during the night.
Some were arrested and whipped at a cart's tail, and others hanged, for
these crimes, on the gibbet at Paris. In this year was hanged at Paris,
a large Norman, a native of Coutantin, in Normandy, for having long
cohabited with his own daughter, by whom he had several children, whom
they put to death as soon as born. He was hanged,--and she was burnt
at Maigny, near Pontoise, where they resided on quitting Normandy. The
shrines of St Crespin and St Crespinian were now brought to Paris,
in the hopes that they would stop the mortality, and also to solicit
alms for the new-roofing of their church at Soissons, which had been
destroyed in the summer by lightning, as has been mentioned.
During this time, the king and his ministers resided at Orleans,
Chartres, Bourges, Mehun, Amboise, and other places, where he received
divers embassies from England, Burgundy, and elsewhere. The king
now determined to make war on the duke of Burgundy, and on his son
the count de Charolois; and for this purpose issued his summons for
the assembly of the ban and arriere-ban, in the different towns of
his realm. He created a large body of franc-archers beyond their
established number, and made several regulations for the more
effectual defence of his kingdom. He appointed the marshal de Lohéac
his lieutenant for the town of Paris and the Isle of France. To the
lord de Châtillon was given the guard of Champagne. The care of
Normandy was intrusted to the count de Saint Pol, constable of France,
who, a little before, had been the king's enemy, in conjunction with
the duke of Burgundy and the count de Charolois.
In the month of February, an embassy came to the king from Brittany,
who, having heard what they had to say, received them well. They
afterwards pursued their journey into Flanders, to wait on the duke of
Burgundy and his son. The report was now current, that the king and his
brother had made up their quarrel, to the great joy of the nation. I
should have mentioned, that, prior to this, the king had sent master
John Hebert and the bishop of Troys, with others, on an embassy to the
Liegeois.
It happened, about this time, that three sergeants at mace of the
Châtelet, of bad repute, forcibly entered, during the night the
chamber of a priest of St Paul's church, while he was quietly asleep,
and beat and mutilated him much; but not content with this, they
dragged him through the streets, and, having sorely wounded him in many
places, went their way. The priest prosecuted them; in consequence
of which they were confined in the prisons of the Châtelet, and were
sentenced to be banished from France, to have their effects confiscated
to the king, and to make an amende honorable. From this sentence, they
appealed to the court of parliament, and the king's attorney appealed
thither also against the sentence, as being too mild for such an
outrage. The court, therefore, confirmed the judgment of the provost at
the Châtelet, and condemned them, in addition, to be whipped through
all the squares of Paris, which was done.