KING EDWARD SUMMONS THE KING OF FRANCE TO RESTORE TO HIM THE
DUCHIES OF GUIENNE AND NORMANDY.--GOOD NEWS FROM THE FRENCH ARMY IN
ARRAGON.--SOME ARRAGONIANS BEHEADED.--THE KING'S PHYSICIANS OPEN A
MAN ALIVE, AND RECOVER HIM.--OF THE FEAST OF ST CHARLEMAGNE, KING OF
FRANCE.--OF THE LOSSES OF THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY BEFORE NUYS, AND OF
THE CONQUESTS GAINED OVER HIM IN PICARDY AND BURGUNDY.--SOME BARONS
EXECUTED AT PARIS.--THE REDUCTION OF THE TOWN OF PERPIGNAN.
King Edward about this time, sent his heralds to the king of France,
to summon him to restore the duchies of Guienne and Normandy, which
he claimed as his property,--and in case of refusal, to declare war
against him. The king gave his answer to these heralds, and sent by
them, to king Edward, the handsomest courser in his stables; and he,
moreover, sent him by Jean de Laslier, his harbinger, an ass, a wolf,
and a wild boar, with which the heralds returned to their own country.
In November, the king came near to Paris, and was lodged at Ablon sur
Seine, at Vincennes, Haubervilliers, and other places. He thence went
to the house of master Dreux Budé, examiner to the court of chancery,
called Bois-le-Comte, while the archbishop of Lyon, the lord de
Beaujeu, and others of his court, were lodged at Mietry, in the Isle
of France. The king, from Bois-le-Comte, went with the above-named
lords to Château Thierry, where he made some stay. About the 12th of
December, he came to Paris, for the feast of Christmas, and performed
his devotions on that day in the church of Nôtre Dame.
Intelligence was brought to the king, on St Stephen's day, that the
English were in great force at sea, and near to the coast of Normandy,
at St Michel. He instantly ordered a body of archers, which he had
just raised, and called The Dauphin's Guard, to mount their horses and
hasten into Normandy.
Nearly at the same time, he heard from his army in Arragon, that they
had taken a place near Perpignan, called Gonne, in which were several
gentlemen, inhabitants of Perpignan, whom they would have put to death,
had they not promised to cause the town of Perpignan to be surrendered
to the king's arms within a certain time by them named. But as they
failed in their promise, some of them were beheaded: in the number was
one called Bernard de Douys. Soon after, an agreement was made between
the king and the Arragonians, by which Roussillon was again restored to
him.
In the month of January, some burgundian adventurers collected
together, and made several inroads on France, even so far as Compiégne,
plundering or killing all they met. They attempted to build themselves
a place of security at Arson, near Roye, whither they had brought a
number of pioneers. When the king heard of this, he sent orders for
the garrisons of Amiens, Beauvais, and other places, to assemble with
the company of the grand master, the cross-bows and archers of Paris,
and to put themselves under the command of sir Robert d'Estouteville,
provost of Paris, and destroy these Burgundians and their strong hold.
But the Burgundians no sooner heard of these orders than they packed up
their plunder, and ran away, like thieves as they were.
This same month, a franc-archer of Meudon was confined in the prisons
of the Châtelet, in Paris, for divers robberies, and even sacrilege in
the church of Meudon. He was condemned, for these crimes, to be hanged
at Montfaucon,--but he appealed to the court of parliament, whither
he was led for trial. That court dismissed his appeal, and confirmed
the sentence of the provost of Paris, to whom he was remanded for
execution; but the surgeons and physicians of Paris petitioned the
king, that as a variety of persons were afflicted with the stone and
other internal disorders, and that as this franc-archer had complaints
similar to those of which the lord de Bouchage[50] now lay dangerously
ill, it was requisite that the internal parts of a living man should
be examined, and that no better subject could have offered than this
franc-archer under sentence of death. The physicians and surgeons, in
consequence of the king's permission, opened his body,--and having
examined his bowels, replaced them, and sewed up the body. By the
king's orders, every care was taken of him; and within fifteen days, he
was perfectly cured, and was not only pardoned for his crimes but had a
sum of money given to him.
On the 28th of January, the king, having a particular affection and
reverence for the exalted and devout virtues of St Charlemagne,
ordered, that henceforward his feast should on that day be celebrated,
which was done in the city of Paris like unto a Sunday, and continued
on every succeeding 28th of January.
The town of Nuys was revictualled by the Germans from Cologne, and
other places under the obedience of the emperor, notwithstanding
the duke of Burgundy had been so long before it, and had placed a
considerable fleet on the Rhine to hinder any reinforcements, or
stores, from entering the town. The duke's fleet was destroyed, and
from six to seven thousand persons, that were on board of it, were
killed or drowned. The Burgundians, before this, had suffered great
losses in the army that was besieging Nuys.
In the month of March, the king ordered four hundred lances from the
garrisons of Amiens, Beauvais, and other parts, to make an inroad on
the territories of the duke of Burgundy, to retaliate the damages done
by his partisans on the country round Roye, Peronne, and Mondidier, in
contempt of the truce. The royalists, in consequence, invaded Artois,
and advanced even to the suburbs of Arras, in which they lodged one
whole night. By means of flails, and portable windmills, they thrashed
and ground all the corn they could find in the barns throughout Artois
and Picardy; which, together with great numbers of cattle, prisoners,
and utensils, were carried off by Salazart and the other captains to
Amiens, and their different garrisons.
During this, the king never stirred from Paris, but kept his Lent
there, making good cheer, and, as he said, being healthy and well
satisfied. In this month, a youth, son to a brigandine maker, who had
been partly brought up by a fresh-water fisherman of Paris, named Jean
Pensart, knowing that this fisherman had acquired a large sum of money
by the sale of his fish during Lent, which he gained by purchasing
from different lords the produce of the ponds by wholesale, and being
instigated by the devil, entered the house of this fisherman, and
seeing where he kept his money, opened the door of the house after
midnight to three Scotsmen, in order that they might rob the said
Pensart. One was called Mortimer, surnamed the Esquire, and the name of
another was Thomas Clark. By the assistance of this youth, they carried
off the money, amounting to two thousand five hundred livres tournois.
The fisherman made such diligence to recover his money that, on the
same day the youth was found within sanctuary at the Carmelites
in Paris. He was instantly dragged thence, and carried to the
prisons of the Châtelet, for the weight of his irons prevented his
walking,--and he there confessed that the Scotsmen had taken all the
money. Great activity was used in seeking them; and Mortimer was
seized, and would have been carried to prison, by orders of master
Philip du Four, had not two of the scots guards attacked him and
his sergeants, and effected the rescue of Mortimer. Thomas Clark
was afterward discovered, having taken sanctuary in the church of
St Catherine-du-Val-des-ėcoliers, and was made prisoner,--but not
before he had courageously defended himself against the officers
of the provost of Paris, having wounded several. At length he was
over-powered, and confessed, at the prison, that he was guilty of this
robbery,--and great part of the money was restored, which he had hidden
near St Estienne des Gres.
For this and other offences, the provost condemned him to the gallows;
but he appealed from this sentence to the parliament,--which appeal
was dismissed, and he was sent back to the provost, who was ordered
to execute his sentence, which was done on the 16th of March, on the
gibbet of Paris, in the presence of sir Denis Hesselin and master Jean
de Ruel, as commissioners for the lieutenant-criminal La Dehors, on
account of a severe illness that prevented his personal attendance.
At this time, the town of Perpignan surrendered to the king's
obedience; when the inhabitants were permitted to go whither they
pleased with their effects,--but the artillery, which was very handsome
and of great value, was detained.