THE KING, ON HIS RETURN FROM PICARDY, SETS AT LIBERTY THE PRISONERS IN
THE CHASTELET.--OF THE PRINCE OF ORANGE AND SIR CLAUDE DE VAUDRAY IN
THE COUNTRY OF BURGUNDY.--THE STATUES OF ST LOUIS AND ST CHARLEMAGNE
REMOVED.--THE KING HAS TWELVE GREAT BOMBARDS MADE.--EDWARD KING OF
ENGLAND CAUSES HIS BROTHER THE DUKE OF CLARENCE TO BE DROWNED IN A
BUTT OF MALMSEY.--AN ACCUSATION IS LAID AGAINST DANIEL THE SERVANT
TO OLIVIER LE DAIM.--ON THE RETURN OF THE KING FROM PICARDY, GREAT
ENTERTAINMENTS ARE GIVEN AT PARIS IN THE YEAR MCCCCLXXVIII.
The king of France, before he left Picardy, appointed the lord
bastard of Bourbon, admiral of France, his lieutenant-general for the
management of the war in that country. He assigned, for the cantonments
of his men, the cities and towns of Arras, Tournay, Lens, La Bassée,
and other places on the frontiers of Flanders, which still held out
for the princess of Flanders, daughter to the late duke of Burgundy.
Having arranged these matters, the king went to pay his devotions
to Nôtre Dame de la Victoire, whose image was richly ornamented,
and thence proceeded to Paris. As he arrived on the feast-day of St
Denis, from his reverence to the saint, he delivered all the prisoners
confined in the Châtelet.
The king made no long stay in Paris, but went to Tours, Amboise, and
places in that district, where he the more willingly resided.
During this interval, the Burgundians and other enemies to the king,
under the prince of Orange, and sir Claude de Vaudray, committed great
devastations in Burgundy, and defeated many parties of the royal
forces, more especially at the town of Gray sur Saone, wherein they
were quartered. The Burgundians killed a number of gentlemen of the
companies of Salazart and Coninghame, a scots captain.
The king had this year great devotion for St Louis and St Charlemagne,
and ordered that their statues of stone, which had been placed in
their rank with those of the other kings of France in the great hall
of the palace, should be removed and placed beside the chapel at the
upper end of the said hall,--which was done, and the expenses of their
removal were paid by Robert Cailletel, receiver of taxes in the city of
Paris.
In the month of December, the king, to increase his artillery, ordered
twelve great bombards to be cast of a prodigious length and weight.
Three of them were to be cast at Paris, three at Tours, three at
Orleans, and three at Amiens; and at the same time a quantity of iron
bullets were cast at the founderies at Creil, of which charge was
given to master John de Reilhac his secretary. In the quarries near
to Peronne, were also made many stone bullets for the bombards,--and
great stores of scaling ladders and small pieces of ordnance were
constructed, for the attack of several towns in Flanders and Picardy
that remained to be reduced.
At this period, king Edward of England, having been assured that his
brother the duke of Clarence had intentions of crossing the sea
to give assistance to his sister. The widowed duchess of Burgundy,
ordered him to be arrested and confined in the tower of London, where
he remained for some time. During his confinement, the king assembled
his council, who condemned him to be drawn on a sledge from the tower
to a gibbet, and thereon hanged,--after which, his entrails were to
be thrown into a fire, his head cut off, and his body quartered. But
this sentence was changed at the intercession of his mother, and the
execution deferred until the month of February following, when he was
taken out of prison, and, after he had confessed himself, was thrown
alive into a butt of malmsey Madeira, which had one of its ends taken
off, and held therein, with his head downwards, until he expired. He
was then taken out: his head was cut off, and carried to be buried at
the Carmelite's church, beside his duchess, daughter to the late earl
of Warwick, who had been slain at the battle of Coventry, at the same
time when the prince of Wales, son to the sainted Henry of Lancaster,
fell[84].
An event happened at this time, at Paris, that made some noise. Daniel
de Bar, servant to master Olivier le Daim[85], first barber and valet
de chambre to the king, was arrested and imprisoned by the court of
parliament, in consequence of several informations laid against him,
and especially on the complaint of Marion, the wife of Colin Panier,
and another dissolute woman, who charged the said Daniel with having
forced them and with having committed upon them the beastly and
abominable sin of sodomy. When the parliament and the provost began
to examine more minutely into these charges, the women contradicted
themselves, and denied the facts, confessing that they had been
induced to make such accusations at the instance of Panier, the
husband of Marion, and of another called Janvier, enemies of the said
Daniel, in order to be revenged on him. The two women were therefore
sentenced, by the provost, to be whipped naked and banished the realm;
and their effects were to be confiscated to the king, out of which
sufficient damages should first be taken for the said Daniel, as an
indemnification for these false charges. This sentence was executed in
all the squares of Paris, on Wednesday, the 11th day of March.
In this month, the king came from Tours toward Paris, and staid two
days at Ablon sur Seine, at the house of Marc Senamy, assessor of
Paris; whence he came to his palace of the Tournelles, and on the
morrow morning, paid his devotions at the cathedral to the blessed
virgin Mary. This done, he went to Louvres, and places in that
neighbourhood, where he staid some time, and then proceeded to Hêdin,
Amiens, and other towns in Picardy. While he was there, the lord Howard
came to him from the king of England, to endeavour to conclude a peace
between him and the Flemings. The king appointed the lord de St Pierre
to confer with him on the subject; and in the interval, the king
marched the whole of his army and artillery into Picardy.