requiring from you justice, which is the brightest jewel in your crown.
Recollect the numerous examples of kings, your predecessors, who so much
loved justice, and particularly that bright instance of a king, who
seeing that his son had deserved, by the laws of that time, to lose both
his eyes, ordered one of his eyes to be put out, and had at the same
time one of his own destroyed, that the law might not be violated nor
infringed.
‘Valerius also mentions, in his 6th book, a king called Cambyses, who
commanded a false judge to be flayed, and his skin to be placed on the
judge’s seat, and then ordered the son of the late judge to sit on the
skin of his father, telling him, ‘When thou judgest any cause, let what
I have done to thy father be an example to thee; and let his skin,
forming thy seat, always keep thee in remembrance.’
‘O, king of France! thou rememberest what David said, when king Saul
unjustly persecuted him, ‘Dominus inquit retribuet unicuique secundum
justitiam tuam;’ that is to say, The Lord God will repay every one
according to his justice. These words are written in the second chapter
of the first book of Kings.
‘Thou oughtest, therefore, like a true follower of our lord, to do in
like manner according to thy power, and aid and support such as have
been unjustly wounded and persecuted. Thou canst not have forgotten, how
Andronicus, a cruel murderer, was condemned to death on the spot where
he had slain the high priest, as it is written in the book of Machabees.
‘O, king of France! take example from king Darius, who caused those that
had falsely accused the prophet Daniel to be thrown into the lion’s den
to be devoured. Recollect the justice that was executed on the two
elders who, from false charges, had accused and condemned Susanna. These
examples are written in the sixth and fourteenth chapters of the book of
Daniel the prophet, and ought to stimulate thee to do justice as king
and sovereign,—for it is in doing thus that thy subjects will be
obedient to thee, and in such wise art thou bound to do them justice,
and which will cause them to be highly criminal when disobedient to
thee.
‘Some indeed have doubted whether the subject may not withdraw his
allegiance from the sovereign on a refusal of justice and equity. May it
please thee, therefore, sire, to consider this well, for thou wilt not
have any thing to fear in doing justice, as I shall hereafter
demonstrate; and in conclusion of this my first reason, I shall quote
the words of the third chapter of Job: ‘Cum justitia indutus sum, et
vestivi me vestimento et diademate in coronatione mea;’ that is to say,
I am clothed with justice, and have invested myself with it, as the robe
and diadem of my coronation.
‘Consequently, most noble prince, I say that fraternal love ought
greatly to urge thee to do justice; for I do not believe that greater
love ever existed between two brothers than what you both felt. Be then
the true friend to thy brother in justice and judgment; for it will be
the greatest disgrace to thee and to the crown of France, throughout the
world, if justice and reparation be not made for the infamous and cruel
murder of thy brother. It is now time for thee to show thy brotherly
affection; and be not like to those friends spoken of by the wise man,
in the 8th chapter of Ecclesiasticus, as follows: ‘Est amicus socius
mensæ et non permanebit in die necessitatis.’ That is, There are friends
who are companions at table, and in prosperity, but who are no longer
such in the day of adversity.
‘At this moment, necessity and affection united call upon thee to prove
thyself such a friend that the world may not call thee a faint hearted
friend, of whom Aristotle speaks, in his 9th chapter of ethics: ‘Qui,
inquit, fingit se esse amicum, et non est; pejor est eo qui facit falsam
monetam.’ A faint friend is worse than a coiner of base money. Should
some tell thee, that our opponent is of thy blood, and thy relation,
thou oughtest, nevertheless, to abominate his crime, and do strict
justice between two friends, according to what Aristotle says, in his
second book of ethics: ‘Duobus existentibus amicis, sanctum est
præhonorare virtutem.’—That is, It is praiseworthy to give the
preference to virtue between two friends.
‘Thou rememberest the strong love that subsisted between thee and thy
brother; not that I wish to obtain any favour by that remembrance, but
solely to exhort thee to justice and truth. Alas! it would be of little
value the being son or brother to a king, if such a cruel murder were
passed over without any punishment inflicted on the guilty, nor any
reparation made for it,—more especially as he who caused his death ought
to have loved him as a brother; for in the holy Scriptures nephews and
cousins-german are called brothers, as appears from the book of Genesis,
where Abraham says to his nephew Lot, ‘Ne sit jurgium inter te et me,
fratres enim sumus.’ Let there be no strife between thee and me, for we
are brothers.
‘Saint James is also called the brother of our Lord, when they were only
cousins-german. Thou mayest repeat to our adversary the words which God
said to Cain, after he had murdered his brother, ‘Vox sanguinis fratris
tui clamat ad me de terra.’ The voice of thy brother’s blood cries to me
from the earth; and certainly in our case the earth and blood do cry.
‘There cannot be a man of common feelings who has not compassion for
such a death as that of my late lord of Orleans; and it must not be
wondered at if I compare our adversary to Cain, for in them I see many
features of resemblance. Cain, moved by envy, slew his brother, because
the Lord had accepted of his brother’s offerings, and had not received
his sacrifice, because he was practising in his heart how he could kill
his brother. In like manner, the duke of Burgundy, because my lord of
Orleans was the more agreeable to the king, in his heart meditated his
death, and in the end had him treacherously and infamously murdered, as
shall be fully proven. As Cain, instigated by covetousness, committed
his crime, so our adversary, urged on by similar passions, did the act
we complain of, as shall be demonstrated from his conduct previous to
and after the death of the late duke of Orleans. I find, likewise, that
the word _Cain_, by interpretation, signifies, ‘acquired’ or
‘acquisition.’ By the same name our adverse party may be called, for
vengeance is acquired by the king in body and goods; but let justice
take its course, and events will happen according to the good pleasure
of God. It therefore seems very reasonable that I compare the duke of
Burgundy to Cain.
‘Sire, remember, I pray thee, the words addressed to Cain, namely, ‘Vox
sanguinis:’ The voice of thy brother’s blood. It is the voice of the
lady of Orleans, and of her children, crying to thee, and demanding
justice. Alas! my lord king, to whom wouldst thou wish to do justice, if
thou refusest to do it for the love of thy own brother? If thou be not a
friend to thy blood, to whom wouldst thou be a friend, seeing we ask no
more than justice? O, most noble prince, consider that thy brother has
been torn from thee for ever! Thou wilt never again see him, for the
duke of Burgundy has cruelly caused him to be put to death.
‘Recollect he was thy brother, and thou wilt find how greatly he is to
be compassioned. He, like thee, was equally fond of the queen and thy
children, and, from his natural good sense, honoured all the royal blood
of France; and few could be found more eloquent than he was when
addressing nobles, clergy or laymen.
‘Our Lord had given him what king Solomon had demanded, prudence and
wisdom; for every one knows, that he was adorned with an excellent
understanding,—and of him may be said as of David, in the chapter of the
Acts of the Apostles,—‘Sapiebat sicut angelus Domini.’ He was endowed
with wisdom like to an angel of God.
‘Were I to speak of the beauty of his person, I could only say, that he
was thy image and resemblance, with this good quality that he was
perfectly courteous to all, and never caused any one to be beaten, or
put to death, nor did he ever procure the death of any one. He
possessed, however, the power of so doing, even to his enemies, who were
notoriously defaming him, and attributing to him evils which he never
thought of: he could, more especially, have had our adversary put to
death several times, had he so pleased,—for no great power is requisite
to have any one treacherously murdered.
‘But, in good truth, such thoughts were not in his heart; for the
property of royal blood is to have such compassion and mercy that it
cannot suffer any cruelty, murder or treason whatever; and of this blood
my late lord of Orleans had a large share, for he was the son of a king
and queen.
‘O, king Charles! if thou wert now alive, what wouldst thou say? What
tears could appease thee? What would have hindered thee from doing
justice for so base a murder? Alas! how hast thou loved, and to what
honour hast thou diligently trained the tree that has brought forth the
fruit which has put to death thy very dear son? Alas! king Charles, thou
mayest now say with Jacob, ‘Fera pessima devoravit filium meum.’ The
worst of beasts has devoured my son.
‘Our adversary has made a miserable return to thee, oh Charles! for all
the great riches thou hast heaped on his father. This is the gratitude
for the expedition to Flanders, wherein thou and thy kingdom were in
such peril out of love to him. In truth, all the magnificent gifts thou
madest the father are already forgotten. Sire, look down, and hear the
lady of Orleans, crying in the words of the Psalmist, ‘Domine deduc me
in justitia tua propter inimicos meos.’ Lord, lead me to thy judgment on
account of mine enemies.
‘This concludes my second argument. My third is founded on pity,
considering the desolate state of the supplicants, namely, the widowed
lady of Orleans, in despair, with her innocent children, thy nephews,
now become orphans, having no other father to look to but thee. It
becomes thee, therefore, to incline thyself diligently to do them
justice, as they have no other refuge but in thee, who art their lord
and sovereign; and they are beside thy very near relations, as thou well
knowest.
‘Let pity move thy breast; for as Saint James the apostle says, ‘Religio
munda et immaculata est visitare pupillos et viduas in tribulatione
eorum.’ To visit orphans and widows in their distress is the duty of a
pure and undefiled religion. It is melancholy that so great a lady
should suffer thus undeservedly; and she may be compared to her whom
Valerius speaks of in the sixth book. A widow had a son who had been
unjustly slain: she went to the emperor Octavian to demand justice, and
said, ‘Sire, do me justice for the cruel death of my son.’ The emperor
had already mounted his horse, to perform a long journey, but replied,
‘Woman, wait until I be returned, when I will do thee justice.’ The
woman answered instantly, ‘Alas! my lord, thou knowest not if ever thou
shalt return, and I wish not justice to be delayed.’ The emperor said,
‘Should I not return, my successor will see thee righted;’ but the widow
replied, ‘Sire, thou knowest not if thy successor would wish to see me
righted: he may, perhaps, have something to prevent it like to thee; and
supposing that he should do me justice, what honour would it be to thee,
or what merit canst thou claim for it from the gods? Thou art bound to
do me justice: wherefore then seekest thou to throw the burden on
others?’
‘The emperor, observing the firmness of the woman and the reasonableness
of her arguments, dismounted, and, without more delay, did her ample
justice. It was for this meritorious conduct, that when the emperor
died, five years after, in the pagan faith, he was brought to life again
by the prayers of St Gregory, then pope, and baptised, as the histories
relate.
‘The example of this emperor, O king of France! thou oughtest to follow
in regard to the disconsolate widow of the late duke of Orleans, who is
now a supplicant to thee, and has formerly demanded, and now again
demands justice, for the inhuman and barbarous murder of her lord and
husband, who was thy brother. Delays, or reference to thy successors,
will have no avail; for thou, as king, art singularly obliged to do
this, considering the rank of the supplicants, the duchess of Orleans
and her children.
‘This lady is like to the widow of whom St Jerome speaks, in his second
book against Jovinian, wherein he relates, that the daughter of Cato,
after the death of her husband, was in the deepest sorrow, uttering
nothing but groans and lamentations. Her relations and neighbours asked
her how long this grief was to last,—when she replied, that her life and
her sorrow would end together. Such, without doubt, is the state of my
lady the duchess,—for she can have no remedy for her loss but by means
of the justice she is soliciting. In truth, she does not require any
hostile measures,—for were that the case, she and her children, with
their allies, are so much more powerful than the duke of Burgundy that
they are well able to avenge themselves.
‘This act of justice thou canst not refuse, nor can the adverse party
raise any objections to it, considering the persons who demand it. O,
sovereign king! act in such wise that the words the Psalmist spoke of
the Lord may be applied to thee: ‘Justus Dominus et justitias dilexit,
æquitatem vidit vultus ejus.’ Our Lord is judgment, and loves justice:
equity is the light of his countenance.—This concludes my third
argument.
‘My fourth argument is founded partly on the act itself, which was so
abominably cruel, the like was never seen; and all men of understanding
must feel compassion for it. This, if duly considered, should incline
thee the more to do justice, from the usages of the ancient kings, who,
through compassion, bewailed even the death of an enemy: how much the
more then does it become thee to bewail the death of thy brother, and to
exert thy courage to punish the authors of it? Should it not be so,
great disgrace will attach to thee and to many others.
‘We read, that Cæsar seeing the head of his enemy Pompey wept, and said,
that such a man ought not to have died. He was also very much grieved at
the death of Cato, though his enemy, and did all in his power to aid and
console his children. O, most courteous king of France! thou oughtest
likewise to give consolation for the death of thy brother, who was thy
dear and loyal friend. Weigh well the manner of his death, which was
piteously lamentable. Alas! my lord, could the spirit of thy brother
speak, what would it not say? It would certainly address thee in words
similar to these:
‘Oh, my lord and brother, see how through thee I have received my
death,—for it was on account of the great affection that subsisted
between us! Look at my wounds, five of which are mortal. See my body
beat to the ground, and covered with mud! behold my arm cut off, and my
brains scattered about! See if any pains were equal to my sufferings. It
was not, alas! sufficient for mine enemy to take away my life so
cruelly, and without cause; but he suddenly surprised me when coming
from the residence of the queen to thee, which has put me in danger of
damnation; and even after my death, he has attempted to blast my
reputation by his false and defamatory libel.
‘My sovereign king, attend to these words as if thy brother had spoken
them; for such they would have been, could he have addressed thee. Be
then more active to do justice; and having heard the petition of my lady
of Orleans, act so that thou mayest verify what is said in the second
chapter of the first book of Kings: ‘Dominus retribuet unicuique
secundum justitiam suam.’ Our Lord will render to all according to his
justice. And this concludes my fourth argument.
‘My fifth is grounded on the great evils and mischiefs that might ensue
if justice be not done on such crimes,—for every one will in future take
the law into his own hand, and be judge and party. Treasons and murders
will be the consequence, by which the kingdom may be ruined, as I shall
demonstrate; for, according to the doctors, the surest way to preserve
peace in a country is to do equal justice to all. St Cyprian declares
this, in his book on the twelve errors, saying, ‘Justitia regis, pax
populorum, tutamen pueris, munimentum gentis, terræ fœcunditas, solatium
pauperum, hereditas filiorum, et sibimet spes futuræ beatitudinis.’ The
justice of a king is peace to the people, the defender of orphans, the
safety of the subject, the fertility of the earth, the comfort of the
poor, the inheritance of sons, and to himself a hope of future
happiness. It is an everlasting glory. And on this occasion the Psalmist
says, ‘Justitia et pax osculatæ sunt.’ Righteousness and peace have
kissed each other.
‘Should it be urged, that if due punishment be inflicted on this crime,
greater evils might ensue from the reputed power of the duke of
Burgundy. To this, which has more of appearance than reality, it may be
answered, That the duke of Burgundy is as nothing compared with the
power of the monarch; for what power or force can he have but what thou
givest him or sufferest him to enjoy?
‘Justice and truth, however they may be delayed, always in the end,
through Divine mercy, are the mistresses, and there is no security like
working for them. Who are the knights or esquires that would dare to
serve him against thee? or where are the strangers that would risk their
lives in his traitorous quarrel? Certainly none.
‘O! ye knights of Burgundy and Flanders, clerks and laymen, and all ye
vassals of our adversary, send hither men unbiassed by favour or hatred,
to hear this cause pleaded, truth declared, and justice adjudged to the
right, according as it shall be plainly shown.
‘O! most Christian king, ye dukes, counts and princes, have the goodness
to give your aid that justice may be administered, for which end you
have been principally constituted and ordained.
‘O, my lord king! consider how small a power, when compared with thine,
thy ancestors enjoyed, and yet they punished criminals of yet superior
rank to our opponent, as any one may see who shall read our history of
former times. Beside, who are they that would dare to oppose their
sovereign lord, who, doing an act of justice according to the evidence
of truth, becomes a true and upright judge, as Tully showeth, in his
second book of Offices: ‘Judicis est semper verum sequi.’ A good judge
should give judgment according to truth.
‘The same author says, in one of his orations before he went into
banishment,—‘Nemo tam facinorosus inventus est vita, ut non tamen
judicum prius sententiis convinceretur, quam suppliciis applicaretur.’
No one has led so wicked a life but that a verdict has been passed upon
his case before he was put to the torture.
‘Thou art bounden, most potent king, to do justice; and should any evil
result from it, it will fall on the adverse party, on account of his
crimes, as I shall show to you hereafter. The judgment of our LORD JESUS
CHRIST will not certainly fail of having its effect: ‘Qui de gladio
percutit, gladio peribit.’ Whoso kills with the sword shall die by the
sword. And Ovid, in his Art of Love, says, ‘Neque lex est æquior ulla,
quam necis artifices arte perire sua.’ No law is more just than that
murderers should perish by their own arts.
‘O, my lord king! open the gates of justice, and listen to the very
reasonable complaints which my lady of Orleans makes to thee, that thou
mayest verify in thyself the words of the prophet, ‘Dilexisti justitiam
et odisti iniquitatem propterea unxit te Deus tuus oleo leticiæ præ
consortibus tuis;’ that is to say, Thou hast loved justice, and hast
hated iniquity, wherefore the Lord thy God has anointed thee with the
oil of gladness above thy fellows;—and this finishes my fifth argument.
‘My sixth and last argument, for the present, is founded on the conduct
and demeanour of our opponent after this cruel and detestable crime.
‘There is nothing in this world a king should so much dread and check as
the overbearing pride of any subject in regard to his government; and
thou, O king! oughtest to follow, in thy governance, the example of the
King of kings, of whom holy writ says, ‘Deus superbis resistit,
humilibus autem dat gratiam.’ God humbles the proud, and raises up the
weak-hearted. Thou art therefore bound to humble the pride of our
opponent, which has increased to such a pitch as to make him resist thy
power in the support of this his wicked deed.
‘Oh! king of France, and all ye my lords, weigh well then the rebellion
and disobedience of our adversary, not only against the commands of the
king, but contrary to the orders of the whole royal council. It is a
well known fact, that the king of Sicily, my lord of Berry, and several
others, went lately to Amiens, notwithstanding the great severity of the
season, to attempt bringing about a reconciliation between the parties,
for the general good of the king and kingdom; but these lords, in truth,
could not effect this, though they signified to our opponent the king’s
commands,—but he contended that he would not wait upon his sovereign
until he should be sent for by the king himself.
‘When the aforesaid lords advised him to obey the king’s commands, they
could scarcely obtain from him a promise not to come to the king with a
great power of men at arms; and even then he delayed his coming for
fifteen days. Consider, my lords, what sort of obedience this is, and
what fatal consequences may ensue from it. After the conference at
Amiens, what was his conduct? Why, he assembled so large a force of men
at arms, that when he came to Paris, he seemed as if he would conquer
the whole kingdom.
‘It is true, indeed, that the king and the princes of his blood, hearing
of this, collected a sufficient power to provide a remedy. But when the
king had commanded him, by especial messengers, not to enter Paris with
more than two hundred men at arms, he came accompanied by more than six
hundred, in direct opposition to the king’s orders.—On his arrival in
Paris with so large a force, it seemed to him that the king, queen, and
other princes ought to act according to his will; and for certain, such
was the state of affairs that nothing was refused him, but the whole
court behaved courteously toward him, to appease his anger.
‘O, government of France! if thou wilt suffer such things to pass with
impunity, thou wilt soon have cause for lamentations. Our adversary next
caused all the barricadoes and defences round the king’s palace to be
taken away, that his wicked intentions, already begun, might be
completed. Such deeds are strong proofs of subjects having evil designs
against their king. It behoved him to have come to humble himself and
seek for pardon; but, on the contrary, he came with his sword drawn, and
accompanied by a numerous body of men at arms, the greater part of whom
were foreigners.—During his residence in Paris, he frequently excited to
rebellion the simple inhabitants, by spreading abroad his defamatory
libels, and various false promises. The citizens, believing he was to do
wonders, and to be the regent of the kingdom, have been so much deceived
by him that they paid great honour to him and to his writings, even by
cries of joy, and shoutings of the populace whenever he appeared; by
which and other like means, his pride and cruelty are increased, and
make him obstinately persist in his iniquities.
‘Alas! my lord king, is it not the very height of presumption to ride
through Paris openly armed, after having committed such a crime, and to
attend thy peaceful council with his battle-axes and lances? where thou
oughtest not to have suffered any one to have entered more armed than
thyself, lest the devil, who had instigated him to commit the base act
he did, should unfortunately have urged him to commit a still greater,
because the princes of the council did not approve of the wickedness he
had done. Therefore thou shouldest never allow any one culpable like
him, who takes the law into his own hands, to be in thy presence, more
strongly armed than thou art thyself; for it is possible for such as him
to beguile the people by the means before mentioned, and to lead them to
thy own destruction as well as that of thy realm.