Part 13

On the morrow, Epiphany-day, the count of Campo Basso brought to the duke of Lorraine a page, who had been made prisoner, named Baptiste, a native of Rome, and of the Colonna family, in the employ of the count de Châlon a Neapolitan, who was with the duke of Burgundy. On being interrogated, the page led a large company of Lorrainers to the place where the duke of Burgundy lay dead[72], and naked, with fourteen others in the same state, but at some distance from each other. The duke had received a blow from a halbert on the side of his head, above the ear, which had pierced to his jaw: a pike had been thrust through his thighs, and another pike had passed through his fundament. This body was known to be the duke's from six marks: the first, and principal, was the loss of all his upper teeth, which had been caused by a fall: the second, by the scar of a wound that he had received on the right side of his throat at the battle of Montlehery; the third, by his long nails, which he wore of a greater length than any other person of his court: the fourth, by a scar of a carbuncle, which he had formerly had on his shoulder; the fifth, by an ulcer at the lower part of his belly, on the right groin,--and, sixthly, by a nail that was wanting to one of his toes. By all these marks, he was acknowledged to be the duke of Burgundy by his own physician, a Portuguese, named Matthieu, and also by the grooms of his bed chamber, the great bastard of Burgundy, sir Olivier de la Marche, his chaplain, and others of his court, prisoners to the duke of Lorraine.

The body having been so clearly ascertained to be that of the duke of Burgundy, it was carried into Nancy, washed and cleaned, and then placed on a table, and dressed in a vesture of cloth from the neck to the feet, with a pall of black velvet over the body, in a dark chamber hung with black velvet. Under his head was a pillow of black velvet; and at the four corners of the table were large lighted tapers, with the crucifix and holy water at his feet.

While he lay in this state, the duke of Lorraine came to see him, dressed in mourning, and wearing a large golden beard, that descended to his girdle, in imitation of the ancient Preux, and in honour of the victory he had gained over him. Having taken one of his hands from under the pall, he said,--'May God receive your soul! You have done us many and grievous injuries and vexations.' After-which, he took some holy water and sprinkled it over the corpse. All who pleased now entered to see him; and the duke of Lorraine had him handsomely interred, and caused a solemn service to be said over him.

In consequence of the death and defeat of the duke of Burgundy and his army, the duke of Lorraine and his captains held a council, and determined instantly to enter the duchy and county of Burgundy, and other parts under the dominion of the late duke, to reduce them to the king's obedience, which was accomplished without any resistance. Those of the country of Auxerre submitted also, and took the oaths of allegiance to the king.--In this battle, the greater part of those who had accompanied the duke were slain. The great bastard of Burgundy was made prisoner, whom the duke of Lorraine afterwards carried to the king of France in Picardy. The bastard Baldwin of Burgundy and several other great lords were also taken prisoners.

The king of France being assured of the death of the duke of Burgundy, and the events that had subsequently taken place, left Tours on a pilgrimage of devotion. He returned by Chartres Villepreux[73] and Aubervilliers[73], to Nôtre Dame de la Victoire, and thence to Noyon and Compiégne. In this interval, very many of the places that had been occupied by the duke of Burgundy, were surrendered to him; such as Mondidier, Peronne, Abbeville, Montrieul sur mer, and others near to Arras. But those in this last town, at first, refused to submit, and fortified themselves with men at arms, provisions and artillery. Many agents were sent by them to the king, who at last succeeded in obtaining a truce; during which, the king made the greatest preparations of gens d'armes, artillery, and of warlike stores, that had been seen, waiting the determination of those in Arras--whether they would submit peaceably, or renew the war. To defray the expenses of so large an armament, the king borrowed great sums from Paris and the other principal towns in his kingdom.

The king, however, found means of gaining possession of the city of Arras[74], into which he made his entry on the 4th of May, and fortified it more strongly against the town of Arres,--into which a number of persons attached to the burgundian party had thrown themselves, and even many from those towns that had lately submitted to the king, who, though for the most part adventurers, and without any leader of note had strengthened the fortifications, and uttered daily blasphemies against the king. To these they added all manner of insults,--such as erecting gibbets in the town and on the walls, on which they hung his badge of the white cross, showing their naked posteriors to him, and other indecencies.

During these insulting follies, some of the inhabitants of the town waited on the king, to endeavour to obtain a pacification; and although these adventurers had persevered over long in their impudence, the king agreed to accept the submission of those in Arras, as offered to their sovereign lord, for neglect of proper homage and of different dues; and that the revenues of the said towns should be collected by his commissioners, and in his name, until the princess of Burgundy should have performed her homage by proxy. The king also promised not to send any body of men at arms into the town of Arras without the consent of the inhabitants.

These matters being settled, the king sent into the town the lord cardinal of Bourbon, the lord chancellor, sir Guiot Pot bailiff of the Vermandois, sir Philip de Crevecoeur lord Desquerdes, governor of the said town, with other nobles, to receive the oaths of the inhabitants of Arras; but while this was doing, some of the townsmen rebelled, and came in arms to the abbey of St Waast, where the cardinal and the other lords were at dinner, bawling out, 'Kill, kill them!' The commissioners were more frightened than they had ever been in their lives,--but at this time no mischief happened.

When they returned to the city of Arras, the king departed to celebrate Easter at Therouenne. He thence went to Hêdin, when the town surrendered: but some pillagers of the Burgundy-party seized on the castle, against which the king ordered his artillery to play, and a wide breach was soon made; but as the royalists were preparing to enter it, those within surrendered on having their lives and fortunes spared, and on being permitted to march away in safety.

A.D. MCCCCLXXVII.

Early in the above year, after Hêdin had been gained, some of the inhabitants of Arras under pretence of going to the king of France, obtained passports from the lord admiral. He, however, suspected their intentions, and caused them to be followed,--when it was found that they were going to Flanders to the princess of Burgundy, and were in consequence arrested and brought back to Hêdin, where they were tried. It was now discovered that the object of their journey was treasonable; and they were accordingly sentenced to be beheaded in the market-place of Hêdin, to the number of eighteen: among them was master Oudart de Bucy, attorney-general of the town of Arras and country of Artois. His head was cut off in a hood of scarlet cloth lined with fur: both were nailed fast to the top of a pole, that the head might not be carried away; and under the hood was written, 'This is the head of master Oudart de Bucy, king's councellor in his court of parliament at Paris[75].'

When these examples had been made, the king went on a pilgrimage to our Lady of Boulogne. He was very indignant at the rebellious conduct of the inhabitants of Arras, and declared that the town should be destroyed. To effect this, he ordered a large force to march and besiege it, which was done, and the artillery began to play on the town, when the king returned to the city about the end of April. The fortifications were much battered, and the bulwark which those in the town had erected against the city was so completely destroyed that the view of the interior of the town was laid open.

The inhabitants now gave themselves up for lost; but they found means to obtain the king's mercy, although he had abandoned the town to be plundered by his men at arms and franc-archers, who were very much discontented thereat, considering that the pillage of the town had been solemnly promised to them. As the men of Arras had persevered in their rebellion, had insulted the king, and proceeded from bad to worse by killing many of his troops, they thought them undeserving of mercy. However, the capitulation was signed: and the royal army marched into Arras on Sunday, the 4th of May.

This matter being settled, the king went to the abbey of Nôtre Dame de la Victoire; and the lord admiral, the nobles and franc-archers separated for their own homes. While the king was at the above mentioned abbey, news was brought that fifty of his archers had been refused admittance into Peronne, whither they had carried five prisoners in his name. He went, therefore, to Peronne, thinking that a rebellion was intended, and staid there some time. Having had information that the Flemings were arming, with the intent to invade his country, he issued a proclamation, which was published at Paris on Sunday the 18th of May, for all persons, of every description whether privileged or not, to be ready in arms to resist the invasion of the Flemings.

The king went to Cambray, which surrendered on capitulation, and remained there until Trinity Sunday, to recruit his men at arms.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 68: Duke of Milan,--Galeas Maria Sforza. Having indulged his illicit passions at the cost of the most respectable houses in Florence, two injured noblemen, Lampognano and Visconti, assassinated him. His infant son was placed under the guardianship of Ludovico Sforza, surnamed the Moor, who seized the dukedom for himself.

Andrews.]

[Footnote 69: He was afterwards duke of Savoy.]

[Footnote 70: Condé,--within two leagues of Nancy.]

[Footnote 71: Campo Basso, which near to St Nicholas, threw off the red scarf, (the badge of the Burgundians) and surrendered himself to the duke of Lorraine.]

[Footnote 72: Underneath are two epitaphs made on the duke of Burgundy, taken from Heuterus, historian of the Low Countries, and Teschenmacher, in his history of Cleves.

'Te pacis piguit, te tæduit atque quietis, Carole, sicque jaces? iamque quiesce tibi.'

'Te piguit pacis, teduitque quietis, in urna Mortue jam Carole, litis amice jace. Æthera num pateant tibi, vel descensus averni, Solicitus nec eras, me neque cura premit.']

[Footnote 73: Towns in the isle of France.]

[Footnote 74: The city of Arras. Arras is divided into two parts,--one called the city, the other the town. The city was surrendered to the king by the lord d'Esquerdes, or des Cordes; but it was necessary to gain the town, which was done by negotiation.]

[Footnote 75: The townsmen of Arras had broken the terms of their late treaty, and had revolted. Oudart de Bussy was one of the principal authors of it. He had accepted from the king an office in the parliament of Paris, but instead of exercising it with honour, had rebelled. The king ordered him to be beheaded in his hood, and afterward exposed, as mentioned in the text.]

CHAP. XXIII.

THE KING SUMMONS HIS PARLIAMENT FROM PARIS TO NOYON, TO TRY THE DUKE OF NEMOURS.--A FORGER EXECUTED AT PARIS.--OF THE VICTORY OF THE LORD DE CRAON OVER THE PRINCE OF ORANGE.--OF THE DEATH OF THE DUKE OF GUELDRES BEFORE TOURNAY.--THE DUKE OF NEMOURS EXECUTED AT PARIS.--A PARTY OF FLEMINGS DEFEATED.--SEVERAL PERSONS HANGED AT PARIS FOR HAVING ASSASSINATED THE SON OF THE PUBLIC EXECUTIONER.

The king sent his letters-patent to Paris, to order the presidents and councellors of his parliament, and the masters of requests of his household, to come to Noyon, and form there a court of justice in his presence, and, in conjunction with the princes of his blood, to try the duke of Nemours, who had long been confined in the bastile of St Anthony at Paris. The parliament, in obedience to this order, set out from Paris on the 2d of June, to arrive at Noyon the ensuing day, which had been appointed for this trial.

On the 14th of June, a person who had been of the king's household was imprisoned for having forged the king's signet, and that of one of his secretaries, by which means he had sent letters to divers towns, and obtained large sums of money, which he had appropriated to his own use. He was tried before the provost, or his lieutenant, of the royal household, and sent to Paris, to have the following sentence executed upon him, namely, to be pilloried with a paper cap on his head, then burnt in the forehead, his right hand cut off, to be banished the kingdom, and all his effects and inheritances to be confiscated to the king.

In this month of June, the king gave the command of an army to the lord de Craon[76], to march into the country of Burgundy, and make war on the prince of Orange[77] for some injuries which the lord de Craon had complained of having been done him by the prince, who was not of the same family with himself. The king, also, who had appointed the prince governor of that country, displaced him, and gave it to the lord de Craon, although he had been the means of reducing it to the king's obedience.

The prince of Orange detached into Burgundy a knight of that country called sir Claude de Vaudray, who made head against the lord de Craon for some time, until it was known that the prince had entered a town called Guy[78], when the lord de Craon advanced to besiege it. He remained before it two days,--when learning that the lord de Château Guyon[79], brother to the prince of Orange, was marching to his relief, he advanced in battle-array to meet him, and a great conflict ensued, insomuch that there were killed on both sides from fourteen to fifteen hundred combatants. To return thanks for this defeat, the king ordered a general procession to be made at Paris, to the church of St Martin des Champs.

In the course of the month of July, the duke of Gueldres had marched from fourteen to fifteen hundred Germans against the town of Tournay, thinking to burn the suburbs, and quarter himself at Pont d'Epierre, near the town. Two sallies were made from the town: in the first, the duke was mortally wounded, and his body was carried into Tournay. In the second sally, four hundred of the king's lances and some of the townsmen attacked and put to flight the Germans and Flemings,--two thousand of whom were slain, and seven or eight hundred made prisoners. Te Deum laudamus was chaunted at Paris, and bonfires were made in all the streets for this signal victory.

On Monday, the 3d day of August of this year, messire Jacques d'Armagnac, duke of Nemours and count de la Marche, having been conducted as a prisoner to the bastile of St Anthony on the 4th day of August in the preceding year, by reason of certain offences and crimes by him committed and perpetrated,--during which time of his imprisonment in the said bastile, many interrogatories were put to him concerning the said charges, to which he answered verbally and in writing, on many different days, as well before the chancellor of France, named Pierre d'Oriole, as others, the presidents and counsellors of the court of parliament, and also before certain great clerks of the kingdom, dwelling in divers cities and towns of the said kingdom, summoned and assembled for this purpose in the city of Noyon, with and in company of the said officers of the parliament, and in presence of the lord de Beaujeu, then representing the person of the king,--the proceedings held by the court aforesaid against the said duke of Nemours were examined, and also the defence by him made, and, after mature deliberation, it was decreed, that sir John le Boulenger, first president of the parliament, accompanied by the greffier criminel of the court and sir Denis Hesselin, master of the king's household, should instantly set out for the bastile, and declare to the duke of Nemours, that the court, having fully considered the charges laid against him, and the whole of his defence and confessions, have found him guilty of high treason, and sentence him to be beheaded for the same, this day, in the market-place at Paris, and all his effects and inheritances to be confiscated to the king. The execution took place at three in the afternoon of that day, on a scaffold erected in the market-place. After he was beheaded, the corpse and head were put into a bier, and delivered to the cordelier friars, to be buried in their church. About seven or eight score Cordeliers came in procession to fetch the body, and forty torches were given to them to escort the bier to their church.

The king was this month at Therouenne, and thence detached part of his army to drive away a body of Flemings who had encamped near to Blanfossé[80]. They no sooner heard of this order than they immediately decamped, but not before the royalists arrived, and slew upwards of two thousand of them. They were also pursued far into Flanders; and the king's army passed by Mont de Cassel to Fiennes and other places, which they razed, or took possession of, and killed full two thousand more of the Flemings. Many solemn processions were made at Paris for these successes.

In the month of August, the son of Henry Cousin, the chief executioner at Paris, called Petit John, (who had already done several notable deeds in the way of his profession, and, among others, had beheaded the late constable of St Pol) was murdered in Paris at the instigation of a carpenter, named Oudin du Bust, a native of Picardy. This Oudin had conceived a mortal hatred against Petit John, because he had some time before beaten him, in consequence of a quarrel that had arisen between them. The cause of this quarrel was Oudin having demanded the amount of a deed for money he had lent Petit John which had been repaid all but the expenses of the bond. To be revenged, Oudin had formed an acquaintance with three disorderly youths of Paris; one was called l'Empereur du Houlx, sergeant at mace; the other, Jean du Foing, a plumber,--and the third, Regnault Goris, a silversmith and son to Martin Goris, broker of jewelry. All these four having determined on their plan, waylaid Petit John, and attacked him at the corner of the rue des Grenelles, near the hôtel of the Moulinet.

The first that came up to him was l'Empereur du Houlx, who, under the mask of friendship, took him firmly under the arm; telling him not to be afraid of the others, for they would do him no mischief. As he said this, Regnault Goris approached, and hit Petit John on the head with a stone, that made him stagger. His pretended friend then let go his hold,--and John du Foing thrust a javelin through his body, so that he fell dead on the spot. When he was dead, Oudin du Bust came and cut off his legs, and then they all four separated and took sanctuary within the church of the Celestines; whence, on the following night, they were taken, by orders from sir Robert d'Estouteville, provost of Paris, and the members of the council, in consequence of the informations that had been laid before them, clearly proving the murder to have been committed by a preconcerted plan. The Celestins appealed against this, as a breach of their privileges, but the court of parliament dismissed their appeal, and declared the murderers incapable of being received in sanctuary. The bishop afterward claimed them as his clerks; but the parliament published an edict, to declare that they should not enjoy the privilege of clerks, and returned the matter to the provost, who sentenced them all to be hanged.

They appealed against this sentence to the court of parliament, who confirmed it,--and they were all four executed on the gibbet of Paris by the hands of Henry Cousin, father to the late Petit John, who was thus avenged on them for the murder of his son, the 28th day of August. They were hanged in a row: first, l'Empereur du Houlx, then John du Foing, Regnault Goris, and, last of all, Oudin du Bust. The three first were handsome youths; and for this business a young son of a shoemaker was publicly flogged and banished the realm, for having conspired the death of Petit John, although he was not actually present when he was killed.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 76: Lord de Craon. George de la Trimouille lord of Jonvelle, baron of Craon, first chamberlain to the king, with whom he was a great favourite, and held the governments of Champagne, Brie, Burgundy and Touraine. He obtained the county of Ligny from the confiscations of the constable of St Pol and had the governments of other towns in the kingdom. The barony of Craon in Anjou fell to his lot.]

[Footnote 77: Prince of Orange,--John de Châlon, second of the name.]

[Footnote 78: Guy. Q. if not Gray? on the Soane, ten leagues from Besançon.]

[Footnote 79: De Château Guyon,--Louis or Hugh de Châlons half brothers to the prince of Orange.]

[Footnote 80: Blanfossé,--a village in Picardy, near Breteuil.]

CHAP. XXIV.

THE CARDINAL OF ST GEORGE IS DETAINED PRISONER AT FLORENCE, WHERE THE ARCHBISHOP OF PISA IS STRANGLED, AND SEVERAL OTHERS PUT TO DEATH, FOR HAVING MURDERED GIULIANO DE MEDICI.--RHODES BESIEGED BY THE TURKS.--OF ST SYMON AND ANOTHER THAT WERE CRUCIFIED.--OF A DEVOUT HERMIT WHO LIVED FIFTEEN YEARS ON THE HOLY WAFER.--OF A MONSTER, BORN IN THE TOWN OF VERONA.--OF A MARVELLOUS COMET.--AND OTHER EXTRAORDINARY EVENTS.

About this time, and soon after the death of the duke of Milan, a violent conspiracy was formed in the city of Florence, by the family of Pazzi, of which Francesco di Pazzi was the leader, against the family of the Medici. Francesco, accompanied by several of good family in Florence, and other conspirators, assassinated, with a dagger, Giuliano de Medici in the church of Santa Maria di Fuori, during the celebration of the mass. His elder brother, Lorenzo de Medici, was also wounded but recovered[81].

For this crime the reverend father in God Nicholas, cardinal of Saint George, and nephew[82] to count Jerome, was detained in close confinement; and Francesco Salviati, archbishop of Pisa, was publicly hanged in his archiepiscopal robes at the gates of the Medici-palace. Several of the conspirators, and their relatives, were hanged at the same time and place, and others executed in divers manners.