stir till he saw what would be the event of this enterprise. The whole army dreaded this assault, and therefore none of the officers were pleased with this resolution, which was communicated to the king, not bluntly but in the mildest terms imaginable. The king knew what the duke would be at, but dissembled it, and declared he would not go to Namur, but take his fortune the next morning with the rest. My opinion is, that if he had been willing to make his escape, he might have done it that night, for he had with him 100 archers of his guards, several gentlemen of his retinue, and not much fewer than 300 men-at-arms; but when his honour lay at stake, he scorned to do it, lest the world should have upbraided him with want of courage.

In expectation of day, the whole army reposed themselves in their arms for some time, and several went to their devotions, for it was looked upon as a very dangerous enterprise. As soon as it was broad day, and the hour had come for the assault (which as I said before was eight in the morning), the duke ordered the signal to be given, and the great guns to be fired successively as was agreed on, to give them notice who were in our vanguard on the other side of the town (at a great distance to go about, though through the town it was but a little way). The vanguard heard the signal, and immediately prepared to storm the town; the duke's trumpets began to sound, the colours advanced to the walls, and the soldiers marched after in very good order. The king was at that time in the middle of the street, well attended with his 300 men-at-arms, his guards, and some lords and officers of his household. When we came so near that we expected to be immediately at push of pike, we found no resistance at all, and not above two or three men upon the guard; for supposing, because it was Sunday, that we would not have attacked them, they were all gone to dinner, and we found the cloth laid in every house that we entered. A multitude is seldom formidable, unless commanded by some officer whom they hold in reverence and fear; yet there are certain hours and seasons in which their fury is terrible.

Before this assault the Liegeois were much fatigued and dispirited, as well for the loss they had sustained in their two sallies (in which all their chief officers were slain), as for the

great pains and hard service which they had endured for eight days successively; for nobody was exempted from being upon the guard. They being blocked up on both sides (as I stated before), I suppose they thought that Sunday might have been a day of rest to them (but they were mightily mistaken), for they did not make the least defence, either on our side, or on the other, where the Burgundians of our vanguard made their attack, and entered before us*; they killed but few, for the people fled over the Maes into the forest of Ardennes, and from thence into such places of refuge as they thought most proper to secure themselves in. On that side of the town where I was, I saw but three men and one woman dead; and I believe there were not above 200 killed altogether, the rest having all fled, and got into the houses or churches for sanctuary. The king marched at his own leisure (for he saw there was no opposition), and the army (consisting by my computation of about 40,000 men), entered at both ends of the town. The duke, having advanced a good way into the city, turned back to meet the king, conducting him as far as the palace, and then returned to the great church of St. Lambert, into which his soldiers were forcing their way for the sake both of the prisoners and the plunder; for though he had posted a battalion of his guards there to secure the church, yet the soldiers could not be restrained, but fell upon them, and attempted to break open the doors. I saw the Duke of Burgundy kill one man himself at his arrival, upon which the soldiers retreated, and the church was preserved for that time; but at length all the men that had fled thither for sanctuary were made prisoners, and all the furniture was taken away. The rest of the churches, which were very numerous (for I have heard the Lord of Humbercourt, who knew the town very well, say, that there were as many masses said in it every day as in Rome), were most of them plundered under pretence of searching for prisoners. I myself was in none but the great church, but I was told so, and saw the marks of it, for which a long time after the Pope excommunicated all such as had any goods belonging to the churches in that city, unless they restored them; and the duke appointed certain officers to go up and down his country,

* On Sunday, October 30. 1468.

to see the Pope's sentence put in execution. After the taking and plundering the city, about noon the duke returned to the palace; the king had dined before he came, but expressed much joy at his good fortune, and highly applauded his magnanimity and conduct; for he knew well enough it would be carried to the duke, and he had in his heart a longing desire to be at home in his own kingdom. After dinner the

king and the duke were very merry together, and if the king had been lavish in his commendations behind his back, he extolled his actions much more to his face, and the duke was not a little pleased to hear it.

But I am obliged to make a small digression, and give an account of the calamities of those miserable people who fled out of the town, that I may confirm what I said in the beginning of these Memoirs, when I spoke of the misfortunes and dreadful consequences which I have observed to follow those who are defeated in battle, whether king or prince, or any other potentate whatever.

These miserable creatures fled through the country of Ardennes with their wives and children. A gentleman in those parts (who till that time had been of their side), fell upon, and cut off a great party of them; and to ingratiate himself with the duke, he wrote him an account of what he had done, and represented the number both of the prisoners and slain to be much greater than in reality it was, though indeed it was very great; but, however, he made his own peace with the duke by that action. Others fled to Mezieres, which is a French town upon the Maes. Two or three of their ringleaders were taken and presented to the duke (one of whom was named Madoulet), whom he ordered immediately to be put to death; and several of the rest died with hunger, or cold, or watching.

CHAP. XIV.

How King Louis returned into France by the Consent of the Duke of Burgundy; and how the Duke treated the Liegeois and the People of Franchemont afterwards. — 1468.

ABOUT four or five days after the taking of the town, the king began to employ his friends about the duke, to propose

his return into France; and he himself broke the matter to him very discreetly, telling him, that if he had still any occasion of his assistance, he should freely let him know it and he would willingly stay longer, but that if his presence could be of no farther importance, he desired to be dismissed, that he might return to Paris, and see the peace published in the court of parliament. * (For in France it is a custom that all treaties of peace should be published in that court, or otherwise they are void, though indeed the king's power is very great.) Besides, he desired of the duke that they might have another interview next summer in Burgundy, and enjoy the conversation of one another for a month together. At length the duke consented he should go, yet not without murmuring a little. The duke ordered the articles of peace to be read to the king, that, if he repented of anything, it might be altered. He offered it likewise to his choice, whether he would stand to it or not, and some little apology he made for his bringing him thither. He desired one thing more, which was, that the king would permit a new article to be added in favour of the Lord du Lau, the Lord d'Urfé, and Poncet de Rivière †, and that he would promise that the lands and preferments, which they had enjoyed before the war, should be restored to them again. This proposition did not please the king at all, for he thought it very unreasonable that those who were not of his party should be comprehended in the peace. Besides, they were servants to the Lord Charles, the king's brother, and not to the king. However, the king replied that he would consent to it, upon condition that the duke would do the same for the Count of Nevers and the Lord

* The treaty of Peronne was registered by the Parliament of Paris on the 18th of May, 1469.

†The Duke of Burgundy, as we shall presently see, did not insist on this demand, which the king craftily induced him to abandon. Two years later, by letters granted at Angers in August, 1470, Louis granted forgiveness to Pierre d'Urfé and Poncet de Rivière" of all the charges, crimes, offences, and malefactions" of which they had been guilty in contravention of his authority.

John of Burgundy, Count of Nevers, Baron of Douzy, Peer of France, Knight of the Golden Fleece, and Governor of Picardy, was born on the 25th of October, 1415. He was the son of Philip II., Count of Nevers, and Bona of Artois. He died on the 25th of September, 1491. Having abandoned the house of Burgundy to enter the service

of Croy; upon which answer the duke pressed it no farther. This answer of the king's was looked upon to be a very wise one, for the duke hated those two gentlemen, so that he would never consent to their restoration. In all the rest, the king told the duke he would alter nothing, but confirm whatever had been sworn at Peronne. In this manner his departure was agreed on, and the king took his leave of the duke *, who conducted him about half a league, but at their last departure the king said to him, "If my brother, who is in Bretagne, should not be satisfied with the appanage, which for your sake I have given him, what would you have me do?" The duke hastily replied, without considering what he said, "If he should not, it is your part to see him satisfied, but I shall leave that to yourselves." From which question and answer important actions did afterwards proceed, as you shall hear in the proper place.

The king departed extremely well pleased, and was conducted by the Lords des Cordes, and d'Aimeries + (Grand Bailiff of Hainault) out of the Duke of Burgundy's territories, who himself continued at Liege. That city indeed was barbarously treated, but they had used his subjects with the same cruelty ever since his grandfather's time, never keeping any promise, nor observing any peace that they made; and it was now the fifth year that the duke had been there in person, and made peace with them every time, and the next year they would be sure to break it. Besides they had stood excommunicated a long time for their insolence to their bishop; yet they could never be restrained, nor brought to receive the commands of the Church with either reverence or obedience.

As soon as the king was gone, the duke resolved (with a small detachment of his forces), to march into the country of

of Louis XI., he obtained pardon from his uncle Duke Philip, after the peace of Conflans, by the cession of various estates and lordships which he held in his dominions.

* On Wednesday, November 2. 1468.

† Antoine Rolin, Lord of Emeris, and Governor of Hainault, was the son of Nicholas, Lord of Emeris, and Marie de Landes. His wife was a sister of the Count d'Estampes. He was one of the conservators of the peace of Senlis for the marches of Hainault.

Until the 9th of November.