the Dukes of Burgundy, and the late Dukes of Bretagne, our predecessors (may they rest together in glory!)—and seeing we are and have for some time been assured that certain people in authority and near the person of the King of France, excited thereto by an evil and accursed disposition, have, and do daily move him to entertain enmity, indignation, displeasure, and ill-will towards several princes of his own blood, and by false and wicked reports set him at division and variance with them, to the detriment of the whole kingdom; advising and exciting him to invade and divest them of their countries and signiories; and among others, the most high and potent princes, our most dear and well-beloved uncle and cousin, the Duke of Burgundy, and the Count of Charolois his son, and especially us, upon the account of them, their territories and subjects, so as to do us and ours all the damage and displeasure they can; for the prevention whereof, being desirous to make use of all just and reasonable means, we have-in conformity to the rules of right reason, and the most just and laudable actions of our predecessors; and to prevent any sudden, unexpected, and injurious enterprises, which the said king, by the persuasions, counsels, and earnest solicitations of those our ill-willers, may form against us; and the better to enable us to withstand and resist the same, and to defend our territories, subjects, and signiories, as we are in duty bound — entered and do by these presents enter into an alliance, confederacy, and agreement with our said most dear and well-beloved cousin, the Count of Charolois, son and only heir of our said most dear and well-beloved uncle of Burgundy, in the following manner and form, that is to say: That we are and shall continue a true friend and ally to him, will assist him, take his part, advise, comfort, and succour him, and with all our power protect, save, and defend his person, and those of his children born or to be born, and his estates, countries, territories, signiories, and subjects, as well those dominions which he now holds and possesses, as those which he may or shall possess, for the future, in the same manner as we do our own, without any distinction, against all and every person and persons who shall molest, lessen, make war upon, or usurp anything from him, and his said children, their countries, territories, signiories, and subjects, in any

manner whatsoever, without any reservation or exception of the said lord the king; and in case he shall, by the advice and enticements of our said enemies, or otherwise, invade or make war upon our said cousin of Charolois, we do promise our aid and assistance to him, our said cousin, against the king, and all others whomsoever, that would invade, or make war against him. And to this end we will, for and in favour of him, and for his assistance, engage ourselves, our territories, countries, and signiories, in possession or reversion, our whole power, in making war against such invaders or assailants; and we will signify and impart to him whatever shall come to our knowledge, that may be said, done, projected, or contrived to his prejudice, and will defend him to the utmost of our power: And we do comprehend in this alliance, convention, and confederacy, our most honoured lord the Duke of Berry, and our most dear and well-beloved cousins the Dukes of Calabria and Bourbon; and in regard to the engagements we have already entered into, and may do hereafter, we do comprehend therein our said cousin of Charolois, his countries, subjects, and signiories, with his friends and allies, present and to come, and their countries and subjects, as much as we do ourselves and our own dominions, so far forth as they are willing to be received and comprehended therein; and we shall not enter into any other alliances or confederacies, that are prejudicial to this treaty; and we do by these presents promise and swear by our faith, and upon corporal oath, on the word of a prince, and upon our honour, firmly to observe these alliances and confederacies, without doing anything to the contrary whatsoever; upon condition and so far forth as our said cousin of Charolois gives us the same assurance and promises, and observes the same. In witness whereof, we have signed these presents with our own hand, and sealed them with our seal."

Done at Nantes, March the 22nd, in the year of our Lord 1464. Signed FRANCIS, with a flourish. Upon the fold was written, "By the Duke's Command," and signed MILET, with a flourish.

CHAP. II.

How the Count of Charolois and several great Lords of France raised an Army against King Louis XI., under pretence of the Public Good.-1464. A VERY few days after the departure of the king's ambassadors, John, late Duke of Bourbon*, came to Lisle, pretending a visit to his uncle Philip, Duke of Burgundy, who loved the family of Bourbon most of all the families in the world. This Duke of Bourbon was the son of Duke Philip's sister: she was a widow, and was at that time with him, with several of her children three daughters and one son. However, this was not the true cause of the Duke of Bourbon's visit; but his coming thither was to persuade the Duke of Burgundy to consent to the raising of an army in his dominions, as the rest of the princes of France had agreed to do; in order to demonstrate to the king the injustice and ill-management of his kingdom, and to put themselves into a condition to compel him to reform the State, if fair application could not prevail. This war was afterwards called the Public Good, it being undertaken upon that pretence. Duke Philip, who since his death has been called the Good, consented to the raising of men; but the real object of the business was never made known to him, nor did he ever think they would ever have proceeded to blows. Immediately they began to enlist forces in his countries; and the Count of St. Paul§ (afterwards Constable of France), being

* John II., Duke of Bourbon and Auvergne, Count of Clermont, peer, constable, and chamberlain of France, was the son of Charles I., Duke of Bourbon, and Agnes of Burgundy; he married Jeanne, daughter of Charles VII. of France, and died on the 1st of April, 1488. He arrived at Lisle on the 14th of October, 1464.

† Agnes of Burgundy, married on the 17th of September, 1425, to Charles I., Duke of Bourbon. She became a widow on the 4th of December, 1456, and died on the 1st of December, 1476.

These princesses were, 1. Catherine, who married Adolphus of Egmont, Duke of Guelders, on the 18th of December, 1463; 2. Margaret, who married Philip II., Duke of Savoy, on the 6th of April, 1472. The third was probably Isabella, Countess of Charolois. The son was John, Duke of Bourbon, named above.

§ Louis de Luxembourg, Count of St. Paul, was created Constable of France on the 5th of October, 1465, and took the oaths on the 12th of the same month. He was the son of Pierre de Luxembourg, Count of Couversan, and Margaret de Baux. He married, 1. Jeanne de Bar, on

come with the Marshal of Burgundy* (who was of the house of Neufchâtel) to wait upon the Count of Charolois at Cambray, where Duke Philip then was, the count assembled the council, and others of his father's chief subjects, in the palace of the Bishop of Cambrayt, and there declared all the members of the house of Croy mortal enemies both to his father and himselft, though the Count of St. Paul had long before married one of his daughters to a son § of the Lord of Croy, and alleged it would be much to his prejudice. In short, the whole family were forced to fly out of the Duke of Burgundy's territories, and lost great part of their estates. These proceedings were highly displeasing to the Duke of Burgundy, whose chief chamberlain was one of them, called afterwards Lord of Chimay ; a young gentleman of good parts, and nephew to the said Lord of Croy. This gentleman, for the security of his person, went away without taking leave of his master, otherwise (as he was informed) he would have been made prisoner, or killed. ¶ The old age of

the 16th of July, 1435; and 2. Mary of Savoy, on the 1st of August, 1466. He was beheaded on the 19th of December, 1475.

*Thibault IX., Lord of Neufchâtel and Blamont, and Marshal of Burgundy, was the son of Thibault, Lord of Neufchâtel, and Agnes de Montbeliard. In reward for his services, the king bestowed the town of Espinal upon him in 1463. He died about 1470.

† John, Bastard of Burgundy, Bishop of Cambray in 1440, was a natural son of John, Duke of Burgundy, and Agnes de Croy. He died in 1479.

The manifesto of the Count of Charolois against the Lords of Croy will be found in M. Gachard's Collection de Documents Inédits, vol. i. p. 132. It is dated Brussels, March 12th, 1464, (O. S.).

§ Philip of Croy, son of Antony, Lord of Croy, and Margaret of Lorraine, was first Hereditary Chamberlain of Brabant. Having joined the Duke of Burgundy, who created him a Knight of the Golden Fleece, his estates were confiscated by Louis XI. in 1476. He married Jacqueline de Luxembourg, daughter of the Count of St. Paul, in 1455; and he died in 1511.

Philip of Croy, Count of Chimay, Baron of Quiévrain, and Knight of the Golden Fleece, was son of John of Croy, Lord of La Tour-surMarne, and Mary de Lalain, Lady of Quiévrain. He married Walpurge de Mours; and died on the 8th of September, 1482. Du Clercq says, "He was reputed to be a very wise young man, and a great historian." According to Du Clercq, he threw himself at the duke's feet, thanking him for the favours he had bestowed upon him, and begging him to think with favour of his services; beseeching him to give him leave to quit his court, and in great terror telling him that his life was in danger. When the duke had heard this, he was greatly troubled,

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Duke Philip forced him to endure this patiently; but the true reason of this declaration against his favourites, was the restitution of the towns upon the River Somme, which the duke had restored to King Louis for 400,000 crowns, and the Count of Charolois charged the house of Croy with having persuaded him to do it.

The Count of Charolois having made up this business, and reconciled himself to his father as well as he could, immediately took the field with his army, being attended by the Count of St. Paul, as chief manager of his affairs, and general of his forces under him. His troops consisted of about 300 men-at-arms, and 4000 archers, besides a large number of good knights and squires from Artois, Hainault, and Flanders, all under his command, by the appointment of the Count of Charolois. There were other brigades as great and considerable, under the command of the Lord of Ravestain*, brother to the Duke of Cleves †, and Lord Anthony‡, the Bastard of Burgundy; besides several other eminent officers, whose names, for brevity sake, I shall omit. But above all the rest, there were two officers in more than ordinary reputation with the Count of Charolois. One of them was called the Lord of Haultbourdin§, an old soldier, and forbade him to depart, and very angrily took a truncheon or spear in his hand, and went out of his chamber, saying that he would see whether his son would kill his servants."

* Adolphus of Cleves, Lord of Ravestain, was the son of Adolphus, Duke of Cleves, and Mary of Burgundy, sister of Philip the Good. He married, 1. Beatrice of Portugal; and 2. Anne of Burgundy, bastard daughter of Duke Philip. He died on the 18th of September, 1493.

+ John I., Duke of Cleves, was born on the 10th of January, 1419; married Elizabeth, daughter of John of Burgundy, Count of Nevers; and died on the 5th of September, 1481.

Anthony, Bastard of Burgundy, surnamed the Great Bastard, Lord of Beures, in Flanders, Count of La Roche, in Ardennes, and knight of the orders of the Golden Fleece and of St. Michael, was the son of Philip the Good and Jeanne de Prelle. He was legitimated in January, 1485. He died in 1504, at the age of eighty-three. He was for some time first chamberlain to his half-brother, Duke Charles.

§ John, surnamed Hennequin, Bastard of St. Paul, Lord of HautBourdin, Knight of the Golden Fleece, councillor and chamberlain of Charles, Duke of Burgundy, was the son of Waleran de Luxembourg, Count of St. Paul, and Agnes de Brie. He was legitimated on the 19th of February, 1436; and he died on the 28th of July, 1466, at about sixty-six years of age. He was the second cousin, and not the brother of Louis, Constable of St. Paul.