final resolution and be agreed so soon, especially in a business of such a nature as choosing of hostages; and he advised the Count of Charolois rather to send to them, and see what they intended. The argument between these three great officers before the Count of Charolois took up a considerable time, and he was much divided how to determine the matter. On the one hand, he saw his great and inveterate enemies de feated, and in his power, and that without any dangerous resistance; on the other, he found his honour was at stake, and it would interfere with his promise. At last he concluded to send a trumpet towards them, who met them bringing the hostages, upon which all were hush, and every man returned to his post. But the soldiers were highly displeased with the constable's advice; for they saw good plunder before their eyes. An embassy was sent immediately to Liege to ratify and confirm the treaty of peace; but the people (being inconstant) said that the count was afraid to engage them, fired their guns upon him, and committed many insolences. The count after this returned into Flanders; and, his father dying that summer, he celebrated his obsequies with great pomp and solemnity at Bruges; and notified* his death to the king. CHAP. II. How the Liegeois broke the Peace with the Duke of Burgundy, before called Count of Charolois, upon which he engages and defeats them in a set Battle.-1467, DURING these wars, and ever since, secret and fresh intrigues were carried on by the princes. The king was so exceedingly exasperated against the Dukes of Bretagne and Burgundy that it was wonderful; they could not correspond, or hear from one another without great difficulty; sometimes their couriers were stopped, and, in time of war, they were forced to send their letters by sea, or, at least, the Duke of Bretagne was obliged to send his messengers into England, who, going by land to Dover, embarked there for Calais; for, when they went the direct way by land, they were often in very great danger. * By letter dated from Bruges, June 19. 1467. It will be found in Lenglet, ii. 620. During all these years of dissension, and in others which succeeded for, at least, twenty years or more (some in wars, and others in truces and circumventions, every one of the princes comprehending his allies in his truces,) it pleased God to favour the realm of France so far, that the wars and divisions in England were not ended, though they had begun fifteen years before, and had been continued with many memorable and bloody battles, in which several brave men had been slain. In those wars both sides were accounted traitors, by reason that there were two families which pretended to the crown; one was the house of Lancaster, the other the house of York and it is not to be doubted but that if England had been in the same condition it was in formerly, the kingdom of France would have been in great danger. The King of France's aim, in the meantime, was chiefly to carry his design against the province of Bretagne, and he looked upon it as a more feasible attempt, and likelier to give him less resistance than the house of Burgundy. Besides, the Bretons were the people who protected and entertained all his malcontents; as his brother, and others, whose interest and intelligence were great in his kingdom; for this cause he endeavoured very earnestly with Charles, Duke of Burgundy, by several advantageous offers and proposals, to prevail with him to desert them, promising that upon those terms he also would abandon the Liegeois, and give no further protection to his malcontents. The Duke of Burgundy would by no means consent to it, but again made preparations for war against the Liegeois, who had broken the peace, and possessed themselves of a town called Huy*, driven out his garrison, and afterwards plundered it, notwithstanding the hostages which they had given the year before were to be put to death, and a great sum of money to be paid besides, in case the treaty was violated on their part. He assembled his army about Louvaint, which is a town in Brabant and on the marches of Liege. The Constable of France (who was now "It was far advanced in the month of September," says Chastellain, "when the town of Huy was taken by the Liegeois." Jealousy led the Liegeois to attack it, for "it had always sided with the bishop against the city, and for that cause, Duke Philip had granted it great immu nities." Chastellain, 426. The duke left Brussels for Louvain on the 13th of October, 467. wholly devoted to the French interest, and had his residence in that kingdom) came to the duke with Cardinal Balue* and others, to let him know that the Liegeois being in an alliance with the King of France, and comprehended in his truce, he should be obliged to relieve them in case the Duke of Burgundy thought fit to invade them. However, they offered that in case the duke would consent that their master might make war upon the Bretons, he would connive at his designs against the Liegeois. Their audience was short and in public, and they continued there but one day. The duke, to justify his proceedings against the Liegeois, replied, "That they had invaded him; that it was they themselves, and not he, who had broken the truce, and, therefore, he was resolved to be revenged of his enemies, without being obliged to abandon his confederates after a base and dishonourable manner." The next day, as the duke took horse, he gave them their despatch, and told them aloud, "That he desired the king not to attempt anything against the Bretons." The constable pressed him very hard, and told him, “Sir, you do not choose, but take all; you will make war at your pleasure upon our allies, and oblige us to sit still, and not meddle with yours: it is not to be expected, and the king will never suffer it." The duke took his leave of them, and replied, "The Liegeois are now in arms, and within three days I believe we shall have a battle; if I lose it, I do not doubt but you will do as you think fit; but if I conquer, you will leave the Bretons in peace." And, having said so, he mounted on horseback, and the ambassadors prepared to be gone. The duke marched in his arms from Louvain to besiege St. Tron t†, with a very great army, for all the forces which could be got together in Burgundy had joined him; and, to speak truth, his army was far more numerous than any I had ever yet seen in my life. Before his departure from Louvain, it was debated in * Jean Balue was born at Poitiers in 1422, and died in October, 1491. He was appointed Bishop of Evreux in 1464, translated to the see of Angers soon afterwards, and raised to the cardinalate in 1467. On the 27th of October, 1467, the count "came to the siege of the town of Saint Tron, and on the 28th he gained a battle over the Liegeois at the village of Brusten. On the 2nd of November, the town of SaintTron surrendered at discretion, and the duke demolished its gates, towers, and walls." Lenglet, ii. 190. council what was to be done with the hostages, and whether or no they should be put to death. Some were of opinion that they should all of them die, and particularly the Lord of Contay was of that judgment; and, indeed, I never heard him speak so ill and so unmercifully as at that time: for which reason it is necessary that princes should have several privy councillors; since the wisest men are sometimes, nay, too often, partial and prejudiced, either out of love, hatred, contradiction, or indisposition of their bodies, for the x counsel that is given after dinner is not always the best. But some may object, that persons guilty of any of those faults are not fit to be admitted into council at all. To which I answer, That we are all of us but men, and he who would find out such as should never fail to speak wisely, nor show more passion at one time than another, must seek them in heaven, for upon earth we cannot find them: but, in recompense for this, sometimes he who has never been used to do so before, will speak wisely in council, which makes amends for the others. But to return to the debate: two or three, in deference to the authority and judgment of the Lord of Contay, were also of his opinion; for in such councils there are many present, who (not well understanding the affair that is in debate) give their sentiments as they hear others before them, being extremely desirous to please and ingratiate themselves with some person or other of great power and authority. After him, the question was put to the Lord of Humbercourt*, who was born near Amiens, and was one of the wisest and gravest gentlemen I ever was acquainted with. His opinion was, by all means, to keep God on their side, and to let the world see that he was neither cruel nor revengeful; he thought it the most prudent way to release the 300 hostages, because they delivered themselves up with a good intention, and in confidence that the peace would have been inviolably kept. However, he judged it proper, that at their dismission they should be put in mind of the duke's mercy towards them, and exhorted to employ their utmost endeavour to * Guy de Brimeu, Count of Mehem, and Lord of Humbercourt, was created a Knight of the Golden Fleece in 1473. He was a son of Jean de Brimeu and Marie de Mailly: he married Antoinette de Rambures; and he was beheaded at Ghent on the 3rd of April, 1477. persuade the people to consent to an honourable peace; and that if they should not be able to prevail, that, at least, in acknowledgment of the duke's generosity, they should engage never to bear arms against him, nor against their bishop, who was then with him. This opinion was followed, and when the hostages were dismissed, they consented to what had been proposed to them; and they were told, that if they engaged (any of them) actually in the war, and were taken prisoners, they must expect to suffer death; and so they departed. It will not be altogether impertinent to add, that after the Lord of Contay had given his judgment in so cruel a manner against the poor hostages (part of whom came in with the rest voluntarily), a gentleman who was then in the council, whispered me in the ear, and said, "Do you observe that man? Though he be old, he is in good health and well; yet I dare lay a wager he dies within the year, in punishment for the inhumanity of his advice." And so it fell out, for he lived not long after; however, he did his master good service in one battle before his death, of which I shall speak hereafter. But to return to my history. You have heard how the Duke of Burgundy, upon his departure from Louvain, laid siege to St. Tron, and erected his batteries. In the town there was a garrison of 3000 Liegeois, commanded by a very good officer, who was the same person that had managed the treaty of peace, when we met them, drawn up in order of battle, the year before. The third day after our investing the town, the Liegeois, to the number of about 30,000 or upwards †, one with another (but all foot except 500), and a large train of artillery, came to raise the siege, at about ten o'clock in the morning. Our first discovery of them was in a strong village called Brustan, about half a league from our camp, encompassed partly with a great morass; and in their army was Francis Rayer ‡, Bailiff of Lyons, and ambassador from the king to the Liegeois at that time. The *Renard de Rouvroy. It appears from a letter written on the 29th of October by Louis Van den Rive, pensionary of the town of Ypres, that the Liegeois numbered 17,000 or 18,000 with 400 or 500 horse; whilst Jean de Halewyn, writing on the 31st of the same month, says they had 1400 men-at-arms. François Rayer, Esquire, was Bailiff of Mâcon, and Seneschal and Captain of Lyons, in 1462. |
