Part 12
When the duke of Burgognie heard that there was a peace in hand betwixt king Edward and the French king, he came in no small hast from Lutzenburg, onelie accompanied with sixteene horsses into the king of Englands lodging, and began as one in a great chafe sore to blame his dooings, declaring in plaine termes how dishonorable this peace should be vnto him, hauing atchiued nothing of that about the which he came. The king of England, after he had giuen him leaue to speake his fansie, answered him somewhat roundlie againe, openlie reproouing him for his promise-breaking and vncourteous dealing with him: where for his cause cheeflie he had passed the seas, and now found him not to keepe touch in anie one point which he had couenanted. ¶ But to adde more weight to the matter in hand, sith it was so seriouslie debated betwéene the two potentats, let vs heare what talke historiens report to haue béene interchanged betwéene them. The king of England (saith mine author) not a little abashed both at the dukes sudden comming, and his fierce countenance, like one that would rather bite than whine, demanded of him the cause of his sudden comming. The duke sharpelie answered, to know whether he had either entered into anie communication, or onelie had absolutelie concluded a peace betwéene the French king and him. King Edward declared how that for sundrie and diuerse great and vrgent causes, touching as well the vniuersall publike wealth of the whole christianitie, as their owne priuate commoditie and the quietnesse of their realmes, he and the French king had concluded a peace and amitie for terme of nine years, in the which were comprised, as fellowes and fréends, both he and the duke of Britaine, requiring him to condescend and agrée to the same.
"Oh Lord, oh saint George (quoth the duke of Burgognie) haue you thus doone in deed? Haue you passed the seas, entered into France, and without killing of a poore flie, or burning of a séelie shéepecote, and haue taken a shamefull truce? Did your noble ancestor, K. Edward the third, euer make armie into France (as he made manie) in the which he did not either game victorie in battell, or profit in conquering cities, townes, and countries? That victorious prince, as neere kin to me, as you to king Henrie the fift, I meane whose bloud you haue either rightfullie or wrongfullie (God knoweth) extinguished & destroied, with a small puissance entered into France, conquered whole Normandie, and not alonelie conquered it, but peaceablie kept it, and neuer would either commen or agrée to anie league, vntill he had the whole realme of France offered him; & was thereof made regent and heire apparant. And you without anie thing dooing, or anie honour or profit gaining, haue condescended to a peace, both as honourable and as profitable to you as a peasecod, and not so wholesome as a pomegranat. Think you that I either mooued you, or once intised you to take this iournie for my peculiar aduantage or commoditie (which of my power am able to reuenge mine owne causes, without helpe of others) but onelie to haue you recouer your old rights and possessions, which were from you both tortiouslie and wrongfullie withholden? And to the intent that you shall know that I haue no néed of your aid, I will neither enter into your league, nor take truce with the French king, till you be passed the sea, and haue beene there thrée moneths."
When duke Charles had thus said, he furiouslie threw downe his chaire, and would haue departed. But the king him staid and said: "Brother Charles, sith you haue spoken at leasure what you would, you must and shall heare again what you would not. And first, as concerning our entrie into France, no man liuing knoweth that occasion, neither so well, nor hath cause halfe so well to remember it as you: for if you haue not fullie put your greatest things (to be had in memorie) in your box of obliuion, you be not yet out of mind how the French king, for all your power, tooke from you the faire towne of Amiens, and the strong pile of saint Quintins, with diuerse other townes, which you neither durst nor yet were able either to rescue or defend. Since which time, how he hath plagued you, how he hath taken from you your fréends; yea, of your priuie chamber and secret councell (by whome all your secrets be to him reuealed and made open) you know or haue better cause to remember, and not to forget them. And when you determined to besiege the towne of Nusse, you thought your selfe in a great doubt, whether you should loose more at home by your absence (the French king dreaming and waiting like a fox for his preie) or gaine more in Germanie by your power and presence. And to kéepe the woolfe from the fold, that is, the French king from your castels and dominions, was the cheefe and principall cause whie you so faire praid me, so sore laboured and intised me to passe ouer the sea, promising mounteins of gold, which turned into snow and wasted into water, boasting and craking to send horssemen and footmen; and yet shewing neither lackie nor page. If we had made our enterprise for our selfe solie and in our owne quarell, thinke you that we would haue expected your comming? If the aduenture had béene for to haue recouered our right, imagine you that we would haue passed the sea so slenderlie as we did, looking for your aid? Nay, nay, you should haue well knowen, if we had intended a conquest, that we would haue so stronglie inuaded & set on the realme of France, that what with sauour of burning of townes, and infection of the aier, corrupted by the multitude of dead carcases of our slaine enimies, your countries of Flanders & Brabant should haue had causes enow to wonder at: trusting that that which we had gotten, we would haue kept as well as anie of our ancestors haue doone.
"But bicause the verie occasion of the warre was yours, and that you wilfullie (I will not saie cowardlie) did not prosecute the same, the French king, who neuer offended me nor my subiects (except in mainteining the earle of Warwike, for the displeasure that you bare him against me) offered me, being destitute of all your succour and aid, both honourable and honest ouertures of peace, which offers I was in maner inforced (by verie reason) to incline to and accept, and so haue concluded a truce, which (God willing) I will both keepe and obserue." "God send you ioy" (quoth the duke) and so abruptlie ended his talke for that time.
[Sidenote: He departeth from the king in a rage.]
[Sidenote: The constable of France his offer to K. Edward.]
Heerwith (being in a great rage) he bad the king of England farewell, and suddenlie tooke his horsse, and rode againe to Lutzenburgh, promising not to enter into anie league with the French king, till king Edward was passed the seas againe into England, and had béene there thrée moneths: but this promise was not performed, for of necessitie he tooke a wiser waie, and agréed with the French king vpon a truce immediatly after the departure of the English armie out of his countrie. The constable of France also, doubting that his vntruth would be disclosed to his destruction, by means of this agréement betwéene the kings of England and France, as soone as he heard they were entred into communication thereof, sent to king Edward, requiring him not to credit the French kings promises, which he would no longer obserue, than vntill he should once vnderstand, that he was on the other side of the sea: and rather than he should agrée for want of monie, he offered to lend him fiftie thousand crownes. But the king of England, sith the accord was passed and agréed, would not change anie thing for the promises of so slipper a merchant as he knew the constable to be.
[Sidenote: _Abr. Fl. ex Edw. Hall. fol._ Ccxxxij, Ccxxxiij.]
¶ Then was the constable in maner on all sides in despaire, but yet he wrote to the French king by his messengers, beséeching him to giue no credit or beléefe to anie tale told or fained against him, without hearing his answer, affirming that the king had alwaies knowen his truth and fidelitie toward the crowne of France, and so should he still find him till his dieng daie; promising and warranting him, if that it should stand with his pleasure, that he would so compasse the duke of Burgognie, that they two should vtterlie destroie the king of England and his armie yer they returned. The councellors of the French king made answer, that their master and the king of England were ioined and confedered in a sure amitie. Wherfore they would in no wise know nor condescend to anie thing that might be either preiudiciall, or once sound to the detriment of the Englishmen: but they said, that the king their master much trusted the constable, and that for his sake he would talke with them in his priuie chamber. The French king, before their entrie into his chamber, caused the lord of Contaie, seruant vnto the duke of Burgognie, accompanied with the lord of Argenton, one of his priuie councell, to stand secretlie behind a séeling or hanging in his chamber, & he himselfe sat in a chaire directlie before that place, so that what soeuer were purposed to him, they standing behind the cloth, might plainlie sée and easilie heare the same.
[Sidenote: Shamefull & slanderous words against the K. of England.]
Lewes de Creuell and his fellow entered into the kings chamber, of nothing thinking lesse than of the spirits inclosed. They declared what paine their master had taken for the French kings sake, to send, mooue and entise the duke of Burgognie to leaue, and cléerelie to forsake the king of England, which duke they found in such a rage and furie against the Englishmen, that at their request he was not onelie vtterlie determined to forsake and refuse their amitie, but also would send out aduenturers and lanceknights, to rob and spoile them in their returning. And in speaking these words (thinking suerlie much to please the king) the said Lewes counterfeited the fashion and gesture of the duke of Burgognie, and began to stampe with his foot on the ground, and beat with his fist on the table, swearing by saint George that the king of England was not extracted of anie noble house, but was a yeomans sonne; and that when he was not woorth one halfepenie, he was restored to his kingdome, and made king onelie by his aid, reprouing and reuiling him with such ill words, and so shamefuii termes, that all the hearers abhorred it.
The French king, faining that he was thicke of hearing, caused him to reiterate his saieng againe, who so counterfeited the verie gesture of the dukes angrie countenance and roring voice, that no man hath séene a better counterfeiter or actor in anie comedie or tragedie. The lord of Contaie was sore displeased to sée his master made a iesting stocke; but he kept all these things secret, till his returne to his master. When the pageant was plaied, the king bad the messengers of the constable to haue him commended to his brother their master; and to declare to him that as newes rose & grew, he would therof aduertise him, & so gaue them licence to depart to their master, who thought himselfe now to be in great suertie of his estate, when in déed he was neuer so neere his fall and perdition: estéeming the duke of Burgognie to be his assured fréend, who hated him more than a Painime or Turke, accompting also the French king to haue no ill suspicion in him, who neither trusted nor yet beléeued anie word, writing or message that was either written or sent from him. Such end hath dissimulation, such fruit springeth of double dealing and craftie conueieng. For if either the constable had béene faithfull to the king his master, as of bounden dutie and allegiance he ought to be, or else had kept his promise made to the king of England and duke of Burgognie, and not dallied and dissembled with them, he had suerlie in his extremitie béene aided, succoured and comforted of one of these three at the least; where now he was of all three forsaken, and yet not forsaken, but sought for, looked for, and watched for; not for his profit or promotion, but for his vndooing and destruction: whereof he was the principall procurer, as manie a one besides; wherto the poet had an eie, when he made this outcrie of inward gréefe seasoned with sorrow and repentance:
Heu patior telis vulnera facta meis.
[Sidenote: _Abr. Flem. ex Edw. Hall. fol._ Ccxxxiiji.]
After the peace was concluded, the Englishmen were permitted to enter into the towne of Amiens, and there to buie all such necessarie things as they wanted, and had plentie of wine (for the French king had sent into their armie a hundred carts of the best wine that could be gotten) and good cheere made them of his owne costs. For at the enterie of euerie gate, there were two long tables set on euerie side of the street where they should passe; and at euerie table fiue or six gentlemen of the best companions of all the countrie were appointed to interteine the Englishmen as they entered, not onelie to sée them serued without lacking [but also to drinke and make good cheere, and kéepe companie with them. And euer as they entered into the towne, they were taken by the bridels and in maner inforced to drinke, wheresoeuer they came they paied no monie, but were sent scot free.] This chéere lasted thrée or foure daies not onelie to the French kings cost, but also to his vnquietnesse at length, doubting to haue béene dispossessed of his towne.
[Sidenote: The enterview betwixt king Edward the fourth, & the French king.]
For on a daie there entered the number of nine thousand Englishmen well armed in sundrie companies, so that no Frenchman durst once forbid them to enter. But finallie, order was taken by the king of England, who meant no deceit, that no greater number should enter than was conuenient, and the other were called backe; so that the French king and his councell were well quieted, and rid of casting further perils than néed required. After this, both the kings enteruiewed togither at Picquenie on the water of Some thrée leagues aboue Amiens, shewing great courtesie either to other. The letters of both their agréements were opened and red, & then either prince laid his right hand on the missall, and his left hand on the holie crosse (as it was termed) and tooke there a solemne oth to obserue and kéepe the treatie for nine yeares concluded betwéene them, with all their confederates and alies, comprised, mentioned and specified in the same, and further to accomplish the marriage or their children.
There was with either prince twelue noble men at this méeting, which was vpon a bridge cast ouer the water of Some, a grate being set ouerthwart the same in the midst, so from side to side, that the one prince could not come vnto the other; but onelie to imbrace ech other, in putting their armes through the holes of the [2]grate. There were foure Englishmen appointed to stand with the Frenchmen on the bridge to sée their demeanour; and likewise foure Frenchmen were appointed to the Englishmen for the same purpose. There were with the king of England his brother the duke of Clarence, the earle of Northumberland, the bishop of Elie his chancellor, the lord Hastings his chamberleine, and eight others. They had louing and verie familiar talke togither a good space, both afore their companie, and secretlie alone, whilest their companie (of courtesie) withdrew somewhat backe.
[2] Of timber like to the grate where the lions be kept in the Tower.
[Sidenote: _Abr. Fl. ex Edw. Hall. fol._ Ccxxxiiij.]
¶ But it is noteworthie which I read touching both the kings méeting, the manner of their attire, and demeanour; namelie that when the token of méeting by the shot of the artillerie was knowne, the French king with twelue noble men entered the bridge, and came to the closure, with whome was Iohn duke of Burbon, and the cardinal his brother, a prelat more méet for a ladies carpet, than for an ecclesiasticall pulpit, and ten other, amongst whome the lord of Argenton was in like disguised attire as the French king ware, for so was his pleasure that daie to haue him adorned. The king of England and foure other with him were apparelled in cloth of gold frised, hauing on his bonet of blacke veluet a flower delice of gold, set with verie rich and orient stones; he was a goodlie faire and beautifull prince, beginning a litle to grow in flesh. Now when he approched néere the grate, hée tooke off his cap, and made a low and solemne obeisance: the French king made to him an humble reuerence; but after his fashion somewhat homelie. King Lewes imbraced king Edward through the barriers, saieng: "Coosine you be right heartilie welcome into these parties, assuring you that there is no man in the world that I haue more desired to sée and speake with, than with you: and now lauded be almightie God, we be here met togither for a good and godlie purpose, whereof I doubt not but that we shall haue cause to reioise." The king of England thanked him, and answered to his words so soberlie, so grauelie, and so princelie, that the Frenchmen thereat not a litle mused. The chancellor of England made there a solemne oration in laud and praise of peace, concluding on a prophesie, which said that at Picquenie should be concluded a peace both honorable and profitable to the realmes of England and France.
[Sidenote: The manerlie English and vnmanerlie French.]
When the oth was taken and sworne (as before you haue heard) the French king said merilie to king Edward; "Brother, if you will take pains to come to Paris, you shall be feasted and interteined with ladies; and I shall appoint you the cardinall of Burbon for your confessor, which shall gladlie absolue you of such sinnes, if anie be commited." The king of England tooke these words pleasantlie and thankfullie, for he was informed that the cardinall was a good companion, and a chapleine méet for such a dalieng pastime. When this communication was merilie ended, the French king, intending to shewe himselfe like a maister amongst his seruants, made all his companie to draw backe from him, meaning to commune with the king of England secretlie. The Englishmen withdrew them without any commandement. Then the two kings communed alone secretlie, I thinke not to the profit of the constable of France. The French king demanded of king Edward, whether the duke of Burgognie would accept the truce? King Edward answered that he would once againe make an offer; and then vpon the refusall, he would referre and report the truth to them both. Then king Lewes began to speake of the duke of Britaine, whome he would faine haue excepted out of the league. To whome the king of England answered: Brother, I require you to mooue no warre to the duke of Britaine; for on my fidelitie, in the time of my néed and aduersitie, I neuer found a more friendlie, sure and stedfast louer than he.
[Sidenote: French loue.]
Then king Lewes called his companie againe, and with most lowlie and amiable commendations tooke his leaue of the king of England, speaking certeine friendlie words to euerie Englishman: king Edward dooing likewise to the Frenchmen. Then both at one time departed from the barriers, & mounted on horssebacke, and departed; the French king to Amiens, and king Edward to his armie. To whom was sent out of the French kings house, all things necessarie for a prince, insomuch that neither torches nor torchets lacked vnsent. When the French king was departed from Picquenie, he called to him the lord Argenton, saieng: "By the peace of God, the king of England is an amorous and a faire prince, he at the first becke would gladlie see Paris, where he might fortune to find such pleasant and talkatiue dames, which with faire words & pleasant pastimes might so allure him to their fantasies, that it might breed occasion in him to come ouer the sea againe, which I would not gladlie see. For his progenitors haue beene too long and too often both in Paris and Normandie. On this side the sea I loue neither his sight nor his companie; but when he is at home I loue him as my brother, and take him as my friend."
The French king, after this departing, sore desired to make warre on the duke of Britaine: which he could not doo, except he were left out of the treatie. Wherefore he sent the lord of Bouchage, and the lord of saint Pierre, to the king of England, intreating him by all waies and motions possible, to leaue the duke of Britaine for his alie, and not to haue him comprehended in the league. The king of England hearing them so seriouslie and so feruentlie speake against the duke of Britaine; with an earnest countenance answered, saieng: "My lords, I assure you, if I were peaceablie at home in my realme, yet for the defense of the duke of Britaine and his countrie, I would passe the seas againe, against all them that either would doo him iniurie, or make warre vpon him." The French lords nothing further saieng, much maruelled why the king of England so suerlie claue to the duke of Britains partie: but they knew not (or else at the least remembred not) that Henrie earle of Richmond was within the power and dominion of the duke of Britaine, whome king Edwards phantasie euer gaue him would make once a title to the crowne of England, as next heire to the house of Lancaster. For he knew well, that if the duke of Britaine would transport him into England (where hée had both kinsfolks and friends) with neuer so small an aid (yea, though it were but the shadow of an armie) then were he inforced newlie to begin againe a conquest, as though he had neuer woone the crowne, nor obteined the possession of the realme, which was the verie cause why he stucke so sore to the duke of Britains part.
The same night the lords returned to Amiens, and reported to their maister king Edwards answer, who therewith was not the best pleased. But pleasure or displeasure, there was no remedie but to dissemble the matter. This same night also, there came the lord Howard, and two other of the king of Englands councell, who had béene coadiutors toward the peace, to the French king to supper. The lord Howard said to the French king secretlie in his eare, that if it stood with his pleasure, he could persuade the king of England to come to Amiens, yea, peraduenture as farre as Paris, familiarlie and friendlie to solace himselfe with him, as his trustie friend and faithfull brother. The French king, to whom this motion was nothing pleasant, calling for water, washed, and rose without anie answer making: but he said to one of his councell, that he imagined in his owne conceipt, that this request would be made. The Englishmen began againe to commune of that matter, the Frenchmen politikelie brake their communication, saieng: that the king with all celeritie must march forward against the duke of Burgognie.