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ward threatened to renounce his alliance; then he A. C. 147 5 confented, that the place fhould be delivered into, the hands of the pope's legate, in order to be dif pofed of according to the arbitration of his holiness: but, when he raised the fiege, his army was in fuch a condition, that he was obliged to put the troops in quarters of refreshment, while he himself fet out with a fmall body to excufe himself in perfon to Edward. The king of England could hardly digeft this conduct of his ally; and began to perceive, that he had engaged in war for the intereft of another power, inftead of its being undertaken, for the fupport of his own pretenfions. He was ftill more confirmed in this opinion, when he faw the duke of Burgundy would not fuffer his troops to enter Peronne, except in fmall unarmed companies, and that the conftable of St. Pol refufed to deliver up St. Quintin, which he had promised to put into the hands of Edward, as a pledge for his obfervance of the treaty. Edward finding himself thus abandoned by the duke of Burgundy and the conftable, while the duke of Bretagne took no step towards the performance of articles, and the malcontents of France did not seem inclined to raise the leaft commotion; was equally mortified and perplexed in his refolution; and heartily repented of having embarked in the expedition.

Lewis.

1: While he remained thus embarraffed in his Concludes thoughts, a French gentleman, who had been taken feparate prifoner, was released by his order; and the lords peace with Howard and Stanley defiring him to prefent their refpects to the king of France, he complied with their defire. Lewis concluded from this compli, ment, that the court of England wanted to enter into a negotiation, but were unwilling to make the first advance, and as he himself had no fcruples of that nature, he refolved to fpare Edward the confufion of folliciting a treaty. He forthwith ordered a

herald's

A. C. 1475. herald's coat to be made for a man, with whose dif cretion and addrefs he was well acquainted; and having inftructed him for the purpose, fent him to the English army, to demand a fafe-conduct for: the ambaffadors of France, that they might come and treat of a pacification. He addreffed himself to the lords Howard and Stanley; and they intro. duced him to the king, who received his meffage in good part, granted the fafe-conduct which he demanded, and difmiffed him with a confiderable pre fent. The lord Stanley, and two other noblemen, were appointed as plenipotentiaries to treat with the French ambaffadors, in the neighbourhood of Amiens, between the two armies; and, on the twenty-eighth day of Auguft, the peace was concluded, on condition, That Lewis should pay feventy-five thousand crowns, to indemnify Edward for the expence of the armament; on the receipt of which, the king of England fhould immediately retire with his forces: That Lewis fhould likewise grant him an annuity of fifty thousand crowns: That the dauphin of France fhould marry the princess Elizabeth, daughter of Edward, and fettle fixty thoufand livres a year upon her as a jointure : and, That neither party fhould encourage civil wars in the other's kingdom; but that both should affift each other in fuppreffing the rebellion of their Comines. fubjects. On this occafion it was alfo agreed, That Margaret of Anjou should be fet at liberty for the ranfom of fifty thousand crowns, which Lewis payed, on her father's engaging to convey to him and his heirs the fucceffion of Provence and Anjou, which he inherited as the defcendant of Beatrix, daughter of Raymund Berenger II. count of Pro

Rymer.

<

vence.

The duke of Burgundy no fooner understood that a treaty was on the carpet, between Lewis and Edward, than he repaired to the English army, in or

der

on the

der to prevent its taking effect; but, before he ar. A. C. 1475. rived, the peace was ratified, and Edward gave Interview him to understand, that he might, if he would, be between the comprehended in the treaty, together with his other two kings allies, the duke of Bretagne and the conftable. bridge of Charles was fo incenfed at this accommodation, that Pequigny. he rejected Edward's offer with disdain, and returned to his own country glowing with refentment against the king of England. The conftable exerted all his endeavours in perfuading Edward to renounce the treaty. He even offered to deliver St. Quintin into his hands, and accommodate him with the loan of fifty thoufand crowns but the English monarch was not fo weak as to recommence the war upon the promises of a perfon whom he had great reafon to fufpect of infincerity. Before his return to England, he and Lewis agreed to have an interview on the bridge of Pequigny, with a barrier between them. The French king was accompanied by the cardinal of Bourbon, and five other noblemen, and Edward was attended by fome of the English nobility. After they had ratified the treaty upon oath, Lewis invited Edward to Paris, where he faid the ladies would endeavour to entertain him agreeably, and fhould he be tempted to commit any piccadillo, he fhould have "for his confeffor the cardinal of Bourbon, who would not be very rigid in point of penance. The two kings rallied one another with great good humour, until Lewis made a fignal for his attendants to withdraw: the English likewife retired on their fide, and their masters conferred together a confiderable time; their conversation turned upon the duke of Burgundy, Bretagne, and the conftable. Lewis defiring to know the fentiments of Edward touching thefe three allies; the king of England told him, that if the duke of Burgundy and the constable should refufe to be comprehended in the treaty, the king

No. 43.

K

of

A. C. 1475 of France might act towards them according to his own pleasure, but, that fhould the duke of Brittany be attacked, he would affift him with all his power. The tenderness which Edward expreffed for that prince, proceeded from his having in his power the fole remaining branch of the house of Lancaster, by whofe means he could at any time have raised commotions in England; and therefore Edward thought proper to cultivate the duke's friendship. Lewis did not prefs him upon this fubject; and the two kings parted very well fatisfied with each other.

Lewis gives The French king repaired to Amiens, accom penfions to the Englih panied by the lord Howard, who remained as hofCounsellors. tage for Edward's performance of articles; and this nobleman, while the king washed his hands, gave his majefty to underftand, that Edward was not averfe to an excurfion to Paris. Lewis made no reply to this infinuation, until it was repeated; and then he faid, that the war in which he was engaged with the duke of Burgundy would not permit him to go to Paris; and therefore he was forry he could not have the honour of receiving the vifit of the king of England. He dreaded nothing fo much as Edward's taking a liking to France; and, above all things, wifhed he would return to his own kingdom. He was fo apprehenfive of his retracting his engagements that he diftributed confiderable penfions among the principal members of Edward's council, that they might use their influence in preventing an infraction of the truce. The English army approaching Amiens, he ordered the gates to be thrown open, and all the inn-keepers of the place to treat the foldiers at his expence; nay, he fent three hundred waggon loads of wine to Edward's camp, as a prefent to the army. All this generofity and compliment was the effect of fear, from which he was at length delivered by the departure of the English, who returned to their own country,

1

country, extremely well pleafed with their enter- A. C. 1476. tainment. The duke of Burgundy, when his choler fubfided, accepted a feparate truce, which was offered to him by Lewis and the constable seeing himself deserted by his allies, retired into the duke's dominions, on the faith of a safe conduct: notwithstanding which, he was delivered up to Lewis, Comines. who ordered him to be beheaded as a traitor.

Edward en deavours to

of Rich

Edward, hoping, that the friendship he had expreffed for the duke of Brittany, would render that get the earl prince more propitious to his great aim of getting mond into the earl of Richmond into his hands, fent ambaf his hands. fadors to his court, on pretence of renewing the truce, which was confirmed without difficulty; and this affair being transacted, they proceeded to unfold the real defign of their embaffy. They told him, that the king their mafter was extremely defirous of extinguishing the embers of thofe factions which had raged with fuch violence in England: that the earl of Richmond being the only furviving prince of the house of Lancaster, his intention was, to match him with one of his own daughters, that the two houses might be united by fuch an alliance: he therefore hoped the duke of Brittany would give up the earl, that he might diftinguish him by marks of his bounty, and convince the world of his extreme defire to establish the peace and tranquility of his kingdom. The duke of Brittany, either believing Edward fincere in his profeffions, or convinced by the prefent of a large fum of money, ordered the young earl, and his uncle Pembroke, to

be
put into the hands of the ambaffadors, who im-
mediately fet out with their prize for St. Malo, in
order to embark for England. Before they reach-
ed that port, however, the duke changed his mind,
either through remorfe, or fufpicion of Edward's
intent and forthwith dispatched his favourite Peter
Landais to St. Malo, to reclaim the refugees. He
arrived

K 2

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