lustre. The great Keep was in form nearly resembling | precept or example, since I never was so bold as to the White Tower in the Citadel of London, but still unhorse any of your Majesty's most illustrious house, more ancient in its architecture, deriving its date, as better knowing my own condition, and"was affirmed, from the days of Charlemagne. The "Be silent on that point," said the King; "your walls were of a tremendous thickness, the windows nephew did his duty in the matter." very small, and grated with bars of iron, and the huge clumsy bulk of the building cast a dark and portentous shadow over the whole of the court-yard.

"I am not to be lodged there the King said, with a shudder, that had something in it ominous.

No," replied the gray-headed seneschal, who attended upon him unbonneted-"God forbid !-Your Majesty's apartments are prepared in these lower buildings which are hard by, and in which King John slept two nights before the battle of Poitiers."

Hum-that is no lucky omen neither"-muttered the King; "but what of the Tower, my old friend? and why should you desire of Heaven that I may not be there lodged ?"

"Nay, my gracious liege," said the seneschal, "I know no evil of the Tower at all-only that the sentinels say lights are seen, and strange noises heard in it, at night; and there are reasons why that may be the case, for anciently it was used as a state prison, and there are many tales of deeds which have been done in it."

There indeed," continued Balafré, "he had the cue from me.— 'Quentin,' said I to him, 'whatever comes of it, remember you belong to the Scottish Archer-guard, and do your duty whatever comes on't."" "I guessed he had some such exquisite instructer," said Louis; "but it concerns me that you answer my first question-Have you heard of your nephew of late?-Stand aback, my masters," he added, addressing the gentlemen of his chamber, "for this concerneth no ears but mine."

Surely, please your Majesty," said Balafré, "I have seen this very evening the groom Charlot, whom my kinsman dispatched from Liege, or some castle of the Bishop's which near it, and where he hath lodged the ladies of Crove in safety."

Now our Lady of Heaven be praised for it!" said the King. "Art thou sure of it?-sure of the good news?"

As sure as I can be of aught," said Le Balafré; "the fellow, I think, hath letters for your Majesty from the ladies of Croye."

Louis asked no farther questions; for no man was "Haste to get them," said the King-" Give thy more bound than he to respect the secrets of a prison-harquebuss to one of these knaves-to Oliver-to any house. At the door of the apartments destined for one.-Now our Lady of Embrun be praised! and silhis use, which, though of later date than the Tower, ver shall be the screen that surrounds her high altar!" were still both ancient and gloomy, stood a small Louis, in this fit of gratitude and devotion, doffed, party of the Scottish Guard, which the Duke, although as usual, his hat, selected from the figures with which he declined to concede the point to Louis, had ordered it was garnished that which represented his favourite to be introduced, so as to be near the person of their image of the Virgin, placed it on a table, and, kneelmaster. The faithful Lord Crawford was at their head. ing down, repeated reverently the vow he had made. "Crawford--my honest and faithful Crawford," The groom, being the first messenger whom Dursaid the King, "where hast thou been to-day?-Are ward had dispatched from Schonwaldt, was now inthe lords of Burgundy so inhospitable as to neglect troduced with his letters. They were addressed to one of the bravest and most noble gentlemen that the King by the ladies of Croye, and barely thanked ever trode a court?-I saw you not at the banquet." him in very cold terms for his courtesy while at his "I declined it, my liege," said Crawford-times Court, and, something more warmly, for having perare changed with me. The day has been that I could mitted them to retire, and sent them in safety from have ventured a carouse with the best man in Bur- his dominions; expressions at which Louis laughed gundy, and that in the juice of his own grape; but a very heartily, instead of resenting them. He then matter of four pints now flusters me, and I think it demanded of Charlot, with obvious interest, whether concerns your Majesty's service to set in this an ex- they had not sustained some alarm or attack upon ample to my callants." the road? Charlot, a stupid fellow, and selected for that quality, gave a very confused account of the affray in which his companion, the Gascon, had been killed, but knew of no other. Again Louis demanded of him, minutely and particularly, the route which the party had taken to Liege; and seemed much interested when he was informed, in reply, that they had, upon approaching Namur, kept the more direct road to Liege, upon the right bank of the Maes, instead of the left bank, as recommended in their route. The King then ordered the man a small present, and dismissed him, disguising the anxiety he had expressed, as if it only concerned the safety of the ladies of Croye.

"Thou art ever prudent," said the King; "but surely your toil is the less when you have so few men to command ?-and a time of festivity requires not so severe self-denial on your part as a time of danger." "If I have few men to command," said Crawford, "I have the more need to keep the knaves in fitting condition; and whether this business be like to end in feasting or fighting, God and your Majesty know better than old John of Crawford."

"You surely do not apprehend any danger?" said the King hastily, yet in a whisper.

"Not I," answered Crawford; "I wish I did; for, as old Earl Tineman used to say, apprehended dangers may be always defended dangers.-The word for the night, if your Majesty pleases?"

"Let it be Burgundy, in honour of our host and of a liquor that you love, Crawford."

"I will quarrel with neither Duke nor drink, so called," said Crawford, "provided always that both be sound. A good night to your Majesty!"

A good night, my trusty Scot," said the King, and passed on to his apartments.

At the door of his bedroom Le Balafré was placed sentinel. "Follow me hither," said the King, as he passed him; and the Archer accordingly, like a piece of machinery put in motion by an artist, strode after him into the apartment, and remained there fixed, silent, and notionless, attending the royal command. "Have you heard from that wandering Paladin, your nephew?" said the King; "for he hath been lost to us, since, like a young knight who had set out upon his first adventures, he sent us home two prisoners, as the first fruits of his chivalry."

46

My lord, I heard something of that," said Balafré; "and I hope your Majesty will believe, that if he hath acted wrongfully, it was in no shape by my * An Earl of Douglas, so called.

Yet the news, though they inferred the failure of one of his own favourite plans, seemed to imply more internal satisfaction on the King's part than he would have probably indicated in a case of brilliant success. He sighed like one whose breast has been relieved from a heavy burden, muttered his devotional acknowledgments with an air of deep sanctity, raised up his eyes, and hastened to adjust newer and surer schemes of ambition.

With such purpose, Louis ordered the attendance of his astrologer, Martius Galeotti, who appeared with his usual air of assumed dignity, yet not without a shade of uncertainty on his brow, as if he had doubted the King's kind reception. It was, however, favourable, even beyond the warmest which he had ever met with at any former interview. Louis termed him his friend, his father in the sciences—the glass by which a king should look into distant futurity-and concluded by thrusting on his finger a ring of very considerable value. Galeotti, not aware of the circumstances which had thus suddenly raised his character in the estimation of Louis, yet understood his own profession too well to let that ignorance be seen. He received with grave modesty the praises of Louis,

which he contended were only due to the nobleness | Well, thou didst wish her as bad a one, when thou of the science which he practised, a science the rather the more deserving of admiration on account of its working miracles through means of so feeble an agent as himself; and he and the King took leave, for once much satisfied with each other.

the officers of his household the task of conveying | curl of his upper lip, and the proud glance of his ye, you to your lodgings. The rooms here are hastily and carelessly fitted up-the tapestry is hung up awry-and, in one of the pieces, as you may observe, the figures are reversed, and stand on their heads, while the trees grow with their roots uppermost." "Pshaw! accident, and the effect of hurry," said the King. "When did you ever know me concerned about such trifles as these?"

"Not on their own account are they worth notice," said Oliver; "but as intimating the degree of esteem in which the officers of the Duke's household observe your Grace to be held by him. Believe me, that had his desire seemed sincere that your reception should be in all points marked by scrupulous attention, the zeal of his people would have made minutes do the work of days-And when," he added, pointing to the basin and ewer, "was the furniture of your Majesty's toilet of other substance than silver?"

Nay,” "said the King, with a constrained smile, "that last remark upon the shaving utensils, Oliver, is too much in the style of thine own peculiar occupation to be combated by any one.-True it is, that when I was only a refugee, and an exile, I was served upon gold-plate by order of the same Charles, who accounted silver too mean for the Dauphin, though he seems to hold that metal too rich for the King of France. Well, Oliver, we will to bed-Our resolution has been made and executed; there is nothing to be done but to play manfully the game on which we have entered. I know that my cousin of Burgundy, like other wild bulls, shuts his eyes when he begins his career. I have but to watch that moment, like one of the tauridors whom we saw at Burgos, and his impetuosity places him at my

mercy.'

intimated his consciousness, that the words he used were but empty compliment, and that his fine army, at his own unlimited disposal, was as ready to march against Paris as in any other direction. It must have added to Louis's mortification, that he recognised, as forming part of this host, many banners of French nobility, not only of Normandy and Bretagne, but of provinces more immediately subjected to his own authority, who, from various causes of discontent, had joined and made common cause with the Duke of Burgundy.

True to his character, however, Louis seemed to take little notice of these malecontents, while, in fact, he was revolving in his mind the various means by which it might be possible to detach them from the banners of Burgundy, and bring them back to his own, and resolved for that purpose, that he would cause those to whom he attached the greatest inportance to be secretly sounded by Oliver and other agents.

He himself laboured diligently, but at the same time cautiously, to make interest with the Duke's chief officers and advisers, employing for that purpose the usual means of familiar and frequent notice, adroit flattery, and liberal presents; not, as he represented, to alienate their faithful services from their noble master, but that they might lend their aid in preserving peace betwixt France and Burgundy,-a end so excellent in itself, and so obviously tending to the welfare of both countries, and of the reigning Princes of either.

The notice of so great and so wise a King was in itself a mighty bribe; promises did much, and direct gifts, which the customs of the time permitted the Burgundian courtiers to accept without scruple, did still more. During a boar-hunt in the forest, while the Duke, eager always upon the immediate object, whether business or pleasure, gave himself entirely up to the ardour of the chase, Louis, unrestrained by his presence, sought and found the means of speaking secretly and separately to many of those who were reported to have most interest with Charles, among whom D'Hymbercourt and Comines were not forgotten; nor did he fail to mix up the advances which he made towards those two distinguished persons with praises of the valour and military skill of the first, and of the profound sagacity and literary talents of the future historian of the period.

THE preceding chapter, agreeable to its title, was designed as a retrospect, which might enable the reader fully to understand the terms upon which the King of France and the Duke of Burgundy stood together, when the former, moved, partly perhaps by Such an opportunity of personally conciliating, or, his belief in astrology, which was represented as if the reader pleases, corrupting, the ministers of favourable to the issue of such a measure, and in a Charles, was perhaps what the King had proposed great measure doubtless by the conscious superiority to himself, as a principal object of his visit, even if of his own powers of mind over those of Charles, his art should fail to cajole the Duke himself. The had adopted the extraordinary, and upon any other connexion betwixt France and Burgundy was so ground altogether inexplicable, resolution of com- close, that most of the nobles belonging to the latter mitting his person to the faith of a fierce and exas-country had hopes or actual interests connected with perated enemy-a resolution also the more rash and the former, which the favour of Louis could advance, unaccountable, as there were various examples in or his personal displeasure destroy. Formed for this that stormy time to show, that safe-conducts, how- and every other species of intrigue, liberal to profuever solemnly plighted, had proved no assurance for sion when it was necessary to advance his plans, and those in whose favour they were conceived; and in- skilful in putting the most plausible colour upon his deed the murder of the Duke's grandfather, at the proposals and presents, the King contrived to reconBridge of Montereau, in presence of the father of cile the spirit of the proud to their profit, and to hold Louis, and at an interview solemnly agreed upon for out to the real or pretended patriot the good of both the establishment of peace and amnesty, was a hor- France and Burgundy, as the ostensible motive; rible precedent, should the Duke be disposed to resort whilst the party's own private interest, like the conto it. cealed wheel of some machine, worked not the less powerfully that its operations were kept out of sight. For each man he had a suitable bait, and a proper mode of presenting it; he poured the guerdon into the sleeve of those who were too proud to extend their hand, and trusted that his bounty, though it descended like the dew, without noise and imperceptibly, would not fail to produce, in due season, a plentiful crop of good will at least, perhaps of good offices, to the donor. In fine, although he had been long paving the way by his ministers for an establishment of such an interest in the Court of Burgundy, as should be advantageous to the interests of France, Louis's own personal exertions, directed doubtless by the information of which he was previously possessed, did more to accomplish that object in a few hours, than his agents had effected in years of negotiation.

But the temper of Charles, though rough, fierce, headlong, and unyielding, was not, unless in the full tide of passion, faithless or ungenerous, faults which usually belong to colder dispositions. He was at no pains to show the King more courtesy than the laws of hospitality positively demanded; but, on the other hand, he evinced no purpose of overleaping their sacred barriers.

On the following morning after the King's arrival, there was a general muster of the troops of the Duke of Burgundy, which were so numerous and so excellently appointed, that, perhaps, he was not sorry to have an opportunity of displaying them before his great rival. Indeed, while he paid the necessary compliment of a vassal to his Suzerain, in declaring that these troops were the King's, and not his own, the VOL IV. 3 B

more than the usual quantity of shrewd and caustic observation proper to his class.

One man alone the King missed, whom he had been particularly desirous of conciliating, and that was the Count de Crèvecœur, whose firmness, dur- In fact, Tiel Wetzweiler, called Le Glorieux, was ing his conduct as Envoy at Plessis, far from exciting by no means a jester of the common stamp. He Louis's resentment, had been viewed as a reason for was a tall, fine-looking man, excellent at many exermaking him his own if possible. He was not parti- cises, which seemed scarce reconcilable with mental cularly gratified when he learnt that the Count, at imbecility, because it must have required patience and the head of a hundred lances, was gone towards the attention to attain them. He usually followed the frontiers of Brabant, to assist the Bishop, in case of Duke to the chase and to the fight; and at Montl'necessity, against William de la Marck and his dis- hery, when Charles was in considerable personal contented subjects; but he consoled himself, that danger, wounded in the throat, and likely to be made the appearance of this force, joined with the di- prisoner by a French knight who had hold of his rections which he had sent by faithful messen-horse's rein, Tiel Wetzweiler charged the assailant gers, would serve to prevent any premature distur- so forcibly, as to overthrow him and disengage his bances in that country, the breaking out of which master. Perhaps he was afraid of this being thought might, he foresaw, render his present situation very too serious a service for a person of his condition, precarious. and that it might excite him enemies among those knights and nobles, who had left the care of their master's person to the court-fool. At any rate, he chose rather to be laughed at than praised for his achievement, and made such gasconading boasts of his exploits in the battle, that most men thought the rescue of Charles was as ideal as the rest of his tale; and it was on this occasion he acquired the title of Le Glorieux, (or the boastful,) by which he was ever afterwards distinguished.

The Court upon this occasion dined in the forest when the hour of noon arrived, as was common in those great hunting parties; an arrangement at this time particularly agreeable to the Duke, desirous as he was to abridge that ceremonious and deferential solemnity with which he was otherwise under the necessity of receiving King Louis. In fact, the King's knowledge of human nature had in one particular misled him on this remarkable occasion. He thought that the Duke would have been inexpressibly flattered to have received such a mark of condescension and confidence from his liege lord; but he forgot that the dependence of this Dukedom upon the Crown of France was privately the subject of galling mortification to a Prince so powerful, so wealthy, and so proud as Charles, whose aim it certainly was to establish an independent kingdom. The presence of the King at the Court of the Duke of Burgundy, imposed on that prince the necessity of exhibiting himself in the subordinate character of a vassal, and of discharging many rites of feudal observance and deference, which, to one of his haughty disposition, resembled derogation from the character of a Sovereign Prince, which on all occasions he affected as far as possible to

sustain.

But although it was possible to avoid much ceremony by having the dinner upon the green turf, with sound of bugles, broaching of barrels, and all the freedom of a sylvan meal, it was necessary that the evening repast should, even for that very reason, be held with more than usual solemnity.

Previous orders for this purpose had been given, and, upon returning to Peronne, King Louis found a banquet prepared with such a profusion of splendour and magnificence, as became the wealth of his formidable vassal, possessed as he was of almost all the Low Countries, then the richest portion of Europe. At the head of the long board, which groaned under plate of gold and silver, filled to profusion with the most exquisite dainties, sat the Duke, and on his right hand, upon a seat more elevated than his own, was placed his royal guest. Behind him stood on one side the son of the Duke of Gueldres, who officiated as his grand carver on the other, Le Glorieux, his jester, without whom he seldom stirred; for, like most men of his hasty and coarse character, Charles carried to extremity the general taste of that age for court-fools and jesters--experiencing that pleasure in their display of eccentricity and mental infirmity, which his more acute, but not more benevolent rival, loved better to extract from marking the imperfections of humanity in its nobler specimens, and finding subject for mirth in the "fears of the brave, and follies of the wise." And indeed, if the anecdote related by Brantome be true, that a court-fool, having overheard Louis, in one of his agonies of repentant devotion, confess his accession to the poisoning of his brother, Henry Count of Guyenne, divulged it next day at dinner before the assembled court, that monarch might be supposed rather more than satisfied with the pleasantries of professed jesters for the rest of his life.

Le Glorieux was dressed very richly, but with little of the usual distinction of his profession; and that little rather of a symbolical than a very literal character. His head was not shorn; on the contrary, he wore a profusion of long curled hair, which descended from under his cap, and joining with a wellarranged, and handsomely immed beard, set off features, which, but for a wild lightness of eve, might have been termed handsome. Å ridge of scarlet velvet carried across the top of his cap, indicated, rather than positively represented, the professional cock'scomb, which distinguished the head-gear of a fool in right of office. His bauble, made of ebony, was crested, as usual, with a fool's head, with ass's ears formed of silver; but so small, and so minutely carved, that, till very closely examined, it might have passed for an official baton of a more solemn character. These were the only badges of his office which his dress exhibited. In other respects, it was such as to match with that of the most courtly nobles. His bonnet displayed a medal of gold; he wore a chain of the same metal around his neck; and the fashion of his rich garments was not much more fantastic than those of young gallants who have their clothes made in the extremity of the existing fashion.

To this personage Charles, and Louis, in imitation of his host, often addressed themselves during the entertainment; and both seemed to manifest, by hearty laughter, their amusement at the answers of Le Glorieux.

"Whose seats be those that are vacant?" said Charles to the jester.

"One of those at least should be mine by right of succession, Charles," replied Le Glorieux.

Why so, knave?" said Charles.

"Because they belong to the Sieur D'Hymbercourt and Des Comines, who are gone so far to fly their falcons, that they have forgot their supper. They who would rather look at a kite on the wing than a pheasant on the board, are of kin to the fool, and he should succeed to the stools, as a part of their movable estate."

"That is but a stale jest, my friend Tiel," said the Duke; "but, fools or wise men, here come the defaulters."

As he spoke, Comines and D'Hymbercourt entered the room, and, after having made their reverence to the two Princes, assumed in silence the seats which were left vacant for them.

"What ho! sirs," exclaimed the Duke, addressing them, "your sport has been either very good or very bad, to lead you so far and so late. Sir Philip des Comines, you are dejected-hath D'Hymbercourt But, on the present occasion, Louis neglected not won so heavy a wager on you?-You are a philosoto take notice of the favourite buffoon of the Duke, pher, and should not grieve at bad fortune.-By Saint and to applaud his repartees; which he did the rather, George! D'Hymbercourt looks as sad as thou dost. that he thought he saw that the folly of Le Glorieux,-How now, sirs? Have you found no game? or however grossly it was sometimes displayed, covered have you lost your falcons? or has a witch crossed

your way? or has the Wild Huntsman* met you in the forest? By my honour, you seem as if you were come to a funeral, not a festival."

at once on what you have been so much afraid to inention to me--the harebrained burghers are again in arms. It could not be in better time, for we may While the Duke spoke, the eyes of the company at present have the advice of our own Suzerain," were all directed towards D'Hymbercourt and Des bowing to King Louis, with eyes which spoke the Comines; and the embarrassment and dejection of most bitter, though suppressed resentment, to teach their countenances, neither being of that class of us how such mutineers should be dealt with.-Hast persons to whom such expression of anxious melan-thou more news in thy packet? Out with them, and choly was natural, became so remarkable, that the then answer for yourself why you went not forward mirth and laughter of the company, which the rapid to assist the Bishop." circulation of goblets of excellent wine had raised to a considerable height, was gradually hushed; and, without being able to assign any reason for such a change in their spirits, men spoke in whispers to each other, as on the eve of expecting some strange and important tidings.

"What means this silence, Messires?" said the Duke, elevating his voice, which was naturally harsh. "If you bring these strange looks, and this stranger silence, into festivity, we shall wish you had abode in the marshes seeking for herons, or rather for woodcocks and howlets."

"My gracious lord," said Des Comines, " as we were about to return hither from the forest, we met the Count of Crèvecœur."

"How!" said the Duke; already returned from Brabant?-but he found all well there, doubtless?"The Count himself will presently give your Grace an account of his news," said D'Hymber. court, "which we have heard but imperfectly."

66

My lord, the farther tidings are heavy for me to tell, and will be afflicting to you to hear.-No aid of mine, or of living chivalry, could have availed the excellent Prelate. William de la Marck, united with the insurgent Liegeois, has taken his Castle of Schonwaldt, and murdered him in his own hall."

Murdered him!" repeated the Duke, in a deep and low tone, but which nevertheless was heard from the one end of the hall in which they were assembled to the other; " thou hast been imposed upon, Crèvecœur, by some wild report-it is impossible!"

"Alas! my lord!" said the Count, "I have it from an eyewitness, an archer of the King of France's Scottish Guard, who was in the hall when the murder was committed by William de la Marck's order."

"

"And who was doubtless aiding and abetting in the horrible sacrilege!" exclaimed the Duke, starting up and stamping with his foot with such fury, that he dashed in pieces the footstool which was placed before him. Bar the doors of this hall, gentlemen Body of me, where is the Count?" said the-secure the windows-let no stranger stir from his Duke. seat, upon pain of instant death!-Gentlemen of my "He changes his dress, to wait upon your High-chamber, draw your swords." And turning upon ness," answered D'Hymbercourt.

Louis, he advanced his own hand slowly and deliber-
ately to the hilt of his weapon, while the King, with-
out either showing fear or assuming a defensive pos-
ture, only said,
"These news, fair cousin, have staggered your

"His dress? Saint-bleu!" exclaimed the impatient prince, "what care I for his dress? I think you have conspired with him to drive me mad!" "Or rather, to be plain," said Des Comines, "he wishes to communicate these news at a private audi-reason.

ence.

"Teste-dieu! my Lord King," said Charles," this is ever the way our counsellors serve us-If they have got hold of aught which they consider as important for our ear, they look as grave upon the matter, and are as proud of their burden as an ass of a new packsaddle.-Some one bid Crèvecœur come to us directly! He comes from the frontiers of Liege, and we, at least," (he laid some emphasis on the pronoun,) have no secrets in that quarter which we would shun to have proclaimed before the assembled world."

All perceived that the Duke had drunk so much wine as to increase the native obstinacy of his disposition and though many would willingly have suggested that the present was neither a time for hearing news nor for taking counsel, yet all knew the impetuosity of his temper too well to venture on farther interference, and sat in anxious expectation of the tidings which the Count might have to communi

cate.

A brief interval intervened, during which the Duke remained looking eagerly to the door, as if in a transport of impatience, whilst the guests sat with their eyes bent on the table, as if to conceal their curiosity and anxiety. Louis alone maintaining perfect composure, continued his conversation alternately with the grand carver and with the jester.

At length Crevecoeur entered, and was presently saluted by the hurried question of his master, "What news from Liege and Brabant, Sir Count ?-the reDort of your arrival has chased mirth from our table -we hope your actual presence will bring it back to

us."

My liege and master," answered the Count, in a firm, but melancholy tone, the news which I bring you are fitter for the council board than the feasting table."

Out with them, man, if they were tidings from Antichrist!" said the Duke; "but I can guess them -the Liegeois are again in mutiny." "They are, my lord," said Crèvecœur, very gravely. "Look there, man,' " said the Duke, "I have hit The famous apparition, sometimes called le Grand Veneur. Sully gives some account of this hunting spectre.

66

"No!" replied the Duke, in a terrible tone, "but they have awakened a just resentment, which I have too long suffered to be stifled by trivial considerations of circumstance and place. Murderer of thy brother!-rebel against thy parent!-tyrant over thy subjects!-treacherous ally!-perjured King!— dishonoured gentleman!-thou art in my power, and I thank God for it."

"Rather thank my folly," said the King; "for when we met on equal terms at Montl'hery, methinks you wished yourself farther from me than we are now."

The Duke still held his hand on the hilt of his sword, but refrained to draw his weapon, or to strike a foe, who offered no sort of resistance which could in anywise provoke violence.

Meanwhile, wild and general confusion spread itself through the hall. The doors were now fastened and guarded by order of the Duke; but several of the French nobles, few as they were in number, started from their seats, and prepared for the defence of their Sovereign. Louis had spoken not a word either to Orleans or Dunois since they were liberated from restraint at the Castle of Loches, it could be termed liberation, to be dragged in King Louis's train, objects of suspicion evidently, rather than of respect and regard; but, nevertheless, the voice of Dunois was first heard above the tumult, addressing himself to the Duke of Burgundy.-" Sir Duke, you have forgotten that you are a vassal of France, and that we, your guests, are Frenchmen. If you lift a hand against our Monarch, prepare to sustain the utmost effects of our despair; for, credit me, we shall feast as high with the blood of Burgundy as we have done with its wine.-Courage, my Lord of Orleans-and you, gentlemen of France, form yourselves round Dunois, and do as he does!"

It was in that moment when a King might see upon what tempers he could certainly rely. The few independent nobles and knights who attended Louis, most of whom had only received from him frowns of discountenance, unappalled by the display of infinitely superior force, and the certainty of destruction in case they came to blows, hastened to array themselves around Dunois, and, led by him, to press towards the