he count should give the first pledge while the people
followed suit."

As soon as he was thus legally invested with sovereign power, Charles
demanded a large _aide_ from Holland and Zealand--480,000 crowns of
fifteen stivers for himself; 32,000 crowns as pin money for his new
consort; 16,000 crowns as donations for various servants, and 4800
crowns towards his travelling expenses. The total sum was 532,800
crowns. The share of Holland and West Friesland was 372,800 crowns,
and of Zealand 16,000 crowns, to be paid within seven and a half
years. In Holland, Haarlem paid the heaviest quota, 3549 crowns, and
Schiedam the smallest, 350 crowns, while Dordrecht and the South
Holland villages were assessed at 39,200 crowns, and the remainder was
divided among the other cities and villages.

There was considerable opposition to the assessments. In many cases
the new imposts upon provisions pressed very heavily on the poor
villagers. Having obtained promise of the grant, however, Charles left
all further details in its regard to the local officials and returned
to Brussels at the beginning of August to make his own preparation.
For, by that time, Louis's intentions of evading the treaty of
Conflans were plain, though there still fluttered a thin veil of
friendship between the cousins. Gathering what forces he could
mobilise, ordering them to meet him later, Charles moved westward and
took up his quarters at Peronne on the river Somme.

Louis had been bold in his utterance to the States-General as to his
perfect right to ignore the treaty of Conflans, to dispossess his
brother, and to bring the great feudatories to terms. In the summer
of 1468 he made advances towards accomplishing the last-named
desideratum. Brittany was invaded by royal troops, but his victory was
diplomatic rather than military, as Duke Francis peaceably consented
to renounce his close alliances with Burgundy and England, nominally
at least. Further, he agreed to urge Charles of France to submit his
claims to Normandy to the arbitration of Nicholas of Calabria and the
Constable St. Pol.[5]

Charles of Burgundy remained to be settled with on some different
basis. And in regard to him Louis XI. took a resolve which terrified
his friends and caused the world to wonder as to his sanity. All
previous attempts at mediation having failed--St. Pol was among the
many who tried--the king determined to be his own messenger to parley
with his Burgundian cousin. It is