curious how small was his measure
of personal pride. He had been negligent of his personal safety at
Conflans, but even then Charles had better reason to respect and
protect him than in 1468, after Louis had manoeuvred for three years
in every direction to harass and undermine the young duke's power,
and when, too, the latter was aware of half of the machinations and
suspicious of more.

Yet Louis's famous visit to Peronne was no sudden hare-brained
enterprise. There is much evidence that he nursed the project for many
weeks without giving any intimation of his intentions. Nor was the
situation as strange as it appears, looking backward.

Charles had doubtless made all preparations to combat Louis if need
were, and had chosen Peronne for his headquarters with the express
purpose of being able to watch France, and, at the same time, he had
published abroad that his military preparations were solely for
the purpose of keeping his obligations to his allies. Now these
obligations were momentarily removed by the action of those same
allies. Francis of Brittany had entered into amicable relations with
his sovereign, young Charles of France had accepted arbitration to
settle the fraternal relations of the royal brothers, while the
correspondence between Louis and Liege, was still unknown to the Duke
of Burgundy. For the moment, the latter, therefore, had no definite
quarrel with the French king. But he was not in the least anxious for
an interview with him. Charles was as far as ever from understanding
his cousin. Even without definite knowledge of Louis's efforts to
make friends in the Netherlands, Charles suspected enough to turn his
youthful distrust of the man's character into mature conviction that
friendship between them was impossible. But he could not refuse the
royal overtures. His letter of safe-conduct to his self-invited
visitor bears the date of October 8th, and runs as follows:[6]

"MONSEIGNEUR:

"I commend myself to your good graces. Sire, if it be your
desire to come to this city of Peronne in order that we may talk
together, I swear and I promise you by my faith and on my honour
that you may come, remain and return in safety to Chauny or Noyon,
according to your pleasure and as often as it shall please you,
freely and openly without any hindrance offered either to you or
to any of your people by me or by any other for any cause that now
exists or _that may hereafter ar