w a man booted
and spurred ready to depart with a packet of letters addressed to
Monseigneur of Normandy, being in Brittany, and stayed only for
the Duke of Burgundy's letter. However, this came to naught. The
king made overtures to leave as hostages the Duke of Bourbon, the
cardinal, his brother, and the constable with a dozen others while
he should be permitted to return to Compiegne after peace was
concluded. He promised that the Liegeois should repair their
mischief or he would declare himself their foe. The appointed
hostages were profuse in their offers to immolate themselves, at
least they were in public. I do not know whether they would have
said the same things in private. I rather suspect not. And in
truth, I believe that those who were left would never have
returned.

"On the third night after the arrival of the news, the duke never
undressed, but lay down two or three times on his bed, and
then rose and walked up and down. Such was his way when he was
troubled. I lay that night in his chamber and talked with him from
time to time. In the morning his fury was greater than ever, his
tone very menacing, and he seemed ready to go to any extreme.

"However, he finally brought himself to say that if the king would
swear the peace and would accompany him to Liege to help avenge
Monsgn. of Liege, his own kinsman, he would be satisfied. Then
he suddenly betook himself to the king's chamber and expressed
himself to that effect. The king had a friend[15] who warned him,
assuring him that he should suffer no ill if he would concede
these two points. Did he do otherwise he ran grave risk, graver
than he would ever incur again."

When the duke entered the royal presence his voice trembled, so
agitated was he and on the verge of breaking into a passion. He
assumed a reverential attitude, but rough were mien and word as he
demanded whether the king would keep the treaty of peace as it had
been drafted, and whether he was ready to swear to it. "Yes" was
the king's response. In truth, nothing had been added to the
agreement made before Paris, or at least little as far as the Duke
of Burgundy was concerned. As regarded the Duke of Normandy, it
was stipulated that if he would renounce that province he should
have Champagne and Brie besides other neighbouring territories for