_ and it is reported that the
daughter is seriously afflicted and bloated. Some say that she is
already dead. I am not sure of the death but I am quite certain of
the malady.

"Written at Lannoy, Aug. 18th.

"LOYS.

"TILHART."

That the king's professed confidence in his brother did not remove all
suspicions of that young man's steadfastness from his mind is shown
by the following letter, written two days later than the above, to
Lorenzo de' Medici:

"Dear and beloved cousin, we have learned that our brother of
Guienne has sent to Rome to ask a dispensation from the oath he
swore to us, of which we send you a duplicate. Since you are a
great favourite with our Holy Father pray use your influence with
his Holiness so that our brother may not obtain his dispensation,
and that his messenger may not be able to do any negotiating. In
this you will do us a singular and agreeable pleasure which we
will recognise in the future as we have in the past on fitting
occasion....

"Written at St. Michel sur Loire, August 20th.

"LOYS."

Louis does not seem to have taken his own doubts as to the very
existence of Mary of Burgundy very seriously. While he was infinitely
anxious to prevent her alliance with his brother, he made overtures to
betroth her to his baby son, while he reminded her father in touching
phrases that he, Louis, was Mary's loving godfather and hence exactly
the person to be her father-in-law.

The winter of 1471-72 was filled with attempts to make terms between
the king and the duke before the termination of the truce. The king
was very hopeful of attaining this good result, and sweetly trustful
of the duke's pacific and friendly intentions. He sternly refused to
listen to suggestions that Charles meant to play him false and was
very definite in his expressions of confidence. The following epistle
to his envoys at the duke's court was an excellent document to fall by
chance into Burgundian hands[11]:

"To MONSIEUR DE CRAON AND PIERRE D'ORIOLE:

"My cousin and monseigneur the general, I received your letters
this evening at the hostelry of Montbazon where I came because I
have not yet dared to go to Amboise.[12] When I imparted to you
the doubts that I had heard, it was not with the purpose of
delaying you in completing your business but only to advise you of
the dangers that were in the air. And to free you