o Frederic appointed a
fresh commission to discuss European peace. And this insolvable
problem was a convenient blind for other discussions.

On October 5th, a Burgundian fete gave new occasion for a display
of wealth; "vulgar ostentation," sneered the less opulent German
nobles who tried to show that their pride was not wounded by the
sharp contrasts between imperial habits and those of a mere duke.
On their side, the Burgundians remarked that it was a pity to
waste good things on boors so little accustomed to elegantly
equipped apartments that they used silken bedspreads to polish up
their boots!

A running commentary of international criticism, fine feasts,
ostensible negotiations about projects that probably no one
expected would come to pass, and an undercurrent, persistent
and mandatory, of demands emphatically made on one side, feebly
accepted by the other while the two principals were together, and
petulantly disliked by the emperor as soon as he was alone again
--such was the course of the conference.

Frederic III. had one simple desire--to marry his son to the
Burgundian heiress. Charles desired many things, some of which are
clear and others obscure. The very fact that the emperor did not
at once refuse his demands, gave him confidence that all were
obtainable. Very probably he hoped to overawe his feudal chief
by a display of his resources, and by showing the high esteem in
which he was held by all nations. There at Treves, embassies came
to him from England, from various Italian and German states, and
from Hungary.

On October 15th, a treaty was signed that made the new Duke of
Lorraine virtually a vassal to Charles, an important step towards
Burgundian expansion. There was time and to spare for these many
comings and goings during the eight weeks of the sojourn at
Treves, and the duke was not idle. That his own business hung
fire, he thought was due to the machinations of Louis XI. He had
no desire to prolong his visit, for he was well aware of the
risk involved in keeping his troops in Treves.[8] At first the
magnificence of his equipage had amused the quiet old town, but
little by little, in spite of the duke's strict discipline, the
presence of idle soldiers became very onerous. Charles did not
hesitate to hang on the nearest tree a man caught in a