jects of far
greater political importance were now at stake. Commines states that "the
lord Scales (meaning Anthony then earl Rivers, the king's brother-in-law,)
was sent twice, with several other ambassadors, to the duke[42]; but the
duke was perverse, as if God Almighty had infatuated his senses and
understanding; for all his life long he had been labouring to get the
English over to invade France, and now, when they were ready, and all
things prepared to receive them both in Bretagne and elsewhere, he
obstinately persisted in an enterprise in which it was impossible for him
to succeed."

{xxvi}

There was an apostolic legate at that time with the emperor, and the king
of Denmark was quartered in the same neighbourhood, and they both
endeavoured to negociate a peace, by which means the duke of Burgundy
might, if he would, have had honourable terms, and thus have been free to
join the king of England, but he would not accept their overtures. To the
English he excused himself as plausibly as he could, telling them that his
honour was engaged, and it would be a lessening to his reputation to raise
the siege of Neuss, with other like excuses. "The Englishmen (adds the
historian) were not the same who had flourished in his father's days, and
had conducted themselves with so much valour and skill in the old wars with
France; but these were all raw soldiers, utterly unacquainted with French
affairs; so that the duke acted very unwisely, if he had any design to make
a future use of them, for in that case he ought to have led them on, as it
were step by step, at least during the first campaign."

The earliest bad consequence that resulted to the duke of Burgundy from his
lingering at the seige of Neuss, was the loss of the three towns of
Montdidier, Roye, and Corbie, which were taken by the king of France,
shortly after the termination of his truce with Burgundy, which expired on
the 1st of May 1475. Still the duke would not quit the siege of Neuss
before the 13th of June.

In the meanwhile, king Edward landed at Calais. His army is described by
Commines as "the most numerous, the best mounted, and the best equipped,
that ever any king of England had invaded France withal. He was attended by
all the lords of England, with few exceptions. He had 1500 men of arms,
richly accoutred after the French fashion, well mounted, and most of them
barded,[43] and every one of them had several persons on horseback in his
retinue. The ar