ip and labour, and such any
king of England must encounter who designs to make any considerable
conquest in France. Besides, our king was in a tolerable posture of
defence, though he was not so well prepared in all respects as he ought to
have been, by reason of the variety and multitude of his enemies. Another
great object with the king of England was the arrangement of a marriage
between our present king Charles the Eighth and his daughter; and this
alliance, causing him to wink at several things, was a material advantage
to our master's affairs.

"King Louis himself was very desirous to obtain a general peace. The vast
numbers of the English had put him into great alarm; he had seen enough of
their exploits in his time in his kingdom, and he had no wish to witness
any more of them."

When Louis went to meet the duke of Burgundy's plenipotentiaries at a
bridge half-way between Avesnes and Vervins, he took the English hostages
with him, and they were present when he gave audience to the Burgundians.
"One of them then told Commines that, if they had seen many such men of the
duke of Burgundy's before, perhaps the peace had not been concluded so
soon. The vicomte of Narbonne, (afterwards comte of Foix,) overhearing him,
replied, 'Could you be so weak as to believe that the duke of Burgundy had
not great numbers of such soldiers? he had only sent them into quarters of
refreshment; but you were in such haste to be at home again, that six
hundred pipes of wine and a pension from our king sent you presently back
into England.' The Englishman was irritated, and answered with much warmth,
'I plainly see, as everybody said, that you have done nothing but cheat us.
But do you call the money your king has given us a pension? It is a
tribute; and, by Saint George! you may prate so much as will bring us back
again to prove it.' I interrupted their altercation, and turned it into a
jest; but the Englishman would not understand it so, and I informed the
king of it, and his majesty was much offended with the vicomte of
Narbonne."

King Edward, being highly disgusted with the duke of Burgundy's rejection
of his truce, and his subsequent offer to make a distinct peace with the
king of France, despatched a great favourite of his, named sir Thomas
Mountgomery, to king Louis at Vervins, and he arrived whilst the
negociation was proceeding with the duke of Burgundy's envoys. Sir Thomas
desired, on the behalf of the king his master, that t