happy an occasion."

After these preliminary salutations and ceremonies had been concluded,
a prayer-book, or missal, as it was called, and a crucifix, were
brought forward, and held at the grating where both kings could touch
them. Each of the kings then put his hands upon them--one hand on the
crucifix and the other on the missal--and they both took a solemn oath
by these sacred emblems that they would faithfully keep the treaty
which they had made.

After thus transacting the business which had brought them together,
the two kings conversed with each other in a gay and merry manner for
some time. The King of France invited Edward to come to Paris and make
him a visit. This, of course, was a joke, for Edward would as soon
think of accepting an invitation from a lion to come and visit him in
his den, as of putting himself in Louis's power by going to Paris.
Both monarchs and all the attendants laughed merrily at this jest.
Louis assured Edward that he would have a very pleasant time at Paris
in amusing himself with the gay ladies, and in other dissipations.
"And then here is the cardinal," he added, turning to the Cardinal of
Bourbon, an ecclesiastic of very high rank, but of very loose
character, who was among his attendants, "who will grant you a very
easy absolution for any sins you may take a fancy to commit while you
are there."

Edward and his friends were much amused with this sportive
conversation of Louis's, and Edward made many smart replies,
especially joking the cardinal, who, he knew, "was a gay man with the
ladies, and a boon companion over his wine."

This sort of conversation continued for some time, and at length the
kings, after again shaking hands through the grating, departed each
his own way, and thus this most extraordinary conference of sovereigns
was terminated.

The treaty which was thus made at the bridge of Picquigny contained
several very important articles. The principal of them were the
following:

1. Louis was to pay fifty thousand crowns as a ransom for
Queen Margaret, and Edward was to release her from the Tower
and send her to France as soon as he arrived in England.

2. Louis was to pay to Edward in cash, on the spot,
seventy-five thousand crowns, and an annuity of fifty
thousand crowns.

3. He was to marry his son, the dauphin, to Edward's oldest
daughter, Elizabeth, and, in case of her death, then to his
next daughter, Mary. These pa