At Agincourt | Page 5

closest alliance, placed the
entire government in the hands of the latter, who at once began to abuse
it to such an extent, by imposing enormous taxes upon the clergy and
the people, that he paved the way for the return of his uncle of
Burgundy to power. On the 27th of April, 1404, Philip the Bold of
Burgundy died. He was undoubtedly ambitious, but he was also valiant
and able, and he had the good of France at heart. He was succeeded by
his son John, called the Fearless, from the bravery that he had displayed
in the unfortunate Hungarian campaign. The change was disastrous for
France. John was violent and utterly unscrupulous, and capable of any
deed to gratify either his passions, jealousies, or hatreds. At first he
cloaked his designs against Orleans by an appearance of friendship,

paid him a visit at his castle near Vincennes, where he was at the time
lying ill. When he recovered, the two princes went to mass together,
dined at their uncle's, the Duke of Berri, and together entered Paris; and
the Parisians fondly hoped that there was an end of the rivalry that had
done so much harm. It was, however, but a very short time afterwards
that, on the 23d of November, 1407, as the Duke of Orleans was
returning from having dined with the queen, and was riding with only
two esquires and four or five men on foot carrying torches, twenty
armed men sprang out from behind a house and rushed upon him.
"'I am the Duke of Orleans,' the prince cried; but they hurled him from
his mule, and as he tried to rise to his feet one blow struck off the hand
he raised to protect his head, other blows rained down upon him from
axe and sword, and in less than a minute the duke lay dead. The Duke
of Burgundy at first affected grief and indignation, but at the council
the next day he boldly avowed that Orleans had been killed by his
orders. He at once took horse and rode to the frontier of Flanders,
which he reached safely, though hotly chased by a party of the Duke of
Orleans' knights. The duke's widow, who was in the country at the time,
hastened up to Paris with her children, and appealed for justice to the
king, who declared that he regarded the deed done to his brother as
done to himself. The Dukes of Berri and Bourbon, the Constable and
Chancellor, all assured her that she should have justice; but there was
no force that could hope to cope with that which Burgundy could bring
into the field, and when, two months later, Burgundy entered Paris at
the head of a thousand men-at-arms, no attempt was made at resistance,
and the murderer was received with acclamations by the fickle
populace.
"The king at the time was suffering from one of his terrible fits of
insanity, but a great assembly was held, at which princes, councillors,
lords, doctors of law, and prominent citizens were present. A monk of
the Cordeliers, named John Petit, then spoke for five hours in
justification of the duke, and the result was that the poor insane king
was induced to sign letters cancelling the penalty of the crime. For four
months the duke remained absolute master of Paris, disposing of all
posts and honours, and sparing no efforts to render himself popular

with the burghers. A serious rebellion breaking out at Liege, and the
troops sent against the town being repulsed, he was obliged to leave
Paris to put down the revolt. As soon as he had left, the queen and the
partisans of Orleans prepared to take advantage of his absence, and two
months later Queen Isobel marched with the dauphin, now some
thirteen years old, from Melun with three thousand men.
"The Parisians received her with applause, and as soon as she had taken
up her quarters at the Louvre, the Dukes of Berri, Bourbon, and
Brittany, the Constable, and all the great officers of the court rallied
round her. Two days later the Duchess of Orleans arrived with a long
train of mourning coaches. A great assembly was held, and the king's
advocate announced to them the intention of the king to confer the
government upon the queen during his illness, and produced a
document signed by the king to that effect. The Duchess of Orleans
then came forward, and kneeling before the dauphin, begged for justice
for the death of her husband, and that she might be granted an
opportunity of refuting the calumnies that John Petit had heaped on the
memory of her husband. A week later another great assembly was held,
and the justification of the duke was read, refuting all these imputations,
and