gentleman, and a brave soldier, but of a cruel and malicious temper; and one who favoured the citizens of Liege, and had always been an enemy to the Duke of Burgundy's family, and to the bishop himself. The Princess of Burgundy gave this William de la Marck fifteen thousand florins, partly on the bishop's account, and partly to oblige him to espouse her interest; but it was not long before he openly declared both against her and his master the bishop, and by the assistance of our king (Louis XI.) would have made his own son bishop of Liege; after which he fought with, overcome, and slew with his own hands, the bishop in battle, and ordered his body to be thrown in the river, where it was found three days after."

The historical fact, also, of the mock herald is equally distorted, without the slightest addition to the interest of the story. The hazardous trick was, indeed, actually played; but it was by the intriguing Louis himself on our own monarch Edward the Fourth, and with complete success. Comines narrates it as follows:

"As soon as he (Louis) was sat down, and had considered a little, (which was his custom, and to those who did not know him, seemed imprudent, but his actions cleared him as to that,) he whispered me in the ear, and bid me go dine in my chamber, and send for a servant belonging to Monsieur de Halles, and ask him whether he would venture with a message into the King of England's army in the habit of a herald? I did as he commanded; and was much surprised when I saw the said servant, for he seemed to me neither of a stature nor mind for such an enterprise; yet his judgment was good, (as I found afterwards,) and his expression voluble enough, but the king had never spake with him but once. The The poor man was much abashed at the motion, and fell down upon his knees before me, as one that thought himself lost. I encouraged him what I could; told him he should have ready money for his pains, and a preferment in the Isle of Ree; and, for his greater assurance, I persuaded him that the proposition came first from the English themselves. I took him to dinner with me, (there

being no body but he and I, and one servant that waited,) and by degrees gave him an account what he was to do. Not long after the king sent for me, and I gave him a relation of what had passed, and recommended others to him, which, in my thoughts, were more proper for his design: but he would hear of no other; came to talk with him himself; and encouraged him more with one word,. than I could do with a hundred. There came along with the king into my chamber only Monsieur de Villiers (at that time grand escuyere, and now bailiff of Caen). When the king had prepared and settled his man, he sent the grand escuyere for the banner of a trumpet, to make his herald a coat of arms; for the king was not so stately or vain as to have either herald or trumpet in his train, as other princes have; wherefore the grand escuyere and one of my servants made up the coat of arms as well as they could; and the grand escuyere having fetched a scutcheon from a little herald, called Plein Chanin, who belonged to Monsieur the Admiral, they fastened it about him, sent for his boots and his

cloak privately, and his horse being got ready, he mounted, (and no body perceived him,) with a bag or budget at the bow of his saddle, in which his coat of arms was put; and having been well instructed what to say, away he went to the army of the English. Being arrived, with his herald's coat upon his back, he was immediately stopt, and carried to the King of England's tent. Being asked his business, he told them he was come with a message from the King of France to the King of England, and had orders to address himself to the Lords: Howard and Stanley: he was carried to dinner into a tent, and very civilly treated. When the King of England had dined, the herald was sent for, who told him that his errand was to acquaint his Majesty that the King of France for a long time had had a desire to be at amity with him, that both their kingdoms might be at quiet, and enjoy the blessings of peace. The King of England, and part of his great officers, liked the overture very well; a passport was given to the herald, as he desired; and having been presented with four nobles in money, he was

returned, with a herald from the King of England."* Fortunately the deceit was not detected. Had the real character of the personated herald been discovered, his own instant destruction, and an immediate war with the French monarch, would have been the inevitable consequences, from the indignation of a monarch, who, though the last of our chivalric princes, was himself the quintessence of knighthood, and would have instantly revenged any breach of his knightly honour. Philip de Cominės, 221.

*