with his most dangerous and most hypocritical enemy.
A man of family, devoted to the dauphin, who was now
called regent, Philip de Repenti by name, lost his
head on the 19th of March, 1358, on the market-place,
for having attempted, with a few bold comrades, “to
place the regent beyond the power and the reach of
the people of Paris.” Six days afterwards,
however, on the 25th of March, the dauphin succeeded
in escaping, and repaired first of all to Senlis,
and then to Provins, where he found the estates of
Champagne eager to welcome him. Marcel at once
sent to Provins two deputies with instructions to
bind over the three orders of Champagne “to be
at one with them of Paris, and not to be astounded
at what had been done.” Before answering,
the members of the estates withdrew into a garden to
parley together, and sent to pray the regent to come
and meet them. “My lord,” said the
Count de Braine to him in the name of the nobility,
“did you ever suffer any harm or villany at
the hands of De Conflans, Marshal of Champagne, for
which he deserved to be put to death as he hath been
by them of Paris? “The prince replied
that he firmly held and believed that the said marshal
and Robert de Clermont had well and loyally served
and advised him. “My lord,” replied
the Count de Braine, “we Champagnese who are
here do thank you for that which you have just said,
and do desire you to do full justice on those who
have put our friend to death without cause;”
and they bound themselves to support him with their
persons and their property, for the chastisement of
them who had been the authors of the outrage.
The dauphin, with full trust in this manifestation
and this promise, convoked at Compiegne, for the 4th
of May, 1858, no longer the estates of Champagne only,
but the states-general in their entirety, who, on
separating at the close of their last session, had
adjourned to the 1st of May following. The story
of this fresh session, and of the events determined
by it, is here reproduced textually, just as it has
come down to us from the last continuer of the Chronicle
of William of Nangis, the most favorable amongst all
the chroniclers of the time to Stephen Marcel and
the popular party in Paris. “All the deputies,
and especially the friends of the nobles slain, did
with one heart and one mind counsel the lord Charles,
Duke of Normandy, to have the homicides stricken to
death; and, if he could not do so by reason of the
number of their defenders, they urged him to lay vigorous
siege to the city of Paris, either with an armed force
or by forbidding the entry of victuals thereinto, in
such sort that it should understand and perceive for
a certainty that the death of the provost of tradesmen
and of his accomplices was intended. The said
provost and those who, after the regent’s departure,
had taken the government of the city, clearly understood
this intention, and they then implored the University
of studies at Paris to send deputies to the said lord-regent,