St. Pol was the first of the royal party to meet the duke as herald of Louis’s approach.  Then Charles rode forward to greet the traveller.  As he came within sight of his cousin, he bowed low to his saddle and was about to dismount when Louis, his head bared, prevented his action.  Fervent were the kisses pressed by the kingly lips upon the duke’s cheeks, while Louis’s arm rested lovingly about the latter’s neck.  Then he turned graciously to the by-standing nobles and greeted them by name.  But his cousinly affection was not yet satisfied.  Again he embraced Charles and held him half as long as before in his arms.  How pleasant he was and how full of confidence towards this trusted cousin of his!

The cavalcade fell into line again, with the two princes in the middle, and made a stately entry into Peronne at a little after mid-day.[7] The chief building then and the natural place to lodge a royal visitor was the castle.  But it was in sorry repair, ill furnished, and affording less comfort than a neighbouring house belonging to a city official.  Here rooms had been prepared for the king and a few of his suite, the others being quartered through the town.  At the door Charles took his leave and Louis entered alone with Cardinal Balue and the attendants he had chosen to keep near him.  These latter were nearly all of inferior birth, and were treated by their master with a familiarity very astonishing to the stately Burgundians.

Louis entered the room assigned for his use, walked to the window, and looked out into the street.  The sight that met his view was most disquieting.  A party of cavaliers were on the point of entering the castle.  They were gentlemen just arrived from Burgundy with their lances, in response to a summons issued long before the present visit was anticipated.  As he looked down on the troops, Louis recognised several men who had no cause to love him or to cherish his memory.  There was, for instance, the queen’s brother Philip de Bresse[8] who had led a party against Louis’s own sister Yolande of Savoy.  At a time of parley this Philip had trusted the sincerity of his brother-in-law’s profession and had visited him to obtain his mediation.  The king had violated both the specified safe-conduct and ambassadorial equity alike, and had thrown De Bresse into the citadel of Loches, where he suffered a long confinement before he succeeded in making his escape.  He was a Burgundian in sympathy as well as in race.  But with him on that October day Louis noticed various Frenchmen who had fallen under royal displeasure from one cause or another and had saved their liberty by flight, renouncing their allegiance to him for ever.  Four there were in all who wore the cross of St. Andrew.  Approaching Peronne as they had from the south, these new-comers had ridden in at the southern gates without intimation of this royal visitation extraordinary until they were almost face to face with guest and host.  Their arrival was “a half of a quarter of an hour later than that of the king.”