the chamber, one of whom was named Charles de Visen, a native of Dijon, an honest fellow, in good credit with his master.  We aggravated nothing, but sought to appease the duke as much as in us lay.  Soon he tried the same phrases on others, and a report of them ran through the city and penetrated to the very apartment of the king, who was greatly terrified, as was everyone, because of the danger that they saw imminent, and because of the great difficulty in soothing a quarrel when it has commenced between such great princes.  Assuredly they were blameworthy in failing to notify their absent servants of this projected meeting.  Great inconveniences were bound to arise from this negligence.”

Such is Commines’s narrative.  Eyewitness though he was, it must be remembered that when he wrote the account of this famous interview it was long after the event, and when his point of view was necessarily coloured by his service with Louis.  Delightful, however, are the historian’s own reflections that he intersperses with his plain narrative.  To his mind the only period when it is safe for princes to meet is

“in their youth when their minds are bent on pleasure.  Then they may amuse themselves together.  But after they are come to man’s estate and are desirous each of over-reaching the other, such interviews do but increase their mutual hatred, even if they incur no personal peril (which is well-nigh impossible).  Far wiser is it for them to adjust their differences through sage and good servants as I have said at length elsewhere in these memoirs.”

Then our chronicler proceeds to give numerous instances of disastrous royal interviews before returning to his subject and to Peronne: 

“I was moved [he adds again at the beginning of his new chapter] to tell the princes my opinion of such meetings.[14] Thus the gates were closed and guarded and two or three days passed by.  However, the Duke of Burgundy would not see the king, nor had Louis’s servants entry to the castle except a few, and those only through the wicket.  Nor did the duke see any of his people who had influence over him.

“The first day there was consternation throughout the city.  By the second day the duke was a little calmed down.  He held a council meeting all day and the greater part of the night.  The king appealed to every one who could possibly aid him.  He was lavish in his promises and ordered fifteen thousand crowns to be given where it might count, but the officer in charge of the disbursement of this sum acquitted himself ill and retained a part, as the king learned later.

    “The king was especially afraid of his former servants who had
    come with the army from Burgundy, as I mentioned above, men who
    were now in the service of the Duke of Normandy.