Charles ordered a review at Ensisheim, the official capital of the landgraviate.  Thither marched his troops from every quarter.  Those from Saeckingen, Lauffen, and Waldshut found their shortest route over the bridge at Basel, and there they appeared and begged to be allowed to cross.  Their sincerity was doubted, and the least foothold on the city’s territory was sternly refused then and a week later, when the request was renewed.  The method of introducing friendly troops into a town and then seizing it by a sudden coup de main was what Charles had been suspected of plotting for Metz, and later for Colmar, and there seems to be no doubt that a third essay of this rather stupid stratagem was planned, only to fail again, and this time to be peculiarly disastrous in its reflex action.

The review took place and the strength of the Burgundian mercenaries was duly displayed to the Alsatians, but no satisfactory assurances were given to Brisac and the other towns that their suzerain would restrict his measures of taxation and administration to the stipulations of the contract of St. Omer.  On the contrary, when Charles passed on to Burgundy it was plain to all that he had not restricted the powers of his lieutenant in any respect, but rather had endorsed his general method of procedure.

One night was spent at Thann[11] and then the duke took his leave of the annexed region whose people had hoped so much from his visit to them.  In mid-January he arrived at Besancon, his winter journeying being wonderfully easy in the unprecedentedly mild weather.

Hagenbach lost no time in proceeding to the levying of the impost now approved by the duke, who had at the same time expressly ordered that the people were to be treated mildly, and that summary punishment was to check all excesses on the part of the eight hundred Picards employed by Hagenbach to aid the tax collector.  The governor, however, saw no further need for gentle treatment or for respect to privileges.  In Brisac, municipal elections were arbitrarily set aside, and officers appointed by the governor.  The corporation was curtailed of power, and the burghers were forced to prepare to march against Mulhouse.

Having accomplished his duty to his own satisfaction, Hagenbach proceeded to give himself some relaxation.  His own marriage took place on January 24th, and he celebrated the occasion with great fetes.  It is of this period in Hagenbach’s life that the stories of gross excess are told.[12] It seems as though, having once abandoned restraint towards the city, his personal passions, too, were permitted to run riot, and he spared no wife nor maid to whom he took a fancy.

As he had succeeded in impressing the “Bad Penny” on the little independent landowners, he tried to extend it to the territory of the Bishop of Basel.  Vehement was the opposition which was reported to the duke, who promptly ordered his lieutenant to restore the prisoners he had taken and to cease his aggressions.  Charles was not ready to meet the Swiss, and was willing to defer an issue, but he was wholly ignorant of the real strength of the confederation.  Hagenbach then proceeded to make a stronghold of Brisac and waited for further action.