While these peers perfected their plans to force their chief into redressing the wrongs of the poor people, the king was showing a very pleasant side of his character to the Parisian citizens.  In response to a petition that he should take advice on the conduct of his administration, he declared his perfect willingness to add to his council six burgesses, six members of parlement, and the same number from the university.  Besides this concession, he relieved the weight of the imposts and hastened to restore certain financial franchises to the Church, to the university, and to various individuals.  Three weeks were consumed in establishing friendly relations in this all important city, and then the king departed for Normandy to levy troops and to collect provisions for a siege.[11] There was need for this last for the allies had moved up to the immediate vicinity of Paris.

Before the king’s return to his capital on August 28th, a formidable array was encamped at Charenton and its neighbourhood.  More formidable, however, they were in numbers than in strength.  Like all confederated bodies there was inherent weakness, for there was no leader whom all would be willing to obey.  The Duke of Berry, heir presumptive to the throne, was the only one among the peers whose birth might have commanded the needful authority, but he had not sufficient personal character to assert his position.  So the confederates remained a loose aggregation of small armies.  The longer they remained in camp the weaker they grew, the more disintegrated.  A pitched battle might have been a great advantage to these gallant defenders of the Public Weal of France and that was the last desire of their antagonist.

Many skirmishes took place between the Parisians and the leaguers, but no engagement.  Once, indeed, there were hurried preparations on the part of the Burgundians to repulse an attack, of whose imminence they were warned by a page before break of day, one misty morning.  Yes, there was no doubt.  The pickets could see the erect spears and furled banners of the enemy all ready to advance upon the unwary camp.  Quick were the preparations.  There were no laggards.  The Duke of Calabria was more quickly armed than even the Count of Charolais.  He came to a spot where a number of Burgundians, the count’s own household stood, by the standard.  Among them was Commines[l2] and he heard the duke say:  “We now have our desire, for the king is issued forth with his whole force and marches towards us as our scouts report.  Wherefore let us determine to play the men.  So soon as they be out of the town we will enter and measure with the long ell.”  By these words he meant that the soldiers would speedily have a chance to use their pikes as yard sticks to measure out their share of the booty.  False prophet was the duke that time!  When the daylight grew stronger, the upright spears and furled banners of the advancing foe proved to be a mass of thistles looming large in the magnifying morning mist!  The princes took their disappointment philosophically, enjoyed early mass, and then had their breakfast.