At the various cities where the party made halt they were graciously received, and all honour was paid to the ten-year-old Daughter of France.  At Cambray, she was met by the duke’s envoys and as she travelled on towards her destination, all the towns of Philip’s obedience contributed their quota of welcome.

At St. Omer, the duke was awaiting her coming.  When her approach was announced he rode out in person to greet her, attended by a brilliant escort.

[Illustration:  A DUKE OF BURGUNDY AND THE POPE AT AVIGNON]

Within the city, “melodious festivals” were ready to burst into tune; the betrothal was confirmed amid joyousness and the ceremony was followed by tourneys and jousts, all at the expense of the duke.

What a series of pompous betrothals between infant parties the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries can show!  Poor little puppets, in whose persons national interests were supposed to be centred, were made to lisp out their roles in international dramas whose final acts rarely were consistent with the promise of the prologue.

Catherine did not live to become Duchess of Burgundy nor to temper the duel between her husband and her brother Louis.  The remainder of her short existence was passed under the care of Duchess Isabella, sometimes in one city of the Netherlands, sometimes in another.

La Marche[23] records one return of Philip to Brussels when his arrival was greeted by Charles of Burgundy, honourably accompanied by children of high birth about his age or less, some only eleven or twelve years old.  There were with him Jehan de la Tremoille, Philip de Croy, Philip de Crevecoeur, Philip de Wavrin, and many others.  All were mounted on little horses harnessed like that of their governor, a very honest and wise gentleman, named Messire Jehan, Seigneur et Ber d’Auxy.  This gentleman was a fine man, well known, of good lineage, ready of speech and able to discuss matters of honour and of state.

He was both hunter and falconer, skilled in all exercise and sport.

“Never [asserts La Marche] have I met a gentleman better adapted to supervise the education of a young prince than he....  Among his pupils were also Anthony, Bastard of Burgundy,[24] son of Philip, and the Marquis Hugues de Rottelin.  These lads were older than the first mentioned.”

La Marche dilates on the pleasure the duke felt in this youthful band of horse, and then tells how, within Brussels,

“he was received by the magistrates and conducted to his palace, where the Duchess of Burgundy awaited him holding by the hand Madame Catherine of France, Countess of Charolais.  She was about twelve and seemed a lady grown, for she was good and wise, and well conditioned for her age.”

At various state functions the Count and Countess of Charolais appeared together in public, and witnessed certain of the gorgeous and costly entertainments which were almost the daily food of the gay Burgundian court.  One of these occasions was calculated to make a deep impression on the boy and to arouse his pride at the spectacle of a proud city wooing his father’s favour, in deep humiliation.