Burgundy: The Splendid Duchy. Stories and Sketches in South BurgundyAllen, Percy
History
Burgundy: The Splendid Duchy. Stories and Sketches in South Burgundy
Allen, Percy
Burgundy (France) -- Description and travel
At that very hour, Jaquette, the wife of a poor cobbler, was in her
room, high above the street, awaiting her husband's return. While
taking in a garment that had been hanging out of the window to dry, she
saw a nobleman pass by on horseback, and, a moment after, while putting
her child to bed, she heard the shouts of "À mort! à mort!" She ran to
the window with her child in her arms, and, throwing open the casement
cried, "Au meurtre, au meurtre!" "Taisez-vous mauvaise femme!" cried
one who noticed her, and arrows rattled upon the wall of the house. A
moment later, all was over. A big man in a red chaperon drawn down over
his eyes, who seemed to be the leader, shouted, "Put out all lights,
and let us be off; he is dead!" Some sprang on to their horses which
were in waiting at the gates of the Maison Notre Dame, and with a last
blow or two at the lifeless body of the Duke, they made off, mounted
and on foot, crying, "Au feu! au feu!" in response to the cries of
"murder" raised by some of the Duke's men who had come upon the scene.
The assassins had set fire to the Maison Notre Dame. As they fled,
they threw down behind them iron traps to prevent pursuit, and coerced
terrified shopkeepers into extinguishing the lights in the shops along
their route. The Duke's men found their master in a pitiable plight.
The skull lay open in two places, the left hand was cut off, and the
right arm was almost severed. Beside the dead Duke, the young German
page, Jacob, lay gasping out his life.
"Ah! mon maître, ah! mon maître!" Il se complaignoit moult fort, come
s'il vouloit mourir.[157]
When it was known that the murdered body of young Louis of Orléans was
lying in the Hotel de Rieux, all Paris was in consternation. Death
veiled his faults from the people. They could see only his virtues. A
prince so gallant and debonair, to die so young! the pity of it! Women
and men, noble and base-born, wept for him, so foully slain. Did not
even his great rival of Burgundy echo their grief?[158]
"Never" was he heard to say, "was more wicked nor traitorous murder
committed nor executed in his kingdom."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account