While he remained at Lagny sur Marne, he sent to the king and council at Paris, sir John de Luxembourg, the lord de St George, and other able counsellors, to explain fully the cause of his coming, and to request that he and his men might be admitted peaceably into Paris for the security of his royal person. No other reply was made to this, but that the king would shortly send an answer to their lord the duke of Burgundy. John de Vailly, president of the parliament, with others of the council were dispatched to the duke; but after various embassies and conferences, he could not prevail on the king or the Parisians to admit him into the capital. They told him, that if he would consent to enter Paris simply as the duke of Burgundy, with his usual attendants, the king and council would not object to it; but this the duke would not do, for he knew that those who governed the king were his mortal enemies, and he would not trust his person with them. CHAP. XXXVI. THE PARISIANS AND MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PARIS WAIT ON THE DUKE OF ACQUITAINE TO PROPOSE CERTAIN MEASURES OF PUBLIC SAFETY. THE DEATH OF THE DUKE OF ACQUITAINE.--THE ARRIVAL OF THE CONSTABLE IN PARIS. The Parisians, and principally those of the university, seeing the discords and quarrels daily increase between the princes of the blood, to the ruin and the overturning of the kingdom, and the destruction of the people, went one day in a body to the duke of Acquitaine; and in the presence of the duke of Berry, the count de Penthievre, and several nobles and prelates, demanded an audience, and liberty to state their grievances. Having obtained this, the first president of the parliament began an oration, choosing for his text, 'Domine salva, nos perimus,' from the gospel of St Matthew: 'Lord save us, or we perish.' He very clearly and eloquently pointed out the various grievances the nation was labouring under, and named several evil doers, who were endeavouring to throw the kingdom into confusion by harrassing and oppressing the people. When he had ended, the duke of Acquitaine instantly swore, on the word of a king's son, that henceforth all evil doers, whatever might be their rank, should be indiscriminately punished according to their crimes; that justice should be impartially administered, and the clergy and people be maintained in peace. On this, they departed, perfectly satisfied with the answer of the duke of Acquitaine; but he had not time to carry his intentions into execution, for a few days after he was seized with a fever, and died on the 18th of December, in the hôtel de Bourbon. His death occasioned many tears and lamentations among numbers of the nobility, and his servants; and it was reported to have been caused by poison,--for which reason, his body was kept in a leaden coffin four days at the above hôtel. The different orders of clergy came thither to pray beside it; after which, it was carried to St Denis, and interred near to his royal ancestors.