It happened, in the mean time, that some of the peasantry and farmers had placed their effects in the town of Oudenarde, as a security against the war which they thought was about to commence; and they assembled, in number about twelve hundred, and came to the gates of Oudenarde, to demand back their effects; but when sir Simon de Lalain was informed of their numbers, he refused them admittance, or to restore their goods, until he should have informed their prince. The peasants, dissatisfied with this answer, went to make their complaints at Ghent, and to supplicate their assistance in the recovery of their goods from Oudenarde,--when, without considering the consequences, the Hoguemens instantly displayed their banners, and marched fifteen thousand men of all sorts out of the town. FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 129: Taillebourg,--a town of Saintonge, on the Charante, three leagues from Saintes.] [Footnote 130: St Esprit,--a town on the Nive, opposite to Bayonne, to which it is considered as a suburb.] [Footnote 131: Twentieth day of August. There seems a confusion of dates here.] [Footnote 132: Monstrelet, or his continuator, seems to have been miserably informed respecting these quarrels in England.] [A.D. 1452.] CHAP. XXVIII. JACQUES COEUR IS ARRESTED AND CONFINED.--THE REASONS OF IT.--THE KING OF FRANCE DECLARES WAR AGAINST THE DUKE OF SAVOY,--BUT PEACE IS MADE, BY THE MEDIATION OF THE CARDINAL DE TOUTEVILLE.--LORD SHREWSBURY REGAINS BORDEAUX FROM THE FRENCH. In the year 1452, Jacques Coeur was arrested by the king's orders, and confined close prisoner. He was charged with various acts contrary to the catholic faith, with high treason, and with having sent armour and all sorts of military stores to the Saracens, enemies to the Christian faith,--and likewise with providing them with workmen to teach them the art of fabricating arms, to the prejudice of all Christendom. He was confined for having, by the instigations of the enemy of mankind, through avarice or other irregular passions, sent back by force a Christian prisoner who had escaped from the hands of the Saracens, (with whom he had long suffered martyrdom for the love of JESUS CHRIST), in contempt of the faith of our Redeemer. He was likewise charged with very many extortions in different parts of the realm, and of having pillaged immense sums from the king's finances, of which he had the management. The said extortions had caused several of the inhabitants of those parts to quit the country, to the great loss of the king and the realm. The damsel de Mortaigne was at the same time imprisoned for certain offences against the king, and for having charged Jacques Coeur and others, through malice, with crimes of which they were innocent. She was therefore confined for thus lying, to receive the punishment that those whom she had accused would have suffered, had they been found guilty, unless pardoned by the king's mercy.