The king of France now laid siege to Riom in Auvergne,--in which town were the dukes of Bourbon and Nemours, the count d'Armagnac, the lord d'Albret and others. The king's army was as handsome and well appointed as could be seen, for he had with him several renowned captains,--and the whole was estimated at twenty-four thousand combatants. During this siege, the Parisians, hearing of the rapid marches of the Burgundians towards Paris, established a numerous horse-patrole, which nightly went round the walls, from midnight until day the next morning, having for their captains, each night, men of approved valour. On Monday, the 2d of July, master John Balue, bishop of Evreux, commanded the nightly guard in Paris: he took with him the company of Joachim Rohault, and went his rounds on the walls with trumpets and clarions sounding, which had never in those times been before done by the city-watch. Wednesday, the 4th of July, the king of France, while he was besieging Riom, sent letters by sir Charles de Charlay,[73] his knight of the Paris-watch, addressed to sir Charles de Melun, his lieutenant in Paris, and to Joachim Rohault, thanking the good citizens for their loyalty towards him, and begging them to persevere with courage in their good intentions for the welfare of his kingdom, for that within fifteen days he would be with his whole army at Paris. He likewise sent them verbal information by the mouth of the said de Charlay, of the treaty he had concluded with the dukes of Bourbon and Nemours, and the lords d'Armagnac and d'Albret, who had each of them promised loyally to serve, and live and die for him. These lords had also promised to exert themselves to the utmost of their power to bring about a reconciliation with the other princes, and a peace between them and the king. To accomplish this, commissioners were to be sent to the king at Paris, by these four lords, on or before the feast of the Assumption of our Lady, the middle of August next, to negotiate a general peace; and in case the other princes should refuse to listen to, or accept, terms of peace, they had promised and sworn that henceforward they would never bear arms against the king, but would live and die for him in the defence of his kingdom. The four lords had sworn to these engagements at Moissac, near to Riom; and for further security of keeping these promises, they had bound themselves, in the presence of two apostolical notaries, to submit to the severest pains of excommunication should they, jointly or individually, act in any way contrary to these said engagements. For joy of this intelligence, the Parisians resolved to have, on the Friday following, a general procession made to the church of Saint Catherine du Val des écoliers, which was done with much devotion and solemnity. The sermon was preached that day by master Jean Pain-et-Chair, doctor in divinity.