In this and the following year, corn and all other grain were so cheap in the country of Artois that the oldest persons never remembered them at such low prices. On the 24th of January, king Louis of France came to the city of Arras[32], where he was most honourably received by the clergy and inhabitants. He dismounted at the gate, and walked on foot to the church of our Lady, where he paid his devotions, and then took up his lodgings at the house of the official, which was a good but small house,--and refused to go to the bishop's palace, although large and convenient; but it was the king's custom to prefer small lodgings to greater. There were with the king his brother the duke of Berry, the count of Eu, the prince of Piedmont, and some few other nobles. He would not permit any of them to lodge in the town, because the inhabitants would not suffer his harbingers to mark any lodgings until all the inns were filled,--and these inns could hold from four to five thousand horse,--which behaviour was displeasing to the king; and he remained in the city from the Monday to Saturday, without entering the town of Arras until he had seen and had examined the privileges of this town of Arras. When he entered the town on the Saturday, he found at the gate great numbers of people who had been banished thence, who requested that he would restore them to their rights, on his joyous arrival; but he replied,--'Children, you require from me a grace that is not usual for the kings of France to grant, and therefore do not depend on my doing it; for I will not invade the privileges of our fair uncle of Burgundy.' This was all they could obtain from him. He proceeded to hear high mass at the church of St Vaast, which being over, he returned to dinner in the city. On the next day, Sunday, the king of France again visited the town of Arras, and examined, at his leisure, the abbey of St Vaast and all its buildings. He thence went to the market-place; and as he was returning by the church of St Guy, where the white bell and the town-clock were, a locksmith, who had the care of this bell, made it sound on the king's approach, and descended from the steeple in armour, when he seized the king's horse, like a clown as he was, and demanded money to drink. The king, seeing an armed man thus seize his horse, was somewhat startled at first: nevertheless, he ordered money to be given him, and forgave his misbehaviour to him. Had not the king pardoned him, he would, probably, have paid the forfeit of his life for his folly. While this man was descending from the steeple, some children striking the bell too hardly broke it, which was a great loss to the town,--for it was the largest and handsomest bell that could be seen: it weighed from seventeen to eighteen thousand pounds of metal!