At these words, master Pierre de Goux, knight and doctor of laws, advanced, and said aloud to the ambassadors, that all might hear him, 'My lords, the duke, my lord, does not hold all his territories from the king of France: he holds from him, indeed, the duchy of Burgundy, the counties of Flanders and of Artois; but he has many fine dominions out of the kingdom of France,--such as the duchies of Brabant, of Luxembourg, of Lembourg, of Austria, together with the counties of Burgundy, Hainault, Holland, Zealand and Namur, and other countries, which he holds from God alone, although he be not a king.' The duke interrupted him, and said, 'I will that all who hear may know, that if I had wished it, I might have been a king!' without declaring how, or by what means, and then simply added, that before three days were passed, he would give a more ample answer to the ambassadors. They then departed to their lodgings; but on this day, the duke wrote a letter to the king, and sent it by a pursuivant, who delivered it in person, and brought the duke an answer from the king. The pursuivant was not more than ten days in going and returning,--but what the contents of these letters were I am ignorant. FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 36: This embassy consisted of the count d'Eu, Charles d'Artois, a prince of the blood, who had been twenty-three years prisoner of war in England, Pierre de Morvillier, chancellor of France,--and Anthony du Bec-Crespin, archbishop of Narbonne. The count de Charolois was only restrained by the presence of his father from using severe language; but when the ambassadors took their leave, he said to the archbishop, who went out the last, 'Recommend me most humbly to the good graces of the king, and tell him that he has had me well dressed by his chancellor,--but that, before a year pass, he shall repent of it!' It was probably from these intemperate speeches of the chancellor that the _war of the public good_ had its origin.] CHAP. XXXI. THE ANSWER OF THE COUNT DE CHAROLOIS TO THE AMBASSADORS FROM FRANCE.--THE KING OF FRANCE ORDERS CREVECŒUR, NEAR CAMBRAY, TO BE TAKEN POSSESSION OF.--THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY SENDS AN EMBASSY TO THE KING OF FRANCE.--THE DEATH OF THE DUKE OF ORLEANS. On the 8th day of November, the French ambassadors were summoned to come into the presence of the duke of Burgundy,--when the count de Charolois, before a great company, coolly replied to the different charges that had been made against him, article by article, without showing the smallest sign of passion or trouble, to the great astonishment of all who heard him,--more particularly to the surprise of the duke, who, on the assembly's breaking up, said to some of his confidential attendants, that he did not imagine his son was so able and so prudent.