THE KING OF FRANCE PRESENTS RICH GIFTS TO SEVERAL CHURCHES.--A COUNCIL HELD AT ORLEANS ON THE PRAGMATIC SANCTION.--AN ALLIANCE BETWEEN THE KINGS OF FRANCE AND OF CASTILLE.--A TAME LION ESCAPES IN AUVERGNE, AND DOES MUCH MISCHIEF.--THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL OF ARTOIS BEHEADED AT TOURS.--A NEW BOMBARD ON TRIAL BURSTS, AND KILLS MANY PEOPLE AT PARIS.--A GASCON CAPTAIN, NAMED ORIOLE, AND HIS LIEUTENANT BEHEADED AT TOURS.--OTHER EVENTS THAT HAPPENED IN THE COURSE OF THIS YEAR MCCCCLXXVIII. The king, on his return from Picardy, made many rich presents to divers churches and saints. When he was at the abbey of Nôtre Dame de la Victoire, near Senlis he gave two thousand francs to be employed in procuring silver lamps to hang before the altar of the Virgin. He covered the shrine of St Fiacre with silver, which amounted to the weight of seven or eight score marcs. From his great and singular faith in St Martin, he ordered a handsome trellis of silver to be made round his shrine, in his church at Tours,--which was done, and weighed from sixteen to seventeen thousand marcs, and cost, when finished and put up, full two hundred thousand francs. It should be known, that to furnish silver sufficient for all these great works, commissioners were appointed to seize on all the plate they could find in Paris and other towns, which was reasonably well paid for; but notwithstanding this, great quantities were hidden and no longer seen in those places where they were used to be visible,--and henceforward, on this account, when any weddings or other feasts took place, where much silver plate was wont to be exhibited, nothing was seen but handsome cups of glass and dishes of earthen ware. About this period, the king held a grand council of prelates, churchmen, and learned men, as well from the universities of Paris and Montpellier as elsewhere, in the town of Orleans, to consult on the best means of recovering the pragmatic sanction, and of preventing the money for the vacant benefices being sent out of the kingdom to Rome. At this assembly the lord de Beaujeu presided, as representative for the king,--and the lord chancellor, with other lords of the council, attended.