[Footnote 111: Their passport is, in the Fœdera, dated 10th December 1490, for themselves and four score horses.] [Footnote 112: See l'Histoire de la Bretagne.] CHAP. XXXVIII. KING CHARLES GENEROUSLY RESTORES ROUSSILLON TO KING FERDINAND OF ARRAGON.--THE INSTITUTION OF THE ORDER OF FILLES REPENTIES AT PARIS.--THE TOWN OF ST OMER IS TAKEN BY THE LORD DES CORDES.--A TREATY OF PEACE CONCLUDED WITH THE KING OF ENGLAND AFTER THE SIEGE OF BOULOGNE.--THE TREASON COMMITTED BY CARQUELEVANT IN THE TOWN OF ARRAS.--AMIENS WELL GUARDED.--THE TREATY BETWEEN THE KING OF FRANCE AND THE ARCHDUKE OF AUSTRIA. When the king was returned from his expedition into Brittany, and had concluded a treaty with the Bretons on the terms before mentioned, he generously restored to Ferdinand king of Arragon the county of Roussillon, and gave him a free acquittance of the sums of money this county had been mortgaged for,--and for the accomplishment of this, he sent thither, as his ambassador, the lord Louis d'Ambois, bishop of Alby. There were some, however, who thought that this county should not have been restored,--and, to appease all murmurings on the subject, the king had it published that he had only acted in conformity to the orders given by his late father, king Louis, when dying. It was therefore the opinion of many, that a perpetual friendship should now be established between the kings of France and of Arragon. In the year 1494 was established the order of repentant women and girls, who had been public strumpets at Paris. The institution of this order, in honour of the blessed Mary Magdalen, was commenced by a devout sermon preached by friar John Tisserant, a Franciscan monk,--and a house that belonged to the family of Orleans was granted to them, wherein reside many devout women. After the restoration of the county of Roussillon, the lord des Cordes was so active with his army, in Picardy, that he gained by force of arms, for the king, the town of St Omer. He valiantly passed the breach into the town, his battle-axe hanging on his wrist, and followed by numbers of gallant men at arms, shouting out, 'Vive le roi!' which so astonished the inhabitants that they submitted to his pleasure. Some days after this, the king of England, ungrateful for the services he had received from the king of France, as has been mentioned, landed a large force at Calais, and marched it to lay siege to Boulogne. The lord des Cordes, imagining that the English would make great efforts to gain Boulogne, he being governor of Artois, left St Omer, having well garrisoned it and other towns, in company with the bastard Cardon captain of Arras, and hastened, with a body of French, to throw himself into Boulogne, to oppose the English, and force them to raise their siege. In consequence of this, only Carquelevant, a Breton, remained in the castle of Arras,--and that town was given up traitorously to the archduke, as shall be more amply detailed hereafter.