Intelligence was brought to the king, on St Stephen's day, that the English were in great force at sea, and near to the coast of Normandy, at St Michel. He instantly ordered a body of archers, which he had just raised, and called The Dauphin's Guard, to mount their horses and hasten into Normandy. Nearly at the same time, he heard from his army in Arragon, that they had taken a place near Perpignan, called Gonne, in which were several gentlemen, inhabitants of Perpignan, whom they would have put to death, had they not promised to cause the town of Perpignan to be surrendered to the king's arms within a certain time by them named. But as they failed in their promise, some of them were beheaded: in the number was one called Bernard de Douys. Soon after, an agreement was made between the king and the Arragonians, by which Roussillon was again restored to him. In the month of January, some burgundian adventurers collected together, and made several inroads on France, even so far as Compiégne, plundering or killing all they met. They attempted to build themselves a place of security at Arson, near Roye, whither they had brought a number of pioneers. When the king heard of this, he sent orders for the garrisons of Amiens, Beauvais, and other places, to assemble with the company of the grand master, the cross-bows and archers of Paris, and to put themselves under the command of sir Robert d'Estouteville, provost of Paris, and destroy these Burgundians and their strong hold. But the Burgundians no sooner heard of these orders than they packed up their plunder, and ran away, like thieves as they were. This same month, a franc-archer of Meudon was confined in the prisons of the Châtelet, in Paris, for divers robberies, and even sacrilege in the church of Meudon. He was condemned, for these crimes, to be hanged at Montfaucon,--but he appealed to the court of parliament, whither he was led for trial. That court dismissed his appeal, and confirmed the sentence of the provost of Paris, to whom he was remanded for execution; but the surgeons and physicians of Paris petitioned the king, that as a variety of persons were afflicted with the stone and other internal disorders, and that as this franc-archer had complaints similar to those of which the lord de Bouchage[50] now lay dangerously ill, it was requisite that the internal parts of a living man should be examined, and that no better subject could have offered than this franc-archer under sentence of death. The physicians and surgeons, in consequence of the king's permission, opened his body,--and having examined his bowels, replaced them, and sewed up the body. By the king's orders, every care was taken of him; and within fifteen days, he was perfectly cured, and was not only pardoned for his crimes but had a sum of money given to him.