After all the English, except their hostages, were landed in England, the King of France retired towards Laon, to a little town called Vervins, bordering upon the marshes of Hainault; for the Chancellor of Burgundy and other ambassadors were at Avesnes in Hainault with the Lord of Contay, with a commission from the Duke of Burgundy to treat of an accommodation; and the king himself had a great desire to obtain a general peace. The vast numbers of the English had put him into great alarm; he had seen enough of their exploits in his time in his kingdom, and had no mind to see any more of them. The Chancellor, who was one of the Duke of Burgundy’s plenipotentiaries, as you have heard, sent news to the king, that if he pleased to send his ambassadors to a bridge half way between Avesnes and Vervins, he and his colleagues would certainly meet them there. The king sent them word he would come thither himself; and though some persons whom he consulted endeavoured to dissuade his majesty from it, yet he went, and took the English hostages along with him; and they were present when the king gave audience to the ambassadors, who had a strong guard of archers and other soldiers; but no business was despatched then, only the king took them to dinner with him. One of the English that was there began to repent of the peace, and told me at the window, that had they seen many such men of the Duke of Burgundy’s before, perhaps the peace had not been concluded so soon. The Viscount of Narbonne[484] (now called the Lord of Fouez) overhearing him, replied, “Could you be so weak as to believe the Duke of Burgundy had not great numbers of such soldiers? he had only sent them into quarters of refreshment, but you were in such haste to be at home again, that six hundred pipes of wine and a pension from our king sent you quickly back into England.” The Englishman was in a passion, and answered with much warmth, “I plainly see, as everybody said, that you have done nothing but cheat us. Do you call the money your king has given us a pension? It is a tribute, and, by St. George, you may prate so much as will bring us back again to prove it.” I interrupted their discourse, and turned it into a jest; but the Englishman would not understand it so, and I informed the king of it, and his majesty was highly offended with the Viscount of Narbonne.