The King of England being highly disgusted at the Duke of Burgundy’s rejection of his truce, and present endeavour to make a separate peace with the king, despatched a great favourite of his, called Sir Thomas Montgomery, to the king at Vervins, and he happened to arrive there at the very time the king was negotiating with the Duke of Burgundy’s envoys. Sir Thomas desired, on behalf of the King of England, his master, that the King of France would not consent to any other truce with the duke than what was already made. He also pressed his majesty not to deliver St. Quentin into the duke’s hands; and, as farther encouragement, he offered to pass the seas next spring with a powerful army to assist him, provided his majesty would continue the war against the Duke of Burgundy, and compensate him for the prejudice he should sustain in his duties upon wool at Calais, which would be worth little or nothing in war time (though at other times they were valued at 50,000 crowns a year). He proposed, likewise, that the King of France should pay one half of his army, and he would pay the other himself. The King of France returned the King of England abundance of thanks, and made Sir Thomas a present of plate; but as to the continuation of the war, he begged to be excused, for the truce was already concluded, and upon the same terms as that which had been agreed to between them; only the Duke of Burgundy pressed mightily to have a separate truce by himself[486]; which he excused as well as he could, to please and satisfy the English ambassador, who with this answer returned into England, and the hostages with him. The king was extremely surprised at the King of England’s offers, which were delivered only before me: he conceived it would be very dangerous to bring the King of England into France again, for between those two nations (when together) any trifling accident might raise some new quarrel, and they might easily make friends again with the Duke of Burgundy,—which consideration greatly forwarded the conclusion of the treaty with the Burgundians. _A Treaty or Truce of Commerce made for Nine Years between Louis XI. and Charles, the last Duke of Burgundy, at Vervins, September 13. 1475._