680 FRA 
prerenting the keys of their city with ropes about their 
necks. While the wretched people gazed on each other 
loft in defpair, Euftace de St. Pierre (may his name ever 
be immortal!) ofFered to encounter death for the fafety of 
his friends and companions. The generous flame of en- 
thufiafmvvas foon communicated, and five more of the citi¬ 
zens intreated to thare the glory and the danger ; they ap¬ 
peared eredt and undaunted before the inexorable viclor ; 
but Edward was difluaded from fullying his fame by the 
inhuman facrifice ; and at the interceflion of his queen 
Philippa, he difmilfed thefe gallant and intrepid burghers. 
For the more enlarged details of thefe memorable events, 
lee the article England, vol. vi. p. 597-599. 
In every ftage of the war Philip had conftantly exprefled 
his with for peace; his defeat at Crecy rendered him (fill 
more defirous to reflore tranquillity to his country ; while 
Edward, amidft his triumphs, was unable any longer to 
iupport the expences of viclory. Under thefe circum- 
ftances, the mediation of the court of Rome was readily 
accepted ; and in 1348, a truce was concluded between 
the rival monarchs for three years. The king of France 
received at this period a rich compenfation for the Ioffes 
he had fuftained in war, by the acquifition of Dauphiny, 
which has ever fince afforded the title of dauphin to the 
elded fon of the French kings. Philip, at this time a 
widower, efpoufed Blanch, daughter of the count of 
Evreux and Jane queen of Navarre; the beauty of this 
princefs had diverted him from his firft intention of de¬ 
manding her for his fon, the duke of Normandy, who 
afterwards married the cortntefs of Bologne. But tine 
fatisfaflion which thefe pleating nuptials afforded the 
royal family of France, was in lefs than a year inter¬ 
rupted by the death of Philip, who expired, A D. 1350, 
in the fifty-feventh year of his age, and the twenty-third 
of his reign. 
Philip VI. furnamed the Fortunate, merited more truly 
the epithets of vifforious, and juft. For though he was 
difeomfited by the Englifh hero, he had neverthelefs 
marched to the relief of his vaflal the count of Flanders, 
engaged the rebels at Caffe!, performed prodigies of va¬ 
lour, and gained a fignal vidlory on the 24-th of Auguff, 
1318. Having reftored peace and order, he went home, 
after faying to the count of Flanders, “ Be more prudent 
and more humane, and yon will have fewer difloyal fub- 
jedts.” The intervals of peace he devoted to the internal 
regulation of his kingdom. The financiers were called 
to account, and foirie of them condemned to death ; 
among others Peter Remi, genera! of the finances, who 
left behind him near twenty millions. He afterwards 
enabled the law refpedling freeholds, impofingatax upon 
churches, and commoners who had acquired tire lands of 
the nobility. Then, alfo, began to be introduced the 
form of appeal comme d’abus, the principles of which are 
more ancient than the name. The peace of the kingdom 
was difturbed by difputes about the rights of the church 
and ftate. An aflembly was fummoned for hearing the 
two parties, in pretence of the king : and in this aflembly 
Peter de Cugnieres, his majefly’s advocate, defended the 
fecular jurifdiction with great ability as a man well-in¬ 
formed, and an enlightened philofopher. Bertrand bilhop 
of Autun, and Roger archbifhop of Sens, pleaded the 
caufe of the clergy with lefs ingenuity and judgment. 
This did not, however, prevent the king from (hewing 
them favours, though the conrroverfy happily confined 
the eccletiaftical juriididtion within narrower bounds. 
John duke of Normandy, furnamed the Good, fucceeded 
to the throne of France on the death of his father; but 
though his virtue and integrity were confpicuous, hepot- 
fefled not that fagacity and forefight which the critical 
fituation of his kingdom required ; and lie feemed to in¬ 
herit from Philip, that impetuofity which had already 
proved fo fatal to France. He'had. fcarcely eftabliflied 
his authority, before the nobility were difgufted by an aft 
of unie'afonable feverity : Robert de Brienne, count of 
Eli and Guifnes, had been taken pnfoner by the king of 
N C E. 
England at Caen : to negociate his ranfom, he pafled fe- 
veral times between France and England ; but John fuf- 
pefted him of treafonable practices; and he was accufed 
of an intention to refign the important diffrift of Guifnes 
to Edward. By the command of his fovereign he was 
fuddenly arrefled, and beheaded without even the form 
of a trial. His fword was delivered into the hands of 
Charles de le Cerda; but his fate wasequally unfortunate 
with that of his predeceflor ; and lie had fcarcely fuc¬ 
ceeded to the enviable dignity, before he fell the viftinr 
of aflaflination. The author of this atrocious deed was 
Charles king of Navarre. Defcended from males of the 
blood.royal of France, and the grandfon, by his daugh¬ 
ter, of Louis the Boifterous, he had efpoufed Joanna the 
daughter of John: but thefe ties, which ought to have 
bound him to fupport, only animated his efforts to over¬ 
throw, the throne : his perfonal qualities were great ; 
he was courteous, affable, enterprifing, and eloquent; in- 
flnuating in his addrefs, and enterprifing in his deligns. 
But reverfe the medal, and he was faithlefs, revengeful, 
and malicious ; infatiate of power, and unre(trained by 
principle. He had demanded the county of Angouleme, 
but the king had bellowed it on Charles de le Cerda, and 
in revenge lie murdered his competitor. Yet fo weak 
was John, that the kingof Navarre braved for a time the 
royal indignation. 
Charles had not deigned to conceal his pretenfions in 
right of his mother to the crown of France ; but he 
urged with vehemence his more immediate claim to the 
counties of Champagne and Brie. To bring the point to 
ilFue, John beftowed the duchy of Normandy on his elded 
fon Charles, now the dauphin, and commanded him to 
feize the efiates of the king of Navarre. This meafure 
was quickly followed by the appearance of Charles of 
Navarre at Paris ; and John was glad to appeafe his tur¬ 
bulent murmurs at the expence of 100,000 crowns. 
The truce between France and England had been but 
ill obferved on both fides ; the French had pofleflTed 
themfelvesof the fea-port of St. Jean d’Angeli ; and the 
Englifh had furprifed Guifnes. Every thing feemed to 
threaten a revival of former hoftilities; the houfes of 
Mountfort and Blois dill difplayed in arms their unabated 
enmity; while the ambition of Edward was fanned by the 
factious counfels of Geoffrey d’Harcourt, and by the 
daring intrigues of the king of Navarre. Even the dau¬ 
phin was allured by the arts of that prince to join the 
formidable confederacy, and toconfpire againff his father. 
But John was informed of their fecret defigns; here- 
claimed his fon by pointing out to him the danger and 
imprudence of thefe connexions ; and made life of his 
penitence to draw the king of Navarre and his adherents 
into a fnare. At an entertainment at Rouen, thefe were 
arrefled ; Charles of Navarre was fent prifonerto Chateau 
Gaillard ; and feveral of the mod obnoxious of his ad¬ 
herents were immediately executed. Yet the feverity of 
the king, inffead of deterring the other confpirators, de¬ 
termined them inflantly toereft the ftandard of rebellion. 
Philip of Navarre brother to Charles, and Geoffrey 
d’Harcourt, in 1355, armed the towns and caffles which 
they occupied in Normandy, and foliciteJ the immediate 
fuccour of the king of England. 
To thefe felicitations the a foiling mind of Edward IN. 
never fuffered him to be indifferent. On the expiration 
of the truce, in 1 355, the prince of Wales had failed with 
a fleet into the Garonne, ravaged the adjacent country, 
delivered to the flames the towns and villages of Lan¬ 
guedoc, and retired with his fpoil into the county of 
Guienne; while Edward himfelf from Calais, had ex¬ 
tended his devaflations as far as St. Omers. The misfor¬ 
tunes of Philip VI. were alive in the mind of John ; and 
on this occafion he difplayed a degree of prudence, which 
it would have been happy for his country had he'conti¬ 
nued to ex-erf. He reflrained the conftable of Bourbon, 
though at the head of a fuperior army, from hazarding 
an engagement with the prince of Wales; while he him- 
i jfelf. 
