<>
English almost completely out of France.
No, Edward wanted something, but it was not war. He wanted some alliance, some monetary reward for holding off a war . . . bribe some might call it. But that was all part of the fortunes of war.
So if these men whom he had gathered together were spoiling for a fight, Edward was not. It was almost as though Warwick were at his shoulder. He would have liked to discuss this matter with Richard but it was something of which Richard would not approve. Rivers . . . ? Well, Rivers agreed with him whatever he did, which was comforting almost always, although there were times when a man wanted an honest opinion.
As soon as he had landed in France he wrote a letter to Louis couched in formal terms. He must give up the crown of France to Edward or face a bitter war.
Having written the letter he called one of his most trusted men to him.
'What I have to say to you,' he said, 'is too important to be trusted to writing. You must swear secrecy on this. Do so now.'
The man swore that nothing should prise the secret, or whatever it was, from him.
'You will take this letter to the King of France and when he has read it you will ask to speak to him in private. He will see you and you will tell him that you know I have no wish to invade France, but that I have threatened to do so to satisfy my people and the Duke of Burgundy. If the King of France would come to some agreement which would be to the advantage of the King of England, your master would graciously consider it. Now is that clear?'
'Absolutely so, my lord.'
'You should also say that I shall not be prepared to listen to any proposition unhl my entire army is landed on French soil and as it is so large that will take at least three weeks.'
'I understand, my lord.'
'Tell the King that he will have that time to decide what he will be able to offer me to avert this long and destructive war on French land.'
The King's messenger bowed his head and went off to do his mission.
Edward's suspicion that the Duke of Burgundy had wished the English to fight his battles with the French was confirmed when the Duke came to meet him, not at the head of an army but with nothing more than a personal bodyguard and in the first meehng explaining, with some embarrassment that he had to leave at once for the defence of Luxembourg.
Louis in the meantime had followed Edward's lead in sending a herald to the English camp who was more than he appeared to be. This man told Edward in a private interview that Louis was prepared to consider the suggestions which had been put to him and suggested a meeting at Picquigny.
Edward called together a council of his commanders. This included his brothers Clarence and Gloucester, the Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk, his stepson Thomas, Rivers, Hastings and a few others. Edward laid the proposition before them. The Duke of Burgundy had gone to Luxembourg and had therefore deserted them; the King of France was ready to treat for peace. It seemed to Edward that they might come very well out of the excursion without having been engaged in the smallest battle.
Richard spoke up. The people paid their benevolences to win victory in France. The soldiers have joined your banner in the hope of capturing booty to take home. The people want to hear of victories. You have taken their money under false pretences if you do not fight.'
Edward looked at his brother quizzically. 'My dear brother,' he said, 'you are over concerned with this scrupulous reckoning of yours. Wars have done no good to our country. We have lost all we won. Now we stand a chance of getting something very substantial from the King of France without bloodshed or the loss of our equipment.'
'I see your point,' said Richard. 'But what will the people say? They will not get what they paid their taxes for . . . call them benevolences if you will, they are still taxes.'
'I tell you great good will come from this. You will be surprised what the King of France is ready to pay for peace.'
'To pay to whom?' asked Richard. 'To the soldiers who have come for booty? To the people at home who have paid for a war?'
Edward laid his hand on his brother's shoulder. 'Richard,' he said, 'the others among us see my point. They will follow me in this.'
'And you would do it if they did not/ said Richard with a shrug of his shoulders.
'You will see/ said Edward.
He then discussed the terms he would put before Louis. First there should be a truce of seven years duration; there should be free trading between the two countries. Louis would pay Edward seventy-five thousand gold crowns immediately and fifty thousand a year; the Dauphin should marry Edward's eldest daughter Elizabeth.
These terms seemed very harsh but to the amazement of the English Louis accepted them. It had all been so much easier than Edward had thought and he could not see that the arrangement was anything but a triumph of strategy. He had amassed an enormous army which seemed invincible; he had come to France and so frightened Louis that he had been eager to make terms at once.
When Charles of Burgundy came riding with all speed to Edward's camp he demanded to know why Edward had made such terms with the enemy.
'The King of France is no longer my enemy/ said Edward. 'My daughter is to marry his son.'
Burgundy sneered. 'And you think Louis will ever allow that to come to pass?'
'We are coming to an amicable agreement about the matter. . . and others.'
Burgundy was furious. 'So you come with your armies like a conqueror and slink away like a paid lackey of the King of France.'
Edward retained his imperturbable good humour. 'Not so. Not so. I shall leave as triumphantly as I came—a richer man and my armies intact to make sure the peace stays with us.'
Burgundy left in a rage and Edward could not repress his gratification to see the mighty Duke so nonplussed.
There followed the meeting with Louis. The two Kings made a startling contrast. Edward was splendid, wearing a gown of cloth of gold lined with red satin. Out of compliment to the French he wore a black velvet cap aglitter with jewels in the shape of the fleur-de-lis. Louis was very soberly clad and so drab did he look beside the brilliant King of England that Hastings murmured that he looked like a mountebank.
The terms were agreed and the King of France was extremely
affable not only to Edward but to all those who, he thought, would be important to keeping the peace.
There was one notable absence and this disturbed him. Richard Duke of Gloucester had declared that he would have none of the treaty and therefore he would not be present on the occasion. Louis made up his mind that he must talk to Gloucester and see if it were not possible to offer him something which would be irresistible to him.
He was alert watching for those who were against the peace, even though they dared not come out in the open—as Gloucester had—and say so. There was Louis de Bretaylle, one of the English King's foremost captains who it had been reported to Louis had been heard to comment that the treaty was a disgrace to England. It was important to have the support of such men so Louis entertained him personally and offered him a high post in France which de Bretaylle immediately refused. However when Louis came up with a gift of one thousand crowns, this was irresishble and de Bretaylle did accept them. Money was always so hard to refuse; and all Louis asked in return was that the captain should work for conhnued peace between the two countries.
But Louis' chief anxiety was of the Duke of Gloucester. Richard could be a power in the land and he had showed his disapproval more openly than anyone. Louis invited him to dine—not a great banquet but a personal meal when they could talk together as good friends and come to some understanding of each other's actions.