g his faithful subjects as to his
wishes in the matter. Georges d'Amboise, Archbishop of Narbonne, and
lieutenant to his friend Louis of Orleans in the Governorship of
Normandy, was clearly pointed out as the royal candidate, without any
room for misunderstanding. The Duke of Orleans himself joined in the
"request" that savoured far too much of a command for ecclesiastical
independence. As if this were not enough, messengers from the Court
arrived post-haste; Baudricourt, a Marshal of France, no less; Jean du
Vergier, a financial officer of the town; and M. de Clerieu, the royal
chamberlain; all these actually arrived to "negotiate" (presumptuous
word!) with the free and independent Chapterhouse. In great perplexity
were both the canons and the town officials, upon whom commands, no
less imperative, had also been laid; for the Chapterhouse would
naturally not hear one single word from the civic officials on the
subject of their election, and even to the royal messengers they would
only reply that, at the election-day, some three weeks hence, "His
Majesty should have no just cause for complaint."

Three weeks, however, gave them time for profitable reflections. When
next the royal messengers appeared in the Chapterhouse, in the persons
of the President of the Parliament of Paris, and the Grand Seneschal
de Breze, their reception was not so chilling as before. Every
preacher in the town had exhorted his congregation to pray that God
would direct their proper choice. The revered shrine of St. Romain,
that Fierte which represented the proudest token of ecclesiastical
liberty, had been borne in solemn procession round the town. Public
sentiment had been intensely agitated by the unwonted course events
had taken. On the fateful 21st of August the Cathedral was packed with
hundreds of the faithful, eager to be first to hear the decision of
the canons. By three o'clock the ten bells of the Cathedral had
summoned the canons to the matins which preceded the election that was
to release the Church from widowhood, and give to Rouen a new
archbishop. At last the Chapter assembled, the doors were shut, and
every avenue to the Chapterhouse was strictly guarded. At the last
moment an aged canon, rising from his death-bed to exercise his most
cherished privilege, tottered into the assembly to select a friend to
vote for him, and went back to die.

Suddenly the door of the Chapterhouse opened again, and Etienne
Tuvache the Chancellor u