ction. Their verdict was the one desired by their chief. It was
proven to their entire satisfaction that Arnold's sale of the duchy of
Guelders and Zutphen was a legitimate proceeding, and that the deed
executed by him was a perfect and valid instrument, whereby Charles of
Burgundy was duly empowered to enjoy all the revenues of, and to exert
authority in, his new duchy at his pleasure. As to Duke Adolf, he
was condemned by this tribunal of his peers to life imprisonment as
punishment for his unfilial and unjustifiable cruelty towards Arnold,
late Duke of Guelders.

Adolf's protests were stifled by his prison bars, but the people of
Guelders were by no means disposed to accept unquestioned this deed
of transfer, made when the two parties to the conveyance were in
very unequal conditions of freedom. In order to convince them of the
justice of his pretensions, Charles levied a force almost as efficient
as his army of the preceding summer, and fell upon Guelders. A truce,
a triple compact with France and England, had recently been renewed,
so that for the moment his hands were free from complications, an
event commented upon by Sir John Paston, as follows:

"April 16, 1473, CANTERBURY.

"As for tydings ther was a truce taken at Brusslys about the xxvi
day off March last, betwyn the Duke of Burgoyn and the Frense
Kings inbassators and Master William Atclyff ffor the king heer,
whiche is a pese be londe and be water tyll the ffyrst daye off
Apryll nowe next comyng betweyn Fraunce and Ingeland, and also the
Dukys londes. God holde it ffor ever."

The writer had recently been in Charles's court. Writing from Calais
in February, he says:

"As ffor tydyngs heer ther bee but few saff that the Duke of
Burgoyen and my Lady hys wyffe fareth well. I was with them on
Thorysdaye last past at Gaunt."[4]

The Duke of Burgundy was not the only pretender to the vacated
sovereignty of Guelders. The Duke of Juliers was also inclined to
urge his cause, were Adolf's family to be set aside. At the sight
of Burgundian puissance, however, he was ready to be convinced, and
accepted 24,000 florins for his acquiescence in the righteousness of
the accession. Several of the cities manifested opposition to Charles,
but yielded one after another. In Nimwegen--long hostile to Duke
Arnold--there was a determined effort to support little Charles of
Guelders who, with his sister, was in that city. The child mad