Illustration: BATTLE OF NANCY CONTEMPORANEOUS MINIATURE IN ABBEY OF
ST. GERMAIN DES PRES (COMINES-LENGLET, III.)]

His demands for aid to retrieve the Swiss disasters were open and
aboveboard this time. There was no such pretence put forward as the
escort of Mary. The argument was that any ruler, backed by his people
unanimous in their willingness to give their last jewel for public
purposes, must inevitably succeed in his righteous wars, etc.

His learned and able discourse was well received, according to other
reporters besides the Milanese, but there was no hearty yielding to
sentiment in the reply. Four days were consumed in deliberation before
that was ready on July 12th. They had certainly considered that the
grant of 100,000 florins annually for six years, accorded two years
previously, was their share. But in view of the duke's appeal, they
would endeavour to aid him. Let him stipulate which cities he wished
fortified and they would assume charge of the work. Two favours they
begged--that Charles should not rashly expose his person "for he was
the sole prince of his glorious House," and that he should be ready
to receive overtures of peace. "We will give life and property for
defence, but we implore you to take no offensive step." Charles did
not, perhaps, feel the distrust of his military skill and of his
judgment that these words implied.

Financial stress was not the duke's only difficulty in 1476. The
defection of his allies continued, Yolande--that former good friend of
his--was now a fervent suppliant to Louis XI., begging him to restore
her to freedom and to her son's estates. Not that her restraint was
in itself hard to bear. At Rouvre, whither she had been removed from
Rochefort, she was free to do what she wished, except to depart.
Couriers, too, were at her service apparently, who carried uninspected
letters to Milan, Geneva, Nice, Turin, and to Louis XI. Commines
says that she hesitated to take refuge with the last lest he should
promptly return her to Burgundian "protection." Yet her brother's
hatred to Charles seemed a fairly strong assurance against such
action. Louis XI. was never so genial as when hearing some ill of
Charles. "From what I have learned, I believe his Turk, his devil
in this world, the person he loathes most intensely, is the Duke of
Burgundy, with whom he can never live in amity." These words were sent
by Petrasanta to the Duke of Milan,[8] who was also turning slowly,
with so