positively
must give battle or we are lost, every one of us. The Burgundians are
three times more numerous than they were at Granson, but we shall manage
to pull through. With God's help great honor awaits us. Do not fail to
come as quickly as possible." On the 21st of June, in the evening, the
Zurichers arrived. "Ha!" the duke was just saying, "have these hounds
lost heart, pray? I was told that we were about to get at them." Next
day, the 22d of June, after a pelting rain and with the first gleams of
the returning sun, the Swiss attacked the Burgundian camp. A man-at-arms
came and told the duke, who would not believe it, and dismissed the
messenger with a coarse insult, but hurried, nevertheless, to the point
of attack. The battle was desperate; but before the close of the day it
was hopelessly lost by the Burgundians. Charles had still three thousand
horse, but he saw them break up, and he himself had great difficulty in
getting away, with merely a dozen men behind him, and reaching Merges,
twelve leagues from Morat. Eight or ten thousand of his men had fallen,
more than half, it is said, killed in cold blood after the fight. Never
had the Swiss been so dead set against their foes; and "as cruel as at
Morat" was for a long while a common expression.

"The king," says Commynes, "always willingly gave somewhat to him who was
the first to bring him some great news, without forgetting the messenger,
and he took pleasure in speaking thereof before the news came, saying, 'I
will give so much to him who first brings me such and such news.' My
lord of Bouchage and I (being together) had the first message about the
battle of Morat, and told it both together to the king, who gave each of
us two hundred marks of silver." Next day Louis, as prudent in the hour
of joy as of reverse, wrote to Count de Dampmartin, who was in command of
his troops concentrated at Senlis, with orders to hold himself in
readiness for any event, but still carefully observe the truce with the
Duke of Burgundy. Charles at that time was thinking but little of Louis
and their truce; driven to despair by the disaster at Morat, but more
dead set than ever on the struggle, he repaired from Morges to Gex, and
from Gex to Salins, and summoned successively, in July and August, at
Salins, at Dijon, at Brussels, and at Luxembourg the estates of his
various domains, making to all of them an appeal, at the same time
supplicatory and imperious, calling