[Footnote 1503: Flodoard, _Hist. ecclesiae Remensis_, in _Coll.
Guizot_, vol. v, pp. 41 _et seq._ Eustache Deschamps, Ballade 172,
vol. i, p. 305; vol. ii, p. 104. Dom Marlot, _Histoire de la ville de
Reims_, vol. ii, p. 48, note 1. Vertot, in _Academie des
Inscriptions_, vol. ii.]

[Footnote 1504: Froissart, book ii, ch. lxxiv.]

At nine o'clock in the morning Charles of Valois entered the church
with a numerous retinue. The king-at-arms of France called by name the
twelve peers of the realm to come before the high altar. Of the six
lay peers not one replied. In their places came the Duke of Alencon,
the Counts of Clermont and of Vendome, the Sires de Laval, de La
Tremouille, and de Maille.

Of the six ecclesiastical peers, three replied to the summons of the
king-at-arms,--the Archbishop Duke of Reims, the Bishop Count of
Chalons, the Bishop Duke of Laon. For the missing bishops of Langres
and Noyon were substituted those of Seez and Orleans. In the absence
of Arthur of Brittany, Constable of France, the sword was held by
Charles, Sire d'Albret.[1505]

[Footnote 1505: Letters from three noblemen of Anjou, in _Trial_, vol.
v, pp. 127, 129. Monstrelet, vol. iv, ch. lxiv. Perceval de Cagny, p.
159. _Relation du greffier de La Rochelle_, p. 343. _Chronique de
Tournai_ (vol. iii of the _Recueil des chroniques de Flandre_), p.
414. _Gallia Christiana_, vol. ix, col. 551; vol. xi, col. 698.]

In front of the altar was Charles of Valois, wearing robes open on the
chest and shoulders. He swore, first, to maintain the peace and
privileges of the Church; second, to preserve his people from
exactions and not to burden them too heavily; third, to govern with
justice and mercy.[1506]

[Footnote 1506: _Chronique de la Pucelle_, p. 322, note 1.]

From his cousin d'Alencon he received the arms of a knight.[1507] Then
the Archbishop anointed him with the holy oil, with which the Holy
Ghost makes strong priests, kings, prophets and martyrs. So this new
Samuel consecrated the new Saul, making manifest that all power is of
God, and that, according to the example set by David, kings are
pontiffs, the ministers and the witnesses of the Lord. This pouring
out of the oil, with which the Kings of Israel were anointed, had
rendered the kings of most Christian France burning and shining lights
since the time of Charlemagne, yea, even since the days of Clovis; for
though it was baptism and confirmation rather than anointing that
Clovis r