¶Howe the duchesse of Orlyaunce doughter to the duke of Myllayne was had in suspecte of the Frenche kynges syckenesse. Cap. CC.xx. (Book 220)
YE haue harde here before / howe the Frēche kyng lightly euery yere was sore enclyned to fall in to a frā∣sey / so that there was nother Phisycion nor surgion that coude remedy hym. Many said they wolde helpe hym / but whan̄e it came to the poynt all their labour was in vayne / for the kynges sickenesse wolde nat cease nother for prayers nor for medycins / tyll it had ron his full course. Some of his phisycions and arioles and charmers / whan they sawe no re¦medy / than they said surely / howe the kynge was poysoned or be wytched / by crafte of sor¦cerye / whiche noyse made the lordes & other / to haue many in suspecte. And some of these nigromancers affyrmed that the kynges sic∣kenesse came by reason of sorcery and char∣mes. And to make thē beleue it was so / they sayd they knewe it by the spyrites / who had shewed it to them. Of these deuins / arioles and charmers / there were certayne brente at Parys and at Auignon. They spake so mo∣che and sayd / that the duchesse Valentyne of Orlyaūce / doughter to the duke of Myllayn hadde witched the kynge / to the entent to at∣tayne to the crowne of Fraunce. They had so sclaundred this lady / ye brute ran through the realme / that she vsed suche craftes of sor∣cery / sayeng: that as long as she was about the kyng / and that he myght se her / the kyng shulde nat amēde. So it behoued this lady to auoyde this sclaunder / and to flye fro the paryll therof / to departe fro Parys / and so she wente to Asyners a fayre Castell nere to Pontoyse / {per}teyning to her husbande the du¦ke of Orlyaūce. And afterwarde she went & dwelt at Newcastell on the ryuer of Loyre / parteynynge to her husbande / who was sore displeased in his hert / that suche a brute ran vpon his wyfe / howe be it he dissymuled the mater as well as he myght. Nor dyd nat ab∣sent hym selfe fro the court / for he had moche busynesse for the maters of the realme. The duke of Myllayne called Galeas / was well enformed howe his doughter the duchesse of Orlyaunce was accused / wherof he was sore displeased. And he sente twyse or thrise am∣bassadours to the Frenche kyng and his coū¦sayle / and offred to fynde a knyght to fyght at vttraūce / with any man that wolde accuse his doughter of any trayson. And the messā¦gers in a maner thretned that ye duke wolde make warre in to Fraunce / bycause the fren∣che kyng beyng in good helthe (at Balyng∣ham / bitwene saynt Omers and Calis) said that assone as he were retourned in to Fraū¦ce / he wolde entende to nothyng / but to ma∣ke warre vpon the duke of Myllayne. And also the kyng of Englande / who as than cal∣led hym selfe his sonne / bycause he had ma∣ryed his doughter / promysed to sende hym a thousande speres and sixe thousāde archers / wherof the frenche kyng was right ioyfull. Prouisyon was made for the Frenche kyng in the countie of Sauoy & in ye Dolphenry. The kynges mynde was to entre that waye in to Lombardy / to make warre on the duke of Myllaygne. But that iourney toke none effecte. For whan tidynges was brought in to Fraunce of the disconfyture of the batayle before Nicopoly in Turkey / and of ye dethe and takynge of the lordes of Fraunce / The kynge & the duke of Burgoyne were so char∣ged and busyed in that behalfe / that the iour¦ney in to Lombardy was defected. And also they sawe well yt the duke of Myllayne was in fauoure with Lamorabaquy / so that they durst nat displease hym / & so lette hym alone. ∴ ∴