in his freedom and lordship, and the realm in its freedom and just
rights." The Count of Armagnac was no more tender with the court than
with the populace of Paris. He suspected, not without reason, that the
queen, Isabel of Bavaria, was in secret communication with and gave
information to Duke John. Moreover, she was leading a scandalously
licentious life at Vincennes; and one of her favorites, Louis de
Bosredon, a nobleman of Auvergne and her steward, meeting the king one
day on the road, greeted the king cavalierly and hastily went his way.
Charles VI. was plainly offended. The Count of Armagnac seized the
opportunity; and not only did he foment the king's ill-humor, but talked
to him of all the irregularities of which the queen was the centre, and
in which Louis de Bosredon was, he said, at that time her principal
accomplice. Charles, in spite of the cloud upon his mind, could hardly
have been completely ignorant cf such facts; but it is not necessary to
be a king to experience extreme displeasure on learning that offensive
scandals are almost public, and on hearing the whole tale of them. The
king, carried away by his anger, went straight to Vincennes, had a
violent scene with his wife, and caused Bosredon to be arrested,
imprisoned, and put to the question; and he, on his own confession it is
said, was thrown into the Seine, sewn up in a leathern sack, on which
were inscribed the words, "Let the king's justice run its course!"
Charles VI. and Armagnac did not stop there. Queen Isabel was first of
all removed from the council and stripped of all authority, and then
banished to Tours, where commissioners were appointed to watch over her
conduct, and not to let her even write a letter without their seeing it.
But royal personages can easily elude such strictness. A few months
after her banishment, whilst the despotism of Armagnac and the war
between the king and the Duke of Burgundy were still going on, Queen
Isabel managed to send to the duke, through one of her servants, her
golden seal, which John the Fearless well knew, with a message to the