"The king at the time was suffering from one of his terrible fits of
insanity, but a great assembly was held, at which princes, councillors,
lords, doctors of law, and prominent citizens were present. A monk of the
Cordeliers, named John Petit, then spoke for five hours in justification
of the duke, and the result was that the poor insane king was induced to
sign letters cancelling the penalty of the crime. For four months the duke
remained absolute master of Paris, disposing of all posts and honours, and
sparing no efforts to render himself popular with the burghers. A serious
rebellion breaking out at Liege, and the troops sent against the town
being repulsed, he was obliged to leave Paris to put down the revolt. As
soon as he had left, the queen and the partisans of Orleans prepared to
take advantage of his absence, and two months later Queen Isobel marched
with the dauphin, now some thirteen years old, from Melun with three
thousand men.

"The Parisians received her with applause, and as soon as she had taken up
her quarters at the Louvre, the Dukes of Berri, Bourbon, and Brittany, the
Constable, and all the great officers of the court rallied round her. Two
days later the Duchess of Orleans arrived with a long train of mourning
coaches. A great assembly was held, and the king's advocate announced to
them the intention of the king to confer the government upon the queen
during his illness, and produced a document signed by the king to that
effect. The Duchess of Orleans then came forward, and kneeling before the
dauphin, begged for justice for the death of her husband, and that she
might be granted an opportunity of refuting the calumnies that John Petit
had heaped on the memory of her husband. A week later another great
assembly was held, and the justification of the duke was read, refuting
all these imputations, and the duchess's advocate demanded that the duke
should be forced to make public reparation, and then to be exiled for