Biography of Adolf Egmont 2nd Duke Guelders 1438-1477

. At this time, on the 17th day of December [1463], in the town of Bruges, were celebrated the nuptials of the eldest son [aged 25] [Adolph] of the [his father] Duke of Guelders [aged 53] with [his mother] Catherine [aged 46], daughter of the [his grandmother] Duchess of Bourbon [aged 70]; he was the son of the daughter of the Duchess of Cleves, sister of the Duke of Burgundy [aged 67]; and the Duchesses of Cleves and of Bourbon were two sisters, but the Duchess of Cleves had died about two months before the said wedding. On the day of the wedding, after dinner, very great jousts were held, and there jousted Antoine, bastard of Burgundy, Sir Jean de Croy, Lord of Renty, eldest son of the Lord of Croy, and several other lords; and as a young gentleman of Boulogne, named Jean, son of David de Frommesseur, which David had no other child but him, and was very wealthy, as was said, with three thousand florins of income, served in the joust the said Lord of Renty, to whom he was related; it happened, among several passes, that the jousters failed to secure one blow against each other, whereby they were unhorsed by their lances, and one of the lances fell upon the barriers which were of wood, and one of the ends of the lance sprang up and struck the head of the said Jean de Frommesseur, and wounded him. It was said at Paris that they had performed a public play representing how the rats had eaten the seals of the Pragmatic Sanction, whereby it came to an end; and this was done by the clerks of the university; for at the time when this was done, the said cardinal was Bishop of Arras, and the said play showed how the rats had eaten them and had red heads; and by this they meant to signify that for this reason the said bishop had been made cardinal; and moreover it was said that the people of Paris greatly hated the said cardinal, and that he would not dare to come there; nevertheless, some of that city went out to meet him, and he stayed there one night, and there was never any disturbance nor insulting speech. The said cardinal, as has been said above, was the greatest clerk that one might know; he was a great orator and a great promiser, but kept little of what he promised; he was very covetous, and nothing was impossible for him to undertake, provided that there was profit in it.

En ce temps, le xviije jour de decembre, en la ville de Bruges, feurent faites les neuches du fils du duc de Gueldres aisné, avec Catherine, fille de la duchesse de Bourbon; lequel estoit fils de la fille de la duchesse de Clefves, soeur du duc de Bourgogne, lesquelles duchesses de Clefves et de Bourbon estoient deux soeurs, mais la duchesse de Clefves estoit morte environ deux mois devant lesdites neuches, auquel jour de neuches après disner feurent faites fort grandes joustes, et y jousterent Antlioine, bastard de Bourgogne, messire Jehan de Croy, Sª de Renty, fils aisné du S de Croy, et plusieurs aultres seigneurs; et comme un josne gentilhomme de Boullenois, nommé Jehan, fils de David de Frommesseur, lequel David n'avoit plus d'enfant que lui, et sy estoit riche, on disoit de trois mille florins de rente, servit en la jouste ledit S de Renty, duquel il estoit parent; il advint entre plusieurs coups que les jousteurs faillirent ung coulp de asseurer l'ung l'aultre; pourquoy ils se desarchonnerent de leurs lanches, dont l'une des lanches queit sur les liches qui estoient de bois, dont l'un des bouts de lanche saillit sur la teste dudit Jehan de Frommesseur, et le navra Paris euissent joué ung joeu de personnage publiquement, comment les rats avoient mangié les sceaulx de la pragmatique sanction, dont elle prist fin; et ce feirent les clercqs de l'université. Pour ce que lors que cela fust fait, ledit cardinal estoit evesque d'Arras, et contenoit celluy joeu comment les rats en euirent mangié, euirent rouge teste; et par ce voulloient donner a entendre, que pour ceste cause avoit esté ledit evesque fait cardinal, et avecq ce disoit on que ceulx de Paris hayoient moult ledit cardinal, et qu'il n'y oseroit venir; toutesfois aulcuns de ladite ville allerent allencontre de lui, et y fust une nuict, et n'y eult oncques quelques encombriers ne villaines parolles. Icelluy cardinal, comme dessus est dit, estoit le plus grand clercq qu'on sceut estre: il estoit grand orateur et grand promecteur, mais peu tenoit ce qu'il promectoit: il estoit fort convoiteulx, et ne lui estoit rien impossible a entreprendre, mais qu'il y euist prouffit.