II. ^//rt»^ //;^/«^, ** in spite of everything

1. 14. Comines. Philippe de Coraines (or Commines), the great historian of Louis XI. and his rival, was bom at Commines, 1445, and died at Argenton, 1 509. He was Chamberlain to Charles the Bold, but in 1472 left his service for thatof Louis XL, and became one of his trusted advisers. He was employed in diplomacy. After Louis XI.'s death, he was dismissed, and intriguing against the govemment, was shut up in an iron cage at Loches, and then condemned to exile. He was however pardoned, and again employed under Charles VIII. His famous Memoirs cover the reigns of Louis XI. and Charles VIII.

Machiavel^ the great Florentine historian and political philosopher Niccolo Macchiavelli, whose Prince is a manual of unscrupulous statecraft. He lived 1469 — 1527.

Lai. saige, Old French for sage,

1. 33. Olivier, Olivier le Daim^ otherwise known as le Mauvais or le Diable, was the barber of Louis XI. and became one of his favourite servants. Louis ennobled him and made him Count of Meulan. After the death of Louis, Olivier, who had shared in his master's unpopularity, was arrested and hanged at Paris, 1484.

Tristan. Louis Tristan THermite was Provost Marshal under Charles VIL and Louis XL, and masterof the artillery. History knows little of him, except that he was an able officer, and merciless in repressing the plundering bands of the êcorcheurs, The legendary view of him may be seen in Scott*s Quentin Durward,

1. 23. Branlante, Pierre de Bourdeille, Seigneur de Brant£>me, 1540 — 1614. He wrote llves and memoirs of great men, &c., clever, lively» gossiping and questionable.

1. 24. IValter Scott, Sir Walter Scott draws the traditional portrait of Louis XL in his Quentin Durward, a novel which, however interesting, is as complète a distortion of the history of the period as could well be devised. In Anne of Geierstein Scott again recurs to the history of Charles the Bold, and brings in the incidents of his war with the Swiss.

Page 2.

L 2. ardent et novateur, disons-le, révolution ftaire, "eager, innovâting — nay, revolutionary."