Quotation from: A Popular History of France from the Earliest Times, Volume 3

Written by: Francois Pierre Guillaume Guizot


That even the bare life was saved was a source of sorrow to Louis XI.
in the very midst of his joy at the defeat. He was, nevertheless, most
proper in his behavior and language towards Duke Charles, who sent to him
Sire de Contay "with humble and gracious words, which was contrary to his
nature and his custom," says Commynes; "but see how an hour's time
changed him; he prayed the king to be pleased to observe loyally the
truce concluded between them, he excused himself for not having appeared
at the interview which was to have taken place at Auxerre, and he bound
himself to be present, shortly, either there or elsewhere, according to
the king's good pleasure." Louis promised him all he asked, "for," adds
Commynes, "it did not seem to him time, as yet, to do other-wise;" and he
gave the duke the good advice "to return home and bide there quietly,
rather than go on stubbornly warring with yon folks of the Alps, so poor
that there was nought to gain by taking their lands, but valiant and
obstinate in battle." Louis might give this advice fearlessly, being
quite certain that Charles would not follow it. The latter's defeat at
Granson had thrown him into a state of gloomy irritation. At Lausanne,
where he staid for some time, he had "a great sickness, proceeding," says
Commynes, "from grief and sadness on account of this shame that he had
suffered; and, to tell the truth, I think that never since was his
understanding so good as it had been before this battle." Before he fell
ill, on the 12th of March, Charles issued orders from his camp before
Lausanne to his lieutenant at Luxembourg to put under arrest "and visit
with the extreme penalty of death, without waiting for other command from
us, all the men-at-arms, archers, cross-bowmen, infantry, or other
soldiery" who had fled or dispersed after the disaster at Granson; "and
as to those who be newly coming into our service it is ordered by us that
they, on pain of the same punishment, do march towards us with all
diligence; and if they make any delay, our pleasure is that you proceed
against them in the manner hereinabove declared without fail in any way."
With such fiery and ruthless energy Charles collected a fresh army,
having a strength, it is said, of from twenty-five to thirty thousand
men, Burgundians, Flemings, Italians, and English; and after having
reviewed it on the platform above Lausanne, he set out on the 27th of
May, 1476, and pitched his camp on the 10th of June before the little
town of Morat, six leagues from Berne, giving notice everywhere that it
was war to the death that he intended. The Swiss were expecting it, and
were prepared for it. The energy of pride was going to be pitted against
the energy of patriotism. "The Duke of Burgundy is here with all his
forces, his Italian mercenaries and some traitors of Germans," said the
letter written to the Bernese by the governor of Morat, Adrian of
Bubenberg; "the gentlemen of the magistracy, of the council, and of the
burgherhood may be free from fear and hurry, and may set at rest the
minds of all our confederates: I will defend Morat;" and he swore to the
garrison and the inhabitants that he would put to death the first who
should speak of surrender. Morat had been for ten days holding out
against the whole army of the Burgundians; the confederate Swiss were
arriving successively at Berne; and the men of Zurich alone were late.
Their fellow-countryman, Hans Waldmann, wrote to them, "We positively
must give battle or we are lost, every one of us. The Burgundians are
three times more numerous than they were at Granson, but we shall manage
to pull through. With God's help great honor awaits us. Do not fail to
come as quickly as possible." On the 21st of June, in the evening, the
Zurichers arrived. "Ha!" the duke was just saying, "have these hounds
lost heart, pray? I was told that we were about to get at them." Next
day, the 22d of June, after a pelting rain and with the first gleams of
the returning sun, the Swiss attacked the Burgundian camp. A man-at-arms
came and told the duke, who would not believe it, and dismissed the
messenger with a coarse insult, but hurried, nevertheless, to the point
of attack. The battle was desperate; but before the close of the day it
was hopelessly lost by the Burgundians. Charles had still three thousand
horse, but he saw them break up, and he himself had great difficulty in
getting away, with merely a dozen men behind him, and reaching Merges,
twelve leagues from Morat. Eight or ten thousand of his men had fallen,
more than half, it is said, killed in cold blood after the fight. Never
had the Swiss been so dead set against their foes; and "as cruel as at
Morat" was for a long while a common expression.

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