The siege of Tournay had lasted a long time; eleven weeks all but three days; when the lady John de Valois, sister to the king of France, and mother to the earl of Hainault, took great pains with both parties to make up a peace, so that they might separate without a battle. The good lady had frequently, on her knees, besought it of the king of France, and afterwards came to the lords of the empire, especially to the duke of Brabant, and the duke of Juliers, who had married her daughter, and to the lord John of Hainault. She at last so far prevailed, by the help and assistance of the lord Lewis d’Augimont, who was well beloved by both parties, that a day was fixed for a negotiation, when each of the parties was to send five well-qualified persons to treat upon the best means of bringing about a reconciliation, and a truce for three days was agreed upon. These commissioners were to meet at a chapel, situated in the fields, called Esplotin. On the day appointed, having heard mass, they assembled after dinner, and the good lady with them. On the part of the king of France, there came Charles, king of Bohemia, Charles, earl of Alençon, the king’s brother, the bishop of Liege, the earl of Flanders, and the earl of Armagnac. On the part of the king of England, there came the duke of Brabant, the bishop of Lincoln, the duke of Gueldres, the duke of Juliers, and the lord John of Hainault.
When they had all entered this chapel, they saluted each other most politely, with every mark of respect: they then began on the business, and the whole day passed in discussing the best means to accomplish what they were met for. The lady Joan entreated of them respectfully, but with much earnestness, that they would exert themselves to bring about a peace: this first day, however, passed without any thing being decided, when they all separated, promising to return on the morrow. The next day they came to their appointment, began upon the treaty as before, and fell upon some arrangements which seemed likely to end to their mutual satisfaction; but it was too late that day to put them in writing: so they separated, with a promise of returning on the murrow to complete and finish it. The third day these lords returned, and agreed upon a truce, to last for one year, between the two kings and all the allies that were present, as well as between those who were carrying on the war in Scotland, Gascony, Poictou, and Saintonge; and it was in these countries to take place forty days from that day. Each party was to inform their adherents of the truce, and that they sincerely meant to abide by it; but they were to be left to follow their own inclinations, adhering to it or not.
France, Picard, Burgundy, and Normandy, agreed to it, without any exception; and this truce was to take place immediately in the armies of France and England. The two kings also were to send four or five noble personages to Arras, where the pope was to send as many legates; and to whatever these persons should determine upon they promised most faithfully to accede. One of the conditions of this truce was, that each person should retain whatever he had got in his possession. The truce was immediately proclaimed in each army, to the great joy of the Brabanters, who were heartily tired of the siege. The day after, at day-break, tents and pavilions were struck, waggons loaded, and every one in motion to depart; so that any one who had been there before, and saw this, might have hailed a new era.
Thus the good city of Tournay remained unhurt, but it had a narrow escape; for there were at that time no more provisions in it than would have been sufficient for three or four days. The Brabanters began their march immediately, for they were very impatient to return. The king of England set out sore against his will, but it behoved him to consent to the will of others, and to agree to their counsels. The king of France could not well remain longer where he was, from the great stench of the dead cattle, and from the excessive heat of the weather. The French thought they had gained much honour in this business; giving their reason, that they had prevented the city of Tournay from being lost, and separated the large army which had lain before it and done nothing, notwithstanding the great preparations that had been made. The lords of the opposite party claimed the honour of this affair; because they had remained so long in the kingdom of France, and besieged one of the best towns the king had, burning and destroying his country before his eyes, and he not sending any succour or relief as he ought to have done; and lastly, because he had consented to a truce with his enemies lying before his city, burning and wasting his kingdom.
These lords then set out from Tournay, and returned to their own country. The king of England went to Ghent, where his queeen was, and soon after crossed the sea with all his people, except those whom he left to attend the conference at Arras. The earl of Hainault returned to Valenciennes; and upon that occasion there were great entertainments, and a tournament at Mons in Hainault. Sir Gerard de Verchin, seneschal of Hainault, was there, and tilted at this tournament, in which he was mortally wounded. He left behind him a son, called John, who was afterwards a bold and hardy knight, though he enjoyed but indifferent health. The king of France disbanded his army, and went to amuse and refresh himself at Lisle, where the principal persons of Tournay came to see him. He received them with great joy; and, as a mark of favour for having so gallantly defended themselves against their enemies, so that they made no conquests from them, he granted them back their franchises, which they had lost for some time. This made them very happy; for sir Godemar du Fay, and many other knights, strangers to them, had been made their governors: they, therefore, immediately elected provosts and jurats from among themselves, according to their ancient customs. When the king had settled to his liking part of his business, he set out from Lisle, and took the road towards his good city of Paris.
The time approached for the meeting of the conference at Arras. Pope Clement VI sent, as his legates, the cardinal of Naples, and the cardinal of Clermont, who came to Paris, where they were received most honourably by the king of France, and then proceeded to Arras. From the king of France, there came the earl of Alençon, the duke of Bourbon, the earl of Flanders, the earl of Blois, the archbishop of Sens, the bishop of Beauvais, and the bishop of Auxerre. On the part of the king of England there were, the bishop of Lincoln, the bishop of Durham, the earl of Warwick, the lord Robert d’Artois, the lord John of Hainault, and the lord Henry of Flanders. At this conference, there were many subjects brought forward for discussion, and a great deal of talk during the fifteen days which it lasted, but nothing positively determined upon; for the English made large demands, which the French would not allow of; they agreed only to restore the county of Ponthieu, which had been given, as a marriage portion with Isabella, to the king of England. This conference, therefore, broke up without doing any thing, except prolonging the truce to two years, which was all that these cardinals could obtain. Every one returned homewards; and the cardinal took their road through Hainault, at the entreaties of the earl, who right nobly entertained them.