About this time, the king of France had formed * refolution to go to Avignon, and vifit the pope and cardinals, and, in his road, to amufe himfelf by iafpeâing the duchy of Burgundy, which, had lately fallen in to him. - The king, therefore^ ordered preparations to be Made* and fet put from Paris about St. John's day 1362, having left his eldeft fon, Charles duke of Normandy, regent and governor of the kingdom durhg hhabfence» The king took with him the lord John of Artois* Ms coufin, whom he much loved ; the earl of Tan-carville, the earl of Dampmartin, Boucicault mar-shal of France, fir Arnold d'Andreghen, the grand prior of France and feveral others. He travelled lowly and with much expenfe, making fome (lay in all the dries and towns of Burgundy, fo that he did not arrive at Villeneuve * until about Michael-mas. It was there that his hôtel was prepared, as well for himfelf as for his attendants. • He was moft magnificently received and feafted by the pope and the college at Avignon : the king, pope and cardi-nals vifiteA each other often. The king remained fet Villeneuve during the whole timet* About * Villeneuve d'Avignon,—a town of lower Languedoc, on the Rhône, oppofite to Avignon. t Viîlaret feems to think Froiffart has made a mtftake re-fpeÔing this vifit of the king, and that it was to prevent the marriage of Edmund earl of Cambridge, fon of king Ed-ward III. with the widow of the late duke of Burgundy, by means of the pope». « Since 96