Auvergne, where it remained one night ; and ofl the morrow it was embalmed* conveyed to St* Denis in France and buried in- a tomb very neat that of king Charles of France, which the king had caufed to be made in his life time. By his or-der, the body of fir Bertrand, his conftable, was placed at his feet ; and his obfequies were perform-ed with the fame honours as if he had been his own fon : the king's brothers, as Well as great numbers of the nobility, attended. By the death of fir Bertrand, the office of con-* fiable became vacant ; On which many councils were held to nominate a fucceflbr. Several great barons of France were thought of: in particular, the lords dc Cliflbn and de Coucy, The king of France appointed the lord de Couçy governor of all Picardy, and alfo gave him the domain of Mor-taigne, which is a handfome heritage, fituated be-tween Tournay and Valenciennes. ^ * Sir James de Verchin, the young fénéfchal of Hainault, was turned out of it : he held it in fuc-cefiion from his father, who had been lord of it for a long time. I fay, therefore,, the lord de Coucy was gready in favour with the king of France, who was defirous to nominate him conftable : but the gallant knight excufed himfeif with many reafons, and refufed to undertake fo weighty a charge as that of conftable, adding that fir Oliver de Cliflbn was the fitted perfon of any, for he was a valiant, enterprifing and prudent knight, well known to and beloved by the Bretons. Things remained thus for fome time, when the men Î7&