the Hotel de Ville, seized the banner of France, jumped on horseback and rode through the city shouting, “Mountjoy St. Denis, for the king and the duke!” This was the rallying-cry of the dauphin’s partisans.  The day ended with a great riot amongst the people.  Towards eleven o’clock at night Marcel, followed by his people armed from head to foot, made his way to the St. Anthony gate, holding in his hands, it is said, the keys of the city.  Whilst he was there, waiting for the arrival of the King of Navarre’s men, Maillart came up “with torches and lanterns and a numerous assemblage.  He went straight to the provost and said to him, ’Stephen, Stephen, what do you here at this hour?’ ’John, what business have you to meddle?  I am here to take the guard of the city of which I have the government.’  ‘By God,’ rejoined Maillart, ’that will not do; you are not here at this hour for any good, and I’ll prove it to you,’ said he, addressing his comrades.  ’See, he holds in his hands the keys of the gates, to betray the city.’

[Illustration:  “In his Hands the Keys of the Gates.”——­354]

‘You lie, John,’ said Marcel.  ’By God, you traitor, ‘tis you who lie,’ replied Maillart:  ‘death! death! to all on his side!’ “And he raised his battle-axe against Marcel.  Philippe Giffard, one of the provost’s friends, threw himself before Marcel and covered him for a moment with his own body; but the struggle had begun in earnest.  Maillart plied his battle-axe upon Marcel, who fell pierced with many wounds.  Six of his comrades shared the same fate; and Robert Lecocq, Bishop of Laon, saved himself by putting on a Cordelier’s habit.  Maillart’s company divided themselves into several bands, and spread themselves all over the city, carrying the news everywhere, and despatching or arresting the partisans of Marcel.  The next morning, the 1st of August, 1358, “John Maillart brought together in the market-place the greater part of the community of Paris, explained for what reason he had slain the provost of tradesmen and in what offence he had detected him, and pointed out quietly and discreetly how that on this very night the city of Paris must have been overrun and destroyed if God of His grace had not applied a remedy.  When the people who were present heard these news they were much astounded at the peril in which they had been, and the greater part thanked God with folded hands for the grace He had done them.”  The corpse of Stephen Marcel was stripped and exposed quite naked to the public gaze, in front of St. Catherine du Val des Beoliers, on the very spot where, by his orders, the corpses of the two marshals, Robert de Clermont and John de Conflans, had been exposed five months before.  He was afterwards cast into the river in the presence of a great concourse.  “Then were sentenced to death by the council of prud’hommes of Paris, and executed by divers forms of deadly torture, several who had been of the sect of the provost,” the regent having declared that he would not re-enter Paris until these traitors had ceased to live.