When he reached the house where his father lay dying, he was told that speech had already ceased, but that there was still life.  The count threw himself on his knees by the bedside, weeping in all tenderness, and implored a paternal benediction and pardon for all wherein he had offended his father.  Near the duke stood his confessor who begged the dying man to make a sign if he could still understand what was said to him.  On this admonition and in reply to his son’s prayers, Philip turned his eyes to Charles, looked at him and pressed the hand which was laid upon his own, but further token was beyond his strength.  The count stayed by his side until he breathed his last.

Thus ended the life of a man who had been a striking figure in Europe for forty years.  His most fervent dream, indeed, had never been fulfilled.  All his pompous vows to wrest the Holy Land from the invading Turks had proved vain.  Many years had passed since he had had military success of any kind, and even in his earlier life his successes had been owing to diplomacy and to a happy conjunction of circumstances rather than to skilful generalship.  He possessed pre-eminently the power of personality.

When Duke John of Burgundy fell on the bridge at Montereau and Philip came into his heritage, Henry V. of England was in the full flush of his prosperity, standing triumphant over England and France, and in a position to make good his claim with three stalwart brothers to back him.  All these young men had died prematurely.  Their only descendant was Henry VI., and that meagre and wretched representative of the ambitious Henry V. had had no spark of the character of his father and uncles.  The one vigorous element in his life was his wife, Margaret of Anjou, who diligently exerted herself to keep her husband on his throne.  In vain were her efforts.  By 1467, Edward of York was on that throne.  Gone, too, was Charles VII., whose father’s acts had clouded his early, whose son darkened his latter years.

Out of his group of contemporaries, Duke Philip alone had marched steadily to every desired goal.  His epitaph gave a fairly accurate list of his achievements in doggerel verses: 

  “John was born of Philip, child of good King John. 
  To that John, I, Philip, was born his eldest son. 
  Flanders, Artois, and Burgundy his will bequeathed to me
  Therein to follow him and rule them legally. 
  With Holland, Zealand, Hainaut, my own realm greater grew. 
  Luxemburg, Brabant, Namur soon were added too. 
  The Liegeois and the German my lawful rights defied,
  By force of right and arms they have been pacified. 
  At one single time against me were maintained
  French, English, German forces,—­nothing have they gained. 
  Against King Charles the Seventh, I warred in great array. 
  From me he begged a peace and king was from that day! 
  The mighty conflicts that I fought in all are numbered seven.