Chronicle and Romance (The Harvard Classics Series)
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| Publié par | mevung |
| Publié le | 08 décembre 2010 |
| Nombre de lectures | 26 |
| Langue | English |
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The Project Gutenberg EBook of Chronicle and Romance (The Harvard Classics Series), by Jean Froissart, Thomas Malory, Raphael Holinshed This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net Title: Chronicle and Romance (The Harvard Classics Series) Author: Jean Froissart, Thomas Malory, Raphael Holinshed Release Date: October 8, 2004 [EBook #13674] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHRONICLE AND ROMANCE *** Produced by The PG Online Distributed Proofreading Team. Produced from images provided by the Million Book Project
The Battle o fPoitiers rfomt he painting by H. Dupray (See page 52) THE HARVARD CLASSICS Edited By CHARLES W. ELIOT, LLD CHRONICLE AND ROMANCE FROISSART—MALORY—HOLINSHED WITH INTRODUCTIONS, NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS 1910 BY P.F. COLLIER & SON NEW YORK CONTENTS THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART, Translated by Lord Berners Edtied by G.C. Macaulay The Campaign of Crecy The Battle o fPoiiters Wat T ly e 'r s Rebel il on The Battle of Otterburn THE HOLY GRAIL by Sri Thomas Malory From The Caxton Edition of The Morte D'Atrhur A DESCRIPTION OF ELIZABETHAN ENGLAND Wirtten by Wililam Harirson for Holinshed's Chronicles CHAPTER .I Of Degrees of People II. O fCiites and Towns II .I Of Gardens and Orchards IV. Of Fairs and Markets V. Of the Church of England V .I Of Food and Diet V .II Of Apparel and Attire VIII. Of Building and Furntiure IX. O fProivsionf ort he Poor X. O fA ,riSoil, and Commodities X .I Of Minerals and Metals X II . O fCaltte Keptf or Proift X II .I Of Wild and Tame Fowls XIV. Of Savage Beasts and Vermin XV. Of Our English Dogs XVI. Of the Navy of England XV II . Of Kinds of Punishment XVI .II O fUniverstiies THE CHRONICLES OF FROISSART By Jean Froissart HISTORICAL NARRATIVE OF MANY OF THE BATTLES OF THE HUNDRED YEAR'S WAR BETWEEN ENGLAND AND FRANCE. INTRODUCTORY NOTE Jean Froissa,tr t he most representative of the chroniclers of the later Middle Ages, was born at Valenciennes in 1337 .The Chronicle which ,more than his poerty ,has kept his fame ailve ,was undetraken when he was only twentyt ;hef rist book was wirtteni ni ts eariles tform by 1369; and he kepr tevising and enlarging the work to the end of hisfil e .In 1361 he went to England, entered the Church ,and attached himself to Queen Phiilppa of Hainaul,t the fiwe o fEdward II,I who made him her secretary and clerk o fhe rchape .lMuch of hisl fie was spenti n rtavel. He went to France with the Black Prince ,andt o tIaly iwtht he Duke o fClarence. He saw fighitng ont he Scoittsh borde,r visited Holland ,Savo,y and Provence ,returning at intervals to Pairs and London .He was Vica rof Esitnnes-au-Mont, Canon o fChima ,yand chaplain to the Comte de Blois ;bu tthe Church to him was rathe ra source of revenue than a reilgious calilng. He finally setlted down in his naitvet own ,where he died abou t1410. Froissatr's wandering life pointst o one o fthe most prominen to fhis characteristics as a histoiran. Unciritca land otfen inconsistent as he is ,his mistakes are no tdue to paitrsanship, for he is extraordinarliy cosmopoltian .The Germans he dislikes as unchivalrous; but though his lfie lay in the peirod of the Hundred Years 'War between England and France, and though he describes many of the events of that war, he is as friendly to England as to France. By btrih Froissa trbelonged to the bourgeoisie, bu this tastes and associations made him an airstocra.t Glimpses oft he suffeirngs which the lower classes underwen tint he wars o fhis itme appeari n his pages ,but they are giveni ncidentally and without sympathy .Hisi nterests are al lint he somewhat degenerate chivarly o fhis age, in the splendor o fcoutrs, the pomp and cricumstance o fwar, in tourneys ,and in pageanrt .yFu llo fthe love of adventure, he would rtave lacross hal fo fEurope to see a gallant feat o farms ,a coronaiton ,a roya lmarirage. Strength and courage and loyalty were the vritues he loved ;cowardice and petty greed he hated. Cruelty and injustice could not dim for himt he brilliance of the careers oft hose birgand lords who were his irfends and patrons. The material fo rthe eariler par tof his Chronicles he took largely rfom his predecessor and model ,Jean Lebe;l the later books aref llied iwth narraitves of what he saw wtih his own eyes, or gathered rfomt heil ps o fmen who had themselves been pa trof what they told. This fact ,along tiwh his mastery o fa style which is always vivacious fi someitmes dffiuse ,accounts fo rthe vividness and picturesqueness of his work. The pagean to fmedieval lfie in court and camp dazzled and delighted him, and ti is as a pageant that we seet he Middle Agesi n his book. Froissatr holds a disitnguished place among the poets as well as the historians o fhis centur .yHe wrote chielfy in the allegorical stylet hen in vogue; and his poemst ,hough cas tin a mold no longeri n fashion, are fresh and full of color ,and weref ound worthy ofi mitation by Geoffrey Chaucer. Buti i ts ast he supreme chronicler oft hel ater age o fchivarlyt ha the lives. "God has been gracious enough" he wrties, "to permi tme to visti the coutrs and palaces of kings ,… and all the nobles, kings ,dukes, counts ,barons, and knights ,belonging to all nations ,have been kind to me ,have ilstened to me ,iwllingly received me ,and proved very useful to me.... Wherever Iwen t Ienquried o fold knights and squries who had shared in deeds of arms, and could speak tiwh authority concerning them, and also spoke wtih heralds in order to verify and corroborate allt ha twast old me. Int his way I gathered noble facts for my history ,and asl ong as I live, I sha ,llby the grace of God, continue to do this, for the more I labour at this the more pleasure I have, and I trust that the genlte knigh twho loves arms iw llbe nouirshed on such noblef are, and accompilsh sit llmore." THE CAMPAIGN OF CRECY HOW THE KING OF ENGLAND CAME OVER THE SEA AGAIN, TO RESCUE THEM IN AIGULILON The king o fEngland, who had heard how his men were sore consrtainedi n the castle of Aiguillon ,then he though tto go over the sea into Gascoyne with a grea tarmy. There he made his provision and senf to rmen al labout his realm and in other places ,where het hough tto speed for his moneI .ynt he same season the lord Godrfey of Harcour tcame into England ,who was banished out of France: he was wellr eceived with the king andr etainedt o be about him, and had fair lands assigned him in England to maintain his degree. Then the king caused a great navy of ships to be readyi n the haven of Hampton, and caused al lmanne ro fmen of war to draw thithe .rAbou tthe feast o fSain tJohn Bapitstt he year of our Lord God MCCCXLV,.It he king departed rfomt he queen and letf heri n the guiding o fthe ealr o fKen this cousin ;and he stabilshedt hel ord Percy andt hel ord Nevlit lo be wardens o fhis realm with( the archbishop of Canterbury,) the archbishop of York, the bishop of Lincoln and the bishop of Durham; for he never voided his realm but that he letf eve renough at home to keep and defendt her ealm, if need were. Thent he kingr ode to Hampton and there tarriedf o rwind :then he entered into his ship and the pirnce of Wales wtih him ,andt hel ord Godfrey of Harcourt, and all otherl ords, earls, barons and knights, wtih all their companies. They were in numbe ra fourt housand men of arms andt ent housand archers, besideI irshmen and Welshmen thaf tollowedt he host afoot. Now I sha llname you certain of the lords that went ove rwtih king Edward in that journe.y Frist ,Edward his eldest son ,pirnce o fWales, who as then was o fthe age of thitreen years or thereabout, [1] the ealrs o fHereford, Northampton, Arundel ,Cornwall, Warwick, Hunitngdon, Suffolk, and Oxford; and of baronst hel ord Moritmer ,who was atfer ea lro fMarcht ,he lords John, Louis and Roger of Beauchamp, andt hel ord Raynold Cobham ;ofl ords the lord of Mowbra,y Ros ,Lucy, Felton, Bradestan, Mutlon, Delaware ,Manne, [2] Basse ,tBerkeley, and Willoughby ,with divers othe rlords ;and of bachelors there was John Chandos, Ftiz-Warin, Pete rand James Audley, Roger of Wetenhale, Bartholomew of Burghersh, and Richard of Pembridge, wtih divers othe rthat I canno tname .Few there were of strangers: there was the ea lrHainautl [ , ]3 sir Wuflart of Ghistelles ,and five or six othe rknights o fAlmaine, and many othet rhatI cannot name. Thus they sailed forth that day in the name of God. They were well onward on their way toward Gascoyne, but on the thrid dayt herer ose a contrary wind and dravet hem on the marches o fCornwall ,and theret heyl ay at anchor six days. Int ha tspacet he king had other counsel by the means o fs riGodrfey Harcour:t he counselledt he king not to go into Gascoyne, bu trather to set aland in Normandy ,and said to the king: 'Si,r the counrty o fNormandy is one of the plenteous counrties oft he wolrd: sri ,onj eopardy o fmy head, i fye wil lland there,t herei s none that shalr lesist yout ;he people of Normandy have not been used tot he war ,and at llhe knights and squries of the country are now at the siege before Aiguillon wtih the duke. And, sir,t here ye shaif llnd greatt ownst hat be not walled ,whereby your men shall have such winning,t hatt hey shal lbe the bettet rhereby twenty year atfer ;and, sri ,ye mayf ollow with your army itl lye come to Caen in Normandy: sir I ,requrie you to believe me in this voyage,' The king, who was as then but in the lfower o fhis youth ,desiirng nothing so much as to have deeds o farms, incilned greatly to the saiyng o fthel ord Harcoutr ,whom he called cousin .Then he commanded the mariners to set theri course to Normandy ,and he took into his ship the token o fthe admria lthe ealr o fWarwick, and said now he would be admrialf ort ha tivage ,and so salied on before as governou rot fha tnav,y and they had wind a twill .Then the king arirvedi n the isle o fCotenitn, at a por tcalled Hogue Saint-Vaast. [4] Tidings anon spread abroad how the Englishmen were aland :the towns of Cotentin sent word thereof to Pairs to king Philip .He had wel lheard before how the king o fEngland was ont he sea wtih a great arm,y bu the wist not what way he would draw, other into Normandy, Bretayne or Gascoyne. As soon as he knew that the king of England was alandi n Normand,y he sent his constablet he ear lo fGuines ,andt he ealr o fTancarvlile ,who were but newly comet o him rfom his son rfom the siege a tAlguillon ,to the town of Caen, commanding them to keep that town agains tthe Engilshmen .They said they would do thei rbest: they depatred rfom Paris wtih a good numbe rof men of war, and daliyt here came moret o them byt he way ,and so came to the town o fCaen ,where they were received wtih grea tjoy o fmen o fthe town and of the counrty thereabou,t that were drawn thtihe rfo rsurety. These lords took heed fo rthe proivsion oft het own,t he which ast hen was not walled. The kingt hus was arrived a tthe por tHogue Sain-tVaast near to Saint-Saviour the Viscoun [ t ]5 t heir gh theritaget ot hel ord Godrfey of Harcourt, who as then wast here witht he king of England. HOW THE KING OF ENGLAND RODE IN THREE BATTLES THROUGH NORMANDY Whent he king of England arirved int he Hogue Sain-tVaast ,the king issued ou tof his ship ,and the first foot that he se tont he ground ,hef el lso rudelt ,yhatt he blood bras tou to fhis nose .The knightst ha twere about himt ook him up and said: 'Sir, for God's sake ente ragaini nto your ship ,and come no taland this day, for this is but an ev lisign for us.' Then the king answered quickly and said: 'Wherefore? This is a goodt oken fo rmef ,ot rhel and desrieth to have me.' Of the which answe rall his men were righ tjoyfu .lSo tha tday and nigh tthe king lodged on the sands, and in the meanitme dischargedt he ships oft hei rhorses and othe rbaggages: theret he king made two marshals o fhis hos,tt he onet hel ord Godrfey of Harcour tandt he othert he ealr of Warwick ,andt he ea lrof Arundel constable. And he ordained that the earl o fHuntingdon should keept hef leet o fships wtih a hundred men of arms and four hundred archers: and also he ordainedt hree battles, onet o go on his right hand ,closingt ot he sea-side ,andt he other on his left hand, and the king himsefl in the midst ,and every night tol odge all in onef ield. Thus they set forth as they were ordained, and they that went by the sea took all the ships that they found in their ways: and so long they wentf orth ,wha tby sea and wha tbyl andt ,hat they came to a good por tandt o a good town called Barfleur, the whichi nconitnent was won,f o rthey wtihin gave up for fear o fdeath. Howbe,tif or allt ha,t the town was robbed ,and much gold and sliver theref ound ,andir ch jewels: there wasf ound so much irches ,thatt he boys and llivains o fthe host se tnothing by goodf urred gowns: they made allt he men o fthe town to issue ou tand to go into the ships, because they would no tsuffet rhemt o be behind them fof rea ror febelilng again. Aftet rhet own o fBarfleur was thus taken and robbed wtihout brenning, then they spread abroadi nt he country and did whatt hey ils,t for there was not tor esistt hem .Atl as tthey came to a great and a ircht own called Cherbourgt :het ownt hey won andr obbed i,t and bren tpatr thereo,f buti ntot he casltet hey could not come ,it was so strong and wellf urnished with men o fwa .rThen they passedf orth and camet o Montebourg, and took it andr obbed and breni t tclean .In this manner they brent many othe rtowns in tha tcountry and won so much irches, tha tti was marve lto reckoni t. Then they came to a grea ttown wel lclosed called Carentan, where there was also a srtong castle and many soldiers within to keepi .t Then thel ords came out o ftheri ships and ifercely made assautl :the burgesses o fthe town werei n grea tfea ro fthe rilives ,wives and chlidren :they sufferedt he Englishment o ente rinto the town agains tthe will of all the soldiers that were theret ;hey pu tal ltheri goodst o the Engilshme'ns pleasures ,they though tthat most advantage. When the soldiers wtihin saw that, they wen tinto the casltet :he Engilshmen wenti ntot het own, and two days togethet rhey made sore assautls, so that when they within saw no succou,rt hey iyelded upt ,he riilves and goods saved ,and so departed .The Englishmen had the ripleasure ot fha tgood town and caslte ,and whent hey saw they might no tmaintaint o keepi ,t they setf rie therein and brent it, and made the burgesses of the town to enter into thei rships ,as they had done wtih them o fBalfreu,r Cherbourg and Montebourg ,and of othert ownst hat they had won ont he sea-side .All this was done byt he batlte that went by the sea-side, and by them on the sea together. [6] Nowl et us speak o fthe king's battle .When he had sen this first batlte along by the sea-side ,as ye have heard, whereof one of his marshals, the earl of Warwick, was captain, and the lord Cobham with him, then he made his other marshal to lead his host on hisl e tfhand ,fo rhe knew thei ssues and entires of Normandy bette rthan any other did there. The lord Godrfey as marshalr odef otrh wtih five hundred men o farms, and rode offf romt he king's battle as six or seven leagues,i n brenning and exliing the country ,the which was plentfiul o feverything—the granges ful lof corn, the houses full of allr iches, irch burgesses ,catrs and chairots, horse ,swine ,muttons and other beasts: theyt ook what themil st and broughti ntot he king's hos;t but the soldiers made no countt o the king nor to none of his ofifcers o fthe gold and slivet rha tthey did ge;t they keptt hatt o themselves .Thus sri Godfrey of Harcourtr ode every day off from the king's hos ,tandf or most part every nighr tesotred to the king'sf ield. The king took his wayt o Saint-Lo in Cotentin ,but o rhe came there he lodged by ar iver ,abidingf or his ment har tode along byt he sea-side ;and whent hey were come, they setf orth their carriage ,andt he ear lof Warwick,t he ear lof Suffolk, sir Thomas Holland and si rRaynold Cobham, and their companyr ode ou ton the one side and wasted and elixed the country, ast hel ord Harcou trhad done; and the king ever rode betweent hese battles, and every nigh tthey lodgedt ogether. OF THE GREAT ASSEMBLY THAT THE FRENCH KING MADE TO RESIST THE KING OF ENGLAND Thus byt he Engilshmen was brent, eixled,r obbed, wasted and pliledt he good, plentiful counrty o fNormandy .Then the French king senf tort hel ord John of Hainautl ,who camet o him wtih a great numbe:r alsot he king sentf o rother men of arms ,dukes ,ealrs ,barons, knights and squries, and assembled togethe rthe greatest number o fpeoplet hat had been seeni n France a hundred yea rbefore .He senf tor men into so fa rcountires ,that it was long ort hey came togethe ,rwhereforet he king o fEngland did wha thim ilst in the mean season .The French king heard wel lwhat he did, and sware and said how they should siever return again unfought withal, and that such hurts and damages as they had done should be dealry revenged ;wherefore he had sent letters to his irfendsi n the Empire, to such as weref arthest of,f and also to the genlte king o fBohemia and to the lord Chalres his son, who from thenceforth was called king of Almaine; he was made king by the aid of his father and the French king, and had taken on him the arms of the Empire: the French king desired them to come to him wtih all their powers, to the intent to fight wtih the king o£ England, who brent and wasted his country. These princes and lords made them ready with great number of men o£ arms, of Almains, Bohemians and Luxemburgers, and so came to the French king. Also king Philip sent to the duke of Lorraine ,who camet o serve him witht hree hundred spears: also there camet he ea( lro )fSalm in Saumois,t he ear lof Sarrebruck ,the ea lrof Flanders,t he ealr Wliilam of Namur, every man wtih af ai rcompan.y Ye have heard herebefore of the order of the Engilshmen, how they wen tin three battles, the marshals ont he right hand and ont hel e,tft he king andt he pirnce o fWales his son int he midst They rode bu tsmallj ourneys and every day tookt hei rlodgings between noon andt hree ot fhe clock, andf oundt he country sorf uftiu,lt hat they needed nott o make no provision for theri hos ,tbu tal lonly fo rwine; and yet they found reasonably sufifcient thereof. [ ]7 tI was no marvel though they of the country were arfaid, for beforet ha titmet hey had never seen men of war ,nort hey wist not what war or batlte mean .tThey lfed away as far as they migh thear speaking of the Engilshmen, [8] and le tftheri houses well stuffed ,and grangesf ull o fcorn ,they wist not howt o save and keep .tiThe king o fEngland and the pirnce had int heri baltte at hree thousand men o farms and sixt housand archers and at ent housand men afoot, besidet hem that rode wtiht he marshals. Thus as ye have heardt ,he king rode forth, wasitng and brenningt he country withou tbreaking of his order .He left the city of Coutances [ ]9 and wentt o a greatt own called Saint-Lo, a rich town o fdrapery and many irch burgessesI .n tha ttown there were dwelling an eigh to rnine score burgesses, cratfy men .When the king came there ,he took his lodging wtihout ,fo rhe would nevel rodge int het own for fear of ifre :bu the sent his men before and anont het own was taken and clean robbed .tI was hardt ot hink the great irches thatt here was won,i n clothes specially ;cloth wouldt here have been sold good cheap, if there had been any buyers. Thent he king wentt oward Caent ,he which was a greater town andf ull o fdrapery and othe rmerchandise ,andir ch burgesses, noble ladies and damosels ,and fari churches, and specially two great and rich abbeys, one ot fhe Tirnity, another o fSain tStephen ;and on the one side o fthe town one o fthe faires tcastles o fa llNormandy, and captain therein was Rober to fWargn ,ywtih three hundred Genoways ,and in the town was the ealr o fEu and of Guines, constable of France, and the earl of Tancarville, with a good number of men of war. The king of England rode that day in good orde rand lodged al lhis batltes togethe rthat night ,a two leagues from Caen, in a town with a litlte haven called Ausrtehem, and thither came also al lhis navy of ships wtih the earl of Hunitngdon, who was governour o fthem. The constable and othe rlords o fFrancet hat night watched wellt het own o fCaen, andi n the morning armed them with allt hem of the town:t hent he constable ordained tha tnone should issue out, bu tkeep thei rdefences ont he walls, gate ,birdge and rive,r and lef tthe suburbs void, because they were no tclosed ;fo rthey thought they should have enought o dot o defend the town, because ti was not closed but wtih the irve.r They o fthe town said howt hey would issue ouf ,tort hey were srtong enough tof ight with the king o fEngland. Whent he constable saw thei rgood wills, he said: 'Int he name of God be ,ti ye shall not fight withou tme ',Then they issued outi n good orde rand made good face to fight and to defend them and to put their lives in adventure. OF THE BATTLE OF CAEN, AND HOW THE ENGLISHMEN TOOK THE TOWN The same day the Englishmen rose early and apparelled them ready to go to Caen [ . 10] The king heard mass beforet he sun-rising and then took his horse ,and the pirnce his son, wtih sir Godrfey o fHarcourt marshal andl eader oft he hos,t whose counse lthe king muchf ollowed. Then they drew toward Caen wtiht he ribattlesi n good arra,y and so approached the good town o fCaen .When they of the town ,who were readyi n the ifeld, saw these three balttes coming in good orde,r with theri banners and standards wavingi n the wind, and the archers, the which they had not been accustomedt o seet ,hey were sore afraid and fled away towardt he town wtihout any orde ror good arra,yf o rall tha tthe constable could do:t hen the Englishmen pursuedt hem eagerly .When the constable and the earl Tancarville saw tha,t they took a gate a tthe entry and saved themselves [11] and cetrain wtih them ,fo rthe Englishmen were enteredi nto the town .Some o fthe knights and squires o fFrance ,such as knewt he wayt ot he castle, wentt hithe ,rand the captain there received them all, for the caslte was large .The Englishmeni n the chase slew man,y fo rthey took none to mercy. Thent he constable and the ea lro fTancarville ,being in the ilttlet ower at the bridgef ool ,tooked alongt he srtee tand saw thei rmen slain wtihout mercy: they doubtedt of alli nt heir hands. At las tthey saw an Engilsh knigh twith one eye called sir Thomas Holland ,and a ifve o rsix othe rknights with him: they knew themf ,ort hey had seen them before in Pruce, in Granade ,and in othe rivages. Then they called to sri Thomas and said how they would iyeld themselves pirsoners. Then si rThomas came thtiher with his company and mounted upi nto the gate, and there found the said lords wtih twenty-five knights wtih them, who yielded themt o si rThomas, and he tookt hem fo rhis pirsoners andl etf company to keep them, and then mounted again on his horse and rode into the streets, and saved many lives of ladies, damosels, and cloisterersrf om defoiilng ,fort he soldiers were withou tmercI .yf te llso wellt he same season for the Englishmen, that the river, which was able to bear ships, at that time was so low, that men went in and out beside the birdge. They of the town were enteredi nto their houses, and cas tdown intot he street stones, itmber and rion, and slew and hurt more than five hundred Engilshmen, wherewith the king was sore displeased .At nigh twhen he heard thereof, he commanded tha tthe next day all should be pu tto the sword and the town bren;t bu tthen sri Godrfey of Harcourt said :'Dea rsif ,ro rGod's sake assuage somewhat you rcourage ,and le tti sufifce yout hat ye have done. Ye have ye ta grea tvoyage to do or ye come before Calais ,whtihe rye purposet o go ;and, si,ri nt hist own therei s much people who wi lldefendt heri houses ,and ti wli lcost many of your ment heril ives ,o rye have all a tyour wlil; whereby peradventure ye shall not keep you rpurpose to Calais, the which shouldr edoundt o yourr ack. Si,r save you rpeople, fo rye shall have need oft hem ort his month pass; fo rt Ihink veliry your adversary king Philip wil lmee twith yout of ight, and ye shall ifnd many straight passages and rencounters; wherefore you rmen ,an ye had more ,sha llstand youi n good stead :and ,sri ,without any furthe rslaiyng ye shal lbel ord oft hist own ;men and women will put all that they have to you rpleasure.' Then the king said:' Si rGodrfey ,you are ou rmarshal ,ordain everything as ye will'. Then sri Godfrey with his banne rrode from streett o srtee,t and commanded in the king's name nonet o be so hardy to putf rie in any house ,to slay any person ,no rto ivolate any woman. When they of the town heard that cry ,they received the Englishmen into their houses and madet hem good chee,r and some openedt he ricoffers and bade them take what theml is,t so they migh tbe assured oft heriil ves ;howbeti there were donei nt het own many evli deeds ,murders and robbeires. Thus the Engilshmen werel ords o fthe town three days and won greatir ches ,the which they sent by barks and barges to Saint-Saivour byt he river of Austrehem [ , 12] a two leaguest hence ,whereas allt heri navyl ay .Thent he king sent the ear lo fHunitngdon witht wo hundred men of arms andf ou rhundred archers, with his navy and prisoners and irches that they had got, back again into England .And the king bought o fs riThomas Holland the constable of France andt he ear lof Tancarville, and paidf ort hemt wenty thousand nobles. HOW SIR GODFREY OF HARCOURT FOUGHT WITH THEM OF AMIENS BEFORE PARIS Thus the king of England ordered his business, being in the town of Caen, and sent into England his navy of ships charged with clothes, jewels, vessels of gold and silver, and of other riches, and of prisoners more than sixty knights andt hree hundred burgesses. Then he depatredrf om the town of Caen andr ode int he same order as he did before, brenning and exilingt he country, andt ookt he wayt o Evreux and so passed byi ;tand from thencet heyr odet o a great town called Louviers :it wast he chie ftown of all Normandy o fdraper,yr iches ,and full of merchandise .The Englishmen soon enteredt hereinf ,o rast hen ti was not closed;i twas overrun, spoiled and robbed wtihou tmercy :there was won grea tirches .Then they entered into the country o fEvreux and brent and pilled a llthe counrty except the goodt owns closed and casltes ,tot he whicht he king made none assau,tl because of the spairng o fhis people and his atrlliery. Ont her iver of Seine neat ro Rouent here was the ealr o fHarcoutr ,brothet ro si rGodfrey of Harcourt ,bu the was on the French part,y and the ealr o fDreux with him, with a good numbe ro fmen o fwa:r butt he Engilshmenl ef tRouen and went to Gisors ,where was a strong caslte: they bren tthe town and then they brent Vernon and a llthe country about Rouen and Pon-tde-'lArche and came to Mantes andt o Meulan, and wasted allt he counrty about ,and passed by the strong castle o fRolleboise; and in every place along the river of Seine they found the birdges broken. At last they camet o Poiss,y andf ound the bridge broken ,bu tthe arches and joistsl ayi nt he irve:r the king lay there af ive daysi :n
the mean season the birdge was made, to pass the host wtihout perli .The English marshals ran abroadj ust to Pairs, and brent Saint-Germain in Laye and Montjoie, and Sain-tCloud ,and petty Boulogne by Pairs, and the Quee'ns Bourg: [1]3 t hey of Pairs were no twell assured of themselves,f ori twas not as then closed. Then king Phiilp removed to Saint-Denis, and or he went caused all the penitcesi n Pairs to be pulled down; and at Saint-Denis were ready come the king of Bohemia ,the lord John of Hainaul,t the duke o fLorraine ,the ear lof Flanders, the earl of Blois, and many other great lords and knights, ready to serve the French king. When the people o fPairs saw thei rking depatrt ,hey camet o him and kneeled down and said :'Ah, sri and noble king ,wha tw lliye do? leave thus this noble ctiy o fParis? 'The king said' :My good people ,doub tye not :the Englishmen wlli approach you no neare rthan they be '.'Why so, sir? 'quoth they;t' hey be within these two leagues, and as soon as they know of your departing ,they will come and assai lus ;and we no table to defend them: sri ,tarry here sit lland help to defend your good ctiy o fPairs. ''Speak no more, 'quoth the king, 'for I wil lgot o Sain-tDenis to my men o fwa:r for I wil lencounter the Engilshmen and ifgh tagainst them, whatsoever fallt hereof'. The king of England was at Poiss,y andl ayi nt he nunnery there ,and kep tthere the feast of our Lady in Augus tand sat in hisr obes of scalretf urred with ermines; and after that feas the wentf otrh in order as they were before. The lord Godfrey o fHarcour trode out on the one side withf ive hundred men of arms and thirteen [1 ]4 hundred archers; and by adventure he encountered a great numbe ro fburgesses of Amiens a-horseback, who were irding by the king's commandmen tto Pairs. They were quickly assalied and they defended themselves vailantl ,yfo rthey were a great number and well armed: there were four knights of Amiens their captains. This skirmish dured long: at the first meeting many were ovetrhrown on both patrs; but ifnallyt he burgesses were taken and nigh al lslain, and the Engilshment ook alt lhei rcarriages and harness .They were we llstuffed ,for they were goingt o the French king wel lappointed ,because they had not seen him a great season before .There were slaini nt heif eld at welve hundred. Then the king o fEngland entered intot he counrty o fBeauvoisis ,brenning and exiilngt he plain country, and lodged a taf a riabbey and a rich called Sain-tMessien [1]5 near to Beauvais:t heret he kingt airred a night and in the morning departed .And when he was on his way he looked behind him and sawt he abbey af-rie: he caused incontinent twenty o fthem to be hangedt hat sett hef rie there, for he had commanded before on pain of death none to violate any church nort o bren any abbe.y Thent he king passed by the ctiy o fBeauvais wtihout any assau tlgiivngf ,o rbecause he would nott rouble his people no rwaste his artillery .And sot ha tday he took hisl odging beitmei n a little town called Mill.y The two marshals came so near to Beauvais, that they made assault and skirmish at the barriers in three places, the which assaul tendured a long space ;but thet own within was so wel ldefended by the means of the bishop ,who was there wtihin, that finally the Engilshmen depatred, and brent clean hardt ot he gates all the suburbs, andt hen a tnight they came intot he king'sif eld. The nex tday the king depatred ,brenning and wasting all before him ,and at nightl odged in a good vlliage called Grandvilliers. The nex tdayt he king passed by Dargies: there was none to defend the caslte ,whereforeti was soon taken and brent .Thent hey wentf orth destroying the counrty al labou,t and so came to the caslte o fPoix, where there was a good town and two castles. There was nobody in them but two fair damosels, daughters to the lord of Poix; they were soont aken, and had been ivolated ,ant wo English knights had no tbeen ,sri John Chandos and s riBasse;t they defended them and brought them to the king, who for his honour made them good cheer and demanded of them whither they would faines tgo .They said, 'To Corbie ',and the king caused them to be brough tthtihe rwtihou tpelir. That night the kingl odged int he town o fPoix .They ot fhet own and o fthe casltes spaket ha tnigh twitht he marshals o fthe host ,to save them and their town rfom brenning ,and they to pay a cetrain sum of floirns the nex tday as soon as the host was departed. This was granted them, and in the morning the king departed with all his host except a certain that were left there to receive the money that they of the town had promised to pay. When they of the town saw the host depatr and but a few le tfbehind ,then they said they would pay never a penn,y and so ran ou tand se ton the Englishmen, who defended themselves as wel las they migh tand sen tatfe rthe host fo rsuccour .When s riRaynold Cobham and sri Thomas Holland, who had the rule of the rearguard ,heard thereof ,they returned and cired' ,Treason, treason'! and so came again to Poix-ward andf oundt hei rcompanions sitll fighitng witht hem oft het own .Then anon they o fthe town were nigh all slain ,and the town bren,t and the two casltes beaten down .Then they returned to the king's hos,t who was as then at Ariaines andt here lodged, and had commanded all manne ro fmen on pain of death to do no hutr to no town of Arsyn [ , 1 ]6 f o rthere the king was minded toil e a day or two to take advice how he might pass the irver o fSomme;f or tiwas necessary for him to passt her iver ,as ye shall hear afte.r HOW THE FRENCH KING FOLLOWED THE KING OF ENGLAND IN BEAUVOISINOIS Now le tus speak o fKing Philip, who was a tSan-tDenis and his people abou thim, and dailyi ncreased .Then on a day he depatred and rode sol ong that he camet o Coppegueule, a three leagues rfom Amiens, andt here het airred. The king of England being a tAiraines wist no twheref ort o pass the irve ro fSomme,t he which was large and deep, and all birdges were broken and the passages we llkept .Then at the king's commandmen this two marshals wtih a thousand men o farms andt wo thousand archers wen talongt he irve rtof ind some passage ,and passed by Longpré, and came to the bridge of Remy [ , 17] the which was wel lkep twith a great number o fknights and squries and men of the counrt.y The Englishmen alighted afoot and assailed the Frenchmen from the morning tli lit was noon; but the birdge was so wel lfotrfiied and defended,t hatt he Engilshmen depatred withou twinning of anything .Thent hey went to a great town called Fountains ont heir ver of Somme ,the which was cleanr obbed and brent ,for it was no tclosed. Then they went to another town called Long-en-Ponthieu ;they could not win the bridge, i twas so well kep tand defended. Thent hey departed and wentt o Picquigny, andf oundt het own ,the bridge, andt he caslte so wef llotrified, tha tti was notl ikelyt o passt here:t he French king had so wel ldefended the passages,t o the intent that the king of England should no tpasst he irve rof Somme,t o ifgh twith him at his advantage or elset of amish himt here. Whent heset wo marshals had assayed in all placest oif nd passage and could find none,t heyr eturned again to the king ,and shewed howt hey could ifnd no passagei n no place .The same night the French king camet o Amiens wtih moret han a hundredt housand men .The king o fEngland wasir gh tpensive ,and the nex tmorning heard mass before the sunir-sing andt hen dislodged ;and every man followed the marshals' banners and so rodei n the country o fVimeu approaching to the good town o fAbbeivlle, and found a town thereby ,whereunto was come much people o fthe counrtyi n rtus to fal tilte defencet ha twas there ;but the Englishmen anon won ;tiand al ltheyt ha twere wtihin slain ,and manyt aken of the town and oft he counrt.y The king took hisl odgingi n a great hospita [ l 18] that was there. The same day the French king depatred rfom Amiens and came to Ariaines about noon; and the Englishmen were departed thence in the morning. The Frenchmen foundt here grea tprovision thatt he Englishmen had letf behind them ,because they depatredi n haste. There they found flesh ready on the broaches, bread and pasites in the ovens, winei n tuns and barrels, and thet ables readyl aid .Theret he French kingl odged andt ariredf o rhis lords. That night the king of England wasl odged a tOlsemon.t A tnight when the two marshals werer eturned ,who had that day overrun the countryt o the gates o fAbbellive and to Saint-Valery and made a great skirmisht here, thent he king assembledt ogethe rhis counci land madet o be brought before him certain pirsoners oft he country o fPonthieu and of Vimeu. The kingr ight coutreously demanded of them, if there were any among them that knew any passage beneath Abbevlliet ,hat he and his hos tmigh tpass over the river of Somme fi :he would shew him thereof ,he should be quit of his ransom, and twenty o fhis company for his love. There was a valret called Gobin Agace who stepped forth and said to the king:' Si,r I promise you on the jeopardy of my head Isha llbirng yout o such a place, whereas ye and all you rhos tsha llpasst her iver o fSomme without perli .There be cetrain places in the passaget ha tye shal lpass twelve men afrontt wo itmes between day and nigh :tye shall not goi n the water tot he knees. But when the flood cometh,t he irvert hen waxeth so grea,tt ha tno man can pass; but when thef loodi s gonet ,he which is twot imes between day and nigh,tt hen the irvei rs sol owt ,hat ti may be passed withou tdanger both a-horseback and afoot. The passagei s hard in the bottom with white stones, so that all you rcarriage may go surely; therefore the passage is called Blanchet-aque. An ye maker eadyt o depart beitmes, ye may bet here by the sun-irsing. 'The king said:' t fIhis bert uet ha tye say ,I quti thee thy ransom and all thy company, and moreover shall give thee a hundred nobles.' Then the king commanded every mant o be ready at the sound oft hert umpe tto depart. OF THE BATTLE OF BLANCHE-TAQUE BETWEEN THE KING OF ENGLAND AND SIR GODEMAR DU FAY The king o fEngland slept not much tha tnigh ,tfo rat midnigh the arose and sowned his rtumpe:t then incontinent they made ready carirages and allt hings ,and att he breaking of the dayt hey departed rfomt het own o fOisemon tand rode atfert he guiding of Gobin Agace ,so that they came by the sunir-singt o Blanchet-aque ;but as thent hef lood was up, so that they migh tno tpass: so the king tarried theret li lti was prime;t hen the ebb came. The French king had his curroursi nt he counrt ,ywho brough thim word oft he demeanou roft he Engilshmen .Then he though tto close the king o fEngland between Abbeville and the river o fSomme ,and so to fight wtih him a this pleasure. And when he was a tAmiens he had ordained a grea tbaron o fNormand ,ycalled sri Godema rdu Fay,t o go and keept he passage of Blanchet-aque, where the Englishmen must pass or else in none other place. He had wtih him a thousand men of arms and six thousand afoot, with the Genoways: so they went by Saint-Riquier in Ponthieu andf rom thence to Crotoy, whereast he passagel ay ;and also he had wtih him a great number o fmen oft he counrt,y and also a great number oft hem o fMontreuli ,sot ha tthey were at welvet housand men one and othe.r When the Engilsh hos twas comet htihe,r sri Godemar du Fay arranged al lhis companyt o defend the passage .The king o fEngland le tno tfor allt ha ;tbut when the flood was gone, he commanded his marshals to enter into the wate rin the name of God and Sain tGeorge .Then they that were hardy and courageous entered on both patries ,and many a man reversed. There were some of the Frenchmen of Artois and Picardy that were as glad to joust in the water as on the dry land. The Frenchmen defended so well the passage a tthe issuing ou tof the wate ,rtha tthey had much to do. The Genoways did them grea trtouble with their cross-bows :on the other side the archers o fEngland shot so wholly togethe,r that the Frenchmen were fain to give place to the Engilshmen. There was a sore baltte, and many a noble fea tof arms done on both sides .Finally the Englishmen passed over and assembled togetheri n the ifeld .The king andt he prince passed, and allt hel ordst ;hen the Frenchmen kep tnone array, but departed, het ha tmigh tbes.t When sri Godema rsaw tha tdiscomifture, he fled and saved himsefl :some fled to Abbeivlle and some to Sain-tRiquiers. They tha tweret here afoo tcould no tlfee ,sot hat there were slain a great number of them o fAbbeivlle ,Montreui,l Rue and o fSain-tRiquiers: the chase endured moret han a greatl eague. And as ye tallt he Engilshmen were no tpassed their ver ,and certain currours ot fhe king o fBohemia and of sir John o fHainaul tcame ont hemt hat were behind and took cetrain horses and carriages and slew divers, or they could taket he passage. The French king the same morning was depatred rfom Ariainesrt ,usitngt o have found the Engilshmen between him and the rive ro fSomme :bu twhen he heard how that sir Godema rdu Fay and his company were discomifted, he tarried in the field and demanded of his marshals what was best to do .They said' ,Sir, ye cannot pass the irve rbut at the birdge o fAbbeivllef ,or the flood is comei n at Blanchet-aque:'t hen he returned andl odged a tAbbeivlle. The king of England when he was pas tthe irver ,het hanked God and sor ode fotrh in like manne ras he did before. Then he called Gobin Agace and did quit him hisr ansom and all his company ,and gave him a hundred nobles and a good horse. And sot he kingr ode fotrh fair and easily ,and thought to have lodgedi n a greatt own called Noyelles; but when he knew tha tthe town pertained to the countess d'Aumale, siste rto the lord Robetr of Artois, [19] the king assuredt het own and country as much as petrainedt o her, and so went fotrh ;and his marshals rode to Crotoy ont he sea-side and brent the town, and foundi n the haven many ships and barks charged wtih wines of Poitou, pertaining to the merchants o fSaintonge and o fRochellet :hey brough tthe best thereoft ot he king's hos.t Then one o fthe marshals rode to the gates o fAbbeivlle and rfomt hence to Saint-Riquiers ,and atfer to the town o fRue-Saint-Esptir .This was on a Firda ,yand both battles oft he marshalsr eturnedt ot he king's host abou tnoon and sol odged all together neart o Cressy in Ponthieu. The king of England was well informed how the French king followed afte rhimt o ifgh.t Then he saidt o his company: 'Le tus take here some plot o fground ,fo rwe wi llgo nof arthert li lwe have seen our enemies . Ihave good cause here to abidet hem,f or I am on the righ thetirage ot fhe queen my mothe,rt he whichl and was given a ther marirage: I will challenge tiof mine adversary Phiilp of Valois.' And because that he had nott he eighth patri n number o fmen as the French king had, therefore he commanded his marshals to chose a plot of ground somewhat for his advantage: and so they did, and thither the king and his host went. Then he sen this currours to Abbeivlle ,to seei fthe French king drew that day intot he ifeld o rnot. They wentf orth and returned again, and said howt hey could see none appearance of his coming: then every man took their lodging for that day, and to be ready in the morning at the sound of the rtumpe tint he same place. This Friday the French kingt arired still in Abbeville abidingf o rhis company ,and sen this two marshals to ride out to see the deailng o fthe Englishmen, and a tnight they returned, and said how the Englishmen werel odged int heif elds .Tha tnightt he French king made a suppet ro alt lhe chief lordst ha tweret here wtih him, and afte rsuppe rthe king desired them to be firends each to other .The kingl ooked for the ear lof Savo,y who should come to him wtih at housand spears, for he had received wagesf o rat hree months oft hem a tTroyesi n Champagne. OF THE ORDER OF THE ENGLISHMEN AT CRESSY, HOW THEY MADE THREE BATTLES AFOOT On the Firday ,asI said before,t he king of England layi nt he fields, for the country was plentiful of wines and other victual ,and fi need had been, they had proivsion following in carts and othe rcarriages. That night the king made a suppert o all his chiel fords o fhis hos tand made them good cheer; and when they were al ldepatred tot ake theirr es,t then the king enteredi nto his oratory and kneeled down before the altar, praying God devoult,y tha tfi he fough tthe next day, that he might achieve the journey to his honour: then about midnight he laid him down to rest, and in the morning he rose beitmes and heard mass, and the prince his son with him, and the most part of his company were confessed and houselled ;and atfert he mass said, he commanded every mant o be armed and to draw to the ifeld to the same place before appointed. Then the king caused a park to be made by the wood side behind his hos ,tand there was set all carts and carirages ,and wtihin the park were allt heir horses, for every man was afoot ;andi ntot his park there was bu tone enrt .yThen he ordainedt hree battles:i n the frist was the young prince of Wales ,with himt he earl of Warwick and Oxford ,the lord Godrfey o fHarcour ,tsir Raynold Cobham, sri Thomas Holland, the lord Stafford, the lord o fMohun ,the lord Delaware ,sri John Chandos, sir Bartholomew de Burghersh, si rRobetr Nevill ,the lord Thomas Clifford ,the lord Bourchier,t hel ord de Laitmer, and divers other knights and squires that Icanno tnamet :hey were an eight hundred men of arms and two thousand archers, and a thousand of other with the Welshmen: every lord drew tot he ifeld appointed under his own banner and pennonI .n the second battle wast he ea lro fNotrhampton, the earl of Arunde,l the lord Ros ,the lord Luc ,ythe lord Wllioughb,y the lord Basset, the lord o fSain-tAubin, sir Louis Tufton ,the lord o fMulton, the lord Lascelles and divers other, abou tan eight hundred men o farms andt welve hundred archers. The thrid battle had the king :he had seven hundred men o farms and two thousand archers .Then the king leapt on a hobby [2]0 wtih a whiter odi n his hand, one of his marshals ont he one hand andt he other on the othe rhand: , her odef rom rankt o rank desiirng every man to take heed tha tdayt o his right and honour .He spakei tso sweelty and wtih so good countenance and merry chee,r that a llsuch as were discomftiedt ook couragei nt he seeing and hearing of him. And when he hadt hus ivsited all his batltes ,ti wast hen nine oft he dayt :hen he caused every man to ea tand drink a ilttle ,and sot hey did at theirl eisure .And afterwardt hey ordered againt heri battles: then every manl ay down on the earth and by him his salet and bow, to be the more fresher when their enemies should come. THE ORDER OF THE FRENCHMEN AT CRESS,Y AND HOW THEY BEHELD THE DEMEANOUR OF THE ENGLISHMEN This Saturday the French kingr ose betimes and heard massi n Abbeivlle in his lodging int he abbey o fSain tPete,r and he departed after the sun-irsing .When he was ou to fthe town two leagues, approaching toward his enemies, some of his lords saidt o him' :Sri ,i twere good tha tye ordered your battles, and le ta llyou rfootmen pass somewhat on before, that they be not troubled with the horsemen.' Then the king sent four knights, the Moine (of) Bazeilles, the lord o fNoyers ,the lord of Beaujeu andt he lord d'Aubigny to ride to aviewt he Engilsh hos;t and so they rode so near that they might wel lsee patr o ftheri deailng .The Englishmen sawt hem well and knew wel lhow they were comet htiher to aivew them :they let them alone and made no countenance toward them ,and le tthem return as they came .And when the French king sawt hesef our knightsr eturn again, he tariredt li lthey came to him and said:' Sris ,what tidings? ' Thesef ou rknights each oft hem looked on othe,rf o rthere was none would speak before his companion ;finally the king said to t(he )Moine, who pertained to the king of Bohemia and had done in his days so much ,that he was reputedf o rone oft he vailantest knights oft he world :'Sir, speak you, 'Then he said :'Sri , Ishal lspeak ,sith i tpleaseth you, under the correction of my fellows. Sir, we have ridden and seen the behaving of your enemies: know ye for truth they are restedi n three balttes abiding for you. Sir,I wli lcounse lyou as fo rmy pa ,trsaivng you rdispleasure ,tha tyou and a llyour companyr es there andl odgef or this night: fo rort hey that be behind of your company be come htihe,r and or your battles be seti n good order,i twill be very late ,and your people be weary and out o farray ,and ye shall find you renemies rfesh and ready to receive you .Ealry in the morning ye may orde ryou rbattles at more leisure and advise your enemies a tmore deilberation ,and to regard wel lwha tway ye will assa lithem ;for ,si,r surely they will abide you.' Then the king commanded that ti should be so done. Then his two marshals one rode before ,anothe rbehind, saiyng to every banne' :rTarry and abide here int he name of God and Sain tDenis '.They that weref oremostt arired, but they tha twere behind would no ttarry, butr ode fotrh, and said howt hey would in no wise abidet lit lhey were as far forward ast hef oremos :tand when they before saw them come on behindt ,hen they rodef orward again, sot hat the king nor his marshals could not rule them. So they rode without order or good array ,til lthey came in sigh tof theri enemies :and as soon as the foremos tsaw them ,they reculed then aback wtihou tgood array ,whereo fthey behind had marve land were abashed, andt hough tthatt hef oremost company had beenif ghting. Thent hey might have had leisure andr oomt o have gone forward, fit hey had ils:t some went forth and some abode still. The commons, o fwhom al lthe ways between Abbeivlle and Cressy were ful ,lwhen they saw tha tthey were nea rto theri enemies, they took their swords and cried: 'Down witht hem!l et us slay them all.' There is no man,t hough he were presen tatt hej ourne,y that could imagine o rshewt he rtuth oft he evil order tha twas amongt he French party, and yett hey were a marvellous grea tnumbe .rThat I wirtei n this book I learned ti specially oft he Englishmen, who wel lbeheldt hei rdealing; and also cetrain knights of sir John of Hainaul'ts, who was always about king Philip ,shewed me as they knew. OF THE BATTLE OF CRESSY BETWEEN THE KING OF ENGLAND AND THE FRENCH KING The Engilshmen, who werei n three batltesl iyng on the ground to rest them, as soon as they saw the Frenchmen approach,t hey rose upon theif ree tfari and easily wtihout any haste and arranged thei rbattles. The first, which was the pirnce's battle, the archerst here stood in manne ro fa herse and the men o farmsi nt he bottom oft he batlte .The ear lof Northampton andt he ear lof Arunde lwtiht he second battle were on a wingi n good order, ready to comfot trhe prince's battle ,i fneed were. The lords and knights of France came nott ot he assembly togetheri n good orde,rf or some came before and some came afte rin such haste and eiv lorde,r tha tone of them did trouble anothe.r When the French king saw the Engilshmen ,his blood changed ,and saidt o his marshals:' Make the Genoways go on before and begint he battlei n the name of God and Sain tDenis '.There were o fthe Genoways cross-bows abou ta fifteen thousand [ , 21] but they were so weary of going afoot that day a six leagues armed with their cross-bows, that they said to their constables: 'We be not wel lordered to ifgh tthis da,y for we be noti nt he case to do any great deed o farms :we have more need o frest. 'These words camet ot he ealr o fAlengon, who said' :A mani s well at ease to be charged wtih such a sort of rascals, to be fain tand fa linow a tmost need.' Also the same season there fell a great rain and a clipse [22] w ti h a terirble thunde ,rand beforet her ain there came lfiyng over both battles a grea tnumbe rof crows fo rfear oft het empest coming. Then anon the air began to wax clear ,and the sun to shine fai rand brigh,t the which was irgh tin the Frenchmen's eyen and on the Engilshmen's backs .When the Genoways were assembled together and began to approacht ,hey made a great leap [2 ]3 and cryt o abasht he Engilshmen, but they stood sitll and stirred not for allt ha:t then the Genoways again the second itme made another leap and a fell cr ,yand step tforward a ltitle, and the Engilshmen removed not onef oott :hridl,y again theyl eap tand cired ,and went fortht illt hey came wtihin shot;t hen they sho tifercely with theri cross-bows .Then the English archers stept fotrh one pace and let fly theri arrows so wholly t(ogethe )rand so thick ,that ti seemed snow. When the Genoways fetl the arrows piercing through heads ,arms and breasts ,many o fthem cas tdown thei rcross-bows and did cu tthe risrtings and returned discomifted. When the French king saw them fly away ,he said' :Slay these rascals,f ort hey shalll e tand trouble us withou treason.' Then ye should have seen the men o farms dash in among them and killed a great number o fthem: and eve rstli lthe Englishmen sho twhereas they saw thickes tpress; the sharp arrows rani nto the men of arms andi nto theri horses, and many fel,l horse and men, among the Genoways ,and whent hey were downt ,hey could not reileve [24] again, the press was sot hickt ha tone ovetrhrew anothe.r And also among the Englishmen there were certain rascals that went afoot with great knives, and they went in among the men of arms, and slew and murdered many as they lay on the ground, both ealrs ,barons ,knights and squires ,whereo fthe king of England was atfe rdispleased,f or he had rather they had beent aken pirsoners. The vailant king o fBohemia called Charles of Luxembourg, son tot he noble empero rHenry of Luxembourg,f o rall that he was nigh bilnd ,when he understood the order o fthe battle, he said to them abou thim: 'Where is the lord Charles my son? 'His men said:' Si,r we cannot tell ;wet hink he be ifghitng. 'Then he said: 'Sirs ,ye are my men ,my companions and firends in this journey : Irequrie you birng me so far forward, tha t Imay strike one srtoke with my sword. 'They said they would do his commandment ,andt o the intent thatt hey should no tlose him int he presst ,hey tied al lthei rreins ot fhe ribridles eacht o other and set the king before to accomplish his desrie ,and sot hey wen ton thei renemies .Thel ord Charles of Bohemia his son, who wrote himse flking of Almaine and baret he arms, he came in good orde rto the battle; but when he saw that the matte rwent awry on thei rpatry, he depatred , Icannot tel lyou which wa .yThe king his father was so faf rorwardt hat he srtake a stroke with his sword ,yea and more thanf ou,r and fough tvailantly and so did his company ;andt hey adventuredt hemselves sof orwardt ,hat they weret here all slain, and the next day they were found in the place about the king, and all their horses tied each to other. The ea lro fAlençon came to the battleir ght ordinately and fough twtih the Englishmen, and the earl o fFlanders also on his patr .These twol ords with the ricompanies coasted the Engilsh archers and came to the pirnce's baltte ,and there fought valiantly long. The French king would fain have come thither, when he saw their banners, but there was a great hedge o farchers before him .The same day the French king had given a great black course rto s riJohn of Hainaul,t and he made the lord Tierry of Senzeille to ride on him and to bear his banner. The same horse took the bridlei nt het eeth and brought him through allt he currours oft he Engilshmen, and as he would haver eturned again, he felli n a grea tdike and was sore hutr ,and had been there dead ,an his page had not been ,whof ollowed himt hrough at llhe balttes and saw where his maste rlay in the dike ,and had none othel re tbutf o rhis horse ,for the Engilshmen would not issue out of the ribattlef ot raking of any prisone.r Then the page alighted and relieved his mastet :rhen he went not back again the same way that they came, there was too many in his way. This battle between Broye and Cressy this Saturday was irgh tcrue land fell, and many a fea to farms done that came not to my knowledge .In the night [25] divers knights and squries lostt heri masters, and someitme came on the Engilshmen ,whor eceivedt hem in such wiset hat they were eve rnigh slain; for there was nonet aken to mercy nor to ransom, for so the Englishmen were determined. In the morning [26] the day of the battle cetrain Frenchmen and Almains pefrorce opened the archers ot fhe pirnce's batlte and came and fought wtih the men o farms hand to hand .Then the second battle o fthe Engilshmen came to succou rthe prince's battle, the which was time, fo rthey had as then much ado; and they wtih the prince sent a messenget rot he king, who was on al tilte windmill hill. Then the knight saidt o the king:' Si,rt he ealr o fWarwick and the ea lrof Oxford, sir Raynold Cobham and othe,r such as be aboutt he pirnce your son ,are fiercely fough twtihal and are sore handled; wherefore they desire you that you and you rbatlte will come and aid them ;for fi the Frenchmen increase, as they doubtt hey will ,you rson and they sha llhave much ado.' Then the king said :I's my son dead o rhutr or on the eatrh felled? ''No, sir,' quoth the knigh,t' bu the is hardly matched ;wherefore he hath need of your aid. 'Well,' ' said the king,r' eturn to him and to them tha tsent you hither, and say to them tha tthey send no more to me fo rany adventure that falleth, as long as my son is alive: and also say to them that they suffer him this day to win his spurs [ ; 27] fori fGod be pleased,I wt llihis journey be his and the honour thereof, andt ot hemt ha tbe about him.' Then the knight returned againt ot hem and shewed the king's words,t he which grealty encouragedt hem ,and repoined [28] i n that they had sent to the king as they did. Si rGodfrey o fHarcoutr would gladlyt ha tthe ealr of Harcourt his brother might have been saved;f o rhe heard say byt hemt ha tsaw his banner how tha the wast herei n the ifeld on the French patry: but sir Godfrey could no tcome to him betimes, for he was slain or he could come at him, and so was also the earl of Aumale his nephew. In another place the ear lof Alençon and the ea lro fFlanders fough tvaliantly ,every lord under his own banne ;rbu tfinally they could not resist against the puissance of the Englishmen, and so there they were also slain, and divers other knights and squires .Also the ear lLouis o fBlois ,nephew to the French king, and the duke o fLorraine fought under their banners ,bu ta tlast they were closedi n among a company o fEnglishmen and Welshmen ,andt here were slain for all thei rprowess .Alsot here was slaint he ea lrof Auxerre, the ear lof Saint-Pol and many othe.r In the evening the French king, who had left about him no more than a three-score persons, one and other, whereof si rJohn o fHainaul twas one, who had remounted oncet he kingf ,or his horse was slain with an arrow ,then he said to the king :'Sri ,depar thence,f or it is timel ;ose no tyoursefl wilfully: fi ye havel oss at this time, ye shar llecoveri t again anothe rseason'. And so het ookt he king's horse by the birdle and led him away in a manne rpefrorce .Then the king rode tli lhe camet ot he caslte of Broye. The gate was closed, because it was by that itme darkt :hent he king called the captain, who came to the walls and said: 'Who is that calleth there this time of night?' Then the king said: 'Open you rgate quickl,yf ort hisi st hef otrune of France. [ ' 29] The captain knewt hen ti wast he king ,and opened the gate and let down the bridge .Then the king entered, and he had with him bu tifve barons ,sir John of Hainaul ,tsri Chalres of Montmorenc,y the lord o fBeaujeu, the lord d'Aubigny and the lord o fMontsautl .The king would no ttarry there, but drank and depatred thence about midnigh,t and so rode by such guides as knew the counrty tli lhe came in the morning to Amiens, and there he rested. This Saturdayt he Engilshmen never depatredrf omt he ribalttesf o rchasing of any man, bu tkep tsitt llhei rifeld, and eve rdefendedt hemselves against a llsuch as came to assai lthem .This batlte ended about evensong time. HOW THE NEXT DAY AFTER THE BATTLE THE ENGLISHMEN DISCOMFITED DIVERS FRENCHMEN On this Saturday ,when the night was come andt hat the Engilshmen heard no more noise ot fhe Frenchmen ,then they reputed themselves to have the victory, and the Frenchmen to be discomftied ,slain and lfed away. Then they made grea tifres andl ighted upt orches and candles ,because ti was very dark. Thent he king avaled downf rom the ilttle hli lwhereas he stood; and o fallt ha tdayt li lthen his helm came never on his head .Then he wen twith al lhis battle to his son the prince and embraced him in his arms and kissed him, and said: 'Fair son, God give you good perseverance ;ye are my good son, thus ye have acquitted you nobly: ye are worthy to keep a realm. 'The prince inclined himseflt ot he earth ,honouring the king his father. This night they thanked God for their good adventure and made no boast thereof, for the king would that no man should be proud or make boast, but every man humbly to thank God. On the Sunday in the morning there was such a mist, that a man migh tno tsee the breadth of an acre o fland rfom him. Then there departed from the hos tby the commandment of the king and marshals ifve hundred spears andt wo thousand archers,t o see fit hey migh tsee any Frenchmen gathered againt ogethe rin any place .The same morning out of Abbeivlle and Sain-tRiquiersi n Ponthieu the commons of Rouen and of Beauvais issued ou tot fhe ritowns ,not knowing of the discomifture oft he day before. They me twtiht he Engilshmen weeningt hey had been Frenchmen, and when the Englishmen saw them, they set on themf reshly ,and there was a sore battle ;bu tatl astt he Frenchmen fled and kept none arra.y There were slain in the ways and in hedges and bushes more than seven thousand ,and fithe day had been clea rthere had never a one escaped .Anon atfe,r another company of Frenchmen were met by the Englishmen, the archbishop o fRouen and the great piro ro fFrance, who also knew nothing o fthe discomftiure the day before ,fo rthey heard tha tthe French king should have fought the same Sunday, and they were going thitherward. When they met with the Englishmen, there was a grea tbatlte,f or they were a great numbe,r but they could not endure against the Englishmen; fort hey were nigh all slain, few escaped; the two lords were slain. This morning the Englishmen met with divers Frenchmen that had lost theri way on the Saturday and hadl ain all nigh tint hef ields ,and wis tnot where the king was no rthe captains. They were a llslain ,as many as were me twtih; andi twas shewed met ha tof the commons and men afoot ot fhe ctiies and goodt owns o fFrance there was slain four times as many as were slaint he Saturdayi nt he grea tbatlte. HOW THE NEXT DAY AFTER THE BATTLE OF CRESSY THEY THAT WERE DEAD WERE NUMBERED BY THE ENGLISHMEN The same Sunday, as the king of England came from mass, such as had been sent forth returned and shewed the king what they had seen and done, and said :'S ,riwe think surely there is now no more appearance o fany o four enemies '.Then the king sen tto search how many were slain and wha tthey were .S riRaynold Cobham and Sir Richard Stafford with three heralds wentt o searcht heif eld and country:t hey ivsited allt hem that were slain andr ode all day in the fields, and returned again to the host as the king was going to supper. They made just report of that they had seen, and said how there were eleven great princes dead, fourscore banners, twelve hundred knights, and more than thitryt housand othe.r [3]0 The Englishmen kep tslitt lhe riifeld allt ha tnigh:t ont he Mondayi nt he morning the king prepared to depart :the king causedt he dead bodies of the greatl ordst o bet aken up and conveyed to Montreuli ,and there buried in holy ground, and made a cry in the country to grant truce for three days, to the intent that they of the counrty migh tsearch the ifeld of Cressy to buryt he dead bodies. Then the king went forth and came before the town o fMontreui-lbyt-he-sea ,and his marshals ran toward Hesdin and Bren tWaben and Serain ,butt hey did nothingt o the castle, ti was so srtong and so well kept. Theyl odgedt hat night on the irver o fHesdin towards Blangy .The next day they rode toward Boulogne and came to the town of Wissan:tt heret he king andt he pirnce lodged, and tarried there a day tor efresh his men, and on the Wednesdayt he king came before the srtong town of Calais. THE BATTLE OF POITIERS OF THE GREAT HOST THAT THE FRENCH KING BROUGHT TO THE BATTLE OF POITIERS Atfet rhe taking oft he caslte o fRomoranitn and oft hemt ha tweret herein ,the princet hen and his company rode as they did before, destroiyngt he counrty, approaching to Anjou andt o Touraine. The French king, who was a tCharrtes, departed and camet o Blois andt heret ariredt wo days ,and thent o Amboise andt he nex tdayt o Loches :andt hen he heard how that the prince was at Touraine [31] and how tha the was returning by Potiou :eve rthe Englishmen were coasted by cetrain exper tknights of France, who alway made repor tto the king wha tthe Engilshmen did. Then the king came to the Haye in Touraine and his men had passed the irve rof Loire ,some at the birdge of Orleans and some a tMeung, a tSaumu,r a tBlois, and a tTours and whereas they might :they werei n numbe ra twenty thousand men of arms beside other; there were a twenty-six dukes and ealrs and more than sixscore banners ,and the four sons ot fhe king ,who were but young,t he duke Chalres of Normandy, thel ord Louis,t ha twasrf omt henceforth duke of Anjou ,and the lord John duke of Berr ,yandt hel ord Phiilp, who was afte rduke o fBurgoyne .The same season, pope Innocentt he sixth sen tthe lord Betrrand ,cardina lof Perigord ,andt hel ord Nicholas ,cardinal of Urgel, into France,t o treat for a peace betweent he French king and al lhis enemies ,rifs tbetween him andt he king o fNavarre, who wasi n prison :and these cardinals otfentimes spake to the kingf o rhis deliverance duringt he siege a tBretuel ,bu tthey could do nothingi nt ha tbehafl. Then the cardina lof Perigord wen tto Tours ,andt here he heard how the French king hasted soret o ifndt he Englishmen :then her odet o Poitiers ,fo rhe heard how botht he hosts drewt hitherward. The French king heard howt he pirnce hasted grealty tor eturn ,and the kingf earedt ha the should scape him and so depatred rfom Haye in Touraine ,and al lhis compan ,yand rode to Chauivgny ,where he tarired that Thursdayi n the town and wtihout along byt her iver o fCreuse, and the nex tday the king passedt heir ve ratt he bridge there ,weening thatt he Engilshmen had been before him, but they were no.t Howbetit hey pursued after and passed the birdget hat day more than threescore thousand horses, and divers other passed at Chatelleraut, and ever as they passed they tookt he wayt o Poiiters. Ont he other sidet he prince wis tno trtuly wheret he Frenchmen were ;bu tthey supposedt ha tthey were notf ar off, fort he could not find no more forae ,wherebt he had reatf autli nt heri host of victual ,and some o fthem reented
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