1340-1349 Plague and Crecy

On 24th June 1340 King Edward III of England [aged 27] attacked the French fleet at anchor during the Battle of Sluys capturing more than 200 ships, killing around 18000 French. The English force included John Beauchamp 1st Baron Beauchamp Warwick [aged 24], William Bohun 1st Earl of Northampton [aged 30], Henry Scrope 1st Baron Scrope of Masham [aged 27], William Latimer 4th Baron Latimer of Corby [aged 10], John Lisle 2nd Baron Lisle [aged 22], Ralph Stafford 1st Earl Stafford [aged 38], Henry of Grosmont 1st Duke Lancaster [aged 30], Walter Manny 1st Baron Manny [aged 30], Hugh Despencer 1st Baron Despencer [aged 32] and Richard Pembridge [aged 20].

Thomas Monthermer 2nd Baron Monthermer [aged 38] died from wounds. His daughter Margaret succeeded 3rd Baroness Monthermer.

Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke. On the feast of Saint John the Baptist¹ [24th June 1340], very early in the morning, the French fleet divided itself into three squadrons, moved about a mile toward the king's fleet. Upon seeing this, King Edward declared that it was no longer the time to wait, and he and his men hastened to arm themselves and were quickly ready. After the ninth hour, when he had the wind, the sun, and the river's current at his back, he launched an attack on the enemy, dividing his own forces into three squadrons. A terrible cry rose to the heavens over the wooden horses, as Merlin's prophecy foretold. A rain of iron bolts from crossbows and arrows from longbows slaughtered thousands of men; they fought hand-to-hand with lances, axes, and swords, those who dared or were able. Stones hurled from the masts of ships cracked open many skulls. In sum, a great and terrible naval battle was fought without pretence, the kind that a madman² would not have dared to witness even from afar.

In festo vero sancti Iohannis valde mane classis Francorum se dividens in tres turmas movit se per spacium unius miliaris versus classem regis; quod percipiens rex Anglie dixit non esse ulterius expectandum, se et suis ad arma currentibus et cito paratis. Post horam nonam, quando habuit ventum et solem a tergo et impetum fluminis secum, divise in tres turmas, hostibus dedit optatum insultum. Horridus clamor ad ethera conscendit super equos ligneos, iuxta Merlini propheciam; ferreus imber quarellorum de balistis atque sagittarum de arcubus in necem milia populi detraxit; hastis, securibus et gladiis pugnabant cominus, qui voluerunt aut fuerunt ausi; lapides a turribus malorum proiecti multos excerebrarunt; in summa committitur sine ficticio ingens et terribile et navale bellum, quale vecors vidisse a longe non fuisset ausus.

Note 1. Details, more or less full, of the battle of Sluys are to be found in Edward's own letters, in Guisborough, Nangis, Murimuth, Avesbury, Knighton, Minot, Le Bel, and Froissart and, later, in Walsingham:

Guisborough 356.

Continuation of Nangis 168.

Among modern writers, sir N. Harris Nicolas, A History of the Royal Navy, 2.51, has given the most exact account. He has embodied all the information to be gathered from contemporary writers known to him, but, having found that which is given here in Baker's text and in Murimuth (whose chronicle was not then fully in print) only as quoted by Stow and other later historians, he excluded it from his narrative and placed it in a foot-note (p. 56) as being of an 'apocryphal character.' Murimuth and Baker are the authorities for the statement that the French fleet sailed out the space of a mile to meet the English; and the movement is also, though more obscurely, described by Knighton ('divertit se de portu de Swyne' i.e. 'he turned away from the port of Zwin'). The English fleet had lain the previous night off Blanckenberghe, some ten miles westward of the haven of Sluys. Edward would have therefore approached the enemy from nearly due west. But, before engaging, he executed a manoeuvre which is thus described by Froissart 114.

That is to say, the wind blowing probably from the north or north-east, the English fleet went about and stood away to the north-west, thus getting the advantage of the wind for the attack. (The manoeuvre, as appears both from Froissart and Avesbury, was mistaken by the enemy for a retreat.) But the object of the movement was, further, to get the advantage of the sun and also of the tide. Baker's words (following Murimuth) are "After the ninth hour, when he had the wind, the sun, and the river's current at his back." Edward himself also, in his letter to his son describing the battle (Nicolas, 2.501 Edward's letter Attacking in the afternoon from a position north-west of the enemy, Edward would bear down upon them with the tide running down channel, thus literally having the 'impetum fluminis,' the ebbing ocean stream, in his favour, and with the sun, not indeed actually 'a tergo' i.e. 'from behind' but, rapidly drawing away behind him.

Note 2. Froissart 115.

Let it be known to all that in the year of grace 1340, in the month of September, three Saracen kings had laid siege to a good and strong city in the kingdom of Castile called Tarifa, situated on or near the sea. The three kings were the King of Granada, the great King of Benamarin, and King Aboemard, his son. They had a very great force, estimated at 60,000 mounted men-at-arms and 300,000 foot soldiers armed with pikes, bows, and crossbows, equipped according to their custom, not counting their queens, admirals, and wives, whom they always brought with them. They had long been before the city, which greatly troubled the King of Spain.

Sache chascun que l'an de grace mil CCC et XL, ou moys de septembre, avoient trois roys Sarrasins assiegié une bonne ville et forte ou royaume de Castille qu'on appelle Tarifle, seant sur mer ou assez prez. Les trois roys estoient le roy de Guernade, Île grand roy de Bennamarin et le roy Aboemard, son filz, qui avoient une trés grande poissance, bien estimée à LX^m hommes à cheval, gens d'armes, et CCC^m hommes de pyé, à piques, arcs, arbalestes, armez aussy selonc leur usage, sans leurs roynes, leurs amiraldes, leurs femmes, que tousjours mainent avecques eulx. Ilz avoient esté devant la cité par longtemps, de quoy il ennuyoit trés fort au roy d'Espaigne.

Sir Charles of Blois and the other lords remained a long time before the city of Rennes, and there they caused much damage and made many great assaults by means of the Spaniards and the Genoese. Those within defended themselves, by the counsel of Sir William of Quadudal, so wisely that those outside more often lost there than they gained.

Messire Charles de Bloys et les aultres seigneurs seirent assez longuement devant la cité de Rennes, et y firent maints dommages et grands assaulx par les Espaignolz et les Jennevoys. Ceulx de dedens se deffendoient par le conseil messire Guillaume Quadudal si sagement que ceulx de dehors plus souvent y perdoient qu'ilz n'y gaagnoient.

On 30th September 1342 the French army attacked the English besiegers of Morlaix forcing the English to retreat to the nearby woods. William Bohun 1st Earl of Northampton [aged 32] commanded, John de Vere 7th Earl of Oxford [aged 30] and Hugh Despencer 1st Baron Despencer [aged 34] fought.

Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke. Thus, in the field near Morlaix, the hostile armies clashed [30th September 1342], where the courage of both nations, namely the Bretons, the French, and the English, was put to the test. The battle was fought fiercely on both sides, so much so that it happened, in that engagement, what we have not heard of occurring at the battles of Halidon Hill, or Crécy, or Poitiers. The commanders of the opposing forces, Charles of Blois, to whom the tyrant of the French had granted the duchy of that land, and William de Bohun, Earl of Northampton, whom the king had appointed commander of the English army to uphold the rights of John of Montfort, the natural duke of that land, fought with such noble valour that, rather than be accused of cowardice or dishonour for retreating from the field, they would have more willingly lost all. And so the fighting continued on both sides with great spirit. Indeed, in the entire French war prior to the capture of the false king of France, John, never had the French been fought so fiercely or for so long in hand-to-hand combat on the field, as any Englishman or Frenchman would affirm unless he were a liar. Three times that day, worn out from fighting, both sides withdrew briefly to catch their breath, leaning on stakes, lances, and swords to rest. But at last, the great-hearted Charles, as his troops began to flee, was compelled to take flight himself leaving the English free to tend to their victory and safety in peace.

Igitur in campo iuxta Morleys exercitus hostiles conflixerunt, ubi animositas utriusque gentis, Britonum videlicet, Gallicorum atque Anglicorum, fuerat experta. Pugnatum est fortiter ex utraque parte, ita quod contigit in illo certamine quod nec in bellis, nec Halydonehiel nec de Cressi nec de Petters, audivimus contigisse. Duces nempe parcium, scilicet Karolus de Bloys, cui illius terre dederat ducatum Francorum tirannus, et Willelmus de Bohun, comes Norhamptonie, quem pro tuendo iure Iohannis de Mountfort, naturalis ducis illius terre, rex exercitui Anglicorum prefecit, animositate quam habuerunt heroes generosi, omnia libencius perdidissent quam turpi vecordia arguendi, campo relicto, terga vertissent. Pugnatur proinde ex utraque parte animose, nec unquam in tota Gallica guerra, que capturam seudo-regis Francorum Iohannis antecessit, Francos tam acriter vel ita diu manualiter in campo pugnasse potuerit asserere Anglicus aut Francus aliquis, nisi mendax. Ter eodem die lassati ex utraque parte se modicum retraxere anelitum respiraturi, palis, lanceis et spatis ad quiescendum appodiati. Set tandem magnanimus ille Karolus, suis fugientibus, compulsus erat fugam inire; unde Anglici saluti pacifice vacabant.

Murimuth and Avesbury. "In witness of all these things, we have caused these present letters to be drawn up and strengthened by the affixing of our seals. Done and given at the priory of Blessed Mary Magdalene of Malestroit, of the Benedictine Order, in the diocese of Vannes, in the year from the Nativity of the Lord 1343, in the eleventh indiction, on the nineteenth day of the month of January, in the first year of the pontificate of the same lord Pope Clement VI. Present were the venerable fathers in Christ: Lord Hugh, Archbishop of Besançon; John of Beauvais; Gilbert of Saint-Riquier; John of Châlons; John of Marseille, bishops; Geoffrey, bishop-elect of Lausanne; and the aforesaid John, archdeacon of Ely; as well as the noble and illustrious men: Lord Philip of Burgundy, Count of Boulogne; John of Chalon, Count of Auxerre; John of Joigny; John of Châtillon of Porcien, counts; Milo of Noyers and Enguerrand of Coucy, lords; and also the aforesaid Nicholas of Cantilupe, Reginald of Cobham, Maurice of Berkeley, and many other barons and nobles, together with a great multitude of others."

"In quorum omnium testimonium presentes literas fieri fecimus sigillorum nostrorum appensione muniri. Acte et datæ in prioratu beate Marie Magdalenæ de Malestricto, ordinis Benedicti, Venetensis diceceseos, anno a Nativitate Domini MCCCXLIII, indictione undecima, XIX die mensis Januarii, pontificatus ejusdem domini Clementis papæ vi. anno primo. Presentibus venerandis in Christo patribus dominis Hugone archiepiscopo Bisuntino, Johanne-Belvacensi, Gilberto Ricchenensi, Johanne Castrensi, Johanne Massiliensi, episcopis, Galfrido electo Lausanensi, et prædicto Johanne Eliensi archidiacono; necnon nobilibus et magnificis viris, domino Philippo de Burgundia, Boloniæ, Johanne de Cabilone, Autissiodorensi, Sacricæsaris, Johanne Jovinaci, Johanne de Castellione de Porcianis, comitibus; Milone de Noheriis et Ingeranno de Coxiaco, dominis; ac predictis Nicholao de Cantilupo, Reginaldo de Cobham, Mauricio de Berkeleye, et multis aliis baronibus et nobilibus ac aliorum multitudine copiosa."

Murimuth and Avesbury. In this year the lord king ordained that most noble jousts or tournaments should be held at the place of his birth, namely at the castle of Windsor, on the 19th day of January [1344] and the 14th day before the Kalends of February, which he caused to be publicly proclaimed beforehand both overseas and in England. For these he also caused all the ladies of the southern parts of England and the wives of the burgesses of London to be invited by his letters. Therefore, when earls, barons, knights, and very many ladies had assembled on Sunday, namely the 13th day before the Kalends of February [20th January], in the said castle, the king held a solemn feast, so that the great hall of the castle was filled with ladies, and there was no man among them except two knights who alone had come from France for this solemnity. At this feast there were two queens, nine countesses, and the wives of barons, knights, and burgesses, who could not easily be counted; and the king himself personally placed them in their seats according to rank. But the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cornwall, the earls, barons, and knights, together with all the people, dined in tents and other places, where food and all other necessities were prepared and distributed to all generously and without complaint; and in the evening dances and various festivities were solemnly arranged. And for the three following days the king, with nineteen other knights, held the tournament against all comers from outside; and the king himself, not out of royal favour, but because of the great effort he made and the success he had during those three days, won the prize among those within. Among those from outside, Sir — of Stapleton won the prize on the first day, Sir Philip Despenser on the second day, and Sir John Blount on the third day. On the Thursday following, after the tournaments of the squires, the lord king held a great feast in which he began also a Round Table, and received the oaths of certain earls, barons, and knights whom he wished to be of that Round Table, under a certain form pertaining to it; and he appointed a day for holding the said Round Table there at the coming feast of Pentecost, and gave permission to all present to return home with thanks. He also afterwards ordered that there should be built there a most noble building in which the said Round Table might be held at the appointed time; for which purpose he assigned masons, carpenters, and other craftsmen, and commanded that timber and stone be provided, sparing neither labour nor expense. But this work was afterwards abandoned for certain reasons.

On 23rd April 1344. The date somewhat unclear; it may have been before. King Edward III of England [aged 31] formed the Order of the Garter. The first reliable record occurs in autumn of 1348 when the King's wardrobe account shows Garter habits being issued. The Order may have been formed before then with some traditions such as the mantle, and the garter and motto, possibly being introduced later. The Garter refers to an event at Wark Castle, Northumberland [Map] at which King Edward III of England picked up the Countess of Salisbury's fallen garter and saying to the crowd "Honi soit qui mal y pense" ie Shame on him who thinks badly of it, or possibly, he brings shame on himself who thinks badly of it. The Countess of Salisbury could refer to his future daughter-in-law Joan "Fair Maid of Kent" Princess Wales [aged 15] or her former mother-in-law Catherine Grandison Countess of Salisbury [aged 40]. The event has also been described as taking place at Calais [Map].

Around 25th August 1345 Henry of Grosmont, Earl of Derby [aged 35], commanded the English forces at Bergerac, Dordogne during the Battle of Bergerac. The English army including Walter Manny 1st Baron Manny [aged 35] won a decisive victory over the French with Henri Montigny captured.

Bourgeois de Valenciennes. On the day after the engagement, they went to assault the town of La Réole, which, after several assaults, surrendered, saving body and goods. But the castle of La Réole would not yield and held out for the space of nine weeks after the taking of the town. In the end, however, they surrendered at the will of the English, when they saw that they would receive no aid and that the castle had been mined beneath. There was within a knight who showed my lord Walter of Mauny the place where his father had been buried. The said lord of Mauny had the body exhumed, took the bones, and had them placed in a well-closed coffer. He carried them to Valenciennes and had them buried at Saint Francis beside his wife; there his father lies. He also caused the funeral service to be performed anew and offered the covered horse, shield, and helm.

Et lendemain de la journée alèrent assallir la ville de la Riolle, laquelle, après pluseurs assaulx, se rendy, sauf corps et biens; mais le chastel de le Riolle ne se velut point rendre et se tint l'espasse de IX sepmaines depuis la prinse de la ville; mais, en la fin, ils se rendirent à la volenté des Englecqs, quant ils virent qu'ils n'auroient nuls secours et que le chastel estoit miné par dessoubs. Et y avoit dedens ung chevalier qui ensaigna à monseigneur Gaultier de Mausny la plache où son père avoit esté enfouy, et fist ledit monseigneur de Mausny defFouir le. corps, et print les os et les fist mettre en ung coiTre bien fermé, et les apporta à Valenchiennes, et les fist ensépulturer à Saint-Franchois dalés sa femme, et sy y gist son père, et y fist de nouvel faire le service, et offrit le cheval couvert et l'escu et healme.

Bourgeois de Valenciennes. When Monday [26th September 1345] morning came and the Count of Hainault [aged 38] had heard Mass, he ordered his ship to be brought as near to the shore as possible and had his boats prepared to embark and land. Then he called for his banner, and my lord Gérard of Florenville answered, "Sire, here it is." At that moment my lord Gérard of Antoing begged the Count of Hainault to wait for his uncle [John of Beaumont [aged 57]], who was close at hand. At these words, the count leapt into the boat after his banner, saying, "He who loves me, let him follow me in the honour of God and of my lord Saint George!" And his men followed him. The men of Holland and of Zeeland pressed after him so eagerly that they leapt from the boats into the water and followed their lord ashore.

Quant ce vint le lundy au matin et que le conte de Haynault eult oy messe, il fist bouter sa nef au plus près de terre qu'il peult, et fist apparillier ses bateaux pour entrer ens et pour venir à terre, et puis demanda sa banière; et monseigneur Gérard de Flouriville respondy; "Sire, le vechy." Adont prya monseigneur Gérard d'Antoing au conte de Haynault qu'il volsist attendre son oncle, qui estoit là assés près. A ce mot, le conte sally au batel après sa banière en disant: "Tant m'ayme, sy me sieve en l'oneur de Dieu et de monseigneur saint Gorge!", et ses gens le siévirent. Et ceulx de Holande et de Zélande le siévoient sy tangrement qu'ils salloient des bateaux en l'eaue et siévoient monseigneur.

On 26th September 1345 William Hainaut II Count Hainaut [aged 38] was killed at the Battle of Warns. His sister Margaret [aged 33] succeeded II Countess Hainault. Louis Wittelsbach IV Holy Roman Emperor [aged 63] by marriage Count Hainault.

After 22nd September 1345 Henry Plantagenet 3rd Earl of Leicester 3rd Earl Lancaster [deceased] was buried at Church of the Annunciation of our Lady of the Newark [Map], or possibly the Hospital Chapel, at a ceremony attended by King Edward III of England [aged 32] and his wife Philippa of Hainaut Queen Consort England [aged 35]. His son Henry of Grosmont 1st Duke Lancaster [aged 35] subsequently had his remains moved to St Mary de Castro Leicester, Leicestershire [Map].

On 12th July 1346 King Edward III of England [aged 33] landed at La Hogue [Map] with army of around 10,000 men including John Lisle 2nd Baron Lisle [aged 28].

Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke. Afterwards, the lord king hastened his passage into Normandy,¹ where his fleet was awaiting him at Portsmouth and Porchester. Thus, accompanied by the earls of Northampton, Arundel, Warwick, and the lord of Harcourt, as well as the earls of Huntingdon, Oxford, and Suffolk, the bishop of Durham, and Sir William de Kyllesby, a cleric, each of whom brought with him a large force of armed men and archers, the king remained at the aforementioned ports from the calends of June [1st June] until the fifth day of July, awaiting a wind, slow but favourable. At last, with a fleet of a thousand ships, pinnaces, and transports, they began to sail in remarkable fashion. The royal council was kept secret: indeed, even the shipmasters, having left port, did not know where the fleet was to be directed, but were ordered to follow the admiral. However, on that same day, the king sent messengers from his own ship to the other vessels, already far from shore, instructing their captains to follow the admiral and steer toward the port of Hogue in Normandy.

Postea dominus rex suum passagium in Neustriam properavit, ipsum apud Portusmutham et Porcestriam navigio expectante. Igitur cum comitibus Norhamptonie, Arundelie, Warwykie, et domino de Harecourt, Huntyndonie, Oxenfordie, et Suffolchie, et episcopo Dunelmensi, et domino Willelmo de Kyllesby, clerico, quorum quilibet copiosam massam armatorum atque sagittariorum secum deduxit, dominus rex ad predictos portus a kalendis Iunii usque ad quintum diem mensis Iulii ventum tardum set prosperum expectavit. Tandem cum mille navibus, spinaciis, atque cariariis inceperunt velificare mirabiliter. Secretum tenebatur tunc concilium regale; magistri nempe navium adhuc de portu amoti nescierunt quo deberent naves dirigere, set iussi sequebantur amirallum. Attamen eodem die rex de sua nave emisit nuncios ad cetera vasa, iam longe ab litore distancia, precipiens eorum rectoribus ut sequerentur amirallum, ad portum de Hoggis in Normannia naves directuri.

Note 1. Stow Annales 377.

On 26th July 1346 the English army attacked and took Caen [Map] killing around 5000 French soldiers and militia. Otho Holland [aged 30] fought.

Bourgeois de Valenciennes. In the end, the English gained the city of Caen by force of battle [on 26th July 1346]. There were taken the Count of Eu, Constable of France, the Chamberlain of Tancarville, and one hundred and six knights. There was great slaughter on both sides. The women and children and all who could escape fled to Saint-Lô. When the English had taken what pleased them within the city, they set fire to it everywhere. The plunder was great; they took a large number of horses, and about three thousand men were slain.

Dont se party le roy d'Engleterre hors de Quen, et chevaucha à Corvelach et à Argense et à Saint-Laurent et à Lizieux, à Brione, à Harcourt, à Bastreville, à Forges, à Bray, au Noefbourg, à Le Bouef-sur-Saine et puis alèrent ardoir les fourbours de le cité de Rouen; et se loga le roy d'Engleterre en une abbaye près de Rouen.

Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke. Then they went to Valognes, a fine town, which was burned, then to Saint-Côme-du-Mont near the bridge of the river Douve, and then to Carentan, and then to Serins, and to the city of Saint Lô, and the fine town of Torigni, all of which were burned; that night, the king lodged at Cormolain. Then he came to Juvigny, a cell of the monastery of Caen, where nothing was left unburned. On Tuesday, they launched an assault and, after a great struggle, entered the noble city of Caen at the bridge, which had been fiercely defended. There were taken and slain 114 knights, including the Count of Eu¹ and the chamberlain of Tankerville,² brave knights, who were sent as prisoners to England, as well as the abbess of Caen.³ Of the townspeople who resisted, more than 1,300 were killed. The army remained there for six days, during which time the spoils that had been acquired in towns and countryside were either sent or sold to the sailors, who followed the king along the coast, laying waste to everything that could serve a naval purpose.

Deinde ad Valoygnes, bonam villam combustam; deinde ad Seint Combe de Mont, iuxta pontem Dove, et ad Karantam; deinde ad Serins et ad civitatem sancti Ludowici et bonam villam de Turny profecti, omnia combusserunt; et illa nocte ospitatus rex ad Cormolin. Deinde apud Gerin, cellam monasterii de Came, nihil relinquitur inconsumptum. Postea, in die Martis, dederunt insultum, et cum magno certamine ingressi sunt nobilem civitatem de Came, ad pontem, qui acerrime fuerat defensus. Illic fuerunt capti et occisi centum et XlIIJ milites, inter quos fuerunt comes de Ew et camberlinus de Tankervyle, probi milites, cum aliis captivis in Angliam missi, et abbatissa de Came; de civibus ville qui resistebant fuerunt occisi amplius quam mille trecenti. Ibi morabatur exercitus per sex dies, qui spolia usque tunc in villis et patria adquisita vel miserunt vel vendiderunt nautis vel per nautas, qui iuxta maritima regem sequebantur, omnia vastantes, que possent ad artem navalem pertinere.

Note 1. Raoul II de Brienne, comte d'Eu, became constable of France, on the death of his father, in 1344. He remained prisoner in England for some years; and, returning to France in 1350, was beheaded by king John about the 19th November in that year.

Note 2. Jean de Melun, sire de Tancarville, grand chamberlain of France, died in 1350.

Note 3. The abbess of the Abbé aux Dames (or of the Holy Trinity) at this time was Georgia de Mollay, who succeeded in 1336 and died in 1376. The letter of Bartholomew, lord Burghersh, written from Caen three days after the assault (Murimuth 202.

Knighton 2586, gives pretty nearly the same account. Letter of Northburgh narrating the advance to Caen in Avesbury 359.

On 3rd September 1346 King Edward III of England [aged 33] commenced the Siege of Calais. It lasted eleven months with Calais eventually surrendering on 3rd August 1347.

In or after 3rd September 1346 John Savile of Shelley and Golcar [aged 21] took part in the Siege of Calais.

On 9th April 1347 Edward "Black Prince" [aged 16] attended a Tournament at Lichfield. John Lisle 2nd Baron Lisle [aged 28], Hugh Courtenay 2nd or 10th Earl Devon [aged 43] (or possibly his son also Hugh Courtenay [aged 20] ) and Robert Ferrers 3rd Baron Ferrers of Chartley [aged 38] took part in the Tournament.

Murimuth and Avesbury. During the said siege of Calais, on the eighth day of June in the morning, in the year of the Lord 1347, John of France, the firstborn son of Philip of Valois, came with a very large French army to the town of Cassel on the frontier of Flanders. There were present only Flemings with many English archers. The French made a continuous assault from morning until midday, but, by the Lord’s favour, the French were confounded and driven back, many of them being wounded, killed, or captured. On the side of the Flemings no one was killed nor mortally wounded; only a few were slightly injured, the Lord protecting them. In this encounter the archers behaved bravely, and therefore the Flemings praised them greatly. Thus, John of France, deprived of his purpose and as though defeated in battle, returned empty-handed to the place from which he had come.

Item, dicta obsidione de Caleys durante, viijye die Junii, mane, anno Domini millesimo cccmoxz vIrmo, dominus Johannes de Francia, dicti domini Philippi de Valesio primogenitus, cum infinito exercitu Gallicorum, venit ad villam de Casseles, in confinio Flandriæ, in qua erant tantum Flemengi cum Anglicis sagittariis bene multis et, facto per Gallicos insultu continuo de mane usque meridiem, propitio Domino, forti et potenti in prœlio confutati sunt Gallici et repulsi, multis ex eis vulneratis, occisis, et captis. Ex parte vero Flandrensium nullus fuit occisus neque vulneratus mortaliter, sed pauci solummodo leviter, Domino protegente. In quo congressu -sagittarii viriliter se habebant, et ideo Flandrenses ipsos non modicum commendabant. Sicque dictus dominus Johannes de Francia, proposito suo fraudatus, quasi in bello devictus, vacuus rediit unde venit.

On 20th June 1347 Charles of Blois Duke Brittany [aged 28] was captured by Thomas Dagworth 1st Baron Dagworth [aged 71] at La Roche Derrien.

Bourgeois de Valenciennes. On Wednesday, the twentieth day of June in the year of grace 1347, it happened that Sir Charles of Blois was in Brittany and had laid siege to the town and castle of La Roche-Derrien. With him were twelve hundred men-at-arms, knights and squires, six hundred other men-at-arms, six hundred archers from the country, a thousand crossbowmen, and so many common soldiers that their number was unknown. On that day it came to pass that Sir Thomas Dagworth¹, husband of the Countess of Ormond, who was captain for the King of England in Brittany, together with several other knights and good men-at-arms, lay in ambush throughout the night.

Le merquedy XX^e jour du mois de juing, l'an de grâce mil III^c et XLVII, avint que monseigneur Charles de Blois estoit en Bretaingne, et avoit assiégiet la ville et le chastel de la Roche-Dirien, et avoit en sa compaignie XII^c de maints gens d'armes, chevaliers et escuiers, et VI^c d'aultres gens d'armes et VI^c archiers du pays et mille arbalestriers et tant de commun qu'on ne sçavoit le nombre. Dont il avint qu'en celuy jour monseigneur Thomas d'Agourdes, mary de la contesse d'Oirmont, lequel estoit capitaine du roy d'Engleterre en Bretaingne, avoec pluseurs aultres chevaliers et bons gens d'armes, lesquels furent en agait toute nuit, ...

Note 1. Thomas Dagworth, 1276-1350, married in 1343 Eleanor de Bohun, daughter of Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford and Elizabeth Plantagenet, sister of King Edward II; he was a first cousin of King Edward III. She, Eleanor was married firstly in 1327 James Butler, 1st Earl of Ormond.

On 3rd August 1347 the English captured Calais [Map] providing England with a French port for the next two hundred years. Thomas Beauchamp 11th Earl Warwick [aged 34] commanded, John Lisle 2nd Baron Lisle [aged 29], Richard Vache and Henry of Grosmont 1st Duke Lancaster [aged 37] fought during the year long siege.

Bourgeois de Valenciennes. On Saturday [23rd July 1347] morning the banners of the King of England were set upon the towers and battlements of the castle and town of Calais. On Sunday, the fifth day of August in the year 1347, Sir Walter Manny entered the town with Sir John Beauchamp and brought Sir Jean de Vienne and five noble gentlemen before King Edward and his council, through the midst of the host. They came bareheaded and barefoot, holding their drawn swords by the points, and carrying the keys of the town and castle on a lance before them.

Et le samedy au matin on mist les banières du roy d'Engleterre dedens le chastel et la ville de Callais aux tours et aux cresteaux, et le dimence après le jour SaintPierre entrant aoust, V jours au mois d'aoust, l'an mil III^c et XLVII, entra monseigneur Gaultier de Mausny dedens la ville de Callais entre luy et monseigneur de Beaucliamp, et amenèrent monseigneur Jehan de Viane, chastelain du chastel et le capitaine de la ville, luy VP de gentils hommes, par devant le roy d'Engleterre et son conseil tout parmy l'ost, en pur les chiefs et en pur les corps, leurs espées toutes nues tenans par les pointes, et les clefs de la ville et du chastel portant devant eulx en une lanche.

Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke. When the besieged in Calais learned of the disgraceful flight of the French tyrant, they threw his standard from the tower into a ditch with great sorrow. And on the following Saturday, their captain, an experienced and well-trained soldier in the art of war, named John of Vienne, opened the gates, and seated on a small horse, unable to walk due to gout, with a rope around his neck, came before the king. He was followed by other knights and townsmen on foot, with bare heads and barefoot, also with ropes around their necks.

Turpi fuga tiranni Francorum Calisiensibus obsessis comperta, eius stacionardum cum ingenti luctu de turri in foveam proiecerunt, et sabbato sequenti illorum capitaneus, in bellica praxici miles multum eruditus, vocatus lohannes de Vienna, ianuis apertis, insidebat parvo runcino, impos pre gutta pedes incedere, collum corda constrictus, venit coram rege; quern alii milites et burgenses pedites, nudi capita et discalciati, funes ad colla eciam habentes, sequebantur.

Murimuth and Avesbury. On the Friday [3rd August 1347] mentioned above, on which day, if the said lord Philip had observed the offer of battle that had been made on his behalf, as stated earlier, by certain nobles of France, the king of England would have fought him in open field, the besieged in the town of Calais, being entirely without provisions and seeing themselves abandoned by all aid from the said lord Philip, surrendered the town, themselves, and all that they possessed to the will of the said king of England. And the same lord king, always merciful and gracious, having taken and detained a few of the principal men, graciously allowed the community of the said town to depart with all their goods, and retained the said town subjected to his rule. These things having been successfully accomplished by the Lord’s favour, the king of England remained there for many days, intending, after deliberation, to ride further on a military campaign. However, at the supplication of the said lord Philip, who continually sought delays, and at the urging of the aforesaid cardinals, out of reverence for the Apostolic See, truces were taken, and the said king returned to England. The wording of the said truces was as follows:

Die vero Veneris prædicto, in quo, dictus dominus Philippus si observasset oblationem belli factam, ut præemittitur, ex parte sua per quosdam nobiles Franciæ, rex Angliæ cum eodem domino Philippo in campestri prœlio dimicasset, obsessi in villa de Caleys, victualibus omnino carentes et videntes se omni auxilio dicti domini Philippi destitutos, ipsam villam ac se et sua omnia voluntati dicti domini regis Angliæ reddiderunt. Et idem dominus rex, semper misericors et benignus, captis et retentis paucis de majoribus, communitatem dictæ ville cum bonis suis omnibus gratiose permisit abire, dictamque villam suo retinuit imperio subjugatam. Præmissis, auctore Domino, feliciter expeditis, dominus rex Anglorum per multos dies moram traxit ibidem, proponens in expeditionem guerræ, deliberatione præhabita, ulterius equitare. Sed tamen, ad supplicationem dicti domini Philippi, semper dilationes quærentis, dictis dominis cardinalibus ad hoc instantibus, ob reverentiam scdis apostolicæ captæ sunt treugæ, et dictus doniinus rex Angliam remeavit.

Tenor vero dictarum treugarum talis est:

In 1349 Parlament enacted the Ordinance of Labourers in response to the shortage of labour caused by the 1348 Black Death Plague Outbreak. The Ordinance introduced

• a requirement for everyone under 60 to work,
• wages to remain a pre-plague level,
• food must be reasonably priced, and
• no-one, under the pain of imprisonment, was to give any thing to able-bodied beggars 'under the color of pity or alms'.

In 23rd April 1349 King Edward III of England [aged 36] created new Garter Knights:

26th William Fitzwarin [aged 33]. The date may be earlier.

27th. Robert Ufford [aged 50].

28th William Bohun 1st Earl of Northampton [aged 39].

Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke. As the aforementioned solemnity¹ was approaching, the king was informed, through the secretaries of Americo of Padua,² a mercenary knight, that on the 14th day of January, Geoffroi de Charny,³ a French knight, and a great number of other Frenchmen were to be admitted into Calais, which had been sold to them by the said Americo, but was by the king's grace rescued by the following intervention. The said Americo of Padua, who had been staying in Calais during its siege among the Genoese, served for pay under the tyrant of the French [the King of France], against the English king, who was then besieging the city. But after the surrender of the town, like the others, he was granted clemency of life, limbs, and knightly liberty, and remained in the king's service as a mercenary, assigned to the defence of Calais. At the time, Geoffroi, Lord of Matas, was regarded, so the rumours spread, as the most experienced of all the French in military affairs: a man of long experience in arms, endowed with keen natural intelligence, and thus principal counsellor to the French "tyrants" [the French royalists], until his death and the capture of the crowned French king at the Battle of Poitiers. This man, a most cunning schemer of crimes, attempted to corrupt the loyalty of Americo, who had been summoned by letters and lured with gifts of gold and deceitful promises. Finally, driven by greed, Americo agreed that for thousands of gold écus,⁴ he would open a tower under his command to provide the French with easy access into the town, and help them as much as he could in seizing the town and castle. Thus, this treacherous pact, though confirmed by oath and even by sharing the sacrament of the altar, was still a most wicked undertaking, initiated in treacherous cunning and false faith. Indeed, not at the walls of Ilium,⁵ but at the walls of Calais, sin was committed both without and within: for although a truce was still in effect, the laws of moral conscience would have forbidden the French from any deceit, open or secret, that could violate the peaceful possession of Calais by the English king. Moreover, Americo should have been deterred, by reverence for knightly honour, from any betrayal or unworthy promise, even one not binding, for by right, faith must be kept even with an enemy. But he kept faith with neither enemy nor king, serving the King of Heaven most wickedly, when he falsely invoked the Body of the Savior to seal his deceitful agreement, and furthermore received the communion of the chalice. Nevertheless, he wrote to the king, disclosing the entire affair without hiding anything, thus keeping himself prepared either to support the French, if they succeeded, or to retain the favour of the king, if the French plot failed and they were convicted of breaking the truce, and possibly many would be captured for ransom. And so it happened.

Instante prefata solempnitate, nunciatum est regi per secretarios. Americoi de Padua, militis stipendiarii, quod quartadecima die mensis Ianuarii forent in Calesiam recipiendi Galfridus de Charny, miles, et alii Gallici in magno numero, quibus Calesia per predictum Americoum fuerat vendita, set per regem graciose rescutata tali processu. Predictus Americous Paduensis inter ceteros Ianuenses morabatur in Calesia obsessa, ad stipendia tiranni Francorum contra regem obsidentem; set sibi, sicud ceteris, post ville dedicionem concessa gracia vite et membrorum atque libertatis militaris, de cetero mansit cum rege stipendiarius ad eiusdem Calesie tuicionem. Erat pro tunc Galfridus dominus de Matas miles plus quam aliquis Gallicus, ut fama ventilavit, in re militari exercitatus atque, cum longa experiencia armorum, nature vivacis sagacitate excellenter dotatus, et ideo Francie tirannorum, usque ad suum interitum et coronati Francorum capcionem in prelio Pictavensi, conciliarius principalis. Iste facinorum calidissimus machinator fidem prefati Americoi literis sibi evocati auri donis et sofisticis promissis conatus pervertere. Finaliter cum falso cupidus convenit quod, pro milibus scutatorum aureorum, per turrim, cui Americous preficiebatur, facilem introitum Gallicis in villam prepararet, atque ad ville et castri plenam capcionem quatenus posset adiuvaret. Pactum itaque prodiciosum quantumcunque per iuramentum et communionem sacramenti altaris utrimque confirmatum, attamen ut plenum versuta calliditate et fide mentita pessime fuerat iniciatum. Equidem non iam 'IIiacos,' set Calesios, 'muros extra peccatur et intra,' nam Gallicos, treuge adhuc durantes, pie consciencie legibus proibuissent ob omni circumvencione pupplica vel occulta, qua pacifice possessioni regis Anglie, quoad predictam villam, poterant derogasse. Eciam prefatum Americoum reverencia fidei militaris terruisset ab omni prodicione et inonesta, non eciam servanda, sponsione, cum de iure sit hosti servanda fides; set ipse nec hosti fidem servavit, nec regi terreno aliter quam dubie militavit, et Eterno Principi impiissime servivit, quando corpus Salvatoris, in testimonium sue versute convencionis, fallaciter invocavit, et insuper communionem calicis recepit. Scripsit tamen regi literas de toto negocio, nihil occultans, itaque paratus ad Gallicorum amiciciam, si ipsi expedivissent, et in regis benevolenciam, casu quo Gallici a proposito frustrati fuissent convicti de fraccione treugarum et insuper forte multi redimendi caperentur. Set ita contingebat.

Note 1. Stow Annales 387.

The story of the attempt on Calais is best known from Froissart's picturesque narrative, founded on Le Bel. It is curious that there should be confusion regarding the date of the event. Le Bel gives the year 1348, and in this he is followed by certain MSS. of Froissart while in others the more correct date 1349 is found. Baker also, as we have seen, inclines to 1348. The actual attempt took place in the night between the last day of 1349 and New Year's day 1350. The Grandes Chroniques de France, 5.491, and Avesbury 408, whose account of the affair is very well given, are both in the right as regards the year. The confusion between 1348 and 1349 may have arisen (as it does appear to have arisen in Baker's mind) from the fact that Edward was at Calais at about the same time in both years.

Avesbury 408-410: "In the year of our Lord 1349, while a certain Genoese [Amerigo of Pavia] served as captain of the castle of Calais under the King of England, Sir Geoffroy de Charny, a knight and a native of Picardy, who was one of the principal counsellors of King Philip of Valois, plotted and conspired to seize the castle of Calais deceitfully and secretly since he could not take it by open assault. Having held a secret discussion with the said Genoese, Charny promised him many thousands of florins if he would agree and lend his effort to help carry out the scheme in secret. However, the Genoese, unwilling to betray the King of England, his lord, whose bread he ate and who placed great trust in him, wanted nonetheless to pocket the promised gold. So, speaking peacefully with Sir Geoffroy de Charny, he feigned agreement, cleverly pretending to go along with the plan. On the appointed day, namely on the morrow of the Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord 1st January 1349

Note 2. Americo di Pavia. The description here given of him seems to be a true one. He was apparently a Lombard mercenary. Avesbury calls him a Genoese; see previous note. Jean Le Bel 2.177. Froissart 317 Le Bel tells us that Edward discovered the intended treachery, not through the traitor's confession, but by some other means. Americo's position in Calais has been exaggerated. He is generally represented as captain of the castle; Froissart also puts him in command of the town, whereas John Beauchamp had held that command since 1st January 1349. He was probably nothing more than captain of one of the towers forming part of the walls of the town, as stated in the text. He had been appointed captain of the king's galleys, 24th April 1348; Rymer's Fœdera 3.159.

Note 3. Geoffroi de Charny, seigneur de Pierre-Perthuis, de Montfort et de Savoisy, a soldier, who was at this time captain of Saint-Omer. In 1352 he was made one of the knights of the newly-founded order of the Star. He fell at Poitiers. In the present affair he was taken prisoner by sir John de Potenhale (Devon, Issue Rolls of the Exchequer, 158). Baker gives him the title of 'dominus de Matas' i.e. 'Lord of Matas', which however is not found attached to his name in the French accounts of him. But it is a coincidence, if nothing else, that Chandos Herald, the author of The Black Prince (Roxburghe Club), names 'Matas' as one of the chief men who fell at Poitiers; and that Bartholomew, lord Burghersh, in his letter describing the battle (ibid. 369), gives the two names 'mons. Geffray Charny; mons. Geffrey Matas' in juxtaposition, in his list of the slain; and also that, in the same manner, the two names 'Mounsire Geffray Charny; Le sire de Mathas' come together in the list at the end of Avesbury's chronicle. With Baker's statement confronting us, we are tempted to think that in the Poitiers lists two men have been made out of one.

Note 4. The amount of the bribe was 20,000 ecus d'or. This coin was worth a little more than a half-noble, or about 2s 10d.

Note 5. Paraphrasing Horace's Epistles Book 1 Chapter 2 Line 16: 'Iliacos intra muros peccatur et extra.' i.e. 'There is sin both within the walls of Ilium and outside them.'

Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke. [31st December 1349] Therefore, on the day before the appointed day of treachery, Geoffroi de Charny sent fifteen of his trusted men, bringing with them a large sum of gold, the price of betrayal, to test Americo's loyalty and inspect the layout of the castle. These men, scouting every tower and hidden corner, perceived nothing contrary to their hopes. Thus, on the next day, they planted the royal French standard on the highest tower of the castle, and the banners of Geoffroi and those of other French lords were raised upon the other towers. Because the common townsfolk, who knew nothing of the plot, saw this, great terror seized them. Rushing to arms, they prepared to attack the castle at once. Immediately, the French, who had entered the day before, seized Sir Thomas de Kyngestone,¹ who was pretending ignorance of the conspiracy, and bound him in wooden stocks. Then some of the French were sent out to their lords, who were lying in ambush outside the fortress, and showed them the raised standards, promising that all was going well, and urging them to hurry to the castle under the pretence of helping defend it against the townsfolk. Rising from their hiding places, with their customary pomp and pride, the French forces surged in great numbers, breaking through the gates of the castle. At that moment, the townsfolk barely restrained themselves from attacking, though their leaders held them back, and the danger seemed to pass as the French streamed into the fortress. Then, the king's loyal men, who had been hidden like anchorites under the vaulted arches of the walls for three long days, weary of the delay, prepared to strike. At the same time, the man hidden in the false tower chamber with the great stone, seeing that enough Frenchmen had entered for his comrades to overcome, released the huge stone entrusted to him. The stone shattered the drawbridge, cutting off the way by which the French had so eagerly entered, now trapped inside, they could no longer escape that way. The stone had thus taken the place of the portcullis, which had originally been removed from its proper position and left in the control of the French, as a deceptive show of security. At the crash of the falling stone and the collapse of the bridge, the armed "anchorites", bursting through the false wall that had hidden them, threw off their disguise, and welcomed the French knights back to their "order" with a fierce and deadly greeting. A furious assault followed, lasting some time but at last the French, defeated, submitted humbly to the will of the victors.

Igitur pridie peremtorie diei Galfridus de Charny misit quindecim suos fideles, cum magna parte auri, premii prodicionis, exploraturos fidem Americoi et castri disposicionem. Qui, circumquaque quamlibet turrim et angulum opertum visitantes, nihil suis votis contrarium perceperunt. Unde in crastino fixerunt stacionardum regium Francorum in eminenciori turri castelle, et vexilla Galfridi aliorum quoque dominorum super alias turres locaverunt. Proinde populares de ville custodia, quos latuit facinus, tantus terror agitavit, quod ad arma convolantes insultum disponebant in castrum festinare. Confestim Gallici pridie ingressi dominum Thomam de Kyngestone nescium facinoris se fingentem violenter ceperunt et in bogis ligneis captivarunt. Deinde quidam ex illis, emissi ad Francos suos dominos extra municionem imboscatos, ostenderunt stacionardum et erecta vexilla, cetera prospera compromittentes, si tamen festinarent ad defensionem castri contra villanos. Igitur, surgentes de latibulis, cum pompa solita et innata genti Gallicorum, portas castri irruperunt Franci copiose. Tunc villani vix manus ab insultu continuerunt, ipsos tamen ducibus eorum retrahentibus quasi periculum insiliencium diffugitivis, statim fideles regis amici, qui sub arcuatis murorum latibulis instar anacoritarum fuerant inclusi, trium dierum longam moram fastidientes, se prepararunt ad irrupcionem. Nec minus ille qui cum saxo grandi fuit in foramine nuper inclusus, postquam vidit tot ingressos ad quorum debellacionem estimabat suos consentaneos sufficienter potuisse, molarem illum ingentem sibi commissum direxit ruine; quo pons versatilis rumpebatur, et via fuerat preclusa per quam hostes fuerant nimium ingressuri, atque, semel ingressi, non poterant per illud iter evadere. Saxum predictum supplevit quodammodo vices pectinis ruituri, quod in principle fuit ab officio debito suspensum atque Gallicis traditum tutcle in illorum delusoriam assecuritacionem. Ad strepitum saxi et pontis fracti armati anacorite, depulso muro fictili eos occultante, apostatarunt, et ad suum ordinem milites Francigenas coegerunt dira salutacione invitatos. Insultus acerrimus quam diu duravit, set tandem devicti hostes suppliciter victorum voluntati se commiserunt.

Note 1. Sir Thomas Kingston must either have been carried away prisoner, or have surrendered unconditionally; for in 1352 the king gave him £100 in aid of his ransom. Issue Rolls Exchequer, 156. Baker seems to imply that he allowed himself to be taken in order to keep up the delusion of the French that they were effecting a surprise. He was afterwards, 13 June 1361, made warden of the castle of Calais. Rymer's Fœdera 3.619.

Murimuth and Avesbury. Thereupon, Sir Geoffroy sent a number of armed men to seize and hold the castle. But when these men entered [on 31st December 1349], a wooden drawbridge at the castle gates, previously prepared as a trap, was cleverly raised, locking all those who had entered inside and keeping the others out. Then, about sixty armed Englishmen, who had been hiding silently within the castle, sprang up and valiantly captured all the French who had entered. Meanwhile, King Edward III of England, having been warned of this treacherous plot by Sir Geoffroy de Charny, had secretly entered Calais days before with a suitable number of men-at-arms and archers, unbeknownst to his enemies. Once the trap had been sprung, the king left the town of Calais through one gate, heading toward the fields, while his son, Edward, Prince of Wales, the king's firstborn, exited by another gate toward the sea, each leading their own detachments. They boldly attacked the French, who were twice as numerous as the English, and fought them fiercely. The main force of the English had been so occupied engaging the French in battle apart from the king that King Edward was left with barely thirty men-at-arms and very few archers. Observing this, the said Lord Geoffroi de Charny, being not far from the king, began to advance toward him with a large company of French noblemen, all heavily armed and on horseback. Then the said Lord King, placed in such great and present danger, did not yield, but, like a valiant and high-spirited knight, drew his sword and cried out in a loud voice: "A! Edward, Saint George! A! Edward, Saint George!" When the French heard these words, they were so astonished that they lost their nerve, as one noble knight among them, who was later taken prisoner, recounted afterward. Immediately after these words had been spoken by the king, many armed Englishmen and archers rushed to him, and they made such an assault upon the French that more than a hundred noble men-at-arms of them were slain there by the sword and by flying arrows. Some were put to flight, and the said Sir Geoffrey de Charny and thirty other Frenchmen with him were taken captive. And thus the deceit of the deceivers, cleverly outwitted, was turned back to their own destruction.

Tunc dictus dominus Galfridus multos homines armatos, ad capiendum et tenendum dictum castrum, transmisit ibidem; quibus dictum castrum ingressis, pons ligneus ante fores ejusdem castri ex præordinata cautela subtiliter elevatus omnes includebat ingressos, et alios extra detinebat exclusos. Tunc circiter LX Anglici armati infra dictum castrum, caute juxta quandam materiem. latitantes, viriliter surrexerunt omnesque Francos ingressos illico ecapiebant. Dominus vero rex Anglorum supradictus, de dicta proditione per dictum dominum Galfridum de Charny machinata præmunitus, ante dictum diem cum competenti numero hominum armorum et sagittariorum infra villam de Caleys, adversariis suis insciis, se recepit, et statim, præmissis expletis, per portam villæ de Caleys versus campos, et dominus Edwardus, princeps Wallis, regis primogenitus, per aliam portam ville ejusdem versus mare, cum suis turmis, egredientes, suos adversarios de Francia, in duplo majori numero quam ipsi Anglici ibidem fuerant venientes, viriliter sunt aggressi et cum ipsis fortiter præliarunt. In majori enim conflictu Anglici fuerant seorsum a rege in præliando cum Francigenis adeo occupati, quod dominus rex sfans vix habuit secum XXX homines armatos, et sagittarios habuit valde paucos. Hoc considerans prædictus dominus Galfridus de Charny, modicum distans a rege, cum una magna acie nobilium hominum armorum equitum de Francigenis movebat se versus regem. Tunc dictus dominus rex, in tali et tanto periculo constitutus, nimum non submisit, sed, sicut miles strenuus et magnanimus, evaginavit gladium suum et alta voce protulit hee verba: "A! Edward, seint George! A! Edward, seint George!" Et cum Francigeni hac verba audissent, adeo fuerant attoniti quod perdiderunt animum, sicut unus nobilis miles de eisdem Francigenis ibidem captus postea narravit. Confestim vero, dictis verbis prolatis a rege, plures Anglici armati et sagittarii confluebant ad ipsum, et talem Francigenis dederunt insultum quod plus quam ceti nobiles homines armoram ex eisdem in ore gladii et a sagittis volantibus perierunt ibidem, quibusdamque in fugam conversis, dictus dominus Galfridus de Charny et XXX alii Francigeni cum eo fuerant captivati. Et sic dolus dolosi caute delusi in perniciem propriam retortus est.