ONOU 
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 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 UNIf . OF CALIF. LIBRARY. LOS ANGELES
 
 
 "'AH, SlKK, \\1IAT ARK Y<>r AliOl'T TO 1 n i ? J ' " 
 
 Page 32.
 
 HONOUR 8f ARMS 
 
 Tales from Froissart 
 
 EDITED BY 
 
 MARY MACLEOD 
 
 Author of " Stpries from the Faerie Queene, 
 " The Book of King Arthur," &c. 
 
 ILLUSTRATED BY 
 
 GORDON BROWNE 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 DODGE PUBLISHING COMPANY 
 214-220, EAST 23rd STREET
 
 PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 Page 
 
 How the War began between France 
 
 and England I 
 
 "Knights of the Hare" . ... 6 
 
 The Great Sea-Fight at Sluys . . 14 
 How Twelve Men took Edinburgh 
 
 Castle 19 
 
 King Edward in Normandy ... 25 
 
 The Passage of the Ford ... 32 
 
 The Battle of Crecy .... 36 
 
 The Siege of Calais 49 
 
 The Battle of Poitiers .... 62 
 
 How a Servant saved his Master . 79 
 
 V 
 
 2131365
 
 vi CONTENTS 
 
 Page 
 
 The Sad Story of the Count de Foix's 
 
 Only Son 91 
 
 The Magic Messenger . . . 107 
 
 A Child-Queen 120 
 
 The Heart of King Robert Bruce . 129
 
 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 COLOURED PLATES 
 "Ah, Sire and noble King, 
 what are you about to 
 do?" . 
 
 They perceived by his banner 
 that the King of England 
 was on board 
 
 They tied him to a cart, with 
 some of their harness 
 
 Frontispiece 
 
 To face page l6 
 
 72 
 
 Grappling with the squire, flung him to 
 the ground 
 
 " My lord, you show but little confidence 
 in the honour of my brother, the 
 King of Navarre" .... 
 
 "I will send you a champion that you 
 will be more afraid of" . 
 
 vii 
 
 Page 
 
 95 
 
 109
 
 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 How the War began between France 
 and England 
 
 HISTORY tells us that Philip, King of France, 
 surnamed " the Handsome," had three sons, 
 besides his beautiful daughter, Isabella, who 
 was married to King Edward II. of England. 
 Those three sons were also very handsome. 
 The eldest was called Louis; the second, 
 Philip the Long (or Tall) ; and the third, 
 Charles. All these were Kings of France after 
 their father King Philip, in lawful succession, 
 and died without leaving any sons of their 
 own to succeed them. 
 
 When the youngest brother, Charles, died, 
 the twelve peers and barons of France did 
 not give the kingdom to Isabella, the sister, 
 for they held the country was so noble that
 
 2 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 no woman was worthy to govern it ; neither 
 did they give it to her son, who was now 
 Edward III. of England, for they said the son 
 could have no claim where the mother had 
 none. For these reasons they gave the king- 
 dom of France to Philip of Valois, nephew 
 of King Philip the Handsome. Thus, as it 
 seemed to many people, the succession went 
 out of the right line, and this gave rise to the 
 long and bitter wars between France and 
 England in the fourteenth and fifteenth 
 centuries. 
 
 King Edward III. thought he had a right- 
 ful claim to the throne of France, and was 
 not disposed to give it up lightly. He there- 
 fore asked his Privy Council what they ad- 
 vised him to do. They all agreed it was too 
 great a matter for them to decide, and coun- 
 selled King Edward to consult the Earl of 
 Hainault, whose daughter he had married. 
 Ambassadors were accordingly sent over to 
 Holland and Flanders, and the Earl of 
 Hainault and many other rich and power- 
 ful lords said that if Edward would attack 
 the French King Philip, they would stand
 
 HOW THE WAR BEGAN 3 
 
 by him and bring a large army to help 
 him. 
 
 It was agreed that this should be done the 
 summer following, after the Feast of St. John 
 the Baptist, which is June 24. When, there- 
 fore, winter was over, and summer come, and 
 the Feast of St. John the Baptist drawing near, 
 the lords of England and Germany made pre- 
 parations to invade France. The King of 
 France also made his preparations to meet 
 them, for he was well acquainted with part of 
 what they intended, though he had not yet 
 received any challenge. King Edward col- 
 lected his stores in England, and as soon as 
 St. John's Day was passed, took them across 
 the sea to Vilvorde, a small town in Brabant, 
 between Brussels and Mechlin, on the river 
 Senne. Here he remained till September, 
 waiting for the German lords to bring up 
 their troops as they had promised, but they 
 kept on making constant excuses for delay. 
 At last, in obedience to his summons, they 
 came to Mechlin, where, after many debates 
 they agreed that the King ought to be able to 
 march in a fortnight, when they would be quite
 
 4 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 ready; and in order that their cause might 
 have a better appearance they determined to 
 send challenges to King Philip. These chal- 
 lenges were given in charge to the Bishop of 
 Lincoln, who carried them to Paris, and did 
 his message so justly and well that he was 
 blamed by no one. 
 
 A week after the challenges had been sent, 
 and when he imagined the King of France 
 had received them, a gallant English knight, 
 Sir Walter Manny, collected about forty men 
 on whom he knew he could rely, and rode 
 night and day till he came to the borders of 
 France. This he did because he had made 
 a promise in England in the presence of 
 nobles and ladies that he would be the first 
 to enter France, and take some castle or 
 strong town, and perform some gallant feat 
 of arms. 
 
 A little before sunrise, Sir Walter Manny 
 and his followers came to a town called 
 Mortaigne, where luckily they found the 
 wicket open. Sir Walter alighted, with some 
 of his companions, and having passed the
 
 HOW THE WAR BEGAN 5 
 
 wicket in silence, and placed a guard there, 
 he then with his pennon marched down the 
 street before the great Tower, but the gate 
 and the wicket of the Tower were close shut. 
 The watchman of the castle heard their 
 voices, and seeing them from his post began 
 to cry out " Treason ! Treason ! " This awak- 
 ened the soldiers and inhabitants, but they 
 did not make any sally from the fort. Sir 
 Walter on this retreated into the street, and 
 after setting fire to some of the houses, which 
 greatly alarmed the townsfolk, he marched 
 away with his little band. After this he took 
 two or three other strong castles, and then 
 he returned to Brabant, to King Edward, 
 whom he found at Mechlin, and to whom 
 he related all he had done. 
 
 When King Philip received the challenges 
 from King Edward and his allies, he collected 
 men-at-arms and soldiers from all quarters. 
 As soon as they knew war was declared, a 
 band of corsairs Genoese, Bretons, Nor- 
 mans, Picards, and Spaniards whom King 
 Philip supported at his own cost to harass
 
 6 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 the English, landed one Sunday morning 
 in the harbour at Southampton, whilst the 
 inhabitants were at church. They entered 
 the town, pillaged it, killed many, and injured 
 more, and having loaded their vessels with 
 booty, made sail for the coast of Normandy. 
 They landed at Dieppe, and there divided the 
 plunder. 
 
 Thus began the long and bitter war be- 
 tween France and England. 
 
 The Knights of the Hare 
 
 In the meanwhile there were many skir- 
 mishes in Flanders where King Edward was, 
 for all the different States were quarrelling 
 with each other, and some took side with the 
 English, and some were against them. The 
 old Earl of Hainault died, and the young 
 Earl William consented to fight for King 
 Edward only as long as he remained on 
 Flemish ground; Earl William said the 
 moment the King crossed the border into 
 France he would have to leave him, for the 
 French King, his uncle, had sent to him to
 
 THE KNIGHTS OF THE HARE 7 
 
 request his aid, and he did not wish to 
 incur his ill-will. 
 
 When, therefore, they came to the river 
 Scheldt, which was the boundary between the 
 two countries, the young Earl took his leave, 
 and turned back with all his troops. King 
 Edward crossed the Scheldt, and entered the 
 kingdom of France, and his people began 
 to over-run the country and lay it waste. 
 News soon came to him that Philip, the 
 French King, was coming after him, with 
 an army of a hundred thousand men. King 
 Edward counted his own men, and found 
 they amounted to more than forty thousand, 
 so he resolved to wait for King Philip and 
 offer him battle. 
 
 The King of France now advanced to 
 within two leagues of the English, where he 
 halted his army, in readiness to fight. Earl 
 William of Hainault hearing news of this, 
 pushed forward at once to join him, with 
 about five hundred fighting men. When he 
 presented himself before his uncle, King 
 Philip did not receive him very graciously, 
 because he had been fighting in Flanders
 
 8 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 on the side of his adversary. Earl William, 
 however, managed to excuse himself so hand- 
 somely that the King and his counsellors 
 were well enough satisfied, and the marshal 
 who had the arranging of the forces posted 
 him not far from the English lines. 
 
 The King of England and the King of 
 France were now both encamped on a great 
 plain, so that neither had any advantage of 
 ground. In the memory of man there had 
 never been seen so fine an assembly of great 
 lords as were there gathered together. For 
 the King of France was there in person, and 
 he had with him King Charles of Bohemia, 
 the King of Navarre, and the young King 
 David of Scotland, who was brother-in-law 
 to King Edward III., but then at war with 
 him, for there was constant strife between 
 Scotland and England in those days. Dukes, 
 counts, barons, and knights without number 
 were also with the French King, and they 
 were daily increasing. The King of England 
 also had with him a gallant array of noble 
 lords and warriors. 
 
 When the King of England knew that the
 
 THE KNIGHTS OF THE HARE 9 
 
 King- of France was within two leagues of 
 him, he summoned the chiefs of his army, 
 and asked what was the best way to preserve 
 his honour, for it was his intention to fight. 
 The lords looked at each other, and requested 
 the Duke of Brabant to give his opinion. 
 The Duke replied that he was for fighting, 
 as they could not depart in honour without 
 it, and he advised that a herald should be 
 sent to the King of France to offer him battle, 
 and to have the day fixed. 
 
 A herald who could speak French well 
 was chosen for this commission. King Philip 
 willingly accepted the challenge, and ap- 
 pointed the following Friday for the battle, 
 this being Wednesday. The herald returned 
 to the English host, well clad in handsome 
 furred mantles, which the French King and 
 lords had bestowed on him for the sake of 
 the message he bore. The day being thus 
 fixed, the captains of both armies were told 
 what had been arranged, and every one made 
 his preparations accordingly. 
 
 When Friday morning came, the two 
 armies got themselves in readiness, and heard
 
 10 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 mass, each lord among his own people, and 
 in his own quarters. 
 
 The English army was drawn out on the 
 plain and formed three battalions of infantry. 
 The first battalion was commanded by the 
 Duke of Gueldres and other Flemish lords, 
 the second by the Duke of Brabant, and the 
 third, which was the greatest, by the King in 
 person. King Edward had with him many 
 gallant lords, and he created many knights 
 on the field of battle, as was the custom 
 of the times. When everything had been 
 arranged, and each lord under his proper 
 banner as had been ordered by the marshals, 
 King Edward mounted an ambling palfrey, 
 and attended only by Sir Robert d'Artois, Sir 
 Reginald Cobham, and Sir Walter Manny, 
 rode along the lines of his army, and en- 
 treated the lords and their companions to aid 
 him to preserve his honour, which they 
 all promised. He then returned to his own 
 division, set himself in battle array, as became 
 him, and ordered that no one should advance 
 before the banners of the marshals. 
 
 In the French army there were four kings,
 
 THE KNIGHTS OF THE HARE II 
 
 six dukes, twenty-six earls, upwards of five 
 thousand knights, and more than forty thou- 
 sand common men. The French were formed 
 in three large battalions, each consisting of 
 fifteen thousand men at arms, and twenty 
 thousand men on foot. 
 
 Strange to say, after all these preparations 
 there was no battle at all ! 
 
 It was a matter of much wonder how two 
 such fine armies could separate without fight- 
 ing. But the French could not agree among 
 themselves, and began to argue and dispute, 
 each speaking out his thoughts. Some said 
 it would be a great shame and very blame- 
 worthy if King Philip did not give battle 
 when he saw his enemies so near, and drawn 
 up in his own kingdom in battle array to 
 fight with him according to his promise. 
 Others said it would be a signal token of 
 madness to fight, as they were not certain 
 that some treachery was not intended. Be- 
 sides, they said, if fortune went against them, 
 King Philip ran a great risk of losing his 
 kingdom, while even if he conquered he would 
 be no nearer gaining possession of England.
 
 12 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 Thus the day passed till nearly twelve 
 o'clock in dispute and debate. About noon, 
 it happened that a hare was started in the 
 plain and ran among the French army, who 
 began to make a great shouting and noise. 
 Those in the rear imagined that fighting had 
 begun in the front, and many put on their 
 helmets and made ready their swords. In 
 preparation for the coming battle, some 
 of the French leaders began making fresh 
 knights ; in especial, the young Earl of Hain- 
 ault, who in the excitement of the moment 
 knighted fourteen of his followers. These 
 were always known afterwards as "the 
 Knights of the Hare." 
 
 In this situation the two armies remained 
 all Friday, without moving, except as has 
 been told. In the midst of the debates of the 
 French King's council, letters were brought 
 to King Philip from Robert, King of Sicily. 
 This King was said to be a great astrologer, 
 and full of deep and strange knowledge. He 
 had often studied the influence of the stars 
 on the lives of King Philip and King Edward, 
 and according to his belief he found by astro-
 
 THE KNIGHTS OF THE HARE 13 
 
 logy that if ever the King of France fought 
 with the King of England in person, the 
 French King would surely be defeated. In 
 consequence of this, he as a wise king, and 
 much fearing the danger and peril of his 
 cousin, King Philip, had long before sent 
 letters most earnestly to beg King Philip 
 and his council never to give battle to the 
 English when King Edward should be there 
 in person. 
 
 This letter from the King of Sicily, and 
 the doubts they already felt, sorely disheart- 
 ened many of the French lords. The King 
 was told of this, and notwithstanding was 
 very eager for the combat, but he was so 
 strongly dissuaded from it that the day passed 
 quietly, and each man retired to his quarters. 
 
 When the Earl of Hainault saw there was 
 no likelihood of a battle he departed with 
 all his people, and returned to Flanders. 
 Then the King of England, the Duke of 
 Brabant, and the other lords began to prepare 
 for their return, packed up their baggage, 
 and went that Friday night to Avesnes in 
 Hainault, where they took up their quarters.
 
 14 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 The King of France retired to his lodgings, 
 very angry that the battle had not taken 
 place. But his councillors told him he had 
 acted very rightly, and had valiantly pursued 
 his enemies, insomuch that he had driven 
 them out of his kingdom, and that the King 
 of England would have to make many such 
 expeditions before he could conquer the 
 kingdom of France. The next day King 
 Philip gave permission for all to depart 
 dukes, barons, knights, and so on, most 
 courteously thanking the leaders for having 
 come so well equipped to serve and assist 
 him. Thus ended this great expedition, and 
 every man returned to his own house. 
 
 The Great Sea^Fight at Sluys 
 
 King Edward III. arrived back in England 
 about St. Andrew's Day, 1339, and was joy- 
 fully received by his subjects, who were 
 anxious for his return. Great complaints 
 were made to him of the ravages which the 
 Norman, Picard, and Spanish corsairs, under 
 Sir Hugh Quiriel, had committed at South-
 
 GREAT SEA-FIGHT AT SLUYS 15 
 
 hampton; upon which he answered that 
 whenever it came to his turn, he would make 
 them pay dearly for it and he kept his word 
 before a year was out. 
 
 In the summer of the following year, 1340, 
 King Edward again embarked for Flanders, in 
 order to help his brother-in-law, Sir John 
 Hainault, in his war against France, for the 
 Duke of Normandy, eldest son of the King 
 of France, had invaded his territory. Sir 
 Hugh Quiriel, with a fleet of over a hundred 
 and twenty large vessels, lay at anchor just 
 outside Sluys, by order of the King of France, 
 waiting the return of the King of England, 
 to dispute his passage. 
 
 When the King's fleet had almost got 
 to Sluys, they saw so many masts standing 
 before it that they looked like a wood. The 
 King asked the commander of his ship what 
 they could be, and he answered that he 
 thought they must be the band of Normans 
 which the King of France kept at sea, which 
 had so often done the English damage, had 
 burned the good town of Southampton, and 
 captured the large ship the Christopher.
 
 16 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 "I have long wished to meet with them," 
 said the King, "and now, please God and 
 St. George, we will fight with them; for in 
 truth they have done me so much mischief 
 that I will be revenged on them if possible." 
 
 King Edward then drew up all his vessels, 
 placing the strongest in the front, and his 
 archers on the wings. Between every two 
 vessels there was one with men-at-arms. 
 He stationed some detached vessels as a 
 reserve, full of archers, to aid such as might 
 be damaged. There were in this fleet a 
 great many ladies from England, countesses, 
 baronesses, and knights' and gentlemen's 
 wives, who were on their way to Ghent to 
 attend the Queen. These the King had 
 guarded most carefully by three hundred 
 men-at-arms and five hundred archers. 
 
 When the King of England and his 
 marshals had properly divided the fleet, they 
 hoisted their sails to have the wind on their 
 quarter, as the sun shone full in their faces, 
 which they considered might be of disadvan- 
 tage to them, and stretched out a little, so 
 that at last they got the wind as they wished.
 
 "TllKY I'KRCKIVKD HY HIS HANNKk THAT THE KlNG OF ENGLAND 
 WAS ON HOARD." 
 
 Page 17.
 
 GREAT SEA-FIGHT AT SLUYS 17 
 
 The Normans, who saw them tack, could 
 not help wondering why they did so, and 
 said they took good care to turn about, for 
 they were afraid of meddling with them. 
 They perceived, however, by his banner, that 
 the King of England was on board, which 
 gave them great joy, as they were eager 
 to fight with him ; so they put their vessels 
 in proper order, for they were expert and 
 gallant men on the seas. They filled the 
 Christopher, the large ship which they had 
 taken the year before from the English, 
 with trumpets and other warlike instru- 
 ments, and ordered her to fall upon the 
 English. The battle then began very fiercely ; 
 archers and cross-bowmen shot with all their 
 might at each other, and the men-at-arms 
 engaged hand to hand. There were many 
 valiant deeds performed, many prisoners 
 made, and many rescues. The Christopher, 
 which led the van, was re-captured by the 
 English, and all in her taken or killed. Then 
 there were great shouts of rejoicing, and the 
 English manned her again with archers, and 
 sent her to fight against the Genoese.
 
 i8 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 This battle was very terrible. Fights at 
 sea are more destructive and obstinate than 
 upon land, for it is not possible to retreat or 
 flee every one must abide his fortune, and 
 exert his prowess and valour. Sir Hugh 
 Quiriel and his companions were bold and 
 determined men, had done much mischief 
 to the English at sea, and destroyed many 
 of their ships. This fight, therefore, lasted 
 from early in the morning until noon, and the 
 English were hard pressed, for their enemies 
 were four to one, and the greater part men 
 who were used to the sea. The King, who 
 was in the flower of his youth, showed himself 
 on that day a gallant knight, as did many of 
 the nobles who were with him. They fought 
 so valiantly that, with some assistance from 
 Bruges, the French were completely defeated, 
 and all the Normans and others killed or 
 drowned. This was soon known all over 
 Flanders, and when the news came to the 
 two armies, the Hainaulters were as much 
 rejoiced as their enemies were dismayed. 
 
 When King Philip of France heard of the 
 defeat of his fleet, and that the King of
 
 EDINBURGH CASTLE 19 
 
 England was quietly landed in Flanders, he 
 was much enraged, but as he could not amend 
 it, he immediately decamped and retreated 
 towards Arras. 
 
 A fresh plan occurred to him, however, by 
 which he might drive King Edward back to 
 his own country. 
 
 How Twelve Men took Edinburgh 
 Castle 
 
 England and Scotland had long been at 
 war, and the Scotch King David had entered 
 into an alliance with the King of France, and, 
 as we have seen, fought with him against 
 King Edward. 
 
 The English had taken possession of a 
 large portion of Scotland, but there was still 
 a remnant that remained unconquered, and 
 this was under the governance of Sir William 
 Douglas, the Earl of Moray, Earl Patrick of 
 Dunbar, the Earl of Sutherland, Sir Robert 
 Keith, Sir Simon Fraser, and Alexander 
 Ramsay. During the space of seven years 
 they had secreted themselves in the Forest
 
 20 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 of Jedworth, in winter as well as in summer, 
 and from there had carried on a war against 
 all the towns and fortresses where King 
 Edward had placed any garrison, in which 
 many perilous and gallant adventures befel 
 them, and from which they won much honour 
 and renown. 
 
 Now it occurred to the King of France that 
 if he could stir up the Scotch to active warfare 
 at this moment, King Edward would be 
 forced to come back from Flanders to protect 
 his own country. He therefore sent over 
 some forces to Scotland, which arrived safely 
 in the town of Perth, and entreated these 
 Scotch nobles to carry on so bitter a war 
 that King Edward would be obliged to desist 
 from his present enterprise, promising them 
 every aid if they did so. These lords, 
 therefore, collected their forces and made 
 themselves ready. They left the Forest 
 of Jedworth, traversed Scotland, retook as 
 many fortresses as they were able, passed 
 by Berwick, and crossing the river Tyne, 
 entered Northumberland, which was formerly 
 a kingdom of itself, where they found plenty of
 
 EDINBURGH CASTLE 21 
 
 fat cattle. Having- raided the whole country 
 as far as Durham and beyond, they returned 
 to Scotland and gained all the fortresses 
 which the King of England held, except the 
 good town of Berwick and three other castles, 
 which they were much annoyed not to be 
 able to secure. 
 
 These castles were so strong that one 
 could scarcely find their equal for strength in 
 any country ; one was Stirling, another Rox- 
 burgh, and the third, which may be termed 
 the sovereign castle of Scotland, Edinburgh. 
 This last is situated on a high rock, com- 
 manding a view of the country round about ; 
 the mountain has so steep an ascent that few 
 can go up it without stopping once or twice. 
 The Governor of Edinburgh Castle at that 
 time was a gallant English knight, called 
 Sir Walter Limousin. 
 
 A bold thought came into Sir William 
 Douglas's mind, which he mentioned to his 
 companions, the Earl of Dunbar, Sir Robert 
 Eraser (who had been tutor to King David 
 of Scotland), and Alexander Ramsay, who all 
 agreed to try to carry it out. They collected
 
 22 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 upwards of two hundred Highlanders, armed 
 with lances, purchased oats, oatmeal, coal, 
 and straw, went to sea, and landed peacably 
 at a port about three miles from Edinburgh 
 Castle, which had made a stronger resistance 
 than all the other castles. When they had 
 armed themselves they issued forth in the 
 night time, and having chosen ten or twelve 
 from among them in whom they had the 
 greatest confidence, they dressed them in old 
 threadbare clothes, with torn hats, like poor 
 pedlars, and loaded twelve small horses, each 
 with a sack filled with oats, meal, or coal. 
 They then placed the rest of their troop in 
 ambush in an old abbey, ruined and unin- 
 habited, close to the foot of the mountain 
 where the castle was situated. 
 
 At daybreak these merchants, who were 
 secretly armed, took the road with their 
 horses the very best way they could to the 
 castle. When they had got about half-way 
 up the hill, Sir William Douglas and Sir 
 Simon Fraser went on before the others, 
 whom they ordered to follow in silence, and 
 came to the porter's lodge. They told this
 
 EDINBURGH CASTLE 23 
 
 man that, with many risks and fears, they 
 had brought coal, oats, and meal, and if there 
 were any want of such things in the castle, 
 they would be glad to dispose of them at 
 a cheap rate. 
 
 The porter replied that the garrison would 
 thankfully have them, but it was so early 
 that he dared not awake either the Governor 
 or his steward ; at the same time he told 
 them to come forward and he would open 
 the other gate. The false pedlars all then 
 passed quietly through, and entered with 
 their loads to the gate of the barriers, which 
 the porter opened for them. 
 
 Sir William Douglas observed that the 
 porter had all the other great keys of the 
 castle gates, and in an apparently indifferent 
 manner he inquired which opened the great 
 gate and which the wicket. 
 
 When the first gate was opened they turned 
 in their horses, and flung off the loads of two, 
 which consisted of coal, exactly on the thres- 
 hold of the gate, so that it could not be shut ; 
 then they seized the porter, whom they slew 
 so suddenly that he did not utter a word.
 
 24 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 Then they took the keys, and opened all the 
 gates, and Sir William Douglas gave a blast 
 on his horn as a signal for his companions ; 
 they then flung off their torn clothes, and 
 placed all the remainder of the coal between 
 the gates, so that they could not be shut. 
 
 When those in the ambush heard the horn 
 they sallied forth, and hastened to the castle. 
 The noise of the horn awakened the watch- 
 man of the castle, at that moment asleep, who 
 seeing these armed men running up the castle 
 hill, blew lustily on his horn, and bawled 
 out, " Treason ! Treason ! Arm yourselves, 
 my masters, as fast as you can, for here are 
 men-at-arms advancing to our fortress ! " 
 
 All the garrison roused themselves as 
 quickly as they could, but Sir William and his 
 twelve companions defended the gate, so that 
 it could not be shut. The fight then grew 
 hotter, but those from without held their 
 ground with great valour until their com- 
 panions from ambush arrived. The English 
 garrison made a gallant defence, but Sir 
 William and his party exerted themselves so 
 much that the fortress was taken. The Scots
 
 KING EDWARD IN NORMANDY 25 
 
 remained in the castle all that day, and, 
 having driven out the English, appointed for 
 governor a squire from the country near 
 called Sir Simon de Vesci, and gave him 
 many of his countrymen to guard the castle, 
 when they left it. 
 
 King Edward in Normandy 
 
 The news that the Scotch had re-taken the 
 Castle of Edinburgh was brought to King 
 Edward while he was besieging the town of 
 Tournay, in Flanders. After a very close 
 siege of nearly eleven weeks, a truce was 
 arranged, owing to the good offices of the 
 Lady John de Valois, sister of the French 
 King, who with great earnestness besought 
 both parties to make peace. The truce was 
 to last for one year. It was immediately pro- 
 claimed in each army, and as soon as it was 
 agreed to and sealed, the King of France, 
 the King of England, and all the other great 
 princes and lords set off for their own 
 countries. 
 
 In spite of this truce, however, war was 
 soon raging more fiercely than ever. King
 
 26 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 Philip treacherously put to death a noble 
 French lord and several knights on pretence 
 of treason, but really out of jealousy, because 
 he imagined the King of England had shown 
 them some favour. When news of the 
 shameful and cruel death of the Lord de 
 Clisson and the other knights was brought 
 to King Edward, he was greatly enraged at 
 it, and declared that the King of France had 
 by this means broken and infringed the truce 
 which they had agreed on, and from that 
 moment he considered the truce at an end, 
 and sent King Philip his defiance. 
 
 English troops were at once despatched to 
 Brittany and Gascony, where the fighting 
 grew hotter than before. The English over- 
 ran a great part of the country, but the 
 French attacked them valiantly, and scarcely 
 a day passed without some engagement. 
 
 The King of England having heard how 
 much pressed his people were, determined 
 to lead a great army into Gascony, and for 
 this purpose, about Midsummer Day, 1346, 
 he embarked from Southampton. 
 
 On board the King's ship was his son, the
 
 KING EDWARD IN NORMANDY 27 
 
 Prince of Wales, who was at that time only 
 sixteen years old, and Sir Godfrey de Har- 
 court. The other lords, earls, and barons 
 embarked as they had been ordered. There 
 were about four thousand men-at-arms and 
 ten thousand archers, not including the Irish 
 and Welsh, who followed the army on foot. 
 
 When they embarked the weather was as 
 favourable as the King could wish to carry 
 him to Gascony ; but on the third day the 
 wind was so contrary that they were driven 
 upon the coast of Cornwall, where they cast 
 anchor, and remained for six days and six 
 nights. During this time the King altered 
 his mind about going to Gascony, through 
 the advice of Sir Godfrey de Harcourt, who 
 convinced him that it would be better to land 
 in Normandy. 
 
 "Sir, that province is one of the most 
 fertile in the world," he said, " and you may 
 land in any part of it you please without 
 hindrance, for no one will think of opposing 
 you. You will find in Normandy rich towns 
 and handsome castles, without any means of 
 defence, and your people will gain wealth
 
 28 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 enough to suffice them for twenty years to 
 come. Your fleet may also follow you up 
 the river Orne as far as Caen." 
 
 The King paid much heed to what Sir 
 Godfrey de Harcourt said. He commanded 
 his sailors to steer straight for Normandy, 
 and ordered the flag of the admiral, the Earl 
 of Warwick, to be hoisted on board his ship. 
 He took the lead, as Admiral of the Fleet, and 
 made for Normandy with a very favourable 
 wind. The fleet anchored near the district of 
 Coutances, and King Edward landed at a port 
 called La Hogue St. Vast. Having arrived 
 there safely the King was the first to leap on 
 shore, but by accident he fell, and with such 
 violence that the blood gushed out at his nose. 
 
 "Dear sir," said the knights who were 
 near him, "let us entreat you to return to 
 your ship, and not think of landing to-day, 
 for this is an unfortunate omen." 
 
 "Why," replied the King instantly, " I look 
 on it as very favourable, and a sign that the 
 land is desirous of me." 
 
 His people were much pleased with this 
 answer.
 
 KING EDWARD IN NORMANDY 29 
 
 The King having landed his forces, divided 
 his army into three battalions, and proceeded 
 to march through Normandy, conquering all 
 the district as they went along. They found 
 it rich and plentiful, abounding in all things, 
 the barns full of every sort of corn, and the 
 houses with riches ; the inhabitants at their 
 ease, having cars, carts, horses, swine, sheep, 
 and everything in abundance which the 
 country afforded. The English army seized 
 whatever they chose of all these good things. 
 
 When King Philip first heard of the de- 
 struction the King of England was making 
 in his realm, he swore that the English 
 should never return without his fighting 
 them, and that the mischief they had done to 
 his people should be dearly paid for. He 
 sent out letters to many great lords, begging 
 them to come to his assistance, and one of 
 the first was despatched to the gallant 
 King of Bohemia, whom he much loved, and 
 to the lord Charles of Bohemia, his son, 
 who had now obtained the title of King of 
 Germany. 
 
 In the meantime the English had advanced
 
 30 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 towards Caen, which was then a large and 
 prosperous town, full of draperies and all 
 other sorts of merchandise, rich citizens, noble 
 dames and damsels, and fine churches. There 
 were two very rich monasteries, and the 
 castle was the handsomest in all Normandy. 
 
 The townsmen at first prepared to defend 
 the city valiantly, and marched out to oppose 
 the enemy, but when they saw the English 
 advancing with banners and pennons flying, 
 and saw the archers, whom they had never 
 been accustomed to, they were so frightened 
 that they took to flight, and ran for the 
 town in great disorder. They were eagerly 
 pursued by the English, who soon took 
 possession of the town. 
 
 Sir Godfrey de Harcourt, the Marshal of 
 the King's army, always wise and humane, 
 begged mercy for the inhabitants. He rode 
 through the streets, his banner displayed 
 before him, and ordered in the King's name 
 that no one should dare, under pain of imme- 
 diate death, to insult or hurt man or woman 
 of the town, or attempt to set fire to any part 
 of it. Several of the inhabitants on hearing
 
 KING EDWARD IN NORMANDY 31 
 
 this proclamation, received the English into 
 their houses, and others opened their coffers 
 to them, since they were assured of their 
 lives. 
 
 When King Edward had finished his busi- 
 ness in Caen, and had sent his fleet to Eng- 
 land laden with clothes, jewels, gold and 
 silver plate, and a quantity of other riches, 
 and upwards of sixty knights and three 
 hundred able citizens prisoners, he continued 
 his march as before. 
 
 His army advanced so near Paris that the 
 Parisians were much alarmed, for the city 
 was not then enclosed with walls. King 
 Philip now began to stir, and left Paris for 
 St. Denis, about two leagues away, where he 
 found the King of Bohemia, Lord John of 
 Hainault, the Earl of Flanders, and a great 
 multitude of barons and knights ready to 
 receive him. 
 
 When the people of Paris heard that the 
 King of France was on the point of leaving 
 Paris, they came to him, and falling on their 
 knees, said : 
 
 "Ah, Sire and noble King, what are you
 
 32 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 about to do? To leave your fine city of 
 Paris?" 
 
 "My good people, do not be afraid," said 
 the King ; " the English will not come nearer 
 than they have done." 
 
 "Our enemies are only two leagues off," 
 said the people ; " as soon as they know you 
 have left us, they will come here at once; 
 and we are not able to resist them ourselves, 
 nor shall we find any to defend us. Have the 
 kindness therefore, Sire, to remain in your 
 good city of Paris, to take care of us." 
 
 "I am going to St. Denis, to my army," 
 replied King Philip, "for I am impatient to 
 pursue the English, and am resolved to fight 
 with them whatever happens." 
 
 The Passage of the Ford 
 
 King Edward, in the meanwhile, continued 
 his way through Normandy, and presently 
 his army drew near to the good town of 
 Abbeville. They were anxious to cross the 
 river Somme, but were unable to find a pas- 
 sage anywhere. The King ordered some
 
 THE PASSAGE OF THE FORD 33 
 
 French prisoners to be brought before him, 
 and asked most courteously if any of them 
 knew a ford below Abbeville where he could 
 pass without danger, adding : 
 
 "Whoever will show us such a ford shall 
 have his liberty, and that of any twenty of 
 his fellow soldiers whom he may wish to 
 select." 
 
 There was among the prisoners a cunning 
 fellow, whose name was Gobin Agace. 
 
 "Sir," he answered the King, "I promise 
 you, under peril of my life, I will conduct 
 you to such a place, where you and your 
 whole army may pass the river Somme 
 without any risk. There are certain fordable 
 places where you may pass twelve men 
 abreast twice in the day, and not have water 
 above your knees ; when the tide is in, the 
 river is full and deep, and no one can cross 
 it, but when the tide is out, the river is so 
 low that it may be passed on horseback or 
 on foot without danger. You must therefore 
 set out early, so as to be at the ford before 
 sunrise." 
 
 "Friend," replied the King, "if I find 
 
 c
 
 34 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 what thou hast just said to be true, I will 
 give thee and all thy companions their liberty ; 
 and I will besides make thee a present of 
 a hundred nobles of gold." 
 
 King Edward gave orders for every one to 
 be ready to march at the first sound of his 
 trumpet, and to go forward. 
 
 He did not sleep much that night, but, 
 rising at midnight, ordered his trumpet to 
 sound. Very soon everything was ready, and 
 the baggage being loaded, they set out at 
 daybreak, and rode on under the guidance 
 of Gobin Agace until they came to the ford 
 of which he had told them, about sunrise. 
 But the tide was at that time so full they 
 could not cross. The King, however, deter- 
 mined to wait there for those of his army who 
 had not yet come up ; and he remained until 
 after ten o'clock, when the tide was gone out. 
 
 The King of France, who had his scouts all 
 over the country, was told of the situation of 
 the King of England. He imagined he would 
 be able to shut him up between Abbeville 
 and the river Somme, and thus take him 
 prisoner, or force him to fight at a disadvan-
 
 THE PASSAGE OF THE FORD 35 
 
 tage. He ordered a great baron of Nor- 
 mandy, called Sir Gode'mar du Fay, to guard 
 this ford, which was the only place where the 
 English could cross. 
 
 On the arrival of the English, Sir Gode'mar 
 du Fay drew up his men on the banks of the 
 river to defend and guard the ford. The King 
 of England, however, did not for that give up 
 his intention of crossing ; but as soon as the 
 tide had sufficiently gone out, he ordered his 
 marshals to dash into the water, in the names 
 of God and St. George. The most doughty 
 and the best mounted leaped in first, and in 
 the river the fight began. Many on both 
 sides were unhorsed into the water; there 
 were some knights and squires from Artois 
 and Picardy in the pay of Sir Gode'mar, and 
 they seemed to be equally fond of tilting in 
 water as on dry land. 
 
 The French were drawn up in battle array, 
 near the narrow pass leading to the ford, and 
 the English were much harassed by them as 
 they came out of the water to gain the land ; 
 for there were among them Genoese cross- 
 bowmen who did them much mischief. On
 
 36 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 the other hand, the English archers shot so 
 well together that they forced the men-at- 
 arms to give way. At this ford many gallant 
 feats of arms were performed on both sides, 
 but in the end the English crossed over, and 
 as they came on shore hastened to the fields. 
 After the King, the Prince of Wales, and the 
 other lords had crossed, the French did not 
 long keep in the order they were in, but ran 
 off as fast as they could. 
 
 The King of England, when he had crossed 
 the Somme, gave thanks to God for it, and 
 began his march in the same order he had 
 done before. He called Gobin Agace to him, 
 gave him his freedom without ransom, as 
 well as that of his companions, and ordered 
 the hundred nobles of gold to be given him, 
 and also a good horse. 
 
 The Battle of Crecy 
 
 King Edward continued his march, think- 
 ing to take up his quarters at a good and 
 large town called Nozelles, situated hard by ; 
 but when he was told it belonged to the
 
 THE BATTLE OF CRECY 37 
 
 Countess d'Aumarle, sister to the dead Count 
 Robert d'Artois, one of his faithful lords, he 
 sent to assure the inhabitants, as well as all 
 her farmers, that they should not be hurt. 
 
 The two other battalions of his army came 
 on a Friday in the afternoon to where the 
 King was, and they fixed their quarters all 
 three together, near Crecy, in Ponthieu. The 
 King of England, who had been told that the 
 King of France was following him to give 
 battle, said to his people : " Let us post our- 
 selves here, for we will not go further till we 
 have seen our enemies. I have good reason 
 to wait for them on this spot, as I am now 
 upon the lawful inheritance of my lady-mother, 
 which was given her as her marriage portion ; 
 and I am resolved to defend it against my 
 adversary, Philip of Valois." 
 
 On account of his not having more than 
 an eighth part of the forces which the King 
 of France had, his marshals fixed on the 
 best situation, and the army went and took 
 possession of it. He then sent his scouts 
 towards Abbeville, to learn if the King of 
 France meant to take the field this Friday;
 
 38 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 but they returned and said they saw no 
 appearance of it, on which King Edward dis- 
 missed his men to their quarters, with orders 
 to be ready early in the morning, and to 
 assemble in the same place. 
 
 Rising early the next morning, a solemn 
 service of prayer was held, and King Edward 
 and the Prince of Wales took the Sacrament, 
 as did the greater part of his army. After- 
 wards the King ordered the men to arm them- 
 selves and assemble on the ground he had 
 before fixed on. He had enclosed a large 
 park near a wood, on the rear of his army, in 
 which he placed all his baggage, waggons, 
 and horses, and this park had but one 
 entrance. His men-at-arms and archers re- 
 mained on foot. 
 
 The army was then divided into three 
 battalions. In the first he placed the young 
 Prince of Wales, and with him the Earls of 
 Warwick and Oxford, Sir Godfrey de Har- 
 court, and many other noble lords, knights, 
 and squires. In this division there were 
 about eight hundred men-at-arms, two thou- 
 sand archers, and a thousand Welshmen.
 
 THE BATTLE OF CRECY 39 
 
 They advanced in regular order to their 
 ground, each lord under his banner and 
 pennon, and in the centre of his men. The 
 third battalion was commanded by the 
 King, and was composed of about seven 
 thousand men-at-arms and twelve hundred 
 archers. 
 
 King Edward then mounted a small palfrey, 
 and with a white wand in his hand and 
 attended by his two marshals he rode at a 
 foot's pace through all his ranks, encourag- 
 ing and entreating the army that they would 
 guard his honour and defend his right. 
 He spoke this so sweetly, and with such a 
 cheerful countenance, that all who had been 
 dispirited were at once comforted by seeing 
 and hearing him. When he had thus visited 
 all the battalions it was near ten o'clock; 
 he retired to his own division, and ordered 
 the men to eat heartily. They ate and drank 
 at their ease; and having packed up pots, 
 barrels, and so on, in the carts, they returned 
 to their battalions, according to the marshal's 
 orders, and seated themselves on the ground, 
 placing their helmets and bows before them
 
 40 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 that they might be the fresher when their 
 enemies should arrive. 
 
 That same Saturday the King of France 
 rose early and heard prayers in the Abbey of 
 St. Peter's in Abbeville, where he was lodged ; 
 having ordered his army to do the same he 
 left that town after sunrise. When he had 
 marched about two leagues from Abbeville, 
 and was approaching the enemy, he was ad- 
 vised to form his army in order of battle, and 
 to let those on foot march forward, that they 
 might not be trampled on by the horses. 
 King Philip on this sent off four knights to 
 discover the position of the English army, 
 who brought back the news that it was 
 drawn up in three battalions waiting for him. 
 One of the four knights was the Lord Moyne, 
 who was attached to the King of Bohemia, 
 and had performed very many gallant deeds, 
 so that he was esteemed one of the most 
 valiant knights in Christendom. 
 
 "Sir," said this Lord Moyne, "I would 
 advise for my part that you halt your army 
 here, and quarter them for the night, for 
 before the rear shall come up and the army
 
 THE BATTLE OF CRECY 41 
 
 be properly drawn out it will be very late ; 
 your men will be tired and in disorder, while 
 they will find your enemies fresh and properly 
 arrayed." 
 
 King Philip commanded that it should be 
 so done, and the two marshals rode, one 
 towards the front and the other to the rear, 
 crying out, " Halt banners, in the name of 
 God and St. Denis!" 
 
 Those that were in the front halted, but 
 those behind said they would not halt, until 
 they were as forward as the front. When 
 the front perceived the rear pressing on, they 
 pushed forward, and neither the King nor 
 the marshals could stop them, but they 
 marched on without any order till they came 
 in sight of their enemies. As soon as the 
 foremost rank saw them, they fell back at once 
 in great disorder, which alarmed those in the 
 rear, who thought they had been fighting. 
 There was then space enough for them to 
 have passed forward, had they been willing 
 so to do ; some did so, but others remained 
 shy. All the roads between Abbeville and 
 Crecy were covered with common people,
 
 42 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 who, when they came within three leagues of 
 their enemies, drew their swords, brawling 
 out, " Kill ! Kill ! " and with them were many 
 great lords, who were eager to make show of 
 their courage. No man, unless he had been 
 present, could imagine or describe truly the 
 confusion of that day. 
 
 The English, who were drawn up in three 
 divisions and seated on the ground, on seeing 
 their enemies advance, rose undauntedly up 
 and fell into their ranks. That of the young 
 Prince of Wales was the first to do so. 
 
 You must know that these kings, earls, 
 barons, and lords of France did not advance 
 in any regular order, but one after the other, 
 or any way most pleasing to themselves. As 
 soon as the King of France came in sight 
 of the English, his blood began to boil, and 
 he called out to his marshals, "Order the 
 Genoese forward, and begin the battle, in the 
 name of God and St. Denis ! " 
 
 There were about fifteen thousand Genoese 
 cross-bowmen, but they were quite fatigued, 
 having marched on foot that day six leagues, 
 completely armed and with their cross-bows.
 
 THE BATTLE OF CRECY 43 
 
 They told the Constable they were not in a fit 
 condition to do any great things that day 
 in battle. The Earl of Alencon hearing this, 
 said, "This is what one gets by employing 
 such scoundrels, who fall off when there is 
 any need of them." 
 
 During this time a very heavy rain fell, 
 accompanied by thunder and a very terrible 
 eclipse of the sun; and before this rain a 
 great flight of crows hovered in the air over 
 all these battalions, making a loud noise. 
 Shortly afterwards it cleared up, and the sun 
 shone very bright ; but the Frenchmen had it 
 in their faces, and the English at their backs. 
 
 When the Genoese were somewhat in 
 order, and approached the English, they set 
 up a loud shout, in order to frighten them, 
 but the English remained quite still, and 
 did not seem to attend to it. They then set 
 up a second shout, and advanced a little 
 forward; but the English never moved. 
 They hooted a third time, advancing with 
 their cross-bows presented, and began to 
 shoot. The English archers then advanced 
 one step forward, and shot their arrows
 
 44 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 with such force and quickness that it seemed 
 as if it snowed. When the Genoese felt 
 these arrows which pierced their arms, heads, 
 and through their armour, some of them 
 cut the strings of their cross-bows, others 
 flung them on the ground, and all turned 
 about and retreated, quite discomfited. 
 
 The English continued shooting as vigor- 
 ously and quickly as before. Some of their 
 arrows fell among the horsemen, who were 
 sumptuously equipped, and killing and wound- 
 ing many, made them caper and fall among 
 the Genoese, so that they were in such con- 
 fusion they could never rally again. In the 
 English army there were some Cornish and 
 Welshmen on foot, who had armed them- 
 selves with large knives; these advancing 
 through the ranks of men-at-arms and 
 archers, came upon the French when they 
 were in this danger, and falling upon earls, 
 barons, knights, and squires, slew many, 
 at which the King of England was after- 
 wards much exasperated. The valiant King 
 of Bohemia was slain there. 
 
 "Gentlemen," said this King to his at-
 
 THE BATTLE OF CRECY 45 
 
 tendants before the battle, "you are all my 
 people, my friends, and my brethren at arms 
 this day ; therefore, as I am blind, I request 
 you to lead me so far into the engagement 
 that I may strike one stroke with my sword." 
 
 The knights replied they would at once 
 lead him forward, and in order that they 
 might not lose him in the crowd, they fast- 
 ened all the reins of their horses together, 
 and put the King at their head that he might 
 gratify his wish, and advanced towards the 
 enemy. The King of Bohemia and his com- 
 panions fought most gallantly. They ad- 
 vanced so far that they were all slain; and 
 on the morrow they were found on the ground, 
 with their horses all tied together. 
 
 Early in the day some French, Germans, 
 and Savoyards had broken through the 
 archers of the young Prince of Wales's 
 battalion, and had engaged with his men- 
 at-arms ; on this, the second battalion came 
 to his aid, and it was time, for otherwise 
 he would have been hard pressed. The 
 first division, seeing the danger they were 
 in, sent a knight in great haste to the
 
 46 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 King of England, who was posted upon 
 an eminence near a windmill. 
 
 "Sir," said the knight on his arrival, 
 "the Earl of Warwick, the Lord Stafford, 
 the Lord Reginald Cobham, and the others 
 who are about your son, are hotly attacked 
 by the French, and they entreat that you 
 will come to their assistance with your 
 battalion, for if their numbers increase, 
 they fear they will have too much to do." 
 
 "Is my son dead, unhorsed, or so badly 
 wounded that he cannot support himself?" 
 replied the King. 
 
 "Nothing of the sort, thank God!" re- 
 joined the knight, "but he is in so hot an 
 engagement that he has great need of your 
 help." 
 
 " Now, Sir Thomas, return back to those 
 that sent you," said the King, "and tell 
 them from me not to send again for me 
 this day, or expect that I shall come, let 
 what will happen, so long as my son has 
 life, and say that I command them to let 
 the boy win his spurs. For I am determined, 
 if it please God, that all the glory and honour
 
 THE BATTLE OF CRECY 47 
 
 of this day shall be given to him, and to 
 those into whose care I have entrusted him." 
 
 The knight returned to his lords, and 
 related the King's answer, which mightily 
 encouraged them, and made them repent 
 they had ever sent such a message. 
 
 Late after vespers the King of France had 
 not more about him than sixty men, every 
 one included. Sir John of Hainault, who was 
 of the number, had already given the King 
 a fresh horse, for his first had been killed 
 under him by an arrow. 
 
 " Sir," he said to the King, " retreat whilst 
 you have an opportunity, and do not expose 
 yourself so boldly; if you have lost this 
 battle, another time you will be the con- 
 queror." After this, he took the bridle of 
 the King's horse, and led him off by force, 
 for he had before entreated him to retire. 
 
 King Philip rode on till he came to the 
 Castle of La Brozes, where he found the 
 gates shut, for it was very dark. The King 
 ordered the Governor of the Castle to be sum- 
 moned. He came upon the battlements, and 
 asked who it was that called at such an hour.
 
 48 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 " Open, open, Governor ; it is the fortune of 
 France," replied the King 1 . 
 
 The Governor, hearing the King's voice, 
 immediately descended, opened the gate, and 
 let down the bridge, and the King and his 
 company entered the Castle. 
 
 Having taken some refreshments, King 
 Philip set out again with his attendants 
 about midnight, and rode on, under the direc- 
 tion of guides who were well acquainted 
 with the country, until, about daybreak, he 
 came to Amiens, where he halted. 
 
 The battle of Crecy was ended at the hour 
 of vespers. 
 
 When on this Saturday night the English 
 heard no more hooting or shouting, they 
 looked upon the field as their own, and their 
 enemies as beaten. They made great fires 
 and lighted torches, because of the darkness 
 of the night. 
 
 King Edward then came down from his 
 post, where all that day he had not put 
 on his helmet, and with his whole battalion 
 advanced to the Prince of Wales, whom 
 he embraced in his arms and kissed.
 
 THE SIEGE OF CALAIS 49 
 
 " Sweet son," he said, " God give you good 
 perseverance ! You are my son, for most 
 loyally have you acquitted yourself this day ; 
 you are worthy to be a sovereign." 
 
 The Prince bowed very low, and humbled 
 himself, giving all honour to the King his 
 father. 
 
 The English, during the night, made fre- 
 quent thanksgivings to the Lord for the 
 happy issue of the day, and without rioting ; 
 for the King had forbidden all riot or noise. 
 
 The Siege of Calais 
 
 On the Thursday after the great battle of 
 Crecy, King Edward, the Prince of Wales, 
 and all the other English came before the 
 strong town of Calais. 
 
 A Burgundy knight, named Sir John de 
 Vienne, was Governor of Calais, and with 
 him were many other knights and squires. 
 
 On the King's arrival before Calais he laid 
 siege to it, and built, between it and the river 
 and bridge, houses of wood ; they were laid 
 out in streets, and thatched with straw or
 
 50 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 broom ; and in this town of the King's there 
 was everything necessary for an army, be- 
 sides a market-place where there were mar- 
 kets every Wednesday and Saturday, for 
 butcher's meat and all other sorts of mer- 
 chandise ; cloth, bread, and everything else, 
 which came from England and Flanders, 
 might be had there, as well as all comforts, 
 for money. The English made frequent 
 expeditions into the neighbouring country, 
 from whence they brought great booty 
 back to the army. 
 
 King Edward made no attacks on the 
 town, as he knew it would be only lost labour, 
 and he was sparing of his men and artillery, 
 but he said he would remain there so long 
 that he would starve the town into a sur- 
 render, unless the King of France should 
 come there to raise the siege. 
 
 When the Governor of Calais saw the pre- 
 parations of the King of England, he collected 
 together all the poor inhabitants, who had 
 not laid in any store of provisions, and one 
 Wednesday morning sent upwards of seven- 
 teen hundred men, women, and children out
 
 THE SIEGE OF CALAIS 51 
 
 of the town. As they were passing through 
 the English army, they asked them why they 
 had left the town? They replied, because 
 they had nothing to eat. The King, on this, 
 allowed them to pass through in safety, 
 ordered them a hearty dinner, and gave to 
 each two pieces of money, as charity and alms 
 for which many of them prayed earnestly 
 for the King. 
 
 While King Edward was absent at the 
 war in France, his wife, Queen Philippa, was 
 undertaking the defence of his own realm 
 against the Scotch, who had seized that 
 opportunity to invade it. A great battle was 
 fought at Neville's Cross, three miles from 
 Newcastle, on October 17, 1346. The English 
 gained the field. The King of Scotland was 
 taken prisoner, fighting most gallantly. After 
 seeing him, with other prisoners, placed safely 
 in the Tower of London, Queen Philippa set 
 out for Calais, which she reached about 
 October 28. The King on her arrival held a 
 grand court, and ordered magnificent enter- 
 tainments for all the lords who were there, 
 but more especially for the ladies, as the
 
 52 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 Queen had brought a great many with her, 
 who were glad to come, in order to see 
 fathers, brothers, and friends, who were en- 
 gaged at the siege. 
 
 The siege of Calais lasted a long time, dur- 
 ing which many gallant deeds of arms and 
 adventures happened. There were frequent 
 skirmishes near the gates and ditches of the 
 town ; sometimes one side gained the advan- 
 tage, sometimes the other. However, no 
 provisions could be brought into the town 
 except by stealth, and by the means of two 
 mariners who were guides to such as ven- 
 tured ; one was named Marant, the other 
 Mestriel ; both of them lived in Abbeville. By 
 their means food was frequently brought into 
 Calais, and by their boldness they were often 
 in great danger, many times pursued and 
 almost captured, but they escaped and slew 
 and wounded many of the English. 
 
 The siege lasted all the winter. 
 
 King Edward, finding he could not con- 
 quer Calais but by famine, ordered a large 
 castle to be constructed of strong timbers, 
 in order to shut the communication with
 
 THE SIEGE OF CALAIS 53 
 
 the sea, and he directed it to be built and 
 embattled in such a manner that it could 
 not be destroyed. He placed it between the 
 town and the sea, and garrisoned it with 
 forty men-at-arms and two hundred archers. 
 These guarded the harbour and port of 
 Calais so closely that nothing could come 
 out or go into the town without being sunk 
 or taken. By this means he grieved the 
 people of Calais more sorely than by any- 
 thing he had hitherto done, and soon brought 
 famine among them. 
 
 About Whitsuntide the King of France 
 made an attempt to save the people of 
 Calais, by coming with a large army to try 
 and raise the siege. But he found the 
 English were in far too strong a position 
 to attack, so marched away again without 
 giving battle. 
 
 When the people of Calais saw the French 
 troops depart, it gave them great grief; 
 they saw clearly that all hope of succour 
 was at end, which occasioned them so much 
 sorrow and distress that even the hardiest 
 could scarcely support it. They therefore
 
 54 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 most earnestly entreated the Lord John 
 de Vienne, their Governor, to mount upon 
 the battlements, and make a sign that he 
 wished to hold a parley. The King of 
 England, on hearing this, sent to them Sir 
 Walter Manny and Lord Basset. 
 
 When they were come near, the Lord 
 de Vienne said to them : 
 
 " Dear gentlemen, you who are very valiant 
 knights, know that the King of France, 
 whose subjects we are, has sent us hither 
 to defend this town and castle from all 
 harm and damage; this we have done to 
 the best of our abilities. All hope of help 
 has now left us, so that we are most exceed- 
 ingly straitened ; and if the gallant King, 
 your lord, have not pity on us, we must 
 perish with hunger. I therefore entreat 
 that you will beg of him to have compas- 
 sion on us, and to have the goodness to 
 allow us to depart in the state we are in, 
 and that he will be satisfied with having 
 possession of the town and castle, with 
 all that is within them, as he will find 
 therein riches enough to content him."
 
 THE SIEGE OF CALAIS 55 
 
 To this Sir Walter Manny replied : 
 "John, we are not ignorant of what the 
 King our lord's intentions are, for he has told 
 them to us. Know then, it is not his pleasure 
 you should get off so ; for he is resolved you 
 should surrender yourselves solely to his 
 will, to allow those whom he pleases their 
 ransom, or to put them to death; for the 
 people of Calais have done him so much 
 mischief, and have by their obstinate defence 
 cost him so many lives, and so much money, 
 that he is mightily enraged." 
 
 "These conditions are too hard for us," 
 said the Lord de Vienne. "We are but a 
 small number of knights and squires, who 
 have loyally served our lord and master, as 
 you would have done, and have suffered 
 much ill and disquiet; but we will endure 
 more than any men did in a similar situation 
 before we consent that the smallest boy in 
 the town should fare worse than the best. I 
 therefore once more entreat you out of com- 
 passion to return to the King of England, 
 and beg of him to have pity on us ; he will, 
 I trust, grant you this favour, for I have
 
 56 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 such opinion of his gallantry as to hope, 
 through God's mercy, he will alter his mind." 
 
 The two lords returned to the King of 
 England and related what had passed. The 
 King said he had no intention of complying 
 with the request, but should insist that they 
 surrendered themselves unconditionally to 
 his will. 
 
 "My lord, you may be to blame in this," 
 said Sir Walter Manny, " as you will set us a 
 very bad example ; for if you order us to go 
 to any of your castles, we shall not obey you 
 so cheerfully if you put these people to death, 
 for they will retaliate on us in a similar case." 
 
 "Gentlemen, I am not so obstinate as to 
 hold my opinion alone against you all," said 
 the King. "Sir Walter Manny, you will 
 inform the Governor of Calais that the only 
 grace he must expect from me is, that six of 
 the principal citizens of Calais march out of 
 the town with bare heads and feet, with ropes 
 round their necks, and the keys of the towns 
 and castles in their hands. These six 
 persons shall be at my absolute disposal and 
 the remainder of the persons pardoned."
 
 THE SIEGE OF CALAIS 57 
 
 Sir Walter returned to the Lord de Vienne, 
 who was waiting for him on the battlements, 
 and told him all he had been able to gain 
 from the King. 
 
 "I beg of you," said the Governor, "that 
 you will be so good as to remain here for a 
 little, while I go and relate all that has passed 
 to the townsmen, for as they have desired me 
 to undertake this, it is proper they should 
 know the result of it." 
 
 He went to the market-place and caused 
 the bell to be rung; upon which all the 
 inhabitants, men and women, assembled in 
 the Town Hall. He then related to them 
 what he had said, and the answers he had 
 received, and that he could not obtain any 
 conditions more favourable, to which they 
 must give a short and immediate answer. 
 
 This information caused the greatest lamen- 
 tation and despair, so that the hardest heart 
 would have had compassion on them; even 
 the Lord de Vienne wept bitterly. 
 
 After a short time the most wealthy citizen 
 of the town, by name Eustace de St. Pierre, 
 rose up and said :
 
 58 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 "Gentlemen, both high and low, it would 
 be a very great pity to suffer so many people 
 to die through famine, if any means could 
 be found to prevent it; and it would be 
 highly meritorious in the eyes of our Saviour 
 if such misery could be averted. I have 
 such faith and trust in finding grace before 
 God, if I die to save my townsmen, that I 
 name myself as first of the six." 
 
 When Eustace had done speaking, they 
 all rose up and almost worshipped him; 
 many cast themselves at his feet with tears 
 and groans. Another citizen, very rich and 
 respected, rose up and said he would be 
 the second to his companion, Eustace; his 
 name was John Daire. After him James 
 Wisant, who was very rich in merchandise 
 and lands, offered himself as companion to 
 his two cousins; as did Peter Wisant, his 
 brother. Two others then named them- 
 selves, which completed the number de- 
 manded by the King of England. 
 
 The Lord John de Vienne then mounted 
 a small hackney, for it was with difficulty 
 that he could walk, and conducted them to
 
 THE SIEGE OF CALAIS 59 
 
 the gate, attended by all the sorrowing 
 townsfolk. The Governor ordered the gate 
 to be opened, and then shut behind him 
 and the six citizens, whom he led to the 
 barriers. 
 
 "I deliver up to you, as Governor of 
 Calais, with the consent of the inhabitants, 
 these six citizens," he said to Sir Walter 
 Manny, who was there waiting for him. 
 "And I swear to you they were, and are 
 at this day, the most wealthy and respectable 
 inhabitants of Calais. I beg of you, gentle 
 sir, that you will have the goodness to be- 
 seech the King that they may not be put 
 to death." 
 
 "I cannot answer for what the King will 
 do with them," replied Sir Walter, " but you 
 may depend I will do all in my power to 
 save them." 
 
 The barriers were opened, these six citizens 
 advanced to the pavilion of the King, and the 
 Lord de Vienne re-entered the town. 
 
 When Sir Walter Manny had presented 
 these six citizens to King Edward, they fell 
 on their 'knees, and begged him to have
 
 6o HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 mercy and compassion on them. All the 
 barons, knights, and squires, that were 
 assembled there in great numbers, wept at 
 the sight. The King eyed them with angry 
 looks (for he hated much the people of 
 Calais, for the great losses he had formerly 
 suffered from them at sea), and ordered their 
 heads to be stricken off. All present en- 
 treated the King that he would be more 
 merciful to them, but he would not listen to 
 them. 
 
 "Ah, gentle King, let me beseech you to 
 restrain your anger," then said Sir Walter 
 Manny; "you have the reputation of great 
 nobleness of soul, do not therefore tarnish 
 it by such an act as this, nor allow any one 
 to speak in a disgraceful manner of you. 
 In this instance all the world will say you 
 acted cruelly if you put to death six such 
 respected persons, who, of their own free 
 will, have surrendered themselves to your 
 mercy in order to save their fellow-citizens." 
 
 The King's only reply to this was, " Let 
 it be so," and ordered the headsman to be 
 sent for; for that the people of Calais had
 
 THE SIEGE OF CALAIS 6l 
 
 done him so much damage, it was proper 
 they should suffer for it. 
 
 Then the Queen of England fell on her 
 knees before the King. 
 
 "Ah, gentle sir," she said with tears, 
 "since I have crossed the sea with great 
 danger to see you, I have never asked you 
 one favour; now I most humbly ask as a 
 gift, for the sake of our Lord Christ, and 
 for your love to nie, that you will be merciful 
 to these six men." 
 
 The King looked at her for some time in 
 silence. 
 
 "Ah, lady," he said at last, "I wish you 
 had been anywhere else than here. You 
 have entreated in such a manner I cannot 
 refuse you ; I therefore give them to you, 
 to do as you please with them." 
 
 The Queen led the six citizens to her 
 apartments, and had the halters taken from 
 round their necks, after which they were 
 newly clothed, and served with a plentiful 
 dinner; she then presented each with six 
 gold nobles, and had them escorted out of 
 the camp in safety.
 
 62 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 The siege of Calais began in August 
 1346, and the town surrendered about the 
 end of August 1347. 
 
 After presenting the six citizens to the 
 Queen, King Edward sent Sir Walter 
 Manny and his two marshals, the Earls 
 of Warwick and Stafford, to take possession 
 of the town and castle. All the inhabitants 
 were driven out, and handsome houses were 
 given to many English knights, in order to 
 induce them to settle there. On his return 
 to England, King Edward sent over thirty- 
 six substantial citizens, with all their wealth, 
 to exert all their influence in such a manner 
 that the inhabitants of the town should 
 henceforward be wholly English. 
 
 The Battle of Poitiers 
 
 In August 1350, King Philip of France 
 died, and on the 26th of September follow- 
 ing, his eldest son, John, was crowned King. 
 
 The war with England still continued, 
 and in 1356 the King of France, who was 
 then in Paris, heard that the Prince of Wales,
 
 THE BATTLE OF POITIERS 63 
 
 with his whole army, had invaded his king- 
 dom, and was fast advancing towards the 
 fertile country of Berry. When this was 
 told him, King John said he would at once 
 set out after him, and give him battle where- 
 ever he should find him. He issued a 
 special summons, and all nobles and others 
 who held fiefs under him, that they should 
 not under any pretence whatever absent 
 themselves, without incurring his highest 
 displeasure, but immediately set out to meet 
 him on the borders of Touraine and Blois, 
 for he was determined to fight the English. 
 Great crowds of troops and men-at-arms 
 came to him from all parts of France. 
 
 News came to the Prince of Wales that 
 the King of France was in the city of 
 Chartres with a very large army, and that 
 all passes and towns on that side of the 
 Loire were secured, and so well guarded, that 
 no one could cross the river. The Prince of 
 Wales, who had already over-run the country 
 of Auvergne, resolved to return to Bordeaux, 
 through Touraine and Poitou, for all that 
 district is very rich and full of forage for
 
 64 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 men-at-arms. He took much plunder on 
 the way, but had several sharp skirmishes 
 with the enemy. 
 
 When the King of France heard that the 
 Prince of Wales was making as much haste 
 as possible to return, he thought that the 
 English could not in any way escape from 
 him. With his whole army he marched at 
 once, and crossing the river Vienne at 
 Chauvigny came the next day to the city of 
 Poitiers, where he encamped in the open 
 fields outside the town. 
 
 The English were quartered that night in 
 a very strong position, among vineyards and 
 hedges, and both armies were well guarded. 
 
 About this time, Pope Innocent VI. had 
 sent into France two cardinals, to try to make 
 a peace between the King of France and his 
 enemies. The Cardinal of Perigord was at 
 the city of Tours when he was told that the 
 King of France was marching in all haste after 
 the English. He therefore left Tours and 
 hurried to Poitiers, as he had learned that 
 the two armies were approaching near to 
 each other in that quarter.
 
 THE BATTLE OF POITIERS 65 
 
 The day after their arrival the French army 
 were drawn up in full battle array, and were 
 on the point of marching to their enemies, 
 when the Cardinal of Perigord came full up 
 to King John, and making a low reverence, 
 entreated him, for the love of God, to halt a 
 moment, that he might speak to him. 
 
 "Most dear Sire," he began, "you have 
 here all the flower of knighthood of your 
 kingdom, against a handful of people, such 
 as the English are, when compared with your 
 army. You may have them on other terms 
 than by a battle, and it will be more honour 
 and profit to you to gain them by this means 
 than to risk such a fine army, and such noble 
 persons as you have now with you. I there- 
 fore beseech you, in all humility, that you will 
 permit me to go to the Prince and remon- 
 strate with him on the dangerous situation 
 he is in." 
 
 " We agree willingly," said the King, " but 
 make haste back again." 
 
 The Cardinal on this set off, and went 
 in all speed to the Prince of Wales, whom 
 he found on foot in the midst of his army,
 
 66 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 in the thickest part of a vineyard. When 
 the Cardinal came there, he dismounted 
 and advanced to the Prince, who greeted 
 him most courteously. 
 
 " Fair son," said the Cardinal, " if you have 
 well considered the great army of the King 
 of France, you will permit me to make up 
 matters between you both, if I possibly can." 
 
 The Prince, who was but in his youth, 
 replied: "Sir, my own honour and that 
 of my army saved, I am ready to listen to 
 any reasonable terms." 
 
 " Fair son, you say well," said the Cardinal, 
 "and I will bring about a treaty, if I can; 
 for it would be a great pity that so many 
 worthy persons who are here should meet 
 in battle." 
 
 The Cardinal returned to the King of 
 France, and said : 
 
 "Sir, you have no occasion to be so im- 
 patient to fight with them, for they cannot 
 escape from you; I therefore entreat you 
 will grant them a truce from this time until 
 to-morrow's sunrise." 
 
 King John at first would not agree to it;
 
 THE BATTLE OF POITIERS 67 
 
 however, the Cardinal spoke so eloquently 
 he at last assented. He ordered a very 
 rich and handsome pavilion of red silk to be 
 pitched on the spot where he stood, and 
 dismissed his army to their quarters. 
 
 All that Sunday the Cardinal rode from 
 one army to another, and was very anxious 
 to reconcile the two parties. But the King 
 of France would not listen to any other 
 terms than that four principal persons of 
 the English should be given up to his will, 
 and that the Prince of Wales and his army 
 should unconditionally surrender themselves. 
 Many proposals were made. The Prince 
 offered to surrender to the King of France 
 all the towns and castles he had conquered 
 in this expedition; to give up without ran- 
 som all his prisoners, and to swear that 
 he would not for seven years take up arms 
 against the King of France. King John and 
 his council refused to accept this, and the 
 matter remained some time in suspense; 
 at last they declared that if the Prince of 
 Wales and a hundred of his knights did 
 not surrender themselves prisoners to the
 
 68 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 King of France, he would not allow them 
 to pass without an engagement. The Prince 
 and his army disdained to accept such con- 
 ditions. 
 
 The Cardinal de Perigord, not being able 
 by any means to reconcile the King of France 
 and the Prince of Wales, returned to Poitiers 
 late in the evening. The French had kept 
 in their quarters all that day, where they 
 lived at their ease, having plenty of pro- 
 visions. The English, on the other hand, 
 were but badly off, nor did they know where 
 to go for forage, for they were so hemmed 
 in by the French they could not move with- 
 out danger. 
 
 On Monday morning the Prince and his 
 army were soon in readiness, and as well 
 arrayed as on the former day. They were few 
 in number, but posted with great judgment in 
 a very strong position, the only road open 
 to an attack being a lane so narrow that 
 scarcely four men could ride through it 
 abreast. There was only one entry, and the 
 hedges at the sides had been fortified and 
 lined with some of the archers. At the end
 
 THE BATTLE OF POITIERS 69 
 
 of this lane, amongst vines and thorns, where 
 it was impossible to ride or march in any 
 regular order, were posted the men-at-arms 
 on foot, and before them were drawn up the 
 archers, in the form of a harrow, so that it 
 would be no easy matter to defeat them. 
 
 The Prince had ordered some valiant and 
 intelligent knights to remain on horseback, 
 and he also commanded three hundred men- 
 at-arms, and as many archers on horseback, 
 to post themselves on the right on the small 
 hill, that was not too high nor too steep, and 
 by passing over its summit to get round the 
 wing of the Duke of Normandy's battalion, 
 which was at the foot. The Prince himself 
 was with the main body, in the midst of the 
 vineyards ; the whole completely armed, with 
 their horses near, if there should be occasion 
 for them. They had fortified and enclosed 
 the weaker parts with their waggons and 
 baggage. 
 
 The whole army of the Prince, including 
 every one, did not amount to eight thou- 
 sand; while the French, counting all sorts 
 of persons, were upwards of sixty thousand
 
 70 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 combatants, among whom were more than 
 three thousand knights. 
 
 When the Prince of Wales saw, from the 
 departure of the Cardinal without being able 
 to obtain honourable terms, that a battle was 
 inevitable, and that the King of France held 
 both him and his army in great contempt, he 
 thus addressed himself to them : 
 
 "Now, sirs, though we be but a small 
 company compared to the might of our 
 enemies, let us not be cast down on that 
 account, for victory does not lie in the multi- 
 tude of people, but where it pleases God to 
 send it. If it fortune that the day be ours, 
 we shall be the most honoured people of all 
 the world; and if we die in our rightful 
 quarrel, I have the King, my father, and my 
 brothers, and ye, also, have good friends and 
 kinsmen ; these shall revenge us. Therefore, 
 sirs, I require you do your duty this day, for, 
 if please God and St. George, this day ye 
 shall see me a good knight." 
 
 By such words as these the Prince spoke 
 to his men, as did the marshals, by his 
 orders ; so that they were all in high spirits.
 
 THE BATTLE OF POITIERS 71 
 
 Sir John Chandos placed himself near the 
 Prince, to guard and advise him ; and never 
 during that day would he on any account 
 leave his post. 
 
 The Lord James Audley remained also 
 for some time near him, but when he saw 
 they must certainly fight, he said to the 
 Prince : 
 
 "Sir, I have ever served most loyally my 
 lord your father and yourself, and shall con- 
 tinue to do so as long as I have life. Dear 
 sir, I must now acquaint you that formerly I 
 made a vow, if ever I should be engaged in 
 any battle where the King, your father, or 
 any of his sons were, that I would be the 
 foremost in the attack, and the best com- 
 batant on his side, or die in the attempt. I 
 beg therefore most earnestly as a reward 
 for any services I may have done, that you 
 would grant me permission honourably to 
 leave you that I may post myself in such 
 wise to accomplish my vow." 
 
 The Prince granted this request. 
 
 " Sir James," he said, holding out his 
 hand to him, " God grant that this day
 
 ^2 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 you may shine in valour above all other 
 knights." 
 
 The knight then set off and posted him- 
 self in front of the battalion, with only four 
 squires, whom he kept with him to guard 
 his person. This Lord James was a prudent 
 and valiant knight, and it was by his advice 
 that the army had thus been drawn up 
 in order of battle. 
 
 Another gallant knight, Sir Eustace d'Am- 
 breticourt, in like manner took great pains 
 to be the first to engage, and was so, or near 
 it. Placing his lance in rest, and fixing his 
 shield, he galloped up to a battalion of 
 Germans, who were attached to the French 
 interest, under the command of the Earl 
 John of Nassau. A German knight, called 
 Lord Lewis de Concibras, seeing Sir Eustace 
 approach, made up to him; the shock of 
 their meeting was so violent that both fell 
 to the ground. Sir Eustace rose nimbly, 
 and was hastening to the German knight, 
 who was wounded in the shoulder, when 
 five German men-at-arms came upon him, 
 struck him down, and made him prisoner.
 
 TlIKY TIKI) HIM TO A CART.
 
 THE BATTLE OF POITIERS 73 
 
 They led him to those who were attached 
 to the Earl of Nassau, who did not pay much 
 attention to Sir Eustace, but tied him to 
 a cart with some of their harness. 
 
 The engagement now began on both sides. 
 The battalion of the French marshals, three 
 hundred of the most expert and boldest in the 
 army, well armed and excellently mounted, 
 entered the lane where the hedges on both 
 sides were lined with archers, for it had 
 been arranged that they should clear a way 
 for the men-at-arms to attack hand to hand. 
 But their horses, smarting under the pain of 
 the arrows, would not advance, but turned 
 about, and by their unruliness threw their 
 masters, who could not manage them, nor 
 could those that had fallen get up again, 
 because of the confusion; so this battalion 
 of the marshals never approached the Prince 
 of Wales. In a short time it was totally 
 discomfited, for the riders fell back so much 
 on each other that the army could not ad- 
 vance, and those who were in the rear, not 
 being able to get forward, fell back upon 
 the battalion commanded by the Duke of
 
 74 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 Normandy, which was soon thin enough, for 
 when they learned that the marshals had 
 been defeated, they mounted their horses 
 and set off. The English archers were of 
 infinite service to their army, for they shot 
 so thickly and so well that the French did 
 not know which way to turn to avoid their 
 arrows; by this means they kept advancing 
 little by little and gained ground. 
 
 When the English men-at-arms saw that 
 the first battalion was beaten, and that the 
 one under the Duke of Normandy was in 
 disorder, they hastened to mount their horses, 
 which they had ready prepared close at 
 hand. As soon as they were mounted they 
 gave a shout of " St. George for Guienne ! " 
 and Sir John Chandos said to the Prince, 
 "Sir, sir, now push forward, for the day is 
 ours. God will this day put it in your hand. 
 Let us make for our adversary, the King of 
 France, for where he is will lie the chief stress 
 of battle. I well know that his valour will 
 not let him fly, and he will remain with us 
 if it please God and St. George! But he 
 must be well fought with, and you have
 
 THE BATTLE OF POITIERS 75 
 
 before said that you would show yourself this 
 day a good knight." 
 
 "John, get forward!" replied the Prince. 
 " You shall not see me turn my back this day, 
 but I will always be among the foremost." 
 Then to his banner-bearer, Sir Walter Wood- 
 land, he said : " Banner advance, in the name 
 of God and St. George ! " 
 
 As the Prince of Wales fought his way 
 in search of the King of France, he met 
 the battalion of Germans under the Earl of 
 Nassau, who had taken prisoner Sir Eustace 
 d'Ambreticourt. They were soon overthrown 
 and put to flight. In the confusion Sir 
 Eustace was rescued by his own men, who 
 gave him a horse; he afterwards performed 
 many gallant deeds of arms, and made good 
 captures that day. 
 
 The King's battalion advanced in good order 
 to meet the English ; many hard blows were 
 given with swords, battle-axes, and other 
 warlike weapons. King John, on his part, 
 proved himself a good knight, and if the 
 fourth of his people had behaved as well, 
 the day would have been his own. Those,
 
 76 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 however, who had remained with him ac- 
 quitted themselves to the best of their power, 
 and were either slain or taken prisoners. 
 Scarcely any who were with the King at- 
 tempted to escape. Many gallant deeds of 
 arms were done that were never known, 
 and the combatants on each side suffered 
 much. King John himself did wonders, 
 but in the end was forced to surrender. 
 
 He was conducted by the Earl of War- 
 wick and the Lord Cobham with the 
 greatest courtesy to the Prince of Wales, 
 who that night gave a supper in his pavilion 
 to the King of France, and the greater 
 number of his princes and barons who had 
 been taken prisoners. 
 
 The Prince seated the King of France 
 and his young son, the Lord Philip, at a raised 
 and well-covered table, with some of the 
 chief French nobles. The other knights 
 and squires were placed at different tables. 
 The Prince himself served the King's table, 
 as well as the others, with every mark of 
 humility, and would not sit down at it, in 
 spite of all his entreaties for him to do so,
 
 THE BATTLE OF POITIERS 77 
 
 saying that he " was not worthy of such an 
 honour, nor did it beseem him to sit at the 
 table of so great a King, or of so valiant 
 a man as he had shown himself by his actions 
 that day." He added also with a noble air : 
 " Dear sir, do not make a poor meal because 
 the Almighty God has not gratified your 
 wishes in the event of this day; for be as- 
 sured that my lord and father will show 
 you every honour and friendship in his power, 
 and will arrange your ransom so reasonably 
 that you will henceforward always remain 
 friends. In my opinion you have cause to 
 be glad that the success of this battle did 
 not turn out as you desired ; for you have 
 this day acquired such high renown for 
 prowess, that you have surpassed all the 
 best knights on your side. I do not, dear 
 sir, say this to flatter you, for all those of 
 our side who have seen and observed the 
 deeds of each party, have allowed this to 
 be your due, and decree you the prize and 
 garland for it." 
 
 At the end of this speech there were 
 murmurs of praise heard from every one;
 
 78 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 and the French said the Prince had spoken 
 nobly and truly, and that he would be one 
 of the most gallant princes in Christendom, 
 if God should grant him life to pursue his 
 career of glory. 
 
 The Battle of Poitiers was fought on the 
 igth of September 1356.
 
 How a Servant saved his Master 
 
 AMONG the possessions held by the English 
 in France in the year 1383 was the famous 
 town and castle of Lourdes, which is near 
 the borders of Spain. The country round 
 was the scene of some of the fiercest fighting 
 recorded in the war, although the powerful 
 lord of the territory of Be"arn, the great Count 
 Gaston de Foix, would not take part with 
 either side, and was on good terms with both 
 the King of France and the King of England, 
 neither of whom was he willing to anger. 
 
 The English garrison at Lourdes made 
 frequent excursions at a distance from their 
 fort, in which they did not always have the 
 advantage, for the neighbouring towns and 
 castles were also well garrisoned and full of 
 French troops. When they heard that those 
 of Lourdes had made any excursion towards 
 Toulouse or Carcassone, they collected them- 
 
 79
 
 8o HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 selves to form an ambuscade and carry off 
 what pillage the English had gained ; some- 
 times several on each side were killed, at 
 others those of Lourdes passed unmolested. 
 
 It happened once that a knight of Lourdes, 
 called Ernauton de Sainte Columbe, set off 
 with another knight and six score lances, 
 good men-at-arms, and advanced round the 
 mountains between the two rivers Lesse and 
 Lisse as far as Toulouse. On their return 
 they found in the meadows great quantities 
 of cattle, pigs, and sheep, which they seized, 
 as well as some prosperous men from the flat 
 countries, and drove them all before them. 
 
 It was told to the Governor of Tarbes, a 
 squire of Gascony, how those of Lourdes 
 were overrunning and harassing the country, 
 and he sent information of this to various 
 French leaders, adding he was determined 
 to attack them. These knights and squires 
 of Bigorre, having agreed to join him, as- 
 sembled their men in the town of Tournay, 
 through which the garrison from Lourdes 
 generally returned. They were altogether 
 about two hundred lances. Both parties
 
 A SERVANT AND HIS MASTER 81 
 
 sent out spies to discover the strength of 
 their opponents, and were so active that 
 each knew the force of the other. 
 
 When those of Lourdes heard that the 
 French garrison were waiting for them at 
 Tournay, they began to be alarmed, and 
 called a council to determine how to conduct 
 their pillage in safety. It was resolved to 
 divide themselves into two parties : one, con- 
 sisting of servants and pillagers, was to drive 
 the booty, and take by-roads; the other 
 division was to march in order of battle, and 
 try to draw off the attention of the enemy, 
 so that the baggage might cross the river in 
 safety at another point. They were to meet 
 all together at a place called Montgaillard, 
 from whence they would soon be at Lourdes. 
 This plan they carried out. 
 
 There remained with the principal division 
 Ernauton de Sainte Colombe and full eighty 
 companions, all men-at-arms ; there were not 
 ten varlets among them. They tightened 
 their armour, fixed their helmets, and, grasp- 
 ing their lances, marched in close order, as 
 if they were instantly to engage ; they indeed
 
 82 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 expected nothing else, for they knew their 
 enemies were in the field. 
 
 The French, in like manner as those of 
 Lourdes, had called a council respecting their 
 mode of acting. " Since we know the men 
 of Lourdes are bringing home great plunder 
 and many provisions," they said, "we shall 
 be much vexed if they escape us. Let us 
 therefore form two ambuscades, for we are 
 enough for both." It was ordered therefore 
 that the Count d'Espaign with a hundred 
 spears should guard the passage of Tournay, 
 for the cattle and prisoners must necessarily 
 cross the river, while another detachment 
 of a hundred lances should reconnoitre, if 
 perchance they could come up with them. 
 
 They accordingly separated, one troop 
 posting themselves to guard the river, the 
 other riding to a spot called the Larre, 
 where they met the English. Both parties in- 
 stantly dismounted, and, leaving their horses 
 to pasture, advanced with pointed lances, 
 shouting their battle-cries, " St. George for 
 Lourdes ! " " Our Lady for Bigorre ! " 
 
 They charged each other, thrusting their
 
 A SERVANT AND HIS MASTER 83 
 
 spears with all their strength. The combat 
 was very equal, and for some time none were 
 struck down. When they had sufficiently 
 used their spears they threw them down and 
 began to deal out terrible blows with battle- 
 axes. The fight lasted three hours, and it 
 was marvellous to see how they fought and 
 defended themselves. When any were so 
 worsted or out of breath that they could no 
 longer support the fight, they seated them- 
 selves near a large ditch full of water in the 
 middle of the plain, when, having taken off 
 their helmets, they refreshed themselves; 
 this done, they replaced their helmets and 
 returned to the combat. There was not so 
 well fought or so severe a battle as this of 
 Marteras in Bigorre since the famous conflict 
 of thirty English against thirty French 
 knights in Brittany in the year 1351. 
 
 They fought hand to hand, and Ernauton 
 de Sainte Colombe, an excellent man-at-arms, 
 was on the point of being killed by a squire 
 of the country, called Guillonet de Salenges, 
 when he escaped in rather a strange manner. 
 Ernauton de Sainte Colombe had a servant
 
 84 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 who was looking on at the battle, neither 
 attacking nor attacked by any one; but 
 seeing his master pressed so hard by Guillonet 
 that he was quite out of breath, he ran to 
 him, and wresting the battle-axe from his 
 hands, cried " Ernauton, go and sit down ! 
 Recover yourself; you cannot longer continue 
 the battle!" With the battle-axe he ad- 
 vanced on the squire, and gave him such a 
 blow on the helmet as made him almost 
 stagger and fall down. 
 
 Guillonet, smarting from the blow, was 
 very wroth, and made for the servant to 
 strike him with his axe on the head ; but the 
 varlet avoided it, and grappling with the 
 squire, who was much fatigued, turned him 
 round, and flung him to the ground under 
 him, crying: "I will put you to death, if you 
 do not surrender yourself to my master." 
 
 " And who is thy master ? " 
 
 " Ernauton de Sainte Colombe, with whom 
 you have been so long engaged." 
 
 The squire, rinding he had not the advan- 
 tage, being under the servant, who had his 
 dagger ready to strike, surrendered on con-
 
 " Grappling with the squire, flung him to the ground." 
 
 Page 84
 
 A SERVANT AND HIS MASTER 87 
 
 dition to deliver himself prisoner within 
 fifteen days at the castle of Lourdes, whether 
 rescued or not. Of such service was this 
 servant to his master. 
 
 Many gallant feats of arms were that 
 day performed, and many companions were 
 sworn to surrender themselves at Tarbes 
 and at Lourdes. In order that the memory 
 of this battle should be preserved, a cross 
 of stone was erected on the spot where two 
 opposing knights of great valour fought and 
 died, thus putting an end to the combat, for 
 all their comrades were so worn out they 
 could no longer wield their weapons. 
 
 In the meanwhile those from Lourdes 
 who were conducting the pillage, when 
 they came to the Bridge of Tournay, below 
 Malvoisin, where they intended to cross, 
 found the Count d'Espaign in ambuscade, 
 who on their arrival sallied out on them. 
 The English could not retreat, and were 
 obliged to abide the event. The combat 
 was as severe and long, if not longer, than 
 that at Marteras. The Count d'Espaign 
 performed wonders ; he was well formed
 
 88 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 for fighting, being largely sized and very 
 strongly made. With his own hand he took 
 four prisoners. In short, the pillage was 
 rescued from the people of Lourdes, and all 
 who conducted it slain or made prisoners; 
 for not three escaped, excepting varlets, who 
 ran away and crossed the river Lesse by 
 swimming. Thus ended this business, and 
 the garrison of Lourdes never had such a 
 loss as it suffered that day. 
 
 The prisoners were courteously ransomed 
 or mutually exchanged ; for those on both 
 sides who had been engaged in this combat 
 had made several prisoners, so that it be- 
 hoved them to treat each other handsomely. 
 
 The Count d'Espaign, spoken of above, 
 had no equal in Gascony for vigour of body, 
 and for this he was esteemed as a brother 
 in arms by the great Count Gascon de Foix. 
 There is a wonderful feat of strength related 
 of him. 
 
 One Christmas Day when the Count de 
 Foix was celebrating the feast with numbers 
 of knights and squires, as is customary, the 
 weather was piercingly cold, and the Count
 
 A SERVANT AND HIS MASTER 89 
 
 had dined, with many lords, in the hall. 
 After dinner he rose and went into a gallery, 
 which had a large staircase of twenty-four 
 steps ; in this gallery was a chimney where 
 a fire was kept when the Count inhabited 
 it, but not otherwise ; and the fire was never 
 great, for he did not like it; it was not for 
 want of blocks of wood, for Beam was 
 covered with wood in plenty to warm him 
 if he had chosen it, but he had accustomed 
 himself to a small fire. On this occasion, 
 when reaching the gallery, the Count de 
 Foix thought the fire too small, for the 
 weather was freezing. 
 
 " Here is but a small fire for this weather," 
 he said to the knights around him. 
 
 The Count d'Espaign instantly ran down- 
 stairs, for from the windows of the gallery, 
 which looked into the court, he had seen 
 a number of asses laden with billets of wood 
 for the use of the house. Seizing the largest 
 of these asses with his load, he threw him 
 over his shoulders, and carried him upstairs, 
 pushing through the crowds of knights and 
 squires who were around the chimney, and
 
 po HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 flung ass and load down on the hearth! 
 All who saw were delighted and astonished 
 at the strength of the knight, who had 
 carried with such ease so great a load up 
 so many steps.
 
 The Sad Story of the Count de Foix's 
 only Son 
 
 AMONG all the kings, princes, and nobles 
 living at that time, there were none to 
 surpass in beauty, valour, and loftiness of 
 character the great Count Gaston Phoebus 
 de Foix. He was so perfect in form and 
 feature that one could not praise him too 
 highly. He loved earnestly the things he 
 ought to love, and hated those it was right 
 to hate. He was a prudent knight, full of 
 enterprise and wisdom, and he was also 
 most devout and charitable. Every day alms 
 were distributed at his gates. He was 
 liberal and courteous in his gifts, and well 
 knew how to take when it was proper, and 
 to give back where he had confidence. He 
 never liked any foolish works nor ridiculous 
 extravagance, and knew each month the 
 amount of his expenditure. In his apart- 
 
 9*
 
 92 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 ments were certain coffers from which he 
 took money to give to knights, squires, or 
 gentlemen when they came to wait on him, 
 for none ever left him without a gift. 
 
 It was a custom of the Count, which he 
 had followed from infancy, to rise at noon 
 and sup at midnight. When he left his 
 chamber at midnight for supper, twelve 
 servants bore each a lighted torch before 
 him, which were placed near his table, and 
 gave a brilliant light to the room. The hall 
 was full of knights and squires, and there 
 were plenty of tables laid out for any person 
 who chose to sup. No one spoke to him at 
 his table, unless he first began a conversa- 
 tion. He had great pleasure in hearing 
 minstrels, as he himself was well skilled in 
 music, and he made his secretaries sing 
 songs, ballads, and roundelays. 
 
 Those who had lived much at the courts 
 of other kings, princes, dukes, and noble 
 ladies, found none that pleased them more 
 than this of the Count de Foix at Orthes. 
 There were knights and squires to be seen 
 in every chamber, hall, and court, going
 
 COUNT DE FOIX'S ONLY SON 93 
 
 backwards and forwards, and conversing on 
 arms or lovely ladies. Everything honour- 
 able was there to be found. All intelligence 
 from distant countries was there to be 
 learned, for the gallantry of the Count had 
 brought visitors from all parts of the world. 
 
 But in the midst of all this glory and 
 splendour, the great Count Gaston de Foix 
 had one abiding grief; his only son had 
 perished by a tragic death, and it was the 
 father's hand that caused it. 
 
 For many years before, the Count and 
 Countess de Foix had not been on good 
 terms ; the dissension arose from the King 
 of Navarre, who was the lady's brother. The 
 King of Navarre had offered to pledge him- 
 self, to the sum of fifty thousand francs, 
 for the Lord d'Albreth, whom the Count de 
 Foix held prisoner. The Count de Foix, 
 knowing the King of Navarre to be crafty 
 and faithless, would not accept his security, 
 which piqued the Countess, and made her 
 indignant with her husband. 
 
 " My Lord, you show but little confidence 
 in the honour of my brother, the King of
 
 94 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 Navarre, when you will not trust him for fifty 
 thousand francs," she said. " You know you 
 are to assign over my dower, which amounts 
 to fifty thousand francs, into the hands of 
 my brother; therefore you cannot run any 
 risk for the repayment." 
 
 Out of affection for his son Gaston, the 
 Count finally consented to his wife's entreaties, 
 and set the Lord d'Albreth at liberty, on the 
 assurance of the King of Navarre that he 
 would be guarantee for the sum demanded 
 for his ransom. The Lord d'Albreth in due 
 course paid over to the King of Navarre the 
 fifty thousand francs as agreed ; but the 
 King of Navarre never paid them to the 
 Count de Foix. 
 
 The Count on this bade his wife go to her 
 brother in Navarre and tell him he was very 
 ill-satisfied with him for withholding the sum 
 he had received. The lady went cheerfully, 
 and her brother, the King of Navarre, 
 received her with much joy, but absolutely 
 refused to hand over any of the money. He 
 declared that it belonged to herself, as her 
 dower from the Count de Foix, and that as
 
 V 
 
 " My lord, you show but little confidence in the honour of 
 my brother, the King of Navarre." 
 
 Page 93
 
 COUNT DE FOIX'S ONLY SON 97 
 
 long as he had possession of it, it should 
 never leave the kingdom of Navarre. 
 
 The Countess de Foix, not being able to 
 obtain any other answer, remained in Navarre, 
 not daring to return home. The Count de 
 Foix, perceiving the malice of the King of 
 Navarre, began to be enraged with his wife 
 for not returning after she had delivered his 
 message, though she was in no way to blame. 
 In truth, she was afraid, for she knew her 
 husband to be a cruel man when he was dis- 
 pleased with any one. He had a very violent 
 temper, and in his fits of fury he sometimes 
 did deeds which he bitterly repented after- 
 wards. 
 
 Thus things remained. Gaston, the son, 
 grew up, and became a fine young gentle- 
 man. He was very handsome, and exactly 
 resembled his father in form and feature. 
 
 When he was about fifteen or sixteen years 
 old, he took it into his head to make a journey 
 into Navarre to visit his mother and uncle. 
 It was an unfortunate journey for him and 
 his country. On his arrival in Navarre he 
 was splendidly entertained, and he stayed
 
 98 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 some time with his mother. On taking leave 
 he entreated her to go back with him, but, 
 hearing that the Count de Foix had given no 
 orders as to this, his mother was afraid to 
 trust herself with him. She therefore re- 
 mained behind, and the heir of Foix went to 
 take leave of his uncle. 
 
 On his departure the King of Navarre 
 made him handsome presents. The last gift 
 the King gave him was the cause of his 
 death, and this is how it happened. 
 
 As the youth was on the point of setting 
 out, the King took him privately into his 
 chamber and gave him a bag of powder, 
 which was of such evil quality that it would 
 cause the death of any one who ate of it. 
 
 " Gaston, my fair nephew," said the King of 
 Navarre, " will you do what I am about to tell 
 you? You see how unjustly the Count de 
 Foix hates your mother, who being my sister, 
 it displeases me as much as it should you. 
 If you wish to reconcile your father to your 
 mother, you must take a small pinch of this 
 powder, and, when you see a proper oppor- 
 tunity, strew it over the meat destined for
 
 COUNT DE FOIX'S ONLY SON 99 
 
 your father's table; but take care no one 
 sees you. The instant he tastes it, he will 
 long for his wife, your mother, to return to 
 him ; and they will love each other henceforth 
 so dearly, they will never again be separated. 
 But do not tell this to any one, for if you do 
 it will lose its effect." 
 
 The lad, who believed everything his uncle 
 had told him, replied he would cheerfully do 
 as he said, and on this he departed and re- 
 turned to Orthes. His father, the Count de 
 Foix, received him with pleasure, and asked 
 what was the news in Navarre, and what 
 presents and jewels had been given him. 
 "Very handsome ones," answered the boy; 
 and showed them all, except the bag which 
 contained the powder. 
 
 Now a young kinsman called Evan slept in 
 the same chamber as Gaston; they loved 
 each other, and were dressed alike, for they 
 were very nearly of the same size and age. 
 It fell out that their clothes were once mixed 
 together, and, the coat of Gaston being on 
 the bed, Evan, who was malicious enough, 
 noticing the powder in the bag, said to
 
 100 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 Gaston, "What is this that you wear every 
 day on your breast ? " 
 
 Gaston was not pleased at the question, 
 and replied, " Give me back my coat, Evan ; 
 you have nothing to do with it." 
 
 Evan flung- him his coat, which Gaston 
 put on, but he was very thoughtful the whole 
 day. 
 
 Three days after, Gaston quarrelled with 
 Evan at tennis, and gave him a box on the 
 ear. The boy was vexed at this, and ran 
 crying to the Count, who asked what was 
 the matter. 
 
 "Gaston has beaten me," replied Evan, 
 "but he deserves beating much more than 
 I do." 
 
 " For what reason ? " asked the Count. 
 
 "Ever since his return from Navarre he 
 wears on his breast a bag of powder," said 
 the boy; "I know not what use it can be, 
 nor what he intends to do with it, except 
 that he has once or twice told me that his 
 mother would soon return hither, and be 
 more in your good graces than ever she was." 
 
 " Ho 1 " said the Count, " hold your tongue,
 
 COUNT DE FOIX'S ONLY SON 101 
 
 and be sure you do not mention what you 
 have just told me to any man breathing." 
 
 "My lord, I will obey you," replied the 
 youth. 
 
 The Count de Foix was very thoughtful 
 on this subject, and remained alone till 
 dinner-time, when he rose up and seated him- 
 self as usual at his table in the hall. His 
 son Gaston always placed the dishes before 
 him and tasted the meats. As soon as he 
 had served the first dish and done what 
 was usual, the Count cast his eye on him, 
 having formed his plan, and saw the strings 
 of the bag hanging from his tunic. This 
 sight made him very angry, and he said, 
 "Gaston, come hither; I want to whisper 
 you something." 
 
 The boy advanced to the table, when the 
 Count, opening his tunic, with his knife cut 
 away the bag. 
 
 The lad was thunderstruck and said not 
 a word, but turned pale with fear, and began 
 to tremble greatly, for he was conscious he 
 had done wrong. 
 
 The Count opened the bag, took some of
 
 102 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 the powder, which he strewed over a slice 
 of bread, and calling a dog to him, gave it 
 him to eat. The instant the dog had eaten a 
 morsel he fell down and died. 
 
 The Count was enraged at this, and indeed 
 had reason, for he thought the powder was 
 meant by his son to poison him. Rising from 
 the table, he would have struck at his son 
 with a knife, but the knights and squires 
 rushed in between them, saying, " For God's 
 sake, my lord, do not be too hasty, but make 
 further inquiries before you do any ill to your 
 son. Perhaps he was ignorant of what was 
 in the bag, and may therefore be blameless." 
 
 "Well," said the Count, "let him be im- 
 prisoned in the dungeon and safely guarded." 
 
 Gaston was therefore imprisoned in the 
 tower. 
 
 The Count de Foix took the matter most 
 bitterly to heart, as was plainly to be seen, for 
 he assembled at Orthes all the nobles and 
 prelates of Foix and Be'arn, and the other 
 principal persons of the country. When 
 they were met, he told them why he had 
 summoned them, and how guilty he had
 
 COUNT DE FOIX'S ONLY SON 103 
 
 found Gaston, so much so, that he considered 
 him deserving of death. They all at once 
 begged him to spare his son's life. When 
 the Count heard them speak in favour of 
 Gaston, he hesitated, and thought he might 
 be sufficiently punished by two or three 
 months' imprisonment, when he would send 
 him on his travels for a few years, until his 
 ill conduct should be forgotten, and he feel 
 grateful for the mercy that had been shown 
 him. He therefore dissolved the meeting, 
 but those of Foix would not leave Orthes 
 until the Count had assured them Gaston 
 should not be put to death, so great was 
 their affection to him. The Count promised 
 this, but said he should be kept some time 
 in prison. It was a most bitter thought to 
 him that the son whom he loved so dearly, 
 and for whom he had always done so much, 
 should prove such a traitor, and seek to 
 murder him by poison. And all this time 
 Gaston never sought to excuse himself or 
 explain what he had thought was the real 
 object of the little bag of powder. 
 Gaston was put into a room in the dungeon,
 
 104 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 where there was little light, and there he 
 remained ten days. He scarcely ate or drank 
 anything of the food that was regularly 
 brought to him, but threw it aside. It is 
 said that after his death all the meat was 
 found untouched, so it was marvellous how 
 he could have lived so long. The Count 
 would not permit any one to remain in the 
 chamber to advise or comfort him; he 
 therefore never put off the clothes he had 
 on when he entered the prison. The boy's 
 heart was broken ; he had never expected 
 so much harshness; he cared no longer to 
 live. 
 
 On the day of his death those who brought 
 him food said, " Gaston, here is meat for you." 
 
 "Put it down," said the boy, paying no 
 attention to it. 
 
 The person who served him, looking about, 
 saw all the meat untouched that he had 
 brought there the last days. Shutting the 
 door, he went to the Count and said : 
 
 " My lord, look to your son ; he is starving 
 himself in his prison. I do not believe he has 
 eaten anything since he was put there, for I
 
 COUNT DE FOIX'S ONLY SON 105 
 
 see all that I have carried to him lying on one 
 side untouched." 
 
 On hearing this, the Count was enraged, 
 and without saying a word went to the prison 
 of his son. In an evil hour he had in his hand 
 a tiny knife, with which he had been paring 
 his nails ; he held it by the blade so closely 
 that barely the tiniest edge of the point 
 appeared. Pushing aside the tapestry that 
 covered the entrance of the prison, he chanced 
 by ill-luck to graze the throat of his son, as 
 he exclaimed, " Ha, traitor, why dost thou 
 not eat ? " and instantly left the room, with- 
 out saying or doing anything more. 
 
 The boy was much frightened at his father's 
 arrival, and also exceedingly weak from fast- 
 ing. The point of the knife, small as it was, 
 cut a vein, which as soon as he felt he turned 
 himself on one side and died. 
 
 The Count had barely got back to his 
 apartment when the attendants of his son 
 came and said : 
 
 " My lord, Gaston is dead." 
 
 "Dead!" cried the Count. He would not 
 believe it, and sent one of his knights to
 
 io6 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 see. The knight on his return said it was 
 true. 
 
 The Count was now bitterly affected, and 
 cried, "Ah, Gaston, Gaston, what a sorry 
 business has this turned out for thee and me ! 
 In an evil hour didst thou go to visit thy 
 mother in Navarre. Never shall I again 
 enjoy the happiness I had formerly!" 
 
 He then ordered his barber to be sent for, 
 and was shaven quite bare ; he clothed him- 
 self and all his household in black. The 
 body of the boy was borne, with tears and 
 lamentations, to the church of the Augustin 
 Friars at Orthes, where it was buried. 
 
 This was the death of young Gaston de 
 Foix. His father indeed killed him, but the 
 King of Navarre was the cause of the sad 
 event.
 
 The Magic Messenger 
 
 THE story I am about to relate will astonish 
 my readers. It was told by a squire of the 
 Count de Foix at Orthes to Sir John Frois- 
 sart, who was staying there at that time. 
 
 About the middle of the fourteenth century, 
 there lived, in the country of Barn, a baron 
 called Raymond, Lord of Corasse. This 
 Lord of Corasse had a suit at Avignon 
 against a clerk of Catalonia, for the tithes of 
 his church, which were worth a hundred 
 florins a year. The clerk proved his right so 
 clearly that judgment was given in his favour, 
 and he hastened to Be*arn to secure the 
 money; but the Lord of Corasse refused to 
 pay anything. 
 
 " Master Peter, I do not believe you will be 
 bold enough to collect anything belonging to 
 me," he said, " for if you do, your life shall 
 
 pay for it. Go elsewhere and seek for tithes, 
 107
 
 io8 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 for you shall not have anything from my 
 estates." 
 
 The clerk was afraid of the knight, for he 
 knew him to be a cruel man, and dared not 
 persevere. Before setting out on his return 
 to Avignon, he came again to the Lord of 
 Corasse, and said to him : " By force, and 
 not by justice, you deprive me of the rights of 
 my church. I am not so powerful in this 
 country as you are ; but know that, as soon as 
 I possibly can, I will send you a champion 
 that you will be more afraid of than you have 
 hitherto been of me." 
 
 The Lord of Corasse, not alarmed at his 
 threats, replied : " Go, in heaven's name, go ! 
 Do what you can. I fear you neither dead 
 nor alive, and will not for your speeches lose 
 my property." 
 
 The clerk then departed, but he did not 
 forget what he had told the Lord of Corasse 
 on leaving him. About three months after, 
 when the knight least thought of it, and was 
 asleep in bed in his castle of Corasse, there 
 came invisible messengers, who made a great 
 noise, knocking about everything they met
 
 "I will send you a champion that you will be more afraid of." 
 
 I' age ic
 
 THE MAGIC MESSENGER in 
 
 within the castle, as if they were determined 
 to destroy all within it, and giving loud raps 
 at the door of the knight's chamber. The 
 knight heard it all, but did not say a word, 
 as he would not have it appear that he was 
 alarmed, for he was a man of sufficient 
 courage for any adventure. These noises 
 continued in different parts of the castle for 
 some time, and then ceased. 
 
 On the morrow all the servants of the house- 
 hold assembled and went to their master. 
 
 "My lord," they said, "did you not hear 
 what we have all heard this night?" 
 
 The Lord of Corasse pretended not to know 
 what they were talking about; they related 
 to him all the noises they had heard, and 
 that the plates in the kitchen had been 
 broken. He began to laugh, and said it was 
 nothing ; they had dreamed it, or that it had 
 been the wind. 
 
 On the following night the noises and riot- 
 ing were renewed, but much louder than 
 before; and there were such blows struck 
 against the door and windows of the knight's 
 room, that it seemed they would break them
 
 112 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 down. The knight could no longer refrain 
 from leaping out of bed, and calling out, 
 " Who is it that at this hour thus knocks at 
 my chamber door ? " 
 
 "It is I," was the instant answer. 
 
 "And who sends thee hither?" asked the 
 knight. 
 
 "The clerk of Catalonia whom thou hast 
 much wronged, for thou hast deprived him 
 of his rights. I will therefore never leave 
 thee quiet until thou hast rendered him 
 a just account, with which he shall be con- 
 tented." 
 
 "What art thou called," said the knight, 
 "who art so good a messenger?" 
 
 "My name is Orthon." 
 
 " Orthon," said the knight, " serving a clerk 
 will not be of much advantage to thee; I 
 beg thou wilt leave him and serve me." 
 
 Orthon was ready with his answer, for 
 he had taken a liking to the knight. 
 
 "Do you wish it?" he said. 
 
 " Yes," replied the knight ; " but no harm 
 must be done to any one within these walls." 
 
 "Oh, no," answered Orthon; "I have no
 
 THE MAGIC MESSENGER 113 
 
 power to do ill to any one ; only to awaken 
 thee and disturb thy rest, or that of other 
 persons." 
 
 " Do what I tell thee," added the knight ; 
 "we shall well agree. Leave this worthless 
 fellow and serve me." 
 
 "Well," said Orthon, "since thou wilt have 
 it so, I consent." 
 
 Orthon took such an affection to the Lord 
 of Corasse that he came often to see him 
 in the night-time; and when he found him 
 sleeping he pulled his pillow from under his 
 head, or made great noises at the door 
 or windows ; so that when the knight 
 was awakened, he said "Orthon, let me 
 sleep." 
 
 " I will not," replied he, "until I have told 
 thee some news." 
 
 " Well," said the knight, " and what news 
 hast thou brought me?" 
 
 Orthon used to reply that he had come 
 from England, Hungary, or some other place, 
 which he had left the day before, and that 
 such and such things had happened. Thus 
 did the Lord of Corasse know by Orthon
 
 114 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 all things that were passing in different 
 parts of the world. 
 
 This connection lasted five years, Orthon 
 visiting his master two or three times a 
 week, and telling him all the news of the 
 countries he frequented. But in the mean- 
 while the knight could not keep the secret to 
 himself, and made it known to Count Gaston 
 de Foix. The Count marvelled greatly how 
 the Lord of Corasse knew what was happen- 
 ing in England, Scotland, Germany, or some 
 other country, so the knight told him about 
 his magic messenger. The Count was de- 
 lighted at such a method of learning news. 
 " Have you never yet seen your messenger?" 
 he asked once, when they were talking about 
 the subject. 
 
 " No, by my faith, never ; nor have I ever 
 pressed him on this matter," replied the 
 knight. 
 
 "I wonder at that," said the Count, 
 "for had he been as much attached to 
 me, I should have begged of him to have 
 shown himself in his own proper form ; 
 and I entreat you will do so, that you
 
 THE MAGIC MESSENGER 115 
 
 may tell how he is made, and what he is 
 like." 
 
 "Since you request it, I will do all I can 
 to see him," said the Lord de Corasse. 
 
 It fell out that when the Lord de Corasse, 
 as usual, was in bed, Orthon arrived, and 
 shook the pillow of the knight, who was 
 asleep. On waking, he asked who was there. 
 
 Orthon replied, " It is I." 
 
 " And where dost thou come from ? " 
 
 " I come from Prague in Bohemia." 
 
 " How far is it from here ? " 
 
 " Sixty days' journey." 
 
 "And hast thou returned from there in 
 so short a time?" 
 
 "Yes, I travel as fast as the wind, or 
 faster." 
 
 " What, hast thou got wings ? " 
 
 " Oh, no." 
 
 "How then canst thou fly so fast? " 
 
 "That is no business of yours." 
 
 "No!" said the knight. "I should like 
 exceedingly to see what form thou hast, 
 and how thou art made." 
 
 " That does not concern you to know," said
 
 ii6 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 Orthon. " Be satisfied that you hear me, 
 and that I bring you intelligence you may 
 depend on." 
 
 " By my faith," said the Lord de Corasse, 
 "I should love thee better if I had seen 
 thee." 
 
 "Well," replied Orthon, "since you have 
 such a desire, the first thing you shall see 
 to-morrow morning, in quitting your bed, 
 shall be myself." 
 
 "I am satisfied," said the knight; "you 
 may now depart ; I give thee thy liberty for 
 this night." 
 
 When morning came, the knight arose, 
 and, leaping out of his bed, he seated himself 
 on the bedstead, thinking he should see 
 Orthon in his own shape, but he saw nothing 
 that could induce him to say he had seen 
 him. When the next night arrived, Orthon 
 came and began to talk in his usual manner. 
 
 "Go," said the knight, "thou art a liar; 
 thou oughtest to have shown thyself to me 
 this morning, and hast not done so." 
 
 " No ! " replied Orthon. " But I have." 
 
 " I say, no."
 
 THE MAGIC MESSENGER 117 
 
 " And did you see nothing at all when you 
 leaped out of bed ? " 
 
 The Lord de Corasse was silent, and 
 having considered awhile said, ", " Yes ; when 
 sitting on my bedside, and thinking of thee, 
 I saw two straws which were turning and 
 playing together on the floor." 
 
 "That was myself," replied Orthon, "for 
 I had taken that form." 
 
 "That will not satisfy me," said the Lord 
 de Corasse. " I beg of thee to assume some 
 other shape, so that I may see thee and 
 know thee." 
 
 "You ask so much that you will ruin me 
 and force me away from you," replied Orthon, 
 " for your requests are too great." 
 
 "You shall not leave me," said the Lord 
 de Corasse ; " if I had once seen thee, I should 
 not again wish it." 
 
 "Well," replied Orthon, "you shall see 
 me to-morrow, if you pay attention to the 
 first thing you observe when you leave your 
 chamber." And so he departed. 
 
 On the morrow, about the hour of eight, 
 the knight had risen and was dressed ; on
 
 n8 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 leaving his room he went to a window which 
 looked into the court of the castle. Casting 
 his eyes about, the first thing he observed 
 was an immensely large sow; but she was 
 so poor she seemed only skin and bone, 
 with long hanging ears, and a sharp-pointed 
 lean snout. 
 
 The Lord de Corasse was disgusted at 
 such a sight, and, calling to his servants, 
 said : " Let the dogs loose quickly, for I will 
 have that sow killed and devoured." 
 
 The servants hastened to open the kennel 
 and to set the hounds on the sow ; she uttered 
 a loud cry, and looked up at the Lord de 
 Corasse, leaning on the balcony of his win- 
 dow, and was never seen afterwards for 
 she vanished, and no one ever knew what 
 became of her. 
 
 The knight returned quite pensive to his 
 chamber, for he then remembered what 
 Orthon had said to him. 
 
 "I believe I have seen my messenger 
 Orthon," he said to himself, "and repent 
 having set my hounds on him, for perhaps 
 I may never see him more. He often told
 
 THE MAGIC MESSENGER 119 
 
 me that if I ever angered him, I should 
 lose him." 
 
 Orthon kept his word, for never did he 
 return to the castle of Corasse, and the 
 following year the knight died.
 
 A ChilcUQueen 
 
 KING EDWARD III. was dead, and so was 
 his son, the gallant Prince of Wales (better 
 known to us, perhaps, under the name of 
 the "Black Prince"), and Richard II., son 
 of the Black Prince, was on the throne 
 of England. War still smouldered between 
 France and England, but the kings of both 
 countries were weary of it, and after some 
 discussion a truce of four years was agreed 
 on. King Richard was especially anxious 
 that a stable peace should be established. 
 He said that the war had lasted too long, 
 and that too many valiant men had been 
 slain on both sides, to the great weakening 
 of the defenders of the Christian faith. 
 
 King Richard's first wife being dead, he 
 wished to marry again, and research was 
 made everywhere to find a suitable lady. 
 Various princesses were suggested, but his
 
 A CHILD-QUEEN 121 
 
 thoughts were so bent on the eldest daughter 
 of the King of France that he would not 
 hear of any other. The Princess Isabella 
 was at that time only eight years old. The 
 people of England wondered greatly that 
 he should be so eager to marry the daughter 
 of his adversary, and they were not at all 
 pleased at the idea of the marriage. To 
 put it out of the King's mind they told him 
 the lady was by far too young, and that 
 for several years to come she would not be 
 of a proper age for a wife. He replied by 
 saying that every day she would grow older, 
 and in addition gave his reasons for prefer- 
 ring her, that since she was so young he 
 should educate her, and bring her up to 
 his own mind, and to the manners of the 
 English ; and that for himself he was young 
 enough to wait until she should be of proper 
 age for his wife. In short, nothing would 
 make him alter his intention, so in due course 
 the Earl Marshal and the English Ambas- 
 sadors went to Paris to demand the hand 
 of the Princess Isabella from her father 
 the King of France.
 
 122 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 They were excellently well entertained by 
 the French King and his court ; their nego- 
 tiations were successful, and the marriage 
 between the King of England and the Prin- 
 cess Isabella was agreed on. She was 
 betrothed and espoused by the Earl Marshal 
 as proxy for the King of England, and the 
 young princess ever after was styled " Queen 
 of England." It was told at the time it 
 was pleasant to see that, young as she was, 
 she knew well how to act the Queen. She 
 had been well educated, as she showed the 
 English lords when they first came to see 
 her. When the Lord Marshal had dropped 
 on his knees, saying, " Madame, if it please 
 God, you shall be our Lady and Queen," 
 she replied instantly, and without any one 
 advising her, " Sir, if it please God, and my 
 lord and father, that I be Queen of England, 
 I shall be well pleased ; for I have been 
 told I shall then be a great lady." She made 
 the Earl Marshal rise, and, taking him by 
 the hand, led him to her mother, the Queen 
 of France, who was much pleased at her 
 answer, as were all who heard it. The ap-
 
 A CHILD-QUEEN 123 
 
 pearance and manners of this young princess 
 greatly pleased the English Ambassadors, 
 and they thought among themselves that 
 she would be a lady of high honour and 
 great worth. 
 
 When this business was completed, and 
 the different treaties signed and sealed, the 
 Ambassadors returned to England, leaving 
 the Child-Queen still in the care of her 
 parents. 
 
 At last the day came when King Richard 
 was to claim his young bride. It was 
 arranged that the King of England and the 
 King of France should meet at a spot near 
 Calais, and great preparations were made for 
 this event. No expense was spared on 
 either side, and the lords of each country 
 were all eager to outshine each other. 
 
 The day before the Feast of St. Simon 
 and St. Jude (which falls on the 28th October) 
 1396, the two Kings left their lodgings on 
 the point of ten o'clock, and, accompanied by 
 their attendants, went to the tents that had 
 been prepared for each of them. From there 
 they advanced on foot to a certain spot which
 
 124 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 had been fixed on for their meeting, and 
 which was surrounded by four hundred 
 French and as many English knights, bril- 
 liantly armed, with swords in hand. The two 
 Kings advanced slowly towards each other 
 through the ranks of these knights, and 
 when they were on the point of meeting, 
 the eight hundred knights fell on their knees 
 and wept for joy. The two Kings met bare- 
 headed, and, having saluted, took each other 
 by the hand; then the King of France led 
 the King of England to his tent, which was 
 handsomely and richly adorned. Here they 
 were served with wine and spices, as were 
 also the princes, dukes, counts, and all the 
 other nobles in the tent. 
 
 The following day King Richard, attended 
 by all the noblemen who had accompanied 
 him from England, waited on the King of 
 France in his tent. They were received by 
 the King, his brother and uncles, with great 
 pomp and most affectionate words. The 
 dinner-tables were then laid out, that for the 
 Kings was long and handsome, and the side- 
 board covered with the most magnificent
 
 A CHILD-QUEEN 125 
 
 plate. The two Kings were seated by them- 
 selves, the King of France at the top of the 
 table, and the King of England below him, 
 but at a good distance from each other. 
 
 When dinner was over, which did not last 
 long, the cloth was removed, the tables 
 carried away, and wine and spices brought. 
 After this the young Queen of England 
 entered the tent, attended by a great number 
 of ladies and damsels. The King of France 
 led her by the hand, and gave her to the King 
 of England, who instantly after took his leave. 
 The Queen was placed in a very rich litter 
 which had been prepared for her, but only 
 one of her French ladies went with her, for 
 there were many of the principal ladies of 
 England who received Queen Isabella with 
 great joy. 
 
 On the Tuesday following, which was All 
 Saints' Day, King Richard was married by 
 the Archbishop of Canterbury, in the Church 
 of St. Nicholas at Calais, to the Lady Isabella. 
 Great were the feastings on the occasion, and 
 the heralds and minstrels were so liberally 
 paid, they were well satisfied. Two days later
 
 126 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 the King and Queen set sail for England, and 
 in less than three hours landed at Dover. 
 
 The young Queen made her entry into 
 London fifteen days after, grandly attended 
 by lords, ladies, and damsels. She slept one 
 night in the Tower, and the next day was 
 conducted in great pomp through the streets 
 to Westminster, where the King was waiting 
 in his palace to receive her. The Londoners 
 made rich presents to the Queen, which were 
 graciously accepted, and while the court was 
 at Westminster a great tournament was 
 ordered to be held in Smithfield, notice of 
 which was proclaimed beyond the sea, and as 
 far as Scotland. 
 
 Alas, these golden days of pomp and 
 pleasure were soon to pass. Within three 
 years the young Queen's reign was over. 
 The fickle people, stirred up by the King's 
 cousin, Henry, Duke of Lancaster, rose 
 against Richard, and he was carried prisoner 
 to the Tower of London. The household 
 of the young Queen was broken up. All 
 her French attendants were sent back to 
 France, and neither French nor English
 
 A CHILD-QUEEN 127 
 
 were left with her who were attached to 
 King- Richard. A new household was formed 
 of ladies, damsels, officers, and varlets, 
 who were strictly enjoined never to mention 
 the name of King Richard in their conver- 
 sation with her. 
 
 In September 1399, King Richard II. re- 
 signed the throne of England to the Duke of 
 Lancaster, and on I3th October, Henry IV. 
 was crowned in Westminster Abbey. 
 
 It is to be hoped that the new King had 
 some feeling of tenderness and compassion 
 for the unhappy Child-Queen whom he had 
 thrust from her rightful position. Her father, 
 the King of France, hearing that his son-in- 
 law was a prisoner in the Tower, sent over 
 two French lords of high rank to inquire 
 into the situation of Queen Isabella. They 
 were allowed to visit her, on condition that 
 they promised on oath not to speak to 
 her about what had lately happened in 
 England, nor to mention Richard. The two 
 knights replied they would not infringe this 
 command; all they wanted was to see and 
 speak with her. They found the young
 
 128 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 Queen well attended by noble ladies and 
 with several companions. She conversed 
 some time with them, asking questions about 
 her parents, the King and Queen of France. 
 They kept the promise they had made by 
 never mentioning the name of King Richard ; 
 and when they had been with her a sufficient 
 time, took leave and returned to London. 
 
 They dined at the Palace at Eltham with 
 King Henry IV., who presented them with 
 some rich jewels. On taking leave, the King 
 parted with them amicably. 
 
 "Tell those who have sent you," he said, 
 "that the Queen shall never suffer the 
 smallest harm or any disturbance, but keep 
 up a state and dignity becoming her birth 
 and rank, and enjoy all her rights ; for young 
 as she is, she ought not as yet to be made 
 acquainted with the changes in this world." 
 
 The knights were very happy to hear 
 King Henry IV. speak thus, and went back 
 to the King and Queen of France and related 
 to them what you have read here.
 
 The Heart of King Robert Bruce 
 
 ROBERT BRUCE, King of Scotland, who had 
 been a very valiant knight, waxed old, and 
 was attacked with so severe an illness that 
 he saw his end was drawing near. He 
 therefore summoned together all the chiefs 
 and barons in whom he most confided, and, 
 having told them that he would never get 
 better, he commanded them upon their 
 honour and loyalty to keep and preserve 
 faithfully and entire the kingdom for his 
 son David, and obey and crown him king 
 when he was of a proper age, and marry 
 him with a lady suitable to his station. 
 
 After that he called to him the gallant 
 Lord James Douglas, and said to him in 
 presence of the others : 
 
 "My dear friend, Lord James Douglas, 
 you know that I have had much to do, and 
 have suffered many troubles during the
 
 130 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 time I have lived to support the rights of 
 my crown; at the time I was most occu- 
 pied I made a vow, the non-accomplishment 
 of which gives me much uneasiness I 
 vowed that if I could finish my wars in such 
 a manner that I might have quiet to govern 
 peacefully, I would go and make war against 
 the enemies of our Lord Jesus Christ, and 
 the adversaries of the Christian faith. To 
 this point my heart has always leaned ; but 
 our Lord was not willing, and gave me so 
 much to do in my lifetime, that, since my 
 body cannot accomplish what my heart 
 wishes, I will send my heart in the stead 
 of my body to fulfil my vow. And as I 
 do not know any one knight so gallant 
 and enterprising, or better formed to com- 
 plete my intentions than yourself, I beg 
 and entreat of you, dear and special friend, 
 as earnestly as I can, that you would have 
 the goodness to undertake this expedition 
 for the love of me, and to acquit my soul 
 to our Lord and Saviour; for I have that 
 opinion of your nobleness and loyalty that, 
 if you undertake it, it cannot fail of success
 
 HEART OF BRUCE 131 
 
 and I shall die more contented ; but it must 
 be executed as follows : 
 
 "I will, that as soon as I shall be dead, 
 you take my heart from my body, and have 
 it well embalmed. You will also take as 
 much money from my treasury as will appear 
 to you sufficient to perform your journey, 
 as well as for all those whom you may choose 
 to take with you in your train ; you will then 
 deposit your charge at the Holy Sepulchre 
 of our Lord, where He was buried, since 
 my body cannot go there. You will not 
 be sparing of expense and provide yourself 
 with such company and such things as may 
 be suitable to your rank -and wherever 
 you pass, you will let it be known that 
 you bear the Heart of King Robert of 
 Scotland, which you are carrying beyond 
 seas by his command, since his body cannot 
 go thither." 
 
 All those present began bewailing bitterly ; 
 and when the Lord James could speak, he 
 said : 
 
 "Gallant and noble King, I return you 
 a hundred thousand thanks for the high
 
 132 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 honour you do me, and for the valuable 
 and dear treasure with which you entrust 
 me; and I will most willingly do all that 
 you command me, with the utmost loyalty 
 in my power ; never doubt it, however I may 
 feel myself unworthy of such a high dis- 
 tinction." 
 
 "Gallant knight, I thank you," replied 
 the King. "You promise it me then?" 
 
 "Certainly, sir, most willingly," answered 
 the knight. He then gave his promise upon 
 his knighthood. 
 
 "Thanks be to God!" said the King, "for 
 I shall now die in peace, since I know that 
 the most valiant and accomplished knight 
 of my kingdom will perform that for me 
 which I am unable to do for myself." 
 
 Soon afterwards the valiant Robert Bruce, 
 King of Scotland, departed this life, on the 
 7th of November 1337. His heart was em- 
 balmed and placed in a golden casket, and 
 his body was buried in the monastery of 
 Dunfermline. 
 
 Early in the spring the Lord James 
 Douglas, having provided everything that
 
 HEART OF BRUCE 133 
 
 was proper for his expedition, embarked 
 at the port of Montrose, and sailed directly 
 for Sluys in Flanders, in order to learn if 
 any one were going beyond the sea to 
 Jerusalem, that he might join companies. 
 He remained there twelve days, and would 
 not set his foot on shore, but stayed the 
 whole time on board, where he kept a magnifi- 
 cent state, with music of trumpets and drums, 
 as if he had been the King of Scotland. His 
 company consisted of one knight banneret, 
 and seven others of the most valiant knights 
 of Scotland, without counting the rest of 
 his household. His plate was of gold and 
 silver, consisting of pots, basins, porringers, 
 cups, bottles, barrels, and other such things. 
 He had likewise six-and-twenty young and 
 gallant esquires of the best families in Scot- 
 land to wait on him ; and all the high nobles 
 who came to visit him were handsomely 
 served as if they were in some royal presence. 
 At last, after staying at Sluys twelve 
 days, he heard that Alphonso, King of Spain, 
 was waging war against the Saracen King 
 of Granada. He considered that if he went
 
 134 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 thither to aid the Christians in their war 
 against the infidels he should be carrying 
 out the wishes of King Robert Bruce, and 
 when he should have finished fighting against 
 the Saracens in Spain he would journey 
 onwards to the Holy Land to complete the 
 vow with which he was charged. He made 
 sail therefore towards Spain, and landed 
 first at Valentia ; from there he went straight 
 to the King of Spain, who was with his army 
 on the frontier, very near the Saracen King 
 of Granada. 
 
 It happened soon after the arrival of the 
 Lord James Douglas that the King of Spain 
 issued forth into the field to advance nearer 
 the enemy; the King of Granada did the 
 same; each King could easily distinguish 
 the other's banners, and they both began to 
 set their armies in array. The Lord James 
 placed himself and his company on one side, 
 to do better work and make a more powerful 
 effort. When he saw that the battalions on 
 each side were fully arranged and that of the 
 King of Spain in motion, he imagined they 
 were about to begin the onset; and as he
 
 HEART OF BRUCE 135 
 
 always wished to be among the first rather 
 than last on such occasions, he and all his 
 company stuck their spurs into their horses, 
 charged into the midst of the King of 
 Granada's battalion, and made a furious 
 attack on the Saracens. He thought they 
 would be supported by the Spaniards ; but in 
 this he was mistaken, for not one that day 
 followed his example. The Moorish cavalry 
 fled, and Douglas with his companions eagerly 
 pursued them. Taking from his neck the 
 casket which contained the Heart of Bruce, 
 he threw it before him and cried, "Now pass 
 thou onward as thou wast wont, and 
 Douglas will follow thee, or die I" The 
 Moors rallied, and surrounded the small 
 body of Scottish knights; they performed 
 prodigies of valour, but it was of no avail; 
 they were all killed. Douglas fell while 
 attempting to rescue Sir William St. Clair 
 of Roslin, whom he saw in jeopardy and who 
 shared his fate. Robert and Walter Logan, 
 both of them knights, and many of his com- 
 panions were also slain with their master. 
 On the succeeding day his few surviving
 
 136 HONOUR AND ARMS 
 
 companions found his body in the field, 
 together with the casket. Sir Simon of Lee, 
 a distinguished companion of Douglas, took 
 charge of the casket, and that and the body 
 of Lord James Douglas were reverently con- 
 veyed to Scotland. The Heart of Robert 
 Bruce was placed in the Abbey at Melrose ; 
 the body of Lord James Douglas was buried 
 in the grave of his fathers in the parish church 
 of Douglas. 
 
 A nobler death on the field of battle is not 
 recorded in the annals of chivalry. His 
 countrymen have kept his fame for ever alive 
 by the name they have bestowed on him, " the 
 good Sir James Douglas." 
 
 WELLS GARDNER, DARTON <& CO. LTD.

 
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