News of their intentions was carried to the besiegers, who marched as secretly as possible to meet them, and made so sharp an attack on the English that they were driven from their boats, and lost twelve hundred of their men in killed and taken. When Saltviton witnessed this defeat, fearing it was impossible to recover the boats, he broke gallantly through the french army with only sixty lances, and saved himself for the moment in one of the outworks of the castle. Finding that he could not long maintain himself in his present post, he marched away with his men, thinking to regain Bayonne; but the bastard de Foix, knowing his departure, immediately pursued him, and made him and the greater part of his men prisoners.
On the morrow, the castle surrendered, and all the country between Dax and Bayonne,—in which were from fifteen to sixteen strong places, that surrendered to the count de Foix. When these forts had been sufficiently garrisoned, the count's army was marched home.
The siege of Honfleur was commenced with great courage on the 17th day of January, while the king remained at Jamieges, by his lieutenant general, the count de Dunois, and the other lords before named. The franc archers, who had been sent by these lords in advance ten or twelve days before, to skirmish with the english garrison of Honfleur, did their duty well.
When the blockade was completed, the king left Jamieges, and fixed his quarters at the abbey of Grestain, two leagues from Honfleur. On his arrival, the approaches and trenches were pushed forward with vigour, and many cannons and bombards were pointed against the walls, to the astonishment of those within the town.
The governor of the place was called master Courson[71], having a garrison of three or four hundred English who exerted themselves valiantly in their defence with cannons and other missile weapons. By their means was killed a gallant Frenchman, named Regnault William, le Bourgognon, then bailiff of Montargis, which was a great loss. At length, the English were so overpowered by fear and want of provision that they were constrained to demand a parley, to arrange terms of capitulation; and they agreed to surrender the town and castle on the 18th day of February, unless there should appear a force sufficient to relieve them, by conquering the French, and gave hostages for its due performance, on which they were to march away with their effects in safety.
The French now fortified their camp, and made preparations for a combat, but the English did not appear; for the duke of Somerset dared not leave Caen ungarrisoned, and, besides, they were not strong enough to expect success without great reinforcements from England. The place was therefore surrendered according to the terms of the capitulation, and the English marched to other parts under their obedience.
Soon after the reduction of Honfleur, the king left the abbey of Grestain, and went to Berucy[72], and thence to Essay[73] and Alençon. He ordered a party of his guards, with the franc archers, to lay siege to Fresnay[74], which was under the government of two Englishmen, called Andrew Torfflot[75] and Janequin Vaquier[76], having with them from four to five hundred English and Normans, called French Renegadoes. The French advanced before the place in a numerous body, in handsome array, which so much alarmed the governors that they instantly offered to treat for a surrender. After a short discussion, it was agreed, that on the place being given up to the king of France, together with ten thousand golden saluts, their captain, called Montfort[77], who had been made prisoner at Pont Audemer, should be restored to them, and they should be allowed to march away in safety with their baggage. Thus was the place surrendered,—and the English departed, on the 22d day of March, for Caen or Falaise, or to wherever else they pleased.
During the time of Lent, in this year, three thousand English landed at Cherbourg, under the command of sir Thomas Kiriel, a knight of great experience and renown, and marched to lay siege to Valognes[78], which was under the government of an esquire from Poitou, called Abel Rohault. He held it valiantly for some time, for his brother Joachim Rohault; but having no hope of succour, he was forced to surrender it to sir Thomas Kiriel, after a defence of three weeks, and was allowed to march his men away in safety with all they possessed.
The king's army was, at the time, collecting to raise the siege; as were the English to oppose them, from their different garrisons,—namely, sir Robert Vere, in Caen, had six hundred combatants,—Henry Morbery, in Vire, had about four hundred,—Matago, in the town of Bayeux, had eight hundred fighting men,—so that they amounted in all, including sir Thomas Kiriel's force, to six or seven thousand combatants. The French, learning this, suffered the town to be surrendered without any attempt to the contrary,—for they could not be assembled in time, considering that the king's army was then dispersed in cantonments throughout Normandy, for the better preservation of their conquests.