[92] Ceaux,—a small town in Normandy, near Avranches.
CHAP. XX.
THE SIEGE OF CAEN.—THE KING OF FRANCE, ATTENDED BY THE KING OF SICILY AND HIS SON, THE DUKE OF CALABRIA, APPEAR BEFORE IT WITH A LARGE ARMY.—THE ENGLISH, AFTER SUSTAINING MUCH DAMAGE FROM THE BATTERIES, SURRENDER THE TOWN AND CASTLE OF CAEN.
On the 5th day of June, the constable and his division dislodged from Ceaux, and fixed his quarters in the abbey of St Stephen, in the suburbs of Caen, and near to the walls. On the same day, the count de Clermont, the count de Castres, and many other lords, knights and esquires, marched their men to the quarters of the constable: they amounted to twelve hundred spears, four thousand five hundred archers, guisarmes[93], and armour-bearers, and two hundred franc archers on foot.
The count de Dunois posted himself in the suburbs of Vaucelles, on the side toward Paris with a large company of nobles, men at arms and archers, to the amount of eight hundred lances, and two thousand archers, guisarmes, and armour-bearers on horseback, and two thousand franc archers on foot, so that the city was completely blockaded on its two sides. They instantly threw a bridge of communication between the two divisions over the river Orne, by which, the fourth day after, the counts of Nevers and of Eu passed a considerable body of men at arms and archers, and quartered them in the suburbs of Caen, toward the sea, at the abbey of la Trinité, a convent of women. They were scarcely arrived before they attacked an outwork of the town, which was valiantly defended, and many gallant deeds were performed on each side, but it was at length won by storm by the French. They soon deserted it, because it was open on the side near the walls,—and it was not re-occupied by the English, for they had destroyed its communication with the town by walling up the gate.
The king of France departed from Argentan[94], to be present at this siege, attended by the king of Sicily, his son the duke of Calabria, the duke of Alençon, the counts of Maine, of St Pol, of Tancarville, and a numerous body of barons, knights, esquires, men at arms and archers, to the number of six hundred lances, and archers in proportion.
The king lay the first night at St Pierre sur Dive[95],—on the morrow at Argentan,—and on the third day, he came to dinner in the suburbs of Vaucelles[96]; after which, he instantly crossed the river by the new bridge, and was lodged at an abbey called Dardenne, where he remained during the whole siege, except one night that he passed in the abbey of la Trinité, wherein were quartered the king of Sicily, the duke of Calabria, and other lords, to the amount of a thousand lances.
The king had with him twelve thousand archers on horseback, one thousand guisarmes, and armour-bearers mounted also, and two hundred franc archers on foot, of whom the greater part were quartered in the villages round. The siege was pushed forward with the greatest diligence on the arrival of the king, and trenches were made round the town, in which every person individually exerted himself. The count de Dunois made an attack on the outworks of Vaucelles, on the river Dive[97], which were valorously defended; but after many gallant deeds on both sides, they were gained by the French, and numbers of the English slain, wounded, and taken, to the great dismay of their companions.
From all the quarters of the French, deep mines were made even unto the ditches of the town, more particularly from the constable's quarters, which advanced under St Stephen's,—so that all the wall above fell to the ground, and the French and English could there engage hand to hand. The English, perceiving the near approach of the enemy, were fearful of being taken by storm, and demanded to capitulate. The king of France, moved by compassion and pity, after the example of our Lord, who desires not the death of sinners, but would rather that they would turn to their God,—and considering what a loss the destruction of so fine a town would be, and the miseries that would ensue from pillaging the churches, violating women and damsels,—and desirous also of sparing a further effusion of human blood, consented to their request, and agreed that the place should be surrendered on capitulation. In truth, the town might have easily been taken by storm, as there were many practicable breaches; but the English might have retired into the castle, and have held out for a considerable time, if they had had the courage so to do,—although, in the end, they must have yielded to the numerous chivalry then before it.
To show that the castle was tenable to those who have never seen it, I must say that it is the strongest in all Normandy, fortified with high and great bulwarks of a very hard stone, situated on a rock, and containing in extent as much as the whole town of Corbeil. It has a very strong keep, consisting of a large and high square tower, surrounded by four massy ones from the foot of the ditch to the level of the ground, the whole strengthened by a high wall all round, with towers at proper distances, and a very deep ditch cut out of the solid rock. In this castle were lodged the duke of Somerset, his lady and children,—and in the town were quartered sir Robert Vere, brother to the earl of Oxford, sir Henry Radford, and others, who commanded, under the duke of Somerset, four thousand English as the garrison of Caen.