This young prince was a fine spirited youth, and skilful at all manly exercises. In appearance he was very fair, with light hair and laughing blue eyes. Perhaps he was a little vain of his appearance, because in order to show off the fairness of his complexion he always wore dark-coloured armour, a habit which led to his being known in after life as Edward the Black Prince.
Seeing his boy's courage and warlike spirit, the king consented to his accompanying him upon his next expedition into France.
In the month of July, 1346, the king and the prince set sail with an army of thirty thousand men, ten thousand of whom were archers.
For seven weeks the English marched through the fair and smiling country of France, meeting with very little opposition, and plundering and burning wherever they went.
At last, by the little village of Crecy on the banks of the river Somme, the English came in view of the French army.
It was not difficult to tell that the army of the King of France numbered at least eight times as many men as were on the side of the English; but King Edward decided that it would never do to betray fear.
'We will go in,' he said calmly to his men, 'and beat, or be beaten.'
It was too late to fight that day; and the English lay down within sight of the enemy.
Early in the morning the English king set his army in order of battle.
King Edward himself was to command one division; two of his earls another; and the eager young prince, assisted by the Earls of Warwick and Oxford, was given the charge of a third.