I cannot speak of every particular circumstance of this engagement. It lasted a considerable time; and the Spaniards gave the King of England and his fleet enough to do. However, at last victory declared for the English: the Spaniards lost fourteen ships, the others saved themselves by flight. When it was completely over, and the king saw he had none to fight with, he ordered his trumpets to sound a retreat, and made for England. They anchored at Rye and Winchelsea a little after nightfall, when the king, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Lancaster, the Earl of Richmond, and other barons, disembarked, took horses in the town, and rode to the mansion where the queen was, scarcely two English leagues distant. The queen was mightily rejoiced on seeing her lord and children. She had suffered that day great affliction from her doubts of success; for her attendants had seen from the hills of the coast the whole of the battle, as the weather was fine and clear, and had told the queen, who was very anxious to learn the number of the enemy, that the Spaniards had forty large ships. She was therefore much comforted by their safe return. The king, with those knights who had attended him, passed the night in revelry with the ladies, conversing of arms and amours. On the morrow the greater part of his barons who had been in this engagement came to him. He greatly thanked them for all the services they had done him, before he dismissed them; when they took their leave, and returned every man to his home.
CHAPTER LXXII.
The Death of KIng Philip, and Coronation of his Son King John.
IN the beginning of August, in the year 1350, Raoul de Cahours, and many other knights and squires, to the number of one hundred and twenty men at arms, or thereabouts, combated with the commander for the King of England in Brittany, called Sir Thomas Daggeworth, before the castle of Aurai. Sir Thomas and all his men were slain, to the amount of about a hundred men at arms. On the 22d of August in the same year, King Philip of France departed this life at Nogent-le-Roi, and was carried to Notre Dame in Paris. The twenty-sixth day of September ensuing, John, eldest son of King Philip, was crowned king, on a Sunday, at Rheims. His wife, Queen Jane, was also crowned at the same time.
CHAPTER LXXIII.
The King of France issues out a Summons for assembling an Army to combat the Prince of Wales, who was overrunning the Province of Derby.
When King John of France had re-conquered all the towns and castles in Lower Normandy, which belonged to the King of Navarre, whom he detained in prison, he returned to the city of Paris. He had not been long there before he heard that the Prince of Wales, with his whole army, had invaded his kingdom,[23] and was advancing toward the fertile country of Berry. When this was told him, the king said, with an oath, that he would immediately set out after him, and give him battle wherever he should find him. He issued out a special summons to 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 on the receipt of these letters, set out to meet him on the borders of Touraine and Blois; for he was determined to fight the English. The king, to hasten the business, marched from Paris,—for he had at this time a large body of men at arms in the field,—and went to Chartres, to gain more certain intelligence of the enemy. He remained there some time; and great crowds of troops and men at arms came to him from the different countries of Auvergne, Berry, Burgundy, Lorraine, Hainault, Vermandois, Picardy, Brittany, and Normandy. They passed through the town on their arrival, to show their musters, and took up their quarters in the fields, according to the orders of the two marshals, the Lord John de Clermont and Lord Arnold d’Andreghen. The king gave orders for all the towns in Anjou, Poitou, Maine, and Touraine, to be well garrisoned, and provided with all things,—especially those on the borders, by which it was hoped the English would pass,—that they might be enclosed, and cut off from any subsistence for themselves and horses. In spite of this, however, the prince, who had with him two thousand men at arms and six thousand archers, rode on at his ease, and collected everywhere provisions in plenty. They found the country of Auvergne, which they had entered and overrun, very rich, and all things in great abundance; but they would not stop there, as they were desirous of combating their enemies.
They marched toward Romorantin. The King of France sent into Berry three gallant barons,—the Lord of Craon, the Lord of Boucicault, and the Hermit of Chaumont,—to defend the frontiers, and to observe the motions of the English. They had with them three hundred lances; and, skirting the borders of the province, they followed them for six days, without finding any opportunity of intercepting or of attacking the enemy: such good and close order did the English maintain on their march. The French therefore had recourse to an ambuscade, near to Romorantin, in a wonderfully narrow spot which the English were obliged to pass. That same day there left the prince’s army, from the battalion of the marshals, by permission of the prince, the Lord Bartholomew Burghersh, the Lord of Muyssidan, a Gascon, the Lord Petiton Courton, the Lord Delawar, the Lord Basset, Sir Walter Pavely, Sir Richard Pontchardan, Sir Nesle Loring, the young Lord Despencer, Sir Eustace and Sir Sanchez d’Ambreticourt, with about two hundred combatants, in order to push forward to Romorantin. They passed through the ambuscade of the French without molestation; but, the moment they were clear of it, the French, who were mounted on excellent and well-dressed horses, stuck spurs into them to overtake them. The English, who had got far forward, hearing the sound of horses’ feet, turned round, and found it was the enemy. They immediately halted, to wait for the French, who advanced on a gallop, fully determined what to do, with their lances in their rests. The English, seeing them thus charge full speed, opened on each side, and let them pass through, so that no more than five or six were unhorsed. They then closed their ranks, and fell upon the rear of the French. This engagement was very sharp: many knights and squires were unhorsed, raised up again, and rescued on both sides. It lasted a long time, and no one could tell, so valiantly was it disputed, to which side victory would incline, when the battalion of the marshals appeared in sight. The French first noticed it, as it marched, skirting along a wood, and immediately thought of saving themselves as fast as they could, taking the road to Romorantin. The English followed on full gallop, overthrowing all they could, without sparing themselves or their horses. The slaughter was great, and many were killed and unhorsed. One-half of them, however, got safe into the castle of Romorantin, whose gates were opened to receive them. There the three barons saved themselves, as well as some knights and squires who were the best mounted. The town of Romorantin was taken on the first arrival of the English, for it was not fortified. The remainder of the French endeavored to escape by getting into the castle.
CHAPTER LXXIV.
The Prince of Wales takes the Castle of Romorantin.
WHEN the Prince of Wales was informed that his people had been engaged, he hastened the march of his army toward Romorantin, and, when he entered the town, found it full of men, who were studying how they could take the castle. The prince called Sir John Chandos, and ordered him to go and hold a parley with those in the castle. Sir John went to the barriers, and made a sign that he wished to speak with some one: those upon guard inquired his name, by whom he was sent, and then went to inform their masters; upon which the Lord of Boucicault and the Hermit of Chaumont came down to the bars. When Sir John saw them, he saluted them, and said, “Gentlemen, I am sent to you by my lord the prince, who wishes, as it appears to me, to behave courteously toward his enemies; and thus says, that, if you will surrender the castle and yourselves, he will show you mercy, and give you good company.” The Lord of Boucicault replied, “We have no sort of inclination to accept of such terms, nor to commit such an act of folly without any necessity; for we are determined to defend ourselves.” Upon this they parted; and the prince ordered his men to quarters, for the next day he meant to attack the castle. They were therefore commodiously lodged in the town of Romorantin, and close about it.
On the next morning the men at arms prepared themselves; and the archers advanced under their respective banners, and made a sharp attack upon the castle. The archers, who had posted themselves on the ditches, shot so justly, that scarcely any one dared to show himself on the battlements. Some got upon hurdles and doors, with pickaxes and mattocks in their hands, and swam over the ditch, when they began to undermine the walls. Those within flung down upon them large stones and pots of hot lime. On this occasion there was slain, on the part of the English, a squire called Remond de Gederlach, who belonged to the division of the Captal de Buch. The attack lasted the whole day, with little intermission. The English retreated, toward night, to their quarters, in order to take care of the wounded; and on the morrow at sunrise the marshals’ trumpets sounded. All who were ordered for this assault got themselves in readiness: the Prince of Wales himself attended in person, and by his presence mightily encouraged the English. A squire, of the name of Bernard, was killed close at his side, by a stone thrown from the castle; upon which the prince swore he would never move from that place until he had the castle and all in it in his power, and immediately ordered re-enforcements to the assault.