Here after they had consulted of the maner how to mainteine warre, The French king taketh an oth to aid Henrie the sonne. Rog. Houed. Ger. Dor. bicause they would assure the yoong king that they ment not to forsake him, first king Lewes, and after that all the residue tooke an oth to aid him with men and monie, till his father should either be driuen out of his kingdome, or brought to agrée with him at his will and pleasure. On the other part, he sware neuer to conclude any peace with his father without their consent and good will. He also promised vpon his oth to Philip earle of Flanders. giue, & by his charter vnder his scale he confirmed vnto Philip earle of Flanders (for his homage) a thousand pounds of yearlie reuenues in England, and the countie of Kent, with the castles of Douer and Matthew earle of Bullongne. Rochester. And to Matthew earle of Bullongne (for his homage) he likewise promised and confirmed the Soke of Kirketon in Lindsey, and the earledome of Morton, with the honour of Hey. Also to Theobald earle of Blois (for his homage) he gaue and granted fiue hundred marks of yearlie reuenue in Aniou with the castell of Ambois, and all that which he claimed as his right within the countrie of Touraine, and surrendred to him all the right which he and his father claimed and demanded to haue Chateau Reignold. in Chateau Reignold. To the K. of Scots (for his assistance) he gaue and granted all Northumberland as far as the riuer of Tine. And to his Earle Dauid.
Hugh Bigot. brother Dauid (to haue his seruice) he granted the counties of Huntingdon and Cambridge. To Hugh Bigot (for his seruice) he gaue the castell of Norwhich. All these gifts and grants (with diuerse other to other persons) promised & granted, he confirmed with his new seale, which the king of France had caused him to make. These things being thus Polydor.[4] ordered at Paris, euerie man resorted to his charge, that he might prouide for the warre with all spéed conuenient.
King Henrie the father aduertised of this new league of the conspirators against him, was in great perplexitie of mind, for that he saw himselfe in danger, not onelie of outward enimies, but also of his owne subiects at home. Yet bicause the winter season was alreadie at hand, taking awaie all conuenient occasions of attempting any great exploit by war for that time, he was in hope to compasse some agréement with his sons yer the spring of the yeare should returne, and therefore he made not so great prouision for his defense, as had béene necessarie in so dangerous a case. But the Frenchmen who were bent to set forward this war with all diligence, were readie in the field immediatlie vpon the comming of the The confederats inuade the dominions of king Henrie the father. spring with king Henrie the sonne, and euen at one instant made their inuasions vpon the lands of king Henrie the father in three seuerall parties; namelie, in Normandie, Guien, and Britaine, which (against the will of his sonne Geffrey duke thereof) king Henrie the father did hold and reteine in his owne hands. The Frenchmen thus inuading the foresaid countries, did much hurt with robbing and spoiling, and also tooke diuerse castels and townes.
The king of Scots inuadeth Cumberland. Moreouer about the same time, William king of Scotland entred with a great power, first into Cumberland, and besieged Carleil: but hearing that an armie was prepared against him in the south parties of the realme, and readie to set forward, he raised his siege, and entred into Northumberland (which prouince king Henrie the sonne had giuen him in the last assemblie holden at Paris) endeuouring to bring it into his possession. But the more earnestlie he went about to inforce the people to his will, the more stiflie did they withstand his purpose, hating him so much, that in no condition they were willing to come vnder his rule, whereby the Scots were put backe and repelled, and that to their great Wil. Paruus. losse. The kings power also comming into the countrie followed them, and passing ouer the water of Tweed, which diuided then (as it dooth at this daie) the two realmes, made the like spoile in the land of the enimies, as they had made in the countries of Northumberland and Cumberland.
But in Normandie, whilest others in other places, made their hand in fetching preies and booties out of the enimies countrie, king Lewes Vernueil besieged. R. Houed. Hugh Beauchampe. besieged Vernueil, which towne being strong of it selfe, Hugh Beauchampe and others that had charge thereof valientlie defended, so that the French[5] king was a moneth before it, yer he could win anie part thereof. This towne of Vernueil was in those daies diuided into three portions, beside the castell, euerie of them apart from other with mightie wals and déepe ditches full of water. One of these parts was called the great Burrow without the wals, where the French king had pitcht his field & planted his engins. About a moneth after whose coming thither, vittels began to faile them within, so that at length they required a truce onelie for thrée daies, & if no succour came within those thrée daies, they promised to yeeld that part of the towne called the great Burrow, & the peremptorie daie was the vigill or eeue of S. Laurence. Herevpon were hostages deliuered by the burgesses vnto the French king. Now it was agréed that if they yéelded the towne at the daie appointed for want of succor, king Henrie the son, and Robert the French kings brother, with the earles of Trois & Blois, Henrie and Theobald, and William archbish. of Sens, vndertooke vpon their othes that the hostages should then be restored free & without any hurt or damage.
King Henrie being certified from them within of the composition thus made, was driuen to a verie hard shift: for he doubted nothing lesse than that any such thing should haue chanced. Yet considering with himselfe, that the sauing of the towne stood in his speedie comming to the rescue, he hasted thither without any staie, and came to the place the daie before the third and last daie of the truce. King Lewes The French king requireth to talke. perceiuing him to be come, doubting least he should loose the preie which he looked for, sent vnto the king, and required that he might common with him on the next daie, touching some means of agréement to be had betwixt him and his sons. This did he of policie, to féed him with hope of some end to be made in the troubles betwixt him and his sons, till he had gotten possession of the towne.
Now as he forecast that matter, euen so it came to passe, for whilest a great péece of the next daie was spent in feined talke about an agréement; K. Lewes appointed a great part of his host to close the towne about, and to declare vnto them within, that king Henrie was put to flight; which talke they within Vernueil beléeuing, yéelded the towne & themselues to the Frenchmen. Soone after, king Lewes mistrusting least he should not be able to kéepe it, set it on fire, and so burnt it, contrarie to the composition betwixt him and them agréed and concluded Rog. Houed. The ninth of August being thursdaie saieth R. Houed. king Lewes fléeth awaie in the night. vpon. He kept also the souldiers that had yeelded it into his hands, togither with the hostages as prisoners, and doubting to cope with his enimie, went awaie in the night with as still noise as was possible. Which euill dealing had not inuaded his hart, but that euill meaning had possessed it before, euen at the composition making: but he neuer learned that,
Pub. Mim. Fidem qui perdit nihil potest vltra perdere.
King Henrie at length perceiuing the fraud, sent certeine bands of his horssemen after to persue the enimie: but for that king Lewes was alreadie gotten into the inner parts of his owne countrie, those which were sent, turned vpon those that were left in the hindermost ward, of whome they slue a great number both horssemen and footmen.
K. Henrie following his men, came to Vernueil, and staieng there that night, tooke order for the repairing and new fortifieng of the towne. On the morrow after he went to the castell of Danuille, and wan it, taking diuerse knights and yeomen within it: this castell belonged to one Danuille. Gilbert de Tileres. Gilbert de Tileres. And thus it came to passe touching the attempt of the French king for the winning of Vernueil, as in some authors we find reported. ¶ Other write otherwise of the mater, as thus, the French K. Wil. Paruus. being summoned by K. Henrie the father, either to depart from the seige of Vernueil or to looke for battell; & hearing also that in performance of the message K. Hearie approched with his power, he sent a bishop & an abbat vnto him to vnderstand if he meant to giue battell in deed. The messengers met king Henrie as he was aduanced before his host vpon some K. Henrie his short answere to the French kings messengers. occasion with a small companie about him, vnto whome they declared that their maister the French king, required to be assured whether he should haue battell or no. King Henrie armed as he was, with fierce countenance and dreadfull voice made this short answere; "Get you hence, and tell your king that I am here at hand." The messengers returning to their maister, declared what they had séene and heard. Wherevpon (without longer staie) he raised his field, and with a gallant and mightie armie departed home to his great dishonour, not winning the towne at all, as by the same author it should appeere.
About the same time the earle of Flanders, one of the confederats besieged the towne of Albemarle, and the earle therof within it, which Albemarle woon by the earle of Flanders. earle was thought to betraie the towne, bicause it was so easilie woone, and both he himselfe, and those which king Henrie the father had sent thither to defend the towne were taken prisoners. Diuerse other places which belonged to the same earle were also immediatlie deliuered into the enimies hands, which increased the suspicion.