The prosperous successe of the Frenchmen in Poictou.
About the same time the French king sent foure thousand men to the sea, vnder the guiding of one Yuans a banished Welsh gentleman, the which landing in the Isle of Guernesey, was incountered by the captein of that Ile called sir Edmund Rous, who had gathered eight hundred men of his owne souldiers togither, with them of the Ile, and boldlie gaue battell to the Frenchmen: but in the end the Englishmen were discomfited, and foure hundred of them slaine, so that sir Edmund Rous fled into the castell of Cornet, & was there besieged by the said Yuans, till the French king sent to him to come backe from thence, and so he did, leauing the castell of Cornet, and sir Edmund Rous within it as he found him. The Frenchmen this yeare recouered the citie of Poictiers, Rochell also, and the most part of all Poictou, and finallie laid siege to Towars in Poictou, wherein a great number of the lords of that countrie were inclosed, the which fell to a composition with the Frenchmen to haue an abstinence of warre for themselues, and their lands, till the feast of saint Michaell next insuing, which should be in the yeare 1362. And in the meane time they sent to the king of England their souereigne lord, to certifie him what conditions they had agréed vnto, that if they were not aided by him, or by one of his sonnes within the said tearme, then they to yéeld them and their lands to the obeisance of the French king.
Towars in danger to be lost.
Th. Walsing.
Not long before this, the capitall of Bueffz was taken prisoner, and sir Thomas Percie, with diuerse other Englishmen and Gascoignes before Soubise by sir Yuans of Wales and other French capteins, so that the countries of Poictou and Xaintonge were in great danger to be quite lost, if spéedie succours came not in time. Where vpon king Edward aduertised of that agréement which they within Towars had made, raised an armie, rigged his ships, and in August tooke the sea, purposing to come before the daie assigned, to the succours of that fortresse: but the wind continued for the space of nine wéekes so contrarie vnto his intent, that he was still driuen backe and could not get forward toward the coast of Rochell, where he thought to haue landed, so that finallie when the daie of rescuing Towars came, he nor anie of his sonnes could appeare in those parts, and so to his great displeasure he returned home, and licenced all his people to depart to their houses. By this means was Towars deliuered to the Frenchmen, which ceassed not in such occasions of aduantage to take time, and follow the steps of prosperous fortune.
1373.
An. Reg. 47.
The duke of Britaine.
About this season the duke of Britaine being sore displeased in his mind, that the Englishmen susteined dailie losses in the parts of Aquitaine, would gladlie haue aided their side, if he might haue got the nobles of his countrie to haue ioined with him, but the lords Clisson and de la Vale, with the vicount of Roan, and other the lords and barons of Britaine, so much fauoured the French king, that he perceiued they would reuolt from him, if he attempted any thing against the Frenchmen. He therefore meaning by one way or other to further the king of England his quarell, and fearing to be attached by his owne subiects, and sent to Paris, dispatched messengers to K. Edward, requiring him to send some power of men of warre into Britaine, to defend him against the malice of such as were altogither French and enemies to England.