Tournie besieged.
The French king being informed that the king of England ment to laie siege vnto Tournie, as it was indéed deuised at this councell holden at Villefort, tooke order for the furnishing thereof with men, munition, and vittels in most defensible wise. There were sent to that towne the best men of warre in all France, as the earle of Ewe constable of France, the yoong earle of Guines his sonne, the earle of Foiz and his brethren, the earle Amerie de Narbon, with manie other, hauing with them foure thousand souldiers. Sir Godmar du Foie was there before as capteine of the towne, so that it was prouided of all things necessarie. Howbeit, the king of England (according as it was appointed at the councell holden at Villefort, about the feast of Marie Magdalen) departed from Gaunt, and came to Tournie, hauing with him seauen earles of his owne countrie, as Darbie, Penbroke, Hereford, Huntingdon, Northampton, Glocester, and Arundell, eight prelats, eight and twentie baronets, two hundred knights, foure thousand men of armes, and nine thousand archers, besides other footmen. He lodged at the gate called saint Martine, in the waie that is toward Lisle and Dowaie.
The great number of people at the siege of Tournie.
Ia. Meir.
The earle of Richmond.
Anon after came the dukes of Brabant and Gelderland, the earle of Gulike, the marquesse of Blanqueburgh, the marquesse of Musse, the earls of Bergen, Sauines, and Heinault: also Iaques Arteueld, who brought with him about fortie thousand Flemings. So that there was at this siege to the number of six score thousand men, as some writers affirme. There was also an other armie of Flemings, as of the townes of Ypres, Popringue, Furnes, Cassell, of the Chateleinie, & of Bergis, being to the number of fortie thousand, appointed to make warre against the Frenchmen that kept saint Omers, and other townes there on the frontiers of Arthois, which armie was led by the earle of Richmond, otherwise called the lord Robert Dartois, and by sir Henrie de Flanders, the which approching one day to saint Omers, were sharplie fought with; for within saint Omers at that time laie a strong power of Frenchmen with the duke of Burgoine, the earle of Arminacke and others.
The Frenchmen set vpon ye Flemings.
The variable fortune of fights.
Additions to Adam Merimuth.
The Flemings were not willing to serue, for neither had they any trust in their capteine the said erle of Richmond, neither would they willinglie haue passed out of their owne confines, but onlie to defend the same from the inuasion of their enimies: yet through much persuasion, forward they went, diuided into sundrie battels contrarie to their manner. The enimies perceiuing some aduantage, issued forth vpon them, and assailed them verie stoutlie, insomuch that the earle of Arminacke setting vpon them of Ypres, ouerthrew them, and chased them vnto a towne called Arques, which they had a little before set on fire and burned. An other companie of Frenchmen, skirmishing with them of Franks, Furnes, and Bergis, put them also to the worse. Contrarilie, those Frenchmen that encountered with the lord Robert Dartois, and them of Bruges whome he led, susteined great losse, and were beaten backe into the citie: the duke of Burgoine himselfe being in no small danger for a time, so sharpe the bickering was betwixt them, and the euent so variable. Wherefore it is notablie and fitlie said in this behalfe, that