The Flemings besiege Aire.
Ia. Meir.
The French K. cōmeth towards Calis.
These noble men being thus assembled, they tooke councell which waie they might passe to giue battell to the Englishmen: it was thought the best waie had béene through Flanders, but the Flemings in fauour of the king of England denied, not onelie to open their passages to the Frenchmen, but also had leuied an armie of an hundred thousand men of one and other, and laid siege to Aire, and burnt the countrie all about. Wherevpon there were manie sharpe bickerings and sore incounters betwixt the Flemings and such Frenchmen as king Philip sent foorth against them both, now, whilest the French armie laie about Amiens, and also before, during all the time that the siege lay at Calis. For all the French towns vpon the frontiers were stuffed with strong garrisons of souldiers, as Lisle, saint Omers, Arras, Bullongne, Aire and Monttreuill, and those men of war were euer readie vpon occasion to attempt sundrie exploits. After this, when the armie of the Flemings was broken vp, and returned home, or rather diuided into parts, and lodged along on the frontiers, the French king with two thousand men one and other came forward, taking his way through the countrie called la Belme, and so by the countrie of Frankeberge, came streight to the hill of Sangate, betwixt Calis and Wisant.
The earle of Derbie.
The king of England had caused a strong castell to be made betwéene the towne of Calis and the sea, to close vp that passage, and had placed therein thrée score men of armes, and two hundred archers which kept the hauen in such sort that nothing could come in nor out. Also considering that his enimies could come neither to succour the towne, nor to annoie his host, except either by the downes alongst the sea side, or else aboue by the high waie, he caused all his nauie to drawe alongst by the coast of the downes, to stop vp that the Frenchmen should not approch that waie. Also the erle of Derbie being come thither out of Guien, was appointed to kéepe Newland bridge, with a great number of men of armes and archers, so that the Frenchmen could not approch anie waie, vnlesse they would haue come through the marishes, which to doo was not possible.
The request of the French lords to the king of England.
His answer.
Fiftéene hundred of the commons of Tournie wan a tower, which the Englishmen had made and kept for the impeachment of the Frenchmens passage by the downes, but that notwithstanding, when the marshals of France had well viewed all the passages and streicts through the which their armie must passe, if they meant to fight with the Englishmen, they well perceiued that they could not come to the Englishmen to giue them battell, without the king would lose his people, wherevpon (as Froissard saith) the French king sent the lord Geffrey de Charnie, the lord Eustace de Ribaumont, Guie de Néele, and the lord de Beauiew vnto the king of England, which required him on their maisters behalfe to appoint certeine of his councell, as he would likewise appoint certeine of his, which by common consent might aduise betwéene them an indifferent place for them to trie the battell vpon: wherevnto the king of England answered, "That there he was and had béene almost a whole yeare, which could not be vnknowne to his aduersarie their maister, so that he might haue come sooner if he would: but now, sith he had suffered him there to remaine so long, without offer of battell, he meant not to accomplish his desire, nor to depart from that, which to his great cost he had brought now at length to that point, that he might easilie win it. Wherefore if the French K. nor his host could not passe those waies which were closed by the English power, let them séeke some other passage (said he) if they thinke to come hither."