Auesburie.
The constable of France demandeth battell.
The answer made to him.
Berwike taken by Scots.
The morrow after being thursdaie, and the twelfe of Nouember, the constable of France, and other Frenchmen, came to the end of the causie of Calis, with letters of credence, offering battell on tuesdaie next following vnto the king of England, in presence of the duke of Lancaster, the earles of Northampton, and the lord Walter de Mannie, who in the kings behalfe declared to the constable, that the king of England, to eschew shedding of bloud, would fight with the French king bodie to bodie, so to trie their right: and if he liked not of that match, then if he would choose thrée or foure knights to him that were néerest to him in bloud, he should choose the like number. But when this offer would not be accepted, the English lords offered battell the next day, being fridaie, or else on saturdaie following, at the Frenchmens choice: but the constable of France and his companie, continuing in their first offer, refused both those daies. Then the English lords accepted the daie by them assigned, with condition, that if they brought not king Edward to giue battell that day, they would yéeld themselues prisoners, so that the Frenchmen would likewise vndertake for their king. The constable hauing no answer readie, staied a while, and after flatlie refused to make any such couenant. Finallie, when the English lords perceiued their aduersaries, not to meane battell, as their words at the first pretended, they brake off, and both parties returned home. The king of England staied till the tuesdaie, and paid the strangers their wages, and so came backe into England. On the sixt of Nouember, whilest the king was thus abroad in Picardie, the Scots verie earlie in the morning of that daie, came priuilie to Berwike, entred by stealth into the towne, and sleaing thrée or foure Englishmen, tooke it, with all the goods and persons within it, those excepted, which got to the castell.
A parlement.
The procéedings of the prince of Wales in Aquitaine.
In a parlement summoned this yeare, the mondaie after the feast of saint Edmund the king, the lords and commons granted to king Edward fiftie shillings of euerie sacke of wooll, that should be caried ouer the sea, for the space of six yeares next insuing. By this grant it was thought, that the king might dispend a thousand markes sterling a day, such vent of wools had the English merchants in that season. ¶ The parlement being ended, the king about S. Andrews tide set forward towards Scotland, and held his Christmasse at Newcastell. About which time by letters sent from the prince, the king was aduertised of his procéedings after his arriuall in Gascoigne, where being ioifullie receiued of the nobles, and other the people of that countrie (as before yée haue heard) he declared to them the cause of his thither comming, and tooke aduise with them how to procéed in his businesse; and so about the tenth of October, he set forward to passe against his enimies, first entring into a countrie called Iuliake, which togither with the fortresses yéelded to him, without anie great resistance. Then he rode through the countie Armignac, wasting and spoiling the countrie, and so passed through the lands of the vicounts de la Riuiere, and after entered into the countie de l'Estrac, and passing through the same, came to the countie of Commiges, finding the towne of S. Matain void, being a good towne & one of the best in that countrie.
Carcasson.