Narbonne. Two bishops sent from the pope to the prince of Wales.
After this, he passed by the land of the earle of Lisle, till he came within a league of Tholouse, where the earle of Armignac, being the French kings lieutenant in those parts, and other great lords and nobles were assembled. The prince with his armie tarried there two daies, and after passed ouer the riuer of Garonne, and after ouer an other riuer thereabouts, a league aboue Tholouse, lodging that night a league on the other side of Tholouse: and so they passed thorough Tholouse, dailie taking townes & castels, wherein they found great riches, for the countrie was verie plentifull. Vpon Alhallowes éeuen, they came to castell Naudarie, and from thence they tooke the waie to Carcasson, into the which a great number of men of armes and commons were withdrawne. But vpon the approch of the Englishmen, they slipt awaie, and got them to a strong castell that stood néere at hand. The third day after, the Englishmen burnt the towne, and passing forth, trauersed all the countrie of Carcassonois, till they came to the towne of Narbonne. The people there were fled into the castell, in which the vicount of Narbonne was inclosed, with fiue hundred men of arms. The prince staied there two daies. The pope sent two bishops towards the prince, to treat with him of peace, but bicause the prince would not hearken to anie treatie without commission from his father, they could not get anie safe conduct to approch néerer.
The prince hauing aduertisments héere, that his enimies were assembled, and followed him, he turned backe to méet them, but they had no will to abide him: for although the earle of Armignac, the constable of France, the marshall Cleremont, and the prince of Orange, with diuerse other néere to Tholouse, made some shew to impeach the prince his passage, yet in the end they withdrew, not without some losse, for the lord Bartholomew de Burwasch aliàs Burghersch, sir Iohn Chandois, the lord Iames Audeley, and sir Thomas Felton, being sent foorth to view them, skirmished with two hundred of their men of armes, and tooke of them fiue and thirtie. After this, they had no mind to abide the English power, but still shranke awaie, as the prince was readie to follow them, and so he perceiuing that the Frenchmen would not giue him battell, he withdrew towards Burdeaux, after he had spent eight wéekes in that his iournie, and so comming thither, he wintered there, whilest his capteins in the meane time tooke diuerse townes and castels abroad in the countrie. ¶ And now to the end yée may haue more plaine information of the princes dooings in those parties, I haue thought good to make you partakers of a letter or two, written by sir Iohn Winkefield knight, attendant on the prince there in Gascoigne.
[The copie of sir Iohn Winkefields letters.]
My lord, as touching the newes in these parts, may it please you to vnderstand, that all the earles, barons, baronets, knights, and esquiers, were in helth at the making hereof, and my lord hath not lost either knight or esquier in this voyage, except the lord Iohn Lisle, who was slaine after a strange manner with a quarrell, the third day after we were entered into our enimies countries, he died the fiftenth of October. And please it you to vnderstand, that my lord hath ridden through the countrie of Arminac, and hath taken many fensed townes and burnt and destroied them, except certeine which he hath fortified. After this, he marched into the vicountie of Rouergne, where he tooke a good towne named Pleasance, the chiefest towne of that countrie, which he hath burnt and destroied, with the countrie round about the same. This doone, he went into the countie d'Astrike, wherin he tooke manie townes, wasted and destroied all the countrie. After this, he entred into the countie of Cominge, and tooke manie townes there, which he caused to be destroied & burnt, togither with all the countrie abroad. He tooke also the towne of S. Matan, which is the chéefest towne of that countrie, being as large in compasse as Norwich.
Afterward, he entered into the countie of Lisle, and tooke the most part of the fensed townes therin, causing diuerse of them to be burnt and destroied as he passed. And after entring into the lordship of Tholouse, we passed the riuer of Girond, and an other a league aboue Tholouse, which is verie great: for our enimies had burnt all the bridges, as well on the one side of Tholouse, as the other, except the bridges with in Tholouse, for the riuer runneth through the towne. And the constable of France, the marshall Cleremont, and the earle of Arminac, were with a great power within the towne the same time. And Tholouse is a great towne, strong, faire, and well walled, and there was none in our host that knew the foord there: but yet by the grace and goodnesse of God we found it. So then we marched through the seigniorie of Tholouse, & tooke manie good townes inclosed, and burnt and destroied them, and all the countrie about.
He meaneth the Merantine sea.
Then we entred into the signiorie of Carcason, and we tooke manie good towns, before we came to Carcason, which towne we also tooke, which is greater, stronger, & fairer than Yorke. And as well this towne as all other townes in the countrie were burnt and destroied. And after we had passed by manie iournies through the countrie of Carcason, we came into the seigniorie of Narbon, and we tooke manie townes, and wasted them, till we came to Narbon, which towne was holden against vs, but it was woone by force, and the said towne is little lesse than London, and is situat vpon the Gréekish sea, for that the distance from the said towne vnto the Gréekish sea is not past two leagues, and there is an hauen and a place to arriue at, from whence the water cōmeth vp to Narbon. And Narbon is not but eleuen leagues distant from Mountpellier, & eightéene from Eguemortz, & thirtie from Auignion. And may it please you to vnderstand, that the holie father sent his messengers to my lord, that were not past seuen leagues frō him, and they sent a sergeant at armes, that was sergeant at armes attendant on the doore of our holie fathers chamber, with their letters to my lord, praieng him to haue a safe conduct to come to declare to his highnesse their message from the holie father, which was to treat betwixt my L. and his aduersaries of France: and the said sergeant was two daies in the host before my lord would sée him, or receiue his letters. And the reason was, bicause he had vnderstanding, that the power of France was come foorth of Tholouse toward Carcason, so that my lord was driuen to turne backe towards them suddenlie, and so did.