Titus Liuius.
The king of England aduertised of their haultie courages, determined to conquer them by famine, which would not be tamed with weapon. Wherefore he stopped all the passages, both by water and land, that no vittels could be conueied to the citie: he cast trenches round about the wals, and set them full of stakes, and defended with archers, so that there was left neither waie for them within to issue out, nor for anie that were abroad to enter in without his licence. To rehearse the great paines, trauell and diligence, which the king tooke vpon him in his owne person at this siege, a man might woonder. And because diuerse of the souldiers had lodged themselues for their more ease, in places so farre distant one from an other, that they might easilie haue béene surprised by their enimies, yer anie of their fellowes could haue come to their succors; he caused proclamation to be made, that no man vpon paine of death should lodge without the precinct appointed them, nor go further abroad from the campe than such bounds as were assigned.
King Henrie his iustice.
Thom. Wals.
Thrée great victories on the English side within a short time togither.
Now as it chanced, the king in going about the campe, to surueie and view the warders, he espied two souldiers that were walking abroad without the limits assigned, whom he caused straightwaies to be apprehended and hanged vpon a trée of great height, for a terrour to others, that none should be so hardie to breake such orders as he commanded them to obserue. Whilest the king laie thus with his power about the mightie citie of Rone, the Frenchmen sought to indamage as well those that were at that siege, as other of the Englishmen that laie in garrisons within the townes that were alreadie in the king of Englands possession, insomuch that (as some haue written) within the octaues of the Assumption, thrée notable victories chanced to the Englishmen in thrée seuerall places. First an hundred Englishmen at Kilbeuf tooke thrée great lords of the Frenchmen, besides fourescore other persons, and put thrée hundred to flight.
Also vpon the thursdaie within the same octaues, foure hundred Frenchmen that were entered within the suburbes of Eureux were repelled by eleuen Englishmen, that tooke foure of those Frenchmen prisoners, slue twelue of them, and tooke fortie horsses. On the saturdaie following, the Frenchmen tooke in hand to steale vpon them that laie in garrison within Louiers, in hope to surprise the towne earlie in the morning: but the capteine perceiuing their purpose, sallied foorth with a hundred of his men, and putting the Frenchmen to flight, being a thousand, tooke an hundred and fourescore of them being all gentlemen. But to returne to them before Rone. The siege thus continuing from Lammas, almost to Christmas, diuerse enterprises were attempted, and diuerse policies practised, how euerie part might indamage his aduersaries; no parte greatlie reioised of their gaine. But in the meane time vittels began sore to faile them within, that onelie vinegar and water serued for drinke.
Extreme famine within Rone.
If I should rehearse (according to the report of diuerse writers) how déerelie dogs, rats, mise, and cats were sold within the towne, and how gréedilie they were by the poore people eaten and deuoured, and how the people dailie died for fault of food, and yoong infants laie sucking in the stréets on their moothers breasts lieng dead, starued for hunger; the reader might lament their extreme miseries. A great number of poore sillie creaturs were put out at the gates, which were by the Englishmen that kept the trenches beaten and driuen backe againe to the same gates, which they found closed and shut against them. And so they laie betwéene the wals of the citie and the trenches of the enimies, still crieng for helpe and reléefe, for lacke whereof great numbers of them dailie died.
A vertuous and Charitable prince.