The king therefore, to take awaie all the issues and entries from them within, made a bridge ouer the riuer, able to beare horsses and carriage: and againe, appointed diuerse botes furnished with men of warre, to kéepe the streame; so that they within should haue no waie to come abroad, either by water or land; yet on a daie, the Frenchmen sailed foorth, and assailed the English lodgings, where the earle of Warwike was incamped on the east side of the towne, not farre from the duke of Burgognie; but by the valiant prowesse and manlie courage of the Englishmen, the enimies were easilie beaten backe and constreined to retire into the towne againe with their losse. Héere is to be remembred, that during this siege before Melun, there came to the king the duke of Bauiere, the kings brother in law (but the kings sister that had béene married to him, was not then liuing) and brought with him seauen hundred well appointed horssemen, which were reteined to serue the king, and right worthilie they bare themselues, and therefore most liberallie recompensed at the kings hand, for the time they continued in his seruice.
The trāslator of Tit. Liuius.
K. Henrie and mōsieur Barbason fight hand to hand.
The king inforced this siege by all waies and meanes possible, to bring the towne into subiection, as well by mines as otherwise, but they within the towne so valiantlie behaued themselues, as well by countermines (whereby at length they entered into the kings mines) as by other waies of resistance, that by force of assaults it was not thought anie easie matter to win the same. It fortuned on a daie, that whilest there rose a contention betwixt two lords of the kings host, who should haue the honor to go first into the mine, to incounter with the Frenchmen, that now had brought their mine through into the English mines, and made barriers betwixt, that they might safelie come and fight with the Englishmen: the king (to auoid the strife) entered the mine himselfe first of all other, and by chance came to fight hand to hand with the lord Barbason, who was likewise entered the mine before all other of them within the towne.
It was surrendred about Alhalontide, as Thom.
Wal. noteth.
Melun yéelded vp to king Henrie.
After they had fought a good season togither, at length they agréed to discouer either to other their names; so as the lord Barbason, first declaring what he was; the king likewise told him, that he was the king of England. Wherevpon, Barbason perceiuing with whome he had fought, caused the barriers foorthwith to be closed, and withdrew into the citie, and the king returned backe to his campe. At length, vittels within the towne began to faile, and the pestilence began to wax hot, so that the lord Barbason began to treat; and in conclusion, about the middest of Nouember (as Fabian saith) the towne was yéelded vpon certeine conditions, whereof one was, that all that were consenting to the death of the duke of Burgognie, should be deliuered to the king of England, of whome the lord Barbason was suspected to be one. The king sent them vnder the conduct of his brother the duke of Clarence, to the citie of Paris, whereof the French king made him capteine, and so at his comming thither, he tooke possession of the Bastill of S. Anthonie, the Loure, the house of Néelle, and the place of Bois de Vincennes.
Titus Liuius.
Monsieur de Barbason was accused by the duke of Burgognie, and his sisters as guiltie to their fathers death; but he in open court defended himselfe as not guiltie of that crime, granting indéed and confessing, that he was one of the familiar seruants to the Dolphin, but that he was priuie or consenting to the death of the duke of Burgognie, he vtterlie denied. Wherevpon he was not condemned, neither yet acquited, by reason of such presumptions and coniectures as were alledged and brought against him, so that he remained in prison at Paris and else-where, the space of nine yeares, till at length, being brought vnto castell Galliard, it chanced that the same castell was woone by those of the Dolphins part, and he being as then prisoner there, escaped out of danger, and so by that means was set at libertie, as after shall appeare.