1. Froissart was a brilliant historian of the middle ages. His writings are in quaint old French. At the request of Henry VIII of England, a translation of his "Battle of Cressy" was made into the English of that day. We insert this as a most lively description of the battle itself, and as a specimen of old literature in which pupils can not fail to take great interest:

2. Thenglysshmen who were in three batayls, lyeing on the grounde to rest them, assone as they saw the frenchmen approche, they rose upon their fete, fayre and easily, without any haste, and arranged their batayls: the first, which was the prince's batell, the archers then strode in the manner of a harrow, and the men at armes in the botome of the batayle.

3. Therle of Northāpton and therle of Arundell, with the second batell, were on a wyng in good order, redy to comfort the princes batayle, if nede were. The lordes and knyghtes of France, cāe not to the assemble togyder in good order, for some came before, and some cāe after, in such haste and yvell order, yt one of thē dyd trouble another: when the french kyng sawe the englysshmen, his blode chaunged, and sayde to his marshals, make the genowayes go on before, and begynne the batayle in the name of god and saynt Denyse; ther were of the genowayse crosbowes, about a fiftene thousand, but they were so wery of goyng a fote that day, a six leages, armed with their crosbowes, that they sayde to their constables, we be not well ordered to fyght this day, for we be not in the case to do any great dede of armes, we have more nede of rest. These wordes came to the erle of Alanson, who sayd, a man is well at ease to be charged wt suche a sorte of rascalles, to be faynt and fayle now at moost nede. Also the same season there fell a great rayne, and a clyps, with a terryble thunder, and before the rayne, ther came fleying over both batayls, a great nombre of crowes, for feare of the tempest comynge.

4. Than anone the eyre beganne to wax clere, and the sonne to shyne fayre and bright, the which was right in the frenchmens eyen and on thenglysshmens backes. Whan the genowayes were assembled to-guyder, and began to aproche, they made a great leape and crye, to abasshe thenglysshmen, but they stode styll, and styredde not for all that; thāns the genowayes agayne the seconde tyme made another leape, and a fell crye, and stepped forward a lytell, and thenglysshmen remeued not one fote; thirdly agayne they leapt and cryed, and went forthe tyll they come within shotte; thane they shotte feersly with their crosbowes; thun thenglysshe archers stept forthe one pase, and lette fly their arowes so hotly, and so thycke, that it semed snowe; when the genowayes felte the arowes persynge through heeds, armes, and brestes, many of them cast downe their crosbowes, and dyde cutte their strynges, and retourned dysconfited.

5. Whun the frenche kynge sawe them flye away, he sayd, slee these rascalles, for they shall lette and trouble us without reason: then ye shulde have sene the men of armes dasshe in among them, and kylled a great nombre of them; and ever styll the englysshmen shot where as they sawe thyckest preace; the sharpe arowes ranne into the men of armes, and into their horses, and many fell, horse and men, amōge the genowayes; and when they were downe, they coude not relyve agayne, the preace was so thycke, that one overthrewe another. And also amonge the englysshmen there were certayne rascalles that went a fote, with great knyves, and they went in among the men of armes, and slewe and murdredde many as they lay on the grounde, both erles, baronnes, knyghtes and squyers, whereof the kynge of Englande was after dyspleased, for he had rather they had bene taken prisoners.

6. The valyant kyng of Behaygne, called Charles of Luzenbomge, sonne to the noble emperour Henry of Luzenbomge, for all that he was nyghe blynde, whun he understode the order of the batayle, he sayde to them about hym, where is the lorde Charles my son? his men sayde, sir, we can not tell, we thynke he be fyghtynge; thun he sayde, sirs, ye ar my men, my companyons, and frendes in this journey. I requyre you bring me so farre forwarde, that I may stryke one stroke with my swerde; they sayde they wolde do his commandement, and to the intent that they shulde not lese him in the prease, they tyed all their raynes of their bridelles eche to other, and sette the kynge before to accomplysshe his desyre, and so thei went on their ennemyes; the lorde Charles of Behaygne, his sonne, who wrote hymselfe kyng of Behaygne, and bare the armes, he came in good order to the batayle, but whāne he sawe that the matter went awrie on their partie, he departed, I can not tell you whiche waye, the kynge his father was so farre forwarde that he strake a stroke with his swerde, ye and mo thun foure, and fought valyuntly, and so dyde his compuny, and they advētured themselfe so forwarde, that they were ther all slayne, and the next day they were founde in the place about the kyng, and all their horses tyed eche to other.

7. The erle of Alansone came to the batayle right ordy notlye, and fought with thenglysshmen; and the erle of Flaunders also on his parte; these two lordes with their cōpanyes wosted the englysshe archers, and came to the princes batayle, and there fought valyantly longe. The frenche kynge wolde fayne have come thyder whanne he saw their baners, but there was a great hedge of archers before hym. The same day the frenche kynge hadde gyven a great blacke courser to Sir John of Heynault, and he made the lorde Johan of Fussels to ryde on hym, and to bere his banerre; the same horse tooke the bridell in the tethe, and brought hym through all the currours of thē'glysshmen, and as he wolde have retourned agayne, he fell in a great dyke, and was sore hurt, and had been ther deed, and his page had not ben, who followed him through all the batayls, and sawe where his maister lay in the dyke, and had none other lette but for his horse, for thenglysshmen wolde not yssue out of their batayle, for takyng of any prisiner; thāne the page alyghted and relyved his maister, thun he went not backe agayn ye same way that they came, there was to many in his way.

8. This batyle bytwene Broy and Cressy, this Saturday was right cruell and fell, and many a feat of armes done, that came not to my knowledge; in the night, dyverse knyghtes and sqyers lost their maisters, and sometyme came on thenglysshmen, who receyved them in such wyse, that they were ever nighe slayne; for there was none taken to mercy nor to raunsome, for so thenglysshmen were determyned: in the mornyng the day of the batayle, certayne frenchmen and almaygnes perforce opyned the archers of the princes batayle, and came and fought with the men of armes hande to hande: than the seconde batayle of thenglysshmen came to sucour the princes batayle, the whiche was tyme, for they had as thān moche ado; and they with ye prince sent a messanger to the kynge, who was on a lytell wyndmyll hyll; thun the knyght sayd to the kyng, sir, therle of Warwyke, and therle of Cāfort, Sir Reynolde Cobham, and other, suche as be about the prince your sonne, as feersly fought with all, and ar sore handled, wherefore they desyre you, that you and your batayle wolle come and ayde them, for if the frenchmen encrease, as they dout they woll, your sonne and they shall have much ado.

9. Thun the kynge sayde, is my sonne deed or hurt, or on the yerthe felled? no sir, quoth the knyght, but he is hardely matched, wherefore he hath nede of your ayde. Well, sayde the king, returne to him, and to thrm that sent you hyther, and say to them, that they sende no more to me for an adventure that falleth, as long as my son is alyve, and also say to thē, that they suffre hym this day to wynne his spurres, for if god he pleased, I woll this journey be his, and the honoure therof, and to them that be aboute him. Thun the knyght returned agayn to thē, and shewed the kynges wordes, the which gretly encouraged them, and repoyned in that they had sende to the kynge as they dyd. Sir Godfray of Harecourt, wolde gladly that the erle of Harcourt, his brother, myghte have been saved, for he hurd say by thē that he sawe his baner, howe that he was ther in the felde on the french partie, but Sir Godfray coude not come to hym betymes for he was slayne or he coude coē at hym, and so also was therle of Almare, his nephue.

10. In another place the erle of Aleuson, and therle of Flaunders, fought valyantly, every lorde under his owne banere; but finally they coude not resyst agaynt the payssance of thenglysshmen, and so ther they were also slayne, and dyvers knyghtes and sqyers, also therle of Lewes of Bloyes, nephue to the frenche kyng, and the duke of Lorayne, fought under their baners, but at last they were closed in among a cōpany of englysshmen and welshmen, and were there slayed, for all their powers. Also there was slayne the erle of Ausser, therle of Saynt Poule, and many others.