went on a foraging party into the county of St Pol, from which they gained an immense booty, in peasants, horses, cattle, sheep, and other things: they even advanced to the town of St Pol, in which were count Waleran, styling himself constable of France, and the countess his wife, sister to the duke of Bar. They treated count Waleran with much abusive language, and said that he only pretended to be ill, to avoid serving the king, his sovereign lord; and that he had manifested his warm affection to the duke of Burgundy by sending his nephew sir John de Luxembourg, with the greater part of his vassals, to assist him.

Notwithstanding the count heard all that was said, he would not suffer any of his men to sally out against them, for fear the king and his council sould be more discontented with him, and allowed them to burn a considerable part of the suburbs of St Pol: they then returned to the king's army before Arras with their plunder.

On another day, about twelve hundred combatants assembled, and advanced toward Lucheux*, ransacking the country as far as

*Lucheux,-a town in Picardy, election of Peronne.

the town of Hesdin*, and committing much destruction; but the garrisons of Hesdin, and of other places in the interest of the duke of Burgundy, pursued them with such activity and vigour, that they not only recovered several whom they had captured, but made many of them prisoners.

Thus at different times, were excursions made by the king's forces on parts that held out for the duke of Burgundy, by which the poorer people were sorely oppressed and ruined.

On the other hand, the garrisons of the duke of Burgundy, in his towns of Douay, Lens+, Hesdin, Maizerolles, and others, made continual excursions and ambuscades against the foragers of the royal forces, and likewise against those who brought provisions to the army from Amiens, Corbie, and other parts, whom they generally robbed, killed, or made prisoners. Hector de Saveuses, a very renowned man at arms, was particular

Hesdin, a strong town in Artois on the Canche, thirteen leagues from Arras.

+ Lens, a town in Artois, on the confines of Flanders.

Maizerolles, a village in Artois.

.

ly active in his kind of warfare: he usually collected from two to three hundred combatants under his banner, and, by secretly leading them against the king's forces, acquired much fame, and was greatly in the good graces of his lord, the duke of Burgundy: his companions were usually Philippe and Louis de Wargis, Lamon de Launoy, and other expert men at arms,

The duke of Burgundy, having resolved to relieve Arras, sent for all his captains, and, having consulted them, ordered, that on a fixed day they should make an attack on the king's army at Vaudemont, where the van division was quartered, under the command of the duke of Bourbon; and the garrison was to make a sally to support them, of which they were to be timely informed. These captains assembled a force of about four thousand combatants, whose commanders were the lord de Croy, the lord de Fosseux, the lord de Jumont, the lord de Challons, sir Gautier de Ruppes, and some others, who marched their men to within about four leagues of Arras, and thence sent their scouts forward. The names of these Scouts were Actis, Jacques de Breumeur,

brother to Louis de Bussy, and others, whose names I have forgotten; but they were all taken by the king's army, and carried to the head-quarters. The duke of Burgundy's captains hearing of this, and supposing their intended attack would be known, were much troubled, and, without doing any thing, returned to their garrisons, to the great displeasure of the duke.

During the time the king lay before Arras, his men took the fortress of Avênes le Comte, belonging to the duke of Burgundy, and Villers le Châtel from the lord de Gournay, both four leagues distant from Arras. They were regarrisoned with a considerable force, who much harrassed the adjacent country, and gave the army intelligence of all assemblies of the enemy. All this time the town of Arras was constantly attacked by the cannons, veuglaires, bricolles, and other engines, to the great annoyance of its inhabitants, more especially on the side toward Vaudemont, and, moreover, several mines were made under the walls. One was particularly directed on this side, with the intent of forming a secret entrance to the city, but it was discovered by a counter-mine of

the besieged, and a vigorous skirmish took place within it, each party being armed with lances. The count d'Eu fought with sir John de Meschastel, lord de Montagu, very valiantly, considering his youth: he had been knighted on this occasion by his brother-inlaw the duke of Bourbon.

When this skirmish had lasted some time, both parties retreated to their main army. Sir Louis Bourdon and others were quartered during the siege in the abbey of Mount-St-Eloy, two leagues off Arras: it was surrounded by a strong wall, and consisted of handsome buildings,-the whole, or the greater part of which, were destroyed by them, the gratings, iron, lead, bells, and every thing portable being carried away. Thus at this time was the county of Artois most severely oppressed by the army of the king of France.