CHAPTER XII.—THE KING OF FRANCE, BEING SATISFIED THAT THE ENGLISH HAD BROKEN THE TRUCE, DECLARES WAR AGAINST THEM. VERNEUIL IS TAKEN BY A MILLER,

WHOM AN ENGLISHMAN HAD BEATEN.

THE king of France, having received full information of the warfare carried on by the English against Scotland, which was included in the truce, and of that against the Spaniards by sea, who were also included in it, as well as that on his own subjects of Dieppe, La Rochelle, and elsewhere, ever since the signing of the truce, without making any restitution whatever for the damages done by them, more especially in the capture of Fougeres from the duke of Brittany, for which they refused to make any reparation, although often summoned by the king so to do, as well by ambassadors to king Henry as to those who had the government of Normandy: having, therefore, maturely deliberated on all these grievances in his council, and knowing that he had fully acquitted himself of his duty in endeavouring to preserve peace, he declared war against England by sea and land.

During the truce, the English garrisons of Mantes, Verneuil, and Laigny, had gone on the high-roads between Orleans and Paris, and had robbed and murdered all passengers and merchants that fell in their way. In like manner did the English of Neufchâtel, Gournay, and Gerberoy, on the roads between Paris, Abbeville, and Amiens. They also made inroads over the country, seizing all they could lay hands on, and murdering gentlemen in their beds who had sworn allegiance to the king of France, such as the lord de Maillebois, the lord de St. Remy, Olivier de Noirequerque, and several more. On the other hand, such tradesmen and labouring farmers as had, on the faith of the truce, returned to their occupations, houses, and villages, were continually harassed and put to death by the English, who called them false Armagnac traitors. These were the fine exploits of the English during the existence of the truce. They were called Vizards, from wearing masks and frightful disguises over their other clothes when they went on any such expeditions, to prevent them being discovered.

To put an end to all these deceitful proceedings of the English, the king of France assembled a large body of men-at-arms, as did the duke of Brittany, on their frontiers. The garrison of Fougeres made a sally on these last,—but they were repulsed so valiantly that they lost upwards of six score in killed and taken.

At this time a miller in the town of Verneuil* was beaten by an Englishman going the rounds. In revenge, he went to the bailiff of Evreux, and promised, on certain conditions, to admit him and his men into the town. In consequence of this, sir Pierre de Brésé, seneschal of Poitou, the said bailiff of Evreux, Jacques de Clermont, and others, collected their men with all haste and appeared before the walls of Verneuil by break of day on the 29th day of July. The miller was on guard this night, and dismissed the watch sooner than usual because it was Sunday, that they might attend mass and then breakfast. The French, by the aid of the miller, fixed their ladders to his mill, and by this means entered the town without any one knowing or even suspecting it. Six score English were in garrison, some of whom were killed or made prisoners, and the rest fled in haste to the castle.

On the morrow the miller drew off most part of the water from the ditches of the castle, which was then vigorously attacked and defended, but at last it was taken by storm. Many gallant deeds were done, particularly by the seneschal, who acquired greater renown than any other, although all fought well, for they had not any heavy artillery,—and numbers of the English were killed, wounded, and taken. The remainder took shelter in the tour grise, which was impregnable so long as provisions did not fail, being very thick and high, and detached from the castle, surrounded with ditches full of water. Notwithstanding its strength, the French attacked it on all sides; and while they were thus engaged, the count de Dunois arrived with the lord de Culant, and many other knights and esquires. The first had been lately appointed lieutenant-general of the armies of the king of France, and the lord de Culant had been made grand-master of the household +. Having

* Verneuil, a town in Normandy, diocese of Evreux. ther of the marshal de Jaloignes, was appointed grand+ Charles lord de Culant and Chateauneuf, elder bro- master of France in 1449.

had information that Lord Talbot was on his march to relieve his countrymen in the tower, and was arrived at Breteuil*, they soon departed, leaving sir Florent Dilliers, who remained to manage the siege with about eight hundred combatants+.

The count de Dunois kept advancing until he met Lord Talbot near to Harcourt ‡, who, when he perceived the French, fortified himself so strongly with stakes and the baggagecarts which carried his stores, that they could no way injure him. At nightfall he retreated in haste to Harcourt. All the ensuing day the French were drawn up in battle array in the expectation of an engagement, but Talbot would not quit the town. The following knights were this day created :—the lord de Herbault, sir John de Bar lord of Baugey, and John Daulon, equerry of the king's stables; and the French, finding that Talbot would not come out of Harcourt, withdrew that evening to Evreux.

On the sixth day of August in this year, the king of France advanced toward Amboise, to cross the river Loire, and march his army into Normandy to support the besiegers of Verneuil. The count de Dunois and his company remained two days in Evreux.

CHAPTER XIII.-THE COUNT DE ST. POL APPEARS BEFORE NOGENT, WHICH SURRENDERS TO HIM.-THE CAPTURE OF PONT-AUDEMER.

On Friday the 8th day of August in this year, the count de St. Pol, with about four hundred § horse, came before the castle of Nogent, of whom twenty or thirty of the most valiant of the van, at the first shock, forced their way into the lower court and gained the barriers. Fearing the cannon of the English, they instantly retreated to wait for their companions, but not before the portcullis had been rapidly let down, and inclosed two of their number, who were made prisoners. On the approach of the main army, the place was courageously attacked on the side toward the fields, when many were killed and wounded on each side. The governor for king Henry was called Jean le Fevre, born near to Louviers, who had with him about thirty companions in arms. On the Saturday the place surrendered between eleven and twelve o'clock, on condition that the garrison should march away in safety unarmed, except the governor, who was to wear his sword. They deposited all their effects in the church of St. Peter, whence they afterward came to seek and carry them away whither they pleased. The conquerors, perceiving on the Sunday that the place was not tenable, decamped, but not before they had set fire to it and burned it to the ground.

The same Friday the count de Dunois marched from Evreux with a large company of knights and esquires, and two thousand five hundred combatants. Two days after, the counts d'Eu and de St. Pol, the lords de Saveuses, de Roye, de Moy, de Rambures, and others, to the number of three hundred lances, and from fourteen to fifteen hundred archers, passed Pont-de-l'Arche, and continued their march until they formed a junction, on the 12th, before Pont Audemer, with the count de Dunois and his army. The count de Dunois was posted on the side toward Rouen, and the counts d'Eu and de St. Pol nearer to Honfleur on the other side of the river Rille, which runs by the town,-and each lord drew up his men to the attack of the place. That part of it near to the quarters of the count de St. Pol was so courageously attacked that it was carried by storm, notwithstanding the very gallant defence of the English. Many brilliant acts were done by the count de Dunois' men, who entered the place at the same time with the others, crossing the ditches with water up to their necks.

Four hundred and twenty English retreated into a strong house at the end of the town under their captains, Montfort, treasurer of Normandy, and Foucques Ebon, who surrendered themselves prisoners to the counts de Dunois and de St. Pol. Twenty-two new knights

* Breteuil, a town in Normandy near Conches, Florent, lord d'Illiers d'Entragues, was distinguished for valour, and for his great retinue at the siege of Orleans, and on several subsequent occasions. His father Geoffrey lord d'Illiers, was grandson of Philip, one of the sons of Bouchard lord of Vendôme, who married the heiress of

the ancient house of Illiers, and assumed his wife's family name on account of a stipulation in the marriage contract. Harcourt, a town in Normandy, election of Conches, ten leagues from Rouen.

§ Four hundred. In the original it is four thousand but this number appeared to me too great.

were made on this occasion, such as the lord de Moy, the son of the vidame of Amiens, the son of the lord de Rambures, and others. Thus was Pont Audemer replaced under the obedience of the king of France.

King Charles came to Vendôme on this day, the 12th, and remained there until the 18th day of August, when he marched for Chartres, and arrived there on the 22d.

CHAPTER XIV. THE ENGLISH INVADE SCOTLAND TWICE, AND ARE AS MANY TIMES REPULSED -THE TOWER OF VERNEUIL SURRENDERS TO THE KING OF FRANCE.OTHER MATTERS.

It was evident that Heaven was against the English,—and they were deserving of it; for it is a fact that they have always encroached on their Christian neighbours, as well in the kingdom of France as in Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and elsewhere. Many violences have most unjustly been done by them, by reason of their not having the words of our Saviour Jesus Christ before their eyes,- "Render unto Cæsar the things that be Cæsar's, and unto God the things that be God's."

Among their various plans of annoyance to their neighbours, they carried one about this time into effect, namely, an invasion of Scotland. The earl of Salisbury sent two lords of great renown, natives of England, sir Thomas de Hanton, knight, and the lord Percy, son to the earl of Northumberland, to wage war against Scotland. They had with them fifteen thousand combatants, and a numerous body of peasants, and, crossing the river Solway, entered Scotland, where they remained three days, having advanced six miles of that country, equal to three French leagues. When the earl of Douglas heard of this inroad, he collected, without delay, six thousand Scots, and attacked the English on the plain in open day. The battle was well fought on both sides, and many were killed and wounded; but it was won by the Scots, who kept the field, and made many prisoners: in the number were sir Thomas de Hanton and Percy: the rest escaped as quickly as they could, to carry the melancholy news to Lord Salisbury. He was very much grieved, and not without cause, but not cast down; for he instantly raised a greater army than before, consisting of sixty thousand men, thinking to destroy the whole kingdom of Scotland.

When the earls of Murray and of Ormond heard of the English having crossed the Solway with a large army, they, having the fear of God before their eyes, and finding the English determined thus conjunctly to destroy their country, took measures to oppose them; for it is perfectly lawful that every one should fight for his country. They soon, with the aid of other Scots lords, assembled a force of thirty-two thousand able warriors, and, falling upon the English camp unawares, put them to the rout, with great slaughter, and loss in prisoners and wounded. They were pursued as far as the Solway, wherein many were drowned. The English lost in these two invasions from twenty to twenty-four thousand men in killed and prisoners. The Scots gave all the merit of this signal defeat to God, and not to human force, for which they celebrated a thanksgiving; and to prevent the English from being in future so eager to invade their country, they resolved to continue the pursuit into England. Having crossed the Solway, they destroyed the country, full twenty leagues in length, and six in breadth, as far as the strong town of Newcastle, without leaving a town or house on their road unburned. On this expedition a knight of great power in Scotland was slain,

Under the years 1446, 47, 48, 49, 50, in Andrews' History of Great Britain, &c." An invasion of Scotland is attempted by the English, led by the earl of Northumberland and Magnus Reidman. They are defeated at Sark, (a river in Scotland formed of two branches, the White and Black, falling into the Eden four miles below Carlisle,) by the Scots, under the command of the lord Douglas and his brother the earl of Ormond."

I see from Douglas's Peerage that it ought to be Archibald earl of Murray, (and not Lord Douglas), third son to James VII. earl of Douglas. The earl of Ormond was his

next brother.

The following extract is from Hutchinson's History of Northumberland, page 233, vol. ii." Henry earl of Northumberland, in the 14th Henry VI. made an unsuc cessful irruption into Scotland, and at Piperden was defeated by the earl of Angus, with the loss of 1500 men. In the 29th of the same reign he entered Scotland again, and engaged, near the river Sark, a large body of Scots under the command of sir William Wallace of Craigey, where he again had a defeat, and narrowly escaped being made prisoner his son choosing to throw himself into the hands of the enemy to save his father."

called sir John Vbouailles; and the Scots then returned unmolested home. The account of these battles was given to the writer of the Chronicles of St. Denis, at that abbey, by three Scots priests of the diocese of Dunblaine, of which church one was a canon, and affirmed it for true before the holy shrine of St. Denis, in the manner above related, and in the presence of the monks of that abbey.

On the 12th of August the king of France came to Vendôme, grandly accompanied by men-at-arms, as well lords, knights and esquires, as others. He remained there until the 18th; and during this time the lord de Lohéac, marshal of Brittany, sir Geoffry de Couren*, and Joachim Rohault and others, attacked the town of St. Jacques de Beuvron with great vigour, from nine in the morning until night, and, with heavy and small artillery, kept up a continual fire on the walls. It was, however, gallantly defended; but on the morrow the English capitulated for its surrender, on being allowed to march away in safety with their effects. On the 22d of the said month the king of France entered Chartres; and on the next day the garrison of the tower of Verneuil surrendered themselves prisoners. They were but thirty, of whom the greater part were renegado French,-several having escaped a little before, carrying off all their valuables, owing to the negligence of those who had the guard during the night. Sir Florent was very much blamed for this, as the king had sent him orders, by one of his heralds, to be very attentive in guarding the place. The king, on the departure of the principal leaders, made matters easy to those who had remained, from the consideration that the place was impregnable but from want of provisions; and he concluded a treaty with the lords de Presigny and de Baugey, for their paying a moderate ransom on delivering up the tower to the king.

At this time, or a little after, Joachim de Rohault, with these lords who had gained St. Jacques de Beuvron, took, after an attack of ten hours, the town of Mortain +. The count de Dunois, with the count de St. Pol and those who had been at the capture of Pont Audemer, marched to lay siege to the city of Lisieux; but when those within the city observed the great force brought against it, and which it was impossible for them to resist,— fearing also, that, should it be taken by storm, they would lose everything, they held several conferences together, and, by the advice of their bishop, offered to surrender the place to the king of France. The bishop managed so honourably and ably that not the smallest damage was done to any individual, but each peaceably enjoyed his property as before the surrender. Several small places round Lisieux surrendered to the count de Dunois at the same time.

CHAPTER XV. THE KING OF FRANCE SUMMONS MANTES TO SURRENDER, WHICH IT DOES,
AND IS
TAKEN POSSESSION OF, IN THE NAME OF THE KING, BY THE COUNT DE
DUNOIS, HIS LIEUTENANT-GENERAL.

On the 26th of this same month of August, and on the morrow of the feast of St. Louis, the king left Chartres with a noble company, and fixed his quarters at Châteauneuf-enTimerais, and, the same day, sent his heralds to summon the garrison of Mantes, which town was held and occupied against his will. While the heralds were on their embassy, the counts de Dunois and St. Pol arrived with five or six hundred combatants, the same day, before the town of Mantes, and summoned the inhabitants to return to their obedience to the king of France. They at first refused, from fear of the garrison, although in their hearts they were well inclined to obey the summons; and the lieutenant-general ordered preparations for an immediate attack. The inhabitants noticed this, but were fearful that the English garrison, amounting to two hundred and sixty men, under the command of sir Thomas Hos§, knight, and chancellor for the king of England in these parts, would make a defence. He

* De Couren. Couvren.-MS. DU CANGE. Mortain. a town in Normandy, on the river Lances, on the borders of Maine.

Châteauneuf-en-Timerais,-a town in Perche, elec

tion of Verneuil.

§ Q. Hoo? Sir Thomas Hoo, knight, in 1436 suppressed a rebellion in the Pays de Caux. In 1442, he

obtained a grant of revenue from the crown in consideration of his great services in war. In 1448, he was created lord Hoo and Hastings, and knight of the Garter, and was summoned to Parliament from 26 H. 6, to 31 H. 6 inclusive. Thomas, his only son, died in his lifetique without issue.

was indeed, not in the town; but his lieutenant, Thomas de St. Barbe, bailiff of the place, was present, and determined on resistance as long as he could. The inhabitants, therefore, foreseeing the ruin of their town, caused the bailiff to be informed, that if he would not enter into a capitulation for the surrender of the place, they should certainly do so. This they would not have dared to say, if they had not felt themselves the strongest; and the better to force the English to terms, they seized the tower and gate called the Port-au-Saint, with the whole of that quarter, and then went in a body to the lieutenant-general, and concluded with him a treaty for the surrender of their town.

The English were desirous of making resistance, and would have opposed the French, had not this tower and its defences been occupied by the townsmen. A copy of the capitulation was sent them, about four o'clock in the afternoon, by a herald, accompanied by fifty menat-arms, who were received by the inhabitants, and posted in this tower, to guard them against the English, should there be occasion. Although the lieutenant-governor had accepted the terms for himself and his companions the bailiffs, the count de Dunois remained with his army in order of battle before the walls from morning to evening, when he entered the place with a strong detachment, to guard the inhabitants from pillage and other mischiefs, which men-at-arms were accustomed to do on similar occasions, and also to confirm the townsmen in their loyalty and obedience towards the king.

CHAPTER XVI.-THE KING OF FRANCE MAKES HIS ENTRY INTO VERNEUIL.-THE RECEPTION HE RECEIVES. THE SENESCHAL OF POITOU UNDERTAKES AN EXPEDITION AGAINST

THE CASTLE OF LOIGNY *.—
-IT SURRENDERS TO THE KING, AND SEVERAL ENGLISH

ARE TAKEN IN IT.-VERNON SURRENDERS TO THE KING.

On the 27th of August in this year, the king of France made his entry into Verneuil with much pomp, and grandly attended. He was received there as magnificently as possible; for the churchmen and chief inhabitants came out in procession to meet him, dressed in their best clothes and hoods. The populace issued out also in crowds to welcome his arrival: they made bonfires, and strewed the streets with flowers in the best manner they could, singing carols day and night. The king remained some time in Verneuil, and thither came the bishops of Lisieux and Auxerre to do him homage. During this interval, the seneschal of Poitou formed a plan to gain the castle of Loigny, held by an esquire of Normandy, called the lord de Sainte Marie, as governor for sir Francis de Surienne, called the Arragonian, the owner of this castle, and who had married sir Francis's daughter. Although the seneschal did not come before the place personally, he had practised with the governor (who had under his command two hundred combatants quartered in the lower court); so that when the French appeared, they were admitted into the dungeon, without the knowledge of the men-at-arms sent by sir Francis for its defence, or of his lady, who was in the castle.

The English, when they saw the French, thought to defend themselves; but finding they were too weak in numbers, they desisted, and were with their horses in the lower court, and all their effects, seized in the name of the king of France, except the lady of sir Francis, who departed with her baggage, much enraged at the treachery of her son-in-law. The lord de Sainte Marie was re-appointed to the government of the castle, on the terms he had held it before.

On the same day, the captain of Robert de Flocques, bailiff of Evreux, was sent with a certain number of men-at-arms to summon the garrison and inhabitants of Vernon to submit themselves to the king of France, by sending to him the keys of the town. The governor, John Ormond, an esquire, son to the earl of Ormond in Ireland, replied, that he would willingly do so, and, by way of derision and mockery, sent for all the old keys he could from the locksmiths in the town, and presented them to the pursuivant who had brought the summons; but he made answer, that they were too old to be of use to such a place, and departed, to make his report of what had passed to the count de Dunois, who was not far off with the

Loigny, a village in Beauce.