countess of Hainault, but could not agree on any terms for a peace, on which the ambassadors returned to the king's army, and the duke of Brabant and the lady of Hainault went back to the duke of Burgundy at Lille, to signify to him that they had not been able to come to any terms with the king of France.

CHAP. VIII.

THE INHABITANTS OF ARRAS

FORTIFY

THEIR TOWN VERY STRONGLY, AND BURN AND DESTROY SEVERAL HANDSOME EDIFICES WHICH WERE AROUND IT.

THE townsmen of Arras, daily expecting to be besieged by the army of the king of France, made great preparations to defend themselves against all adversaries. They erected bulwarks without the walls, and formed barriers of large oak-trees placed one on the other, with deep ditches, so that the walls could not be approached without first having gained these outworks. They planted cannons and veuglaires (veuglaria), with

other offensive engines on the walls and towers, to annoy the enemy; and, as I have before said, sir John de Luxembourg was governor-general of the place, having under him many very expert captains, whom I have mentioned, and who were always unanimous in their opinions.

They resolved to wait for the attack of the king and the princes, and to resist it to the best of their ability; but in the mean time sir John de Luxembourg caused proclamation to be made by sound of trumpets throughout the town, that all persons who had wives or families should lose no time in having them and their effects conveyed to other strong places or territories of the duke of Burgundy, and that whosoever had not collected necessaries for some months must leave the place.

In

consequence of these proclamations, many of the inhabitants carried their wives, families and fortunes to the towns of Douay, Lille, Bethune, Aire, and other places, according to their pleasure. The governor demolished many handsome buildings and churches that were around the town, namely, the abbey of Tieulloy, the

churches of the Cordeliers, Jacobins, and some others. He also burnt on the opposite side of the city the suburbs of Baudemont, which were of large extent, and contained many fine edifices, as well inns as other houses; all of which were burnt and destroyed to the confusion of the inhabitants of this suburb.

CHAP. IX.

CHARLES KING OF FRANCE, HAVING REDUCED BAPAUME TO HIS OBEDIENCE, MARCHES TO LAY SIEGE ΤΟ ARRAS, AND TO SUBJECT THAT CITY TO HIS POWER.

KING Charles of France having, as I have said, reduced the town of Bapaume, to his obedience, departed thence on the 19th day of July with his whole army, and halted at a village called Vercourt, situated on a small brook two leagues from Arras. He had left his engines of war at Bapaume, under the guard of sir Gasselin du Bos and a sufficient garrison. Sir Gasselin, as gover

*

nor of the town, made the mayor, sheriffs and commonalty, take a solemn oath of fidelity to the king, and to him as his go

vernor.

From Vercourt, the king, passing by Arras, was lodged in the town of Vailly*; at which place, and before the gates of Arras, there were grand skirmishes between the king's army and those within the town. They sallied out of the place in great numbers on horseback against their enemies, of whom they that day, at different times, made sixty or more prisoners, and carried them into the town, with a quantity of baggage.

In company with the king were, his eldest son, Louis duke of Acquitaine, the dukes of Orleans, of Bourbon, of Bar and of Bavaria, the counts of Vertus, of Alençon, of Richemont, of Vendôme, of Auxerre, of la Marche, of la Marle, of Eu, of Roussy, the archbishop of Sens, the bishop of Laon, and the count of Armagnac. The lord Charles d'Albreth, constable of France, was also with the king, and some other knights

* Vailly, a town in Picardy, near Abbeville.

and esquires of the van division, consisting of three thousand men at arms at least, without including archers, so that the whole of the royal army may be estimated at about two hundred thousand persons of all sorts.

The king's quarters at Vailly were in a house which had belonged to the Templars about a cannon-shot from the town, and the duke of Acquitaine was lodged very near him. Soon after, the duke of Bourbon and others of the van division made an entrance early in the morning into the suburbs of Vaudemont, and there established themselves, in spite of the resistance from Arras, but it was not without a severe conflict.

On another day, the duke of Bar, the count de Marle and the count d'Armagnac, with the rear division, made good a lodgement on the opposite side, in the suburbs of of Belle-mocte, so that the city of Arras was now so completely surrounded that scarcely a single person could venture out without being taken, although, during the siege, there were daily sallies made from the town, sometimes on foot, at others on horseback.

The besieged often made sallies from two and even three gates within an hour's