"blood than we had for that of our king, liege and A.D. 1402. sovereign lord, we answer you for the honour of God, "our Lady, and St. George, that in what you have "written that we have greater compassion for the "blood of your party than we had for our said lord, you "have falsely and wickedly lied, for we truly hold "his blood dearer than that of your side, however "much you falsely pretend the contrary, and if you << mean to say that we did not hold his blood and his "life dear, we say that you lie and will falsely lie every "time you say so, and that the true God knows, whom we call to witness, putting thereon our body against yours in our defence as a loyal prince should do if you wish or dare to try; and had it pleased God "that you had never done or procured to be done against the person of your said lord and brother "and his more than we have on our part done against our said lord, we fully believe that they would be

more glad at this present. And although you think "that we have no business to be thanked for having compassion for those of your side, it nevertheless seems to us that we have well deserved before God "and of the whole world, but not in the manner "which you falsely pretend, considering that after the "blood of our faithful liege friends and subjects we

certainly have good cause as it appeareth to us to "hold very dear the blood of France, viewing the "good right which God hath given us as we have entire hope in Him, and it is for the safety of them that we would more willingly offer our body against your own than suffer the effusion of their blood, just as a good shepherd ought to do in "exposing himself for his sheep there where through "your vain glory or pride of heart you would have "led them to perish while you are unwilling to expose your body on their behalf where need "demands it; but we do not wonder that you on

A.D. 1402." your part perform as a hireling the duty of "the good shepherd of the sheep, that is, when he

sees the wolf coming he leaves his sheep and takes "to flight without having any compassion on their "blood; and we are also as the women who strove for "the child before the noble King Solomon, namely, "the good mother who had pity on her son while the "other who was not his mother by her cruel pleading "would have had him severed in two and put to death "if the wise and discreet judge had not been there. "As to what you write that when you know our answer to your said letter, whether body to body "or number to number or power against power, we shall find you ready to do honour to yourself effectually as in such wise pertaining, we thank you "for being willing to fulfil this, nevertheless we let you "know that we hope that by the help of God you

shall see the day when you shall not depart with"out seeing one of these three ways by the aid of "God as has been said to our honour. As regards your desire to be certified of our coming across the sea as we intend, we let you know in the manner that we wrote to you in our other letter that at whatever time it may please us and may seem most expedient to the honour of God, of us, and of our "said realm we will come personally into our country across sea accompanied by so many people and such as we please, all of whom we hold for our loyal servants, subjects, and friends, there to preserve our right, yet with the aid of God offering our body against yours in our defence, as we have already "written to you to put a stop to the wicked and

false notoriety which you have intended to raise up "if you will or dare to try it, which time you will "find soon enough, please God, for your confusion. "And as to being held to be what you are, God knows, and we wish all the world to know, that

this, our answer, does not proceed from pride or A.D. 1402. presumption of heart, but because you have wrongfully commenced the quarrel against us, we ever trusting in our Lord God, in whom we shall sustain the right, and who is willing that we should defend our right with all our power for the good grace and aid "which he hath before sent. And we answer you as above is said, and for that we wish you to know that this our answer which we write and send to you proceeds from our certain knowledge we have "sealed these present letters with the seal of our "arms."

Notwithstanding that the abovesaid King of England and Duke of Orleans had written and sent these abovesaid letters one to the other, yet they never appeared personally against one another, so therefore matters with regard to this affair remained in this condition.

How Count Walleran of Saint Pol sent his letters of defiance to King Henry of England. CHAPTER

VIII.

AT the same time the Lord Count of Saint Pol sent A.D. 1402. a letter of defiance to King Henry of England, the tenor of which was as follows: "Most high and puissant

prince, Henry Duke of Lancaster, I, Walleran of "Luxembourg, Count of Saint Pol, considering the love, affinity, and alliance which I had for the most "noble and puissant prince, Richard King of England, whose sister I have married, in the destruction of "which noble king you are notoriously inculpated " and very greatly dishonoured; and moreover the great "shame which I and my offspring descending from "him may or might have in time to come, and also

A.D. 1402. "the indignation of God Almighty and of all reasonable " and honourable persons, if I do not hazard myself "with all my power to avenge the destruction of him "to whom I was thus allied; wherefore by these present letters I make known to you that in all ways that I can, and that shall be possible to me, "I will requite you henceforth, you and yours, and "all the damage, as well by myself as by my relations, all my men and subjects, that I can do I will "do to you by sea and by land, always without the "kingdom of France, for the becoming reason of the thing above discoursed of, not in anywise for the matters which have taken place and are to take place between my most dread and sovereign lord "the King of France and the kingdom of England. "And this I certify to you by the impression of my seal.

Given in my castle of Saint Pol, the eleventh day "of February, year one thousand four hundred and "two."

When King Henry had received and caused to be read this letter, and well understood the contents of it, he thought a little, and then said to the messenger, My friend, return to your country and say to your "master, the Count of Saint Pol, that of his anger " and his threats I take not much account, and say "to him that my intention is so to see to and "obviate his threats, that he will have much to do to

protect his person, his subjects, and his country."

Then the messenger, hearing the answer of the king without replying, departed and came to Dover with all diligence, where he embarked in a boat and came to Calais, and from thence to Aire, where he found Count Walleran his master, to whom he made the report he had been charged with, as you have heard, by word of mouth. When the count had heard the messenger touching the answer of King Henry, he was much

troubled in heart, but passed it off as well as he could ; A.D. 1402. but to keep his word he prepared himself with all diligence to make war on the said King Henry, and on all whom he might think wished him well, and also he caused to be made at this time in his castle of Bohaing the effigy and representation of the Earl of Rutland, son of the Duke of York, and cousin-german to the said King Henry, blazoned with his arms, and a portable gibbet, which he caused to be taken and conducted secretly enough into one of his fortresses in the country of Boullenois, and soon afterwards the said count ordered his people, namely, Robinet de Reubetagnes, Aliame de Bectune, and other skilled men of war, who by his command placed the same gibbet and effigy by night close to the gates of Calais, where the same gibbet was by them set up, and the effigy of the said Earl of Rutland there hanged by the feet head downwards; after this was done, the two gentlemen returned to the place whence they had come. When it came to pass in the morning that the people of Calais opened their gates, they were much amazed to see this gibbet, and at once demolished it and brought it into the town, and from this time were the English at Calais more inclined to do damage to the Count of Saint Pol and his country and subjects than they had been before.

How Sir Jacques de Bourbon, Count of La Marche, went with a force of men-at-arms by sea to England, and of what befel him. CHAPTER IX.

AT this same time Sir Jacques de Bourbon, Count of La Marche, accompanied by his two sons, Louis and John, with them twelve hundred knights and esquires, was sent by the King of France to the port of Brest in Brittany, to go into Wales to go against the Welsh