Chronicle and Romance: Froissart, Malory, Holinshed: (The Harvard Classics Series)
History
Chronicle and Romance: Froissart, Malory, Holinshed: (The Harvard Classics Series)
England -- Social life and customs -- 16th century; Great Britain -- History -- Edward III, 1327-1377
Thus by the Englishmen was brent, exiled, robbed, wasted and pilled
the good, plentiful country of Normandy. Then the French king sent for
the lord John of Hainault, who came to him with a great number: also
the king sent for other men of arms, dukes, earls, barons, knights and
squires, and assembled together the greatest number of people that had
been seen in France a hundred year before. He sent for men into so far
countries, that it was long or they came together, wherefore the king
of England did what him list in the mean season. The French king heard
well what he did, and sware and said how they should never return
again unfought withal, and that such hurts and damages as they had
done should be dearly revenged; wherefore he had sent letters to his
friends in the Empire, to such as were farthest off, and also to the
gentle king of Bohemia and to the lord Charles his son, who from
thenceforth was called king of Almaine; he was made king by the aid of
his father and the French king, and had taken on him the arms of the
Empire: the French king desired them to come to him with all their
powers, to the intent to fight with the king o£ England, who brent and
wasted his country. These princes and lords made them ready with great
number of men o£ arms, of Almains, Bohemians and Luxemburgers, and so
came to the French king. Also king Philip sent to the duke of
Lorraine, who came to serve him with three hundred spears: also there
came the earl (of) Salm in Saumois, the earl of Sarrebruck, the earl
of Flanders, the earl William of Namur, every man with a fair company.
Ye have heard herebefore of the order of the Englishmen, how they went
in three battles, the marshals on the right hand and on the left, the
king and the prince of Wales his son in the midst They rode but small
journeys and every day took their lodgings between noon and three of
the clock, and found the country so fruitful, that they needed not to
make no provision for their host, but all only for wine; and yet they
found reasonably sufficient thereof.[1] It was no marvel though they
of the country were afraid, for before that time they had never seen
men of war, nor they wist not what war or battle meant. They fled away
as far as they might hear speaking of the Englishmen,[2] and left
their houses well stuffed, and granges full of corn, they wist not how
to save and keep it. The king of England and the prince had in their
battle a three thousand men of arms and six thousand archers and a ten
thousand men afoot, beside them that rode with the marshals.
[1] Or rather, 'thus they found reasonably sufficient provisions.'
[2] That is, they fled as soon as they heard their coming spoken
of.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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