After this, Henrie earle of Mortaigne, sonne to Edmund duke of Summerset, ariued at Chierburgh with foure hundred archers, & thrée hundred speares, and passed through Normandie, till he came into the countie of Maine, where he besieged a castell called saint Anian, in the which were thrée hundred Scots, besides Frenchmen. This castell he tooke by assault, slue the Scots, and hanged the Frenchmen, bicause they were once sworne English. After this he got also another castell, two miles from saint Iulians, called Alegerche, which was shortlie after recouered; and the lord of Camewis, which came to the rescue of the same, in the meane waie was intrapped and taken. Thus flowed the victorie, sometime on the one partie, and sometime on the other. For about the same time the townes of Meaux in Brie, and saint Susan were sold and deliuered to the French part, by the vntruth of the burgesses and inhabitants of the same towns, about the latter end of this sixtéenth yeare. [Sidenote: An. Reg. 17.] [Sidenote: Dearth of vittels.] [Sidenote: 1439] [Sidenote: _Abr. Fl. ex Polychr._] [Sidenote: Bread made of ferne roots.] This yeare (by reason of great tempests) raging winds, and raine, there rose such scarsitie, that wheat was sold at thrée shillings foure pense the bushell, wine at twelue pense the gallon, baisalt at fourtéene pense the bushell, and malt at thirtéene shillings foure pense the quarter, and all other graines at excessiue prices aboue the old rate. ¶ Wherevpon Steuen Browne (saith Polychronicon) at the same season maior of London, tendering the state of the citie in this want of breadcorne, sent into Pruse certeine ships, which returned loden with plentie of rie: wherwith he did much good to the people in that hard time speciallie to them of the citie, where the want of corne was not so extreame as in some other places of the land, where the poore distressed people that were hungerbitten, made them bred of ferne roots, and vsed other hardshifts, till God prouided remedie for their penurie by good successe of husbandrie. [Sidenote: A feat of a politike capteine & wise councellor.] In the moneth of Iune, the earle of Huntington (as Steward of Guien) with two thousand archers, and foure hundred speares was sent into Gascoigne, as a supplie to the countrie and c[=o]mons of the same: for the king of England and his councell were informed, that the earle of Dunois laie in the frontiers of Tholouse secretlie, by rewards and faire promises practising to procure diuerse townes in Guien to become French. Wherefore this earle (like a politike warrior) altered not onelie the capteins in euerie towne and citie, but also remoued the magistrates, and changed the officers from towne to towne, and roome to roome; so that by this meanes, the earle of Dunois at that time lost both trauell and cost. [Sidenote: Two shrewd persuaders.]