The political tide, however, turned as soon as he was gone. The Aquitanian league suddenly found itself without a head; for Geoffrey of Britanny, although the wiliest and most plausible of all the king’s sons, was also the most generally distrusted and disliked.[1093] The league broke up at once; on Midsummer-day Ademar of Limoges surrendered his citadel and made his peace;[1094] and most of the other rebels soon followed his example. By the end of the month Henry, having razed the walls of Limoges and garrisoned with his own troops the castles which had submitted to him, could venture to set out for Normandy;[1095] while King Alfonso of Aragon, who had come to the help of his father’s old ally, found nothing left for him to do but to join Richard in an expedition against the one baron who still persisted in his rebellion--Bertrand de Born.[1096] If Bertrand’s story may be believed, it was Alfonso’s treachery which, after a week’s siege, compelled him to surrender Hautefort.[1097] What followed shewed plainly that the Aquitanian revolt was at an end. Richard made over Hautefort to Constantine de Born, the troubadour’s brother and lifelong rival;[1098] Bertrand, instead of calling his fellow-barons to avenge him as of old, threw himself upon the generosity of his conqueror, and addressed Richard in a _sirvente_ entreating that his castle might be restored to him. Richard referred him to his father; Bertrand then hastened to the king, who greeted him sarcastically with an allusion to one of his own earlier _sirventes_: “You were wont to boast of possessing more wits than you ever needed to use--what has become of them now?” “Sire, I lost them on the day that you lost your son.” Henry burst into tears; Bertrand was forgiven, indemnified for the losses which he had sustained during the siege, and dismissed with a charter securing to him from that time forth the sole possession of Hautefort.[1099] As a natural consequence, his lyre and his sword were thenceforth both alike at the service of the ducal house to whom he had hitherto been such a troublesome and dangerous foe. [1093] See Gir. Cambr. _De Instr. Princ._, dist. ii. c. 11 (Angl. Christ. Soc., p. 35). The author of the _Gesta Hen._ seems to look upon Geoffrey as the instigator of all his brothers’ misdoings, and scarcely ever mentions his name without an epithet of abuse. [1094] Geoff. Vigeois, l. ii. c. 18 (Labbe, _Nova Biblioth._, vol. ii. p. 337). _Gesta Hen._ as above, p. 302. The date comes from Geoffrey. [1095] _Gesta Hen._ as above, p. 303. [1096] Geoff. Vigeois, l. ii. c. 18 (Labbe, _Nova Biblioth._, vol. ii. p. 337). [1097] On the story of this siege see Clédat, _Bert. de Born_, pp. 55–57, and Geoff. Vigeois as above. [1098] Geoff. Vigeois as above. [1099] Clédat, _Bert. de Born_, pp. 57, 58.