force; his old scruple about making war upon his overlord seems not to have been yet quite extinguished, and moreover he shrank alike from the bloodshed and the expense of war. During some weeks his forces were still kept idle, save for an occasional plundering-raid across the French border.[1216] Philip meanwhile was carrying all before him in Berry, and having conquered nearly the whole district, made a dash upon Auvergne.[1217] Richard seized the opportunity for an attempt to regain Châteauroux, in which however he failed, and was only saved from capture or death by the help of a friendly butcher.[1218] His advance however had been enough to make Philip retire into his own domains.[1219] Soon afterwards the approach of the vintage-season compelled the French king to disband a part of his forces; the remainder, under command of the bishop of Beauvais, went to ravage the Norman frontier-lands. Henry demanded reparation, and threatened to cast off his allegiance in default of it; Philip retorted that he would not cease from the warfare which he had begun till all Berry and the Vexin were in his hands.[1220] At last, in the middle of August, the two kings met in person once more between Gisors and Trie; but the meeting broke up in anger; and when they parted, Philip in his rage cut down the great elm tree under which the conferences between the rulers of France and Normandy had so long been held, vowing that no conference should ever be held there again.[1221] [1208] Rog. Howden as above. Cf. _Gesta Hen._ as above, p. 39. [1209] R. Diceto as above. Gir. Cambr. _De Instr. Princ._, dist. iii. c. 7 (Angl. Christ. Soc., p. 103). [1210] _Gesta Hen._ as above, p. 36. [1211] R. Diceto (Stubbs), vol. ii. p. 55. Gerv. Cant. (Stubbs), vol. i. p. 432, seems to have confused this siege of Châteauroux with an earlier one. Cf. Will. Newb., l. iii. c. 25 (Howlett, vol. i. p. 276), Rigord (Duchesne, _Hist. Franc. Scriptt._, vol. v.), p. 27, and Will. Armor., _Gesta Phil. Aug._ (_ibid._), p. 74. [1212] _Gesta Hen._ (Stubbs), vol. ii. p. 40. Cf. Gerv. Cant. as above, p. 433. R. Diceto (as above) dates the king’s crossing “circa festum S. Jacobi,” but this is clearly wrong. [1213] _Gesta Hen._ as above. [1214] R. Diceto as above. [1215] Rog. Howden (Stubbs, vol. ii. p. 343) adds some troops “from his other lands.” [1216] Gerv. Cant. as above, pp. 433, 434. [1217] Rigord as above. Will. Armor. as above; _Philipp._, l. iii. (_ibid._), p. 122. Both these writers however throw some suspicion upon their account of Philip’s successes by saying that Henry was flying before him all the while, and was finally chased back by him into Normandy--which in reality it seems plain that he had never quitted. [1218] Gerv. Cant. as above, p. 434.