When these sawe _Paris_ loste, and cities moe beside, And what in Fraunce and _Normandie_ reuoltes had done, They thought no longer subiect to abyde, But sought occasion how they might by Frenche be won? As of our losse reports did dayly to them run, So with king _Charles_ th’agreede when to betray the towne, And force the English flee, or yeelde, or beate them downe. 63. For why, the powre of Fraunce coulde not with mighty hoste Performe, to wyn by force from vs th’assaulted towne, Them scaleing often from the walles wee toste, On euery syde full fast wee flang the French men downe: Our noble actes before had gotten such renowne, And fortune erste had past with vs so farre, They had small hope to wyn our fortes by warre. 64. Wherefore king _Charles_ assayde the secrete saute, Not by his force of French, but by his golden fee, Corrupting diuers burgeses to make the faute, Whereby an entry shoulde to his oppugning bee: And they, as erste is sayde, were willing to agree, Like periurde theeues conspirde, by secrete fyne deuice Gaue _Pontoise_ vp, and tooke the promiste price. 65. But in Nouember next, when it was sharpe and colde, And dayly froste had dryde and parched hard the grounde, Wee were in hope agayne to get of _Pontoise_ holde, Which erste the townesmen sold for gayne of many a pound: The snow fell fast, lay thick, and couered well the ground, And ditches were so harde about the towne before, That on the ise by euery syde wee safely might get ore. 66. The lorde Ihon _Clifforde_ was cheife captayne then, Which with vs captaynes did this pollicie deuise, That wee in clothing white and soldiers euery man, Should in our armoure finelye vs disguyse: The nexte nyght so wee should to the assaute aryse, And passe the frozen ditche vnto the wall, With laders scale, and kill the watchmen all. 67. Wee so preparde our selues as time occasion gaue, And drest in white coates trim, it ioyde our hartes to see How fine wee paste the ditch, what good successe we haue: How on the walles we fynde the watch nigh frozen bee: As noble Greekes on _Troie_, on _Pontoise_ seasonde wee, Wee slewe the watch, wee beate the soldiers downe, Some prisners tooke, and tooke with all the towne. 68.