In the spring of 1197 hostilities re-commenced with a raid made by Richard on the coast of Ponthieu; he set fire to the castle of S. Valery, harried the surrounding country, seized five ships which were bringing food into the harbour, hanged their skippers, and appropriated their cargoes to feed his own men.[1229] A month later Mercadier made a raid [Sidenote: _April 15_] on Beauvais and captured its Bishop.[1230] Early in the summer [Sidenote: _May 19_] there came an indication that the Vexin was not altogether contented under its new ruler; Dangu, an important castle on the Epte, was voluntarily surrendered to Richard by its lord, William Crispin. Philip at once led an army to retake it and succeeded in so doing, but only after a siege which occupied him so long that meanwhile Richard had time to dash into Auvergne and capture ten of the French king’s castles there,[1231] and Baldwin of Flanders to make himself master of Douay and some neighbouring towns and lay siege to Arras. Philip hurriedly razed Dangu and went to relieve Arras; at his approach Baldwin withdrew into northern Flanders; Philip pursued him hotly, but presently found himself entangled in a network of streams which cut off him and his troops from either advance or retreat, provisions or reinforcements, for the bridges over all the rivers in front and rear and round about him were broken down by Baldwin’s orders. He was reduced to sue for mercy and entreat Baldwin “not to sully the honour of the French Crown,” declaring himself ready to make an amicable settlement with Flanders and restore all its lost territory, “if the king of England were excluded from the peace.” This condition Baldwin rejected, and Philip was obliged to purchase release from his awkward position by a compromise: Baldwin undertook to act as intermediary between the two kings and invite Richard to a conference between them “for the settlement of an honourable peace” which should include his own confirmation by both in the restitution of his ancestral possessions.[1232] The conference [Sidenote: _Sept. 8 or 17_] took place early in September. As usual, the proposed peace dwindled to a truce. Even this was won only by the influence of Archbishop Hubert of Canterbury, who was then in attendance on his sovereign. Its duration was fixed for a year from the ensuing Christmas or Hilary-tide;[1233] [Sidenote: _Sept._] and its sole condition seems to have been that each party should for that period continue holding what he held at the moment[1234]—a condition which enabled Philip to postpone indefinitely the promised restitution of southern Flanders.