sale.[152] But on the actual annexation of La Marche to the ducal domain Geoffrey of Lusignan “with his brothers”—he had five—did more than protest; he “resisted, saying that La Marche belonged to him as heir—and,” adds Geoffrey of Vigeois, “he got it.”[153] How and when he got it we do not know, but it was probably not earlier than the autumn of 1182, since Bertrand de Born shortly before that time evidently did not regard the Lusignans as being in a position to afford much practical help to the league, and in June of that year Henry was still sufficiently master of the county to make a peaceful visit to Grandmont for the third time within sixteen months.[154] Obviously, however, the league would have the sympathies of the claimant of La Marche and his brothers. It seems to have also had those of some at least of the towns; “the burghers are shutting themselves in all round”—that is, rebuilding or strengthening their town walls—said Bertrand.[155] Concerted action was, however, so difficult to men accustomed by lifelong habit to fighting each for his own hand that before the allies were ready for a simultaneous rising their project seems to have become known to the duke. On Sunday, April 11, 1182, he “with a few of his people manfully captured” the Puy-St.-Front, a stronghold which stood in much the same relation to the city of Périgueux as that of the “castle of S. Martial” to the city of Limoges. The capture was evidently a surprise, characteristically planned and executed by Richard on the spur of the moment [Sidenote: 1182] when he discovered that Elias of Périgord, with whom he does not seem to have had any previous trouble, “was favouring his enemies.” He then marched upon Excideuil and ravaged the Limousin border from that fortress to Corgnac. By the middle of May the rebel leaders were apparently so disheartened that they were ready to discuss terms of peace, not indeed with Richard, but with his father. Soon after Whitsuntide (May 16) the counts of Angoulême and Périgord and the viscount of Limoges met the king at Grandmont, but no agreement was reached. Henry then went to support Richard in the Limousin. Richard suddenly attacked Excideuil, and took the town, though not the castle; Henry went to St. Yrieix, placed a garrison there, and then laid siege to Pierre-Buffière, which surrendered after twelve days. At midsummer he was back at Grandmont. Richard meanwhile had gone from Excideuil back to Périgueux. It seems that in his absence Elias had recovered Puy-St.-Front, and this time it was well prepared for defence. Richard “girded it all round about with a very great host”; in a few days he was rejoined by his father, and at the end of the month by his elder brother. The result was that in the first week of July both Elias of Périgord and Aimar of Limoges submitted. The peace was sworn in S. Augustine’s abbey at Limoges; Aimar promised that his half-brothers should have no further help from him, and placed