At Bourges they were stopped by the strength of the place; having no means of besieging a fortified town, they passed on, and came to another town, the name of which Froissart does not give, but which, he says, had great plenty of wines and provisions. This they carried by storm, and here they remained three days. And now tidings were brought to the Prince that the King of France was at Chartres with a large army, and that all the passes and towns on the north of the Loire were manned and well defended. He therefore held a council of war, in which it was resolved to return at once to Bourdeaux, doing the enemy what damage was possible on the road. But the castle of Romorontin delayed their retreat, the Prince making it a point of honour not to be foiled by so small a place, and wasting therefore three days before it. This delay enabled the French army to reach him. The King of France, having now a large force, had set forward from Chartres, had crossed the Loire at Blois, and was rapidly marching on the city of Poictiers. Both of the chiefs seem to have been in the dark as to the exact position of the other--John, imagining the English to be far before him, and Edward similarly deeming the French to be in his rear. At last, at Chauvigny, on the Vienne, the two armies came in sight of each other, or rather, learned each other’s proximity by an encounter of outposts. A party of French knights falling in with two of Edward’s captains and a party of sixty men, pursued them until they came to the main body of the English, and here, not retreating, the greater part of the assailants were either slain or captured. From the prisoners, the Prince learned that the King of France was close by with his army, and that he could not retreat without fighting him. He called in immediately all foragers; and ordered every man to keep under his standard. Four experienced Captains, with 200 horse, were sent out to reconnoitre the French positions. They were not long before they fell in with it, and captured some stragglers. They soon perceived the whole plain to be covered with troops. Their approach alarmed the French, who, instead of entering Poictiers, turned towards the English army, and as it was late encamped for the night in the open fields. The English detachment returned to the Prince, and told him that the French “were in immense numbers.” The Prince replied, “God help us! we must begin to consider how we can best receive them.”