When the queen had sufficiently provided for the defence of the city of York, the castle of Roxburgh, the city of Durham, and the town of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, as well as for all the borders, and had appointed the Lords Percy and Neville governors of Northumberland to take proper care of it, she set out from York, and returned to London. She ordered the King of Scots, the Earl of Murray, and the other prisoners, to be confined in the Tower of London; and, having placed a sufficient guard over them, set out for Dover, where she embarked, and with a favorable wind arrived before Calais three days preceding the feast of All Saints. The king, upon her arrival, held a grand court, and ordered magnificent entertainments for all the lords who were there, but more especially for the ladies; as the queen had brought a great many with her, who were glad to accompany her, in order to see fathers, brothers, and friends, that were engaged at this siege of Calais. CHAPTER LXIV. THE YOUNG EARL OF FLANDERS IS BETROTHED, THROUGH THE CONSTRAINT OF THE FLEMINGS, TO THE DAUGHTER OF THE KING OF ENGLAND.--HE ESCAPES TO FRANCE IN A SUBTLE MANNER The siege of Calais lasted a long time, during which many gallant feats of arms and adventures happened. But it is not possible for me to relate the fourth part of them; for the King of France had posted so many men at arms in the fortresses, and on the borders of the counties of Guines, Artois, Boulogne, round to Calais, and had such numbers of Genoese, Normans, and others in vessels on the sea, that none of the English could venture abroad on horseback or on foot, to forage, without meeting some of these parties. There were frequent skirmishes near the gates and ditches of the town, which never ended without several being killed and wounded: sometimes one side gained the advantage, and sometimes the other. The King of England and his council studied night and day to invent new engines more effectually to annoy the town; but the inhabitants were equally alert to destroy their effect, and exerted themselves so much that they suffered nothing from them. However, no provisions could be brought into the place but by stealth, and by the means of two mariners who were guides to such as adventured. One was named Marant, and the other Mestriel: both of them resided in Abbeville. By their means the town of Calais was frequently victualled, and by their boldness they were often in great danger, many times pursued and almost taken; but they escaped, and slew and wounded many of the English. The siege lasted all the winter. The king had a great desire to keep on good terms with the municipalities of Flanders, because he thought that through them he should the more easily obtain his end. He made, therefore, frequent protestations of friendship to them, and gave them to understand, that, after he should have succeeded at Calais, he would reconquer for them Lisle, Douay, and all their dependencies: so