The king, on receipt of them, caused his sister to be acquainted with their contents (for he had held no conversation with her for a long time), and commanded her to leave the kingdom immediately, or he would make her leave it with shame. CHAPTER V. THE QUEEN ISABELLA LEAVES FRANCE, AND GOES TO GERMANY. When the queen heard this account, she knew not what to say, or what measures to adopt: for the barons had already withdrawn themselves by the king’s command, and she had no resource or adviser left but in her dear cousin, Robert of Artois; and he could only advise and assist her in secret, as the king had forbidden it. He well knew that the queen had been driven from England through malice and ill-will: but he durst not speak of it to the king; for he had heard the king say and swear that whoever should speak to him in her behalf should forfeit his land, and be banished the kingdom. He was also informed that the king was not averse to the seizure of the persons of the queen, her son Edward, the Earl of Kent, and Sir Roger Mortimer, and to their being delivered into the hands of the King of England and Sir Hugh Spencer. He therefore came in the middle of the night to inform the queen of the peril she was in. She was thunder-struck at the information; to which he added, “I recommend you to set out for the empire, where there are many noble lords who will greatly assist you, particularly William, Earl of Hainault, and his brother, who are both great lords, and wise and loyal men, and much dreaded by their enemies.” The queen ordered her baggage to be made ready as secretly as she could; and, having paid for every thing, she quitted Paris, accompanied by her son, the Earl of Kent, and all her company, and took the road to Hainault. After some days she came into the country of Cambray. When she found she was in the territories of the empire, she was more at her ease; passed through Cambresis; entered L’Ostrevant in Hainault, and lodged at the house of a poor knight called Eustace d’Ambreticourt, who received her with great pleasure, and entertained her in the best manner he could; insomuch that afterwards the Queen of England and her son invited the knight, his wife, and all his children, to England, and advanced their fortunes in different ways. The arrival of the queen in Hainault was soon known in the house of the good Earl of Hainault, who was then at Valenciennes. Sir John, his brother, was also informed of the hour when she alighted at the house of the Lord of Ambreticourt. This Sir John, being at that time very young, and panting for glory like a knight-errant, mounted his horse, and, accompanied by a few persons, set out from Valenciennes for Ambreticourt, where he arrived in the evening, and paid the queen every respect and honor.