When the morrow dawned, the Earl of Derby had his trumpets sounded, and his forces drawn out in battle-array, to approach the town, and make a mighty assault, which lasted till noon. They had not much success; for they found that there were within it men who defended themselves valiantly. At noontide the English retreated, perceiving that they only lost their time. The lords then assembled in council, and determined to attack the town on the side next the river, for it was there fortified only by palisades. The Earl of Derby sent, therefore, to the fleet at Bordeaux for vessels, which he ordered to come to him up the Dordogne: there were upward of sixty barks and other vessels lying at Bordeaux, that came to Bergerac. In the evening of the following day the English made their arrangements; and at sunrise all those who were ordered to attack the town, as well as the fleet, were quite ready, under the command of the Lord Stafford. There were many knights and squires who had requested to be on this expedition, in hopes of preferment, as well as a body of archers. They advanced in haste, and came to some large round piles placed before the palisades, which they flung down. The townsmen, seeing this, went to the Count de Lisle, the lords, knights, and squires who were present, and said to them, “Gentlemen, we pray you to take heed what you are about; for we run a great risk of being ruined. If the town be taken, we shall lose all we have, as well as our lives. It will therefore be much better that we surrender it to the Earl of Derby, before we suffer more damage.” The count replied, “We will go to that quarter where the danger is; for we will not consent to surrender it so easily.” The Gascon knights and squires came, therefore, to defend the palisades; but the archers who were in the barks kept up so vigorous an attack with their arrows, that none dared to show themselves, unless they chose to run the risk of being either killed or wounded. In the town there were with the Gascons two or three hundred Genoese cross-bow-men, whose armor shielded them from the arrows. They kept the archers well employed all the day, and many on each side were wounded. At last the English who were in the vessels exerted themselves so much that they broke down a large piece of the palisade: those of Bergerac then retreated, and requested time to consider if they should not surrender the place. The remainder of that day and night was granted them, upon condition that they should not attempt to repair the breaches; and every one retired to his quarters. The lords of Gascony held that night a long council; and about midnight, having packed up all their baggage, they set out from Bergerac, and followed the road to La Réole, which is not far distant, whose gates were opened to them; and there they took up their quarters.