THE EARL OF SALISBURY CONQUERS GERGEAU AND OTHER PLACES NEAR ORLEANS.--THE DUKE OF BEDFORD WANTS TO LAY HANDS ON THE REVENUES OF THE CHURCH. The earl of Salisbury, on his arrival before Gergeau, caused it to be surrounded on all sides, and very hotly attacked by his artillery, insomuch that the garrison who held it for king Charles, fearing the consequences, entered into a treaty with the earl to surrender it, on being permitted to depart in safety. The earl, having regarrisoned it, advanced to Genville, which he besieged on all sides; but the French being in force within it, defended themselves valiantly. After a few days, however, they held a parley with the earl, but they could not agree as to the terms of delivering it up. On the French retiring, a skirmish took place between the besiegers and the besieged, which occasioned the whole of the English to arm themselves suddenly, and without command from the earl to storm the place so vigorously that it was won, and numbers of the French taken or killed, and other great disorders committed which it would be tedious to relate. During these transactions, the regent duke of Bedford and king Henry's ministers at Paris were earnestly attempting to acquire, for the king's use, all the rents and revenues that had been given to the church for the last forty years. To succeed in this, several great councils were held in Paris, between the duke and his ministers and the members of the university, in which the matter was fully and long debated: it was, however, in the end negatived, and the church remained at peace in regard to this demand. In this year, the king of Portugal raised a large army, in conjunction with the duke of Cambray[14], who commanded the van division, and the whole amounted to ten thousand combatants. They led his army to an island against the infidels, where were the king of Albastre[15] with twenty thousand Saracens, Turks, Tartars, Barbaresques, of which the greater number were left dead on the field, and the said king of Albastre made prisoner. The king of Portugal suffered but little loss, and after the victory he returned with his army back to his own country. FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 14: Cambray. Q. Coimbra.] [Footnote 15: Albastre. Q.] CHAP. LIII. THE EARL OF SALISBURY LAYS SIEGE TO THE TOWN OF ORLEANS.--HE IS THERE SLAIN. When the earl of Salisbury had subjected the towns of Gergeau, Genville, Mehun, and several castles and forts in those parts, to the obedience of king Henry of Lancaster, he made diligent preparations to lay siege to the city of Orleans. His army came before it in the month of October; but as the garrison and inhabitants had long expected his arrival, they had provided themselves with all sorts of warlike stores and provision, having determined to defend the place to the last extremity.