Large detachments of men at arms were now posted round Bourdeaux, who destroyed, without opposition, that part of the country, which was abundant in all things,--for until then, it had been a long time without suffering the miseries of war. In consideration of these valuable services, and for his courageous actions, the king of France pardoned Roderigo de Villandras all the offences and evil deeds he had done against him. However, in the course of a year, the English reconquered the greater part of these places that had been won from them. FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 22: Soulac,--a small town near Bourdeaux.] [A.D. 1439] CHAP. XXVII. POPE EUGENIUS SENDS BULLS TO DIVERS PARTS OF EUROPE.--THEIR TENOUR. At the commencement of this year, pope Eugenius published bulls against the members of the council at Basil, the tenour of which was as follows. 'Eugenius bishop, and servant of the servants of God. Every example from the Old and New Testaments admonishes us not to pass over in silence, or to leave unpunished, crimes and misdemeanours,--more especially such as may bring on slander against, or cause a division among, the people committed to our charge. Should we delay pursuing and avenging those faults which have given just offence to God, we should most certainly provoke the divine Wisdom to anger; for the delay of pursuing crimes deserving punishment, according to the judgements of the holy fathers of the church, would be sinful. Those also who contemn the divine commands, and are disobedient to paternal ordinances according to our holy institutions, deserve the severest chastisements, to make others ashamed of similar conduct, that fraternal concord may rejoice, and all take warning from such examples. 'Should we be remiss in our vigour or solicitude for the welfare of the church, its discipline would perish through our indolence, which would be of the greatest injury to all good and true Christians. To cut off, therefore, the unsound flesh from the sound,--to separate the scabby sheep from the rest, that the whole flock be not infected, is a duty imposed upon us; for as that glorious doctor St Jerome says, 'Arius, when at Alexandria, was but a spark of fire,--but, from not being instantly extinguished, the flame was increased, and spread throughout Christendom.' 'It was for this cause that our Saviour gave to the bishop of Rome the keys, to bind and unbind such as wandered from the ways of truth, that they may be constrained to return by the bonds of correction and obligation. We may say, therefore, of the apostolical authority, that when in the judgement of the church, it has consigned those over to Satan who have led others into error, it has exerted its power for the salvation of their souls, and to teach others not to blaspheme.