They, however, saw the duke of Somerset, and plainly told him, that it was expedient that a treaty should be opened, with the king of France, otherwise they would be ruined and starved,--for it was upwards of six weeks since any corn, wood, meat or wine had entered the town. This language was not very agreeable to the duke,--but looking round, and seeing that he had not more than fifty or sixty Englishmen with him, and that there were from eight hundred to a thousand of the townsmen, without including the remainder of the inhabitants who were under arms in the different streets, he began to be alarmed, and, addressing himself with much humility to the archbishop and people, said, that he was ready to do whatever the inhabitants of the town should wish. To appease the populace, he went to the town-hall, where public meetings are usually held,--and, after some discussion, it was resolved that the archbishop, with some english knights and citizens, should attend at the gate of St Ouen, to confer with the king, or with a part of his great council, respecting the welfare and surrender of the city of Rouen. In consequence of this resolution, the official of the town was sent to the king at Pont de l'Arche to obtain a safe conduct for certain persons therein named, to treat of peace,--which being granted, the official returned to the archbishop and the duke. The archbishop, and some knights and esquires on the part of the duke of Somerset, together with certain of the townsmen, were sent to Port St Ouen[55], within a league of Pont de l'Arche, where they met, on the part of the king of France, his lieutenant-general the count de Dunois, the chancellor of France, the seneschal of Poitou, sir William de Cousinot, and some others. They had a long conference, in which the deputies from Rouen insisted on a general amnesty being granted, and that such as chose might depart with the English, and all who preferred to stay should have the enjoyment of their fortunes unmolested. It was also stipulated, that the English and their party should have safe conducts for themselves and their effects, when they marched away. All these demands having been agreed to by the count de Dunois and the king's counsellors, the archbishop and his associates promised to deliver up the town to the king's obedience.