[Footnote 69: Agnes Sorel, says Moreri, was one of the handsomest women of her time. She was a native of Promenteau, a village of Touraine, in the diocese of Bourges. King Charles VII. no sooner saw her than he fell in love with her. This prince made her great presents, and gave her the castle of Beauté sur Marne. It is said that his affection for her caused him to neglect public business, but that Agnes contrived to excite him with such animosity against the English that he exerted his utmost efforts to drive them out of the kingdom. It is added, that she assured him that an astrologer had foretold to her that she would captivate the affections of the greatest king in the world, but that this prediction had no reference to him, since he neglected to establish his authority in a state which his enemies had usurped, and that, in order to accomplish it, she would be obliged to repair to the court of the king of England. These reproaches roused the king from his lethargy,--and he took the field to gratify, at once, his love and his ambition. On this subject it is also said, that Francis I. being, one day in the house of the count d'Estampes, who had been his governor, and who was then grand master of France, he amused himself with looking into a port-folio which was upon the dressing table of the countess, who was fond of painting, and had drawn in it the portraits of divers illustrious persons, and among others of Agnes Sorel. The king made devices and verses for each of these portraits,--and under that of the fair Agnes he wrote the following lines with his own hand.] CHAP. XVII. THE COUNT DE FOIX RAISES A LARGE ARMY TO BESIEGE THE CASTLE OF GUISCHEN.--THE ENGLISH ASSEMBLE TO RAISE THE SIEGE, BUT ARE DEFEATED BY THE LORD DE LAUTREC AND THE BASTARD DE FOIX. About this period, the count de Foix raised a large army, and caused the strong castle of Guischen, situated four leagues from Bayonne, to be besieged by his brother, the lord de Lautrec, and the bastard de Foix. The English, on hearing this, instantly took the field with four thousand combatants, under the command of the constable of Navarre. He had with him the mayor of Bayonne, George Saltviton[70], 'Plus de loüange et d'honneur tu merites, La cause étant de France recouvrer, Que ce que peut dedans un cloitre ouvrer Close nonnain, en bien devot hermite.' and many other English, who, having embarked their stores on the river that runs through Bayonne, to convey them near to this castle, marched as close to the vessels as they could.