Soon after the reduction of Honfleur, the king left the abbey of Grestain, and went to Berucy[72], and thence to Essay[73] and Alençon. He ordered a party of his guards, with the franc archers, to lay siege to Fresnay[74], which was under the government of two Englishmen, called Andrew Torfflot[75] and Janequin Vaquier[76], having with them from four to five hundred English and Normans, called French Renegadoes. The French advanced before the place in a numerous body, in handsome array, which so much alarmed the governors that they instantly offered to treat for a surrender. After a short discussion, it was agreed, that on the place being given up to the king of France, together with ten thousand golden saluts, their captain, called Montfort[77], who had been made prisoner at Pont Audemer, should be restored to them, and they should be allowed to march away in safety with their baggage. Thus was the place surrendered,--and the English departed, on the 22d day of March, for Caen or Falaise, or to wherever else they pleased. During the time of Lent, in this year, three thousand English landed at Cherbourg, under the command of sir Thomas Kiriel, a knight of great experience and renown, and marched to lay siege to Valognes[78], which was under the government of an esquire from Poitou, called Abel Rohault. He held it valiantly for some time, for his brother Joachim Rohault; but having no hope of succour, he was forced to surrender it to sir Thomas Kiriel, after a defence of three weeks, and was allowed to march his men away in safety with all they possessed. The king's army was, at the time, collecting to raise the siege; as were the English to oppose them, from their different garrisons,--namely, sir Robert Vere, in Caen, had six hundred combatants,--Henry Morbery, in Vire, had about four hundred,--Matago, in the town of Bayeux, had eight hundred fighting men,--so that they amounted in all, including sir Thomas Kiriel's force, to six or seven thousand combatants. The French, learning this, suffered the town to be surrendered without any attempt to the contrary,--for they could not be assembled in time, considering that the king's army was then dispersed in cantonments throughout Normandy, for the better preservation of their conquests. FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 70: Saltviton. In the MS. of Du Cange, it is _Soliton_; but this seems as far from the true name as the other.] [Footnote 71: Courson. Q. Curzon?] [Footnote 72: Berucy,--Bernay, a market-town in Normandy, twenty leagues and a half from Alençon. MS. Du Cange.] [Footnote 73: Essay,--a market-town in Normandy, five leagues from Alençon.] [Footnote 74: Fresnay. There are two villages of this name in Normandy.] [Footnote 75: Andrew Torfflot. Troslo.----MS. Du Cange. Q. if not Truslow?] [Footnote 76: Janequin Vaquier. Basquier and Baquier.----MS. Du Cange.] [Footnote 77: Montfort. Q. if not lord Fauconberg? See in the preceding pages.]