While they were debating on this matter, some of the inhabitants opened one of the gates to the English, who entered the town on the 23d of October, and made the greater part of the French, soldiers or not, prisoners. This news grieved much the king of France; and he hastily dispatched the marshals of France, the lord d'Orval, Joachim Rohault, and other experienced captains, with six hundred lances and archers, to guard the places round Bordeaux, as the lord de Clermont, his lieutenant-general in those parts, should see expedient, until he could, at a proper season, send a greater force. However, before this army could arrive, the earl of Shrewsbury and the barons of the Bordelois had subjected most of the places near Bordeaux to the government of the English. The town and castle of Châtillon, in Perigord, then occupied by the French, were surrendered by the garrison, on having their lives and fortunes spared, notwithstanding the count de Clermont did all in his power to resist the English before his reinforcement arrived. The lord Camus, the bastard of Somerset, the lord Lisle, son to the earl of Shrewsbury, the lord Molins, now arrived from England, to reinforce the earl of Shrewsbury with four thousand combatants, and eighty transports, great and small, laden with flour and bacon to victual the city of Bordeaux. FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 133: Tuché. MS. Du Cange, Chiré.] [Footnote 134: Mehun sur Yevre,--two leagues from Beaugency, four from Orleans.] [Footnote 135: Forez,--a small fertile province, bounded on the east by the Lyonnois, on the south by Languedoc.] [Footnote 136: Feurs,--a town in Forez, four leagues from Boen, 16 from Lyon.] [Footnote 137: Charles VII. was discontented with the duke of Savoy for having married his daughter Charlotte to the dauphin without his consent, but on his submissions was appeased.] CHAP. XXIX. THE MEN OF GHENT BESIEGE OUDENARDE.--THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY SENDS AN ARMY AGAINST THEM.--THE PICARDS CONQUER THE PONT D'ESPIERES FROM THE GHENT MEN, AND KILL MANY OF THEM. On the 14th day of April, after Easter, the ghent men took the field in great numbers, followed by a large train of artillery and provision-carts, to lay siege to Oudenarde, which was but five leagues from Ghent. On their appearance, sir Simon de Lalain issued out, and a skirmish took place; but he was forced to return to the town by reason of the very great numbers of ghent men, who attacked him on all sides,--and in his retreat, he burnt the suburbs on that quarter. The ghent army blockaded the place so closely that nothing could enter it by land, or by the river Scheld that ran through it.